Brands We Love: VEERAH
Stacey Chang moved from Taipei, Taiwan to the US for boarding school at the age of 15. After graduating from Boston university, Stacey held roles in sales, merchandise, supply chain, strategy and retail at The Estée Lauder Companies Asia Pacific Headquarters and Coach, Inc. Within this impressive career trajectory, Stacey also received her MBA from Wharton.
As a fashion forward woman and conscientious consumer, Stacey was frustrated by the lack of stylish shoes that were ethical, comfortable and practical for the modern professional to pack on a short business trip. So she created VEERAH. VEERAH is derived from the Sanskrit word that means warrior, rooted in the belief that today’s mega-tasking women are truly modern-day warriors. She began working on the concept and shoe line in 2014 and successfully launched her brand in 2016.
VEERAH is the first and only luxury shoe company that delivers high fashion, high function, and high impact. Their shoes feature classic silhouettes that come with removable accessories to multiply your looks. VEERAH’s custom soles are supportive, comfortable, and flexible. And with the goal of not harming or taking any lives for the sake of beauty or style, all of the premium materials VEERAH utilizes are ethically sourced and 100% cruelty-free! VEERAH believes that you can simultaneously do good AND look incredible!
We asked Stacey a few questions about her amazing business and how she manages life in the fast-paced world of fashion.
What has been the most challenging aspect of running the business?
You constantly see areas of improvement. It is frustrating knowing “imperfect” mechanisms up and running, however, with limited resources, time is always a huge challenge and you can’t be so hard on yourself or your team. You need to recognize and prioritize what changes can make a real difference versus fixating on perfecting the little things. Taking a step back and learning from customers’ feedback is also a challenge, but a skill that will help you propel your business forward. Ultimately, your focus really has to be the bigger picture.
What has been most difficult about raising capital for your venture, and what is your relationship like with your current investors?
To date, I’ve only received money from friends and family. Fundraising itself can be a full-time job and I have been really focusing on building the brand and products. Honestly, I don’t have the bandwidth to raise funds and so I strive to build a self-sustaining business. If I were going to take money from investors in the future, it would only be because those investors have the experience and network to take VEERAH to the next level, not simply for the money.
Do you manage your full-time business alongside another career? And do you have any time management tips that help you stay on track?
VEERAH is my full-time work and I feel it is important to stay focused on growing the brand at this time. While I constantly have new business ideas, I save them to my evernote to explore at a later time.
As for time management tips, when running your own business it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of daily tasks at hand. I try to focus on completing 2–3 themes each day, such as website updates and social media. I find it’s better to divide and conquer according to priority and urgency rather than setting out to complete an unending list of duties each day. Additionally, I always have a notebook next to me to jot down new ideas and tasks as they pop into my head. It helps me to stay focused and put my mind at ease.
Do you have any advice for moms or women considering leaving a stable job to launch a venture? What is one thing you wished you’d known before you took the leap?
I am not really in the position to give advice to all the super moms! I have so much respect for women who are balancing family and career, not to mention launching a venture on top of that. I think for anyone who is considering leaving a stable job to embark upon a new endeavor, you must get to the root by asking yourself again and again, “Why?” Launching a start-up business is a ton of hard work and a lot of people have glamorized entrepreneurship.
It took me over two years of preparation before launching VEERAH. I underestimated the amount of work and time that was required to build products and a brand from scratch. I didn’t anticipate the challenge of finding the right suppliers and manufacturers for a healthy collaboration. Because of our small quantity, high-quality product, manufacturers would have to do the same amount of expensive development work for making 50 pairs vs. making 10,000 pairs. I ended up having to pitch my company to a multitude of suppliers and manufacturers in order to gain buy-in and trust. Always budget more time than you think you will need.
Learn more about this amazing brand on their website.
