We were lucky to catch up with Julie Saint-Fleur recently and have shared our conversation below.
Julie, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I truly believe my happiness lies in me being a business owner. Even when I’m faced with a 20-hour work day I try my best to remain optimistic. All business owners can attest to those long days. When it seems as if there is always another task waiting to be completed. In that moment the idea of simply having an 8-hour shift can creep into the back of my mind then I’m reminded why I do what I do. Survivors Only, a swimsuit line designed for women to feel fierce and secure was created to give plus-size women such as myself a safe place to shop. It’s easy to lose sight of that when I am knee-deep in orders and do not see an ending on the horizon. As I am packaging these orders and checking off the items I notice that some of my customers leave me messages. One that stuck in my mind read “I’m so glad you created this swimsuit line”. That message and others like it, puts everything in perspective for me and I am reminded that my brand is much more than a long day. Knowing that a woman who was once insecure and self-conscious about wearing a swimsuit is now empowered by my brand to the point of being motivated enough to purchase goes a long way in my book.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Hi my name is Julie Saint-Fleur widely known as Ju Superhuman. I am owner of Survivors Only, an international swimsuit brand. As a burn survivor, I wanted to curate my brand to be a statement piece for women all across the globe to feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. We carry an inclusive range of swimwear from sizes XS up to 5X. In the year 2021, we broke ground and reached three countries including the United States with purchases within all 50 states. My brand stands to serve women by providing them with trendy, affordable, and durable items that they will remember wearing long after they’ve worn them. I’m proud of myself for finding purpose in such a tragic event in my life and I want my future customers to know everything here at Survivors Only is personal to me.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Currently my highest performing page is my Tiktok account. When I first made my page my goal was 100 followers. I had no idea what niche to choose or what type of videos to create but I knew the one objective I needed was to stay consistent. Here I was with a room full of inventory and no idea how to get them sold. In the middle of a pandemic my resources were limited and I had to get creative fast. I decided to do swimsuit hauls and tiktoks to trending sounds and over night I went well over my goal of 100 and reached 10000 followers. This sold out my inventory and gave me access to Tiktoks creator fund. That was enough motivation for me to continue creating content. If I could give any advice to someone looking to build their social media presence is to set goals and stay consistent.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
The journey to manufacturing my swimsuits was one paved by trial and error. I started my business by sourcing my items from wholesalers in China. I ran into the issue of sizing being off almost every time I placed an order. It got to the point where it was reflecting poorly on my business because of the customer complaints. After these mishaps I did some research and found a manufacturer in Pakistan. Not only did they allow me to oversee the sizing of each item but they gave me samples to try out before mass production. Through this process I have learned that it’s best to pace yourself when starting a project. If you are seeking mass production give yourself and the factory time to produce the items perfectly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.newlyyou.us/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivorsonly_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuSurvivorsOnly
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuSurvivorsOnly
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jusuperhuman
Image Credits
Nancy Philemon