Shows
From Where I Sit With Tom McGeeS2E2: Retail Resilience and Reinvention. Sarah LaFleur, M.M.LaFleur Founder and CEOIn this episode, Sarah shares her journey in building M.M.LaFleur, a women’s workwear brand, and navigating the business through the pandemic when virtually no one was going into the office. Sarah and Tom also discuss the value of in-person interactions, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the future of retail in today’s crowded digital landscape. Follow From Where I Sit for more conversations about the built economy.Follow Tom on LinkedIn.Follow Tom on X.Follow Sarah on LinkedIn. This episode was recorded on October...
2025-11-1037 min
From the Ground UpHow to scale the right wayAs a founder, trying to scale your business can feel like walking on a knife’s edge. Go too fast or too early, you’ll fall off. Move too slowly and you’ll get left behind.
Every Friday on The Business Model, we’re hosting a Founder Group Chat. Each episode will feature a candid, in-depth conversation about one of the many pressing topics entrepreneurs are facing.
On this first group chat, our topic is scaling. Specifically, how do you scale in the right way? Three founders from very different industries share lessons on scaling that can apply across busin...
2025-11-0724 min
All Dots ConnectedThe Retail CEO's Playbook for Surviving a "Black Swan a Year”In this episode, Paul sits down with Sarah LaFleur, the founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, to reveal the battle-tested playbook she used to navigate near-catastrophe and build a resilient, profitable business.What do you do when your revenue crashes by 50% overnight? Or when your primary lender goes bust, giving you just two weeks to raise $3 million? Sarah shares the raw, unfiltered story of her journey—from tutoring to make ends meet in the early days to facing a "black swan a year" in the brutal world of retail. She offers a masterclass in...
2025-07-2257 min
Odd LotsSarah LaFleur On the Existential Threat From the TariffsAmerica's textile industry has famously declined over the years, with a bunch of production moving to lower-cost places like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Now, with the Trump administration imposing heavy tariffs on exports from these countries, the US clothing industry is facing another big shock. In this episode we speak with Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, which makes high-quality work clothing for women (Tracy is a big fan). She walks us through what the past month has actually been like for a smaller clothing business trying to understand and deal with the tariffs. We talk...
2025-05-0940 min
The Retail PilotPower Dressing Reimagined: Sarah LaFleur’s Mission to Simplify WorkwearIn this episode of The Retail Pilot, host Ken Pilot kicks off with a PreFlight segment featuring retail expert Jan Kniffen. They dive into the ever-changing sneaker market, discussing Nike’s comeback, the rise of On Running and Hoka, and how brands like Skechers and New Balance are shaking up the industry.Following PreFlight, Ken welcomes special guest Sarah LaFleur, Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, for an insightful conversation about how she built a brand that redefined workwear for women. From launching the company in 2013 to navigating the challenges of COVID and fi...
2025-03-0441 min
Shelf HelpHow To Create A Brand That Aligns With Your Mission with Sarah LaFleur Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleurRESOURCES:Download my FREE Annual Planning GuideLooking for an example of a perfect entrepreneur? Look no further! Today, I’m joined by Sarah LaFleur, the visionary founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur! Together, we explore how she built a wildly successful and stylish fashion brand with purpose, intention, and a deep commitment to empowering women. Her journey is incredible – from starting with zero experience in fashion to leading a brand that redefines how women view workwear! In this episode, Sarah reveals her top strategies for navigating partnerships with major upscale retailers, offer...
2025-01-0229 min
Your Next MoveBuilding a Team That Will LastBeing a business owner means having to innovate constantly and navigate change. So Inc., in partnership with Capital One Business, wants to help you figure out Your Next Move. Join Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a New York-based clothing brand celebrating women through thoughtfully designed pieces, personal styling, and engaging content, in conversation with our small-business host Beatrice Dixon, founder of the feminine care brand The Honey Pot Company. Sarah will share lessons from her entrepreneurial journey, including how she built a strong team and how she pivoted quickly when much of the world began worki...
