Feel the Fear: Interview with Brittany Diego, Founder of Fashion Mentor
I recently went one on one with Brittany Diego, founder of Fashion Mentor.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Brittany: Thanks for having me! I’ve pretty much known I wanted to work in fashion since I was 10 years old. Weird to say but I reverse engineered my future from that young age. I thought I wanted to be a fashion designer up until my junior year of college when I did an internship at a well known fashion company in LA. They did everything in-house and that was my first exposure to styling. I didn’t know you could make a career out of telling people what to wear and being on photoshoots- that’s what I always pictured myself doing but I had no idea styling was a job. From that point on I was hooked but little did I know the path I was about to embark on.
I prided myself on being an overachiever and completing multiple internships while in college and I thought this would make me a shoo-in at any fashion company I applied for. Post-grad life was the biggest slap in the face. I had the most difficult time finding a job and once I did, I ended up getting laid off. I took that as a sign that I wasn’t meant to work for anyone else and decided to pursue my dream of being a celebrity fashion stylist. I quickly built a social media following by sharing behind the scenes of my life as a stylist and started getting tons of questions from aspiring stylists which inspired me to create my business Fashion Mentor. It started out as a blog and within a year we were hosting live events, industry panels, speaking at fashion schools and more.
Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?
Brittany: I came up with Fashion Mentor to teach others what I wish I learned in fashion school. In school I learned how to do the job-sewing, designing, sketching, etc. What I actually needed to know was how to get the job. Unfortunately, all you’d find online was general interview or job search advice that didn’t apply to the fashion industry which is extremely unique.
Some of the things I wanted to know were how do you dress for a fashion industry interview? You have to be fashionable of course but still be professional without looking too corporate-but how much was too much? Or what type of questions should you expect at interviews? I would memorize answers to typical questions like “what are your strengths and weaknesses” and almost never got asked that. Instead I’d get asked who my favorite designers were and my thoughts on their latest collection, and of course I’d be dumbfounded because I was too busy memorizing generic interview question responses.
With that said, my advice when you want to start a business is to think about what you wish existed, what is the solution to a problem you currently face or have faced in the past. Think of what need there is to fill in your life or the lives of people around you, then go from there.
Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?
Brittany: I knew it was worth pursuing when I would get asked non-stop for my advice on this niche part of the fashion industry. It got to the point where I had pre-written responses in the Notes section of my phone because it was always the same 3 questions. There weren't a lot of answers out there for this growing community so I thought; if not me, who? The best way to test a business idea is to get direct feedback from your ideal audience/client/customer. That’s how you will truly know if you have something people actually want and would be willing to join or pay for.
Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?
Brittany: As far as marketing, everything has to come back to your ideal client and make sense for that group of people. So that means don’t feel pressured to have a presence on every social media network out there just because. It has to fit into your overall strategy- so if your ideal client is Gen-Z it will make sense for you to have a presence and run ads on TikTok, Snapchat, and IG. If your client is 50+ they’re most likely on Facebook and you’re better off building a presence there. Another thing I’ve learned is to not overwhelm your customers with too many options. Once they get to your website it should be an obvious choice what item they should purchase or service they should book. Make it easy for them to want to pay you.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Brittany: In my experience, the defining qualities of an effective leader are adaptability and being able to ask for help and delegate. I used to think doing everything on my own was a sign of strength but I wasn’t growing until I learned to focus on my strengths and delegate my weaknesses. It’s all about taking action. Leaders and aspiring leaders can take their leadership skills to the next level by putting themselves in the shoes of the audience they’re serving and ask themselves what they’d want to see or hear from someone they look up to, and do that, be that person for your audience.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Brittany:
Start before you’re ready because it will never be the perfect time.
Set SMART goals and benchmarks so you know where you’re headed and can track your progress.
You won’t always be motivated especially when times get tough so you have to have a strong “why”. Always remember your “why”.
Adam: What are your best fashion tips for women?
Brittany: Know what styles flatter your body type and invest in classic wardrobe pieces that will last you years such as good quality shoes, bags and coats.
Adam: What are your best fashion tips for men?
Brittany: When it comes to suits, a tailor is your best friend, invest in one! And don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone when it comes to style.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Brittany: To feel the fear and do it anyway. Starting a business is scary. Putting yourself out there is scary and so many people say they want to start a business or create a legacy and only a few actually take action towards that. But guess what? The time will pass by so you might as well spend it putting your efforts into building something that will pay off in the long run.
Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.
Follow Adam on Instagram and Twitter at @adammendler and listen and subscribe to Thirty Minute Mentors on your favorite podcasting app.