How to Create a Fashion Empire with Nicole Giordano of STARTUp Fashion

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Hi and welcome to the Handbag Designer 101 podcast with your host, emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, where we cover everything about handbags from making, marketing, designing and talking to handbag designers and industry experts about what it takes to make a successful handbag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Welcome, nicole Giordano, to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So happy to have you.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Thank you for having me.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You are a founder, ceo, creator of everything startup fashion.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Is that correct?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>To say Sure, yeah, that's lovely to hear.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Thank you, I mean, you started it, so I'm sure you talk about it all the time.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>What exactly is Startup Fashion?

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<v Nicole Giordano>It is a community, an online community, that is focused on helping independent fashion brands to launch and grow in the early stages.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Okay, so what exactly does that mean?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do people approach you?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Talk about the whole holistic process that is started, asha.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Of course.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So most people find us online.

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<v Nicole Giordano>We started a blog in 2009.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So we've been around a long time and have a lot of content.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So most people find us online and they are looking for guidance.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You know around information, right.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You know how to do product development, how to think about pre-launch marketing.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You know the how-tos around business.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You know fashion accessories, all of that.

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<v Nicole Giordano>But what I find is that they're also even though they may not know it in the moment they're also really craving a lot of encouragement and support and kind of like that, that like best friend next to you, like you can do this, cheering you on, and it's a therapist and so, yes, exactly, and so, as you, of course, very well know, and so a lot of what happens is they come to us looking for the educational bit which we offer in our membership, but they wind up really staying and being a part of the community because of that encouragement.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I've always said I'm in the business of encouragement, so we are a membership-based platform.

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<v Nicole Giordano>We launched that in 2013, well before subscription and membership was a thing.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So it's been around for a while and in that membership there is, like I said, lots of educational videos, workbooks, templates, all of those things, but there's also time spent with me and a lot of mindsets.

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<v Nicole Giordano>We have an entire module that is focused on getting behind the mindset, or understanding the mindset around launching and running a business.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So, and the brands that you work with are specifically fashion-based, correct they're?

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<v Nicole Giordano>specifically fashion-based, whether that's apparel or accessories or what have you, and they're specifically independent.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So we're not People.

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<v Nicole Giordano>What's that?

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<v Nicole Giordano>Our people, our people.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, exactly.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Exactly Because it's wonderful if you have investment or you have a lot going, but then you can hire the team.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You can really build that out.

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<v Nicole Giordano>We are really focused on those who are bootstrapping, trying to get this together and launched and a profitable business and successful, however you just decide, is successful when you don't have all those resources at the ready.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Right, right, right right.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So how did you stumble into doing this?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Had you started your own brand?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Were you a designer?

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<v Nicole Giordano>What's your background that led you to saying, like, okay, I think this needs to happen and I think I'm the one to do it, yeah, so my background is in textile design and I had a handbag brand myself where I was hand weaving all of the fabric which I'm making yes, clutch bags and all of that and that was my name many years ago.

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<v Nicole Giordano>It was just under my name, it was just Nicole Giordano, and it was very much a like.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You know, like everybody, I don't know what I'm doing.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I just know that I want to try this.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And it actually started because when I graduated from college, I had all of these, you know, 15 by 15 or 20 by 20 swatches of hand woven fabric and I was like oh, what should I do with this?

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<v Nicole Giordano>I've got this back.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So I started making one-offs.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Boutiques in the city where I was at the time were interested.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So I started selling and I sort of stumbled into that part of it.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I was like and I really like this and I want to do it.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And I did that for a couple of years.

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<v Nicole Giordano>But what happened was I was also realizing how much I didn't know about any of this, and so I was doing other work to learn things.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So I worked in operations for a textile distributor.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I did sourcing in the garment district in Manhattan, I did e-commerce, marketing.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So I wanted to learn all of these things and then, as I was starting to learn them, I started sharing them on that blog, and so it became this place where I was just sharing what I was learning as an independent brand.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And then I ultimately realized I enjoyed that more than the actual bag brand, I think, because my stuff was all hand woven.

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<v Nicole Giordano>It was so much work that I lost the joy in it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, that is not cool to do at all, not one bit yeah, exactly.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So for me and that's not always the case, but for me, when I really reflected, it was like okay, I have a lot to offer in terms of everything I've learned.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm going to shift into this space and been doing it ever since.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, it is not hard to find, it is a constant.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do you look up a word if you don't know how to spell it, kind of thing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Right, you're like, okay, now I'm getting into manufacturing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>What does that mean?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Where do I go?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>What's my baseline?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do I know?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do I know what to?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do I talk to a sample maker?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>What's the difference between a sample maker and a manufacturer?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And all these basic things, and how to show up prepared for a manufacturer, and so forth.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I actually created an online masterclass just for that alone, because, again, the same thing, like in terms of dealing with designers who, and so much of them and this seems to be an ongoing story that dump so much of their money into their very first sample maker, not knowing what to do with the sample maker, I don't want to say takes full advantage, but you know, if you're coming in with someone who's got hopes, wishes, dreams and joys about how to make a handbag, and then they come in and you know it's funny, and I know some sample makers have started to charge in terms of working with them one on one versus.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I'll just make what you give me, because even if they just make what you give them nine times out of 10, it's not functional, it's not usable.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It's like dealing with a four-year-old asking them what they want for dinner.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You're going to end up with like hot fudge sundae with macaroni and cheese together and like that's just not doable, because when you finally get it, you're like ew, I can't use this, I don't want this.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So it's turned into this whole thing where it's an educated customer, which is essentially the people we deal with, are the ones that you're giving them an opportunity to truly be much more successful.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, and I think that's so right on, and I think beyond the like okay, you've dumped all of your money into that first sample.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Obviously you're going to and then you have no money left.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You have no money left for it.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You're not even thinking ahead.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Like what about pre-launch marketing?

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<v Nicole Giordano>How are you talking about what you're doing?

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<v Nicole Giordano>Oh, what's that?

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<v Nicole Giordano>Right, and I hear it over and over again.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Before people join Startup Fashion where it's like well, I was just so focused on getting the product made.

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<v Nicole Giordano>What do you mean?

