Listen "Episode 68 - Evolving a Brand for More Growth Potential"
Episode Synopsis
Today Nicole is joined by Sarah Birchall, founder of the beautiful individual clothing brand Cub & Pudding. Cub & Pudding are a unisex family brand bringing happiness to your wardrobes with hand-drawn prints created just for you. Sarah is on Start Scale Succeed to tell you her story of starting her own kidswear business and how she evolved her brand to focus on the adult market to improve its growth potential.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sarah started Cub & Pudding after finding herself stuck in a rut when her eldest turned three and the offerings for boys' clothes became a sea of diggers and dinosaurs and navy and brown. Zero originality. Sarah loved seeing him in cheerful colours and exciting prints but there were so few options, so she decided to design for him and his little sister, despite having zero fashion experience.
The biggest hurdle Sarah faced was just the fact that she was a complete novice in the field. Everything was new to her and she didn’t know. Luckily her coach put her in touch with another client who had a factory in Portugal.
Instagram was always Sarah’s happy place when it came to the brand. In the beginning, she used a lot of influencer marketing which helped her initially grow. Sarah has seen an uptick in sales when she’s targeted her brand at the right influencer and her following has grown along with that. She only uses gifted promotions instead of paid ones.
The brand started as unisex kidswear but Sarah kept getting messages asking if they would stock adult sizes. People loved the fact they could be “twinning” with their kids. It also opened her up to a bigger market, not just people with children.
To Sarah success is still being around in five years time running her own brand, having the freedom she has now and not working for someone else.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Some people call it risk-taking, but I didn’t want to look back and think what if’
‘You put so much trust and financial trust in other people’
‘I feel when you pay someone to wear your clothes it feels inauthentic’
‘There’s so much fast fashion out there for kids’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Website: Cub & Pudding
Instagram: Cub & Pudding (@cubandpudding) • Instagram photos and videos
VALUABLE RESOURCES
www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach
www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach
https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/
ABOUT THE HOST
Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line.
Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM)
Join the Start Scale Succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme: thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist
CONTACT METHOD
Website http://www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
IG https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/
TikTok www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk
Email [email protected]
Newsletter https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sarah started Cub & Pudding after finding herself stuck in a rut when her eldest turned three and the offerings for boys' clothes became a sea of diggers and dinosaurs and navy and brown. Zero originality. Sarah loved seeing him in cheerful colours and exciting prints but there were so few options, so she decided to design for him and his little sister, despite having zero fashion experience.
The biggest hurdle Sarah faced was just the fact that she was a complete novice in the field. Everything was new to her and she didn’t know. Luckily her coach put her in touch with another client who had a factory in Portugal.
Instagram was always Sarah’s happy place when it came to the brand. In the beginning, she used a lot of influencer marketing which helped her initially grow. Sarah has seen an uptick in sales when she’s targeted her brand at the right influencer and her following has grown along with that. She only uses gifted promotions instead of paid ones.
The brand started as unisex kidswear but Sarah kept getting messages asking if they would stock adult sizes. People loved the fact they could be “twinning” with their kids. It also opened her up to a bigger market, not just people with children.
To Sarah success is still being around in five years time running her own brand, having the freedom she has now and not working for someone else.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Some people call it risk-taking, but I didn’t want to look back and think what if’
‘You put so much trust and financial trust in other people’
‘I feel when you pay someone to wear your clothes it feels inauthentic’
‘There’s so much fast fashion out there for kids’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Website: Cub & Pudding
Instagram: Cub & Pudding (@cubandpudding) • Instagram photos and videos
VALUABLE RESOURCES
www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach
www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach
https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/
ABOUT THE HOST
Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line.
Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM)
Join the Start Scale Succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme: thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist
CONTACT METHOD
Website http://www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
IG https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/
TikTok www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk
Email [email protected]
Newsletter https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall
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