The Real Goal: Building Something That Works with Emma McIlroy - Honest Ecommerce Ep. 277

Emma McIlroy is the founder and CEO of Wildfang, a multi million dollar fashion brand on a mission to rewrite the future of gender.
Wildfang embraces your masc, your femme and everything-in-between. Wildfang has raised over $1k for charities that focus on racial justice, as well as queer, immigrant, and women’s rights.
Pre-Wildfang, Emma spent over a decade honing her marketing skills at brands like Barclays and Nike. aa
More recently, Emma has been named one of Inc.’s Female Founders 100, Oregon Entrepreneur of the Year, a Henry Crown Fellow and her "Yeah Maybe" TED talk has racked up over 100k views.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
[00:43] Intro
[01:23] Challenging norms & gendered clothing options
[03:02] Expanding from brick-and-mortar to Ecommerce
[04:12] Launching physical & online store side by side
[05:05] Strategizing & focusing efforts before going live
[06:51] Gaining momentum & navigating press attention
[07:39] Doing personalized outreach strategies
[08:55] Reaching varied audience segments
[10:06] Putting in the effort to sell the vision
[11:09] Building a website with no experience
[12:37] Dealing with early days mishaps
[13:43] Electric Eye: Your true Shopify expert
[14:40] Challenges of selling others' products
[15:53] Deciding to build own products
[16:47] Endorsements and retail limitations
[17:29] Moving from third-party to vertical business
[18:04] Ensuring ethical production practices
[18:39] Rediscovering the power of public relations
[19:31] Intimidating expectations in the industry
[21:05] Rejecting 'Advice Tornado'
[21:58] Reflecting on industry shifts over a decade
[23:09] Focusing on longevity & resonance in business
[23:47] Staying true to your brand's strengths
[25:06] Block out the noise & focus on what matters
[26:41] Connecting on social: join WILDFANG's community
[27:17] WILDFANG ventures into wholesale
Resources:
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Masculine, feminine, and everything-in-between workwear www.wildfang.com/
Follow Emma McIlroy / emma-mcilroy-she-her-9...
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