2024-12-1052 min
The MOTHER Podcast with Katie Hintz-ZambranoSarah LaFleur LIVE in NYC - The Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur on Raising Triblings, Embracing Surrogacy, The Power of Fashion, & Continuing Her Mother’s LegacyToday’s guest is Sarah LaFleur, the Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur. We spoke at one of her NYC stores, in front of our first-ever LIVE podcast audience!Raised in Japan, Sarah worked in corporate consulting at Bain and had a short stint in private equity before giving business ownership a try.After recruiting designer Miyako Nakamura, the pair set off to create a brand of stylish, high-quality clothing for professional women. They launched M.M.LaFleur in 2013, and have gone on to hit revenue milestones in the tens of millions. Bey...
2024-10-2442 min
Drink Like a Lady PodcastVIRTUAL FIRESIDE CHAT WITH THE FOUNDER, CEO OF M.M.LAFLEUR SARAH LAFLEURVirtual Fireside Chat with Sarah LaFleur, Founder and CEO of M.M. LaFleurHave you found your superpower?Do you listen to your clients and the zeitgeist?Sarah M. LaFleur, founder and CEO of MM.LaFleur clothing company, believes every successful entrepreneur must address these questions.Founded in 2013, MM.LaFleur clothing rose to prominence among executive women just in time for the 2016 election. Despite the curveball of a COVID pandemic that made work-from-home casual the new norm, Sarah’s gift for perseverance and out-of-the-box thinking led the way to marketing ca...
2023-09-051h 01
What I KnowFlashback: Sarah LaFleur: Be The Whole PersonIn the summer of 2021, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin interviews Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of womenswear brand M.M. LeFleur. Sarah discussed how she started, the lessons she learned from her mother, how she grew her business, and guided it through Covid-19's most turbulent period.
2023-06-1254 min
Happier with Gretchen RubinEp. 431: Design Your Summer, an Easy Hack to Have More Fun with Food, and a Talk on the Joy of DressingAs we do each year, we consider how we plan to design our summer. We alsodiscuss a hack from a food-scientist listener about an easy way to have more funwith the sense of taste, and we talk to Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO ofM.M.LaFleur, about the pleasures of clothes.Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.comFollow on social media:@GretchenRubin on YouTube@GretchenRubin on TikTok@GretchenRubin & @LizCraft on InstagramGet the podcast show notes by email...
2023-05-2433 min
Retail Gets RealM.M.LaFleur CEO on evolving how the company helps women dress for workM.M.LaFleur is not a women’s workwear business — founder and CEO Sarah LaFleur says it’s a company that supports working women. LaFleur talks about the distinction on today’s show, as well as the brand’s bricks-and-mortar strategy, how women are dressing for work in a post-pandemic world, what it means to “lead from the front” and her biggest style inspiration. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.
2023-05-1624 min
The Big Move5 Things with Sarah LaFleur, Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur, NYC based womenswear brand introducing the world to ‘Power Casual’Sarah LaFleur is the Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur. Sarah founded M.M.LaFleur in 2013 with a mission to help women take the work out of getting dressed, so they can focus on the work that matters to them. Prior to founding M.M.LaFleur, she worked at Bain & Co. in New York and TechnoServe in South Africa. Sarah sits on the board of International Rescue Committee's Airbel Impact Lab and on the business advisory council of the New York Fed. She graduated from Harvard University. M.M.LaFleur is named after her mother, whom she calls her biggest...
2023-05-0828 min
The Modern Retail Podcast'There were multiple times I thought maybe we won't make it': M.M.LaFleur CEO Sarah LaFleur on the women's wear brand's new store strategyAfter a difficult 2020 and 2021, women's work apparel brand M.M.LaFleur is once again in growth mode.The company is investing in new stores and showrooms, and says that sales are picking up again after business cratered during the pandemic."There were multiple times where I thought maybe we won't make it, maybe the business won't survive," said founder and CEO Sarah LaFleur. She joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and spoke about the company's new focus on stores and how it's positioning its overall marketing going forward.M.M.LaFleur is...
