Entrepreneurship is often about making your dreams come true. Kimberley Gordon followed hers into the imaginary world of Selkie, a plus-size ready-to-wear brand created around dreamy designs and low-waste production.
Kimberley built Selkie while mourning the loss of her first success, Wildfox, a fashion brand known for its fashion-forward graphic tees. Forced to leave the business due to an unsuccessful partnership with an investor, this experience, although painful, taught her invaluable lessons that shaped her approach to starting her next business.
Kimberley shares what she learned building her second brand, plus universal advice for any aspiring fashion entrepreneur.
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4 Tips for Turning Your Dream Business into Business Success
1. Be malleable
After losing her first business, Kimberley understands the importance of adapting to change and being open to new opportunities that loss can bring. “I lost a business that I had turned into a multi-million dollar business [over] nine years,” she said. “I felt horrible grief that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
What saved Kimerbley was her ability to adapt to change and find new opportunities within the fashion industry.
When it came time to take Selkie to the next level, Kimberley had to undertake a major manufacturing move to China. “I gave up producing in America to get that sort of freedom to do what I wanted,” she says. “That meant I could really fit different sizes too, like a real one, going up to 6XL.”
2. Find partners you can trust
The people you go into business with will have a big impact on day-to-day operations, as well as the overall success of your business. Kimberley had to learn the hard way how much impact a partnership could have on her dreams.
Leaving Wildfox due to a toxic environment made it even clearer to Kimberley that she would choose her partners carefully for her business. “It was an extremely toxic and scary environment,” says Kimberley. Not wanting to repeat that mistake with Selkie, she made sure that any partners she went into business with had intentions aligned with hers.
3. Hold yourself accountable
When she started spreading the word about Selkie, she noticed that it made her accountable in a way no other did. Suddenly, other people were waiting for her ideas to come to life, which motivated her to find new potential partners, new team members, and inspiration. Her friends and network connected her with mentors and advisors, giving her a sense of obligation to bring her creations to life.
“You have to pick yourself up from the most difficult moment, which is when your idea exists in [your brain]because for it to exist for everyone, you have to tell everyone that it will, so that it becomes part of everyone’s consciousness,” Kimberley explains.
4. Freelance on the side
Starting your dream business may still require struggling to make ends meet. While building Selkie, Kimberley worked several jobs to help supplement her income.
“I am very grateful to the brands who hired me as a photographer so that I could [launch Selkie] in the meantime,” says Kimberley.
It’s important to have money when starting your dream business, so you don’t have to worry about basic necessities. Freelancing can also allow you to grow your network and connections in the early stages of starting a business. Freelance photography assignments have also helped Kimberley develop a photographic style that she can now use for her own brand.
Although starting a fashion brand may seem intimidating, learning from the successes and failures of those who have done it before you will help make your dream business a lasting success.
To hear more from Kimberley on her fashion launch strategy and get her tips for low-waste production, tune in for the full Shopify Masters episode.
