She Built a Luxury Brand With No Money, No Investors, and Instagram | Ep. 332 with Geeorgie Crossley Founder of GeeGee Collection

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0:28Daniel Robbins:Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender. Welcome to Old National Bank. Hi, I was wondering what you could do for my small business. Tons. Have time to talk? Not much. We're on a 30-second radio ad? Oh, I'll get straight to the point then. Our solutions are customized for small businesses, our services make financial management simple, and our pricing is always transparent. Outstanding, wow. Yeah, so ever been in an ad before? Nope. How do I look? Good, but we're on the radio, remember? Right! Hi, Mom. Customized small business banking from Old National Bank. Member FDIC. Get old.

1:28Daniel Robbins:Listen today.

1:34Daniel Robbins:So, Georgia, you started your company, GG Collection, back in 2020. And it's incredible what you've been able to do using Instagram. And it's amazing how people can leverage social media for success. What do you think, from 2020 to now, really kick-started the company? like when you really saw some traction and was that leveraging Instagram? So, yeah, it was. I started my brand when COVID hit in March 2020. And I really had time, you know, I had so much free time on my hands to just sit down and build my brand. So making pieces, I would just at the time I had no money when I first started it. So I would ask friends to model for me.

2:20I take pictures of them and then I put the pictures on Instagram and then I did some promotions and through doing like Instagram promotions this was during COVID um I then got noticed by some department stores kind of independent not huge um ones kind of ones that stock independent brands and independent fashion and so from there um one thing led to another and And my brand ended up being put in a few stores and, you know, making sales just online. But it really came through Instagram in the beginning.

2:58Daniel Robbins:So what do you think? Because there's a lot of people, I imagine, that start fashion brands. What do you think that made your standout, your brand standout? What did you do on Instagram specifically that made it where these companies wanted to carry the line? so the usp behind my brand is um just moving away from the culture of over consumption and coming back to traditional craftsmanship so all my the fabrics that i use they're all hand designed or they're all hand woven you know to bring back i'll keep in mind traditional artisanship and quality um so i and i really wanted the brand to feel unique like the fabrics are hand designed so you're not going to see them anywhere else and that adds to a level of individuality that I think is missing from fashion right now so it's about kind of elevating your everyday essentials into something special and ultimately it kind of comes down to how it makes you feel so I want women to feel confident comfortable and like they're wearing something that truly represents them not just like following a trend but kind of owning their style in a more timeless way.

4:11Daniel Robbins:I've heard that creating a fashion brand can be a very, very difficult business because of just how not only competitive it is in the smaller brand space, but like you were saying before about there's fast fashion. I mean, there's companies like Teetmue and such that are just pumping out volumes of new, like thousands of new things every day. So I imagine it's hard to compete with that. But you created a unique selling opportunity. And it sounds like you had a mission. Do you think that this was created because of your previous experience? Or did this kind of come along as you realized who likes the brand?

4:51So because I went through a time in my working life before I had the brand where I was working in a factory that mass produced for big brands that's where I got the idea to kind of go back to sustainable artisanship and craftsmanship and move away from just the waste that fast fashion has on the environment um and I do think yeah the market for anything is oversaturated whether it's a fashion brand a restaurant unless you're kind of creating the new tiktok anything you create is going to be into an oversaturated market so it's just kind of like you have to be obsessed with what you're doing you have to be obsessed with your brand and work really hard make sure you're getting it out there promoting it and I think then people will find it you know if it resonates with them so not everyone kind of wants to wear the same as everyone else you know buying stuff from Sheen or you know any of these kind of fashion websites some people they want kind of quality clothes that are going to last them a lifetime.

6:00And I think it's just kind of been like navigating to find those people. But I think every time you create something, if you think it's going to work and you're obsessed with it and you put tons of time and effort into it, you'll find your market, I think.

6:18Daniel Robbins:And what was the difference that you had to change, whether it's within yourself, the team, or even your operations when you go from selling online, e-commerce, which I think is the main focus of most people to selling in stores, which is something I used to do. And I always found myself like there's big differences in the two things. Was there any changes that you had to make as you transitioned from e-commerce back into physical retail and also e-commerce at the same time? So I actually prefer physical retail to e-commerce because you can see I think the pieces that I make speak for themselves you know they're all all the fabrics I use have been handmade and hand designed and you can kind of go into the store and really see the quality and I like that kind of personalized experience and whereas online it's just you don't know who you're dealing with it's just kind of things being shipped out um so I preferred the whole retail aspect of fashion and I do think things have shifted and people are going back more into buying in stores than they were I think there was kind of during COVID um you know when everything went online people were moving away from it but I do think kind of in city centers now people like to you know go out for the day shopping or you know buy something that makes them feel good.

