Female Founders: Mitali Saxena of Fashom On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
A strong support system both at home and in the office — Without a strong support system around you, you will never be able to achieve something that can change the world. You have to give your all when it comes to your dream but you need another set of hands to sometimes to help lift you up when times are harder or just to rest on your shoulder so you know you’re not alone in this all — that other people not just believe in your dream too, but strive to help you achieve it.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mitali Saxena.
Mitali Saxena is the Founder and CEO of Fashom. She holds a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering Fed up with the disparity between fashion industry beauty standards and the needs of real women, she left her engineering career to found Fashom, a style-centered online community. Within a year, Fashom expanded into the body-positive focused personal styling service. Core to Fashom’s mission is offering vegan fashion shipped in recyclable packaging. In line with Fashom’s ethos, one dollar from every Fashom box goes directly to rescue stray animals in NYC. Growing a data-driven team, Mitali has created a shopping experience that allows the members of the Fashom community to feel good inside and out. In her previous role as North American sales manager for a telecom software company, Mitali led both large general and special project-focused teams on a regular basis. It is from this experience that she has grown into the leader that she is today as the CEO of Fashom where she has helmed a smaller but hyper-driven team to the success the company has achieved in such a short period of time.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I was working with the telecommunications company I had been since completing my Master’s degree and at that point was very much rooted within a corporate structure but after a little while of this routine, I started to find myself looking at bigger picture issues my day-to-day in corporate life didn’t usually allow me to focus on. One that had spoken to me for quite a while was that of the way people have been depicted commercially in the fashion industry versus how they were in actuality, especially when one of my close friends admitted to me that this was an issue that had affected her deeply since she was a young girl. This seriously impacted me, so I started to do some of my own research on the subject to see how I could possibly help because I knew she couldn’t have been the only one who felt this way. This sparked an idea in my mind to try to create a platform that helps people like my friend and so many others out there who felt like they weren’t good enough for so long simply because they didn’t look the same way as magazines said they should.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
There are so many incredible and interesting things that have happened to me since I founded Fashom, which makes it hard to choose just one. That being said though, one of the most interesting I’d have to say could possibly be the time our marketing coordinator and I flew to Nashville for our first big on-the-road trips as a company. We basically landed in the morning , had 30 minutes to grab food and coffee, and then the chaos of the next 10 hours ensued from there. The 24 hours prior to that had been crazy when we were shipping all of the props and clothes up to the hotel but once we arrived, everything grew even crazier when we brought all of the influencers to our suite to discuss the itinerary for the event. Clothes were flying, our marketing coordinator played everything from makeup artist to seamstress to photographer to set-director to lighting guru, seven people were crammed into a space made for maybe two, and then after a few hours of filming all the highlights and extras, we finally made it over to the event space. However, almost nothing was set up like we had originally thought so, in full hair and makeup, we all started basically rebuilding the event space (most of us in 3 inch + heels) to what we preferred until literally minutes before the guests began to arrive. It was madness but also equal parts amazingness because it showed me just how much both my team members and our own influencers believed in the purpose behind the event and our message itself. It was a crazy moment but one I am really, really proud of.
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?
The amount of hilarious mistakes I made when I first started could easily fill a small novel but if I had to choose one of my ‘finest’ moments from those, it would have to be the time our first big order load came in after one of our very first big YouTube influencers. It was just as we were finishing the last box that we noticed something strange protruding from the top — it was one of my headbands. So we opened this last box to find my own things in there! What that specific incident taught me though was that having a solid team, whether that just be you and one other person or you and a few hundred people, is absolutely a rarity and something that needs to be deeply appreciated when found because, without have that second pair of supportive hands, I would have never got everything out on time.
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?
There are so, so many people who have helped me achieve success along the way that I will never be able to thank enough. However, there is one individual that I believe has helped not just my drive to keep pushing but to create a critical layer of Fashom’s DNA…and his name is Chewy Saxena. Chewy is my 6 year-old cockapoo who I rescued when I was still living in New York. Since he came into my life, my already deep passion for helping animals grew to an extent I didn’t know I had within me. From staying steadfast as a cruelty-free and vegan company that wants to help the deep ethical issue of animal-product use in the fashion industry to securing our long-term partnership with the incredible Second Chance Rescue in NYC, the constant inspiration I’ve felt along every step of the way comes from my amazing furry companion.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I personally believe, based on my own opinion and experience, what could be currently holding back women from founding more companies is the combination of outdated gender roles/notions that are still projected onto women in the business (that are not mirrored on men within this same field) and the lack of representation of women within this space. Sure, there are a few of us out here which is far better than could be said of the general founder slate a decade ago but it’s still incredibly intimidating to enter a field where there are so many people that are the opposite of you. The lack of representation in of itself can be scary to work through not just upon entry, but even as you grow and see competitors try to use that difference as a disadvantage. It is the one, two punch of being told that ‘because you’re a woman, you therefore have to still keep thinking about a familial balance and kids and white-picket fences’, then it being followed up with ‘now that you’re through the doorway, you have to work three times harder to get the same level of recognition because there’s only two other people like you doing this.’ that really pushes someone either closer to the edge or over it.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
Funding, initiatives, and representation. These all sound somewhat simple, I know, but these are also simply the facts. Funding is a massive issue, especially when investors with those more ‘old school’ sensibilities come into play because, in truth, people with that viewpoint have a harder time trusting and believing in women founders. It comes down to the notion that women are less reliable than men because they are more emotional and perceived as unstable to a degree, which makes them less appealing for investors who like to see a ‘rock solid candidate’ — i.e. someone who more so represents themselves. Initiatives in both schools and communities is another important factor because this is where women can see their potential encouraged and fostered earlier on in life, which gives them more tools and time to grow into their metaphorical shoes as future founders. Last, but not at all least, is easily more representation because the easiest way to believe in something is by seeing it. If you are a young woman with the hopes of one day founding your own company, then you want to see the success of other women doing that too, which makes that dream all the more palpable to you,
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Women are born multi-taskers. In my opinion a woman can handle a multitude of tasks in different areas of the company in full capacity. As a woman in the male dominated tech industry where you have to be able to handle multiple tasks at one time, I feel we need to empower more women to join the field both through school programs (ranging anywhere from primary to university level) and programs created for those who enter at entry level positions within tech fields or even larger conglomerates with decent size tech departments .
