Episode 494: Felicity Rogers of Cargo Crew
How does a business go from a small idea to making waves across the globe?
In today’s episode, Fiona Killackey sits down with Felicity Rogers, the powerhouse founder of Cargo Crew. With over two decades of experience in the business world, Felicity has learned a thing or two about staying curious, being adaptable, and creating authentic connections. She’s built a thriving brand in the competitive world of modern uniforms, and she’s here to share the highs, the challenges, and the lessons she’s picked up along the way.
Here’s what you’ll get from this episode:
Curiosity is your secret weapon: Felicity explains why staying curious has been her biggest business asset.
Building a brand with heart: From fashion to uniforms, hear how Cargo Crew’s authentic approach helped them connect with customers—both in Australia and the US.
Surviving the pandemic: The strategies that kept Cargo Crew strong during the toughest of times.
Growing a community, not just a customer base: Learn how they’ve built a tribe around their brand.
Celebrity endorsements and celebrating wins: Get an inside look at the fun and rewarding moments behind the scenes.
Family in business: Felicity talks about the joys (and challenges) of working with family.
Motivation when things get tough: How Felicity and her team keep going and celebrate their wins, no matter how big or small.
If you’re looking to breathe new life into your business, or you just want to hear some real talk from someone who’s been there, done that, then this one’s for you.
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Fiona Killackey: Do you love your life as a small business owner?
Let's be real.
Sometimes we just don't. It's my hope that this, the My Daily Business Podcast, helps you regain a little of that lost love through practical, actionable tips, tools and tactics, interviews with creative and curious small business owners, and in depth coaching episodes with me, your host, Fiona Killackey With more than 20 years experience in marketing, brand content and systems and having now helped thousands of small business owners, I know what it takes to build.
A business that you can be proud of and that actually aligns with your values, your beliefs, and your hopes for the future. So much of our daily life is spent working on and in the businesses and the brands that we are creating, and so it makes sense to actually love what you do.
So, let's get into this podcast and help you figure out how to love your business and your life on the Daily.
Hello and welcome to episode 494 of the My Daily Business Podcast. Today, it's an interview episode, and I have been trying to get this particular person on the podcast for literally years. So, I’m absolutely thrilled that she finally said yes, and you'll hear why that is, and how she can be a little shy around tooting her own horn in this podcast.
But before we get on to that, I want to, of course, acknowledge where I'm coming from and acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of these lands, which for me, in North Warran, are the Wawurruong and Randjri people of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded.
The other thing I wanted to alert you to is that Marketing for Your Small Business will be starting up again soon. This is a course we offer all year round, but twice a year we offer a live coaching component to this. I have been in the marketing space for over 23 years, so I am well aware of what works. Whether you are doing it on social media, on a podcast, on YouTube, or some other platform, there are certain ideas, concepts, and frameworks that work.
You want to learn those. You want to get totally across them. So, no matter what happens—if TikTok is disappearing or if it's now all about some platform we've never even heard of—you have the fundamentals. You’ll understand how to engage with your audience and connect with them in a real, genuine, human way. I’ve been raving about this since I started my business and well before social media became a thing. And now, it’s suddenly a trend to be human. But with the rise of AI, I think it’s only going to get more and more important.
So, if you're feeling a bit stuck with your marketing or like you don’t have a plan, or that you're constantly just throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it fits with that kind of spray-and-pray mentality, you may want to sign up for Marketing for Your Small Business. You can do that at marketingforyoursmallbusiness.com. You can also go through the courses section at mydailybusiness.com. Either way, sign up, and you’ll get access to the course immediately. The coaching programme will happen early this year and again in September. So check that out.
And if you already own that course—because I know hundreds of people have gone through it now—thank you! Look out for an email, because you can upgrade for a really affordable and small fee.
So, that’s Marketing for Your Small Business. Again, the URL is marketingforyoursmallbusiness.com or mydailybusiness.com/courses.
