Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Toulan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Being a business owner has it’s ups and downs. Owning a business means you are your own source of motivation to keep the business growing. It also means freedom and plenty of space to create your own vision that fulfills your purpose. This freedom doesn’t come for free though. Unlike having a regular job, owning a business does not offer financial stability on the get go or a structure on how to do things. It sometimes becomes a struggle to keep going when things gets tough; but these are also the exact times when you realize your own strength, conviction and potential.

During tough times I remind myself of the challenges I overcame before and how I showed up for my busines, my team & myself. While it sounds easier & more straight forward to have a regular job sometimes, I know I am born to create my own vision and impact on the world through my business and what it offers. Remembering the reason why I started my business is the exact reason why I am keen on growing my business and helping more women everyday.

Sarah, 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 started my career in a corporate environment focusing on strategy & sales for 6 years. I then decided to leave this career path during my maternity leave and reflect on my passions and what I used to enjoy as a kid. From there, I realized that I want to start my own business and through my personal experience with pregnancy and motherhood, the idea behind NINE & BEYOND came to life. I remember when I first got pregnant and went shopping, I couldn’t find clothes that suit my style & I didn’t really want to invest in clothes that I will only wear for nine months. So I decided to create a women’s wear brand with high quality and fashionable styles that women can continue to wear them after pregnancy & breastfeeding. I studied fashion design and started bringing this idea to life one step at a time with a clear mission to help women feel good about themselves throughout the different stages of their lives through NINE & BEYOND

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

We outsource the manufacturing of our products. To get started you first need to identify some criteria to base your decision on. For example, the type of product quality that you want to offer and the quantities that you want to produce. Through that information we started research for manufacturers who suit the criteria of the brand. I also learned that it is very important to try different manufacturers and have back up options in case you need to resort to them.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

When COVID started spreading and we had to go through a lock down, I didn’t know what to expect for my business but I knew we had to pivot and cater for the current consumer’s needs. We started evaluating the new types of problems that our consumer is facing & decided to a new product line; which is washable masks that are sustainable, comfortable and fashionable while maintaining the brand’s identity. We also knew that during lock down everyone was looking for entertainment and inspiration on social media so we decided to host live Pilates classes that are free of charge on our social media & invited different experts to talk about interesting topics to our audience & offer them valuable information, inspiration and entertainment. All these changes resulted in one of the best years for us in terms of revenue, & customer retention rate.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ninebeyond.com
• Instagram: www.instagram/ninebeyond
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopninebeyond
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-toulan-94812612/

Image Credits
Salma Elfawal Darya Anisimova