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
There are so many answers to this question but some of the biggest ones I’d say are that we, as founders, make massive paychecks immediately, have the easiest and most relaxed schedules (networking, golfing, etc), get to have these lavish offices and bonuses, and fly private every other day. It’s a massive misconception that, just because you run a company, doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a billionaire overnight a week after launching. In fact, as the founder and CEO, you’re often working harder than so many people expect because you’re not just responsible for your job, you’re responsible for everyone else’s jobs, their pay, their welfare, their representation of the company, your representation of the company, and a few million other things all at once. I could easily work from 6am to 2am the next morning sometimes because there are days when you just have an overload because everyone else on your team does too. This is where having such a strong foundation of a supportive team comes into play though, otherwise you would never have a moment to even breathe
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Not everyone is meant to be a founder. That isn’t to say some people cannot be turned into founders via experiences or work towards becoming a founder on their own but it is a challenging road that not everyone has the attributes to make it through. The traits and amount needed of each that it takes to become a founder is a rare concoction because you simply have it or you don’t, in this case. There are absolutely instances in which this concoction can be brought out in someone but that doesn’t mean that everyone has this inside them to even bring out. The specific traits I feel one needs to be a founder are someone who:
- Has a strong sense of determination to work through whatever is necessary to achieve a goal.
- Can multitask consistently.
- Is an absolute self-starter.
- Either has or can build a steely support system both at home (whether this be your whole family or just your fur baby) and at the office since you’ll be living in each equally.
The above attributes are critical for increasing the chances of following the founder direction because they are all indicative of someone with both the gumption and go-getter sensibility to lead, which are essential for a founder to have. However, again, these are not qualities that every single person possesses, and that’s absolutely okay. It just means that those people are not quite the best fit for the founder path and better for more of a “regular job” instead As for someone who should perhaps seek a “regular job”, I would say the traits that one might need to possess are:
- Being good at going with the flow of things.
- Needing that extra push sometimes to get started on something.
- The ability to work well with others and/or on teams or groups.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
To not just succeed but thrive as a woman founder, the five key things you have to have based on my personal experience are:
- A sense of mission/purpose — Possessing a sense of mission or purpose is absolutely critical because you have to have that special something that grounds you and gives you that extra internal fire power to keep you striving towards a greater level.
- Determination — You simply won’t get anywhere if you keep taking ‘no’ for an answer.
- Passion — You need this to fuel your drive but it also has to come from a pure, purposeful place or your vision simply won’t come together as a whole.
- A thick skin — This is a necessity if you are a woman in any male-dominated field. There are less of you and more of them, and, sadly, that is something some people use as a tool of mockery or belittling. So many things might be said about you but once you remember you are just as strong and capable as anyone else in the room, nothing can hurt you.
- A strong support system both at home and in the office — Without a strong support system around you, you will never be able to achieve something that can change the world. You have to give your all when it comes to your dream but you need another set of hands to sometimes to help lift you up when times are harder or just to rest on your shoulder so you know you’re not alone in this all — that other people not just believe in your dream too, but strive to help you achieve it.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I used my individual success in my previous career path to start Fashom with the goal of trying to make the world a better, more inclusive place. After being into the incredible venture that is Fashom, we’re working every single day to create a stronger sense of body positivity for both the everyday person and within the fashion industry itself. An example of this I’m really proud of is one of our latest campaigns, our #BetterAsIAm Campaign that was in partnership with a beautiful new charity that was founded by one of our teammates’ family after the very sad passing of their sister. We created a campaign, and, really, a sense of anti-perfection, that spoke to how our ‘imperfections’ make us all better exactly as we are because, without them, we wouldn’t be the amazing individuals we all are today.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The body positivity movement has been around for a few years quite strongly now, and Fashom was created to help support and further that movement with every ounce of passion we have as a company. My biggest hope here is to continue pushing for that to continue until every area of the fashion industry truly reflects the ‘realness’ of the world in a positive, genuine way. Regardless of how much you weigh, your skin tone, your preferred pronouns, your height, etc., everyone deserves to feel represented in the world.
We are very blessed that some very prominent 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.
Mindy Kaling! She is such an incredible, smart, talented individual who represents both a woman and a woman of color taking on such a male-dominated field with equal parts creative determination and gusto.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Mitali Saxena of Fashom On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.