In Conversation with Stephen Carnes
Tell us about your background:
In college, I was a manager of a contemporary art gallery in Washington, DC. My senior year, we opened up a location in NYC's Meat Packing, back when it was just Jeffrey, Gavin Arts Project, and us. After a few months of being in NYC, I met the sales director at TSE cashmere, who then hired me as an account executive. I then went on to a company that held the license for Perry Ellis Womenswear and Generra, relaunching both brands. I then moved to LA to work for BCBG to help launch 3 of their, at the time, new diffusion lines. After a short stint at Ben Sherman, I then managed the West Coast sales for Robert Rodriguez. During the 2008 recession, I decided to take the opportunity to go back to get my Master's in Exercise Physiology. Despite fitness being a huge passion of mine, I still missed the fashion world and all the amazing relationships that I had cultivated over the years. An amazing opportunity came about to work for Zappos as their men's designer buyer for their Zappos Luxury vertical. After 2 years, I was then promoted to oversee a buying team of 8 buyers, growing the luxury division's business to it's apex, before integrating it into Zappos's main storefront. Now, after 10 years, I am currently a Divisional Merchandise Manager at Zappos, overseeing special projects (specifically launching and scaling new verticals within the Zappos ecosystem).
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
I wish I had focused more on what I was passionate about, and less about angling for that next vertical move and pay raise. Upon reflection, I have realized that when I am working on something that I truly believe in and am passionate about, that is when I've been the most successful, and most rewarded (both professionally and personally).
Best career advice you've ever received?
There are 2 consistent themes that stand out to me.
The first, it's all about relationships. I learned early on that success in this industry can be forged by creating successful, two-way partnerships. These partnerships are not just limited to vendors-retailers, but your internal partners, customers, basically anyone that interacts with your brand. This is partly why I was so attracted to Zappos, a company that bills itself as a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes (and accessories and clothes).
The second, which I picked up from Jeff Bezos, is the "day one" disagree-and-commit strategy. Never be complacent with past success, nor dwell in past missed opportunities. This comes with an entrepreneurial spirit that allows for making high quality decisions quickly while allowing everyone's voice to be heard.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
I firmly believe in creating an environment that fosters trust and collaboration. By putting my team first, I'd sooner fall short in achieving any personal, or even company goals, than putting my team on the line. It was a scary thought at first, but I have seen that it has created the most incredible results. I am lucky to have a team that is fiercely loyal and dedicated. And with that loyalty and dedication, I have seen them go above and beyond to exceed any expectations. And they do it as a team. One person's success ends up being the whole team's success.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
I think the biggest challenge was learning to be an effective leader. I've learned that a leadership style can not be a peanut butter spread across your team. Each person is an individual that learns and grows in their own way. Once I realized that motivation needs to be tailor made to the individual is when I started to see some amazing results from my team. They were more engaged, they felt heard and seen. And by knowing that I was there to support them, it encouraged them to achieve goals that were relevant to them personally and to the overall team.
And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?
I've gone through A LOT of phases, but I would have to say, the one constant is my love of bracelets, with my favorite piece being a pretty hefty, statement turquoise cuff that I bought in Santa Fe. I wear it pretty much daily.
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-carnes
Instagram: @stephen_carnes
