Do you know what’s nerve-wracking? Announcing that you’re starting a podcast… And not having a single episode recorded. It’s true, two weeks ago when I was teeing myself up to announce the launch of The Clean Living Podcast I only had a spreadsheet of ideas. I talk all this game about starting before you’re ready, […]
“We don’t work with new designers,” he said to me matter-of-factly. This was back in 2014 when I was just starting Factory45 and networking with potential manufacturers for my entrepreneurs. He went on to tell me that startups aren’t “worth their time,” newbies don’t have any money and there’s too much hand-holding that’s required. I […]
I could feel the heat rushing to my face and my voice beginning to shake. I was on a Zoom call with a DEI consultant to discuss the blind spots and racial biases within the Factory45 program. I had actively sought this out, but it didn’t diminish how uncomfortable I felt. I started rambling off […]
“So, what are we looking at timeline-wise?” I asked my creative director as we mapped out a new project. “Well, it will be about two months for the first launch and around five months for the second one,” she replied. Five months?! That puts us into 2021! I thought back nostalgically to launching Factory45 in […]
As I’ve been listening and learning over the past months, BIPOC leaders have been asking brands to come forward with a public anti-racism statement. This is something that can be viewed on your website, as one way to stand in alliance with Black people and People of Color. It’s a commitment to building and maintaining […]
The other night I was listening to a podcast with a neurologist who specializes in psychology. She was talking about neuroplasticity…
“Huh, I’ve never put it like that before…” I was reading a book by an internet marketer that described a strategy to grow any online business. As the author described the strategy that he’s used again and again to scale his software company to $100MM (without investors), I realized something. What he was describing was […]
How do you feel when you read the words: Product Development Excitement? Anxiety? Confusion? Fear? When I talk to designers about patternmaking and samplemaking, many people say they feel paralyzed. The upfront costs for creating your first pattern and sample can look so intimidating that it becomes the most frequent point of giving up. Especially […]
For the past year, I’ve watched as Factory45’er Franziska Mesche has built her plastic-free activewear brand from the ground up. She is now on track to raise over $34,000 in pre-sales to fund her first collection. It started in March 2019 when the idea for Tripulse was born. Franziska was looking for activewear that wasn’t […]
“Allyship is a verb…” Said diversity consultant Ericka Hines during Rachel Rodgers’ Town Hall to Reimagine Small Business event. And her words have stuck with me. As I’ve been learning, listening and absorbing how to be a better ally to BIPOC, I’ve also been struggling with the feeling of not doing enough. With every realization […]
