Melissa Marks and Staci Pearlman of Elfin Los Angeles: “Why You Should Not Be Afraid To Hire People BETTER & SMARTER Than You”
By: Alexandra Spirer
Tags: Entrepreneur, Clothing, Retail, Sheroes, Women In Business

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Yes! We’ve been friends for a long time but didn’t become super close until after we both had kids. Both of us have a background in fashion (Staci is a copywriter, and Melissa worked in Biz dev), so naturally, that was kind of always the path we were on. Once we had kids, we really realized something was missing when it came to shopping for kids clothing. There wasn’t necessarily a super-curated shop for all things kids. So, we decided to launch elfin los angeles.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Launching our pop up shop! We opened about a year ago and were just supposed to be there for 2 months. Needless to say, we’re still going strong and have no plans of leaving. Our customers love visiting us in real life — and we love showcasing our collections so customers can really touch and feel the quality of the pieces we curate.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Yes! This one is so embarrassing. We actually oversold a piece from a specific collection early on, and when we reached out to the brand to order more, they were sold out! We didn’t want to disappoint the customer, so we ordered the same piece from another kids clothing site and gave the customer that one! We made zero money (we actually lost money if you factor in shipping), but for us, customer service was number one.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Two things:

First, how carefully curated our site is. We handpick pieces from brands around the world and are constantly on the lookout for new brands that stand out to us. More than half of our brands are made by other mamas, and almost all of them are made in the US.

Second is our customer service. We literally go above and beyond. We have been known to meet customers at the store at 9PM because they need a last-minute tutu for the next day. We also hand-deliver all local orders ourselves — customers are often surprised when they open their door and it’s us!

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

YES! Our first-ever line, ef the label, launches in December and we’re so excited to share it with our customers. The pieces are designed by us and made in LA. It consists of three dresses in one silhouette. The dresses are buttery soft and designed to layer in the winter and wear alone in the spring and summer.

What advice would you give to other female leaders to help their team to thrive?

Embrace the team mentality. We have quickly learned that each of us has different skill sets. One of us (we’ll let you guess, ha!) is more business and numbers focused. The other is super-creative and is always thinking outside the box at ways to help elfin stand out.

What advice would you give to other female leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

Don’t be afraid to hire people BETTER and SMARTER than you! We know we don’t know everything and think its so important to have different team members bring different skill sets. It’s also so important to empower your team, we are still small and everyone’s role makes a difference. We want our team to feel like they are significantly impacting the business, which they are!!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

OMG we have been so lucky so far with help — we have the greatest friends! Before we launched, a friend of ours helped get our pieces in the hands of some amazing influencers. We’ve also had friends help us with ads, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, and design work.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

We love nothing more than giving back to those in need. Since our launch, we’ve worked with numerous charities and schools, donating a % of sales on different occasions.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. You’re never done learning

2. Focus on your mistakes, that way you can learn from them

3. Empower your team

4. Set expectations up front, there’s nothing worse than waiting too long to have a conversation that could have been avoided.

5. Your style differs from your team. Chances are, your team likes to be managed differently than you so it’s so important to adapt your style.

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Anine Bing or Arielle Charnas. They’re both mamas like us, and while they’re incredible business women, they also seem like exceptional mamas. We look to them both for inspiration all the time and would love to sit down and pick their brains!

How can our readers connect with you on social media?

Visit us at @elfinlosangeles

elfin los angeles: www.elfinlosangeles.com