Turning Your Passion for Fashion into a Thriving Business with Alex Toccin of TOCCIN

Alexandra Toccin is the owner and co-founder of Toccin. As early as her days at The George Washington University—where she graduated with a degree in Marketing—Alex knew she wanted to work in the fashion industry. She interned and worked for several PR, fashion, and beauty brands, including Conde Nast, Ralph Lauren, and Emily & Ashley, and studied Fashion Marketing at the Parson School of Design. Today, Alex and her husband, Michael, oversee the design and marketing for Toccin, a brand dedicated to helping women feel stylish, comfortable, and confident wherever they are.

Alex joins us today to discuss how she turned a passion project into a profitable, full-time venture. She explains how networking can impact your journey as an Entreprenista and outlines why finding your niche is vital in the early days of any business. She discusses how listening to your audience and meeting their needs can position your brand for success and describes the logistics involved in launching an ecommerce site for fashion brands. Alex also highlights how she led her business through the pandemic in 2020 and reveals the key things to know before pitching a brand to retailers.

“Do your research, see what’s out there, and find an opportunity. You have to be ahead of the trend you’re seeing.” – Alex Toccin

This week on the Entreprenista Podcast:

• How Alex and her husband started a fashion blog that led her to become an Entreprenista
• Turning a blog into a full-time business and how listening to customer feedback helped Alex grow her business
• The challenges Alex faced in the early days of Toccin
• What people need to think about when launching a fashion brand
• Alex’s tips for launching an ecommerce site for fashion brands
• How Toccin pivoted during the pandemic
• The power of time management and how Alex balances her time between Toccin and her children
• The work dynamic between Alex and Michael
• Creating social media content and building personal brands for business
• What the fashion calendar is like and the process of getting into retail and doing wholesale
• How to figure out what to design for the next season
• The importance of networking
• Alex’s advice for pitching to retailers over Zoom
• What Alex wishes she knew before becoming an Entreprenista

Resources Mentioned:

• QuickBooks

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Entreprenistas put so much pressure on themselves to do everything. Asking for help and having support isn’t a bad thing.” – Alex Toccin
• “Whether it’s a fashion, lifestyle, or beauty product, you have to decide what channels of distribution you want and with whom it’s best to network.” – Alex Toccin
• “When you start your own fashion company, you have to decide if it’s going to be a product you’re selling or if you’re looking for other channels of distribution.” – Alex Toccin

Connect with Alex Toccin:

• Toccin
• Toccin on Instagram
• LDT on Instagram
• Alex Toccin on LinkedIn
• Alex Toccin on Instagram

Join the Entreprenista League!

Hey Entreprenistas! We’re launching the Entreprenista League, our very own members platform and community just for you!

We listened to your feedback and the support you’re looking for to start and build your business, and we’re here to provide you with all of the resources you’ll need!

As part of the Entreprenista League, you’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day. You’ll find special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, and the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista league today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Free Virtual Event Series with Shopify

Do you have an e-commerce business or are you thinking about launching one? We are excited to announce that we’re launching a free virtual event series with Shopify to give small business owners the tools and motivation they need to get their e-commerce store up and running. 

By joining us at Entreprenista on Shopify, you will learn…

• How to launch your Shopify store 
• The best tips for SEO 
• Digital marketing strategies to grow your customer base
• Hear real case studies from successful entrepreneurs using Shopify
• And much, much more…

The virtual events will be hosted by experts that range from marketing, sourcing, merchandising, shipping, and procurement to help you connect all of the dots to start a successful online business, 

Shopify is also giving entreprenistas a 30-day free trial to launch your online store. When you attend the events, you’ll also be entered to win a free website store build valued at over $2,500!

Head over to www.entreprenista.com/shopify to get your free trial and join the Entreprenista on Shopify community.

Say “Hello!” To DigiCards™

Are you ready to take your virtual team meetings to the next level? Are you tired of yelling “You’re on mute!” at your computer screen and letting the important points you were trying to make get lost?

If you’re tired of leading unproductive, distraction-filled team meetings, then it’s time for you to say “Hello!” to DigiCards. Each pack of virtual meeting cards include 20 color-coded professional cards designed to streamline your meeting communications while allowing each meeting to create an opportunity for collaboration and fun.

Say “Goodbye!” to waving your arms, being ignored, and frantically typing in the chat.

Start your next virtual meeting with DigiCards – the virtual meeting cards for entreprenistas.

To grab your deck of DigiCards and bring fun, engagement, and collaboration back into your team meetings, visit www.hellodigicards.com. Use the coupon code: Entreprenista10 to receive 10% off your first order.

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast – the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

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