Anna Im: Never Settle for Less
Anna is the epitome of the next-gen female leader – passionate, visionary, fierce and resilient. As a full-time project manager in a private label company, she leads her team with integrity and compassion. As a part-time incubator for her passion project – Pretty Things Bridal - she disrupts the bridal retailer industry with her creativity and transparency. She is a problem solver, fearless leader, and pragmatic dreamer. In her world, all is possible if you are persistent, hard-working and dare to dream. She navigates her career and personal life with confidence, generosity, elegance and a sense of humor.
Interviewing Anna was so much fun and filled with both laughter and inspiration. One of the key themes in her life that you will read about is the unwavering persistence in charting a path in career and personal life that is original and genuine to her. Never be afraid to ask for more is what she would advise young women who are trying to balance a successful career and a fulfilling personal life. We hope her story will provide a glimmer of hope and empowerment to you.
“Never settle for less. It means don’t be afraid to ask and desire for more. Ask for more work, take on bigger projects, work for that promotion, pay raise and bonus that you have always wanted. ”
What did you study in university, and did you know you were going to end up in the fashion industry?
I actually wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life at that young age. I initially studied psychology because I wanted to gain a better understanding of myself and other people by studying human behavior and thought processes. After one semester, I knew immediately that this was not something I wanted to do in life. Even though I was pretty lost about who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do, one thing I always knew was that I’m a very visual person. So, I decided to explore the fashion design program offered by my school. After seeing what other students were doing and the collections they were creating, it piqued my interest, and I felt a sense of excitement. Without any hesitation, I enrolled myself into the program. The program allowed me to unleash my creativity and solidified my passion in fashion design.
Coming from the Midwest, can you talk about your experience of starting a career in New York? Was there a cultural shock?
Starting my career in New York was not my first choice because I felt so comfortable living in the Midwest. I was very scared of the uncertainties around moving to a new city, especially because it’s not just any city, it’s New York City. After spending time searching jobs in my senior year, I quickly realized that New York is where you get the most opportunities. Against my own internal fears, I decided moving to New York was the right action.
Because I did not have a full-time job lined up, I stayed with my brother and slept on his couch for the first couple of months. I was laser focused on finding a job as quickly as possible so that I could move out and support myself. I was really willing to take any job in the fashion industry. The thing about the fashion industry is that it’s incredibly competitive and lacks transparency. As someone freshly out of college, I did not know anything about anything. What propelled me forward was the burning passion and a vision that one day I would become a creator of pretty things that would bring people joy. With this in mind, I knew I couldn’t be picky and had to get my foot in the door first.
After many job applications and interviews, I landed my first job offer in a production role. This was an operation role that entailed monitoring vendors and ensuring product quality and on-time delivery. I did not know anything about production when I took on the role. For the first six months, I worked incredibly hard to get myself up to speed.
The funny thing about New York is that people are always busy and never seem to have time for things outside of their agenda. There are so many great people with experience who are willing to teach and invest in you, but before they decide to do that, you have to first prove to them that you are worthy of their time. This is especially true for an entry-level job in the fashion industry. Every time I was given a task, no one took time to explain to me why I was doing it and why it was important. So for the first six months, I worked incredibly hard not only to get myself through the learning curve, but also to create value to the team immediately. I knew if I just put my head down and rolled up my sleeves, I would get there soon. I took lots of notes, asked lots of questions, paid attention to every single detail, and executed each task with precision. Very quickly, I gained the trust and respect of my team, and progressively they gave me more and more challenging tasks. Through my first job, I learned the importance of work ethic and personal discipline.
First job out of college is arguably the most difficult learning experience because it’s the first taste of the real world. Did you encounter any setbacks in your first job, and how did they shape your future career decisions?
Through my first job, I learned two important lessons that have carried with me to this date. First, never settle for less. Second, mastering technical knowledge is only half of the battle, effective communication and interpersonal skills are what enable you to win the battle.
A year into the production role and exposed to other opportunities in fashion industry, I knew production is not where I belong. I had to pivot.
Fortunately, while this was not the role that I wanted to build a career around, it gave me the opportunity to interact with different departments in the company. I gained clarity on what each department does and how they function together to deliver for our clients. It gave me an idea of where I needed to be.
Figuring out my career path was the easy part, but how to get there was not so straightforward. There were opportunity costs associated with leaving a job that I knew I was very good at. I was scared to leave a place where I had worked so hard to prove myself and build my reputation. I was up for promotion and a pay raise. Throwing those away and starting a new job at a new place was daunting. In the end, I decided to take a chance on myself and with that, I resigned and landed a design and production offer. This transition taught me to never settle for less.
