Leaders Perception Magazine is currently running an interview series called – Building a Successful Remote Work Culture: Discussing strategies and best practices for fostering a productive and engaged remote workforce, addressing topics like communication, collaboration tools, work-life balance, and employee well-being
Interviewee Name: Nathalie Neuilly
Company: Dressarte Paris
Position: CEO and Founder
Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natneuilly/
Nathalie Neuilly’s favorite quote: “
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” (Peter Drucker)
I like this quote as it emphasizes the importance of taking proactive action and shaping your own destiny. It encourages entrepreneurs and business leaders to be innovative, forward-thinking, and willing to take risks to drive their own success. It serves as a reminder that we have the power to shape our future through our actions and decisions in the present.”
We had the pleasure of speaking with Nathalie Neuilly, CEO and Founder of Dressarte Paris, an innovative online atelier that offers personalized and tailored clothing for individuals around the world. Inspired by her own struggles with finding clothes that fit her unique measurements, Nathalie envisioned a platform where people could have access to the luxury of custom-designed garments, regardless of their location. In our interview, Nathalie shares her journey of creating Dressarte Paris and the importance of remote communication and collaboration in her virtual atelier. She emphasizes the use of digital tools such as Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom to facilitate team meetings and foster strong relationships among remote team members. Nathalie also prioritizes the well-being of her team by introducing flexible working hours, regular check-ins, fitness breaks, and team-building activities. Join us as we delve into Nathalie’s insights and learn how Dressarte Paris is revolutionizing the fashion industry through remote collaboration and a focus on employee well-being.
The Interview
Thank you so much for joining us today! Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your backstory?
Nathalie Neuilly : To begin with, I grew up having almost all my wardrobe tailored in an atelier run by my mother. I’ve been always struggling with the right size. As my measurements were not standard, I used to be very frustrated about not having fashion-industry-standard body measurements.
Having travelled the world, it’s in Paris where I understood that it’s such a privilege to have clothes designed and tailored especially for you and I wanted to make this personal shopping experience accessible, no matter where people are based.
This is how I came up with the idea of online atelier once realising that there are other women, who don’t have time for fittings at a tailor, struggle to find clothes that work for their body types and meet their style.
How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration among remote team members? Can you share any specific tools or practices that have been particularly effective for your organization?
Nathalie Neuilly : Our atelier is a virtual studio where artists, designers, craftsmen engage in creative activities, receive instruction, and collaborate with others remotely through digital platforms. It provides a convenient and accessible way for individuals from different part of the world to learn and practice their artistic skills without the need for physical presence in a traditional studio setting. When it comes to communication, we schedule regular video conferences for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, or project updates to enhance collaboration and build stronger relationships among team members.The most useful tools for us are Slack, Google Meet, Zoom, Monday, Google tools and etc. In the company we pay much attention to Virtual Team Building Activities. It is needed to foster camaraderie and strengthen relationships among remote team members. In general, it includes online games, or virtual social events.
Maintaining work-life balance can be challenging in a remote work environment. What strategies do you recommend for remote employees to create boundaries between work and personal life? How can organizations support their employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance?
Nathalie Neuilly : Today being a CEO and the founder among my top priorities is to ensure wellbeing of my team as I do believe it boosts productivity at work.
Below there are are a few things we’ve introduced in Dressarte to achieve that:
– It is up to a person to decide on working time
– Monday morning 30 min “check in” with the team to discuss their goals for the week while walking (WA or zoom)
– 30 min morning walking meetings among senior managers (in person or zoom), twice a week
– 1 hour lunch break or 1.5 for a fitness class
– afternoon video meetings with the team to celebrate the achievements (twice a week)
– sit/stand desks + running track for all workers
– weekend team building activities (canoe, beach day, cycling) – once a quarter
All these steps were introduced and well-supported by the whole team. We are always eager to improve working conditions and open to the employees’ feedbacks. As a leader, I can prove that it is important to be heard and support people who contribute to the company’s growth.
Leaders Perception Magazine would like to thank Nathalie Neuilly and Dressarte Paris for the time dedicated to completing this interview and sharing their valuable insights with our readers!
Subscribe to our newsletter to get a notification as soon as we launch new interview series.