When 10,000 dresses showed up in fashion designer Christian Siriano's living room — 10 times more than intended — he didn't lose his cool.
"In fashion, you're literally upfronting all dollars at all times," Siriano said. "The moment something happens, I react very quickly and make a decision. … I hope young entrepreneurs think that way, because I think it's pretty much impossible not to."
With a luxury brand in American fashion after his start on the reality TV show Project Runway in 2007, Siriano is no stranger to acting fast and pivoting quickly. It's all part of a process of reinvention that defines his industry and his small business journey.
Siriano joined chef Kathy Fang and journalist Lisa Ling to talk about the ways that reinvention leads to success for small businesses. The QuickBooks + Mailchimp Fireside Chat with Christian Siriano and Kathy Fang celebrated Small Business Success Month, and as an entrepreneur in the creative field, Siriano shared advice tailor-made for fellow creators.
1. Reinvent to be relevant
Reinvention is change, and change is a constant for creators and creative entrepreneurs, Siriano said.
"In fashion or any creative field, it's all about reinvention. We have to be within the moment. What's happening in the culture? What's happening in clothes and style? So, we change a lot."
2. Put the product first
"I decided early on that the product really had to be the most important thing," Siriano said.
"I really started focusing on what I did the best, which was this world of evening, this world of event dressing. And how could I make it more accessible? So that's what we started doing. We started doing projects like Rent the Runway and selling at more mass retailers but still eveningwear."
By recognizing his strong suit, Siriano has been able to work within a creative constraint. It's helped him to make decisions about how to grow and reinvent his business.
3. Don't dilute your brand
Comparing your creations to others or listening to the naysayers is a sure way to spread yourself too thin. Before you let it shake your confidence, try this advice from Siriano.
"The biggest thing that I started teaching myself is: You will never be everything to everyone. It's impossible. It's kind of how I feel about clothes, and I'm sure when you're creating candles or products, you're going to feel that way, but you can never be everything for everybody. But if you're somebody for someone — and then that someone is the next someone, and that someone turns into the next — then that can be enough."
4. Trust yourself
Business and financial tips aren't one-size-fits-all. That's why Siriano had to trust himself when he decided to take a risk fronting the cash for flashy, spendy investments in his business.
"I figured out pretty early on that our big risks were just our biggest rewards. We were really putting money into really spectacular clothes, spectacular fashion shows, really over-the-top things. We were definitely spending money. We were over budget for sure, but I knew that it would make it a more successful world, so I took that risk pretty early on, and I still do. And usually those are the things that are the most successful, at least in our world."
5. Continue connecting via social media
As long as brands can interact with their current and future customers on social media, Siriano doesn't see it becoming any less important for businesses selling products.
"The interaction with the customers on social is still very, very important, and it'll never go away. At least, I don't see it going away in the next 5 to 10 years. I just think that's how consumers are really shopping and figuring out what they love right now, [it’s] on social."
6. Be a little vulnerable
Social media is also the way that consumers can get to know you and your brand — if you let them get into your personal world.
"It can be scary for a lot of brands. People are really in your life, really in your world. You want to give them something, but it has to be just enough. It's all about the balance."
Maybe Siriano was talking about posts like this playful, behind-the-scenes Instagram video in which he helps singer Ava Max get dressed for the 2023 Met Gala.
7. Connect with your fans
"My fans that were following very early on in my career, the connection to them is very, very important," Siriano said.
Using social media is a way that Siriano creates authentic touchpoints to engage longtime supporters and attract new fans. Those connections, he found, increase conversions.
"That always leads to a transaction with them in some way or another, whether we see it right then and there on social media, or people are clicking and buying and redirecting to your website. It’s also a long-term game…you're really trying to get people engaged for years to come."
8. Know your core customer
Not everyone who buys your product will be part of your core customer base. Identify your primary audience so you know how to filter the feedback or reviews that you get from all kinds of customers, Siriano suggested.
"Some will be more challenging than others, some will be great; some you'll love, some you won't. It's important to go into any business knowing there will be all different types of people. We're all still human here. We're all still looking for something, but it also is important to still be giving the core customer what they want."
9. Celebrate the positive
Siriano found that drawing comparisons and dwelling on the negative were sinking his confidence. By giving weight to his accomplishments instead, he felt something completely different: successful.
"I was focusing so much sometimes on the negative things that I wasn't getting or I wasn't in … [so] I started focusing on all the amazing, great things that we've done. Maybe my dress isn't on the cover of Vogue, or whatever we weren't getting, I was taking away that negativity, and I was just thinking about the positive. And thinking enough about the positive, I felt really confident and pretty successful. I hope that's what a lot of young entrepreneurs are doing: just think about what's so great happening in your world."
10. Define success for yourself
Siriano set goals for himself as a fashion designer, and he's managed to check them off. What success looks like now is, perhaps, more fulfilling.
"It definitely isn't always about the money or how much we have and what we're onto next. If I'm able to still basically create whatever I want, whenever I want, then that to me is ultimate success. … And really nothing else matters, in a way, most days. And if you make a little money doing it, even better."
If you missed Intuit’s live Small Business Success Month fireside chat about the ways reinvention fuels success, you can watch the full replay on YouTube. And for more inspiration, check out the stories and successes of real small business owners or listen to an all-new podcast from QuickBooks and iHeart.
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