If there’s one thing I truly believe about getting visible through DIY PR and earned media (i.e. media you didn’t have to pay for, a.k.a. advertising), it’s this: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. There just isn’t. Yes, there are a ton of best practices and standard strategies, and they are great, but there are always questions that come up about people’s individual businesses. That’s, in fact, exactly why I created the PressDope DIY PR course program and set it up the way it is. The goal is to give entrepreneurs the training and materials they need to do their own media outreach, but also get an opportunity for individual feedback and guidance when they need it. On today’s episode, we’re diving into a question from one PressDope DIY PR Course program member, an ethical designer who is wondering how to use a new partnership as part of her marketing — but doing it in an authentic way that feels right for her and her brand. Listen in for my tips and advice on leveraging a non-profit partnership in your ethical fashion business’s marketing. 

Spirit of 608: Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability + Tech

Q&A: How Should This Ethical Fashion Designer Successfully Market A New Non-Profit Partnership?

 Launching a magazine is not for the faint of heart. Sure, content is crucial for most businesses right now (especially those in the sustainable fashion arena). But consistently creating high-quality, thought-provoking, change-making content? It’s a hugely intensive endeavor, one that this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast knows well. During our conversation, ESJ magazine (a.k.a. Ethical Style Journal) founder Katie talks frankly about the complexities of building a media business in the sustainable and ethical fashion arena and how her approach has changed — and is poised to change again soon — and why. We talked about the media, the need for creatives to make money and questions that come up in sustainable fashion marketing and messaging today amid a backdrop of brands, influencers, thought leaders and activists who are all part of an increasingly important, but noisy landscape. But most of all, listen in for her story and advice for creating sustainable fashion conversations that matter while also building a brand that stays firmly rooted in authenticity and longevity. Meet Katie: Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of ESJ Magazine. She has been working to make sure representation exists within the sustainable fashion space, and that real conversations that lead to accountability and action are happening in fashion. Over the past year and a half, her work with the magazine has expanded to create a bigger platform for Black women and femmes to show up and take up space in ethical and sustainable fashion. You can learn more about Katie and her company at www.ethicalstylejournal.com. 

Talking Media, Money, Messaging & the Future of Her Ethical Fashion Magazine with Katie of ESJ

Sometimes you fall in love with vintage, and sometimes you fall so hard you start a business. The latter is the case for this week’s guest, who launched a line of jewelry born out of her love for antique lockets and went on to grow the company into a mixed collection of modern fine jewelry pieces and unique antique jewelry from her network of sources. In this week’s episode, we get the inside story of Suzanne’s journey from the corporate world (she’s an alum of J.Crew, RedEnvelope, Victoria’s Secret and Bally) to launching her collection and growing it for more than a decade. Along the way, she’s learned a lot — including how to get featured in major media from the Today Show to the New York Times. Listen in for her advice on the business of building a business and so much more. Featured in this episode: Suzanne Wernevi Linkedin: Suzanne Ellis Wernevi Meet Suzanne Wernevi: Suzanne Wernevi is the founder of Luna & Stella, a Providence-based jewelry business that blends their own contemporary heirlooms with one-of-a-kind antiques. Luna & Stella was born out of the 2008 recession. At the time, she was leading merchandising for a venture-backed e-commerce company that went bankrupt. Employees lost their livelihoods and health insurance overnight. The next day, it was her job to call the vendors, many of them small business owners, to tell them their invoices would not be paid. She saw firsthand the human impact of what can happen when a company prioritizes rapid growth over financial sustainability. And she knew there had to be a better way. Throughout her career in corporate fashion, she had worked with many product categories -- but jewelry resonated with her for its timeless quality and emotional significance. In 2009, she launched Luna & Stella in New York with the idea of creating fine jewelry symbolic of one’s closet relationships – the treasured “moon and stars” in our lives. It gained early traction, but by 2011, she and her husband were looking for a more livable city. They saw the potential for a great quality of life in Providence -- a university town with great food, culture, diversity, affordable homes, and access to the outdoors. From a business perspective, she was drawn to Rhode Island’s history as the jewelry capital of the world and hoped to manufacture lockets based on ones that were made there over a century ago. But she found that modern tooling and techniques could not replicate the craftsmanship of Rhode Island’s past. Instead, she discovered that people were drawn to the history and one-of-a-kind nature of the antique pieces themselves. At the same time, she was becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of jewelry production -- and vintage jewelry, which does not further deplete natural resources, fit perfectly into a growing movement for sustainable fashion. You can learn more about Suzanne and her company at www.lunaandstella.com. 

