Renee created a bootstrapped business with just £2500 which has grown into a renowned swimwear brand 

If you had said that you wanted to create a business that gave you the freedom to travel and create a nomadic lifestyle, a product business wouldn’t have been the top of my list but Renee has just done that. 



In this weeks episode we chat about 



Rushing and Rapid Expansion Renee talks about the pitfalls of expanding too quickly and the mistakes that came from rushing important decisions.

Challenges in International Markets  Insights into launching in different countries  differences in consumer behavior and trends that required unique marketing strategies.

Stockholding and Product Suitability: Discussion on the importance of understanding stock needs and ensuring product suitability for different regions.

Current Challenges The hurdles Ode & Rae  faces as it continues to grow, including managing influencer partnerships and finding the right fit for the team that is brought into the business 

Brand Perception and Key Styles: Realizing the importance of focusing on a few key styles rather than chasing trends continuously.

Social Media Presence Renee's decision to distance herself from the brand's social media, and the reasons behind this choice including future business exit strategy and personal imposter syndrome.

 Investment Considerations  Her experiences with angel investment and the contemplation of further rounds, balancing external investment with her vision for the brand.

Guest 

Renée Milner, Founder & CEO, ODE+ RAE

Renée is a visionary entrepreneur and the solo female founder of ODE + RAE, a female owned and led, luxury Swimwear and Ready-To-Wear brand, which she bootstrapped from the ground up in 2017. Through the ODE + RAE brand, Renée is committed to empowering women to feel confident and liberated, as well as inspire others to create a lifestyle that harmonises work and personal freedom.

Renée is passionate about freedom, personal growth, connection, happiness, and resilience; these values are the bedrock of her business philosophy. She advocates for maximising one's potential and living an inspired and authentic life, on your terms.



https://www.instagram.com/renee_rayy

https://odeandrae.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ODEANDRAE

Host Nicole Higgins 

Nicole has worked as a buyer and head of buying for over 18 years for retailers such as Primark, M&S and Debenhams and now uses her expertise and knowledge to help entrepreneurs start and scale their product businesses and continues to work on projects with corporates to increase bottom line sales and profits. 

She established her own business The Buyer And Retail Coach™ to help give entrepreneurs the confidence and knowledge to bring products to market. Her expertise covers many areas from product development to sourcing and strategy across multi-product categories

The Buyer and retail coach 

Nicole Higgins Links 

https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/free-discovery-call/

https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/blog/

Watch the full episode on You tube 

https://www.youtube.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach/podcasts

Sponsor 

Neon Digital Clicks 

Are you ready to scale your ecommerce store? Want to do it without having to wear yet another hat and become a digital marketing expert? This episode is brought to you by Neon Digital Clicks, THE paid-traffic partner for family and women’s e-commerce brands wanting to scale their stores from five figure to six figure months using Meta, Google and Klaviyo marketing services.  

Neon is offering listeners a FREE scaling audit worth £3000! 

So whether your sales have plateaued or you

’re looking for growth, this is a great opportunity to lift the lid on your biz and identify where the opportunities are hiding. 

Head to scaleandglow.com to discover just how much revenue you could scale your store to this year. 

https://scaleandglow.com/

https://neondigitalclicks.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/neondigitalclicks/

Renee created a bootstrapped business with just £2500 which has grown into a renowned swimwear brand 
If you had said that you wanted to create a business that gave you the freedom to travel and create a nomadic lifestyle, a product business wouldn’t have been the top of my list but Renee has just done that. 
 
