Lessons - How I Built a Digital Empire from My Phone | Ciera Rogers - Fashion Designer & Founder of BABES

Summary

Success Story Podcast: Lessons - How I Built a Digital Empire from My Phone | Ciera Rogers - Fashion Designer & Founder of BABES

Release Date: February 28, 2025

In this engaging episode of the Success Story Podcast, host Scott D. Clary sits down with Ciera Rogers, the innovative fashion designer and founder of BABES, to delve into the intricacies of building a digital empire from the ground up using only a smartphone. Their conversation offers valuable insights into modern branding strategies, the significance of authenticity, goal setting for sustainable growth, and the transformative power of embracing failures.

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1. Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Social Media

Transitioning Platforms: Scott begins by exploring the shifts in social media dynamics, particularly the decline of Instagram as a sole platform for brand building. He asks, "So when you started, you are super heavy on Instagram. If you started in 2024, you could no longer build this company on Instagram?" [00:03:56]

Ciera responds thoughtfully, acknowledging the necessity to adapt to newer platforms like TikTok. She emphasizes the importance of differentiation, stating, "You need to be different in some kind of way. So I would literally like hire someone that is not me to do my brand if I were to be launching today." [00:04:17]

Authenticity Over Aesthetics: The discussion highlights a pivotal shift from traditional model-driven branding to a more authentic and relatable approach. Scott reflects on the changing consumer preferences, pondering, "Where are they buying their products now? Which brands are they looking at as representations of themselves?" [00:05:02]

Ciera concurs, noting that consumers are increasingly seeking brands that resonate with their personal identities rather than aspirational images. She shares her strategy of moving away from exclusively using models, opting instead for diverse representations that align with real customer experiences. "Now I'm like, fuck the aesthetic. It's about if..." [00:08:00]

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2. Crafting a Brand Around Solving Real Problems

Identifying Pain Points: Scott probes into Ciera's approach to branding, asking how she captures attention amidst the cluttered digital space. Ciera explains that her focus is on addressing specific pain points. "I sell confidence. I'm selling like a woman's feeling good about her body." [00:07:50]

She elaborates that understanding and solving these pain points forms the foundation of her brand. Whether it's enhancing confidence or ensuring comfort, BABES is committed to delivering tangible benefits to its customers.

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3. The Power of Setting Realistic, Achievable Goals

Incremental Progress: The conversation shifts to the importance of setting small, attainable goals, especially in the early stages of entrepreneurship. Ciera shares her personal experience of setting incremental savings targets, such as moving from saving $500 to $10,000. "It's much like small goals." [00:14:28]

Scott adds that entrepreneurs often fall into the trap of aiming for massive exits without acknowledging the significance of smaller milestones. Ciera emphasizes that these manageable goals not only drive progress but also keep egos in check, fostering a healthier business mindset. "Start small. Small goals get you to bigger goals, and they're less... they're better on your ego." [00:14:46]

Celebrating Wins: Both agree on the importance of recognizing and celebrating achievements, no matter how small. Scott reflects on the challenges of maintaining motivation and the tendency to overlook past successes, stating, "Something doesn't work, and then they focus on the negative and they don't realize they've won 10,000 times already." [00:15:07]

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4. Embracing Failures as Learning Opportunities

Learning from Setbacks: The dialogue takes a candid turn as Ciera shares a challenging moment in her business journey. After gaining significant attention following a mention by Kim Kardashian, she felt insecure about the professionalism of her brand presentation. "I felt like it wasn't like professional looking enough... I was insecure with the attention that I was getting at that time." [00:16:56]

She admits that this period was a pivotal learning experience, teaching her the value of staying true to her brand identity despite external pressures. "I could have done better doing it." [00:17:45]

Adaptive Strategies: In response to the setback, Ciera adjusted her marketing strategy by diversifying her model representation to better reflect her authentic brand vision. "I switched everything up and I shouldn't." [00:18:00] However, this change initially led to a dip in revenue. Fortunately, her agile response and commitment to authenticity allowed her business to recover swiftly. "If something's not going well, I'm like, well, I will need to have a meeting." [00:18:35]

Scott underscores the importance of this mindset, highlighting that entrepreneurship is inherently filled with ups and downs. "Entrepreneurship is not... it's like up and down, up and down, up and down." [00:16:27]

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5. Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned

• Adaptability is Crucial: The digital landscape is ever-changing. Brands must be willing to pivot and adopt new strategies to stay relevant.

