How I Got Here: Kate Dawson of Sissa Sorella
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—deep dive stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you wanted to know about the secrets of career success.
This week we meet Kate Dawson, the style-maker and owner of boutique stores (Deakin and Campbell) of Sissa Sorella.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Kate Dawson. A born and bred, fourth generation Canberran. I am the Director and owner of Sissa Sorella, compromising of two beautiful, pink brick and mortar boutiques and an online store. That also makes me the HR manager, the Financial controller, the Inventory Manager and the Buyer! I’m mother to daughter Ava, a horse mum, wife of 20 years to Jai and co-carer of two King Charles cavaliers ( I take the walking them every morning responsibility very seriously). I am a keen cook of nourishing foods, a chocolate addict on the side and wouldn’t say no if you offered me a glass of French bubbles. I love to travel and restaurants.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
I have always loved fashion and shoes but it wasn’t always my dream to own a retail store – I loved the shopping too much! My Nan was a keen shopper and it was a right of passage for her to take you shopping regularly, even to Sydney. I think I probably looked pretty tragic in hindsight but I did love it; the whole experience of trying new clothes and having lunch or morning tea after shopping up a storm – it was always an experience and is a memory I treasure of time spent with my powerhouse Nan and perhaps planted the seed for Sissa Sorella long before the first store opened.I actually really wanted to be a pilot when I was younger. Despite earning my small plane pilots license, physics and maths didn’t turn out to be my favourite thing, so I turned my energies to other interests in business management.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
You could call me a later bloomer, I’ve had a varied and interesting career and have only really just found my groove in my 40’s. From Airlines, to restaurants and now to shoes and fashion! I think what really set fire in my belly was a combination of being fired from a role and culture which wasn’t right for me, and finding a space for lease in Deakin that I just knew I could transform into something unique. Being fired for the first time at 40 was confronting and although I would have come to the same decision eventually, it made me question many aspects of my personality and skills and it set me on a journey to figure out again what lights me up. And after a short time of reflection and regrouping I found a new determination to create my very own path. And Sissa Sorella was born!
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
Oh, there were many of those moments in 2022, which was my hardest year yet! Thinking that the pandemic was 2020 and 2021, which saw a huge overhaul in how businesses operated, it was actually even harder in 2022 so there were many tears and a few mini breakdowns last year. As much as we all wanted it to be a distant (bad) memory, the pandemic was by no means over in 2022 but everything shifted again for the whole world anyway and business was difficult to predict and plan for.When the stock that you spend so much time sourcing, ordering, buying, unpacking, ironing, pricing and displaying just doesn’t sell it’s hard not to question your choices, ideas and plans and want to call it a day. The thing that I kept telling myself is that ‘we’re all in this together, and I’m not the only one being affected’. I reassured myself that it could be worse and there were in fact many small businesses much worse off than me. I tried to be grateful and proud of what I have achieved so far, looked for new ideas and support and doubled down as much as I could to keep moving forward.
What was your biggest break?
My biggest break was getting into a well sought-after corporate program at Qantas in may twenties. Even getting the job was a hard slog and involved a multi-layered interview process that only 4 graduates out of 1100 entrants were fortunate enough to receive. Getting to work in a company that I had always dreamed of, and in a coveted position, gave me the confidence in my younger years to believe in myself. I wasn’t the smartest in the class but I was dedicated, determined and hard working.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
In business, spend less than you earn and always pay your bills on time.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love meeting with my suppliers to plan the season ahead, and seeing the new season collection way before anyone else. It’s kind of like being the person who buys the Christmas presents and you can’t wait for the recipients to open them when it’s finally time! I love it when women find a piece of clothing or pair of shoes which they love and when they make them feel beautiful that makes my day. But what makes me pull my hair out is waste. Moving from shoes to clothes has been more challenging than I thought in terms of timing and urgency to changeover stock. The Shoe Collections arrive as two seasons Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, whereas clothing is four seasons with multiple deliveries and it sometimes feels like there’s something new coming in before customers have even had a chance to appreciate the other recently received stock, so the turnover is really fast. It sometimes feels wasteful – the clothes we stock are beautiful and not fast fashion so I want to be able to appreciate them more and slow down a little. To try and achieve this we are consolidating our clothing range for 2023 and adding more shoes to our collection.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
Recently I have been trying to consume less media as I find it all consuming and sometimes overwhelming. It’s the challenge of being just a voyeur and not comparing yourself/your business to others. I try and get my inspiration and keep up to date through other channels as well and not get too bogged down in social media, I’m very intentional about the social media I consume to ensure it’s me, not the algorithm, choosing what I want to take in.I occasionally travel to Europe to meet with factories and suppliers over there, they are ahead of our seasons so that’s a great way to ‘stay in the know’ of the trends coming our way. Failing that, my suppliers and agents travel a lot and they are a wonderful source of knowledge to share. I’m a morning ABC viewer, usually in the background as everything else is going on! I have The Small Business Big Marketing by Tim Reid, Mamamia No Filter, Not an Overnight Success, ABC News Daily and TED Business on my Podcast list which I usually consume in short sharp bursts on my car trips to Sydney.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope that I can continue to bring beautiful collections to Canberrans with a bit better work/life balance and more travel to source unique pieces for my beautiful customers.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
Working for yourself is incredibly rewarding but very challenging. I’ve pushed myself in ways I didn’t think possible, I’ve learnt things that I never wanted to know, I achieved more than I thought I could. Working for yourself offers a level of freedom that working in a 9-5 job or for someone else doesn’t allow.
What advice would you give your past self?
Surround yourself with like minded people that drive you to achieve your best and bring out the best in you.
