Page 86 - Sorry, We're Not Hiring Any Visionaries Today

SORRY, WE’RE NOT HIRING ANY VISIONARIES TODAY
I got a consultancy position with a company called Mr. Leonard. They were one of the prominent ladieswear manufacturers then, and I was hired as a merchandise manager.
I went on a European research trip because Mr. Leonard’s line was tired and old-fashioned. As merchandise manager, I flew to Paris with the designer, and we toured all the fashion areas, going into all the designer shops. As is often the case in the fashion business, we shamelessly plagiarized a lot.
I was with the designer for the entire trip. When we came back, the owner of Mr. Leonard wanted my written report of everything I had done. I understood that doing this trip cost him a lot of money. So, I sat with the designer and re- viewed everything we’d researched. I had the designer write our report.
He called me into his office one day and asked, “Where’s your report? I said, “I just gave you the whole report that the designer and I worked on together.” He said, “No, you’re supposed to write your own report!” So I said, “That’s not necessary. I don’t want to write my own fucking report.”
We clashed at that point, and I got fired after being there for a year. Mr Leonard paid me a great deal to be his merchandise manager. Everybody in my family said I was an idiot. They thought I should follow the rules. They told me, “You can’t do as you please. You’re an employee and must follow what they tell you. If they say write a report, write a report!”
I decided at that time to get involved in manufacturing because I was devel- oping products for the retail store. So I thought, “Why not develop products for other retailers too?” And precisely, that’s what I did. I opened up my own manufacturing company. Looking back, it’s ironic because Mr. Leonard and Holly became two of my biggest customers when I opened my fashion line.
My brother and I formed a company called Affirmative. I was my own boss again, and I didn’t have to take instructions from anyone. We went to the bank to borrow money to put a collection together. I mortgaged my future on this business.
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