Ep. 103 Channelling Self-Worth for Success: Building Your Dream with Tash Oakley
Sep 2, 2024
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Tash Oakley, co-founder of Monday Swimwear and a pioneering influencer, shares her journey from a serendipitous Facebook meeting to building a thriving brand. She discusses balancing personal life with professional ambitions, confronting societal norms, and the importance of self-care. Tash highlights the power of authenticity in content creation and the vital need for a strong business foundation. Additionally, she reflects on challenges faced while navigating the fashion industry, particularly during COVID-19, and emphasizes self-reliance as key to empowerment.
Tash Oakley highlights the critical entrepreneurial mindset required for success, emphasizing a strong commitment to goals over social obligations, particularly for women.
The evolution of Monday Swimwear from a passion project to a multimillion-dollar brand illustrates the importance of identifying and fulfilling genuine customer needs.
Tash advocates for the significance of self-care and work-life balance, stressing that maintaining health is essential for sustainable entrepreneurial success.
Deep dives
The Importance of Entrepreneurial Mindset
An entrepreneurial mindset is crucial for success, as it involves the willingness to make personal sacrifices for one's business. Tash Oakley emphasizes the need to prioritize work over social life, particularly for women, who often face societal expectations regarding personal responsibilities. This mindset entails being unapologetically focused on one's goals, even at the cost of personal relationships or social obligations. Understanding that success requires such commitment helps frame the harsh realities of entrepreneurship in a clearer light.
The Journey of Building a Brand
Tash Oakley's journey in creating Monday Swimwear showcases the evolution of a brand from a simple passion project into a multimillion-dollar company. Initially inspired by her experiences with swimwear through her blog 'A Bikini A Day', she noticed a gap in the market for well-fitting swimsuits, particularly for women with larger cup sizes. This realization led to the launch of her own swimwear line which prioritized comfort, fit, and aesthetic appeal. The organic growth of the brand is attributed to its genuine foundation rooted in real customer needs and preferences.
Career Insights from Early Experiences
Tash's childhood experiences influenced her ambitions and career perceptions significantly, particularly growing up with entrepreneur parents. Her first jobs at a bakery and various retail locations instilled a sense of independence and financial responsibility from a young age. Having worked closely with her mother and absorbing insights about business management allowed her to learn valuable skills not taught in traditional education settings. This hands-on experience was foundational for her later success in managing her own companies.
Navigating Challenges and Learning Opportunities
Throughout her career, Tash faced numerous challenges, particularly in production and market adaptation. Instead of perceiving setbacks as failures, she regarded them as learning opportunities, strengthening her skills and resilience. Her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic also taught her to adapt, demonstrating that overcoming challenges can lead to further personal and professional growth. This positive approach allows her to build a more robust and informed perspective on running a business.
The Balance of Health and Success
Maintaining health while pursuing entrepreneurial success is a core theme in Tash's insights. She stresses the importance of self-care, meditation, and managing stress levels to avoid burnout, particularly for women aspiring to excel in their careers. Recognizing that a healthy work-life balance fuels productivity reinforces the idea that one's wellness should not be sacrificed for professional gain. Ultimately, prioritizing health and personal well-being equips entrepreneurs to handle the pressures of building and running successful businesses.
This episode has been a long time coming, when I tell you I’ve been wanting to have Tash Oakley on for YEARS. She’s one of the OG influencers, but has used her platform to monetise her platform into a business that’s lasted decades, where many others have fallen by the wayside. As the co-founder of the internationally acclaimed brand Monday Swimwear, she has revolutionized the industry with her keen eye for design and deep knowledge of viral content.
RETROGRADE, SHREDDY, TALA and THE PRODUCTIVITY METHOD are my own businesses, therefore any mention of them - whilst not being a sponsorship - is monetarily endorsed. As usual, sponsorships do not change my opinions nor my honesty, but I will always disclaim to make sure motives are clear 😊