7:44Daniel Robbins:Isn't that amazing? We were just talking to a C-suite of a large department company, and they were saying how their sales are increasing and they're doing a lot of renovations. But then you also have some going bankrupt and having to restructure. It's such a fascinating, this whole department store and malls, where they have to go in the future. But for you, was there a moment where you just said, forget about this, like this is too challenging, this is too hard. I'm exhausted. I think a big thing in the beginning I had to get be kind of okay with was growing slower because of the way I'm running my business.

8:23And I want it to be more of a personalized experience to buying something. And I think, you know, kind of when you're going into a store, you are getting that personalized experience because you're trying it on, you're speaking to someone that knows about the brand and can tell you about it. Whereas if you're buying it online, you're buying it from a picture. So you don't know kind of the story behind what you've created, what's been created.

8:57Daniel Robbins:What's the secret success to a fashion brand? You've worked with some of the largest, most amazing, iconic brands to also more of the fast fashion type brands. And now you have your own very unique company. What would you say is the secret behind the success that you've learned along the way? For me and my brand, I just think in a space where so many brands are constantly like chasing trends. GG Collection is more about like timelessness pieces that you can wear over and over again, style in your own way and keep for years. It's not about having more, it's about having better quality pieces. And I also want to, people to feel, I want to bring women confidence.

9:46Like it always comes back to giving them confidence. I want women to put something on from my brand and just feel like the best version of themselves like effortless put together but still you know themselves just giving them that bit of confidence and then there's also like an element of individuality so you're wearing something a bit different something you won't see everywhere so yeah I'd say it's a mix of confidence and uniqueness and just kind of feeling more connected to what you're wearing and I think that's kind of the success that's kind of why my brand is successful because I'm giving that to women.

10:25Daniel Robbins:Do you think consumers, men or women are looking for things that are more custom nowadays, since we have access to so many things like I just bought something on TikTok, it was pretty crappy, it broke like five minutes, five minutes after I got it. But it seems like there's just we're being bombarded with so many people selling just stuff. Like you said, I don't know if we need all this stuff or if most of this stuff even is good stuff. It's, you know, quality is probably quite low. Do you think it's driving people to go to a more custom? Like I was just at a store that does custom perfume sense.

11:02Daniel Robbins:And I thought it was really fascinating being able to try everything versus like the standard two or three. It sounds like your line too. Like you really look at more custom handmade pieces. Is this like the direction do you think consumers are swinging? I think so and I think it kind of comes down to social media a lot as well because people are wanting to post in things that not everyone can buy or crazy outfits for attention or you know people want to get stopped in the street and be told oh I love your outfit where's it from or you look so stylish or be photographed and I think with generic fashion you're not getting that but if kind of fashion houses and fashion designers they're kind of thinking how to design trends not following trends so I do think there is um I do think people are moving towards being sort of individual and unique and it's not a trend to kind of be a follower it is to kind of be a leader you know I want to be a leader I don't want to be a follower Me too.

12:09Daniel Robbins:I definitely like that. I like that. So when you were able to expand globally, because I think there's always the, if you don't raise money, you might need to focus on a smaller market. If you raise money, then maybe you can expand to many. Everyone deserves a place to call home and a bank to help get them there. That's why we created the Old National Bank Down Payment Assistance Program. We'll help you from start to finish, and you may be eligible for up to$15 ,000 toward your down payment. So get old in a new home. Connect with an Old National Mortgage Lender to learn more. For complete details, visit oldnational.com slash home.

12:43Daniel Robbins:Funds limited and subject to availability. Additional restrictions and qualifications apply. Loans subject to approval. Property insurance required. Contact an Old National Lender for details. NMLS number 459308. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender. Hi, this is Alex Kantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it.

13:14Daniel Robbins:Asking where this is all going. They come from places like NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. The markets or if you, you know, if you're able to get into retail stores, it allows you. There's so many ways that you can go about things, right? Right. So for you, though, what was it like when you expanded globally? Because I know you, I think from what you had said, the US is your strongest market. But I imagine you're also looking at Europe and beyond.