• Authenticity Resonates: Consumers increasingly value brands that are genuine and relatable over those that solely focus on aesthetic appeal.

• Set Achievable Goals: Breaking down lofty ambitions into manageable, incremental goals fosters sustained growth and keeps motivation levels high.

• Celebrate Every Win: Acknowledging and celebrating even minor successes reinforces positive momentum and provides a sense of accomplishment.

• Embrace and Learn from Failures: Setbacks are inevitable in entrepreneurship. Viewing them as learning opportunities rather than insurmountable obstacles is key to long-term success.

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Notable Quotes

• Ciera Rogers: "You need to be different in some kind of way. So I would literally like hire someone that is not me to do my brand if I were to be launching today." [00:04:17]

• Scott Clary: "Where are they buying their products now? Which brands are they looking at as representations of themselves?" [00:05:02]

• Ciera Rogers: "I sell confidence. I'm selling like a woman's feeling good about her body." [00:07:50]

• Ciera Rogers: "Start small. Small goals get you to bigger goals, and they're less... they're better on your ego." [00:14:46]

• Ciera Rogers: "I could have done better doing it." [00:17:45]

• Scott Clary: "Entrepreneurship is not... it's like up and down, up and down, up and down." [00:16:27]

---

Conclusion

Ciera Rogers' journey with BABES exemplifies the resilience and adaptability required to build a successful digital brand in today's competitive landscape. Through authentic branding, strategic goal setting, and a willingness to learn from failures, Ciera has crafted a brand that not only resonates with its audience but also stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and genuine connection in the digital age.

For more insights and inspiring stories, visit www.successstorypodcast.com and subscribe to never miss an episode.

Transcript

[Scott Clary]

Today's Success Story podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Now listen up. This matters for your business. In today's digital landscape, security isn't optional, it's essential. Without it, deal, stall, sales cycle stretch out and scaling becomes really difficult. Why? Because investors, customers, partners, they all expect businesses to demonstrate strong security practices before they commit to anything. And if you can't prove trust, you lose opportunities. So whether you're a startup founder trying to land that first big client or an established company scaling your security program, Vanta helps businesses of all sizes prove they're trustworthy by Automating compliance across 35 frameworks like SoC2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA. The exact certifications your prospects, your customers are demanding. And here's why you need to pay attention. Vanta gives you back precious time you're currently wasting on compliance. Their platform automates up to 90% of the tedious compliance work and it helps you respond to those endless security questionnaires up to five times faster. And they also connect you with to get your security program running immediately. And the results they speak for themselves. A recent IDC report found that Vanta customers achieve over $535,000 per year in benefits and the platform pays for itself in just three months. So join over 10,000 global companies like Atlassian, CORA and Factory who use Vanta to manage risk, improve security in real time, and don't miss this for a limited time, only my listeners can get a thousand dollars off Vanta. That's real money back in your pocket. Visit vanta.com Scott now this offer expires. That's V A N T A dot com Scott For $1,000 off a huge shout out to Federated Computer for supporting today's episode. Let me explain why I love Federated Computer. Why they are friends of success story. They are changing the way businesses buy software because we all need software to run our businesses. I don't care what kind of business you're building, but the best business software doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars each month. So Federated Computer replaces a lot of the software that you're using right now. Let me explain. The average typical Federated computer customer saves 75% or more on their software built and gets great software, top notch customer service and support and a software solution that is uniquely installed for your business without any sort of surveillance or breaches of privacy. For example, if you use Google for email, Salesforce for CRM, Slack for team chat, list Monkey for customer acquisitions, and Airtable for data management with a team of 10, you'd save $9,000 per year on software costs by switching to Federated Computer. They replace all of those and what's wild is that the cost of Federated Computer doesn't grow as your team grows. You can use Federated Computer savings to grow your business rather than feed the woke Silicon Valley software companies. The Federated Computer team literally invented cloud software. They actually have the patents to prove it. And they are taking a hammer to the ridiculously high prices of business software that all entrepreneurs are suffering from. Federated Computer. They've been a longtime supporter of success story. They're offering 30% off their already low prices when you use the coupon code freelance. So go to www.federated.computer to begin saving 75% or more on your monthly software costs. That's www.federated computer. These folks are going to do you a big favor. Check them out in this lessons episode. Discover how evolving social media trends reshape branding strategies. Learn why capturing attention now demands authenticity over aesthetics. Explore how setting realistic goals fuel sustainable growth. And understand how embracing failures transforms challenges into valuable opportunities.

