Sarah Pavillard - Frockaholics
POSTED 30.07.2009 @ 15:56
Tell us a bit about your background in fashion?I’m the director and co-owner of frockaholics.com, a frocking fabulous e-boutique that stocks the biggest range of designer labels available online in Australia. However, I don’t really have a background in fashion, other than an absolute and total love for it – I spent 12 years in the Navy as a weapons engineer and resigned just under a year ago to launch frockaholics.com in collaboration with my business partner, Roslyn Wright.
How and when did the lightbulb moment occur (the idea to create an online boutique)?There was no single moment as such - rather, frockaholics.com is a concept that evolved over a number of years. Fashion has always been a big part of my life, and I think it was really the fashion itself that inspired me to start frockaholics.com. When I was deployed to the Iraq in 2002/03 I ordered a few things online, which were delivered incredibly quickly to the ship. It made me realise just how much potential there is in the online environment, and if there was any lightbulb moment, that was it. However, my desire to bring great fashion to Australia women through an easy-to-use site with excellent customer service has just been burning away in me for many years. It was something I simply had to do.
What was the set-up process?Establishing frockaholics.com took a lot of planning – I undertook a business development course beforehand to complement my systems engineering skills. Shortly after I completed the course, I reconnected with by business partner, who is an old friend. She has worked in the industry for many years and was looking for a way to take the labels she has been working with online. It has been a match made in heaven! I put together a business plan and Roslyn approached labels to commit to the website, which we launched quietly in August last year.
Would you say it was a hard/easy thing to do? Why/why not?I have to say it’s both hard and easy. It’s very easy to run this boutique because I love, love, love what I do. At the same time, it’s hard because the list of things to do is never-ending, and there is never any real break. My husband thinks I love my iPhone more than him!
Where does your stock come from and how did you establish a relationship with retailers/designers?We source our stock from designers and agents here in Australia. As I mentioned, my business partner has been working in the industry for a long time and we were able to leverage her relationship with our suppliers to source fabulous frocks for frockaholics.com. We now have designers coming to us and asking if they can be featured on our site.
What does your average day involve?I get up early and get my gorgeous daughter dressed and off to daycare, and then head out for a swim or some Pilates – most important for keeping the head clear, especially on more stressful days. I then check e-mails and respond to customer queries, as well as chat to anyone who has tweeted us through Twitter. I find compartmentalising activities to be really helpful when trying to ensure a disciplined approach to the million and one tasks that have to be done, so I have quite a strict schedule for the week. Some days involve photographing stock, preparing imagery for the website, loading product onto the site or ensuring that my team is shipping our orders promptly. I generally have a break in the evenings for dinner and to spend time with my daughter and husband, then I spend a few more hours working before my head hits the pillow.
What are the perks of running your own online boutique? And the drawbacks?
Being totally and utterly immersed in fashion, and seeing the fabulous garments we’ll be stocking up to six months before they’re delivered. It’s the biggest drawback too, because I tend to want it all hanging in my wardrobe. Now!
Have you built up a big enough business now to employ staff?
Yes, we have! We recently took on a graphic designer, so you’ll be seeing some new content on the site soon, and I’m currently looking for an administrative assistant. And of course, we are always looking for freelance contributors such as stylists, photographers and graphic designers.
Who is your fave designer stocked on Frockaholics and why?I really, truly love all the designers we stock, however, I am particularly partial to Willow. I love her tailored jackets, amazingly hard-wearing shirt dresses and quirky details. I’m also looking forward to receiving the first delivery of Magdalena Velevska, a very talented new designer who has produced a fabulous range of utterly wearable draped dresses, tops and jackets.
What are the biggest selling pieces on Frockaholics this season? Why do you think this is?Frockaholics.com was the first Australian online boutique to offer high-end designer labels by pre-order and anything that is available to pre-order does fabulously well. Women love to know that they are getting the pick of the bunch, and we ensure that all our customers are able to pre-order amazing labels such as Willow, Manning Cartell, Camilla and Marc, Trelise Cooper, Bettina Liano, Vivienne Westwood for Melissa and more, from the site, four to eight weeks before it’s delivered in-store. We also have an incredible range of shoes, and they have proved to be extremely popular as well.
Advice to budding entrepreneurs wanting to start an online boutique?
Just do it! Plan, plan, plan. Crunch the numbers – regularly. Keep your eye on the ball, and don’t let your detractors tell you that it can’t be done. And get yourself a really good web developer.