DiscoverThe Business of ApparelFiring Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear
Firing Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear

Firing Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear

Update: 2025-09-11
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Firing Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear

Firing someone is never easy, but avoiding it can be even worse.

In this raw episode of The Business of Apparel Podcast, Rachel is flipping the conversation from last week’s hiring advice to the tough reality of letting people go. Rachel shares the real, behind-the-scenes experience of managing a toxic employee at a major apparel brand and the emotional, strategic, and leadership lessons that came with it.

From missed expectations to managing a prototyping lab gone sideways, she goes into performance improvement plans (PIPs), leadership accountability, and the ripple effect one poor hire can have on your entire team. Whether you're a founder, team lead, or scaling your first fashion startup, this episode is a must-listen for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

- The emotional and strategic weight of firing as a leader

- Creating and managing a performance improvement plan (PIP)

- When team culture outweighs technical talent

- Real experience from managing apparel teams at a corporate level

- Navigating HR, severance, and difficult conversations

 

Join The Board here: https://www.thebusinessofapparel.com/the-board

 

Sign up for the Secrets Behind Billion-Dollar Apparel Brands FREE Course here!

 

We can’t wait to hear what you think of this episode!

Purchase the Business of Apparel Online Course: https://www.thebusinessofapparel.com/course

To connect with Rachel, you can join her LinkedIn community here: LinkedIn.

To visit her website, go to: www.unmarkedstreet.com

 

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Firing Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear

Firing Fast: Hard Truths Every Apparel Leader Needs to Hear

Rachel Erickson