In this weeks episode we chat about 
Rushing and Rapid Expansion Renee talks about the pitfalls of expanding too quickly and the mistakes that came from rushing important decisions. Challenges in International Markets  Insights into launching in different countries  differences in consumer behavior and trends that required unique marketing strategies. Stockholding and Product Suitability: Discussion on the importance of understanding stock needs and ensuring product suitability for different regions. Current Challenges The hurdles Ode &amp; Rae  faces as it continues to grow, including managing influencer partnerships and finding the right fit for the team that is brought into the business Brand Perception and Key Styles: Realizing the importance of focusing on a few key styles rather than chasing trends continuously. Social Media Presence Renee's decision to distance herself from the brand's social media, and the reasons behind this choice including future business exit strategy and personal imposter syndrome. Investment Considerations  Her experiences with angel investment and the contemplation of further rounds, balancing external investment with her vision for the brand.
Guest 
Renée Milner, Founder &amp; CEO, ODE+ RAE
Renée is a visionary entrepreneur and the solo female founder of ODE + RAE, a female owned and led, luxury Swimwear and Ready-To-Wear brand, which she bootstrapped from the ground up in 2017. Through the ODE + RAE brand, Renée is committed to empowering women to feel confident and liberated, as well as inspire others to create a lifestyle that harmonises work and personal freedom.
Renée is passionate about freedom, personal growth, connection, happiness, and resilience; these values are the bedrock of her business philosophy. She advocates for maximising one's potential and living an inspired and authentic life, on your terms. 
 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/renee_rayy">https://www.instagram.com/renee_rayy</a>
<a href="https://odeandrae.com/">https://odeandrae.com/</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ODEANDRAE">https://www.instagram.com/ODEANDRAE</a>
Host Nicole Higgins 
Nicole has worked as a buyer and head of buying for over 18 years for retailers such as Primark, M&amp;S and Debenhams and now uses her expertise and knowledge to help entrepreneurs start and scale their product businesses and continues to work on projects with corporates to increase bottom line sales and profits. 
She established her own business The Buyer And Retail Coach™ to help give entrepreneurs the confidence and knowledge to bring products to market. Her expertise covers many areas from product development to sourcing and strategy across multi-product categories
The Buyer and retail coach 
Nicole Higgins Links 
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/">https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk/</a>
<a href="https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/">https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/</a>
<a href="https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/">https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/</a>
<a href="https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/free-discovery-call/">https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/free-discovery-call/</a>
<a href="https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/blog/">https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/blog/</a>
Watch the full episode on You tube 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach/podcasts">https://www.youtube.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach/podcasts</a>
Sponsor 
Neon Digital Clicks 
Are you ready to scale your ecommerce store? Want to do it without having to wear yet another hat and become a digital marketing expert? This episode is brought to you by Neon Digital Clicks, THE paid-traffic partner for family and women’s e-commerce brands wanting to scale their stores from five figure to six figure months using Meta, Google and Klaviyo marketing services.  
Neon is offering listeners a FREE scaling audit worth £3000! 
So whether your sales have plateaued or you
’re looking for growth, this is a great opportunity to lift the lid on your biz and identify where the opportunities are hiding. 
Head to scaleandglow.com to discover just how much revenue you could scale your store to this year. 
<a href="https://scaleandglow.com/">https://scaleandglow.com/</a>
<a href="https://neondigitalclicks.co.uk/">https://neondigitalclicks.co.uk/</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/neondigitalclicks/">https://www.instagram.com/neondigitalclicks/</a>

Want to start, scale and succeed in your product business? Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit. In this weekly business podcast, Nicole is here to empower you to "start, scale and succeed" by providing you with inspiration, motivation and insight from entrepreneurs and experts to help you in the retail industry.

This podcast includes tips, tactics and conversations that you can learn from and implement into your own business, from start up entrepreneurs that have just launched to multi million pound businesses. With tips from experts and how to’s to help your business grow to enable you to live the life you crave. From side hustle to stock market and everything in between.

Start listening and subscribe now

Want to start, scale and succeed in your product business? Buying &amp; retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&amp;S, Debenhams and Asda, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit. In this weekly business podcast, Nicole is here to empower you to "start, scale and succeed" by providing you with inspiration, motivation and insight from entrepreneurs and experts to help you in the retail industry. This podcast includes tips, tactics and conversations that you can learn from and implement into your own business, from start up entrepreneurs that have just launched to multi million pound businesses. With tips from experts and how to&rsquo;s to help your business grow to enable you to live the life you crave. From side hustle to stock market and everything in between. Start listening and subscribe now

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