From Antique Lockets to The Today Show and Beyond with Luna & Stella Suzanne Ellis Wernevi

 What happens when your product unexpectedly lands in the hands of a Hollywood costume pro who happens to be working on the sets of a film destined to become the next big thing. Ask this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, whose fashion business career spans decades and six different companies — some of which she ran at the same time. A multi-hyphenate creative and serial entrepreneur, Sarah Shaw lets us in on her journey from her early days in Los Angeles as an almost accidental handbag designer who went on to see her products in featured in major news outlets, in A-list films and in celebrity coverage of all kinds. Today a business coach who works with brands to help them reach new audiences and grow, Shaw is both inspiring and full of advice for entrepreneurs out there today navigating the fashion and accessories landscape. Featured in this episode: Sarah Shaw Instagram: @sarahshawconsulting Linkedin: Sarah Shaw Meet Sarah Shaw: Sarah is the Founder & CEO of Sarah Shaw Consulting, where she teaches product designers and fashion entrepreneurs how to launch, market and sell their products into boutiques, get media placements and gift celebrities. Sarah Shaw is a fashion entrepreneur, product designer and business coach. With her 20 years of experience - and 6 companies under her belt - Sarah has built a treasure trove of secrets for launching fashion lines, getting products into stores and boutiques, getting products to A-List celebrities, and getting massive publicity in order to grow her companies quickly. Sarah’s products have been in over 1,200 stores and boutiques across the country, including Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Barney’s, Henri Bendel, Fred Segal, Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue and Bloomingdales. She’s also appeared in the pages of almost every major fashion and lifestyle magazine, including InStyle, People, US Weekly, Lucky, ELLE, WWD, Marie Claire and the O-List. She’s been on TV shows like Access Hollywood, Extra and the E! network. Her handbags were in the movies Legally Blonde, America’s Sweetheart and Ocean’s 11. And she’s been interviewed for Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, INC, and American Express’ OPEN Forum. You can learn more about Sarah and her company at www.sarahshawconsulting.com 

How Serial Fashion Entrepreneur Sarah Shaw Launched 6 Businesses & Landed Her Products in Hollywood Films

 The future of secondhand fashion is unfolding in front of our eyes. For many of us who’ve thrifted for years and loved vintage and new-with-tags treasures long before they became big business, it’s easy to wonder: what’s next? How will the rise of billion dollar companies slinging secondhand style affect not just the mainstream fashion landscape, but the legions of local shops and sellers who see secondhand as so much more than the latest trend. To get some answers, our fabulous summer intern Evelyn hit the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, where we have numerous consignment, secondhand and thrift retailers who are go-to destinations for locals looking to buy, sell and donate clothes and accessories with a previous life. Listen in to this week’s episode for an honest, real and open look at why three very different business women in the space do what they do and what they see ahead for the future of secondhand and its ties to our local communities. A big thanks to Evelyn for the field work and reporting for this special episode. 

We Scope the Future of Secondhand Style from a Hyper-local Lens

 If you’ve ever stressed about live video — or any video content for that matter — you need to listen to today’s episode with Alicia Henderson of Empirenista and the Video Visibility with Alicia Show. That’s because she’s bringing us her completely down-to-earth and no BS approach to video content and why it’s time to get over your fears and hesitations and use this ultra-powerful way of communicating to reach new audiences and grow today. In her work with female entrepreneurs, Alicia helps women get comfortable using video in a way that highlights their expertise and grows their business. Oh and p.s. she is not about to let you drop the ball because “today’s not a day I feel like doing my make-up.” Oh no, just wait for her five-minute face tip. It’s gold! Listen in for Alicia’s own journey to becoming a go-to expert for women in business who want to stand on video, as well as her tips and advice for showing up and feeling comfortable in videos so you can create the growth, impact and visibility you are here for. 

