Welcome to another riveting episode of "Hello Chaos," the podcast that explores the tumultuous and exciting lives of founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Hosted by the dynamic Jennifer Sutton, also known as JJ, this week's episode features a captivating conversation with Denise Foley, Owner and COO of Sunset Vibes Swimwear.
Denise Foley is a trailblazing entrepreneur who has carved her path in the competitive world of fashion and swimwear. With a background in enterprise sales, including working with major companies like Nestle, Netflix, and Levi's, Denise transitioned from a successful tech career to founding her inclusive swimwear line, Sunset Vibe Swimwear.
After 15 years in the tech industry, Denise recognized a gap in the market for swimwear that catered to all women, regardless of shape or size. Drawing inspiration from her Latin American heritage and a transformative trip to Rio de Janeiro, Denise embarked on a journey to create a swimwear line that embraced diversity and inclusivity.
Through resilience and determination, Denise overcame challenges, including financial setbacks and hiring missteps, to establish Sunset Vibe Swimwear as a prominent player in the industry. Her ability to innovate and problem-solve has led to the creation of unique products, such as the versatile spa robe that doubles as a resort cover-up.
Denise's ethos revolves around empowering women and men to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, whether at the beach, pool, or spa. She emphasizes the importance of resilience in the face of obstacles and the need to shut out external noise to stay focused on the mission at hand.
As a mother, entrepreneur, and visionary, Denise embodies the spirit of determination and innovation, constantly pushing boundaries and striving for excellence in all aspects of her business. Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience and the impact of creating products that not only solve problems but also empower individuals to feel their best.
Connect with Denise and learn more about Sunset Vibe Swimwear
Instagram: @SunsetVibesSwimwear
LinkedIn: Denise Foley
Website: Sunset Vibes Swimwear
Jennifer Sutton: Um to hello chaos a weekly podcast exploring the messy and chaotic lives and minds of founders entrepreneurs and innovators Every week we talk to founders from different industries at different company Levels and stages of all shapes and sizes and we hear the real the raw the unbiased founder stories It's why our mantra is where aha meets. Oh shit. We drop new episodes every sunday Founders can tune in to us for tips and tricks and insights on just listening to other founders and how they grew their business or the struggles that they're going through, the barriers that they overcame. So it's a very informative podcast for founders like us. Hello Cast is one of the many resources brought to you by OrangeWIP. That is OrangeWIP, W-I-P for work in progress. Orange whip is a multimedia company dedicated to serving founders and entrepreneurs and affiliate cities. We're in three South Carolina cities today looking to expand to a city near you. We've designed hyper local media platforms to scale. to inform, inspire, and create connections to help founders succeed. Our hyper-local media platforms are an all-in-one content hub with fresh and engaging stories, curated local calendars, local dynamic roadmaps to help founders navigate their local entrepreneurial ecosystem and be that connective tissue that is so needed in these local economies. We've done all the hard work for founders and they only need to go to one trusted place to find all the local information they need. My name is Jennifer Sutton. My friends and family call me JJ. I'm the founder of OrangeWIP and Bright Marketing and will be your host today. And so excited. I've been looking forward to this podcast episode all week. We have Denise Foley. She is the founder of Sunset Vibe Swimwear out of Santa Monica, California. After 15 years in a tech career, Denise founded an inclusive swimwear line designed for all women. Welcome, Denise. Welcome to Hello Chaos.
Denise Foley: Thanks so much, JJ. I'm excited to be here. And I love the intro jingle. It's catchy.
Jennifer Sutton: You do. You just kind of want to, you just want to move to it. Makes you, makes you happy. Yeah. Uh, so how, so start us out, tell us about your entrepreneurial journey. What inspired you to start your company?
Denise Foley: Yeah. So there's actually a few inflection points that I had. Um, I was in sales my entire life doing enterprise sales with some of the largest companies in the world, like Nestle, Netflix, Levi's. And I loved working with all the clients I had. But I was living in Santa Monica. I moved there in my mid-20s, and I lived my best life at that time, and still am. But I've always had a larger bust. Since I was in high school, I had a C cup. And then once I got into my 20s, always a double D cup. My body fluctuated between a size 8 to a size 14. And even though I was surrounded by so many amazing beach boutiques, Nordstrom's, I would either have to wear like a triple XL to fit into a bikini bottom. And then at that time I could only get the tie strings or for my tops, even if I bought a double XL or a double D cup, which was newer back then, I was still stealing out of the sides and I would have neck pain because boobs have weight to them. They do. Yeah.
Jennifer Sutton: I have a whole story behind that I won't share, but I feel the pain.
