Tune in to hear Khadija interview former Apprentice rival, 2018 winner and owner of luxury swimwear brand sianmarie.com, Sian Gabbidon. Khadija and Sian discuss what it takes to be successful in business and how the advantages and disadvantages of scaling a business. Sian shares with you her experience from winning The Apprentice 2018 and securing Lord Sugars £250,000 investment, what it’s meant for her business and her personal life. Join in and learn business lessons from two successful female entrepreneurs and business owners.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
After winning The Apprentice 2018 Sian’s business grew massively. The change in scale meant that her workload both customer-facing and behind the scenes increased.
It is easy for people on social media to look at Sian’s life and see it as a success, however, they do not see how much time and effort is going into making her a success.
Upscaling the business as a result of winning the apprentice and securing investment has drastically changed Sian’s workflow. Prior to The Apprentice, Sian was working on her own time scale, now she is having to become more organised. A structure which she is learning to adapt too.
Although Sian is fully involved in the business side of things, she is still designing. That is what she loves to do and she enjoys to create new designs for her brand. Although, sometimes these designs do not always turn out as she envisions them.
A career-high was seeing Michelle Keegan wearing one of her swimwear pieces. Despite gifting different celebrities and influences, Sian was unaware that Michelle would be wearing one of her pieces. This solidified that she was doing a good job in the industry.
Although things for Sian's business are on the up, she is often pressured by others to expand her business even further. Whilst this is something Sian envisions for her company's future, she also stresses the importance of building her brand and cementing themselves within the fashion industry.
As a young girl, Sian was keen to have her own retail shop, however, since the expansion of social media and the ease of running a store online, her opinion on this has now changed. Although, she is now planning to have her swimwear stocked in already established retailers also.
Despite saying that Beyonce has always been her idol, Sian is now thinking from a business perspective. In terms of brand awareness, Sian would love to see a member of the Kardashians wearing one of her pieces, from a business perspective, something like this would sell out her range.
Sian is using her newfound success and fame to give back to her local community. As a young girl finding relevant work experience in the fashion industry was difficult. She has now given the opportunity to two young girls and they are able to get a real insight into how a business is run.
Sian’s business is run from Leeds and finds it has not been necessary to relocate to London like once thought since she has her own contacts in the local area which she has formed solid business relationships with.
A double-edged sword that comes with her fame and success, is the negativity she faces online with internet Trolls. Although at times she wishes to retaliate and defend herself. Her partner is quick to calm her down and it is soon forgotten about, she is focusing on being successful.
BEST MOMENTS
“Hustle until your haters ask if you’re hiring”.
[when describing how Lord Sugar has helped her along her business journey] “Great to have a mentor and a board of people to give advice”
“I am a businesswoman and designer. I need a team of people to help to get it out there”
“It is a long process. It’s the first step of this crazy journey that was never going to happen. The retailer side. A new challenge that could lead to great things”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
https://sianmarie.com/
ABOUT THE HOST
Keep it real with Khadija is an interview-based podcast hosted by Khadija Kalifa. As a BBC Apprentice finalist and busy Mumpreneur, Khadija is on a mission to build an empire whilst raising two children, inspiring others to make their passion their profession. Khadija speaks openly about how she grew up in an underprivileged area, turned her
daughter’s birth trauma into a motivational story, and became a BBC Apprentice finalist, successful business mentor, motivational speaker, property investor and podcast host. Guests of the show speak candidly about life, business, mental health, mindset and making the most of every opportunity.
CONTACT
Www.keepitrealwithkhadija.com
Www.facebook.com/keepitrealwithkhadija
Email: keepitrealwithkhadija@gmail.com / info@keepitrealwithkhadija.com
LinkedIn Khadija Kalifa
Instagram Khadija Kalifa
Twitter Khadija Kalifa
ABOUT THE GUEST
Former Apprentice 2018 winner & UK based fashion designer Sian Gabbidon is the owner and CEO of Sianmarie.com an affordable luxury swimwear brand based in Leeds. Since winning the show and securing Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment in Sianmarie.com her business has gone from strength to strength, launching a variety of new ranges and seeing a host of celebrity influences showcase her brand of swimwear.
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