When It’s Time to Pivot in Business | EP 319: Bethany Tran, The Root Collective

My guest this week is Bethany Tran, Founder + CEO of The Root Collective. She is an accidental entrepreneur who believes passionately in the power of business and consumers to change the world and make it a better place.

Her mission is to build a better future through retail, and she believes that jobs can change the world. This is Bethany’s second time on the show. 

5:37 – Bethany 201

• Her business is almost 9 years old. 
• The pandemic has caused some struggles, but they made changes to keep their business strong.

8:30 – What makes The Root Collective different?

• They work with small batch makers in Guatemala. 
• Most people there have a job, but they don’t make enough money to put food on the table. 
• Bethany has no background in shoes or product development, but she had experience in marketing.
• The company launched in 2013. 

11:56 – A growing business

• I was a model for one of Bethany’s earliest shoots. It’s been a joy to watch the business grow. 

14:00 – How the pandemic has affected the company

• 2020 was supposed to be the year they focused on pop ups. But no one was leaving the house because of the pandemic. 
• One of the killers with being in retail is holding inventory.

23:32 – Ethical fashion continues to grow

• There’s a big movement toward ethical fashion.
• Consumers are becoming more aware. 
• Women are the most powerful people in the world, because they control 85% of the household budgets. 

42:04 – Get to know you

• Memorable moment from past year? People pouring into her popup shop.
• Strangest pet peeve? When people misused phrases, like “I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less.”

FEATURED QUOTES

People don’t want to wait. We’re used to Amazon. It’s the fast-food mentality. But the slow fashion movement is becoming more popular. 

We need to slow down. We’re going at an insanely fast pace, and it’s not good. 

One of the best pieces of business advice I got was – you have to pick one thing. 

One of the killers with being in retail is holding inventory. 

https://therootcollective.com/

Thank you to our partners of the show!

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I’d like to thank our other partner of the show and that’s Tradlands. Tradlands is an INCREDIBLE sustainable fashion brand that believes in clothing that you can live in NOW and love forever. Clothing that not only makes you feel like your best self, but also fits in a way that flatters. Their gorgeous dresses, pants, tops, and more are designed to move with you throughout your busy days. Their Nico dress is my dress in a love language —not only does it have sleeves, but also POCKETS and you know how I feel about dresses with pockets. I love how comfortable and stylish each piece – and they come in colors like classic neutrals or vibrant hues. One of the things I love most about Tradlands is their focus on sustainability and creating small batch clothing that lasts… they never over produce what they make and focus on only the highest quality materials. And you know how much I love supporting small businesses, too. Check them out at https://tradlands.com/businesswithpurpose and use the code MOLLY20 for 20% off!