Denise Foley: That was like, basically, you know, just in the background, but didn't really think that much about it, because it just was what it was. And then I'm a first-generation Brazilian-Peruvian, and South America has a huge swimwear culture. And I grew up a lot with Latin American body embracing culture and heritage. So that was also infused. And in 2014, I went on a trip, like as a grown ass woman, without my parents, just to have fun. And I was really taken away by the beach culture in Rio. There were just in fashion, they call them silhouettes, but like styles that didn't really exist in America. There were textiles. But most importantly, whenever you would go to the beach, you'd see all ages, all shapes, all sizes, just having fun. It didn't matter if it was a woman in her eighties w or a little six year old just family. Everybody was ju bodies and I realized that an American culture. And was before like covid and push in our industry. So I came back in 2014 from this trip and I made a sample, which is a prototype in fashion. Didn't know what I was doing in the samples, really like a size zero. So I was just like, what am I doing? This is too hard. And I gave up. But that desire to start a swimwear line just never left. And that recognition of ill-fitting somewhere was kind of just growing because I realized there was this gap. Then in 2019, my husband and I went on a trip to Cuba for a cultural and immersive dance and music experience. It was really cool. But for two months, I looked online for just a bikini to splurge on for a dream vacation. Right. and I couldn't find anything. I was like, literally the patterns, it was like mustard yellow stripes with burgundy polka dots. And I was looking up bikini for larger bust size, and all that would come up was plus size swimwear. And I thought like, you know, this isn't fair, like I'm just being pigeonholed in these categories and I still can't find anything that fits. But I ended up ordering a few pieces and they all covered, but there was no support. And that's when I realized that there had to be a large gap that existed. There is a big gap. Absolutely. Yeah, and I mean, I was working on the market research side in tech, so very data-driven. So I started working, I went to this trip, and coincidentally, I had no idea that it was all entrepreneurs in the trip. Oh! So I came back and I was like, whoa, if they can do it, so can I. Which is great, but it's also very naive. So I started working on Sunset Vibes just once a week as a side hustle. My first step literally was YouTubing how to start a bikini line. And I used to go to a little coffee shop in Topanga Canyon every Saturday to just see how to start a business. Then right before COVID, I left my career to want to focus on Sunset Vibes full-time. So that was kind of my aha moment. It was my culture, recognizing a large market gap, but also not finding something and realizing that there was a big problem that existed and that somebody had to solve it.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. Well, and the aha moment, too, of you can do it.
Denise Foley: Yeah, I don't think of that as an aha moment, but you're totally right.
Jennifer Sutton: And it's, and a lot of people don't. So the fact that you did take that leap and had that confidence and just, just did it just speaks a lot about you. So, okay, so now you've, you've done it. So what's been the most rewarding aspect of starting your company?
Denise Foley: Gosh, I think the most rewarding aspect is being able to make a positive difference in people's lives. Our company is just starting to scale rapidly. We've gone from being like an emerging brand to an established brand. And with that, having opportunities to do things to give back to the community and finding the right people to come on to the team and welcome them into an opportunity of a growing company and be part of that. And also, what's really cool too, at the end of the day, so our core mission is to empower women of all shapes and sizes to feel their absolute best instead of self-conscious in a swimsuit. But when we go to meetings with buyers, They're thanking us for creating this line. They're telling us that this is needed. And also it's been really cool because you'll have women who are like a size 16 or 18 trying our swimwear and they'll immediately, they'll just say, oh my God, this fits so amazing. And we all know it's so hard to have that experience in a swimsuit, but also women who might be in a smaller size, like a four or six, they'll try it on and they'll say, wow, this hugs me in all the right places, I feel so supported. So I think that, you know, like giving back philanthropically, but also giving back in a way that we can help people feel better and take one step closer to loving themselves.
Jennifer Sutton: That's right. Because that's the worst. I, you know, most women, I'm not, I know I'm not alone, hate to do swimwear shopping. And have to try, it's like the most dreaded experience. So the fact that you gave back for that, and took that pain away, That sounds, that's amazing. So how are you nationwide? Like, where is it? Are you just online? Are you in stores? How has your, like, how have you gone to market?
Denise Foley: Yeah, so we took a very different approach than most brands. We've actually done it, I guess. There's no right way to do it, but backwards, because most brands will start with a DTC approach.
Jennifer Sutton: But my, my, one of my, for listeners that might not know DTC, direct to consumer. Yeah.
Denise Foley: Yeah. So like all the sales you could get through Instagram or just when you get targeted with ads and then you go to the site and buy it, that's a DTC sale. Um, But yeah, my background was primarily in enterprise sales and very big partnerships. And through the course of my journey, I've really been able to lean into that. And it wasn't planned like this. It's kind of just what happened. So we've grown the business primarily with wholesale. So we're Marriott Preferred Vendors, which is a really big deal. And that was like one of our first biggest accomplishments. And Patty and Suzanne, if you listen to this, thank you so much for welcoming in and helping me, but the Marriott has the Ritz Carlton, they have the JW Marriott properties, the Westin's. And so there's that part that's going. There's also, I actually kind of like don't want to say it yet, because it's one of our strategies that most brands aren't taking. So I'll share that like later on when we like when we're at a different point of growth, and then selling into retail stores. So I started by going to trade shows. So there's a lot of business to business trade shows specifically for the swimwear industry. And I was told that the first trade show I would do that I wouldn't have any sales and it typically takes brands five years to break into the market. This is a market but at the first and the trade shows are really expensive to do and we've been a business. So I would just approach people and say, Hey, do you have a couple minutes to listening to our brand, we're women owned, or whatnot, and just start asking them questions. So that's how we got our growth. And then last, I think over the last year and a half, we've, we're still growing in wholesale, but we've pivoted into the type of wholesale partner we're selling into. So one of the plans this year. We're actually in the process of getting ready to raise a pre-seed.
