Nazia Siddiqui on Her Sustainable Fashion Company, Transcend

Hi, Nazia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

My name is Nazia Siddiqui and I founded my fashion brand Transcend in 2020 to allow women to feel joy from their clothes again.

What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?

I am excited to be a member of the Entrepenista League because of the intelligent and resourceful women I am surrounded with. I have loved being able to find like-minded entrepreneurs to connect and share ideas with.

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

I am a mom, wife, and held corporate jobs at multiple Fortune 500 companies for 15 years where I helped businesses improve their processes. In my busy life, I've had a complicated relationship with my closet and often found it to be a source of anxiety rather than joy. After speaking with 50 other women within my own networks, it became clear that I wasn't alone. I dug deep into why we all felt this way and what surfaced was a complex problem—women had poorly designed, ill-fitting, cheaply made, and boring clothes in their closets that had piled on over the years. I started Transcend to change that and offer women clothing that sparks joy. We aim to be a hub for women where they can share ideas to make the clothes in their closets a source of joy again.

What a powerful mission. What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I worked at multiple companies like PwC, Starbucks, and Amazon Fashion where I led my teams to improve business processes. I am also a licensed CPA in Washington.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes! Ever since I was 14, I remember having an entrepreneurial mindset where I was identifying opportunities by observing the problems around me, coming up with solutions, and being resourceful. All of these attributes now help me run my business.

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?

To get the word out, I took advantage of every tool available to me including reaching out to my network, social groups and channels, and mentors. Cultivating relationships with publishers and TV personalities also paid dividends.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way and what did you learn from it?

The biggest challenge I have encountered is outsourcing parts of the business too soon. I learned that as hard as it is to do everything on my own, it is critical to know all parts of the business intimately in order to hire the right people and make sure that they are adding value in a meaningful way.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

I am proud of building a business while bootstrapping and growing it to six figures, adding wholesale partners, and reaching an estimated 40,000 customers. In addition by fostering an ethical supply chain, we have supported our three artisan communities in a traditionally exploitative industry.

Definitely something to take pride in! Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Work/life balance has traditionally been used as a binary concept. However, it's really not that simple. The whole reason we work is to have a great life and work is often a big part of life. My belief is that in order to live a centered life, we have to find joy and happiness in all aspects of our lives whether that is our work, families or communities. My best tip is to spend time working on solving the problems that you are passionate about, surround yourself with the people who fill your cup, and think beyond just yourself.

What's a piece of advice you can share that you wish you'd known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?

My advice is that as an entrepreneur you have to get comfortable with selling from day one. It's not something that comes naturally to many women but we have to start talking about our ambitions, accomplishments, and ideas. Speaking directly to your customers and nurturing your relationship with them is the single most important aspect of building a business.

What have you achieved recently that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

We just launched our 5th collection and introduced powerful blazers made with hand-woven fabrics that come in three vibrant colors and patterns. We also launched two lightweight jackets that are super fun to wear in transitional weather. All pieces were hand-crafted by an all-female team of artisans!

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

We are growing our wholesale business and getting into the world of paid advertising. We aim to become the go-to brand for all fashionistas who are looking to take back control of their closets and adding pieces that are fun to wear and thoughtfully made!

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!