A Day in the Life of an Ethical Fashion Brand's CEO

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run your own underwear business? Take a sneak peek into a day in the life of our very own Sarah Jordan, the brains behind the business! Here’s a snapshot of one of Sarah’s typical working days:

8am: I use the extra time from not having to commute to enjoy a more leisurely start to the day. I usually aim for a 30-minute walk/run each morning, as I’m lucky to live close to a great park and plenty of fields so it’s easy to get out. I usually listen to an audiobook or podcast, because I find this a great time to think and I also can’t quite kick the habit of always needing to learn! I usually try not to schedule and calls or meetings before 9:30-10:00 am, just so I have a clearer start to the day and more ‘thinking time’ first thing.

9:30am – 1:00pm: I always find I’m more productive in the mornings, so unless I have calls scheduled I’ll try to get ahead with my (often very long!) to do list. This week I’ve had lots of interesting work going on, from interviews for student placements, prepping for discussions on Instagram live, and getting status updates from our manufacturer in India (we’ve got new stock on the way, which is very exciting!). This week we had a much-anticipated delivery of samples of our underwear in fabulous African-inspired designs too!

As a business owner it can often be hard to juggle little, daily tasks with the need to focus on bigger projects that are important for business development. At the moment we’re working towards achieving B Corp status and are also trying to get our email newsletter up and running, so I try to make sure I always have chunks of time in my week set aside to really get to grips with these, as well as thinking of strategic plans for the next month.

2:00pm – 3:00pm: We have orders coming in every day, so I’ll usually spend a chunk of time in the afternoon packing and processing deliveries. I try to combine this with an afternoon walk to the Post Office for a break away from the screen.

Late afternoon: I spend one or two hours throughout the day responding to customer enquiries and questions. Sometimes there can be quite a few, but it’s always one of my priorities to ensure that our customers get all the information they need!

Evening: I often have an event on in the evening, such as an Instagram live session, the Ethical Hour twitter chat on Mondays, and more recently a pitch competition organised by the Ethical Brand Directory – which to my delight, I won!

I always try to maintain a couple of non-working evening commitments each week (if I’m lucky!). My favourite at the moment is river swimming, as it’s so great for getting time outdoors, away from the screen and immersed in some (freezing!) water.

I’m often back online a bit later to do some engagement on social media and a bit of planning for the next day, which helps to stop my brain going all night! 

Long days really don’t feel the same when you’re working for yourself, but I am trying to get more balance now that I’m at home and not having to travel as much. I try to get outside as much as possible, and it’s sometimes a fight to preserve these free chunks when you’re working for yourself and nothing stops! But overall, I always feel motivated by knowing I’m making a difference!