On hiring…
”I would take passion, enthusiasm and a good speller over experience” @DonnaIda
“Do your research. We want to hire people who know about the brand and have really shown an interest” @DonnaIda
“Research and work out who to contact in the department. It’s a way of showing your initiative.” @LuciaDebieux
On E-Commerce…
“Invest time in social media – it shows you’ve got the full package covered” @DonnaIda
“It’s really important that you uniform your site and make the photography unique to you” @DonnaIda
“Get a good grasp of google analytics to start and understand any e-commerce business” @DonnaIda
On Motivation…
“Sometimes I’m just excited about being excited!” @DonnaIda
“If something is worth doing it’s worth working hard for” @DonnaIda
“I never regret anything I do – what’s the point?” @DonnaIda
For Designers…
“One of the first questions we ask is ‘where are you stocked?’” @LuciaDebieux
“Email images rather than samples! I will keep them on file even if I don’t get back to you straight away” @LuciaDebieux
On Starting a Business…
“Write a business plan. It shows you’re someone worth dealing with” @DonnaIda
“It took me a year of research, writing a business plan, talking to suppliers etc before I started trading” @DonnaIda
“Sometimes I look at my original business plan and think ‘I still haven’t done that!’ And it’s still a good idea even now” @DonnaIda
“Stay focused! Don’t spread yourself too thin. Build a core to expand on” @DonnaIda
“I don’t think you need a degree or piece of paper to prove you can do something! Just show your confidence” @DonnaIda
“Don’t be ordinary, be extraordinary. Always achieve something more than the day before” @DonnaIda
If you have an idea for your dream career but aren’t sure how to get there sign up to Marie Claire’s Mentor & Inspire scheme where you can be mentored by Donna Ida Thornton http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/mcatwork/542455/do-you-want-to-be-mentored-by-an-amazing-businesswoman.html