Jennifer Sutton: So if, I was going to ask you, are you, are you trying to raise money?
Denise Foley: Yeah, we, I just decided because we're scaling rapidly. And like, just the goal for Sunset Vibes is to be a big player in the market, but it takes so much capital to get there. And we've already made a significant very large investment, which I can tell you off camera. And it's kind of like, I feel like we've pushed our limits of what we can fund. And so all the growth is there, like we're sold at Waldorf Astoria, we're selling out at a lot of the properties we sell into, which they call it a sell-through rate. But when you're selling in a retail property, to get more orders, you need to prove that you can sell to the customer.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah, or is it to do like a pull-through program?
Denise Foley: It's all for sales and marketing. So one of my biggest challenges has been the whole direct-to-consumer channel. We've probably gone through I haven't counted, but I would say like 17 social media freelancers since we launched.
Jennifer Sutton: Girl, we need to talk offline.
Denise Foley: Yeah, but like, I mean, my husband, he helps with like, as a sounding board for me. But we were just kind of like, you know, we're starting to get into these large key properties. So we need to go big. We can't just be working with freelancers, because a lot of times I totally respect the gig economy and what freelancers do, but I haven't been lucky in finding the right one. And one of the challenges we've had is that people will overcommit to what their skill set is and then under deliver. And so I just had to change my vetting process for that. But anyways, the precede that we're looking to raise, it will not be used for inventory. It's specifically for sales and marketing growth only. So like PR, marketing and hiring salespeople that are established.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah, get that pull through. That's amazing. Thank you. Good for you. I love it. So, OK, obviously your bootstrap, you guys are aggressively growing. Is the is the process for like raising capital? I know some that's a it's a love hate because it's very intimidating, especially for I've talked to a lot of female founders and who feel very intimidated about that process. How are you feeling? Is that are you Are you comfortable with that? Do you relate to people that are like, when I walk into these rooms, I'm in a sea of 30 men who cannot even understand the problem that I'm solving?
Denise Foley: So I 100% relate to that. But I will say, on this journey that I've been on as well, I've really, I think, accepted leaning into my skill sets and who I am. So I think I completely relate to being intimidated if there's 30 men in the room. At the end of the day, if you have a growing business, this is an opportunity for them. So we have, we've brought the company to a place where people would need funding to get to on our own. I haven't had any salespeople, and I've broken into the biggest hospitality groups in the world. And I share at the Marriott, but there's other massive ones that we're going to be, they call it opening doors. So being rolled into in autumn. And I think that for any founder that is intimidated, you just need to take that noise out. And it's really hard. But I think if you can recognize when you're starting to feel intimidated or down and recognize that this is a feeling you're having, but just tell yourself like our mind and the human condition is programmed to keep us in a safe place. It's that fight or flight mode. So just think of it like a scientific project on yourself. And the more mindful you are that you're intimidated, Just take that and just realize it's a voice inside your head that is negative, but that you are capable. And also, I don't get intimidated. My entire career, I've always had male leadership for the most part and stakeholders. But with Sunset Vibes, when I present or pitch to men, they will say, my wife or my partner has those struggles, or I have two daughters who also feel like that. So don't just assume people are going to think a certain way and then put yourself in that corner. You go with your loud voice and you project. And so I'm not intimidated, but I would say I'm learning to embrace the process because I think that, like, it sucks, to be honest with you. You know, like, I've reached out to women who are connected and whatnot, and asking for help. And the response is like, fundraising is hard. And it's like, no shit. I don't expect it to be easy. But like, who can you connect me with? So I think be specific in the ask. And then we've also had- That's a good point.
