E64: Catalyzing Confidence & Inspiring Innovation with GRAVITAS CEO Lisa Sun

THE POWER OF REINVENTION with Kathi Sharpe-Ross

In this episode, Lisa Sun, founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, shares her ideas on how to Reinvent your dreams. She talks about the journey of starting GRAVITAS, getting motivation and support to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and Reinventing her business to suit people's needs.

Here are some power takeaways from today's conversation:

• Fulfilling your childhood dreams
• Helping your children achieve their dreams
• Dealing with unexpected business challenges
• Reinventing your business ideas to meet different needs

[1:53] Lisa and Gravitas’ Background

Lisa worked at McKinsey & Company for 11 years, advising luxury fashion and beauty brands on issues regarding strategy and operations. GRAVITAS was founded in response to the not-so-terrific first professional review she ever received, noting that she “lacked gravitas.”

Lisa realized the transformative power clothing has on women and developed a passion for building shapers into dresses, offering styling solutions that spark confidence in women.

[21:05] Implementing a Business Idea From an Unfulfilled Need

With her mother’s support, Lisa started GRAVITAS to solve the underlying issues of money and people. She didn't fundraise or write up a business plan to get started; Lisa instead used her life savings and a financial model she had saved on a Word document. From working with McKinsey & Company, she already had a head start on developing connections within the fashion industry.

[30:48] Dealing With the Impact of COVID-19

Despite establishing itself as a brand throughout 2019, GRAVITAS saw a tremendous decrease in sales at the beginning of 2020. Lisa hoped to launch services in China, but COVID-19 had other plans. Because of the newly-implemented stay-at-home policies, many people sent back clothes they wouldn't be able to wear anymore.

But that was not the end. GRAVITAS received orders from hospitals to make gowns and masks, although that was not their specialty. There was little profit coming in compared to when they made dresses, but GRAVITAS had to keep the lights on to keep their workers employed.

[36:22] GRAVITAS’ Reinvention

Lisa Reinvented her brand from working to suit the needs of women of different sizes to designing uniforms for the Hilton Hotels in New York and fire and police department uniforms. GRAVITAS has also launched content and sold books on realizing the unmet need to help women feel their best.

[40:21] The Main Idea Behind GRAVITAS the Book

Lisa’s main idea was to instill self-confidence in her readers, to help them discover their superpowers. The book begins to actively make the unconscious conscious that we're the best out in the world.

Guest Bio:

Lisa Sun is the Founder & CEO of GRAVITAS, a company whose origin story dates back to Lisa’s first professional review: that she “lacked gravitas” and “should go buy a new dress, big jewelry, and great shoes.” Realizing the transformative power of clothing, Lisa secured the patent on building shapewear into dresses and launched Gravitas, a Confidence Company offering innovative apparel and styling solutions to makeover women from the inside-out.

Lisa spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company as an advisor to leading luxury, fashion, and beauty brands on their strategies and operations. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with distinction in Biology and Political Science.

Links to Resources:

https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/gravitas

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sun-793777/

http://www.thereinventionexchange.com/