{"id":45005,"date":"2022-05-26T16:10:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T21:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?p=45005"},"modified":"2022-06-27T10:12:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T15:12:53","slug":"suitably-is-blazing-trails-for-women-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/stories\/suitably-is-blazing-trails-for-women-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Suitably is Blazing Trails for Women in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For women in business, life can seem like a constant juggling act. As a new mom, Columbia business school graduate, and CEO of a businesswear line that launched a few weeks before COVID lockdowns, though, Annabel Gato is well-versed in the art of keeping things moving with both hands full. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We chatted with Annabel and her husband and Co-Owner of Suitably<\/a>, Phil Gato, hoping to gain an understanding of how Suitably uses ShipStation to keep their business running smoothly. What we got, however, was much more than that. We witnessed a little bit of the magic that allows Suitably to continue to thrive in circumstances that would have snuffed out the light of business owners half as strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am woman, hear me work <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI created Suitably to help give all professional women a leg up in the workplace,\u201d Annabel tells us. \u201cWe are a direct-to-consumer women’s professional wear brand that offers ultra-comfortable, machine washable capsule pieces for the office. Our pieces are seasonless, so they’ll last year-round and won’t go out of style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea for Suitably came to Annabel when she was in her second year of Columbia Business School. As a paralegal , she found it incredibly difficult to buy business formal clothes right out of college. Everything was poor fitting. There were strange design details as companies rotated their inventory through each season.  \u201cI knew women deserve better,\u201d Annabel says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was, of course, absolutely right. And for a few glorious weeks following the brand\u2019s launch in February of 2020, it seemed the world was on her side. Women were loving the brand’s ethos and designs and Suitably were perfectly positioned, both in marketing and production, to keep the inventory coming. But then, society as a whole laid down their suits in lieu of sweatpants as offices everywhere closed their doors in response to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A COVID Comeback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the world and the workforce closing in around them, Annabel and Phil knew they had no choice but to see their burgeoning brand through the chaos if they wanted to come out the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of a sudden you’re completely off trend. And we realized we had to run it leanly, be very smart about our capital allocation decisions and find ways to acquire customers profitably,\u201d Phil explains. \u201cIt was a shift in our business model.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift consisted of tightening their budgets and doubling-down on low-cost marketing opportunities, They leaned in to their Instagram and blog communities as a way to stay relevant and also buid a connection with their customers. Luckily, Annabel had been building this community of businesswomen even before Suitably officially launched. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Annabel and Phil pivoted in light of COVID, they realized they would need some help amid the shipping delays that came with the pandemic, not to mention navigating a new business in such an uncertain time. They needed to run with tight margins and no room for error. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that is what brought me to ShipStation,\u201d says Phil. \u201cWe recognized that we wanted to handle the fulfillment ourselves at the very beginning. ShipStation just seemed like fantastic software for keeping everything organized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re saving real, meaningful dollars on each shipment. Plus, we are getting smarter about how to ship and pack efficiently, as well as which provider to use for various different geographic regions.”<\/p>Annabel Fowler, CEO of Suitably<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ShipStation Helps Bridge the Gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With so many people returning to the office, whether full-time or sometimes, Suitably is back in the swing of things. Annabel and Phil are so glad to have ShipStation on their side when it comes to fulfillment and logistics. The team, who like to write handwritten notes and pack each order meticulously, has more time to pour resources into their passion project instead of worrying about keeping orders organized or shipping on budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe love and use ShipStation literally every single day for our small business. It’s been a critical operational software for us,\u201d says Annabel. \u201cWe\u2019re saving real, meaningful dollars on each shipment. Plus, we are getting smarter about how to ship and pack efficiently, as well as which provider to use for various different geographic regions. We get real-time data on what various different shipping providers are charging. And we can negotiate discounts with shippers. It gives us a full view of what our shipping costs are and how we can optimize it for the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ShipStation’s help with strategizing shipping processes was a lifesaver for Annabel and Phil when they were running lean and uncertain of what the future would hold during COVID. Now that lockdowns have lifted and orders are pouring in, they use the software to stay on top of all the new business and focus on expanding their brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing hands-on with our fulfillment process was critical to us. ShipStation just kept things organized in a much better way,\u201d says Phil. \u201cTo have the dashboard, and see all of your orders and get a sense for the work that needed to be accomplished initially is so helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Annabel\u2019s original goal for Suitably was to eliminate barriers of entry for women in the workplac<\/a>e. While one huge barrier \u2013 COVID \u2013 certainly kept many doors closed for people of all genders, Annabel\u2019s vision survived the storm, thanks in large part to the community that Suitably has built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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