Jennifer Sutton: Like, that be specific in the ask. And, and I also wanted to, for just a, you know, you talk about going in the room of having that confidence, but like you said, it is an opportunity for them. You're presenting the math of, Look what we've, look what we've done. If we, if you invest in us, this is the opportunity for you. And if they don't want to choose it, that's their, that's their loss. But to have that, but to have that confidence to do, you know,
Denise Foley: I think you can't take it personal too, if someone doesn't want to invest, because a lot of times investors will have like, their thesis. I'm just like, why does it have to be called that? Just say like, you have a vertical. So like, I've had friends that were raising where they were like, Oh, they want me to come back after we've raised a pre-seed and we're not there yet. And it hurts them. And it's just like, hey, life is all about time. It's kind of like dating. Find somebody else. Yeah, you can't. There's somebody else out there for you. You have to wait till the connection is there. And the timing has to be there. And the chemistry has to be there. And then it's a match. And that's how I see it. But anyway, so I caught myself kind of being in this mindset where I'm just like WTF, like going to a pre-seed. I've reached out to a lot of connections. And everyone is just passing me off to other people. It was, so this is actually this week. And, but then I just told myself, I just have to embrace this journey. Like, I know it's not going to be easy. I don't expect it to. But we, we have something. Like, I feel like two years ago, I debated going into a fundraise, but that fundraise was kind of like, we have proof of concept. And I believe in the brand. Now we need to establish it. But now we're in a very different place where it's like, we're established, we're breaking into some of the hardest places with the most exclusive buyers that are there. Not many people can do that. So it's go time. So that's right. I haven't you kind of just have to Like, it's okay to have a day where you feel pissed off or you're not your best.
Jennifer Sutton: You're going to have the low moments, but you've got to celebrate. Like you said, have that confidence to go, you know what? Look what we did. Yeah. Because you are going to have the suck days.
Denise Foley: Yeah. But I do want to make it clear. I understand that it can be very intimidating, especially for women. But just try to silence that voice, because we are capable of so much. And if you really, I don't know, Joe Mazzulla, they just won the title for the Celtics. And there's an interview with him saying how he had a vision board started 10 years ago with a picture of the Celtics logo, a picture of the trophy that they win. I don't remember what it's like, the Stanley. No, that's for hockey. And we're like, We don't know. Yeah. My husband, Gary Sherman, maybe, but anyways. And he also had a picture of Brad Stevens, who is now the Celtics Managing Director, but was their coach. So it's not just, Oh, it's a vision board, let's manifest. It's even Olympic athletes do exercises to visualize what they want. And I think having a clear vision, just respecting that it's going to take time to get there, but just being clear on your goals. And that can take a week.
Jennifer Sutton: Denise, that is, that is so power. I mean, that, that right there, we talked to a lot of founders, and that's kind of been a running theme. But also ones that are like struggling, it's because they haven't visualized, they haven't formulated what, what is that end goal? Or what is like one year? Like how, because then you, you, it, it's gonna take time, but you got a vision.
Denise Foley: Yeah. So one of my, I have a very, I have an amazing advisory board. And one of my advisor, my lead advisor, but also like confidant, and he's been working with me since the business launched. He was CEO of BoardWriters. I'm previous to that CEO of North Face. But he advises me, obviously, on a lot of things. And one of his top three tactics for growth is visualization. And so I, it's not like it naturally happens. But I had a huge pitch this morning. And so just like last night, I'm trying to visualize how it's going to go. And, you know, just to talk about the ups and downs, the meeting actually went really well. Yay! like, where it's at. We're touching base again in September. And then I have to do a few things. And then for it to work and move forward, it'll be like a really slow start. Then this is a potential for like a huge partner. But it's hard because like, I left the meeting not feeling deflated. I'm like, OK, the meeting went well. But we're touching base again in September. And if this moves forward, it'll move forward sometime at the end of fall. And then the deal size is going to be for a fraction of what I thought it was because it's going to be our opening first order. OK, like that's a total success. But it's just, you know, I put these all these efforts on. There's so much energy that goes into it. But I mean, it was good. So I was like, OK, I need to be happy about it. And just like, what's wrong with me? Why am I down? You know,
Jennifer Sutton: Well, because also you're like, that's like September. I want it now!
Denise Foley: Like, it all, like in the, when I worked in corporate, you know, sometimes a sales cycle would take 3 years. So I'm like, I'm cool with that. That's like a jam. But I also, we also need cash flow and money coming in too, so. Right.
Jennifer Sutton: Right. It is. It's that, it's that, it's like the ebbs and flows. Well, how, so, so just, what do you do to deal with stress? Like, do you have routines or disciplines or anything that you do to like, OK, I know I'm going to have a, a down moment, or really stressful. What are some tips that you, that you do?
Denise Foley: Yeah, so there's a lot of things I do. I wish I could have a like routine, but it's really hard for me. I don't have one. I also have a three-year-old. So it's like, yeah. Oh my goodness.
Jennifer Sutton: So wait a minute, you started this company around the same time you had a baby?
