Belinda Jacobs Transforming Fashion with Better Communication and Impactful Product Development
Tell us about your venture/work!
We help clothing and textile brands with design, product development and manufacturing. We take them from idea – to physical product in production, We make products that are commercial, profitable and create a cult following.
How long have you been working on your venture? Why did you decide to work on something impact related?
I used to work in the fashion industry for some big name brands, and we always had so many issues when communicating our design ideas to our suppliers and vendors. Things would get lost in translation. Misunderstandings are very expensive and time consuming when you are dealing with physical products that are cut and sewn! I started working on my own process for communicating more clearly with factories, and simplifying the processes involved when taking a design and turning it into a physical product. After refining this for a few years, I knew I had something that could really make a difference to the way brands develop products. Fashion is a very “top down” industry where brands are at the top of the food chain and have all the power. The people at the bottom of the chain, who actually work in factories sewing, are mostly women of colour from developing nations. And they are the ones who really suffer the most from these “communication issues” and “misunderstandings”. It’s for them that the industry needs to change for the better. I hope that I’m able to start making waves in my little corner of a trillion dollar sector.
How did you find out you wanted to take an entrepreneurial path? What was the first fundamental shift that happened to you as an early impact entrepreneur?
In my first grade report card my teacher wrote that “I march to the beat of my own drum”! I know that autonomy and problem solving are what I want my days to be filled with, and entrepreneurship has no shortage of that. Back in 2016 my partner had the opportunity to move to the USA (I’m from the UK originally), and I new this was my chance to start fresh and build my own thing from the ground up… so I took it!
What do you enjoy most about being an impact entrepreneur? What are the main challenges?
The main challenge for me is definitely remembering to enjoy the ride. Being an entrepreneur is a journey and there will always be ups and downs, just like in life. It’s important (but hard for type A’s like me) to stop and smell the roses, celebrate achievements, and just enjoy simple things each day.
What advice do you have for early-stage impact entrepreneurs about using their time and relationships to prepare for this kind of career? What would you tell to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to always stay visible and always be of service. When you go out of your way to help everyone you come across, people remember you as a valuable resource. When you pair that with staying visible and keeping in touch with people, you’ll be top of mind when opportunities pop up.