Welcome!
Welcome to this e-commerce influencer interview! Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Sue – the owner of a fascinating sustainable shoe brand. Our hope is that you find this interview to be enlightening and inspiring as you seek to start and grow your very own online brand!
Interview with Mary Sue
Thank you for joining us for this e-commerce business success story! We’d like to start by getting an understanding of your backstory. How did you come to own your business?
I spent my entire career in the shoe business. I held senior positions for multi-store retailers in the fashion footwear and accessories lane. America’s desire for fashion fueled all of the jobs I had. I was responsible for bringing to market the latest runway trends and the must-haves seen on the hottest street-style influencers. Across America, young women were heading to malls with groups of friends on the hunt for the freshest new designs to define their personal style. I was a cog in the wheel that made this happen.
I came face to face with the environmental recklessness associated with manufacturing fast fashion. A blatant disregard for the environment was going strong in countries outside the US, fueled by Americans’ appetite for fashion at rock-bottom prices. Some days I would convince myself that when my career was over, I would find a way to give back and make up for being a part of this reckless cycle.
In 2011 I did finally sidestep from the craziness of fast fashion. I founded a highly curated website for small, independent shoe designers. Our shoe collection is like no other. We carried unique, quirky brands that stood out from others in the online shoe space. However, a shoe with a conscience was missing from our assortment. Sustainable footwear is a challenging task. I knew this better than anyone, but we persisted in our mission. In 2017 I leveraged my industry knowledge and tapped into my network built over decades. Through a year of research and collaboration, I developed our proprietary brand, Suggies, a shoe that does not conflict with the health of the people making them and has a significantly less environmental impact.Today, Suggies, a comfortable flat shoe for women, has its own website.
We lean hard into an end-to-end ethical and sustainable shoe manufacturing process. That’s why we make Suggies in the Americas. We work hard to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and no child labor is used in producing Suggies. Instead, we support a community of artisans in Los Angeles & Brazil, making shoes and bags for us with care and precision.
Suggies has less than eight components vs. 30 in an average sneaker. This simplicity means fewer materials, less transportation, and fewer carbon emissions.
We stitch our upper to the sole. This reduces toxic glue during assembly and reduces workers’ exposure to toxic vapors.Our tanneries are leading players in ethical and responsible tanning. We only use Italian hides to make our Italian leather flats. Our tanneries hold the Gold Rating from the Leather Working Group & meet rigorous environmental standards.
Terrific! Now, this article is about profiling successful e-commerce businesses. So – can you share your top 3 keys to running a successful online brand?
1. To remain successful, you have to be innovative. Embracing change is essential. While costs are a factor to consider when introducing change, relying solely on current methods can cause your business operation to stagnate over time. Therefore, balancing risk-taking and fiscal responsibility when driving change is important.
2. For entrepreneurs to succeed, their zeal for the product and process can help them overcome their challenges. An inspiring starting point is one thing – but a sustained commitment long after that initial excitement can fade. To thrive in business, an owner must find joy throughout almost every stage of her journey.
3. Solving complex problems is an invaluable skill. The ability to break them down into smaller pieces and tackle them individually allows an entrepreneur to conquer even the most daunting tasks.
Excellent. Now, I’m sure it hasn’t always been that easy. Can you tell a story about one challenge, setback, or mistake that you’ve had to overcome on the road to success? How can others learn from your mistakes?
Acquiring new customers is becoming increasingly expensive, presenting our business with a significant hurdle. In the future, we must find efficient and creative ways to reach potential clients at a lower cost.
Despite being a stable marketing channel for many companies, our business became overly dependent on Facebook and Instagram. As such, we are exploring other opportunities to diversify our approach to finding customers.
Acquiring new customers is becoming increasingly expensive, presenting our business with a significant hurdle. In the future, we must find efficient and creative ways to reach potential clients at a lower cost.
Despite being a stable marketing channel for many companies, our business became overly dependent on Facebook and Instagram. As such, we are exploring other opportunities to diversify our approach to finding customers.
We have doubled down on email and SEO. And are open to wholesale partnerships, which we turned away in the past.
Thanks for that. Now – we want to know what’s next! What new initiatives are you rolling out at your business and what results are you hoping to see?
Our brand is embracing the power of AI to craft our distinct brand voice. We are passionate about leveraging this technology to create a truly immersive customer experience. We use it to hone our brand voice in email marketing, blog postings, customer service and website copy. We are even dabbling in AI art and are please with the promising output.
We also love quizzes as a way to engage our customers. We find them a highly effective way to draw in our visitor and collect zero-party data.
Sounds exciting! Any final words of advice for our readers?
As exciting as it was to launch my business, I quickly learned there’s no such thing as overnight success when running an online store. Instead, it takes time, dedication, and a lot of trial and error before you see success with this business model.
One of the most important lessons I learned during my journey is ensuring you have product market fit. If not, you will be frustrated with your results. Taking customer feedback can be challenging; however, it’s vital not to take criticism personally and use it constructively to improve your product.
Brilliant! We want to thank you for participating in today’s interview. Hopefully our readers agree that there is a lot to be learned from your brand’s story. What links can our readers use to follow along with your journey?
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