Smells Like Team Spirit!

By the time fashion company gets through outsourcing PR, Sales, Production and Ecommerce, small business owners rarely if ever have the time or wherewithal to get their whole team together. The PR company is on the Westside, the showroom is downtown…the production is anywhere in the world. It is a real hassle. However, since this process is done weekly if not daily in the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies it begs the question….is it worth it?

I got a true understanding of the importance of cross functional relationships while working at the Gap. I ultimately knew I wanted to be a marketer. I wanted to construct in store campaigns behind jolly people doing the swing in khakis….and describe the scent of “peony” on the back of banana republic candles. Cheesy but true.

However in the special program I managed to become a part of I had to work for two months in each of their cross functional positions before I would even be considered for a real job within the company. So there I was slaving in garment production, merchandise planning, merchandising, marketing and even in the store folding jeans. At the time it seemed like a ruthless hazing.

When I first graduated out this “ordeal,” I learned quite a bit, including the fact that the production process drove me crazy and that I was incapable of smiling long and hard enough to ever work on the frontlines in a Gap Store.

But most importantly the knowledge I gained truly helped me understand the big picture which ultimately made me a true leader.

I was better for understanding the production cycle and how long it took to get a new product to market. I realized that 30% of online sales came from the Southeast where the showroom had never even gone on a sales trip, and I was shocked to learn how a little change in a visual setup within a store can take a product from a sleeper to a best seller. We were all able to connect the dots....and find solutions to problems we didn't even know existed.

In a small company I know it may be virtually impossible to get all your freelance players in the same place at the same time. But try to do it once a quarter or year at the least. Just an introduction and an explanation of their processes is typically sufficient for a truly worthwhile meeting. With technology these days folks won’t need a plane ticket or even the 405 for that matter.

Who knows…….. It could lead to that ah-ha moment that makes a world of difference in your business…and create something so phenomenal it brings everybody out on top.