I’m Sarah Ashcroft, founder of SLA The Label. I started my career in the fashion industry almost 9 years ago when I launched my former fashion blog, That Pommie Girl. As an early adopter in the world of bloggers and influencers I was able to grow an engaged and loyal following which has given me some incredible opportunities over the years. This lead to creating clothing ranges for some huge online fashion retailers and all of this gave me the confidence to start my own brand.

There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?

I loved creating collections for other fashion brands but I always felt like I wanted something that was all mine. Something I would have full creative control over. I had learnt a lot about what people wanted to wear and what was going to sell well over the years as a fashion influencer and so I wanted to put that knowledge to good use and really harness my own selling power.

I also really felt like there was a gap in the market for high quality, less “throw away” fashion items at a higher, but still affordable price point. I always struggled to find items that fit a certain way so I wanted to create all those things I wanted but could never find. That is really how SLA The Label was born.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Your supply chain in a fashion business is THE most important thing to get right. Even the slightest issue in the chain can cause huge problems. Something I have definitely learnt the hard way.

Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?

I try to workout every morning if I can fit it in. Exercise has become even more important to me since launching SLA as I feel it is the only time where I don’t think about the 1000’s of things I need to do. It's a little 1 hour break from everything and really helps to clear my head. Plus you feel amazing after so it sets you up for a positive day.

What are your thoughts on failure?

When I look back on everything that has failed so far in SLA’s journey I am actually so glad that it happened because I have learnt SO much more from the failures than the things that have gone right. I think it’s so important to never be scared of failure and always see it as a lesson.

If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?

My first one would be Kris Jenner. I think she is an absolute powerhouse of a businesswoman. The way she has PR’d her children to be arguably the most influential people in the world is fascinating to me.

Francesca Aiello, founder of Frankies Bikinis, for sure! She is such an inspiration to me and I love how she has created such a strong brand identity.

Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, because in my opinion she completely changed the face of the beauty industry. She created this millennial style brand that is inexpensive, with a huge focus on cool, fun branding that had never been done before and I find that so inspiring. I also love that it all started from a beauty blog.

Mo Gawdat because I just love his outlook on life!

Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

100%! One thing (this goes back to learning from your failures) that I wish I had done was not expand our product ranges so quickly. It would have been a lot easier and a lot more cost effective to nail down our core products and grow from there. However all of this taught me so much about what the SLA customer wants and what they don’t so it has led me to be in an amazing position to really nail our product offerings.

How did you fund the business in the early stages

I self funded SLA from my influencing career. I was in a very fortunate position that I had/have that as a job as I was setting us SLA. This however didn’t make it any less scary investing all that money into something I had no idea would be a success.

What does your business offer its target audience?

I like to think that SLA offers items that you cannot find anywhere else. We love bringing clothes out in bright colours that other companies would be too scared to touch because they aren’t “commercial” enough. We also love finding new and exciting fabrics to make stand out pieces that will make our customers feel amazing.

As I previously mentioned quality is also super important to me and we also work really hard to make sure everything fits just how it should.

What social media channel would you say has worked the best for your business and why?

For SLA it's definitely Instagram but I feel that is because my personal online presence is biggest on Instagram. I also feel our products are very visual so I love creating beautiful imagery and videos that capture the items perfectly. We are however as I brand trying to expand to TikTok more this year as I think the potential for growth on there is huge right now.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. How are you combating that feeling whilst pushing forward?

I think it’s really important to surround yourself with other entrepreneurs or like minded people who understand the every day struggles of owning a business. I have learnt so much from just chatting to other people who have set up businesses as that real life advice is always what you need.

Its also really important to remember to take time away from everything every now and again to just have fun with friends or family so you don’t get consumed by your business as it is very easy to do so.