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<v Nicole Giordano>I had to talk about it and market it before I launched it, and then they don't understand that during launch week, it's like crickets.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And it's like because you're not and you need some money for that.

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<v Nicole Giordano>You can't just be like okay, I'm going to post a few things on Instagram and then everybody's going to buy my bag, right, and so you know, that's a big, huge part of it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, and the other funny thing I have found so much dealing with designers is that they also think that by default, because they made it, people will want it and they haven't done enough research in terms of competitive analysis and diving into pricing and recognizing that if you cross over a certain price threshold, people won't even want to touch your brand because you priced yourself out.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And now you're a label, now you're branded, you think someone's going to buy you over Louis Vuitton.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And this narrative of saying, like, oh, it's a limited edition, it's one of a label, and now you're branded, you think someone's going to buy you over Louis Vuitton.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And this narrative of saying, like, oh, it's a limited edition, it's one of a kind, and I know well enough after a billion years of doing this, that means you couldn't figure out how to replicate it and your customer, who does not care about you and knows you to be a nobody, is not willing to spend the one off $800.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So you make a profit off of that one bag and therefore can make your money back and justify that.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You've told everybody that now welcome, I'm a handbag designer, I'm a brand, right.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And a lot of that is like that backwards approach to costing and pricing, right when they come in and they're like we're going to do this, I'm going to do this, and it costs me this much to make.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So I'm just going to triple it and now I can sell it right?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, because they start there and back in Right Because they heard that oh, what's markup?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Just double it, just triple it, because that's what they do with the stores and it's like uh-uh, that doesn't work.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I had a funny story of a designer who had won for the Handbag Awards and I want to say it was like 2010, 2011.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And they had the most spectacular bags.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Like it was mind blowing, it was amazing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It was such a unique approach, which is very, very rare.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Like they had zipper detail and it was an oversized bag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Like everything about it was like ooh ah.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And their prize was to get picked up by Saks and Saks was our retail partner at the time and I can't remember if it was Bendel's or Barney's, but it was one of the other retailers had came to the awards, saw the you know, participated, you know, saw the whole thing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>We had a lot of retail people that came and reached out to them and said we want to carry your bag and without even flinching, they said yes and, without even flinching, had already shipped to said retailer, which I can't even remember, shockingly enough, and therefore the designer came to me hysterically crying and said Saks doesn't want us now and I said yeah, of course not.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And she's like what do you mean?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Wasn't the whole thing of, like, what we won, so everybody should want us?

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I said, no, there's an element of you know, you have to have a relationship and build this relationship with the retailers so they kind of get first right of refusal, at least with that one bag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, we have a whole press story around that they're the ones who are getting this winning bag.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You need to come shop.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>We were talking about having an in-store shopping event and poof, it was gone, just gone.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So, yeah, and they kind of, you know, shot themselves in the foot, for lack of a better word and here today, gone tomorrow.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And you know I always say basement to Beyonce.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>But now I'm gonna start using Kanye as an example that you are not a Kanye, you are not a handbag designer.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Nobody cares Like.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>You can get this product anywhere.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>There are always going to be new people coming and this is the long game.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>If you're trying to do this truly yeah, absolutely so in terms, I'm like, yeah, we like get it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>It's like a therapy session back and forth.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Like you get it, I get it, we all get it.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>So, in terms of some of the challenges that you think they deal with, designers deal with from the get-go and it's so interesting that, because I know well, I knew you were a handbag designer.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I remember because I archive all of this how, in terms of the evolution of startup fashion, that you think the needs of designers have changed.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Based on you know where it was to where we are now post-pandemic, you know shopping habits have changed, needs have changed.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Based on you know where it was to where we are now post-pandemic, you know shopping habits have changed, needs have changed, pricing has changed.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean there was such a glut in the market as a result of the shipping buildup, of the ports being clogged where people couldn't get their stuff, and then old season material all season units were there.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Can you talk a little bit about that in terms of you know how and what you think, industry-wise, what we can do?

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<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, so it is, and it's a big question, there's a big span there.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So there's like keep going, just keep talking.

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<v Nicole Giordano>From the evolution of startup fashion, the changes I've seen, of course and there are different changes since COVID, but I think that when I first began startup fashion I you know to toot my own horn a little I think I was one of the first.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I was one of the first saying, like you don't have to do it this way, that everybody's been doing it forever, right, and I think that over the evolution of startup fashion, over the years that I've had this, I have seen more and more brands embracing that realization Like all of that you know huge orders, producing too many things, that to be in department stores is the only way that you need major, major press, like that mindset has shifted a lot, which I think is for the better, because I also think that what has shifted is what defines success and I think that so many brands now, especially since COVID if we're going to bring COVID into this conversation the mindset has shifted to this idea of like.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I'm not necessarily trying to build an empire here, I want to.

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<v Nicole Giordano>My time means more to me.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I've realized over the past you know two years that I've been in my house.

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<v Nicole Giordano>What's really important?

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<v Nicole Giordano>I want to find balance in my life, and so what I want this business to do for me is I want it to be like a lifestyle business.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I want it to be a business that pays my bills, that I really.

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<v Nicole Giordano>It's a successful business financially in terms of I'm not struggling, but I'm also I'm not always in the hustle right and that is so like, and so I have seen a lot of that, and it's not that people aren't or these brands are not taking their work seriously.

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<v Nicole Giordano>It's not that they're not launching real businesses or wanting to launch real businesses, but it's the shift that I have seen most, whether we're talking about COVID or just time in general.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Over time in general has been a shift in what this business looks like for them and what success is, and I think that's a fantastic thing.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head with that, even more so.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I mean, I don't think the desire of being in retail will ever go away.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I think the construct of saying, oh, I'm sold at Zax, I'm sold at Neiman's, I'm sold at Bloomingdale's.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And it's funny about that because, you know, when I started a billion years ago, the idea of being on QVC was offensive.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And then eight, nine years in and I was like I would love to be on QVC.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>That would be a dream.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>To be on QVC, I will do anything.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I had patented my silhouettes for no particular reason.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I just decided, okay, that makes sense, it's a unique design and as a result of that, I was able to license it out from the get-go.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>I was able to knock myself off and then create and then get a partnership with a mass manufacturer and then we were able to sell it at that lesser price point to get on QVC.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>And I think you know so many designers don't even know that the DTC sales, the direct to consumer sales, and the need for traction is what these big retailers demand, like I know that models can't even get picked up by agencies without them looking at their social, and you know stickiness and traction and so forth.

