Nora Gardner, Creative Number-Cruncher and Power-Dressing Revolutionizer  

I was introduced to Nora Gardner, the CEO and Creative Director of Nora Gardner NYC at her September 2014 pop-up store created by pop-up architect Melissa Gonzalez (also interviewed in this SharpHeels series).

Nora is another of the powerful New York City women I have come across who has pursued entrepreneurship after first flexing her professional muscles working on Wall Street. She was an investment banker for five+ years before turning her professional ambitions to the challenge faced by many high-powered career women like her: what to wear to work!

As explained on her website, Nora “noticed a pressing need for attractive women’s work wear. She found traditional business suits uncomfortable and unflattering, yet most of the available alternatives were either too suggestive, too expensive, or lacking in functional, practical aspects such as pockets and durable fabric.” (Having practiced law for over a decade, all I can say is “Nora, where were you when my lawyer wardrobe needed you!”)

Nora set out to solve her own problem as all smart entrepreneurs do, and launched her company to reinvent the power dress. As Melissa Gonzalez noted on The Lion’esque Group blog:  “Nora’s dresses and monochromatic co-ordinates are perfect for the busy #Girlbosses that are always on-the-go. Their timeless cuts make them easy to transition from keynote speech in the day to an evening networking event.”

What is your expertise?
Finance and Fashion (and combining them)!

What are you curious about?
Learning about new companies, industries, and cultures.

Define “entrepreneur.”
Someone who turns his or her own idea into a successful business.

Who are your heroes?
Queen Elizabeth I and Nikki Minaj. They have a lot more in common than you’d think!

What is your current challenge?
Cash flow, of course!

Your greatest achievement?
I still look to my banking days for some of my greatest achievements. I worked on a few major restructurings of our country’s infrastructure and I believe my analysis and input helped save taxpayers a significant amount of money.

I am also very proud of a few key victories during my college tennis career. As an NCAA athlete, you find that games are very hard-fought and emotional, so a few matches really stand out in my mind as character-defining moments.

That being said, I am in the thick of a new chapter right now and I don’t often take steps back to look at how far I’ve come; it would be like looking down when you are dangling on a few carabiners halfway up Everest – just not a good idea! I know I am on my way, and it is incredibly exciting and I cannot wait for what the future holds.

What is your motto?
Ever dollar matters, and fear is not an option. (I stole that second one from DVF!).

Why are you an entrepreneur?
I have too many ideas in my head that I want to try and explore; having my own company is the only way I will have the ability to pursue the ideas I truly believe in. I want to steer the ship – that’s just my personality and how I am happiest. Being happy matters, too!

What problem are you solving?
I am giving professional women perfect clothing that takes them from the boardroom to date-night without skipping a beat. When I was a banker, clothing like this simply did not exist. Now, it does.

What problem would you like solved?
Stockings that do not run. That’s next for me – unless someone else will please do it already.

Item you wish you had invented? 
Spanx! I did invent them – I called them “Shrinkies” — I made them out of the control top part of my stockings. They were great.

Biggest regret?
Not inventing Shrinkies!

What mobile device do you presently use?
iPhone 4, as punishment for losing my 5. Upgrading to a 6 in February, though.

Essential app(s)? 
Calculator. Chase. Instagram. Netflix. I do not Snapchat.

Which productivity tools (app/software/office supplies) do you use most often?
Xero for accounting; StitchLabs for inventory management; Square for running direct sale orders; Stripe for wholesale orders; Shopify for ecommerce; scissors for cutting fabric swatches, and packing tape for shipping boxes of dresses!

Best discovery?
La Finca Malbec [red wine] at Trader Joe’s. $3.99 for deliciousness – or at least it hits the spot after a long day.

Which talent would you like to have?
I wish I could sing. I have a range of about four notes — and then it’s all croaking.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
I like it when my father posts “free ads” for me on his “everything but the kitchen sink” blog. I usually get at least 300 hits each time he posts one.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?  
Fabric from Italy takes much longer to arrive than you could ever possibly imagine, so whatever they quote you, triple it.

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“Women 25-50 want to look professional and attractive. There were no reliable designers at an accessible price point for this rapidly growing demographic, until now.”

Your bio in 6 words?
Athlete turned financier, turned fashion designer.

Are you on Twitter?
Yes, @noragardnerinfo, but I do not tweet enough.

The Twitter follower you can’t live without?
The fact that I can’t answer this really means I need to work on my social media….

What’s your hashtag?
#noragardnerapparel, although I am changing it to #NoraGardnerNYC.

Your nails on a chalkboard moment is?
Any kind of delay. I can get a little impatient – I am working on that!

The J.O.B. you’d actually like?
Doing exactly what I am doing. And also being a mom, I would like to do that some day.

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur?
That you don’t have to answer to anyone – or that you can make your own hours.

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Forbes!

What are you reading?
The Sound and the Fury by William Falkner. I’ve never read anything like it except maybe James Joyce. It jumps around a lot so not the best book for my subway commute.

What is your must-read?
Recently, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Some favorite books are Moby Dick, The Power of One, The Cherry Orchard by Chekov, and The Good Earth. I love reading about different cultures.

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Don’t take anyone’s advice.

What conference would you like to keynote?
I don’t presume to be ready to keynote any conference yet.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Dark chocolate.

Short cut, long route, road less traveled? What’s your roadmap?
Definitely the road less traveled – or making a new trail.

Podium you’d like to stand on?
Again, I can’t presume.

The memories of a chef are tastes and smells; what would you say are the memories of an entrepreneur?
The occurrence of these physiological responses when I am alone: terrible nausea from stress and anxiety, and then uncontrollable tears of joy when I realize what I have done. In front of everyone I play it cool.

What makes you LOL?
My wonderful boyfriend. Thank God for him!

Who or what inspires you?
Everyone has something inspiring about them.

What’s the most important startup/entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned?
Listen to everyone’s opinions, but make your own decisions. Also, you cannot be afraid!

What would be the title of your biography?
I’m just getting started! Actually, that could work as a title, now that I think about it.

Favorite gadget?
Snips. They are little baby scissors for snipping strings.

Your Ferris Bueller moment: if you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do?
Spa day, no question.

One place in time you’d like to visit?
The court of Queen Elizabeth I. I would love to see those dresses!

Part of the trick to staying focused?

Pretending your life depends on it.

You take a three-hour ocean tour and get stranded…what three items do you have with you?
I carry at least one massive bag with me everywhere, so I couldn’t possibly begin to answer this question.

Where can readers of “In Conversation With” connect with you online?
My Facebook page is best.

One last thing: what’s the question I should be asking you)?
If you had all the time and all the money in the world, what would you be doing? Drawing dresses, building business models, and helping women become financially independent and succeed. That is why I started my company.