Getting Visible with Video with Livestream Expert & Empirenista Founder Alicia Henderson

Growing with a Mission Statement at the Heart of Your Business with Influencer Marketing Strategy Expert Idalia Salsamendi

No matter what kind of content you’re creating for your business, I’m willing to bet one thing. There are times you’re totally overwhelmed. And maybe those times are pretty much all of the time. And if that’s the case, it’s for good reason: given today’s marketing landscape and the realities of what’s required to get visible as you grow, almost every brand — whether you’re a product-based DTC ecommerce business like the many I’ve interviewed on the Spirit of 608 podcast or the founder of a tech platform or a service brand seeking better reach through thought expertise and community building — creating enough content to satisfy the number of platforms and opportunities out there right now will turn you into a mini publishing empire or, worse, make you feel like you should be one even though you hardly have time or bandwidth to run your own business. Phew. That’s a lot. It’s a circumstance so many entrepreneurs face today, one that leaves them saddled with a completely unsustainable system, one that’s sure to crumble or stall out over the long-term without an outsized investment of hours or hiring a number of team members to help (something that’s often difficult in the early stages even for revenue-generating businesses and funded startups). But here’s the good news: we’re in the middle of a content shift. And it’s one that has the potential to make content creation, publishing and promotion easier and more feasible for small and medium sized businesses. The wisdom, circa 2012-2015, used to be: create content tailored to each individual platform or you risk entirely turning off your audience. These days, the smartest marketers I know are masters at running content production like a supply chain and prioritizing repurposed content over everything. Yes, the inner English major and journalist in me cringes. But over time I have come to see that this approach doesn’t really devalue content. Instead, it values and in fact significantly elevates the value of your message, mission and thoughts. Because of that, viewing content in this lens actually stands to increase and broaden your impact. With the clients I help and in my own business, I use a content framework and process to guide me so the content I’m creating is not only possible to generate with the resources I have, but also works for the business. I’m laying out this sustainable content publishing system on today’s episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast. It’s a four-part framework with a four-step content creation process focused on repurposing woven into its core. Want the rest? You can use this episode as a step-by-step guide to creating a sustainable content publishing system fueled by repurposed content so you can get out of your own way and start reaching more of the minds and hearts of people who will love what you do and be thrilled they’ve discovered you. 

Power Moves: Creating a Sustainable Content Publishing System for Your Business

Designer, neuroscientist and community leader Sharmon Lebby is back with us on the Spirit of 608 podcast for a second episode updating us on how her journey building a an ethical fashion brand as a side-gig ultimately led her to become an activist and community leader pushing creating connections among ethical businesses and pushing for change in her native San Antonio and well beyond. As president of the Ethical Network of San Antonio, Sharmon is dialed into the social and economic issues impacting owners of ethical small businesses in her region and is committed to bringing conversations about the intertwined nature of fashion, politics, social justice and environmentalism through the new Unpacking Ethical podcast she hosts alongside Ethical Style Journal’s founder and editor, Katie. Listen to the episode for a dive into her choice to simplify her side gig so she could get more out of life and make a bigger impact in the wider ethical fashion realm. Once again, in so many ways, less is more. 

Doing Less to Get More Out of Life As A Multi-Hyphenate Fashion Designer, Neuroscientist & Community Activist

When was the last time you sent a pitch email to the media? With even a small amount of outreach, you can significantly increase your visibility through more outreach to journalists, bloggers and content creators. Oh yes, anyone can leverage media coverage and positive PR to elevate their business, build credibility, boost search engine rankings and reach new audiences with your message, products and services. The thing is, so often people let the pitch email get in the way. Instead of starting at a blank Google doc agonizing over what to write and then, yup, bailing from the entire process, you can use the easy (seriously) 7-step framework I’m sharing in this episode to make your next pitch the easiest and most chill of your life. If 7 steps sounds like a lot, don’t stress — one of them is literally just to follow up. That’s it. Reply to the email you’ve already sent and follow up. Want the rest? You can use this episode as a step-by-step guide to creating your next email pitch and sending it out so you can get out of your own way and start getting into the minds and hearts of people who will love what you do and be thrilled they’ve discovered you. 

The Easy 7-Step Framework for A Powerful PR Pitch

This week, we welcome Rae Joseph to the Spirit of 608 podcast to let us in on her journey from corporate law to starting a business at the intersection of luxury and vintage fashion. Listen to the episode for a dive into what it’s like to leave a lucrative, successful career in order to turn your passion into a business, how she’s educating shoppers in her native Saudi Arabia about the joy of luxury vintage clothing and accessories and what’s next for the business of secondhand style. 

