Latest / Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast) / Fave Hits: 6 Quick Questions with Liv Koennecke, Founder of Maison Essentiele (Part 2)

Transcript

Fave Hits: 6 Quick Questions with Liv Koennecke, Founder of Maison Essentiele (Part 2) · Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast)

• 0:00
  Welcome back. Here are the six quick questions. So question number one is, what's your why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Hmm.
• 0:20
  It's always such an interesting question. I'm always so interested to hear what your guests have to say because it's such a loaded question, you know, to be able to succinctly answer it in one sentence. I don't know if I can, but my why is definitely to create just a really beautiful and purposeful brand. You know, I want to create with integrity across design and sustainability and I want
• 0:43
  quality for our customers. And I want them to have that same self-care experience that I had, you know, when I put on that silk nightgown. I sometimes relate it to the same feeling if you're not a pyjama wearer of when you change your sheets and like there's no better feeling than fresh sheets on the bed, you know, it's kind of that same experience. I love that feeling.
• 1:05
  It's the best. Gosh, I'm so boring. But it's, you know, kind of an extension of that, you know. But I think to go even deeper than that, you know, that all sounds well and good, you know, to create a beautiful brand and to, you know, to have your customers enjoy the experience is number one, most definitely. But just the amount of time and passion that has gone into this business is
• 1:28
  you know, when you're working crazy hours, you know, when you're not paying yourself much because you're reinvesting the capital or when you're taking really big risks, you know, you really do have to dig quite deep. And I feel like this business has just become such a part of me. You know, I've always wanted my own business in the space of fashion. And since I started Mason Essential, it feels like everything was kind of preparing me for
• 1:52
  for this opportunity. So my why is that it's literally me and part of me, at the same time as obviously wanting to create a great customer experience and product. I love that. I love that. Question number two is, what is the number one marketing moment that's made the business pop?
• 2:15
  I definitely think, you know, it's not necessarily a marketing moment, but being stocked on Net-A-Porter has given us such global awareness and reach. You know, everyone shops on Net-A-Porter. You know, I've had celebrity stylists reach out. I've had, you know, so many more international direct-to-consumer sales when they can't find what they need, you know, on somewhere like Net-A-Porter.
• 2:34
  So that I think is key. And then secondary to that, you know, just that really grassroots marketing that I was talking about before. Just I'm constantly networking, you know, meeting new people, meeting new founders, even in our areas, not necessarily related to fashion. You never know where you're both going to end up.
• 2:55
  Um, whether it be online somewhere like, you know, Instagram or TikTok or LinkedIn, um, or whether it's joining certain groups like the female founders startup or the female startup club, um, you know, really just surrounding yourself with those people. I feel like, um, and getting that, you know, kind of word of mouth out there has been key. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
• 3:18
  Totally. Question number three is where do you hang out to get smarter? What are you reading or listening to or subscribing to that other entrepreneurs would benefit from knowing about?
• 3:32
  Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, and this probably sounds like such a plug, but I honestly listen to your podcast almost weekly. No, no, definitely. You know, I do. And I feel that, you know, listening to podcasts and just kind of gaining that insight, even when it doesn't necessarily relate to my industry, I always learn something, you know, whether it's around managing, you know, your car
• 4:01
  flow or marketing or, you know, certain, certain insights, because the reality is if you're running a business and it's your first business, you're going to make mistakes and hearing about, you know, other people's trials and tribulations and, um, and, you know, experiences really, really helps in that process. And then again, as I was saying before, you know, finding, finding your crew, finding your, your club and your, um,
• 4:26
  your network of people, you know, has been key, you know, surrounding yourself with those people that are in a similar situation to you. Because, you know, as an entrepreneur, I know people say this a lot, but I think it's really underrated that it can be really lonely if you don't have a business partner. You know, there are a lot of decisions you have to make or wins where you get these emails and they're incredible, you know, opportunities and there's no one there to kind of, you know, celebrate with. So,
• 4:55
  Being on things like, you know, the Female Startup Club Hype Club or, you know, other Facebook groups, et cetera, has or even Clubhouse has been really, really great. Oh, love that for me. Thank you so much for those kind words. Totally agree. It's true. Question number four. How do you win the day? What are your AM or PM rituals and habits that keep you feeling happy and successful and productive?
• 5:25
  I would love to say that it's wake up every morning and meditate and whatnot, because I am a big avid believer in that. But I'd be lying if I said I do that every day. But definitely waking up early, keeping a list. There is nothing more satisfying than crossing off on a to-do list.
• 5:42
  I also keep a calendar on my fridge, which really helps, I guess, visually remind myself of my goals and my deadlines. And also just always making time to move your body. I really like to walk outside and I love hiking and getting in nature and things. But, you know, at bare minimum, if you can't get to a gym class or, you know, if you can't really leave the house much that day, just even leaving your front door and going for a little walk, just that clarity is key, I feel.
• 6:14
  I agree. I love getting out of the house, especially first thing in the morning. I know. What would you spend $1,000 of no strings attached grant money on in the business? Yeah, definitely still. I think $1,000 is...
• 6:32
  $1,000 would be always great. It doesn't always go that far. So I think coming back to that idea of seeding and gifting, you know, whether it is influencers or whether it is, you know, people like if you're trying to get into certain stores, you know, reach out to the buyers and see if they would like, you know, a gift and to receive some of your product because it's the best way to get it into their hands.
• 6:55
  and, you know, experiencing your brand. And I think, you know, at bare minimum, it creates really great relationships, both on social media and off. You're organically spreading the word and you get feedback on your product, you know, especially in fashion. Sometimes I might, you know, people be like, I love this, but I'm a little bit shorter and it was really long on me or something. So it's really good to be able to get that feedback. If that's all you get from it,
• 7:26
  Yes, that's so true. Absolutely. And last question, question number six, how do you deal with failure? What's your mindset and approach when things inevitably don't go to plan?
• 7:38
  Oh gosh, I'm like laughing even hearing this question. I feel like my defense mechanism is humor because I feel that you definitely, one thing if I've learned in being a business is that if you're a business owner, some form of failure is inevitable, especially if you're a first-time business owner.
• 7:58
  you're going to make mistakes, sometimes expensive ones, hopefully not, but I've definitely made a few along the way. So I think the sooner you make peace with the fact that you will fail in some way, the better, because, you know, the thing that's not going to help your business is if you are constantly beating yourself up about this failure, you need to get right back on that horse and you need to learn from that failure. And I think that's, what's key.
• 8:23
  You know, failure is great as long as you fail fast, you brush it off and you make sure you learn from it. What are your key learnings from that experience? Because ultimately it's going to make you a better business owner. So true. So true. And also you don't have any other choice. You have to keep going. Yeah, it's going to happen. You're going to have to keep going.
• 8:46
  Thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing all of those super cool insights into your world and the fashion industry and retailers and all the things. I have loved chatting with you as always. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
• 9:08
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 9:32
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 9:55
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.
• 10:10
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 10:35
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 10:57
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that. Thank you.