PHOEBE WOODS // NEXT WAVE

Name: Phoebe Woods
Handle: @phoebewoods
Job Title: Founder & Director
Workplace: Superbloom Studio (@superbloom_studio)
Location: Melbourne, Australia

What does a day in your life look like?

I know it’s a massive cliche, but no two days are the same. My day depends entirely on what we have running that week whether that’s strategy sessions, client meetings, an event, a photoshoot, a site visit etc. 

What stays consistent: I'm up early and try to move my body. Then of course all the usual suspects, WIP’s, emails, calls etc etc. And the coffee run, regardless of how many I've already had, I'll do a lap with whoever's in the office and that fifteen minutes away from the screens is such a nice re-set button for my day. 

For anyone who wants to have their own business one day, what's something you'd recommend learning or getting experience in first?

Find a role where you have to wear more than one hat. A startup, an independently run business, somewhere lean where there's no one else to pass the problem to.

I think too often people who come up through big companies can spend years becoming really good at one thing, in one department, in a silo. And that's fine, until you want to run something yourself. Because all of a sudden you're the head of every department, not just the one you like or have experience in. And you need to know how to solve the problem yourself & there's no other team to pass it to.

I’ve seen people grow fastest when the take on more than what’s in their job description. When I was Head of Marketing in the US for Threebyone ( Abrand, Rolla's and Neuw denim) I found myself becoming a key sales driver, flying around the States pitching and selling into key accounts like Revolve, Nordstrom, and Urban Outfitters. At the time I remember thinking, isn’t this a sales person job? But looking back, those were some of the most valuable rooms I've ever been in. Those conversations shaped how I think about brands, wholesale, and the full picture of a business in a way no marketing brief ever could.

What's something people don't realise about running a business until they're actually in it?

That the people you admired from the outside didn't have some secret sauce - they just had a vision and skills & backed themselves.

I used to watch certain business owners and think they had something I didn't, an edge, a certainty I hadn't figured out yet. The longer I've done this, the more I realise that was just confidence. And the confidence and self belief to continue to back yourself even when things get really hard - and trust me they do! You have to be agile, keep learning & keep moving. 

What skill do you think helps someone stand out early in their career?

Execution & Communication are my top two. 

For ‘execution, what matters is whether you can take an idea and actually make it happen. Follow it through, problem-solve when it goes sideways, get it across the line. That skill transfers everywhere, especially when you start your own business. 

The other one is communication. Not just being articulate,  learning how to manage up and down, bring people with you, translate a vision into something a team can actually work with. You're steering the ship. Everyone needs to know where it's going and why & feel motivated on making sure the ship gets to where you want to steer it. 

Do you think there are any stigmas around working in fashion and beauty marketing that you'd love to break?

That the job is just about creating a viral TikTo or Reel. And that if you can do that, you're a world class marketer. You're not.

At Superbloom, we talk about marketing as a creative ecosystem which is how strategy, creativity, content and community all work together. One viral TikTok isn't going to drive sustained sales growth if there's no marketing ecosystem backing it up and driving those leads into sales.