Last year I booked Claire Terry from the incredible and iconic Wellington retail business Madame Fancy Pants to come on the show about brand voice, social media and marketing
On the morning of the podcast recording, and the day after NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation, Claire and I chatted on the phone. She had news, and wondered if perhaps I’d still want her to come on the show.
Claire had watched Jacinda Ardern’s speech and had wondered about the timing. She had completed a press release that was due to go out just after our podcast recording, which echoed much of what Jacinda Arden had said. There was nothing left in the tank. And that had to change.
Madame Fancy Pants is a firm favourite for thousands of Kiwis, both the instore and the online versions. And Claire announced on the 20th of January that she had made the very difficult decision to close her flagship store, in Cuba Street after having a shop in Wellington since 2006. 
While she’s still running a store in Greytown and her online store, this was a huge decision and change for Claire, and her team
Claire was open to share with me,and you, her journey to this decision point, why it was a positive choice rather than a forced decision (and how important that is for us as small business owners) and what she’s hoping to discover and jump into once the store closes in February.
I’ve talked to a lot of small business owners who’ve come into 2023 tired. Some feel they need to make a change, to shut off a part of their business or step away completely. 
A business will evolve and change over its lifetime. If you’re in a “waiting place”, finding business hard, or want to check in with what the warning signs are, this podcast is very much for you
And I want to say THANK YOU to Claire for her generosity in sharing this story. I hope you also love her honestly as much as I did. 
In this episode we cover:

How Madame Fancy Pants started
What impact the pandemic had on the business
Why Claire sees this as a conscious, positive move
What Claire regrets from the last few years
What she’s looking forward to most about having reduced stress
What her advice would be for small business owners in this place and stage 

 
Important Links
MADAME FANCY PANTS
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