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

Hi Shennel, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success is a word that can be thrown around without much thought, but it is important to remember that success is subjective. You can be successful in getting out of bed or landing on the moon. To me, success is a moving target that is self-determined. If you allow others to define your success, you are pretty much in a boat floating without an oar into an endless unknown direction.

As a business owner, success can come in many forms. There is one instance that comes to mind that, in hindsight, was extremely successful, but in the moment felt anything but successful.

At the early start of creating my brand, I couldn’t decide whether to expand to brick-and-mortar or focus on e-commerce. I was presented with an opportunity to have a pop-up. I thought this was a chance to test the brick-and-mortar concept. I set a setup budget and revenue goal for the duration of the pop-up. At the end of the pop-up, I was just above breaking even. I took the test as a failure, but little did I know the exposure from the pop-up attracted wholesale buyers and started my pathway into wholesale.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I consider myself a dreamer. I have always had big aspirations and imaginative visions for the future, but like most people, I would worry about the potential for success. Despite these doubts, I continue to dream and strive towards my goals. I can remember the 7-year-old version of myself dreaming of a job in fashion but not thinking it was possible because of my circumstances. Fast forward to fashion careers at Converse and Levi’s.

I got into the fashion industry by taking an entry-level job without a fashion degree. I worked my way up the ladder by being an enthusiastic worker, not afraid of hard work, and letting my team of bosses know I was reliable and willing to step up to any challenge. This determination and work ethic helped me to grow and gain valuable experience in the industry.

In the thick of corporate retail, I can remember being a new mom and wondering what was next for my life. How was I going to manage a career and motherhood?! Fast forward to creating the children’s clothing brand, Miles and Milan, that showcases timeless, gender-neutral, no-fuss clothing paired with milestone development content that keeps parents informed on the stages ahead. My brand’s journey goes beyond clothes by bringing parents together to create a safe, inclusive, and educational space for parents to learn about child development via our meetups. Miles and Milan is loved by many, it is an Oprah favorite and has an exclusive collection in over 200 Kohl’s stores across America. The future is endless and equally nerve-racking, but I am forever grateful for the growth that comes with stepping outside of my comfort zone.

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

Working in corporate retail gave me some guidance when I decided to manufacture my clothes. I knew I wanted to start with low minimums. I did not want to take on the inventory risk without knowing if there was a market for my concept. Most manufacturers prefer high quantities, but I cold-called a number of companies, spoke with the owners, shared my concept, and eventually found a good fit that would produce my styles at the minimums I wanted.

I am grateful for the manufacturing company I started with. They knew I was a first-time designer and guided me, introducing me to people in the industry to help my brand vision come to life. Unfortunately, even though the relationship was a trusted one, we had too many hiccups that would throw deliveries off course. Based on those hiccups, I made the tough decision to work with multiple manufacturing factories instead of just one.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Moving fast is not always the correct approach. I always thought I needed to hit every milestone I set for myself each year, or my brand would be doomed. While setting milestones is great, if you put too much pressure on yourself, you can burn yourself out, miss key learnings, and/or fail to pivot if necessary.

I learned to look at the journey of an entrepreneur/company like a car. It’s not necessarily the speed of the car, but the driver and the roads they take to the destination. Some days you may need to take a pit stop, other times you may find a shortcut, and sometimes you may need to let some passengers out of the car.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://milesandmilan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milesandmilan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milesandmilanbaby/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18074936/admin/dashboard/