Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in a clothing line but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lauren Novak, founder of Remark By Lauren, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Remark by Lauren is an ethical slow fashion brand creating pieces from pre-existing materials. By definition, Remark means, [verb;] 'regard with attention, notice,' and that is exactly our customer. Anytime you wear a Remark garment, you wear a piece of art that will differentiate you from the rest. Each garment is different from the next, so you know that you have the only one.

Tell us about yourself

I started sewing in grade 4, but it wasn't until four years ago that I decided to make my work public. One of my close friends needed an outfit for his listening party, and ever since that event -- the rest has been history. Fashion has been a part of my life since I can remember, but I have learned how dangerous and harmful it can be through my time in the industry. Remark motivates my two passions and puts them together with the environment and fashion.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Obviously, showing at New York Fashion Week in September 2021 was amazing. Still, my biggest accomplishment is the daily growth I see within myself and my business. Remark is still one person -- luckily, I have incredible people around me that can help, but it's the constant learning and progressing and development that I see as my biggest accomplishment.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing as a business owner is playing multiple roles and making time for each of them. Until you are able to afford employees, time management is crucial and necessary.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Take your time! Social media has put so much pressure on us that we need to be producing content and constantly be active but no, pause and plan.
  2. Try, Try and Try! Constantly try new things - the one great thing about social media is that we get to have real-time reactions, and we do not need to spend that much money to get them. If one thing is not working, tweak it and see how the response changes.
  3. Google! There is so much to learn, and it's all free at our fingertips. Google anything and everything to get all perspectives. This allows you to build a strong brand.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Reduce, Reuse, Remark. We are experiencing an environmental crisis; we will be much more effective as a collective if we are imperfectly perfect environmentalists versus a few perfect ones. We need to regroup as a society and tackle solutions together.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://remarkbylauren.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/remarkbylauren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkbylauren/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RemarkByLauren
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-novak-68451382/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.