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<v Emily Blumenthal>How do you handle that in terms of strategically with designers and saying like, okay, you have to build up your D2C before you even dare to enter any of those stores or even try to?

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<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So a big part of it, I think, and what I recommend to my people is getting off of just your website right.

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<v Nicole Giordano>So, yes, selling on your website is important, but I think that too many designers hear that like, oh, you have to build up your online sales, your e-commerce or your D2C, you have to show demand.

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<v Nicole Giordano>Essentially, you have to show these retailers that people care about your stuff before they're going to pay attention to you.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And I think when they hear that it becomes this, well, like, oh gosh, okay, now I have to like get my SEO going and I have to like do all this.

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<v Nicole Giordano>And those things aren't bad although SEO is a long game, so it's not going to solve anything like that but it's like get out from behind the computer, start doing pop-ups, start doing trunk shows, start getting out there getting creative right, like.

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<v Nicole Giordano>I have seen so many brands just independent brands really start to think creatively about like, even for a while, I've seen a lot of in-home shows.

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<v Nicole Giordano>This was pre-COVID, but, like you know, oh, the shopping parties are.

00:16:16.451 --> 00:16:23.711
<v Emily Blumenthal>they are the money gate, Like the in-home shopping events where I always made the most amount of money.

00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:25.485
<v Nicole Giordano>Exactly, literally the most amount of money.

00:16:25.485 --> 00:16:26.368
<v Nicole Giordano>Exactly, yeah.

00:16:26.368 --> 00:16:36.365
<v Nicole Giordano>And so I think that, or what I suggest to them always, is really getting in there and start finding ways to get out to DTC sales.

00:16:36.365 --> 00:16:45.871
<v Nicole Giordano>Get your DTC sales up, not just online, because, to be frank, nobody's finding you on your website in the beginning right, like it's going to take a lot, and it's also a mindset shift.

00:16:45.932 --> 00:17:25.461
<v Nicole Giordano>Right, it's this idea of, okay, well, I know what my goal is over here, I've got this goal to get into this particular store, which is a wonderful goal to have, and, rather than constantly feeling this, like I'm not there, this lack, this like I'm doing something wrong, shifting your brain to strategically start thinking about all right, what am I doing right now to get to that and all of this stuff that you're doing, rather than feeling like it's a distraction, it's no, these pop-ups, these markets, all of this is getting you closer to that goal, and I think that that's really important too, because it can often feel like, well, I'm not in these stores yet, so I'm failing, right, like I'm not doing the right thing.

00:17:25.520 --> 00:17:28.970
<v Nicole Giordano>I'm like I'm not a real brand yet or I'm not a real business yet.

00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:32.875
<v Nicole Giordano>And if you can shift out of that, start thinking about all the things you're doing to get you there.

00:17:32.875 --> 00:17:35.821
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, it's going to be a big, big shift and you'll get there.

00:17:35.821 --> 00:17:39.226
<v Nicole Giordano>You will get there, but you've got to understand what they're looking for.

00:17:39.226 --> 00:17:43.069
<v Nicole Giordano>Like you just said, emily, this is what they want to see, so start doing it.

00:17:43.910 --> 00:18:15.989
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, I think and this is a deeper conversation, obviously about the ROI, the return on investment of trade shows, but whether or not a small designer or an independent designer should spend the money, because and it's funny, I'm in talks with several trade shows about this idea but to spend a lot of money on trade shows when you don't even have the collection to fill up a booth and then you're put at the sap little table of the independents or the emerging I hate the word emerging, it makes me cringe.

00:18:15.989 --> 00:18:34.482
<v Emily Blumenthal>But I think what I always tell and I don't know if you're familiar with Sage Jobry, she is an amazing case study on this is, I always say become a hometown hero and go around to your local boutiques, do not sleep on your local boutiques, refriend them, speak to them.

00:18:34.482 --> 00:18:40.387
<v Emily Blumenthal>There are enough people who want to still run boutiques, which is mind-blowing to me because there's so much work.

00:18:40.387 --> 00:18:45.884
<v Emily Blumenthal>But that's where you want to go, that's where you want to start, that's how you want to introduce yourself.

00:18:45.884 --> 00:18:51.521
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:18:51.521 --> 00:18:57.382
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:18:57.382 --> 00:19:01.992
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you.

00:19:02.779 --> 00:19:10.650
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:19:10.650 --> 00:19:17.731
<v Emily Blumenthal>Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture and market a handbag brand.

00:19:17.731 --> 00:19:27.182
<v Emily Blumenthal>Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes.

00:19:27.182 --> 00:19:38.324
<v Emily Blumenthal>For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the Handbag Designer Bible, founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer Podcast.

00:19:38.324 --> 00:19:44.903
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale.

00:19:44.903 --> 00:19:55.073
<v Emily Blumenthal>Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you've had a brand and need some strategic direction, the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass is just for you.

00:19:55.073 --> 00:19:58.896
<v Emily Blumenthal>So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it Bag.

00:19:58.896 --> 00:20:05.214
<v Emily Blumenthal>Join me, emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:20:05.214 --> 00:20:15.320
<v Emily Blumenthal>So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PODCAST to get 10% off your masterclass today.

00:20:20.268 --> 00:20:25.415
<v Emily Blumenthal>You go to them during a time slot, never on a weekend, because that's obnoxious and selfish.

00:20:25.415 --> 00:20:34.563
<v Emily Blumenthal>Because just because you're available, that's when they're busy and you talk to them and what are you looking for and what sells best for you, and you get them invested and then you offer them.

00:20:34.563 --> 00:20:37.209
<v Emily Blumenthal>I would love to host a shopping party.

00:20:37.209 --> 00:20:42.409
<v Emily Blumenthal>If that's okay with you, I will pay for the booze, the wine, the cheese, whatever.

00:20:42.409 --> 00:20:48.262
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you can invite your customers to come in so I can have one-on-ones with a, meet the designer.