2023-03-0934 min
What's Her Story With Sam & AmySarah LaFleur, Part OneSarah LaFleur is the Founder and CEO of MMLaFleur, known for women’s “power casual” workwear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2022-07-1431 min
The Style That Binds Us podcastHow M.M. LaFleur is redefining workwear with Power CasualWe are excited to welcome the Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, Sarah LaFleur, to The Style That Binds Us podcast! M.M.LaFleur is a New York-based clothing brand celebrating women through thoughtfully designed pieces, personal styling, and engaging content. Prior to founding M.M.LaFleur in 2013, Sarah attended Harvard University, where she graduated with a degree in Social Studies, and pursued a career in international development before moving into management consulting. Sarah recently became a mom of 3 (congratulations!). M.M.LaFleur has been featured in Forbes, Inc., WWD, Glossy, The Washington Post, The Cut & many more...
2022-05-0555 min
POPULUXEMajestic Measures of Being with Sarah LaFleurA company visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art to view the novel paintings of Toyin Ojih Odutola, the celebrated Nigerian--American visual artist whose work challenges the traditions of storytelling through portraiture, led Sarah LaFleur to an inner journey of desire and the meaning of narratives in forming one’s character.Popular fascination with royalty, Sarah ruminates, is a manifestation not so much of our desire to share their wealth or material possessions but rather to be able to trace our legacy back to multiple generations.“Luxury is to know where you come from,” the ent...
2022-03-2421 min
LEAVE YOUR MARK: Freshly Brewed Career Advice with Aliza LichtSarah LaFleur on How Your Vulnerability and Desperation Can Breed Your Biggest and Bravest IdeasDoes desperation paralyze or invigorate you? For founder and CEO Sarah LaFleur, it was both. After quitting her dream job after four months because, spoiler alert, it was not a dream, she decided she had no choice but to become an entrepreneur. In truth, her motivation came from her inability to explain her departure in a way that wouldn’t permanently dent her career. Owning your narrative and shaping your story is something that many people struggle with, but for Sarah, her so-called failure spawned the birth of her company, M.M. LaFleur.
Frustrated by a lack of...
2022-02-2735 min
Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands | TechnologyHoliday Recap: Sarah LaFleur, Founder & CEO of M.M. LaFleurPresenter: Burkland Associates helps you build the right systems that can keep up with your growth and can handle all the finance, accounting, tax and hiring services that consumer startups need to scale.
For more information head to burklandassociates.com
Presenter: Skillful runs online, immersive programs that help people launch and accelerate their careers in business roles in tech - Strategy & Ops, Product, Strategic Finance and Growth.
Early bird applications for the Core Sprint are now open - use the exclusive code EARLYBIRD2021 if you apply before Dec 1
Click Here to A...
2021-12-1328 min
Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage InvestingChanging Workwear for Women and Adapting through COVID with Sarah LaFleur, CEO of M.M.LaFleurWelcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast players.Today’s issue is brought to you by Burkland Associates and Skillful.Hey friends,Thank you Will McClelland for the intro to our guest today on The Consumer VC Podcast, Sarah LaFleur, founder of M.M.LaFleur. M.M.LaFleur creates luxury apparel and accessories with the same attention to detail a...
2021-11-1741 min
The Kara Goldin Show193 Sarah LaFleur: Founder & CEO M.M. LaFleur“If you could think of any business to be in, in 2020, it definitely wasn't women's work apparel. And yet that is the business that we have. So it was just a lot of ingenuity.” How do you create clothing that is high-quality but still affordable? Our guest today is Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M. LaFleur, a terrific women’s clothing company that makes incredible business attire. And how do you pivot quickly when the world decides to work from home? You figure it out. Listen to Sarah’s entrepreneurial journey and lessons she has learned...
2021-10-1137 min
Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon#51 Sarah LaFleur (M.M.LaFleur) on Freedom After Hitting Rock BottomSarah LaFleur is the Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a women’s workwear brand that she launched in 2013. The company grew to be a multimillion dollar brand and darling of the direct to consumer fashion world. In this episode, Sarah and I talk about the big existential questions many of us found ourselves asking early in our adult lives (and hopefully throughout our vocations.) Sarah also shares about the many inflections of her career and personal life — from her experience of being biracial and her struggle to embrace that complexity, her journey with infertility, and how she rose and i...
