AOW Insider: An Interview with Sara Berks of MINNA
This month, I am delighted to circle back with a longtime colleague and friend Sara Berks of MINNA. I've worked with Sara over the years, and during that time, I’ve watched her company grow leaps and bounds. She started with just a few small lines of rugs and pillows from Guatemala + Mexico and has since opened up a brick-and-mortar shop in Upstate New York and developed one of the leading artisan brands in the US.
What sets MINNA apart – beyond the soulfulness of its art direction, the quality of its products, and the fantastic storytelling – is really the cohesiveness of her brand. Sara and her team have developed a signature style that is seen all the way through, from conception to execution, from product designs to the way each new collection is thoughtfully photographed.
As I work with brands, I always stress the value of strong photography. I am delighted to feature Sara this week as a primary example of someone who has built a strong brand identity through design, photography, and storytelling. Dive into our interview below- I hope you enjoy it.
When we were in touch years ago, you were focusing on opening up your retail shop. How has that been going for you?
Wow, it must have been five years since we last spoke! The shop just celebrated its sixth birthday (and the brand is now nine years old!) so it feels simultaneously like I’ve always had a shop and like it’s brand new. The store has been great and is a strong selling channel for us. It’s been interesting to see it through a global pandemic as well as the ebbs and flows of our current economy.
What are the top tips you have for those looking to open a shop?
1) Hire an experienced retail manager.
2) Ensure you have a clear curation perspective.
3) Don’t splurge on fancy displays until you know what works. You’ll also want to use displays that are modular and can be moved to different locations in the store.
What point of sales and/or inventory programs have worked for you? Any recommendations?
We’ve always used Shopify for our point of sale and e-commerce website. Since we’re omnichannel, we had to migrate our inventory management system to a more robust program (CIN7) this year that syncs with Shopify.
In general, where are you putting most of your attention when it comes to growing your brand?
Right now, we’re focused on optimizing all of our sales channels: e-commerce, retail, trade, and wholesale. Luckily, we’re able to use our photography across all these channels to create cohesive marketing materials.
When you get in a rut, where do you seek inspiration?
I try to get offline as much as possible when I need inspiration. Whether it’s just going for a walk or on a larger trip to visit one of our artisan partners. Being on the ground gives me the most inspiration – getting to see the colors and experience the smells of somewhere new. This year I met with our artisan partners in Mexico and Guatemala. I was able to design new collections almost immediately after with designs that were started while I was there.
I can see that you have really focused on photography. All your branding and imagery is really cohesive and strong. Has this investment paid off?
I’ve invested in photography for MINNA since day one – it’s actually our most expensive marketing expense. I was lucky to meet an incredible photo team early on that really helped me hone our creative direction. My background is in graphic design and branding, so it was natural for me to step into the role of creative director, working with a team who knew how to bring that vision to life. I think our product design and art direction go hand in hand to set us apart.
I know for many entrepreneurs it can be hard to uncover their brand’s style and find the correct backdrops to shoot their home décor products. What was your strategy?
Because of my background in graphic design, the vision for our creative direction was always pretty clear to me but I knew to really execute it I had to hire a strong photo team. I’ve been working with the same team since 2014, before the product collection even launched. We’ve expanded a bit through the years, working with different photographers for lifestyle shoots or incorporating different stylists into our rotation. We shoot both in-studio and on-set (renting homes, apartments, etc.) for lifestyle photography. We shoot about 2-3 times per year, depending on how much product we’re putting out.
What have you learned about photography and storytelling through imagery that you can share with those who are interested in building a brand?
Hire a photographer and a stylist. No matter how creative you are, there’s a different approach to having a visual stylist on the team that helps to carry out your creative vision and perhaps even adds to it.
What is exciting you these days as you grow MINNA?
I think we’ve been known for being a brand that has calming neutrals and warm colors, but lately I’ve been experimenting with more color and pattern and it’s going really well! We’re leaning into that for next year and I can’t wait to share more when the collections launch.
https://www.minna-goods.com/