00:20:48.262 --> 00:21:04.209
<v Emily Blumenthal>And to your point about I would say have a friend-in-law event, because you need two people removed to have a home shopping party, because you can't have a friend or a family person host it, because they're way too close, because they're either too supportive or too critical and then neither are good.

00:21:04.229 --> 00:21:05.412
<v Nicole Giordano>You need somebody to do it all.

00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:10.920
<v Emily Blumenthal>And to say like I'll host same thing wine, cheese and grapes and I'll pay for everything.

00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:18.127
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you can invite some friends over and I'll give them a deal and, honestly, anything beyond what you pay, is you making money to get feedback?

00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:20.920
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, absolutely 100%.

00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:33.742
<v Nicole Giordano>I love that you brought up the local, because I say the same thing to my people that local community that you build can skyrocket you to the other areas when you're ready, but don't overlook that.

00:21:33.742 --> 00:21:39.054
<v Nicole Giordano>Spend time in your space, and I think it's just, yeah, very smart strategy.

00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:42.885
<v Emily Blumenthal>What do you think in terms of how do you approach marketing?

00:21:42.885 --> 00:21:50.346
<v Emily Blumenthal>Because marketing per se has evolved so very much and you know what I teach my students is.

00:21:50.346 --> 00:21:57.886
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's such a broad spectrum of what that means and I've had to verbally smack them on the hand every time.

00:21:57.886 --> 00:22:04.269
<v Emily Blumenthal>They say oh okay, and I'm going to place an ad, and I'm going to do this, and that's not marketing, that's advertising.

00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:07.505
<v Emily Blumenthal>So how do you approach if nobody knows who you are?

00:22:07.505 --> 00:22:09.071
<v Emily Blumenthal>What can you offer on that?

00:22:09.534 --> 00:22:11.981
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, I think a lot of it is about relationship building.

00:22:11.981 --> 00:22:14.107
<v Nicole Giordano>To your point, advertising versus marketing.

00:22:14.107 --> 00:22:40.140
<v Nicole Giordano>So marketing is the way you make someone feel and so if you start thinking about ways that you can make these connections even on a smaller scale and I think that's what the problem is I think it's this again, this shift in how you're thinking, where they're saying things like, well, I'm going to place an ad because they're thinking like I want to reach a lot of people and this will help get my business out there and I'll have conversions and blah, blah, blah.

00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:51.016
<v Nicole Giordano>But instead if you shifted away from that and understood kind of back to this like local community, all of that, you start thinking about marketing on a smaller scale without feeling like that's a bad thing.

00:22:51.016 --> 00:23:02.692
<v Nicole Giordano>That is a really important place.

00:23:02.772 --> 00:23:11.385
<v Nicole Giordano>A personality, like understanding that your brand has to have a personality and then not being afraid to use that personality and which means you're going to push some people away.

00:23:11.385 --> 00:23:17.231
<v Nicole Giordano>Like I said, just like when you meet a person, if your personalities don't click, that's okay, you weren't meant to be and you move on.

00:23:17.231 --> 00:23:28.689
<v Nicole Giordano>But if you as a brand can, you know, have a way of thinking, an opinion, a point of view, like whatever you want in terms of just how you're putting yourself out there and not be afraid to do that.

00:23:28.689 --> 00:23:36.155
<v Nicole Giordano>You're going to naturally bring people in, and I think it also has to do with remembering that you're not always talking about the product, While, yes, it comes back to the business.

00:23:36.155 --> 00:23:39.202
<v Nicole Giordano>You know you obviously you need to make sales to be in business.

00:23:39.202 --> 00:23:44.510
<v Nicole Giordano>When you are marketing, you're thinking about like conversation.

00:23:45.050 --> 00:24:03.172
<v Nicole Giordano>One tip that I always give my people in our lessons is like when you're trying to come up with copy or something for marketing, take your phone and leave a voice note and say what you want to say, as if you were telling your friend first, and just record yourself saying that so that some of the words it becomes just a more personable thing.

00:24:03.172 --> 00:24:05.885
<v Nicole Giordano>And then take that copy and if it needs a few tweaks, okay.

00:24:05.885 --> 00:24:10.907
<v Nicole Giordano>But it's about this like loosening up, and I think marketing has to, as opposed to advertising.

00:24:10.907 --> 00:24:34.387
<v Nicole Giordano>I think advertising is like you know you're looking at these numbers and you're doing this and, yes, you want to understand numbers and stuff with marketing, but when you're talking about what you're putting out there or how you're doing it, it's like you got to loosen up a little, You've got to not be afraid to come across as unprofessional.

00:24:34.387 --> 00:24:39.261
<v Nicole Giordano>Some personality, get local, think on a smaller scale, so you can create deeper relationships that will then blossom and grow and can spread, and I think that those are some of my top tips for that.

00:24:39.843 --> 00:24:41.545
<v Emily Blumenthal>No, I couldn't agree more.

00:24:41.545 --> 00:24:57.896
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I think it's a twofold where A lot of designers say well, I am going to outsource, I'm going to pay a publicist, I'm going to, I can't sell, I'm not meant to sell, I'm the creative.

00:24:57.896 --> 00:24:59.498
<v Emily Blumenthal>I need to find a partner for that.

00:24:59.498 --> 00:25:07.940
<v Emily Blumenthal>And the unfortunate reality is that you must be a jack of all trades, because you cannot outsource until you know what the landscape is.

00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:12.673
<v Emily Blumenthal>You cannot do that until you know the players, until you've done a deep dive.

00:25:12.673 --> 00:25:23.440
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I'm so happy we're talking about this, because when you and I started a billion years ago, there were still magazines like there were still physical magazines, and you know that was like.

00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:26.592
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know you would have desk sites with editors and sit there.

00:25:26.592 --> 00:25:28.356
<v Emily Blumenthal>And now you know everything.

00:25:28.396 --> 00:25:35.902
<v Emily Blumenthal>Now online is transactional, where you can't get a story unless you have backlinks to sell or if you're on Amazon.

