Share this:
Claire Flowers is the Founder and CEO of Claire Flowers LLC, a high-end women’s apparel company. She started her journey by reimagining the classic pump, and later expanded into other footwear, apparel, jewelry, bespoke designs, and more.
She talks to Cynthia about her journey from an IT Sales professional to fashion designer, and all the bumps along the way. She gives a masterclass in how to approach entrepreneurship, as her rise to success was a perfect mix of vision, grit, risk taking, partnership, mentorship, pivoting, and business acumen. A must listen for anyone who wants to quit their job and start a business.
1 – Introduction 00:24
2 – More about your current day work 01:52
3 – Venturing into Men’s shoes 05:24
4 – What is your background? 06:28
5 – How did you convince them you’e a big deal designer 12:10
6 – Business degree more valuable than fashion degree 17:35
7 – When did you take the leap of quitting you job? 19:46
8 – Do you think wearing multiple hats helped you as an entrepreneur 23:43
9 – Did you dream of being a designer when you were young? 25:09
10 – Explain your perseverance 25:59
11 – What were some obstacles along the way 31:05
12 – Importance of taking the right steps at the right time 35:00
13 – Had to make the smart move not the vanity move 35:52
14 – Do you think not growing too fast is one of the best lessons you’ve learned? 37:13
15 – Valuable advice from mentors 37:34
16 – Importance of good partners at the right time 38:53
17 – Challenges of women’s mindsets you see in styling them 39:22
18 – Confidence gained from wearing custom clothing 40:23
19 – This generation could spend a little more time on appearance 42:03
20 – Trademark on the pink 45:05
21 – Defending the IP 47:44
22 – Final lessons and advice 49:19
23 – Believing in myself 51:02
24 – Where can we find you? 52:29
Content Notice
This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.
Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
“Young Shannon became an overachiever because she was a people pleaser. She needed to please others. And so that really developed in my adulthood as well. “
“They say, I’m still working 60, 80 hours a week. I got into this so I could pick my kids up from school and so I could attend their soccer games that are after school and I haven’t been able to attend one. I got into this so that we could go on great family vacations. And I haven’t been on a vacation now in five years. More people are coming to us for those reasons…it’s the lifestyle sacrifices that are causing people more pain than taking home a paycheck that isn’t what they thought it would be.”
It’s not about me selling and, you know, me making money. It’s about you being satisfied and happy with what you want and what you need. And I’ve always had that kind of philosophy, and my dad had that, too. And people recognize you’re not in it for yourself, you’re in it for them. And you’re sincere, and it really goes a long way.
Leadership is not about the leader. And I equate this back to basketball. When you have coach or coaches, they can’t go out on the court and shoot the ball and dribble the ball and pass the ball. But coaches have to be really good at getting work done through others. And so from a leadership perspective, that’s how I see it. As a leader, I have to be really good at getting work done through others.
“Gallup just got done with their survey for 2022. They found 25% better profitability in companies that have great employee cultures. Because when you have happy employees, happy employees make your customers happy. Happy employees want to invite other people to come work at their company. Happy employees want to share their ideas to make the company better. All of a sudden, you’ve created this culture where people want to contribute, and that’s the reason we do what we do.”
Show Name
Amet minim mollit non deserunt ullamco est sit aliqua dolor do amet sint. Velit officia consequat duis enim velit mollit. Exercitation veniam consequat sunt nostrud amet.
We publish on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
