Q&A With Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Johnson is an E-Commerce / Business Strategy and Operations Consultant.  With over 15 years of diverse experience in e-commerce, business operations, business planning and strategy development, inventory management, and marketing.

We met with Jennifer to hear about her career experience, difficult decisions she had to make during complex times, and who is her role model.  We also got some great tips and advice that can definitely be helpful to grow your businesses. Keep reading and discover her advice, what skills you need to have to be successful,  and her take on the Bay Area fashion scene.  

1. You have experience of many years in E-commerce and operations. What is the biggest lesson that You have learned? If you could give a piece of advice to young entrepreneurs wanting to start their own fashion business, what would it be?  

The biggest lesson I have learned over the years is to always be prepared to pivot and adjust your strategies and plans as business unfolds.  No matter how sound the plan, remember that business is constantly evolving, just like life! The ability to quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace and to be flexible in your response to those changes can make the difference in your achieving results.  

2. WhatsSkills do fashion designers need to have to be successful nowadays?  

A successful fashion designer needs to be able to balance their creative/artistic side with a strong business sense.  Understanding the key business areas of finance, sales, and marketing are key to building and profitably sustaining a fashion brand.  It’s also important to keep an eye on the target market, the competition, and customers’ changing behaviors, as well as technological trends and incorporating any possible opportunities they might see into their business.

3. How do you help others develop innovative ideas?

I like to encourage people to carve out time to dedicate to the process, and think about challenges or problems in the business that need to be changed or improved, ways that things that be done differently, or in a way that hasn’t currently been tried, or has been tried and can be improved on.  Most important is not be afraid to test those ideas, even in a small way, and iterate as you learn from them.  I’m a big fan of doing this with a group of people, and watching how ideas begin to flow and multiply!

4. Can you tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision? How did you handle it?

  There was a time when I had to put a hold on hiring staff and the rest of the team had to take on the additional work.  It was a great opportunity to engage everyone in looking at the work we were doing and making sure that everything we were doing was truly adding value to the business and in service to the customer as well as identifying things that could possibly be done differently.  We often tend to do work without assessing the true need and value, and this was an opportunity for us to innovate. While it wasn’t easy, we managed to get through it, ultimately changing and streamlining many of our work streams and empowering everyone to be part of the process.

6. What are the main differences between working locally and with international markets?

While there are so many things to consider when working internationally, it comes down to localization.   I think these five key areas are important to consider when you are working with international markets.  The first would be make sure you are customizing for each specific country and localize everything from the verbiage used to local currencies.  Second would be localizing your marketing, making sure that you are aware of any cultural differences and things that may not be relevant or may need to be adjusted to resonate with a particular country or culture.  Third would be localizing your payment methods, and be aware that there are unique payment methods that are common in some countries (COD, payments to the post office, etc.).  The fourth would be to localize your strategy when it comes to communication, promotions, customer service etc.  Understanding the competitive landscape in these areas as well as any regulatory requirements will help you ensure that you are relevant to that country and in compliance.  Lastly would be a shipping strategy, from finding the right partners that will enable you to get products to customers efficiently and cost effectively to a clear customer shipping proposition (free vs a fee).   

7. How has the apparel scene evolved in the bay area? What is unique to the Bay Area? 

There are so many more unique and innovative brands that have emerged in the bay area over the past 10 years.  I think the commitment to sustainability with so many of these brands is what is unique in the Bay Area.  They are continually iterating on their sustainability practices from product to packaging, and truly helping to reduce the impact of fashion on our environment. 

8. Who is your role model? 

I really don’t have one specific role model.  I have however worked for some incredible women leaders over the years who have not only inspired me, challenged me, and mentored me, but were truly instrumental in the growth of my career.