We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Elliot a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

I started my showroom eM Productions in 2001. It began with 5 women’s clothing designers I represented. It grew from there to 15 designers and worldwide sales. I scaled up to hire a staff of employees and the business was fast paced. During this time I was growing on my own, writing my own handbooks for employees, and focusing on the business growth. One day I went to one of the top showrooms to greet them since they were launching in LA from NY. The owner was so thankful as she did not know LA territory so well. I mentored her with this area and brought her sales agents with us on the raod to West Coast areas. In turn, we shared information as she had been in the business 10 years prior to me. We became mentors for each other. I learned that I was making mistakes from paying people too high in percentages for example. I then went to other showroom owners to share information and the learning grew on both ends. Having mentors that have knowledge is key in any industry. Now when making decisions I speak to owners that have experience and success in a specific category. We can all learn from each other and more minds are better than one.

Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I opened my first showroom eM Productions in 2001 in LA and a few years after this in NY. I was introduced to some amazing designers in NY when I first opened by a good friend Danielle Levitt (a photographer). I began my showroom representing some great lines from Rachel Pally, Botkier, Mara Hoffman, Grey Ant, Rebecca Minkoff and more. We later moved from Silverlake to Downtown LA and NY and began working with the International lines: Zadig & Voltaire and Iro plus other strong lines Cotton Citizen, Ace & Jig, Veda, Reformation and more. The thing that set us apart was taking risks. I would see a line and know and trust myself that this line was going to do well. Sometimes a store or sales agent would question the line. I went with my gut and was usually right. There was then the business checklist to go through to make sure they were set up for success. I am most proud of building relationships and trust with the retailers and with the designers. It went beyond strategy, marketing, sales and costing. Creating a relationship and trust is key. People knew we had unique lines that were also sellable. Not playing it safe always and taking a risk and standing out: customers got to know us for this. Now with my Company Lit Up Brand: I am able to bring out others unique voice, values and mission so they stand out and still have a strong strategy in place.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

There were a few lines I took into the showroom with a gut feeling that became some of my strongest lines. One was Mike & Chris. They showed up with 6 jackets (usually a line is at least 50 – 100 pieces for a season). I thought about it overnight and the next day said yes. This became a quick success as they were focused on the key product of jackets with a hoodie and grew from there. We worked diligently to grow strategically within the top stores from the start.
The other line Ace&Jig was another risk. The stores in the beginning thought it looked very granola and my sales agents were not a huge fan. By changing a few things such as shapes and adding some neutral colors in the background the line starting gaining momentum. One top store Liberty bought the line and the then other top retailers followed.
It is the one that has the vision and does not second guess it that takes the risk and stands out.
Our showroom stood out due to this. I continue to mentor artists and designers to stand out in their own unique voice in confidence.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In the showroom business I built lines and some would move on to self represent themselves. One of my largest lines left in their second year at reaching 16 million in sales. They also took some of my employees to work direct with them. I had to be very resilient and think fast. I had an excellent store list and relationships I had built. So, I rebuilt my showroom with other strong lines that had the same retailer outreach. I learned and hired new employees and strong managers that leveled up my business. When one shoe falls, stand strong and keep going. Knowing what you have and not letting anything get you down is key in business. My dad always said don’t take anything personally and do not be emotional in business, keep going!

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Contact Info:

• Website: www.litupbrand.com
• Instagram: litupbrand
• Facebook: LitUpBrand
• Linkedin: Lisa Rosas