[Unknown Guest 1]

So when you started, you are super heavy on Instagram. If you started in 2024, you could no longer build this company on Instagram?

[Unknown Guest 2]

Nope. I'd have to, I'd have to maybe tick tock right when it first came out. I'd have to find my way in and it wouldn't even be me visually. I would use someone else.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Why is that?

[Unknown Guest 2]

Because I don't think, I think what, from what I've studied, I think the, the more different you look or if you have, you know what I mean, like something I don't know. You know what I mean?

[Unknown Guest 1]

Yeah, like, it's like, it's, it's like not like the, the, the stereotypical model looking person that kills it on these platforms anymore.

[Unknown Guest 2]

You need to be different in some kind of way. So I would literally like hire someone that is not me to do my brand if I were to be launching today. But that's just my mindset because I.

[Unknown Guest 1]

I'm like, but you see, you study content, you see what, you see what's going viral, you see what's hitting people.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Looking, and they're like, do I want to watch this or do I want to see another like regular looking girl still?

[Unknown Guest 1]

You know what's so strange though? I, I've thought about this because I've seen, I've seen accounts with people that aren't classically good looking. Massive audiences, right? And then I wonder like, well, all Those people that were buying products from models five or ten years ago, they still exist. So where did that like section of the market go? Where are they buying their products now? Which brands are they looking at as, as representations of themselves? Because like the whole concept of a model is. It's what you wish you could look like. That was the whole traditional concept of a model. I wish I could look at this person. This person's very aspirational. I want to. I remember in high school for, as a guy it was all Abercrombie and Fitch and then like all the, all the guys were like jacked playing football. It was like a little bit, a little bit questionable some of the ads, but whatever. But now if I, if I look at brands, I mean I have my brands that I buy from, but I don't really pay attention to the models anymore. It's not like these are aspirational. So that's just my personal opinion. But obviously there's a lot more of me and there's a lot more of you and there's a lot more people that feel maybe not represented in, in marketing. So where do these people go or how do you tap into these groups? Because they still have money, they still buy product.

[Unknown Guest 2]

I think they've either started their own brands.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Everyone should be an entrepreneur.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Literally, like in 2021, I feel like so many businesses were started. Most of my models now have brands or most of really customers have brands because I mean we're all in this entrepreneurial state of mind. Like everyone knows that now. Like, I mean we, we can create ads on our phone. So we're now we're like hiring less graphic designers. Everyone feels like they can do everything. So it's. People are starting their own stuff. And I think people are just tired of being sold to by the same. Like I'm over it. Like I want something different. We were, we're used to the models selling us and hey, it's just like we're scrolling past it. We're over stimul emulated and we want something different.

[Unknown Guest 1]

So how do you capture. So as, as somebody who's building a company, what is your, what is your advice for capturing attention regardless of whether or not it's using people or, or different types of creative? Because the goal is still to capture attention. So all the models that you work with that started their own brands, they're trying to capture attention. All the, all the customers that are starting their own brand. And I do believe, I mean like barriers to entry for entrepreneurship are at an all time low. I have AI now you have all these awesome tools. You can spin up something overnight with not too much money. And you don't even have to be technical anymore. So you can, you can go ahead and do it. But how do you capture attention?

