Better Business Founder

Hi, this is Leekei, and today is the third episode of our Mindful Mondays series. Every Monday I share with you a specific foundation idea, a small dose of inspiration to help you quickstart your week. The idea behind that is simply because I’ve noticed that many fashion business owners are often struggling with the foundation and the Mindful Mondays series is here to help you get over that struggle. These episodes will sometimes be about a sustainability issue, about a business foundation concept, sometimes like today, about a mindset concept.    In today’s episode, I want to share with you a story. When I first started off with my brand, I took part in a tradeshow in LA, Los Angeles. Taking part in a tradeshow is a way to show your brand and to connect with wholesale buyers such as local boutiques, independent concept stores or bigger stores. As I have already told you I had no prior experience in the fashion business when I started off. I had no idea how wholesale business works, about the buying cycles and I had no real connections.But I had allocated a small budget for a tradeshow, so I looked up on the internet to find one we could participate in. I found this one that was located in downtown LA. The cost to exhibit at this tradeshow was fairly low compared to the others, because it was the first edition of this new tradeshow. I thought that it was a good idea: a startup business supporting another startup. This tradeshow was located at the CMC, the California Market Center, downtown LA. Since there were other more established and more expensive tradeshows on the other floors of the CMC, I thought that it was a smart idea to join the cheaper tradeshow as wholesale buyers would come to our floor and pay us a visit so they will have a chance to discover our brand.I couldn’t be more wrong.Not only the organizers did not promote this tradeshow properly to wholesale buyers as they were supposed to do, but they did a very poor job at fitting up the space of the show, so it was not appealing at all. So during this 4 days of the show, we had a very poor attendance, but I had plenty of time to get acquainted with the other business owners and to chat with them.However, I managed to get a small order from a boutique in Santa Monica.So the story I could have told myself is that I wasted a whole week of my time and my team’s. We wasted our energy and lots of money for a small results that did not even cover the expenses for this tradeshow. It was such a bad experience.But I chose to tell myself another story. Here is the story:We did get a first order from one lovely boutique in Santa Monica that not only allowed us to say that we are selling our brand in LA, but it was also a great place to gain brand exposure in a very good boutique that helped position our brand to the level we were aspiring to.We spent 4 full days chatting with other exhibitors and it was such a great opportunity to learn from other business owners and sales people. During these 4 days, we learned so much about the fashion wholesale business in the US that we were able to build a strong US wholesale strategy that allowed us to sell to some of the best boutiques and stores throughout the country.We also gained experience in preparing for an overseas tradeshow and in setting a booth.The journey of a business owner is long and it is paved with obstacles and small and big wins. It is sometimes demoralizing when things do not go the way you were expecting them to go but if you decide to dwell on the negative thoughts for too long, you might not see the small wins that you have achieved. And even if you felt that you have not achieved any small wins, which I doubt, at least you’ve learned something that you could do differently in the future or that you have discovered a new idea, a new concept or a new direction.It is very important to pay attention to all the small wins and to learn how to grow from there. There are so many examples in your business. Think of a time when you did not reach the outcome you’ve expected. Was is a smaller outcome you can celebrate? If not what did you learn?We need to train ourselves to have a better narrative of our lives.So we need to practice everyday.Here’s a practice we can all do: Think of when you go to bed at night, when you feel frustrated about all the things you have not finished. What if instead, you decide to celebrate all the things that you have accomplished during the day? It’s a better feeling, isn’t it? Practice that when you go to bed tonight.In the meantime, have a great day and a wonderful week ahead.=======Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

01:30 Why Nadine transitioned from being an MD, Pathologist to be a Yoga Instructor and Health Coach for the Wise Women, women of over 60.04:30 What is specific about aging bodies and how Nadine decided to adapt regular yoga practice to cater to the Wise Women11:00 Her Podcast, Yogi MD, to reach more women and in a broader way by offering a more holistic approach to health and well-being12:55 The dimensions of health: physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual18:00 Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Being outstanding and thoughtful to spread the word22:30 Finding joy in helping cancer survivor feel safe and be part of a communityNUGGETS:Approach to health: Prevention versus Fixing symptomsEven aging bodies can always keep learningThe 5 dimensions of health: physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritualCommunity word-of-mouth marketing: doing outstanding work so the word will spread Yoga on a chair or in the kitchen is possible and is not boring To find out more about Nadine and Yogi MD: https://yogimd.net/=========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

