Finding Your Dream Job & Unlocking Your Passion with Sarah LaFleur, Founder of MM.LaFleur

Sarah LaFleur is the Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a fashion
company creating practical, inspired wardrobes for the modern,
professional woman.


From an early age, Sarah was exposed to high-end fashion through
her mother who worked in the industry. When Sarah graduated from
college and started shopping on her own for work clothing, she
realized the experience and clothes were lacking despite spending
so much money on them. After starting her career at Bain as a
consultant, Sarah moved to private equity but left abruptly
because of cultural problems at her firm. At this difficult point
in her life, Sarah felt like she had nothing else to lose, and
despite having no fashion experience, decided to take a risk
& create clothing that professional women, like herself, were
looking for.


In this episode, we talk with Sarah about the windy journey that
led her to entrepreneurship, how the business grew from -$2,000
in their bank account to a multi-million dollar company, how they
tripled their revenue overnight from one specific strategy that
ended up saving their company and how she turned the crisis of
covid into a brand-defining moment. 


In this episode, we’ll talk to Sarah about:


* How Sarah’s multicultural upbringing & family impacted the
way she thought about her various careers [3:28]


* Sarah shares why her 20s were painful as she was on a constant
search for the “perfect job” [10:03]


* Why Sarah decided to leave her dream job & how it was the
lowest moment in her professional career [13:02]


* Sarah talks about she manages her mental health & how
therapy has been a gamechanger for her [18:48]


* Early stages of the business & how Sarah created a brand
for working women despite having no connections or experience in
the fashion industry [21:37]


* Sarah talks about the early days of starting
M.M.LaFleur and how serendipity led her to meet her
co-founder & head designer, Miyako [25:25]


* Sarah explains how she thinks about constructing her clothing
and how she thinks through the perfect fit for the modern woman
[28:27]


* Sarah shares how she funded the business, the importance of a
side hustle to help pay bills, and the most important lesson she
wants all entrepreneurs to know [30:38]


* How M.M.LaFleur gained traction in the early days and created
loyal fans of the brand [36:56]


* Sarah’s experience fundraising & lessons she learned along
the way [39:32]


* The one strategy Sarah implemented that not only saved their
business but generated millions of dollars in sales [45:06]


* How Sarah turned the COVID crisis into a brand-defining moment
for her company [53:49]


Follow Sarah:


* Personal Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sarahmlafleur/ 


* Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmlafleur/ 


* Website: https://mmlafleur.com/ 


Follow Yasmin


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


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