The Designer CEO Podcast
Thinking about launching your own brand?
Feeling confused about how to get started and what to do first?
Wondering how the fashion and retail industries actually work?
Wishing you had a partner to take care of all the “business and strategy stuff”??
Or are you ready to scale your line and take it next level?
Welcome to The Designer CEO Podcast!
Each week, host Sarah Ferrence aka Mod. Merchant, brings you brand and retail strategies, merchandising how-to’s, organization and productivity tips, and business and professional advice simplified for Designer CEOs who are ready to launch the line they’ve been dreaming of Sarah shares her experience after working as a buyer and product manager, for Fortune 500 companies including Kohl’s and Harley-Davidson, and now as a coach and consultant.
Along with sharing proven business strategies, sales tactics, and how-to’s, she’ll invite a few of her friends along the way to offer their own insider tips including industry execs, entrepreneurs, and fellow designers who’ve successfully launched. Sarah’s here to be your go-to partner for navigating the business of retail and fashion and help you launch the line of your dreams.
Episodes
27 episodes
5 Things You Must Do Before Selling Online with Laura Huebner
So you want to sell your fashion brand online, do you?You’ve got the brand vision, your designs are in the works, and now it’s time to build that website so you can start selling online. Just add your logo, a quick About page, a few imag...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 27
•
37:16
How To Prep Your Fashion Brand’s Inventory For The Holiday Season
Is your fashion brand ready to not just survive this holiday season, but thrive? Is your inventory prepped to drive those sales while still maintaining a healthy profit margin? We are quickly approaching t...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 26
•
22:04
Blogging for Beginners - For Fashion Brands, With Kristin George
Are you blogging yet for your fashion brand?A blog strategy is one of the best ways to create brand awareness and in time will generate sales for your fashion business. Blogging increases your search engine optimization, improves convers...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 25
•
34:27
How To Be Holiday Ready - For Fashion Brands
It may seem like the fall season is just getting started, but that means the holidays are quickly approaching. Are you and your fashion brand ready for the holidays? Do you have a strategy and plan in place to fully ma...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 24
•
26:09
Business Loan Basics for Fashion Brands
Not sure how to get started with your fashion brand’s business plan? Or scarier yet securing that financing or a business loan? (gulp)On today’s episode I’m chatting with Bako Rambini - former finance expert turned fash...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 23
•
50:04
Trusting Yourself To Know What's Right For Your Fashion Business
Do you trust yourself to make good decisions for your fashion business? Are you confident in all the decisions you make each and every day? Yes, of course you are trying to make the best decision possible for your fashio...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 22
•
13:47
Getting Started With Your Content Strategy With Sara Meadows
I’m so excited to be chatting with Sara Meadows - Founder of Match Point Consultants, a copywriting and content strategy boutique and co founder of The Edit Effect, which are tools to help small businesses simplify content, copy planning, and c...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 21
•
28:08
Building A Fashion Brand Based in Passion & Intuition with Katherine Gramann, Designer CEO of Lake Effect Co.