Leaving an International Career in Corporate Law to Launch Luxury Vintage with Rae Joseph of 1954 by Rae Joseph

We’re kicking off this year’s second season of the Spirit of 608 podcast with an inspiring woman helping to pioneer responsible fashion in Colombia — and as you’ll hear in the episode — far beyond that, thanks to her role leading the responsibility efforts and media outreach for men’s footwear brand Beckett Simonon. I was already well aware of the Colombia-based purveyor of made-to-order shoes, boots and sneakers before I met Adela earlier this year when she joined the PressDope DIY PR course program we offer to founders and brands at the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech (a space I call FEST). My partner has multiple pairs purchased over the course of a few years. And damn if they don’t still look great after lots and lots of schlepping to and from his office (pre-COVID, obvs). So imagine my delight when Adela joined my program, and I discovered her role was created to help the brand reach more people with its carefully thought out approach to responsible sourcing, materials, labor and end of product life. It’s a joy to get to work with people who are truly aiming for innovation and responsible practices while still creating a beautiful product that lasts. It’s an even greater joy to do that work with someone who is as smart and devoted to growth as Adela. In addition to getting the word out about Beckett Simonon to the media, influencers, vloggers and affiliates, Adela is the founder of Bulla, a Colombia producer of programs, experiences and events that foster creative and support mental health awareness. Listen to the episode for a dive into what it’s like to build an audience for a responsible brand, the challenge and opportunity of building a fan base in another country (they only ship to the USA), how she approaches outreach to media and influencers and why mental health awareness is a crucial topic on her mind these days. 

Marketing a Responsible Footwear Brand Responsibly with Beckett Simonon's Adela Cardona

In the final episode before our annual summer break (we’ll be back with all-new interview episodes in August), I’m talking about the thing we’re not talking about enough in the sustainability space. Especially when it comes to business. It’s been on my mind for a while, and I am sharing it all in this episode. Plus, a bunch of things I want you to know about where the podcast is headed, what’s changing and what to expect from us while we’re on break (hint hint, if you have wanted to be a part of the PressDope course program, now is the best time to join us this year). And there are more ways I can help you below. While we’re on break, don’t forget to dive into our archives (5+ years of shows!) and get on the list for the free media leads we send out each week.   

The Thing We're Not Talking About in Sustainability & What's Next

Oh the joy and challenge of amazing photography. Visual imagery is queen today, especially considering every brand aiming to grow is basically tasked with becoming its own mini publishing house. Honestly, just think about it: it used to be that brands, well, they sold things. And the media, well, they published things about the things other people made and sold. Today, every brand reaching new audiences is using content to make it happen — and churning out magazine-sized volumes of copy and photography while they’re at it: content for social media, advertising, web sites, newsletters, online events, webinars, pitch decks, podcasts, DIY PR….it’s so much content. You don’t need me to tell you images are a critical part of that content conundrum. But what I can tell you is this: brand photographer Jessie Wyman is your ethical fashion business’s new best friend in this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast all about photography, branded photoshoots and balancing the constant need for newness on social media with the reality of, well, the hours most of us have in the day. Plus, because I love looking behind the scenes into the hows and whats and whens of creative entrepreneurs’ journeys, this conversation is one with lots of takeaways for anyone building a career that offers freedom, flexibility and financial success without the utter burnout so many of run into when getting things off the ground and helping them grow. Listen to the episode for how to prep for your next photoshoot, what to tell your photographer in advance, why you don’t need to think of social media images as one and done and how to make your creative content work for you instead of the other way around. 

Brand Photographer Jessie Wyman Tells Us What Every Ethical Fashion Biz Needs Before The Next Photo Shoot (Plus, Pivots & Choices)

Want inspiration for building a design-driven business with sustainable values and rethinking single use daily habits that seem so, well, normal until you realize they’ve only been common for the last 50 to 100 years? Then you’re going to be all ears for this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, Danish designer and Last Object co-founder Isabel Aagaard. Even at the helm of a fast-growing company (look out for their retail presence in U.S. Anthropologie stores soon) with a baby in a global pandemic, Isabel exudes chillpreneur (credit to Denise DT for the term) vibes, even though you’ll hear her say in our conversation that she’s not one to shy away from long hours and relentless attention to her business. Speaking of businesses, this isn’t her first. Listen to the episode for why that’s important (and also an office joke), as well as how this Copenhagen startup debuted its crowd-funding campaign with an email list 40K strong and has spent the last two years adding products like reusable face pads and tissues to its debut cotton swab alternative. 

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Spirit of 608: Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability + T...

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