Denise Foley: Yeah. So I thought it was going to take me like two years to get pregnant. Like, this is true. And not to have TMI, but we got pregnant on the first try. We were like, cool, let's start doing the business. And then like after the business… It'll be a couple of years down the road. So we just did it all together and everyone's like, you had two babies. I'm like, yeah. You did. Yes, you did. But I definitely, I exercise and I do notice when I don't exercise, I'm like, pissed off and angry, so that's a must. I also practice a form of meditation that I started doing in 2016 called TM, Transcendental Meditation. So like Ray Dalio, Oprah, I was like, wow, if all these huge successful people do it, there has to be something to it. But there's a lot of science behind it. And you're supposed to do it two times a day, but I do it in the morning. And sometimes I don't do it for three months, but then when I start doing it again, I do feel better. And this might be like oversharing, but I also started a very low dosage of Lexapro, which is an antidepressant a year and a half ago, which I know most people don't talk about that.
Jennifer Sutton: but like but we need to normalize because I you know anxiety and suicide among founders is huge and it's not just anxiety but I I literally had this voice in my head one like I think all of
Denise Foley: I was just like, very depleted. And, you know, we've invested, like hundreds of thousands of our own dollars into this. And so I would be like, scary. I'm like, holy shit, what have I done with my money? And also, really, I was talking earlier about that negative voice, literally a voice in my head that was like, what do you what are you doing? Why do you think you can do that? Like, like kind of thing.
Jennifer Sutton: And Obviously, syndrome coming in.
Denise Foley: Yeah. So I did get on Lexapro like, an a year and a half ago. And I actually felt like it made me, did it make a difference? Yeah.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. We've heard that from a lot of entrepreneur founders don't like to talk about it, but depression is such a huge, because of all the things, the imposter syndrome, I call them ghosts, like these ghosts in your head, that, that either questions what you've done in the past, or, you know, you get so fearful or anxious about because of the, am I, do I make, am I making the right decisions for what I'm trying to achieve? That it just makes you, you know, question everything. And it's like, I do, I struggle with that, of like, I got to stay in the moment. I got to stay present. I got to stay focused. I got to, you know, yesterday is gone. I made mistakes. I got to put them to bed, whatever. I just need to move on. And, but yeah, now I'm like trying to, to get the, it's good to have a vision, but sometimes that anxiousness of, am I getting, like, I need that vision to happen now. The impatience. So hard. So, but yeah, thank you for, for sharing, sharing that. Because it's something I know I've struggled with. I've talked to a lot of founders and entrepreneurs. It is, mental health is a big deal. We do need to normalize that.
Denise Foley: Yeah, well, I mean, it's hard. So it's like you're giving all your money, if I was working a traditional job, I would have like a very high income, you know, and like all of the time that it takes. And one of the other practices I started doing is I try not to work on weekends to have mental time off. And then since Sebastian, my three year old, he's our only that we're going to have. So when he gets home from preschool at five, I want to be present with him because I'll never have those years back. And I'm really, really firm about that. So like, Yeah, I worked all night last night for this big pitch I had, and my husband helped me with him. So I do have days like that. But I, it's going, like you said, like being in the moment, I try to do that. But you know, it's always a balance. And it's always like a self-check to make sure you're like, doing what you want to do and on the right track and feeling good.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. OK, so what's been the most significant challenge? I call it the oh, shit moment. So that, what's that biggest challenge that you've had to overcome? Or maybe you're still working to overcome it? Yeah, you know, fundraising, but like, what was the biggest like, what have I done?
Denise Foley: I think, well, we, honestly, think of like the best way to say this. Last year, we went through a couple of key hires that were not, were a lot of money and they weren't the right fit. I've been there. I mean, like, it sucked. Yes.
Jennifer Sutton: I've been there multiple times. I like it. I can't even, I'm sure you're probably, it's, it's painful. It hurts on so many levels. I can't even explain it.
Denise Foley: Like, you know, you think you learn. And then we had the sales agency that was, a lot of money also, and they didn't close one PO. And I, like, I'm pretty confident they weren't doing their job as they were supposed to, because we have 100% close rate with in-person meetings. And when you're at this stage, you can't afford to just have, like, tens of thousands of dollars going out with no return. So I think I've learned how to manage that stress. And like, hopefully it won't, hopefully I've learned my lesson. Like, I don't know how many times it has to happen. But the first few times it happened, it's, it's not just the money that goes out, but it's trusting people and feeling like they're in the circle and part of the team, and then having the feeling of disappointment, and then the aftermath when it doesn't work out. So it's like its own psychological thing, even if you strip out the financial perspective, you can't make a company great and massive without the right team.
Jennifer Sutton: Right. Were there any lessons that you learned of like, OK, now the next time someone comes on or when I'm looking for the right partner and the right team member, do you approach it now differently?
Denise Foley: 100 percent. OK. We have a completely different vetting process. Me and my husband still don't think that references really work because everyone, you know, it's kind of a waste of time, even though it's a company. And then Now in like new employee contracts, we're very crystal clear on expectations, timeline, deliverables. And just like, it's written out on paper and also signed off by the other person. And my advisor from the beginning has told me to be crystal clear on expectations. But It's been, you know, it sounds so easy, but it was hard for me to get there. And I think four years in, I'm in a place where I'm, I know how to be crystal clear on expectations.