13:50Yeah, so my first sales actually came from the US. And these were all from online sales. So it's always been a big point of focus of mine kind of selling in America, just because that's where my biggest market is. I think that now with the power of the internet and social media, you can really push your brand anywhere and you kind of don't even need to be in stores, you know, you can just promote yourself online and people can come to your site. And there's also a lot of websites that exist now that are kind of department stores, but they're just online and they're for independent brands, you know, for people to shop them if they're wanting something unique or different.

14:30But I think if you have a brand and you promote it online, other people in other parts of the world can find it.

14:38Daniel Robbins:So we were just with Gary Vee. I'm not sure if you're familiar with him, but he was talking about live social selling is like the future. And he's launching a brand and he's going all in on this brand on live social selling. Have you tried this? And if not, or if you have, what do you think of the future is in the US market when it comes to live social selling? So this is the I have seen this. So this is the kind of tick tock lives where you're talking about stuff and selling on lives. yeah so I heard this is very big in um Asia I don't know about how it's going to be over here um how it's going to work out um I did once work with a company that were doing this they were live streaming clothes and trying to sell this was in the company in the UK and it didn't quite work out so I don't know if in the west we're quite there yet with lives you know live streaming and people buying stuff I think it will probably get bigger in the future um but I what I've found more than this live selling is people or for my brand at least um if I ever host like a trunk show or a pop-up it will get more people in than me doing a live stream and showing clothes and trying to sell them I I feel like that will work more with cheaper items but I think if you're trying want to sell something um you know more expensive people want a more personalized approach to being sold something i like that so you're literally live in person yeah in person rather than on the screen so i i have tried uh the the live streaming this was a few years ago with the company in london and they were doing it with a few brands but it it didn't work out so i don't know if it's just not quite there yet over here and it's a trend over there and maybe it's going to be big here and but you know no one's sure yet i think it perhaps it will be with the younger generation because they're more they live their lives more on screen um but there is sort of a push as well now to get away from life on the internet and get out into nature and speak to people in person speak to real humans outside in the world because we don't know online what's even a real human anymore you might be talking to ai i know i might even be ai or you might be ai right now.

17:03Daniel Robbins:Who knows? When you look at the ability to use content creators, so with some of the companies that I have, we use influencer marketing. I don't know what they call it, content creator marketing now, but we've used it for 15 years probably. And it was been one of the most incredible things that helped our business. When you were doing this as well, it sounds like you really started and you leveraged friends and such. Do you feel that people needed to see somebody that has clothes that is famous or well known, or they just wanted to be someone that looked like them or who is, you know, more closer to what they could achieve?

17:44Yeah, so I definitely think it works. In the beginning, obviously, I was just using friends and things, but I did use a few influencers to promote the brand. And then I have a PR firm as well and they've got the brand in on a few um celebrities and things um but I definitely think it helps with um the kind of notoriety of the brand and people trusting in it more because they've seen it on certain people uh we do occasionally work with influencers I wouldn't say it necessarily results in or has resulted in more sales using influencers but you definitely kind of are exposed to their network more so so the brand is is exposed a little more do you think

18:27Daniel Robbins:maybe it's more about the user generated content that is helpful for you to use so for me what's helped most is um kind of like paid ads um just uploading things like a day in the life of the brand so people can see the life in the studio of people making things and making clothes that does really well. But definitely in the beginning, it was like the paid ads that really worked. Social media fascinates me, like the whole get ready with me. It's just interesting of like how much we want to watch and be a part of other people's lives. That's fascinating to me. Like, I want to know more about the psychology around like, why do we need to watch someone getting ready?

19:12Daniel Robbins:Like, what is it that makes it so appealing to do so? I don't know if it's like, Like we want to see what other like I want to live vicariously through another person because of how I feel about my life. Or we're just genuinely curious about other people. So social, just the psychology around social media and then also, obviously, the triggers that make people buy something. It's very, very interesting. So I wrote this book here with my wife called Unlimited Possibilities, and it's about breaking through barriers that you didn't think were possible. What was an unlimited possibility moment for you in your life where you broke through or achieved something that you, maybe when you were younger, didn't think was possible?