[Unknown Guest 2]

It depends on the product, depends on what you're doing. You have to just study it from there. Like, I mean you, you either want to fix a problem, you want to find a pain point. So like I'm selling, I'm not selling clothes, I'm selling confidence. I'm selling like a woman's feeling good about her body. So you have to find that and then you, that is your foundation. It really depends. I can't say this is how you do it if I don't know what if I'm selling toilet tissue, I'm selling like, how does your bum feel? You know what I mean?

[Unknown Guest 1]

Like, no, no. Okay, so take your example. Take your example. So how do you sell? I feel confident.

[Unknown Guest 2]

I. How do you sell? I feel confident with. I'm a woman, so I know what makes me feel snatched. I know it makes me feel good. Like women we have, we don't like to bloat, we don't like to feel more overweight than we are. Like, even if you're embracing like whatever weight you are, you don't want to feel like, you know what, like today I'm just like extra bloated. So I sell personally, I sell the snatch. I sell like, you can put these leggings on and your body will be snatched. I don't care what it looks like, it's going to look good. That's my version of selling confidence.

[Scott Clary]

A shout out to NORDVPN for supporting today's episode. I have to tell you a story. So I was actually in Toronto visiting family last month and I went to binge some of my favorite Netflix shows. I forgot and I realized that half of my US shows weren't available in Canada. Super annoying. Flipped on NORDVPN within seconds, I got access to everything. Now it's not just about watching shows. What makes NORDVPN a game changer really? Just imagine having this personal security guard for your entire digital life. With just one click, you're connected to one of their 7,100 servers across 118 countries. I mainly use it for accessing streaming services when I travel, but I've also saved hundreds on flight bookings by checking prices from different countries. And their new threat protection pro blocks all those endless pop ups and suspicious links before they even get to me. And what I love most is how simple it is. One account, 10 devices. So laptop, phone, iPad, everything's covered. And the speed? Honestly, it's so fast that I forget that I'm even using a vpn. And the best part? I've got a special offer just for Success Story listeners. So head over to nordvpn.com success and you'll not only get their best discount, but they'll throw in an extra four months on the two year plan. And don't worry about commitment because they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The link is in the episode description. Trust me, it's worth checking out, especially if you travel or stream content regularly. That's nordvpn.com success. Thank you Netsuite for supporting today's episode. Now, what does the future hold for business? If you ask nine experts, you're going to get 10 answers. Bull market Bear market Inflation up. Inflation down. Honestly, I just need a crystal ball. But until we get one, over 41,000 businesses have found the next best thing. They future proofed their operations with NetSuite by Oracle, which is the number one cloud ERP. Imagine having your accounting, your financial management, your inventory, your HR all flowing together in one fluid platform. Here's what makes NetSuite different. It gives you one source of truth for your business. You get the visibility and control to make quick, confident decisions while others are guessing. You're working with real time data, insights, forecasting. You're basically looking into the future of your business with actionable data. Whether your company is earning millions or even hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you respond to immediate challenges and helps you grab your biggest opportunities. And speaking of opportunities, they put together the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com Scottcliffe this is the playbook for understanding how to use AI for your business.

[Unknown Guest 3]

The guide is free.

[Scott Clary]

Go to netsuite.com Scottclary that is netsuite.com.

[Unknown Guest 3]

Scottclay A big thank you to indeed for supporting Success Story because hiring people is one of the hardest things you're ever going to do as an entrepreneur, as a founder, as somebody who's trying to build a business. Because it's important to hire. Well, it's important to hire and find the right person, but it takes so much time. It's so labor intensive because like most entrepreneurs, you have a thousand things going on and there's a good chance that you just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find that great, amazing, right fit candidate fast?

[Scott Clary]

It's easy.

[Unknown Guest 3]

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[Scott Clary]

Than non sponsored jobs.

[Unknown Guest 3]

You know what I love most about Indeed? It really just makes hiring so fast because everything is streamlined in one place. No more juggling multiple platforms or waiting weeks for the right candidate. How fast is Indeed in the minute I've been talking to you. 23 hires were made on Indeed according to Indeed Data Worldwide. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/clary, just go to indeed.comclary right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com Clary terms and conditions apply. If you're hiring, Indeed is all you need.

