Launching a Luxury Swimwear Brand During a Global Pandemic with Jamie Banks of Change of Scenery

Jamie Banks is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Change of Scenery, a women’s luxury swim and resort wear startup launching in March 2022. Change of Scenery is an accessible luxury women’s apparel brand focused on classic, sophisticated, and effortless styles for the modern 30-55 year old woman. Jamie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design from Cornell University and a Master’s of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University. Jamie is also the co-founder of Fashion for a Cause – Port Washington, an initiative created out of the desire to give back to the Port Washington community during the world’s most unprecedented times – the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to co-developing Change of Scenery, Jamie served as the Design Director of multiple brands, including Kate Spade New York, Milly, and Shoshanna.

Jamie joins us today to share her experience of being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic and what inspired her to take a leap of faith to launch a luxury women’s apparel brand. We discuss the steps she took to bring her business idea to fruition and the lessons she learned along the way. She highlights the benefits of writing a business plan and researching your target market. We discuss the challenges she faced when creating a company name and why it’s crucial to check the trademark database before launching your startup. We also discuss the value of taking time to gather your thoughts before responding to PR questions and practicing your response to the most frequently asked questions you receive.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned this year is that I have these amazing, amazing women in my life that are so much smarter and so much more successful than I ever knew they were.” – Jamie Banks

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, 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!

This week on Startups in Stilettos:

• The inspiration behind the Change of Scenery brand
• How Jamie identified her target audience and the problem she wanted her company to solve
• Learning how to write a business plan
• How Jamie found a business partner
• The steps Jamie took to breathe life into her product idea
• The challenges associated with trademarking your company
• What a business naming contest is and how Jamie finally decided on a business name
• The benefits of hiring a Go-To Market Specialist
• Jamie’s biggest win since starting her company
• The value of taking time to gather your thoughts before responding to PR questions
• What’s next for Change of Scenery

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
• Creative Market — Business Plan Templates

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “The business plan really helped me to understand all of the facets of the business. It helped me really put down, in words, the problem that I saw and how we were going to solve it.” – Jamie Banks
• “Tell anyone that will listen what you’re going through in your business because somebody might hear you and have a suggestion that you never would have asked for help on.” – Jamie Banks
• “I just kept finding that everything that would come up, I had a woman in my life who was an expert in it and was willing to take their time to hold my hand and walk me through it.” – Jamie Banks

Connect with Jamie Banks:

• Change of Scenery
• Change of Scenery on LinkedIn
• Change of Scenery on Instagram
• Jamie Banks on LinkedIn

Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts!

• Stephanie Cartin on Instagram
• Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn
• Jessica Abo on Instagram
• Jessica Abo on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Jessica Abo here

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

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

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!

Grow Your Startup with Startups in Stilettos

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart Radio

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.
Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.