00:25:35.902 --> 00:25:58.303
<v Emily Blumenthal>And it's this interesting dance that you know you have to be laser focused, even more so because the journalists quote unquote are trying to pump out so much content right now that they are spending less time in terms of the journalistic point of view, at least editorially, from what we do that they're just trying to get the content out.

00:25:58.303 --> 00:26:00.474
<v Emily Blumenthal>So it's like okay, do you check these boxes?

00:26:00.474 --> 00:26:03.892
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you do, hand it to me, I need to know what are the price points.

00:26:03.892 --> 00:26:04.615
<v Emily Blumenthal>Who's the customer?

00:26:04.615 --> 00:26:05.380
<v Emily Blumenthal>Where are you sold?

00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:09.095
<v Emily Blumenthal>I need to have one retailer online that you can say that they can get it anywhere.

00:26:09.095 --> 00:26:09.958
<v Emily Blumenthal>You're not on Amazon.

00:26:09.998 --> 00:26:16.378
<v Nicole Giordano>Best of luck, and that's tricky, yeah, so there are two things that came up for me when you were saying that.

00:26:16.378 --> 00:26:26.596
<v Nicole Giordano>One is that I think, when the default is to say, oh, I'm going to get an agency to do this, like whether you're talking about a publicist or whether you're talking about, like an ad, like a marketing agency to run ads.

00:26:27.219 --> 00:26:31.351
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, exactly, you're doing that.

00:26:31.351 --> 00:26:35.041
<v Nicole Giordano>And what you're not understanding is that you need to take time, as the founder of this brand, to really understand who your customer is.

00:26:35.041 --> 00:26:49.201
<v Nicole Giordano>All of this, when you immediately outsource, you're paying them to figure that out, which is expensive, right, they don't know If you can't hand them this information and say, okay, we've been selling for this amount of time, we're really looking to up-level.

00:26:49.201 --> 00:26:56.359
<v Nicole Giordano>If you don't know, then you're not going to know and they're not there, exactly, and they're expensive.

00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.484
<v Nicole Giordano>So that's like the first thing I try to remind people.

00:26:57.505 --> 00:27:09.521
<v Nicole Giordano>And the second thing is just, oftentimes I find that this immediate like oh, I'm going to get a publicist or I'm going to get in a show where I'm going to a lot of that comes from fear, right, because it's like well, I'm scared to pick up the phone and call a buyer.

00:27:09.521 --> 00:27:11.023
<v Nicole Giordano>Well, you need to get over that.

00:27:11.023 --> 00:27:24.634
<v Nicole Giordano>If you're scared to pick up the phone and call somebody, if you're scared to put yourself out there in any way when it comes to your marketing, any of that, there's a deeper issue going on here and you need to back up and see what are some of these blocks that you're having.

00:27:24.634 --> 00:27:25.999
<v Nicole Giordano>Where's this fear coming from?

00:27:25.999 --> 00:27:26.780
<v Nicole Giordano>What's causing this?

00:27:26.780 --> 00:27:31.512
<v Nicole Giordano>Because just hiring someone to do these things.

00:27:31.512 --> 00:27:33.017
<v Nicole Giordano>One, financially, I'm telling you right now you can't afford it.

00:27:33.017 --> 00:27:41.273
<v Nicole Giordano>And two, it's going to just lead to a bigger problem down the road because you're not addressing things that are way deeper than oh, I'm not a salesperson, yeah.

00:27:41.474 --> 00:28:03.519
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know and like, this is one of my unfavorite topics to talk about, where I've dealt with creators who stumble into something that they have determined as a hole in the market and then they dump a butt ton of money into developing said product and then they spend a lot of money outsourcing a publicist.

00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:13.493
<v Emily Blumenthal>And then I get on the phone with them or meet with them, or you would per se and you look at the product and it's so flawed, it is so not ready for the market.

00:28:13.493 --> 00:28:20.396
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know there has been no test drive to see, okay, but do you realize that, number one, you're not your own customer.

00:28:20.396 --> 00:28:21.640
<v Emily Blumenthal>This is never going to work.

00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:27.710
<v Emily Blumenthal>Or you know where you think this product would be sold will not be sold just because you like Louis bags.

00:28:27.710 --> 00:28:29.272
<v Emily Blumenthal>These are not in the same place.

00:28:29.272 --> 00:28:32.417
<v Emily Blumenthal>They won't be sold in the same place, and you know.

00:28:32.417 --> 00:28:37.012
<v Emily Blumenthal>Then they get mad at you for you giving the feet and then they just keep going on.

00:28:37.173 --> 00:28:46.336
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I've had more people pay me for my thoughts and my feedback and I always have to preface this and I'm like you may not like what I have to say.

00:28:46.336 --> 00:28:48.279
<v Emily Blumenthal>Are you prepared for that, number one?

00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:51.892
<v Emily Blumenthal>Number two, you have to realize, like what I'm saying.

00:28:51.892 --> 00:29:00.517
<v Emily Blumenthal>I've been doing this for 20 years and you know it's like going to a doctor you can take my advice or you cannot take my advice.

00:29:00.517 --> 00:29:05.998
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm just telling you what I think and if you choose to do that, great, and if not, not.

00:29:05.998 --> 00:29:10.723
<v Emily Blumenthal>But this is what I'm telling you right now and they're like yes, ok, I'm, I'm like okay, so let's get started, get a pen out.

00:29:10.723 --> 00:29:11.924
<v Emily Blumenthal>This isn't right.

00:29:11.924 --> 00:29:12.585
<v Emily Blumenthal>That's not right.

00:29:12.585 --> 00:29:14.865
<v Emily Blumenthal>Here's the reason why this won't be well received.

00:29:14.865 --> 00:29:15.787
<v Emily Blumenthal>Did you look at the drop?

00:29:15.787 --> 00:29:16.567
<v Emily Blumenthal>This won't fit.

00:29:16.567 --> 00:29:18.127
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, is your customer plus size?

00:29:18.127 --> 00:29:21.045
<v Emily Blumenthal>Is your customer, does your customer have disability?

00:29:21.045 --> 00:29:28.821
<v Emily Blumenthal>If you're trying to create something with disability, have you taken into consideration that they may only have one hand to open it and can they work across?

00:29:28.821 --> 00:29:36.001
<v Emily Blumenthal>And if it's somebody and you know that there's countless, like even dealing with, I've dealt with female photographers.

