We recently connected with Brandon Rose and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
RoseGold Apparel was just myself for the first year. It was tough growing pains as I had to wear every hat and learn on the go, but I also would never trade that for the world. It was very important to understand all operations and ins-outs of the business. It allowed me to grow personally as well as professionally, understanding my strong suits and where the most help is needed. I quickly connected with an accountant who is a relative, and that allowed me to start organizing the backend books and streamlining financials. One aspect I always stayed focused on and will continually improve, is product quality. While scourging social medias and the internet, I found a manufacture in Brazil who made incredible leather goods sourced from Italy. Not only did my product quality increase, but also distribution and overall product knowledge. It was at this point where I could start to see the company forming and pathing a new way in the fashion industry. My next hire was a full time marketing and web development consultant. Each hire is no more impactful than the others, but having correct SEO, email marketing, and digital footprint across platforms complete was one of the biggest steps into reaching our target audience.
When bringing someone on to your team, I think it is very important that they share a very similar passion and drive as you do. I always looked at work ethic, and skillsets. I do not necessarily look for well rounded individuals, but people who are excellent in 1-2 areas where we need the help. If I were to start again now, I wouldn’t do much different besides the timing of when I brought people on. I think it is important to exhaust all resources and options first, before bringing on contractors or employees. Many owners think that hiring people will take a load off of your plate, but through experience I found that in most cases it requires more work in coaching them up, managing them, etc.

Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Brandon James Rose, CEO and founder of RoseGold Apparel. We started with one velvet loafer and one black belt, and then quickly grew into a full collection of hand made leather shoes, and belts. By the end of the first year, RoseGold offered a handful of rose gold accessories such as tie bars, cufflinks, collar stays, etc. Once pairing with our new manufacturer in 2018, we were able improve product quality and scale distribution. Approaching over 20 products in year two of operations allowed us to start offering a variety os designs leading us to sell a brand, and not just items. I grew up in London, England and lived there for the first 10 years of my life. My fashion has always been drawn to a classy, elegant style. I was ecstatic when contacted by British GQ, ELLE, and harper’s Bazaar magazines to advertise internationally. This started to put RoseGold on the map, and allowed us to get offered to open Christmas season in Nordstrom Galleria for a pop-up on Dec.1 of 2018.
Another amazing milestone for myself and the company was passing over 100k followers on Instagram. This was just a milestone that was so impactful as I remember started the page with 0 followers back in 2016. It is very rewarding to start something from just an idea, to customers around the world wearing our logo.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
A massive pivot for RoseGold was when we released our women’s jewelry line ” RoseGirls “. The data was showing the engagement from young women and the want for more variety. I was hesitant at first in how we should market this new line, as historically our followers, marketing, etc was tailored to men. This was a large step for us as a company and I am very happy with how we executed. It was not easy, but having each team member involved all on board for this new campaign brought significant momentum and confidence.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
An incredibly effective strategy that I overlooked for the first couple years of business was email marketing. Nurturing these clients is so important. They are the customers that truly like your brand, and are interested in what you have to say/ offer. Doubling down on the clientele in your own ecosystem is one of the most important aspects to growing a brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rosegoldapparel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosegoldapparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoseGoldApparelOfficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/16229377/admin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoseGoldbyBRose
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXy5pXYmcrihgV1aPQTABQ
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/rosegoldapparelshop/_shop/

Image Credits
Brandon Rose