1. Can you tell me a
little about yourself and your brand?
I am an Australian who moved to Canada with my husband
and 2 children in 2015. I quit my corporate job to come to Canada and was at a
crossroads career wise. I wanted to do something that would give me the freedom
to juggle family responsibilities (my kids are 4 and 6), train (I am a
competitive masters CrossFit athlete) and also be fulfilling mentally. I had
the idea for this business back in Australia but it took me 6-12 months to
decide to go for it.
My brand, Liberte Lifestyles, is all about stylish
fitness products. Fitness is a lifestyle for most of us and I wanted my
products to be fun and stylish, while also being high quality and functional.
Knee sleeves are my main product line but I also do calf sleeves (for rope
climb and box jump protection) and non-slip headbands. I have a couple of other
products set to launch in a couple of months.
2. What was the
“spark” or start of your company?
The idea for my company came while I was training
CrossFit back in Australia. I was talking to my friends at the time about knee
sleeves that didn’t fit properly and didn’t have colours and prints that we
really liked. I had a friend who was small and she couldn’t find any knee
sleeves that would actually fit her. The idea got sparked then but I didn’t
actually do anything about it for another 12 months when I relocated to Canada
with my family.
3. Where did the idea
for your brand come from?
I wanted a brand that would reflect me and what I liked.
I consider myself to be my own customer. I train hard, I spend money on
training clothes and accessories and I want them to be functional and look
good. I like edgy and fun things but they must also be classy and stylish. I
knew that there must be more people out there like me so my plan is to stick
with what I know and what I like.
4. What is the goal
or main priorities of the brand and company (outside of financial)?
My goal for this business is to grow it to a point where
I can employ other Canadians and in that way give back to the community.
Creating a business where you can give someone else a job, a livelihood and a
career is hugely satisfying. I also what
to do what I can to support local CrossFit boxes, whether that is sponsoring
competitions or helping out with charity events. I prefer to give back to
people that I have direct contact with – it makes it a lot more real and
fulfilling when you can touch and feel what you are doing.
5. How do
customers/athletes, and their opinions, influence or impact your brand?
Customer feedback on my products is huge. Without
customers, I am nothing so knowing what they think about my products is
essential. I recently asked for some feedback and ideas from my Instagram
followers and am happy to say I am bringing out some new products based on that
feedback.
In terms of athletes, I have tested out my products on a
range of athletes from the recreational CrossFitter to Games athletes. In the
end though the products need to work the same for both – one just might use it
a bit more.
6. Where do you see
your brand in one year and in five years?
I started this brand from zero and so the next 12 months
is really about getting my brand out there and building some brand recognition.
In 5 years, the goal is to be a household name in the
CrossFit/Weightlifting/Training worlds, to have an expanded product range and
to be employing other Canadians.
7. What is the impact
of social media on your brand and business?
Social media is the biggest thing for my business – it
is how people can find us and see what we do. Instagram is the main platform,
followed by Facebook and Pinterest. I have been experimenting with what content
to put out there and what people like. I don’t want to be another company that
just puts up photos of people lifting or doing CrossFit. I personally don’t
mind a bit of that but if the whole feed is that type of content I find it
boring so I have been trying to mix things up and not be a typical business
feed. For example, I love clothes, especially training gear and I have a lot of
it. I started out doing some layouts with my knee sleeves and creating an
outfit from my clothes. It has turned out that these posts are some of the most
popular that I do. People get bored easily so I think it is important to try
and mix it up sometimes.
8. If you wanted people to know one
thing about the clothing (art, fit, durability, etc). What would it
be?
Our products are about quality and style – you will get both. I also
stand by my products. If someone gets an order and they aren’t happy then they
can send it back no questions asked.
I also pride myself on giving excellent customer service. Any orders
received by 2pm will ship out the same day. We ship free to Canada, the USA and
Australia so there is nothing hidden there. I wrap all my orders and write a
personal thank you card. I respond to all emails and message requests promptly.
There is nothing fancy about any of this but many companies do not get it
right.
Sorry that was more than one thing!
