Her Story
About Sarah
I started my career right after college about 13 years ago. Initially, I had a job lined up in supply chain at Dow Chemical and was going to move to Michigan, but I tried to find something in the Ohio area where I'm based. As a numbers person who enjoys forecasting and demand scenarios, I'm very analytical, but it helps me to resonate more with the product. That's what inspired me to go into retail - having more of a connection with what I'm planning and managing. At the time, I was really young, but it was more motivating for me to work in fashion retail instead of raw materials. I love the problem-solving and collaborative teamwork, and I can understand the customer-facing element better with retail products. I work in merchandise planning and allocation (MP&A), which in some companies falls under the finance umbrella. I did take a brief break for about a year and a half, but I've been at DSW, the shoe retailer, for a long time now - almost 10 years. There was a moment in my career where I left a job I really enjoyed for something that seemed more lucrative, but it didn't work out and I was only there for 3 to 6 months. Eventually, my current company reached out to me, and I've had a lot of different opportunities here. I'm currently an individual contributor, and I'm working towards growing into a management role where I can help develop the next generation of entry-level or mid-level career planning or allocation professionals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think a willingness to learn has been key to my success. My career has really evolved - I've been in a merch planning role now for over 5 years, but I learn new things every day, so always having that willingness to learn new things has contributed to my success. I also think taking risks in retail is important. You have to know when you're willing to take risks, and that has helped me get into new roles and form new relationships. There was a moment in my life where I left a job that I really enjoyed for something else that seemed much more lucrative and like a great opportunity, but it didn't work out and I was only there for 3 to 6 months. I don't regret stepping away and trying something different, even though it didn't always work out, but I do think that taking risks in a calculated way can really propel you forward. Eventually, the company I work at now reached out to me, and I've been here for almost 10 years and had a lot of different opportunities.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think the biggest piece of advice that I would share is having a flexible mindset. We have to deal with a lot of macroeconomic uncertainty - that's been consistent through my career. Just being flexible and understanding that you might have to pivot helps you navigate this type of field. You can't really get stuck in your ways, because it could change tomorrow.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think integrity, honesty, and transparency are really important to me. Even in my career, just being transparent about the different outcomes that we could see come to fruition in a season, and then in my personal life, that's always a really big value of mine. Family and supporting family are important - I think being a woman and supporting the different changes that a woman goes through through her career, like getting married or becoming a mom. A big value of mine is work-life balance, and kind of taking a step back and realizing that work is very important to me, but I also think that we need to make time for things that we love, because life is short. To put it in terms of values, I would say balancing family values and fairness and integrity are most important to me.
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