00:29:36.001 --> 00:29:52.673
<v Emily Blumenthal>I've had three customers, three clients of mine who are female photographers, who said there are no camera bags for women that are pretty and I said, okay, well, you know, you got to think of the price point and how much they are if you go to a photo place versus what kind of camera, and the camera bags are evolving.

00:29:52.713 --> 00:29:57.013
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like my first bag was a bag that was a hold everything bag to go in the palm of your hand.

00:29:57.013 --> 00:30:01.107
<v Emily Blumenthal>And you know, at that time bones were flip bones and guess what?

00:30:01.107 --> 00:30:09.601
<v Emily Blumenthal>The bones kept evolving and evolving and then they got bigger and bigger and bigger and then, like, my amazing little invention no longer served a purpose because the phone you couldn't zip it.

00:30:09.601 --> 00:30:13.269
<v Emily Blumenthal>My amazing little invention no longer served a purpose because the phone you couldn't zip it.

00:30:13.269 --> 00:30:18.579
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know, you can no longer hold your keys, your ID, your cash and your phone and a lipstick.

00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:20.348
<v Emily Blumenthal>And then you know, for good measure, I threw in a condom because it was like a ferny bag.

00:30:20.348 --> 00:30:22.074
<v Emily Blumenthal>Plus I got a condom sponsorship.

00:30:22.074 --> 00:30:25.602
<v Emily Blumenthal>So I was like, hey, I'll throw that in to like it just doesn't fit.

00:30:30.970 --> 00:30:33.855
<v Emily Blumenthal>So you know, to do this kind of research in this deep dive, like you have to be prepared before you get the dirty update.

00:30:33.855 --> 00:30:41.980
<v Emily Blumenthal>So if you want to be in it, you have to actually look at it from a big picture and realize like there's so much I don't know and I can't outsource.

00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:51.886
<v Emily Blumenthal>So the last client I had who came up with another solution bag, and she was so angry and so defensive and like well, I've already hired and I said, please tell me, you haven't hired a publicist yet.

00:30:51.886 --> 00:30:53.390
<v Emily Blumenthal>And she was so angry and so defensive and like, well, I've already hired.

00:30:53.390 --> 00:30:56.175
<v Emily Blumenthal>And I said, please tell me, you haven't hired a publicist yet.

00:30:56.175 --> 00:30:56.838
<v Emily Blumenthal>And she's like, of course I have.

00:30:56.838 --> 00:30:57.280
<v Emily Blumenthal>This needs to get out.

00:30:57.280 --> 00:30:57.904
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm going to get so much press.

00:30:57.904 --> 00:30:58.869
<v Emily Blumenthal>I'm like, okay, but then where's it going to go?

00:30:58.869 --> 00:31:09.636
<v Emily Blumenthal>You know the product is not ready and you've already spent all your money on bespoke leather out of Italy, where the product doesn't need bespoke leather from Italy because that's not what the customer is.

00:31:10.217 --> 00:31:14.923
<v Nicole Giordano>Right, yeah, that is a very common scenario, as we both know.

00:31:16.244 --> 00:31:19.516
<v Emily Blumenthal>Just got all worked out and all hot and bothered talking about that.

00:31:19.516 --> 00:31:30.470
<v Emily Blumenthal>But yeah, press is definitely something tricky nowadays because, in terms of where you think you can get coverage and you know back in the day, there's so few magazines left Like what's.

00:31:30.470 --> 00:31:41.292
<v Emily Blumenthal>The only magazine that I think actually is still in print is probably the only one that comes to mind is Vogue, because that one's still one of the only ones that you can still carries that kind of heart.

00:31:41.292 --> 00:31:44.038
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's like I was in Vogue, the physical magazine.

00:31:44.038 --> 00:31:45.021
<v Emily Blumenthal>Here's a tear.

00:31:45.021 --> 00:31:47.054
<v Emily Blumenthal>Here's the crossover from it online.

00:31:47.054 --> 00:31:51.936
<v Emily Blumenthal>There was a story, the whole thing, or maybe the times, but that's also another issue.

00:31:51.936 --> 00:32:00.690
<v Emily Blumenthal>But in terms of expecting getting sales as a result of press has gone down tremendously.

00:32:00.690 --> 00:32:05.782
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like you know, back in the day you got on Sex and the City, you could guarantee being sold out.

00:32:05.782 --> 00:32:08.660
<v Emily Blumenthal>Well, there isn't a show that does that anymore.

00:32:09.430 --> 00:32:18.454
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah yeah, I agree, and it's an area that I don't spend a lot of time teaching in our community, especially because it's like I'm helping them get to the point of launch.

00:32:18.454 --> 00:32:20.239
<v Nicole Giordano>Worrying about press right now.

00:32:20.239 --> 00:32:21.442
<v Nicole Giordano>To me it's just not.

00:32:21.442 --> 00:32:26.396
<v Nicole Giordano>You have so many other things to do, it's just kind of like.

00:32:26.396 --> 00:32:31.365
<v Nicole Giordano>So, I agree, it doesn't have the impact it used to have.

00:32:31.550 --> 00:32:42.458
<v Nicole Giordano>And while it can be nice and it can make you feel really good and there's nothing wrong with that jumping a bunch of money or all of your time, like you've got two main resources right when you're trying to launch a business, you got time and you've got money.

00:32:42.458 --> 00:32:44.257
<v Nicole Giordano>If you don't have one, you better have the other.

00:32:44.257 --> 00:32:46.393
<v Nicole Giordano>It's great to have both, but that's rarely the case.

00:32:46.393 --> 00:32:49.436
<v Nicole Giordano>So value of money in itself.

00:32:49.436 --> 00:33:02.583
<v Nicole Giordano>So it's kind of like you need to really zero in on what matters right now to get to these long-term goals of getting you financially stable so that you can continue to grow.

00:33:02.583 --> 00:33:16.457
<v Nicole Giordano>And I think at this point, changes over the last 15 years, press isn't one of the things that's going to get you financially stable, so you're better off focusing your attention on just the other things that we were talking about, that local marketing, all that kind of stuff.