As for the second lesson, it didn’t take me long to realize how bad my people skills were. I was very good at technical work and took pride in knowing every aspect of every task / project I took on, but I was still getting yelled at by different departments because I was not framing the issue or solution appropriately. People were offended by what I said because my words insinuated that they were the cause of the problem even though that was not my intention. It took me a while to understand that you could be the sharpest person with all the answers in the room, but if you do not possess people skills and are unconscious of the room temperature, getting your points across or getting buy-ins from others can become an extremely challenging task. How to communicate with others such that we do not ever put anyone into a defensive mode or make them angry is so critical at the workplace as well as in our personal life.
What led you to start Pretty Things Bridal and can you discuss your vision for this passion project?
“High-quality wedding dresses should be attainable by everyone, and they should embody the special moments of the occasion without getting constrained by the budget.”
Pretty Things Bridal was conceptualized when I got married in 2021. I was having difficulty finding my dream dress on the market that worked within my budget. After visiting many bridal shops and discovering the price points that these premium dresses were marketed at, it was very tough for me to stomach. After years of working in the fashion world, my professional training allowed me to understand all the behind-the-scenes work including design, fabric and production that go into creating these dresses do not justify the extreme prices that retailers are charging. I just could not convince myself to pay that kind of premium.
It’s not a secret that the retail industry spends a lot on marketing campaigns that target women’s emotions and create that must-have societal expectation. They have done such an effective job in making the public believe obscene price tags are acceptable and normal. Major events in life such as weddings are especially susceptible to this marketing trap. People feel okay to spend because it’s once-in-a-lifetime event and they are led to believe these prices are normal because everyone else is doing it. With my professional training, this phenomenon is just not acceptable and strongly against my personal belief that high-quality wedding dresses should be attainable by everyone, and they should embody the special moments of the occasion without getting constrained by the budget.
“Pretty Things Bridal is not just my passion project, it’s my vision for transforming an industry that is not so transparent and promoting the notion that women can have it all.”
With this idea in mind, I designed and fabricated my own wedding dress. I loved the dress because it was one and only, and I felt so beautiful and comfortable in it. Slowly, I thought - why not share this experience with a wider audience? Through Pretty Things Bridal, I work hand-in-hand with each bride-to-be. From design, sketches and personal touches, each dress is custom-made and reflects the special moment that they have always dreamed of.
Pretty Things Bridal is not just my passion project, it’s my vision for transforming an industry that is not so transparent and promoting the notion that women can have it all. I envision a world where high-quality, custom-made wedding dresses are affordable to everyone, not just the select few.
I know you just recently moved to San Francisco; how do you compare San Francisco with New York?
San Francisco is such a beautiful city with lots of outdoor activities within reach. But moving out here made me appreciate New York so much more. I love the electrifying energy that the city exudes at all times. I finally understood why people refer to it as an empire state of mind and the city that never sleeps. Aside from the convenience a big city brings and the diversity of people, what makes New York truly unique is it provides limitless opportunities for people from all walks of life. If you can dream it, you can get it through relentless persistence and hard work. The city is so dynamic and motivates people to go after their dreams and pursue their goals, it is truly unparalleled by anywhere else in the world. Living in the city has inspired me to explore new things and constantly challenge myself to become a better version of myself each day. It is truly inspirational and uplifting.
As you manage your career and Pretty Things Bridal, you are constantly faced with tough choices. What are some guiding principles in life that help you make these choices?
I learned during the early part of my career building that you cannot make everyone happy, no matter how hard you try. In those early days, I was constantly looking for other people’s approval and worrying about how my decisions would impact other people. In the end, I realized that as long as I’m being true and honest to myself and that I make each decision for the collective good of my team, things will fall into place on their own. I know how to run my team, and I make thoughtful, strategic decisions that create results for my company; therefore, I do not need to justify each and every action I take.
Secondly, never settle for less. It means don’t be afraid to ask and desire for more. Ask for more work, take on bigger projects, work for that promotion, pay raise and bonus that you have always wanted. If the company that I’m busting my ass for is not willing to develop me in the right way, then I know this is not the place for me.
What’s the one single most important piece of advice that you would offer to young girls who are trying to break into the fashion industry?
Never take the first offer and always ask for more. The fashion industry is well known for underpaying people. Be aggressive with how you want to get paid. Force your managers to give performance reviews so you can continue to develop. Fight for what you deserve.
I’m a strong believer that a good company understands how to develop leadership and create a balanced relationship with its employees. If you are adding value to your team and your company, you should get compensated and recognized for it. Especially in today’s world, companies should not overpower you and make you a follower. Instead, a good company will bring the potential out of you and provide you the resources to enable you to become a leader. In turn, you will continue to create value and drive results for the company. It’s a symbiotic relationship.
Now that you have achieved so much in your career, what’s your next step?
I want to continue to nurture Pretty Things Bridal so that I can offer this service / product to a wider audience. Admittedly, facilitating a full-time job and Pretty Things Bridal project is tough on hours, but I will continue to move forward because this is my passion and vision.
“ I envision a world where high-quality, custom-made wedding dresses are affordable to everyone, not just the select few.”