Stephanie Niles of ‘7th Street Swim’: The Power of Flexibility; How I Was Able To Pivot To A New Exciting Opportunity Because Of The Pandemic

Be ignorant of the fact that it might not work. I can’t stress this enough. The hardest part is overcoming the logic in your head that is doing all the calculations of the likelihood your business takes off, the voice in your head saying you don’t know what you’re doing or your degree wasn’t in this field. All these thoughts create a mentality that stops people before they have even started. I say all the time, “Thankfully, we were dumb enough to think this would work” because we charged ahead without getting caught up on thinking about failure. This doesn’t mean don’t have a plan, but be confident in your plan and stick to what you’re doing in the Now instead of fearing the future.

The COVID19 pandemic has disrupted all of our lives. But sometimes disruptions can be times of opportunity. Many people’s livelihoods have been hurt by the pandemic. But some saw this as an opportune time to take their lives in a new direction.

As a part of this series called “How I Was Able To Pivot To A New Exciting Opportunity Because Of The Pandemic”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Niles.

Stephanie Niles is the Co-Founder of luxury sustainable swimwear label, 7th Street Swim. After long days at her public accounting job, Stephanie would come home to her 7th Street apartment and imagine starting a brand that could evoke the energy of New York in the women who wear it. When the pandemic hit, Stephanie created 7th Street Swim to celebrate the city’s resilience and bring the city girls to the beach.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I was born in Hong Kong SAR at Matilda Hospital, the only medically sufficient hospital within a ten hour flight radius. My mom tells me that when my parents were exploring places to give birth in Asia, they went to hospitals where hundreds of women were all in the same room, laying on mats in excruciating labor. When I was three, my family moved to Shanghai, China where I attended various local and American schools until we moved to the States in 2005. I have very vivid memories of my childhood in China. Sometimes when I’m telling a story of my childhood to a friend, the culture shock consumes their face and I realize my upbringing was different than most of my friends. Apparently, not having seen a hot dog until I was twelve is an affront to the American childhood. After we relocated to Seattle, I lived there until I graduated from the University of Washington in 2018. The day I graduated college, I moved to New York City and began work on the technology audit at a Big 4 accounting firm.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite quote is by Teddy Roosevelt. He says, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” It seems circular, but my biggest fear is being too afraid to try. This quote really reminds me to stay tenacious in life and tune out the voices in my head that tell me I can’t do something.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Oddly enough, the Wizard of Oz comes to mind. Dorothy spends all her time trying to find an almighty wizard who has the power to transport her home. She deals with all this anxiety and confusion trying to find this guy and when she finally reaches him, he’s just a man behind a curtain who tells her that this entire time she had the power to help herself. I really resonated with this because it’s the narrative in our heads that build up these “wizards” in our real life. The truth is that no one really has it figured out and you can be your own “wizard” in whatever is it you want to accomplish.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell our readers about your career experience before the Pandemic began?

Before the Pandemic began, I worked at a Big 4 accounting firm in New York City doing the technology audit for a huge investment banking client. I had zero work-life balance and felt like a cog in a very large machine. It was groundhogs day everyday. I would sit at my desk thinking about all the other things that I could do that would make a bigger impact on the world until one day I just got up, went to my manager and quit.

What did you do to pivot as a result of the Pandemic?

When the Pandemic hit, I was left with a lot of time to think about what I really wanted to do with my life and what my passions were. I knew I wanted to be my own boss and that I wanted to love my job, but I had no idea what was going to check those boxes. What got me to swimwear was I started thinking about the times that I felt really happy. Quickly, a pattern emerged. Me, in a bikini, at a beach with my friends, running around and feeling so awesome and relaxed. I realized that’s what I want to capture. I wanted to capture that feeling.

Can you tell us about the specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path?

I have to say the moment I realized I was going to do this was when Emma called me and told me she had gotten laid off. It was a moment where we both were in a place to start something new and take the leap together. There is something very comforting about having a business partner that you can share this experience with. We really balance out each other’s fears and have complementing strengths.

How are things going with this new initiative?

So far, so good! My dream is to become a household name in sustainable and ethical apparel so this is the first step. I’m enjoying every second.

Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

When quarantine started, my boyfriend and I were staying with one of his best family friends in California. I was feeling pretty discouraged. I felt very lost and unsure of what I was going to do with my life and quarantine gave me so much time, basically, to sit around and mope. The mom of the family we were staying with, who was a huge maternal figure in my boyfriend’s life, pulled me out of my funk probably more than she even knows. She gave me that tough love, kick-in-the-ass that I really needed to get going. Everyday she would ask me “so what have you done today? What’s the update on the swimsuits? Have you called so-and-so?” That accountability was exactly what I needed and I’m really grateful she was there to give me that extra push.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started in this new direction?

Strangely enough, a year before Emma and I started this business, I had met Rachel who worked in the fashion industry. I emailed Rachel asking her how I could get started in fashion and never got a reply. Then literally right when Emma and I decided to do this thing, I got an email from Rachel saying she would love to help us. Timing is everything! I felt like we manifested her at the time we needed her guidance the most!

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my organization” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Don’t incorporate in Delaware! Don’t follow this exactly, but all throughout business school, Delaware had this reputation of being the best place to register for tax reasons. Of course, when the time came to incorporate, I immediately insisted “Delaware!” Turns out, now that we have a tax person doing this all for us, we’ve learned that we would be paying more taxes because of Delaware. Do your research and figure out which state makes the most sense for you. Don’t just trust Delaware.

2. Spend the money on quality content. Get a professional photographer, go the next step on getting content because ultimately, we live in a world where social media is a huge factor in the success of your business. Having quality images and video is key.

3. Get comfortable with adjusting. I think a lot of businesses fail, not because they aren’t great concepts or have great products, but because the leadership of the organization is afraid to adjust their views or plan when issues come up. If something isn’t working, change it. Don’t just keep trying one method over and over. Adapt and readapt. My boyfriend’s favorite quote is “the great ones adjust” and it’s very true.

4. Keep quiet! Work in silence until you’re ready for quality feedback. A lot of people will want to give you their opinion and sometimes that can be discouraging when you’re not even sure what you are yet. Wait until you’re fully prepared to ask your friends or colleagues for feedback.

5. Be ignorant of the fact that it might not work. I can’t stress this enough. The hardest part is overcoming the logic in your head that is doing all the calculations of the likelihood your business takes off, the voice in your head saying you don’t know what you’re doing or your degree wasn’t in this field. All these thoughts create a mentality that stops people before they have even started. I say all the time, “Thankfully, we were dumb enough to think this would work” because we charged ahead without getting caught up on thinking about failure. This doesn’t mean don’t have a plan, but be confident in your plan and stick to what you’re doing in the Now instead of fearing the future.

So many of us have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. Can you share the strategies that you have used to optimize your mental wellness during this stressful period?

This is the first time in my life where I have been consistently exercising. I’m really an all-or-nothing personality type and because of this I would workout really aggressively for three days then not work out for months. It really wasn’t sustainable. During the Pandemic, my mental health has definitely struggled and I found by making a deal with myself that I would move my body for 30 minutes a day, I could trick myself into creating an exercise habit. It has really helped me with my mental health for two reasons: the first being the obvious physiological effects of exercise and the second being when I feel deep in a rut, I remind myself I have months of consistent workouts completed and I feel a sense of achievement that can help me focus on the positive habits I have built during this time.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

When I was growing up, my mom would always tell me to “have some compassion.” That always stuck with me and I think right now in the world, there are two things that need compassion the most. Our planet and people of color. For the planet, my hope is that people will begin to realize that you can reduce your contribution to global warming and climate change without making sacrifices to your lifestyle. Small changes over the course of a lifetime are the bread and butter of this movement. Raising the next generation to be cognizant of their carbon footprint from the get-go is crucial. We all have a part to contribute towards the health of our planet. For people of color who have been suffering from the rampant social injustice in our country, I hope people educate themselves on the issues on a deeper level. Have the hard conversations with your family members. Recognize your privilege. Be an ally. Be compassionate. It is everyone’s individual responsibility to eradicate racism and social injustice.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Right now, I’m obsessed with Negin Mirsalehi. She has built an entire haircare brand off her family’s beekeeping business. Aside from having the best smelling hair products EVER, their content is so creative and their branding is so consistent. I would love to pick her brain on how she comes up with all these ideas and how she built out her team. Also on a complete aside, if I could have lunch with BlackPink I would die, but that’s just because I’m an uber fan.

How can our readers follow you online?

Give us a follow on Instagram at @7thstreetswim, @nileees, and @emma_morran or check out our website at 7thstreetswim.com! Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!