00:33:16.857 --> 00:33:21.633
<v Emily Blumenthal>Can I ask you just one of the key points before we get close to wrapping up?

00:33:21.633 --> 00:33:28.556
<v Emily Blumenthal>When you're working with your community, how do you present this ongoing challenge of production?

00:33:28.556 --> 00:33:39.314
<v Emily Blumenthal>So did you teach that get your first three samples done and then start shopping them around getting out, or do you say do a short run of production and start selling them?

00:33:39.314 --> 00:33:42.182
<v Emily Blumenthal>How do you handle that whole chicken and the egg situation?

00:33:43.230 --> 00:34:14.980
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, so I tend to lean towards doing a small run, mainly because I'm not focused a lot on getting into stores early on, because, again, so much of my community they're trying to launch, and, like you mentioned, stores these days they want to see that you have some traction and so I'm a big proponent of smaller collections, short runs of smaller collections and getting them out there in that D2C way, scheduling some trunk shows, some pop-ups, those kinds of things.

00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:19.059
<v Nicole Giordano>I'm sorry, did you mean shopping them out to the manufacturers?

00:34:19.059 --> 00:34:19.840
<v Nicole Giordano>Is that what you meant?

00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:21.195
<v Nicole Giordano>Like to get feedback?

00:34:21.195 --> 00:34:21.971
<v Nicole Giordano>No, production.

00:34:22.092 --> 00:34:28.478
<v Emily Blumenthal>Well, no, in terms of, like you know, you find a sample maker, you find someone who can make a sample.

00:34:28.478 --> 00:34:34.739
<v Emily Blumenthal>Now you have said bag, now so many designers immediately go into production without any sales.

00:34:34.739 --> 00:34:37.960
<v Emily Blumenthal>Oh, I see, I see what you mean.

00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:43.922
<v Emily Blumenthal>Do you recommend them, you know, to get feedback before they get, before they go into production?

00:34:43.922 --> 00:34:49.856
<v Emily Blumenthal>Like to tell this like methodical timeline of what you recommend to do next, like, okay, now you have a bag.

00:34:50.878 --> 00:34:59.056
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah, so I think that, like, it still applies in terms of I don't necessarily they can shop out to buyers, but I think in terms of retails.

00:34:59.056 --> 00:35:00.335
<v Nicole Giordano>But I think that's going to be difficult.

00:35:00.335 --> 00:35:07.550
<v Nicole Giordano>I do very much love the idea of, if you're open to it, this idea of a pre-sale it's.

00:35:07.550 --> 00:35:16.304
<v Nicole Giordano>You know, there's a lot of caveats to that, because I think too many designers think that's the easy way to do things and it is absolutely not in any way.

00:35:16.304 --> 00:35:21.358
<v Nicole Giordano>It's a job for many months to do this, however, and you need money up front.

00:35:21.358 --> 00:35:25.893
<v Nicole Giordano>It's not a way to get all the money you need in order to produce something.

00:35:25.893 --> 00:35:26.233
<v Nicole Giordano>It's.

00:35:26.233 --> 00:35:31.420
<v Nicole Giordano>You need money, you need a fabulous photo shoot and with the sample, and you need a video and you like.

00:35:31.420 --> 00:35:32.800
<v Nicole Giordano>There's a lot to go into it.

00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:49.559
<v Nicole Giordano>But the value in launching it that way to really like start listening to customers and potential customers and seeing what they have to say and seeing which ones they gravitate towards it before you do a run of the you know the bag in three colors.

00:35:49.559 --> 00:35:53.038
<v Nicole Giordano>Maybe one of those colors gets dropped because ultimately, it just wasn't a thing right?

00:35:53.038 --> 00:35:56.239
<v Nicole Giordano>So I think that that can be a really nice way to do things too.

00:35:56.239 --> 00:35:57.574
<v Nicole Giordano>Or, if you're not.

00:35:58.034 --> 00:36:08.001
<v Nicole Giordano>I'm open to the idea of a small run production, but having those things planned because this is the other thing I teach you don't go into a small run doing production.

00:36:08.001 --> 00:36:13.322
<v Nicole Giordano>You've got your completed sample, then you run, you do a short production but you have no idea how you're going to sell it.

00:36:13.322 --> 00:36:22.998
<v Nicole Giordano>You're figuring that out before you put in that PO, right, and you are like maybe you go to one of the local boutiques with that sample and you say, hey, I'm about to do.

00:36:22.998 --> 00:36:33.699
<v Nicole Giordano>You know, can we do a shopping event Like your suggestion, like you get all these things lined up so that when you do this run then it's like, okay, I've got ways that I am planning to sell it.

00:36:33.699 --> 00:36:36.934
<v Nicole Giordano>You know what a full on mark email strategy.

00:36:36.934 --> 00:36:40.110
<v Nicole Giordano>You know, do you have people on your email Like all of that is pre-launch marketing, right?

00:36:40.110 --> 00:36:43.335
<v Nicole Giordano>So you've figured that out before you send in that PO.

00:36:43.335 --> 00:36:44.076
<v Nicole Giordano>Absolutely.

00:36:44.596 --> 00:36:50.945
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, and that's 100% what 99.9% people do Don't do.

00:36:50.945 --> 00:36:53.155
<v Emily Blumenthal>While they do that, they just go in.

00:36:53.155 --> 00:36:54.418
<v Emily Blumenthal>Now I've made a bag.

00:36:54.418 --> 00:36:55.460
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's amazing.

00:36:55.460 --> 00:36:57.476
<v Emily Blumenthal>My close circle said they love it.

00:36:57.476 --> 00:37:04.373
<v Emily Blumenthal>I've done it in 12 different colors because obviously I need one for every season, one for every mood, you know.

00:37:04.594 --> 00:37:13.777
<v Emily Blumenthal>And realizing, like I always say, certain colors are great for the front of a store, they're great for a photo shoot, they're great for a magazine, they're great for PR, but they don't sell.

00:37:13.777 --> 00:37:19.697
<v Emily Blumenthal>So in understanding, like yellow is a tricky one, Purple is a very tricky one.

00:37:19.697 --> 00:37:21.717
<v Emily Blumenthal>Personally I hate purple, that's just me.