2021-10-111h 01Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon#51 Sarah LaFleur (M.M.LaFleur) on Freedom After Hitting Rock BottomSarah LaFleur is the Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a women’s workwear brand that she launched in 2013. The company grew to be a multimillion dollar brand and darling of the direct to consumer fashion world. In this episode, Sarah and I talk about the big existential questions many of us found ourselves asking early in our adult lives (and hopefully throughout our vocations.) Sarah also shares about the many inflections of her career and personal life — from her experience of being biracial and her struggle to embrace that complexity, her journey with infertility, and how she rose and i...
2021-10-111h 01
Model Minority MomsEP12 The Fertility JourneyFertility can be kind of a paradox - sometimes it seems like getting pregnant is so easy (it even happens by accident!) but sometimes despite our very best efforts, it can take a ton of time, money, and our emotional and physical energy with no guarantee of a baby. With more and more women choosing to delay motherhood to make time for careers and other interests, complex fertility journeys are becoming more common. We share our own fertility journeys and talk to Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a company she founded in 2013 to help women...
2021-09-031h 16What I KnowSarah LaFleur: Be The Whole PersonOn this episode, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin interviews Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of womenswear brand M.M. LeFleur.
2021-07-0654 min
Women of Influence by SheSpeaksBuilding Resilience for Success with CEO of M.M. LaFleur Sarah LaFleurSarah LaFleur, CEO, and Founder of M.M. LaFleur, sits down with us and shares her unlikely journey to become the head of a fashion company. You’ll hear how the pandemic has shifted her business model and the way we will look at fashion going forward. Sarah talks about why she leads her company with empathy, the special connection that inspired her, and how she takes time for self-care. You can find Sarah on Instagram at and Be sure to also check out M Dash, M.M. LaFleur's Digital Magazine. Links & Resources:M.M...
2021-04-2740 min
The Glossy PodcastM.M.LaFleur CEO Sarah LaFleur: 'We have this opportunity to rewrite the rules' of workwearWorkwear was different when CEO Sarah LaFleur launched M.M.LaFleur, her fashion brand targeting working women.“Dresses were the majority of our business [in 2013],” she said on the Glossy Podcast. “We didn’t even have pants until 2016.”But now that working from home has become the norm, the brand has fully embraced casual wear. “The Power Casual category [that includes joggers, hoodies and tees] was probably 15-20% of our business going into 2020. But Covid hit, and -- boom. It's now over 50%,” she said.Tackling change is a growing trend for the brand. In late Februa...
2021-02-1040 min
Behind Her Empire#28: Finding Your Dream Job & Unlocking Your Passion with Sarah LaFleur, Founder of MM.LaFleurSarah LaFleur is the Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a fashion company creating practical, inspired wardrobes for the modern, professional woman.From an early age, Sarah was exposed to high-end fashion through her mother who worked in the industry. When Sarah graduated from college and started shopping on her own for work clothing, she realized the experience and clothes were lacking despite spending so much money on them. After starting her career at Bain as a consultant, Sarah moved to private equity but left abruptly because of cultural problems at her firm. At this...
2020-12-141h 02
The Growth EffectEpisode 4: Hustle not #hustleMarc Lafleur, CEO of TruLocal, works really hard. He doesn't apologize for the sweat that's needed to be a first-time founder, but that doesn't mean he's a fan of the #hustleculture that's big in the startup community. In this episode, he shares with Sarah how his goal of improving the food supply in Canada through his quality meat-delivery company doesn't leave time for much else, and why he still thinks its worth it.
2020-11-1731 min
Come Sit At Our Table: The Be A Luminary PodcastThe Unlikely CEO: Sarah LaFleurSarah LaFleur, CEO & Founder of M.M. LaFleur, shares her journey on becoming "The Unlikely CEO" of her own company. Sarah chats with us about leaving her career in finance to launch her clothing line, the ups and downs of running your own company and how to focus on your mission.
2019-11-1836 min
EntreprenistaSarah LaFleur of M.M. LaFleur – Never Give UpFor most startup founders, they are guided by the advice to never give up. For Sarah LaFleur, the CEO of M.M. LaFleur -- a Luxury-Quality Clothing company via a Seamless & Direct-To-Consumer Stylist Experience that takes the work out of...
2019-05-2055 min