This episode I am chatting with fellow ladypreneur, nature lover, and spirited soul - Katherine Gramann - Designer CEO of Lake Effect Co.Katherine and I met about a year and a half ago and we quickly connected over our mutual love of ret...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 20
•
41:29
Networking For Introverts: Expert Tips from An Extrovert
Imagine with me for a moment...You are surrounded by complete strangers in a room where everyone seems to know everyone else, chatting merrily and exchanging business cards. You however, are clinging to the bar taking in your surrou...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 19
•
48:36
When to Take Customer Feedback
Have you ever received unsolicited feedback or criticism about your fashion brand or collection?…. Maybe it was from a customer sharing how the style they purchased wasn’t exactly what they were hoping for and that they wished...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 18
•
16:14
How to Get You & Your Fashion Business Organized
Are you struggling to “do all the things” and get everything done on the daily that it takes to run your fashion business? Or you are so passionate about designing and creating that it feels like you can’t quite get ahead of all th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 17
•
22:53
The Brimful Life Podcast - Interview with Sarah Ferrence CROSSOVER EPISODE
Since I launched The Designer CEO Podcast, I’ve been sharing advice on the business of retail and fashion and offering how-to’s, strategy ideas, and interviews for fashion brands and Designer CEOs but I haven't told you too much about myself or...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 16
•
19:46
How to Manage Your Fashion Brand’s Inventory AND Maximize Your Profits
What to do with your extra and old inventory is an issue that EVERY fashion brand has to figure out. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or are an established brand, inventory management is always an issue. So many fashio...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 15
•
13:47
Sacrificing for Sustainability with Laura Bavlnka, Designer CEO of Bavlnka Brand
Laura Bavlnka and I met recently at a local fashion event in Milwaukee and I absolutely loved the story of her and her brand. She is a fashion designer and textile artist and until very recently was designing girls’ clothing for th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 14
•
34:58
Negotiation 101 For Designer CEOs
It’s something you do every single day and you probably don’t even realize it. It affects every one of your partnerships including those between you and your employees, 3rd party business partners, and even the one you have with yourself. Howev...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 12
•
21:52
How To Make Your Fashion Brand Irresistible To Retail Buyers And Get Your Line Bought
If you’ve started reaching out to fashion buyers you probably are realizing they can be a bit hot & cold. One day you’ve seemingly got your foot in the door, are furiously emailing back and forth, and maybe even working on scheduling ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 12
•
28:24
Competitive Shopping 101 for Designer CEOs
How much time are you spending shopping? I know that question may be a little unexpected and maybe even ridiculous. You’ve got a lot going on - creating a brand, designing a line, building your empire - you don’t have time...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 11
•
19:05
From Side Hustle to Bride Hustle with Amanda Ergen-Jennings, Designer CEO of Love Lives Here Bridal
If you’ve been dreaming about quitting your 9 to 5 to start you own fashion brand but feeling hopelessly frustrated that your dream may never become a reality - then listen up. I’m thrilled to be chatting with a good frien...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 10
•
31:12
Q&A: Building an Authentic Connection with Your Customer, Defining Whitespace, and How Brick & Mortar Can Compete
I recently had the opportunity to lead a panel surrounding strategy, merchandising, and marketing with a room full of attendees just like you - Designer CEOs. I was asked so many amazing questions that I noticed got a lot of attention, head nod...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 9
•
12:48
How To Contact A Retail Buyer To Get Your Fashion Line Purchased
Does that idea of reaching out to a retail buyer and pitching your line sound overwhelming to you? Or maybe even a little scary?“How do I approach retail stores to sell my products?”, is hands down one of the questions I get ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 8
•
20:58
16 Ways to Boost Your Creativity
We’ve all been there.Every creative person knows that some days you are cruising through your work, ideas are coming from every direction, your vision is just popping and clicking right along, and you are feeling so excited and passionat...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 7
•
10:34
Getting Started With Manufacturing With Kelly Mutsch
Finding a manufacturer and handing off your fashion line to a 3rd party can be one of the most exciting and terrifying parts of the evolution of your fashion business. You are trusting another to bring your brand vision and designs to life and ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 6
•
33:26
How Designer CEOs Build Strong Business Relationships To Take Their Brand Next Level
It’s impossible to successfully launch, manage, and grow your fashion business alone. There will be things that you need to learn and people you need to meet in order to start and scale your fashion brand. So it’s pretty safe to say that tackli...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 5
•
10:53
Q&A: Opening A Brick & Mortar, Getting Started With Instagram, & Defining Your Competition
I recently co-hosted a “How To Start A Line” speaking event including a Q&A session. We had so many fantastic questions from Designer CEOs that I had to share. On this episode, you’ll hear answers to the questions that you’ve b...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 4
•
10:40
How to Create A Design Strategy That Your Customers Will Love
What would it feel like to design a fashion brand that is not only a manifestation of your design talent and vision but will also sell and increase your profit margin? Today’s topic is one that I’m so excited to share because it wil...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 3
•
15:08