Double Tap Diaries - Hannah Maginn
The first of our new series - the DTA Diaries where we chat with some incredible businesses and asking them to spill the juicy details on all things business, social media, and digging deeper into what makes them tick.
First up is Hannah, Founder, and Director of CUT Agency a Creative Wholesale Distribution Agency. Offering the ANZ marketplace with a captivating selection of premium fashion brands sourced exclusively from the USA. In every facet of the CUT Agency business, they instill the values of consciousness and universal inclusivity and are very passionate about driving a client-oriented, sincere approach as the new industry standard. Something we too at DTA instill in our own business.
Let’s see what Han has to say.
How and when did the Cut Agency come to life?
The business was born about 7yrs ago as ‘Cut Showroom’ when I moved home from living in New York City for 3+ years and wanted to start my own wholesale fashion distribution agency. I had always specialized in premium US labels even before I moved to NYC, and then had some amazing contacts from brands that I made from living and working within the wholesale industry there which weren’t currently in AU or NZ so I saw a huge gap in the market and a lot of potential… The business has grown and evolved so much in the past 7yrs and we have recently rebranded a few months ago to CUT Agency which is short for Conscious Universal Traders.
What sets you apart from other agencies, and how do you differentiate yourself in such a cut-throat industry?
From a distributor point of view, I saw so many international brands with such a huge markup and difference in retail price compared to what you could purchase the items for online with free global shipping - so I decided that I wanted to be able to offer and support our beautiful retailers here in Australia and New Zealand with some amazing, boutique US labels however with a much more competitive price point in line with the $USD conversion. This means keeping my own margins super tight, but always thinking about the bigger picture and belief in volume knowing that my clients will have a much stronger sell-thru with keeping the business here in AU/NZ and supporting a local business rather than the consumer trying something on in-store, and then going online to find it somewhere cheaper.
I also like to keep a smaller brand mix than some of the other large agencies - this means that my amazing sales team can have a super committed and clear focus on each brand partner we take on to ensure we get the results they deserve in positioning their goods with the right retailers.
The other huge thing which differentiates us is our new division to the agency - CUT Digital. We now offer bespoke digital and creative solutions to CUT Agency brands, wholesale clients, and the wider community. With the team’s combined experience with building and developing successful brands and our extremely talented in house graphic designer…we are very proud to offer these additional services; assisting retailers to drive brand awareness and promote a fast sell-thru, as well as help new businesses, get on their feet with branding and web design.
You recently rebranded, tell us about that - the reasoning, the process, the outcome.
The business has evolved so much since it launched… with the wholesale business expanding with some more amazing brands on the horizon, an e-commerce side of the business which was originally branded separately as “Behind The Seams Boutique” and then with the new division launch of the digital services now on offer… We decided it was time to pull it all under one umbrella. Everyone knew us as “CUT” so over many sleepless nights of re-thinking the brand identity, a light bulb moment of ‘Conscious Universal Traders’ came to life.
Conscious of our relationships and intentions. We champion conscious consumption. Universal is our global vision and inclusive promise. Our brands and clients are global innovators. Traders by our promise to provide our clients, brands, and customers with an unparalleled level of service.
It just makes so much more sense now as one company: CUT Store, CUT Wholesale, CUT Digital.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a business owner? And what would you tell your younger, new-business-owner self?
Be patient. Success doesn’t happen overnight.
Believe in yourself.
Follow up, follow up, follow up.
Plan, set, repeat.
& a quote I found which I love: ‘treat yourself kindly when emotions are beating up your brain.’
1 piece of advice for anyone wanting to step into your shoes and the world of fashion.
Don’t do it… haha joking! I honestly couldn’t see myself doing anything else or ever working for ‘the man’ again. But it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. Owning a business means you are on 24/7 and the thoughts never stop; whether you are stressing about cash flow and being accountable for multiple people’s livelihoods, or remembering something in the middle of the night and waking up to email yourself to action it in the morning, or heated phone calls trying to locate lost freight… but with this comes so much joy and self-growth. Some days are really f**king hard, but also the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
My advice would be something someone very wise told me many years ago… You WILL fail. Success will not look like what you have in mind and is only achievable if you don’t give up as you will fail along the way. Failing is only the end if you quit. Be prepared to pivot, be comfortable with being wrong, and expect everything to fall short of your goals. Winning will come but only if you’re able to weather the beat down you’re about to get.