Hi, this is Leekei, and today is the second episode of our Mindful Mondays series. Every Monday I share with you a specific foundation idea, a small dose of inspiration to help you quickstart your week. The idea behind that is simply because I’ve noticed that many fashion business owners are often struggling with the foundation and the Mindful Mondays series is here to help you get over that struggle. These episodes will sometimes be about a sustainability issue, about a particular mindset, sometimes like today, about a business foundation concept.    In today’s episode, I want to start talking about the concept of Brand and why your brand is so important to your business. This episode is just a start because it is such a broad topic. According to Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, Your Brand is What Other People Say About You When You’re Not in the Room. So it’s so much more than a brand name, a logo or even a tagline. Your brand perception is what your customers and potential customers think about you. This is related to how you build trust in delivering the promise about who you are, what you stand for, and what are the unique and meaningful benefits you deliver.You are building your brand by living up to your promise every single time someone comes in contact with your business, like your shop, your ad campaign or your customer service. And you need to strengthen your brand by consistently reinforcing your brand promise.Strong brands create loyalty, a group of raving fans who talk about what they love. Your brand is not about what you say you are, your brand should be about what others say you are.You can strengthen your brand perception by first deciding who you want to be as a business, then delivering on your brand promise, and giving your customers the visuals or the words they need to share your message.To illustrate that approach, I’d like to invite you to spend some time and look at the US womenswear brand Eileen Fischer and see how this brand is living up to its promise. This brand has decided that “Our purpose is to inspire simplicity, creativity, and delight through connection and great design”. To understand how they deliver trust, go and visit an Eileen Fischer shop to feel the brand experience. If you don’t have a shop near you, visit their website. Look at their design, but also at the shop layout. Talk to a salesperson, read some pages of the website and notice the tone of voice. Pay attention to the messages in-store and on the website. How do they make you feel? What are your emotions when you are in contact with the brand?If you want to go a bit deeper, go to their brand mission statement page and read in detail their practice. How are these promises translated in the way they operate the business? Now go to their social media and notice the art direction of the pictures. How do they choose their models? What is the setting and the surrounding of the pictures? How is the hair? And how is the makeup? What is the facial expression of the models? How looking at these pictures make you think and make you feel?Did you notice all the events organized in the stores? Some of them are sales events but many of them are not related to sales but are designed to support the values stated in the brand mission statement.My question to you is: How would you describe Eileen Fischer to a friend. Do you think that what you would say is in-line with what they want you to say?And now, for your Fashion Business. What have you decided who you want to be as a business? What do you want your customers to say about your brand? How do you want to make them feel every time they are in contact with your brand?Review all the steps of your business operation. Are all steps inline with the experience you want to provide to your customers? If not, what change do you need to implement? What can you improve? What can you do better?Start making small changes. Like sustainability, brand building is also an ongoing process. Start now, today, so you can build a strong brand so your business can deliver value to people and to the planet. ========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

SHOW NOTES:02:00 An introduction to Moldova, a former Soviet country with its wineries and plentiful beautiful landscapes03:30 Starting a business making hand-painted silk dresses. Each piece is unique.05:00 Making pieces of garment you want to pass from generation to generation. The concept of wearable art.06:00 Taking the leap. How attending a fashion show gave Lilia the confidence to follow her dreams and to leave her career at the United Nation to become a fashion designer and launch her business07:30 Learning as you build your business. Launching the wrong products. Finally finding the right product concept that customers LOVE09:30 Timeless collection and slow fashion concept12:00 Breaking the rules of the fashion calendar to gain in freedom for creativity13:30 The Nymphs as a guiding theme to design powerful campaigns to build the brand image15:30 The collection is sold in Moldova, Paris and Milan16:00 Waste is an environmental problem that Lilia has identified. Together with her team, they contribute to the reduction of the fashion waste by developing unique pieces that are passed from one generation to another. In general, their attitude is to identify problems and try to find solutions by small increment17:30 Being 100% sustainable is very difficult. Her approach to environmental issues is to not over promise or to make false promise. For example, switching to natural dyes requires additional research for it is in their development plan.19:30 Joyful moments of a fashion business owner. The most fulfilling moment is when a customer “gets” the intention of her brand (a piece of wearable art to be transmitted to the next generation).22:00 Time capsule question: take good care of your environment and think of the future generations NUGGETS:Design something unique that you love, your customers will love itCreate powerful image campaigns to build your brandSustainable business: find and address one problem you can solve, look for opportunities for additional improvementsSustainable fashion: do not just throw labels, do not over promise FB / IG move.womenswear ========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

