As far as I remember, I’ve been interested in exploring the question, what makes companies tick? Throughout school and university, I became increasingly curious about how companies make money, what are the market drivers, trends and what it is like to explore a business opportunity.

I used to like to think about different business ideas. Due to the scope of my studies (I studied macroeconomics) and lack of entrepreneurial experience, I did not, however, have the courage to establish my own business at this time. I was trying different things, different internships, different industries in the corporate world and I could not find my place. 

And then, a team of Rothschild & Co investment bankers happened to visit my university. This was the moment where I felt that for the first time, I had found the place and people I wanted to belong to. Their enthusiasm, commitment, and entrepreneurial spirit drew me in. I felt that M&A advisory was exactly the area where I could combine both my interests with my passions. 

Working at Rothschild & Co

I worked for Rothschild & Co for one year as an Analyst in the Debt Advisory team in Frankfurt.

Economically, this was a very difficult time. As I started, the subprime crises hit the markets, so the Debt Advisory department had really been put in the spotlight. We were helping clients navigate the turbulent economic environment. Despite the challenges, my role was very satisfying. We were able to help our clients, the people that made up these companies, and markets. The feeling of contributing to the rescue package of the economy and people’s lives was an exhilarating one.

Blazing her own trail

I have always been a very active person and during my work in investment banking I had a pretty intense lifestyle. Morning yoga, days at the office, going out with friends after work, travelling both for work and leisure. During this time, I started to feel that the clothes I was wearing were letting me down.

They just did not live up to my busy lifestyle. They were uncomfortable, inconvenient, and appeared wrinkled after just few hours. Apart from that they were usually boring, very conservative, not modern. And, paradoxically, difficult to get. 

I remember thinking to myself that the needs of the busy, modern businesswomen are underrepresented in the crowded womenswear market. It felt like most options were either boring or unsuitable for business and not versatile enough. Nothing like the Italian suits men could get everywhere. Nothing I could make a statement and feel confident in.   

I decided to address the issue through my own experience by starting a brand that combines elegance with high-tech fabrics to achieve a modern professional look with no compromise on comfort and functionality – clothes that could take a woman from her desk to dinner. Energy, passion and innovation were the key words when creating the brand. I wanted women to feel motivated to action just thinking about the brand itself. ENNBOW stands for Energizing Body Wear. 

Weaving in her past 

Working in investment banking was great preparation for starting my own business. Obviously I knew the components and departments of a company, so it was more easy to imagine how should I structure my own organisation and strategise. 

The technical skills I’d learnt at Rothschild & Co also really came in handy. I knew how to write a business plan and make a good pitch. Most importantly, I had the mindset that nothing is impossible. I was proud of the discipline I’d developed – the art of not giving up and the ability to ‘dig deeper’ when necessary. 

I was also able to build valuable relationships. 

Designing for women in the workplace

Many people think that how we dress should not influence our careers. Why should it? We are well educated, we are professional, we are just very good at what we do. However our appearance can be a huge component of our communication. Body language is responsible for 56% of the impression we make. There is a saying: “you never have the second chance to make the first impression”. It is human nature to categorise, to make shortcuts – our brain needs to simplify the complicated world to make progress. By taking care of your personal brand, we signal to the world that we can handle the task at hand, that we are professional and trustworthy.

Even more importantly, research shows that how we look and dress influences what we think about ourselves, how motivated we are and how we behave. Harvard professor Amy Cudy proved that through body language we can influence the level of testosterone and cortisol, hormones responsible for courage and stress. Body language and a feeling good in your own skin influences our confidence, which is why comfortable clothes are so important.

Confidence is a key skill for modern leader. Recently we released an ebook on confidence – a skill and feeling which you definitely can train and influence.

Owning a business during a pandemic 

The pandemic for me, like for everyone, was at first a huge shock. Thankfully, it turned out to be a huge opportunity. In early 2020, ENNBOW had a wonderful pipeline of projects including collaborations with prominent companies and businesses, including one with an international airport shop operator. By March, it was clear that our current business model would be frozen for many months. 

I always believed that every crisis, every challenge is an opportunity. After a week of complete silence, I reminded myself about the personal shopping service I had wanted to introduce, but because of lack of time, had always put it aside. Within few days we established the beta version of this shopping service, which allows you to try on our ENNBOW collection at home. 

This personal at-home shopping service, ENNBOX, contains a set of clothes selected by our stylist based on your needs and preferences. We always wanted to address the challenges of the businesswoman and deliver a practical solution to save their time and energy. The only thing the shopper needs to do is share with their size, style preferences, and favourite colors, and our stylist will create and deliver a personalised selection of garments. 

This clothing can be tried on in the comfort of your own home, at your connivence, and customers only pay only for items want to keep. It turned out to be exactly what women in business want.

And our collection turned out to be the best solution for home office: super comfortable and elegant at the same time.

When normality returns, I can’t wait to see the community of women, who work hard to bring positive change in society. I look forward to taking action again and making this world a better place. Definitely I am looking forward to going to Bangkok for the 30th anniversary of the Global Summit Of Women and meeting my partners and members of Vital Voices, 30% Club and Women In Tech Summit. 

I hope that I can become inspired and then share the new information, insights and ideas with our community to empower women in business!

You can learn more about Kasia's business by visiting https://ennbow.com/ and following @ENNBOW on Instagram.