Jennifer Sutton: Right. Well, Denise, don't feel bad. So Bright Marketing is the sister company to OrangeWIP and Hello Chaos. I've been in that for, I started that 10 years ago. I learned those hard lessons two or three years ago, you know, seven, eight years in the business. So it, uh, you think you handle it. You know, we were scaling and growing. And I, you know, it just, I went through two waves of, of not having the right people.
Denise Foley: And it's, that's so hard. I mean, and like, it delays your company so much. But then also the like, Oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Just like the energy that's, and like the, the feeling, like all of those things. It's yeah. Yeah.
Jennifer Sutton: It's really, you know, I think, uh, I think I almost hit like a, I know I hit like a black, I caught the black wall. It was the, uh, summer of 2021 of, I almost just was like, I'm done. Like I couldn't even function. It was so,
Denise Foley: actually had a time like that, too. Yeah. Not that it's funny, but it's just like, it's, it's hard.
Jennifer Sutton: Terrible. And it was the part, you know, I was, yeah, it was what, 7 years into the business. It was awful. Awful. Like, magnitude of that. So, okay, so what what are things that you've learned about yourself that, you know, here you had a 15 plus, you know, corporate career in big, big companies, which I'm curious, because I know I had like 20 years in corporate and branding and agencies. And I felt like I'm in my entering my 50s, I feel like I'm in my coming of age. story. What are things have you learned about yourself? Or did you learn things like, well, I did not know I was this type of a person?
Denise Foley: Yeah, I'm not always the best at this type of, I mean, I think that like, I recognize what my like, superpowers are, for lack of a better word. Oh, what is it? I think it's definitely networking with the right people to network and making the right connections to move forward. and also establishing strong connections with decision makers and just knowing how to speak the person's language. And also, our brand is taking a pivot. So we've, due to like the buyers asking, we're positioning ourselves more as I still haven't refined this thing, but it's basically the go-to brand for the beach, pool, and spa enthusiasts, because we've expanded into men's and different demographics for women, soon children's. So I've learned that I'm also great at solving problems through innovative product. Actually, I'll show you one of the things I'm wearing. This is our sunglasses. So let me see. OK.
Jennifer Sutton: So for the listeners, you've got to go to YouTube, and you'll be able to see this. Oh, that's a cute, that is a fantastic cover up.
Denise Foley: Innovative take on the spa robe. So there's a button clasp here and a zipper.
Jennifer Sutton: For your hotel card, right? Or your credit card.
Denise Foley: Oh, nice. Here that like puts the Sasha in pockets and this is called a peplum. bottom, but it's super cute. So it was made for the spas we work with. But then I started wearing it to like happy hour or just it's really comfortable and people started complimenting it as a dress. So now we're finally at the spa dress and it's going to be marketed as a resort cover up. So I don't like I don't think I'm the best in terms of a lot of designers are like really creative and all of these things. That isn't my skill set, but I'm really good at product innovation. And yeah,
Jennifer Sutton: The function the functionality of it. Yeah. Yeah, that's fantastic So, okay, so the if the next Five years think of it as like a chapter, you know of a book or you know next five years is a chapter in your life You know looking forward. What's this current chapter all about?
Denise Foley: Wow, I think, I don't know why that question gave me goosebumps. I think that, gosh, this, this like for the next year or two, you mean?
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. What's this chapter?
Denise Foley: I think right now, in terms of the, so just a little back track, where we're living now, our son's three, we plan to live here until he's five. So While we're here, I'm working to establish the business Sunset Vibes as one of the larger players in the market for swim and resort wear. So this process, even though I've been building, this is like not building something new, but it's it's it's like. Making the foundation of the land that we've been owning, right, so we're making the foundation and building a house so the business is built, the business is established, But now we have to go big. So yes, it's scaling, but we have a few things to do before we actually start.
Jennifer Sutton: So you're building the, so this is foundation building chapter.
Denise Foley: I mean, actually, like the foundation is there. So this is the scaling. Yeah. Yeah. We're entering the scaling phase. We have everything in place. We have manufacturing and distribution partners in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Canada, the U.S. and one in Europe. And we do this because with the international international hospitality groups we're working with. A lot of times they want this is a tip for anyone that has a product that you're trying to sell. But if you a lot of times buyers want to buy American products, but if you're in Mexico, there's huge tariffs. So what can you do as a business owner to make it easier for the buyer to work with you? So we have distribution. We have all manufacturing in place. We're growing the team, and we have the right people lined up to hire once we get the funding. Now we just need the outlets to push sales.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. Fantastic. OK, so if we met again and had cocktails a year from now, what would we be celebrating?
Denise Foley: A year from now?
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah.
Denise Foley: We'd be celebrating that our e-com slash direct-to-consumer channels hit $3 million in revenue for the year. We'd be celebrating that in one of the enterprise accounts I'm working with. We've broken into 75 doors, and that we have three enterprise accounts that have really high sell-through rates. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is that we've created a product that helps people feel amazing about themselves, and that we've been able to create this culture where both women and men can feel amazing instead of self-conscious when they're at the pool or the beach.
