Suzy Haber Wakefield Helps Fashion Founders Turn Their Visions Into Realities

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business*

After spending 20+ years in corporate design and development, most recently as Chief Design Officer of a division of RetailWinds, I launched my design and development consultancy in 2017, Suzy Wakefield Designs.

Who are your customers?

Fashion Founders of all sizes from pre-launch to large scale established brands and all in between.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

20+ years in corporate design, 16 years of those at Victoria's Secret where I worked my way up to VP of Design, leading teams across all areas of the business. I left there to take an EVP of Design at Komar and then SVP where my team and I designed licenses such as Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade. At that point I left to begin my own business with a stint as CDO.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I missed being close to the product and truly being able to support founders of all sizes directly. I am passionate about working with a wide variety of types of products and being able to mentor founders in all aspects of the development process.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. And yes, while I think I could not consistently articulate the desire and actually did love my time in corporate, I always wanted to take a different path.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Non existent 😂 It took me years to understand that I needed to be intentional about this.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

Patience and an understanding that steady growth doesn't mean that there won't be lulls in the business, even if I am doing everything 'right'. I have gotten much better about riding the inevitable waves of business. Lesson #2 is the first 4-5 years I treated it like a design studio rather than a design business. Which meant that I was not as intentional about building the backbone of the business.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

In the beginning, all my business was from colleague referrals and now most referrals are from clients which makes me very proud. I am grateful that so many clients still hear about us and come our way.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

I designed a capsule collection for Padma Lakshmi the chef among some other interesting brands.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Growth in the current bread and butter of the bespoke aspect of the brand and also now we are introducing you product packages of tools that can be used for founders who want to try to make product independently.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Make a list of tasks to be done every evening for the next day which is divided into all aspects of business ( projects, clients, etc) and personal and then ensure that there is time blocked out to accomplish them.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

this is a WIP. I am trying to work on wknds less.And to go to bed by 930 or so and get up at 5 so i can have plenty of sleep and also an hour in the morning to myself.Also exercise 6 days a week.Also spending time with friends and family helps.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

Another WIP. Mainly the answer is that when i feel like I am resenting what I am doing, decide if I need to step down from a client or a colleague to being more content

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?*

How important community is to success and happiness.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

How do you most like to spend your time?

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family

Yes. answer the phone for your kids whenever possible. If in a meeting call right after. You are blessed that they want to talk to you and ultimately they are the reason you do everything you do.

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

Apple Notes. The place to jot down thoughts in the moment, lists of todos in a pinch and it syncs with all devices.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?*

My Ipad with apple pencil. It is the holy grail of both design and business tools from Procreate to Asana to GoodNotes. My brand could not work without it.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?‍

Build a process  and a template for everything you do.So you save your mind time for the big stuff. For all the rest, use your tools.

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