00:37:21.717 --> 00:37:27.402
<v Emily Blumenthal>But you know it's like in terms of sellability, realizing, like, what core colors you need.

00:37:27.402 --> 00:37:33.134
<v Emily Blumenthal>Can you afford to do two core colors and a pop color?

00:37:33.153 --> 00:37:42.762
<v Emily Blumenthal>And realizing that you know from a material standpoint that pop color is going to cost you more because you're buying less but you have to sell it at the exact same price as the core color.

00:37:42.762 --> 00:37:54.436
<v Emily Blumenthal>So you're going to take a hit on the pop color and taking all that into consideration way before you even get started, is there's so many missteps on all of that in terms of what that means and the money you're going to spend?

00:37:54.436 --> 00:37:54.717
<v Emily Blumenthal>Absolutely.

00:37:54.717 --> 00:38:00.076
<v Emily Blumenthal>One more thing I actually wanted to ask you about Number one.

00:38:00.076 --> 00:38:05.034
<v Emily Blumenthal>What do you constitute as a short run, number one and number two?

00:38:05.034 --> 00:38:13.394
<v Emily Blumenthal>How do you deal with designers who want to go non-leather versus leather and do you recommend a combination for customers and so forth?

00:38:14.257 --> 00:38:15.719
<v Nicole Giordano>Oh, so short run.

00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:20.416
<v Nicole Giordano>I think, honestly, a lot of that depends on what you can get your factory to do.

00:38:20.416 --> 00:38:22.400
<v Nicole Giordano>So it's a lot of negotiation there.

00:38:22.400 --> 00:38:34.713
<v Nicole Giordano>But I mean, if you can do a handful of styles and do anywhere between you know, 30 and 50 pieces and you kind of, that gives you enough to start collecting feedback and getting out there.

00:38:34.713 --> 00:38:37.820
<v Nicole Giordano>It gives you enough to sell, but it's not a huge financial.

00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:39.831
<v Nicole Giordano>So it really it's a balance there.

00:38:39.831 --> 00:38:46.699
<v Nicole Giordano>But I say you don't want too few, because then you're kind of there's not a lot of market research to start collecting as you start selling.

00:38:46.699 --> 00:38:50.655
<v Nicole Giordano>But you want enough to, but you don't want too many because then you're putting too many.

00:38:50.675 --> 00:38:58.150
<v Nicole Giordano>So, having that discussion with the leather versus non-leather, I mean it's the kind of thing where, like, everything comes back to knowing your customer.

00:38:58.150 --> 00:39:00.675
<v Nicole Giordano>So it's this idea of like, who are you serving?

00:39:00.675 --> 00:39:12.552
<v Nicole Giordano>Like, clearly, if you are entering into a space where you know, you feel like maybe you have a very like, sustainable, vegan, focused customer, ditch the leather, right.

00:39:12.552 --> 00:39:13.757
<v Nicole Giordano>I mean that's an obvious one.

00:39:13.757 --> 00:39:17.876
<v Nicole Giordano>But it's this idea of like, okay, who is your customer and what's important to them?

00:39:17.876 --> 00:39:20.963
<v Nicole Giordano>And yeah, I think it comes down to that.

00:39:20.963 --> 00:39:23.016
<v Nicole Giordano>So I don't feel strongly about one or the other.

00:39:23.016 --> 00:39:29.440
<v Nicole Giordano>It's a debate that is often like which is the more sustainable, so I think that that's a big part of it.

00:39:29.440 --> 00:39:32.612
<v Nicole Giordano>But to me, my answer is always tell me more about your customer.

00:39:32.612 --> 00:39:39.101
<v Nicole Giordano>If you're, as a designer, and flip-flopping between do I do this a lot, or do I do it not a lot, or do I do it as combo, who are you serving here?

00:39:40.451 --> 00:39:45.418
<v Emily Blumenthal>Yeah, nicole, this was like a healthy breakfast of education.

00:39:45.418 --> 00:39:50.545
<v Emily Blumenthal>I feel inspired to possibly start a brand all over again.

00:39:50.545 --> 00:39:56.681
<v Emily Blumenthal>Just kidding, how can designers find you, find your community, reach out?

00:39:56.681 --> 00:39:58.195
<v Emily Blumenthal>What is all that good stuff?

00:39:58.817 --> 00:40:17.240
<v Nicole Giordano>Yeah so StartupFashioncom and we've been around for so long that all of our socials are at Startup Fashion we got in early so, yeah so StartupFashioncom is is our blog and it's full of helpful information to really get you started and, you know, really shifting your mindset.

00:40:17.240 --> 00:40:41.081
<v Nicole Giordano>So if I can give one piece of advice, it's this idea of how you think about yourself and the business you want to build and the goals you have, and just checking in on how you want to feel as you move forward in this business, because it's not only about the making of money yes, that's a part of it, it's a business but also why are you doing this and how do you want to feel as you launch and run this business?

00:40:41.081 --> 00:40:42.932
<v Nicole Giordano>And just doing those check-ins?

00:40:43.273 --> 00:40:44.737
<v Emily Blumenthal>That's amazing.

00:40:44.737 --> 00:40:46.161
<v Emily Blumenthal>Wow, Nicole.

00:40:46.161 --> 00:40:47.445
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thank you so very much.

00:40:47.445 --> 00:40:51.271
<v Emily Blumenthal>I know everybody should absolutely go check out Startup Fashion.

00:40:51.271 --> 00:40:56.322
<v Emily Blumenthal>I look forward to continuing this conversation because I just I dig it.

00:40:56.322 --> 00:40:57.373
<v Emily Blumenthal>It's so much fun.

00:40:57.373 --> 00:40:58.356
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thank you so much.

00:40:58.356 --> 00:40:59.458
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thank you so much.

00:40:59.458 --> 00:41:00.141
<v Emily Blumenthal>Take care.

00:41:00.141 --> 00:41:02.833
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks for listening.

00:41:02.833 --> 00:41:08.193
<v Emily Blumenthal>Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer.

00:41:08.193 --> 00:41:09.094
<v Emily Blumenthal>Thanks so much.

00:41:09.094 --> 00:41:10.077
<v Emily Blumenthal>See you next time.