[Unknown Guest 1]

I love it. I love it. So you have to find a way to translate that pain point and make it so real for people. And I think that also people, I think that you did a really good job of figuring out what an actual pain point is, as opposed to just assuming what somebody cares about or doesn't care about. I think too many entrepreneurs, they maybe have a little bit of an ego and they think they come up with a great pain point and then nobody in the market gives a shit.

[Unknown Guest 2]

It helps if it's your own. That's my own. That's something I struggle with. So I know, I'm like, yeah, this doesn't feel good. So let me do it. So it starts with me. All of my products are really selfish. Like, it starts with me, like, I want this and Will after that. Then I'm like, will someone else buy? Is this relatable? Let me ask my friends, like, have you ever. Does this work for you? And then comes the it starts with you. It helps and it starts.

[Unknown Guest 1]

So start with you. Figure out the pain point. You were capturing attention on social, but obviously you have to find a way to do that in 2024. What are you? You didn't raise money for this company at all. This was all bootstrapped, right? So this all you just like, scrappy as shit. Yeah, getting it done.

[Unknown Guest 2]

I remember 10 to 50, 50 to 100, 100 to 500. I remember, like, seeing the numbers go up because I was trying to hold on to it, and I'm like, one day I will save $500. And then once I say $500, I was like, hey, I will save $1,000. I will say $10,000. Very much like small goals.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Do you think that that is an.

[Scott Clary]

Issue that entrepreneurs have?

[Unknown Guest 1]

They. They want to see this huge fifty million, hundred million dollars exit, and they lose track of what actually matters at the beginning.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Yeah. Start small. Small goals get you to bigger goals, and they're less. They're better on your ego.

[Unknown Guest 1]

I like that.

[Unknown Guest 2]

You know, I like. I like goals, and I like that I like accomplishable goals as well. So it's like, all right, I can see myself saving $50, and once I save that, I'm proud of myself, and then I can move on. Small goats, they feel better.

[Unknown Guest 1]

And plus, I think that you have to celebrate wins. I think that's one thing that people forget a lot, how many times they win in their life and their career and their business. And I. I was thinking about this, like, what. So I have. I have a belief. I believe that if you have product market fit, that's the. That's the first assumption. But I believe that if you stick with something long enough, you'll find a way to make it work. If you have that product market fit and if you track the KPIs, you're moving in the right direction. But I was always trying to figure out, why is it so hard for people to stay on this path for so long? And I think it's because they start with motivation and then they set these audacious goals, and then they. Something doesn't work, and then they focus on the negative and they don't realize they've won 10,000 times already.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Yeah, 100 and you're going to fail. Usually entrepreneurship is not. It's like up and down, up and down, up and down. Like, Even now, me, 12 years later, like, it's going. I'm. There's some. Some days that aren't going to be good. It's not going to just be like a. It's when people expect this and this doesn't happen. Like, I don't know it.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Everything's up and to the right. Everything's working out all the time. That never happened.

[Unknown Guest 2]

But I've never, like, seen it. So let's stop expecting it and just realize that this is a failure. We've Learned from it. We know not to do that. Okay, let's not. And let's keep moving.

[Unknown Guest 1]

What was your biggest. I want to say failure, but not failure. Like hitting the fan moment. That is, like, traumatized you from building your business.

[Unknown Guest 2]

When I experienced success after. So Kim Kardashian posted me back in 2008, I think, and I was excited. But then I was embarrassed of how my business looked because I felt like it wasn't like, professional looking enough. I felt like. Because a lot of the models I used were my customers, a lot of the pictures were all over the place. It just didn't. I was insecure with the attention that I was getting at that time. So I changed my business at that point. Dumb. The dumbest thing I've ever done. Because I could have. I didn't realize what built me was that. And when I got all of that attention, I wasn't even looking like myself. And yeah, I could have done better doing it.

[Unknown Guest 1]

That's so interesting. How did you change your business? Like, what was the thing?