Jennifer Sutton: Ah, well, we're gonna regroup. We're gonna celebrate. I love cocktails, so let's do it. OK, so you said one of your superpowers was networking and establishing. Is that how you, like, that you had an advisory board? Is that how you found really good advisory?
Denise Foley: Actually, you know how you talked about your black wall moment? Yes. I was about to quit the business because we had been scammed by this other agency. And it was it was seventy five hundred dollars. This was like a few years ago. And that was the last money we had at the time. And my husband had lost his job. I had just had a baby and I was like, oh, my. I went to this coffee shop and I made a list. And it was literally titled Long Shots. And it had the founder of Lunia, it had the founder of another company, and it had Arne, the advisor that I've been working with, and I just cold emailed them on LinkedIn. And I was like, if one of them gets back to me, maybe it's a sign that I'm going in the right direction. And then that was how I established my connection with Arne. And then with some of the enterprise accounts we're selling into, it's not just like meeting these people, but really understanding what the needs are. And I never come from a place of how can I sell my product? It's more like, how can we help you achieve yourself? How can we help your customers feel amazing? It's never about me, even though at the end of the day, it is kind of about me, but it's not.
Jennifer Sutton: Right, right. I mean, you're giving everybody an opportunity.
Denise Foley: Yeah. And I actually think, you know, one of the things I forgot to talk about is my mom. So she's been a pattern maker. So a pattern maker is like the architect for garments. And she did Beyonce's homecoming outfit, her Super Bowl collection. Your mom? Oh my goodness. So she's been, she does a lot for me. That's like one of our secret sauces, but I will say, You like my mom and I have an amazing work relationship, but like we've learned how to work well in this capacity, but she's I think from her. I'm a lot like her and she will talk to anyone. I remember she loves dancing. She just turned 70 and her new motto is 70 is the new 50. And we'll take pictures together. And she's like in this super sexy, glamorous pose. So she's, she's fun. And like, I think I admire to be like her as I She's your spirit animal. Yeah. So she's, I think she kind of instilled that in me from a really young age just by being her twin.
Jennifer Sutton: Is she, is she your greatest cheerleader or do you have somebody else that's like your biggest cheerleader in your life?
Denise Foley: Well, I have a team of cheerleaders. I have my husband, my mom, and then to fund the business, we're actually living with my aunt right now, which has been, I remember someone felt sorry for me when I told them that. And I was like, no, I own it. This is a choice we've made. And my aunt's 83 and never had kids. And she gets to help us with Sebastian, which we need. He's in school full time, but kids are so much.
Jennifer Sutton: You need the help. Oh, my god.
Denise Foley: I have four. Yeah. It's a community. Going back to your question, a year when we celebrate cocktails, I will have moved out of my aunt's house because I'm able to pay myself, so that's another goal.
Jennifer Sutton: That's right. OK, so what do you do on your free time? I mean, I know you work out and all that, but what are some things that we'd be that's not on your LinkedIn or anything else? What would be interesting to learn about you?
Denise Foley: Gosh, I'm trying to think of ones that aren't generic. So I really, if I cooking, I'm actually a really, really good cook. And I can cook many international cuisines. And I can make anything good. So it also relaxes me. I really like hiking with my family. And We're living out in Vegas now. So that's, my LinkedIn says Santa Monica, but we were posting in Vegas for six weeks. We've been here for almost two years. But when I realized we probably weren't leaving, and I wasn't moving out of my aunt's house, I decided to make the business Vegas based because there's a massive booming business on the strip. So while I'm out here, I want to learn about like the desert.
Jennifer Sutton: The resort culture. Yeah.
Denise Foley: but there's a lot of nature out here in Las Vegas. So we, and like me and my friends, we went on a seven mile hike. So it was three and a half miles down and they flew in actually from South Carolina for a fish concert. They went and bought spritzers. The heat. Yeah. Well, it was before the, it was before like the hot time, but we were walking down into the canyon and I drank two tequila spritzers. And I was like, I feel amazing. I never drink and I have so much energy. So then on this long hike, we traverse three hot springs. You climb down the ladder and you do a cold plunge in the Colorado river. And it was awesome.
Jennifer Sutton: Amazing.
Denise Foley: I had to keep on taking breaks and lay on my back because I think of those spritzers I had earlier, which I do not do that while hiking, which I thought, I'm like, Denise, are you OK? And I was like, I'm fine. I just need some water. But anyway, long story short. So I love and I love traveling and like getting really immersed in cultures. That's actually where a lot of the motivation for everything I do come from. where as the brand grows, there is going to be some really cool innovation that comes out from things I've learned while traveling. But I don't want to share those now because they're kind of like, oh, yeah, coming out. But yeah, I mean, I just love having fun. I love hanging out with my friends and like enjoying a glass of wine and eating good food, you know, and like having a three year old. I don't have that much alone time anymore. But when I do, I want to like either have fun or just completely disconnect.