19:52I think that would definitely be building my brand and launching my business. Because I still own 100 % of the business. I've taken no outside investment. I've just built it up myself. But obviously, it's been kind of a slow, a real slow burner because I haven't taken money from anyone else. But in this way, I can really decide on the direction of the brand and where I want to take it. but I couldn't have imagined starting a business when I was younger it wasn't until um I was working in a previous company and I was thinking you know I really want to start a business and because my expertise is only in fashion I was like what should I start a bag brand a shoe brand why would I start those what would be so special about them why would people buy it and then I was speaking to a colleague and we got kind of discussing and bouncing ideas off each other and that's when I found the idea of kind of hand making fabrics designing fabrics because I studied textiles as well with fashion so it kind of all fell into place and then making these fabrics and making kind of unique individual pieces for women out of them to look and feel confidence.

21:08So I think definitely just starting the business and making the pieces and launching it is something, you know, that I would never have thought of doing. It's, I'm not really from an entrepreneurial family. I just grew up in a small town in England, you know. So I think that is definitely something that I've come out of this small town and kind of really made something for myself, which I wouldn't have thought when I was younger.

21:36Daniel Robbins:Well, that's incredible. So there you know, it's it's like entrepreneurship, I feel like is obviously there's ups and downs. But I think there's something inherently amazing, I think, as a human, when you create something and it's your thing. And like you said, you can walk into a store and you can physically see it. You can have you can see somebody wearing it, the impact that it has on them, which sounds like is very important. It's in the DNA of the company that you started. I'm always torn myself around funding or getting funding. I've also held off from really taking any money from anyone based on a few things and losing control of the company, giving up things, maybe you have to do things differently.

22:20Daniel Robbins:Do you not regret, but looking back, do you think it would have been a better idea to raise money? Or are you thinking about in the future? Or do you find that the slow and steady is the right pace? So I would never ever take money in the beginning of starting a company, no matter what it was, because I just think you have to give too much of the company away, because there's no no kind of data behind it or anything. So someone's really taking risk and investing with you. Whereas if you kind of grow the company yourself for a few years, it does okay or it does well then I think if you have a plan like a strategy um then I think you can look for investment and get a better deal with someone but they're not going to take as much percentage and because it's less of a risk that to them because you already have kind of the sales and the um logistics in place for everything um so it is something like I may consider in the future but for now I enjoy just you know having it as my company and I can make all the executive decisions and decide on the brand direction decide how many pieces to launch and what the collection is going to be but it's it's not that I wouldn't take um investment in the future I just definitely would never at the beginning at the start of launching any business I think you said something so critical there.

23:49Daniel Robbins:I enjoy most people that I know that raise funds. I don't think they enjoy it anymore because they're now beholden to people and they can't, they can't necessarily enjoy all these moments or they can't savor the moment that you're in because they're chasing the ability to sell it, to exit, to do certain things because now they have, you know, they have other people that they have responsibilities to. So I like what you said around, I enjoy, and I think if you can enjoy it, it makes it a much better experience than if you're trying to just chase something because it is a grind. Like you work a lot.

24:27Daniel Robbins:Like there's always that saying, I quit my 40 hour job to work 80 hours a week. And you know, we got to be in it a hundred percent. And that's the only way I think it can grow. This has been great. Georgie, if people want to get in touch with you they want to check out the brand how can they do so yeah um you can get in touch so we're on instagram at the gg collection we are on tiktok as gg collection and our website is www.ggcollection.com that's gwe gwe collection well georgie i'm really inspired today so i'm super happy that you've been able to that you've came on today to share your story on bootstrapping I think that inspires a lot of people to just get up and go.

25:09Daniel Robbins:They don't have to come from an entrepreneurial background or even ever have owned a business before. You can just get started today. And with the internet, social media, like why not? But thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much. It was nice to chat. Welcome to Old National Bank. Hi, I was wondering what you could do for my small business. Tons. Have time to talk? Not much. We're on a 30 second radio ad. Oh, I'll get straight to the point then. Our solutions are customized for small businesses, our services make financial management simple, and our pricing is always transparent. Outstanding, wow.

25:41Daniel Robbins:Yeah, so ever been in an ad before? Nope, how do I look? Good, but we're on the radio, remember? Right! Hi, Mom. Customized small business banking from Old National Bank. Member FDIC. Get old. At Old National Wealth Management, our team approach puts together your game-winning financial plan. Cool, so who's the quarterback? Your wealth advisor. And the running back? The private banker. How about a wide receiver? How about a financial planner? You got any cheerleaders? That would be our clients. Okay, I'm game. Old National Wealth Management, where relationships and results matter. Get old. Old National Wealth Management investment instruments are not FDIC-insured nor insured by any other government agency, are not deposits or other obligations of Old National Wealth Management, Old National Bank, its parent company, or affiliates, and involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal.

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