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Life and Work with Nicole DeBoom

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole DeBoom.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In my former career as a professional triathlete, I often found myself frustrated with the lack of clothing options for athletic women. You could find high performance or great fitting products, but they were never cute! Or you could wear cute products but they didn’t perform or fit well. No one had figured out how to combine all three things. It hit me one day while I was on an uninspired, off-season training run and I saw my reflection in a storefront window. I looked like a boy and I was sick of it. I believed that if I could make athletic clothing that I looked and felt great wearing, I could help women feel and perform better.

I set out to make the first-ever running skirt in 2004 by learning about fabrics, manufacturing, marketing and more. I decided to test my concept in the hardest battlefield I could imagine – the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin – and I won!

Three days later, I incorporated Skirt Sports and started selling fun, feminine, high performance running skirts all over the country shortly thereafter. The skirt trend became a permanent category in the women’s athletic apparel market and Skirt Sports grew along with it.

Fifteen years later, we continue to learn, grow, innovate and connect women all over the country through the transformative power of fitness. We make a full line of women’s athletic wear in sizes XS to 3X from head to toe for all seasons. Our 1500+ woman ambassador program proudly spreads the word and helps us create, design and share all the excitement Skirt offers.

We continue to push the boundaries – we a new business extension that provides affordable, sustainable, previously loved (aka used) clothing for all active women. It’s called TheHustl and just like the original skirt, we know it’s not a trend, but the way of the future.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been perilous! New entrepreneurs must have a very high-risk tolerance, the ability to see the positive road ahead (even when things are dire) and an unwavering belief that they will succeed. The struggles are many and they will pop up unexpectedly. Mine include, but are not limited to, the following! We’ve been sued (twice) and settled (twice). I’ve made horrible hiring decisions and waited way too long to pull the plug on them. We made poor decisions on long term leases and eventually became landlords when we realized we needed to move out of our building. One of our tenants was arrested on the property and we had to evict him and do an auction for his belongings. Our product was held hostage by an elusive “agent” in Taiwan. I had to fly overnight to Taipei to negotiate with the factory to finish our order and not steal our money. We almost went out of business when our biggest customer decided not to take $300k of inventory when we had already produced it for them. And on and on and on. The big struggles are almost easier though; you are forced to face them and they almost always have a conclusion. The smaller struggles are the tough ones. They eat away at you daily. You also need to resolve anything that’s holding you back personally if you want to thrive in business. About three years into my company, I faced my struggles with alcohol and I’ve been sober for 12 years now. When you’re steering the ship of a company, you need to be 100% fully committed to the ride and you can’t let anything hold you back.

The most important thing is to never lose sight of your own gut feeling. You know better than anyone else if what you are doing is right or wrong. Don’t second guess yourself!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Skirt Sports – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Skirt Sports is the most inclusive women’s athletic brand in the market. We invite all women to be part of what we do. We don’t turn women away because of their fitness level, size, age, or anything else.

We are known for creating the first running skirt and we proudly “own” that category today, offering more fitness skirt silhouettes than any other brand. Our goal is to create something for everybody. We are all different and our differences should be celebrated.

Our community is our backbone. We have created an ambassador program like no other. With over 1500 women across the country, Skirt Sports supports the women who support us by showcasing them exclusively in our marketing and communications. I’m so proud of the connections and inclusivity that I’ve nurtured over the past 15 years.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I would not be where I am if I wasn’t an athlete. I grew up playing all sports. Swimming became my passion and I became one of the best in the country. The discipline that swimming gave me transcended the sport and is ingrained in everything I do. Swimming is a tough sport. Success depends on hard work, dedication to the greater goals, repetition, and finding a comfortable place within hours and hours of discomfort. I spent so many hours staring at a black line on the bottom of a pool. It makes even the toughest challenges seem interesting and exciting!

I am open to hiring all sorts of people, but I find that athletes (of any level in any sport) make the best teammates because they share the same experience. They know how to work hard, set goals and push through the pain!

Pricing:

  • Our holiday sale is in effect now!
  • Everything is 40-70% off
  • Sign up for our email list to get daily deals on top of the discounts

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Image Credit:
none – all in house and owned by Skirt Sports

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