[Unknown Guest 2]

I use model. I use, like, models I wouldn't traditionally use. I stopped posting as many customers because it wasn't the aesthetic. Because, you know, you want to be aesthetic on your page.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Yeah.

[Unknown Guest 2]

And now I'm like, fuck the aesthetic. It's about if. Because most people don't go to your grid anyway. They're on the timeline. We go to our grid more than most people. I mean, maybe upon an introduction of your page, but after that, I'm done with your grade. I'm on my timeline. So that should. Yeah, I switched everything up and I shouldn't.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Did that hurt? It's like, is that hurt your revenue too? Yeah, 100 significantly when you did that. And then how long take you to recover after that?

[Unknown Guest 2]

Didn't take long because I switched at my back.

[Unknown Guest 1]

That's so fun. That's so funny.

[Unknown Guest 2]

That's such a, like, literally, like, no. If something's not going well, I'm like, well, I will need to have a meeting. Meaning just me. I need to have a meeting up. Something's wrong with what I'm doing. It's not the. I never blame the other people. Like, oh, they just don't get it. I'm like, wait a minute, hold on. Something's off because it was working. Now it's not working. It's something that either. Something changed with me. Something changed with them. Something changed somewhere.

[Unknown Podcast Host]

Thanks for tuning in. If you found this valuable, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you want to dive deeper into this conversation, check out the links in the description to watch the full episode. See you in the next one.

[Unknown Guest 2]

Foreign.

[Scott Clary]

Today's Success Story podcast is brought to you by Vanta. Now listen up. This matters for your business. In today's digital landscape, security isn't optional, it's essential. Without it, deal, stall, sales cycle stretch out and scaling becomes really difficult. Why? Because investors, customers, partners, they all expect businesses to demonstrate strong security practices before they commit to anything. And if you can't prove trust, you lose opportunities. So whether you're a startup founder trying to land that first big client or an established company scaling your security program, Vanta helps businesses of all sizes prove they're trustworthy by Automating compliance across 35 frameworks like SoC2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA. The exact certifications, your prospects, your customers are demanding. And here's why you need to pay attention. Vanta gives you back precious time you're currently wasting on compliance. Their platform automates up to 90% of the tedious compliance work, and it helps you respond to those endless security questionnaires up to five times faster. And they also connect you with experts to get your security program running immediately. And the results? They speak for themselves. A recent IDC report found that Vanta customers achieve over $535,000 per year in benefits and the platform pays for itself in just three months. So join over 10,000 global companies like Atlassian, Cora and Factory who use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time. And don't miss this for a limited time, only my listeners can get $1,000 off Vanta. That's real money back in your pocket. Visit vanta.comscott now before this offer expires. That's V a n t a dot com Scott for $1,000 off. A huge shout out to Federated Computer for supporting today's episode. Let me explain why I love Federated Computer. Why they are friends of success story. They are changing the way businesses buy software because we all need software to run our businesses. I don't care what kind of business you're building. But the best business software doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars each month. So Federated Computer replaces a lot of the software that you're using right now. Let me explain. The average typical Federated computer customer saves 75% or more on their software bill and gets great software, top notch customer service and support, and a software solution that is uniquely installed for your business without any sort of surveillance or breaches of privacy. For example, if you use Google for email, Salesforce for CRM, Slack for team chat, list, Monkey for customer acquisitions and Airtable for data management with a team of 10 you'd save $9,000 per year on software costs by switching to Federated Computer. They replace all of those and what's wild is that the cost of Federated Computer doesn't grow as your team grows. You can use Federated Computer savings to grow your business rather than feed the woke Silicon Valley software companies. The Federated Computer team literally invented cloud software. They actually have the patents to prove it and they are taking a hammer to the ridiculously high prices of business software that all entrepreneurs are suffering from. Federated Computer They've been a longtime supporter of Success story. They're offering 30% off their already low prices when you use a coupon code freelance. So go to www.federated.computer to begin saving 75% or more on your monthly software costs. That's www.federated.com these folks are going to do you a big favor. Check them out.