Ep 251 | Sali Christeson

Written By Yasmin Nouri

How This Founder Used Her Corporate Experience to Disrupt the Fashion Industry and Is Helping Women Become More Confident

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Sali Christeson is the CEO and founder of Argent, a brand revolutionizing women’s workwear.

Sali always had aspirations of entrepreneurship but chose to gain more experience before pursuing her own venture. Beginning her career in finance and banking, she later transitioned to the tech industry at CISCO. Frustrated by the lack of functional workwear options for women, she toyed with the idea of starting her own company. However, it wasn't until a few years later when she came across a study highlighting the judgment women face based on their appearance that she decided to take action. With everything aligning, Sali finally leaped and founded Argent.

Since 2016, Sali and Argent have been leading the workwear revolution, offering functional, high-quality, and unique pieces designed to empower women in the workplace. Their mission is to arm working women with confidence through their clothing.

In our episode together, we talk about how Sali pivoted from her corporate career to becoming a fashion entrepreneur with no design experience, the steps she took to fund the idea, and her thoughts on how to approach co-founders & hiring when you’re building a team. She also shares the unconventional approach she took to launch the brand, how networking has been crucial to her success and best practices there, and how she navigated the brand during the pandemic when offices were closed and the brand nearly went to zero (which was a crazy story). We also chat about building your confidence, how to set boundaries at work, and so much more. 

Show Notes:

  • Lessons Sali learned from growing up in an immigrant entrepreneurial family. [02:53]

  • Sali's pursuit of traditional academics and early career journey. [05:12]

  • Working at Cisco and gaining confidence to make the entrepreneurial leap. [09:07]

  • How Sali learned to navigate workplace politics. [12:13]

  • The importance of setting boundaries. [16:02]

  • Being mindful of when you need to rest. [19:31]

  • Finding balance to your routine. [21:11]

  • How the idea for Argent came about. [22:37]

  • Sali's initial steps in leaving her full-time job and taking the leap. [27:07]

  • The importance of trusting your gut. [31:24]

  • The importance of slowing down the hiring process. [34:07]

  • The fundraising process during the early days of Argent. [38:02]

  • Advice on building network and authentic relationships. [41:48]

  • The societal construct in the corporate industry. [33:57]

  • The process of Argent’s launch event. [48:30]

  • How Sali navigated during the COVID-19 Pandemic. [51:03]

  • Going viral and how they generated a year's worth in just one day. [53:21]

  • How the COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated product demand. [54:38]

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Ep 252 | Dr. Sara Gottfried
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Ep 250 | Monica Royer