Jennifer Sutton: That's right. I'm going to come out to Vegas and visit you. We'll go do that hike.
Denise Foley: Yeah, we can probably, like, get a free spa day for us, too, so.
Jennifer Sutton: The spa robe. I love it. So what, so you have all the, you know, great advisors. What's the best piece of advice you've received? And how has it influenced your own decision making? You talk about visualization. Is there, is there other advice, piece of advice that you've received that you've really kind of taken to heart?
Denise Foley: Gosh, there's probably so much good advice. I, the one that comes to mind at first is with managing the company's financials. I know that is probably seems like an obvious one to everyone. But it's, that's one of the things I've had to grow my skill set into. And my advisor, who I've referenced, like a year ago, was like, you need to know that, like the back of your hand and He was like, I don't want to, like, make you feel bad, but X, Y, Z. So I've really taken it upon myself to get into that habit. And now that we're scaling, we've, so I don't mean like QuickBooks organization, and I do need someone to do that for me, because I'm not great with intuitive platforms. But where we have an accountant that it's not just managing the P&L, but just like looking at the financial landscape. So that's been a hard skill set for me to lean into.
Jennifer Sutton: It is for a lot, a lot of founders.
Denise Foley: Yeah. I have, so as we're getting ready for this fundraise, the last two days, I've been obsessively looking at like, where all the money is going to go. And it's really beautiful because it, you know, you think like, oh, we want to put all this money here. But then when you see everything laid out of that whole time span, it makes you really question where it's going to go. And like, I actually want to be, even though we're going to go for this pre-seed, I want, I still want to be scrappy. I want to be scrappy till we're at a certain revenue.
Jennifer Sutton: Because you need to get paid and move out of your aunt's house. Yeah, that's the moral of the story. Say mama needs to get paid. Yeah, that's that. Okay, so if you had to sum up your entrepreneur journey in one word, what would it be and why?
Denise Foley: It would be resilience because I feel like no matter how many obstacles or challenges you break through, harder ones come, or maybe you even have more expectations of yourself. And one has to learn, you can't let the noise get to you. Even one of the meetings I had over the last six months, I was heading to it and I was chatting with a peer. And they were like, you know, between me and you, that person isn't the best to work with. Good luck. And it kind of like shook me. And then I was like, you know what, I can't, just because that was that person's experience. We're a brand that is fixing problems. We're not just a clothing brand. So it's a couple things, shutting the noise out. I think like, but it's like the resilience. It's all down to being strong.
Jennifer Sutton: And you're right, you're like, I'm giving everybody an opportunity. I've got, I'm solving that problem. And everybody has different experiences. But also, you're looking for the right partners, too. So it's, it's, it's got to be, it's got to be a two-way, right? Yes. I love it. OK. I know. It's like, we're so out of time. But thank you so much. Before we leave, OK, Denise, how do you want people to connect with you, learn more about you, Sunset Vibes, and can connect?
Denise Foley: Here's a great way to support me and my business. If you can follow us at Sunset Vibes Swimwear, and you can also DM me there, you're more than welcome to look me up on LinkedIn, but I get flooded with LinkedIn messages. And as our business grows, we need help on social media. So please follow us and connect with me there.
Jennifer Sutton: On Instagram, is that where you want people to go? All right. Thank you. And we'll tag and we'll promote this when we publish. Yeah.
Denise Foley: We should talk offline too, because I want to send you a free, some suit for the summer. And like, you'll literally love it. I'm not just saying, you know, remember the road game where he's like, I'm not only a client, I'm the president or like, that's not my vibe at all. But just trust me, especially down in South Carolina. So yeah.
Jennifer Sutton: Okay. All right. I'll trust you. Okay. You know, bathing suits are not my thing. Yeah, but i'm excited. Yeah, help me change that Um, but thanks for hanging out and chatting with us and and for everyone listening and watching us live. Thank you for joining us Um this podcast episode again will be published on sunday Available on all your favorite podcast platforms wherever you go. We're there. So subscribe to the hello chaos podcast um, like comment and share help us grow and build a more connected entrepreneurial community HelloCast is one of the many resources brought to you by OrangeWIP. That's OrangeWIP, W-I-P, for work in progress. We are a multimedia company dedicated to serving founders and entrepreneurs in affiliate cities. We are 100% free. An email to join the community. We are a one-stop content hub just for founders. So check us out. Go to orangewhip.com and you can find all the things that you need. If you'd like to be a guest on our podcast or support us, send us an email to hello at orange whip.com. That's orange whip. Wip.com. Y'all thank you for tuning in to hello chaos. It is where aha meets. Oh shit. I am your host, Jennifer Sutton, JJ. We will see you again next week.