Recently I was interviewed for a local magazine that features artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs to share their stories. I am always happy to share my journey to help inspire other people. Ocean SF has had a slow 2023 due to inflation, the cost of materials, and high labor costs, but we are hopeful that 2024 will be a better year for us as we have worked hard to continue to build our foundation with Tiktok content and our new shop. We have also been applying for grants. We were lucky to have two great summer interns who led these initiatives. Great companies start slowly and build. Everything does not happen at once and it takes patience, time, and diligence to create something meaningful and lasting. Apple was started in 1976 and Amazon was started over thirty years ago to provide a few examples.
When I started Ocean SF officially in 2018 it came with so many opportunities for me to grow as a person both professionally and creatively. I have met so many wonderful people along the way. It is something that I can never give up on. I am looking forward to 2024.
Below is the copy for the Interview. I will send the link along with it is officially published.
An Interview with Ocean SF Founder Sydney Chaney Thomas
We're excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sydney Chaney-Thomas. We hope you'll enjoy our conversation with Sydney below.
Alright, Sydney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let's start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Ocean SF began six years ago when the founder Sydney Chaney-Thomas began crafting warm Merino wool clothing for sailing. While doing this, she discovered how harmful polyester is to the ocean and how many mostly women factory workers are treated unethically. Because of these values, Ocean SF was born foremost a sustainable and ethical brand.
While there were many obstacles ahead of our founder the largest happened early on when her husband died of a sudden heart attack leaving her to raise her two young daughters alone. She had a choice to make. Would she let Ocean SF die too? She chose to work 3 part-time jobs to continue to dedicate herself to Ocean SF.
One of those part-time jobs was teaching leadership at UC Berkeley as an adjunct professor. In her Summer Intern Program Sydney uses her teaching skills to turn her interns into future leaders. She teaches her interns how to use their unique talents and step into their power to be the leaders of the future. Sydney's personal story, passion, and dedication make her a shining example for young leaders.
Ocean SF is a women-owned and operated business. Their products are made of natural fabrics or recycled materials. Production for the signature mid-layer is done in San Francisco on Jessie Street.
Today, Ocean SF has survived the pandemic and the economic downturn and continues working hard to develop environmental awareness, and creating sustainable and ethical products, and women leaders through internship programs.
Awesome - so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I have a marketing background in tech, but I have always loved clothing and fashion. I had also always wanted to learn to sail. At that point in life, I thought if not now then when. I finally learned to sail about eight years ago. I had been a former ski instructor and had worn wool socks and long underwear in temperatures of 17 degrees without being cold. So, I decided to solve the problem of getting wet and staying warm with wool and I wanted to make a wool midlayer that was stylish like Lululemon that would keep me warm. I hired a former Gucci pattern maker in LA and made a prototype that was a huge hit with my friends. I decided to start a company and was luckily funded by two friends and one of my blog post readers. I had been writing for a local column and he invested $50,000.
Our products are made of natural fabrics or recycled materials. Production for our mid-layer is done locally in San Francisco on Jessie Street.
I am most proud of my story coming through the death of my husband and never giving up. I like that I can inspire other people, especially my two daughters and their friends who watched this all unfold, and my many interns who I work very hard to teach how to be strong women and leaders.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I closed my first angel investment of $50,000 I did it sitting on the bathroom floor of an industrial kitchen in Oakland. I was wearing a rubber apron and peeled off my rubber gloves to answer my 11:00 a.m. call. The floor was cold, but it was quiet and private. I was able to sell my vision in 25 minutes in what was possibly the worst set of circumstances possible.
I put that money in the bank and worked the next fourteen days straight washing dishes, serving at wedding receptions, and bottling Gold Bar Whiskey on Treasure Island. The fact that I did this is something I am proud of. My husband had died unexpectedly a year and a half before. His dying in the middle of raising our children provided more challenges than I could have ever imagined but I did not want to let my company die as well so I took everything head on and worked incredibly hard. I still do.
What's a lesson you had to unlearn and what's the backstory?
The biggest lesson was the limitations for women especially women who gave up their careers to be mothers and then want to start a company or have a second chapter in their career. There are many stereotypes surrounding this even among my family and friends. A close friend of mine told me that NO ONE would want to fund a 50-year-old woman's company! She discouraged me from doing fashion week and made me feel like I could NEVER succeed. Well, she was wrong and she wasn't alone. After my husband died close family friends told me to move to a cheap apartment, sell my car, and get a job with the State of California! They advised me to give up on my dreams and play it safe.
I refused all of it choosing to believe that I could do it and I did, but there were many nights of soul-searching because on some level I believed what they were saying as well. Being too old is ingrained in our culture. Only young people can start things and succeed. I was considered washed up. The thinking is that older women don't start sportswear companies. In the end, I learned and proved to myself that you can and should follow your dreams and that you are NEVER too old or too anything to do what your heart is calling you to do.
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