Hi, this is Leekei, and this is a new episode of the Mindful Monday series, a small dose of ideas and inspiration to help you quick start your week. In our constant quest for better understanding on how our business can deliver value to people and to the planet, I want to talk today about the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the SDGs, and how these can be implemented in your fashion business. Do you know what these goals are? You might have heard about them in 2015 when these goals have been adopted by the UN Member States Nations. The SDGs are part of a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity in 2030. These are 17 goals with a grand objective to provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and for the planet, now and into the future. Each goal is defined by a subset of targets. These goals are set for the governments of the UN member states, so as Business Founder, we can of course, not achieve any of the goals by ourselves but what we can do, is to take action towards the achievement of these targets.  Some of the targets could be an inspiration to build your own targets and define your own set of business operation rules that you can implement in your Fashion Business. Actually all targets could be a source of inspiration, but I chose those that are most actionable for your fashion business.You can find the details of all the goals and targets on the SDGs on the website sustainabledevelopment dot UN dot ORG Today we will look at the targets related to air, water, soil and ocean pollution. Target 3.9 is the reduction of the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contaminationTarget 6.3 is the improvement of water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, water reuse and recyclingTarget 12.4 is the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, and the reduction of their release to air, water and soil.Target 14.1 is the prevention and reduction of marine pollution.You can find the full details of each target on the UN website sustainabledevelopment dot UN dot ORGDoes your business have any direct connection with the achievement of these targets? Maybe not a direct connection but certainly an indirect connection through your … suppliers. The suppliers that provide you with the fabrics, with the leather parts, with the metal parts...etc.Of course, in most countries and for most factories, there is a regulatory framework and certifications. But I like to ask my own questions, such as:What kind of dye do they use? How is the chemical waste managed and disposed? Is the manufacturing process polluting the air outside the factory? How about inside the factory? Are workers exposed to indoor air pollution? Is their protection equipment adequate and sufficient?Is the room sufficiently ventilated? Do they reuse or recycle water?These are some of the suggestions for questions you can ask your suppliers before you enter into a business relationship with them. But I am sure you will have lots of other questions.Make a list. Ask your questions. And if possible, spend some time in the factory to see with your own eyes how the product is made. Talk to the workers. Be curious, be alert, look around.Then you can make your own assessment and decide if you want to work with this particular supplier. You might have not checked all boxes but at least you know and you can decide if it is acceptable to you or not.I know that it’s not always easy to visit a factory but if you can, do it. Maybe you will learn something new and get closer to the workers of this particular supplier. The workers will also be able to associate a face with a company name. This makes the whole difference to them and to you.So even if the SDGs do not directly apply to your business, you can use them as a framework to get inspiration to build a better business that delivers value to people and to the planet. I hope you’ve found this episode useful. In a future episode, I will explore with you another aspect of the SDGs.The objective of Mindful Business Founder is to become mindful of the consequences of our choices and of our business decisions. We cannot transform the fashion industry, but we can always take small but mindful actions to make it better.   ========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

LISTEN TO Erika's podcast The Cinnamon Stick ========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes

Mindful Business Founder. It is the podcast for Fashion Business Founders seeking to build a meaningful and profitable business. My name is Leekei Tang, I run Fashion Business Acceleration Programs. I meet fashion founders and business owners who want to learn how they can better balance their business interests with environmental and social issues.Being a Fashion Business Founder myself, with a background in sustainable development and I can tell you that aligning business and environmental goals is not all that simple. Because each business is different and the extent of environmental and social impacts is a complex issue.But we cannot just ignore the problems and do nothing. As a business owner, we have the power, we even have the responsibility to create changes in our world. And the way forward is to BE MINDFUL. Being mindful is an attitude. And with this podcast I’m hoping to inspire business owners to be more mindful of the consequences of their actions and of their decisions.We will be talking to other Mindful Founders and explore what they do differently. We will try to learn from their guiding principles and get inspirations from their experience. We will be talking to Fashion Business Founders and also Founders from other industries. Mindful Business Founder is about business, but also about delivering value to people and to the planet.I’m your host, Leekei Tang and my podcast is called Mindful Business Founder. ========Host: Leekei TangContact: hello (at) betterbusinessfounder.comMusic credits: Mister Sunny Face by Wayne Jones / Blue Skies by Silent Partner / Happy Ukulele by Scott Holmes