In Conversation with Syama Bunten
Tell us about your background:
I am a self-actualized leader for startups in pre-launch and early growth stages globally. Growing up in San Francisco, I had many unique experiences afforded to me; attending a performing arts school that inspired me to pitch to and sing at the White House (age 12), performing in off-Broadway performances (age 9), to co-producing the first San Francisco Fashion Week at the age of 18. I had attended a French American International High School, where I would end up writing a senior paper on the 1960s women’s liberation and fashion movement. During the evenings, motivated by my love of economics and fashion, I would scour the job boards of LVMH. At the tender age of 9 I had written a school report on why things went on sale at Macy’s, so it came to no one’s surprise, that I would to launch a career in that industry. In my heart San Francisco felt like a tiny town, so I left for New York where I graduated at CUNY Hunter with a degree in Economics and Philosophy.
After University, I went on to excel in the corporate fashion world at Macy’s, Barneys New York, Gucci and later startup AHAlife. At Barney’s I was one of a few people in a new division, ecommerce. At Gucci, I was heading up the Outlet division, a department I would grow from $50 to $100M in 2 years. These were incredible times in the industry. A time when fashion weeks were coveted invitations, nothing was streamed online, and you had to be there to know. When I had joined AHAlife, they were the first influencer driven ecommerce platform. This was at a time when influencers were celebrities; think Heidi Klum, Iris Apfel, and Instagram was just starting. It was during my time at AHAlife, that I had decided to move to Los Angeles. I had started a consulting practice while at Barney’s, and was ready to fully launch it.
Scaling Retail, launched in 2012, was ignited to be the McKinsey/Accenture for the fashion world. Fashion was a black box. Lots of bad information, and consultants who had no experience with success were giving business advice. I was appalled. I had seen a number of great brand ideas, but poor business execution while I was at Barneys, and knew I could help. I set out to be the fractional operator to visionaries. Over ten years later, Scaling Retail has serviced clients all over the world. From governments who have hired us to do economic development programs to the United Nations to the DTC brands you are seeing in the press. I have spoken on stages around the world, been quoted in media like NPR, INC, Business of Fashion, and have won a number of awards; 2017 WWD Top Women in Business, 2022 Thought Leader of the Year, and most recently 2023 Positive Leader of the Year.
Today, I am leading organizations and working with founders that are spearheading a vision-aligned future of the world. I am working across women and wealth, fashion, technology, cannabis, and blockchain. I am an investor, advisor, and consultant for founders that are creating self-actualized businesses, where they unlock their potential as leaders, the potential of their people and are out to positively impact the world.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
I started my career in NYC, and chose brand names over higher salaries and taking care of my health. Every company I worked at espoused the ethos of “you are so lucky to work here”, that I chose to work endless hours, and ended up with a retirement investment in handbags rather than a big 401k. Luckily, I started my business in 2012 and was able to pivot out of that cycle.
Best career advice you've ever received?
Learn advanced Microsoft Excel. I was advised this by a senior professional when I was graduating from college. Knowing how to do a VLOOKUP is a very helpful skill to market when interviewing for buying or planning positions.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
Being a self-actualized leader requires you to be curious and a deep listener, both to yourself and others. You have to be able to get very quiet to hear yourself, and brave enough to ask tough questions of yourself, this is where I lead from.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
I have expanded beyond fashion, a challenging task to do. I started by investing and advising companies to learn how my skills translated to new industries. I have successfully been able to transfer my Co-CEO skills to new industries, most recently as the Co-CEO of Sona Technologies.
And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?
Gucci Loafers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syamameagher/
Website: www.syama.co
Instagram: @syama.co