Alright, let’s get into today’s interview episode. As I said, it’s been a dream to have this person on the podcast. Every time I talk to them, I’m so inspired. I feel like my brain just fires in a different way. The very first time I met this person, the wonderful Felicity Rogers of Cargo Crew, was when she contacted me to undertake some coaching for herself but also for her marketing team.
Honestly, after the first conversation, I thought, “Okay, this woman knows what she wants. She’s very determined. She’s very switched on. She understands all the parts of her business.” I was like, “I want to work with her.” As much as she was coming to me for work, I was thinking, “I absolutely want to work with this person. This would be such an incredible opportunity to just work with someone of her calibre.”
So, we worked together for a few years, and I have to say it was an absolute joy. Felicity is the founder of Cargo Crew, which is a leading supplier of modern uniforms. And I feel like that is a bit of an understatement. They make coming to work feel fun because what you’re wearing is awesome and represents you.
Whether that is customised workwear for offices or big corporates, or a whole bunch of hospitality wear, or if you’re just doing your own thing and want a super cool boiler suit with your name, your team’s names, and your brand on it, it’s just next level. They make uniforms fun.
I wanted to get Felicity on because so much has happened in the 23 years since she started this business. She talks about how she started it and how it came off the back of starting another business prior to that. She saw a gap in the market and thought, “Hm, maybe I could do something here.” And the result is massive.
She has been featured on Goop. She had Gwyneth Paltrow buying her stuff. Paris Hilton was recently seen wearing one of her boiler suits. There are so many incredible things that have happened to this brand. And on top of that, they’re absolutely adored by so many hospitality businesses, and so many creatives wear Cargo Crew.
If you’ve never heard of it, then you’re among the minority. But if you haven’t, go check it out at cargo crew.com. Also, keep listening because in this interview, I talk to Felicity about what it’s like to work with her fellow co-founders—her sister and her husband. We also talk about how she started it, how she got the name out there, how she got in front of the right people, what it felt like to win some incredible awards, and what keeps her going.
She’s also a super hands-on mum, a fantastic partner, and has really close friends she’s had for decades. What absolutely attracts me to Felicity is her depth of knowledge about everything she does in her business, but also her curiosity and love for life. In today’s chat, we talk about that—not just being interesting but being interested.
How do you keep that curiosity going when things feel tough? We talk about the challenges they’ve gone through and so much more. So, it’s absolutely such an incredible chat.
Here it is, my interview with the magnificent and super inspiring Felicity Rogers of Cargo Crew.
Welcome to the podcast, Felicity! This has been a long time coming, and I’m so excited that you’re here. How are you feeling about life right now?
Felicity Rogers: Well, first of all, I want to say thank you for having me and thank you for being so patient. I know it has taken a while. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get here, but I’m absolutely thrilled to be with you today. I’m absolutely grateful and love your podcast. So, thanks again for having me.
How am I feeling today about life? Well, it’s a good question, and I’m going to start with giving you a bit of an all-encompassing answer because I feel like right now I’m feeling quite reflective. I recently had a really big birthday, and so I’ve kind of entered a new decade in my life.
What’s also come with that is that, just last week, my youngest child turned 18, so he’s now an adult. And I feel like, you know, there’s a lot of reflection that goes with that—a new decade, a new time in your life, kids growing up. So, it’s a reflective time.
But also, I would say that I’m feeling energised. I feel like the stage that we’re at in our business is really exciting. I continue to get inspired by all the things that are going on in both my personal and professional world. I’m definitely really committed to doing more travel these days. I think just continuing to develop as a person is really exciting. I find that personal growth journey so fulfilling.
So, yeah, I guess reflective is kind of where I’m at. If that’s not getting too deep to start with.
Fiona Killackey: Not at all. And I feel like we could just stop this podcast now because there’s so much in what you just said that’s super helpful. Your son is the same age as me when I had my eldest, because when he turns 18, I’ll be entering a new decade.
Everything you said gives me tingles! It’s this beautiful thing where, like, they’re becoming an adult, but you’re also entering this different part of life. Even though it's not a different part, I feel like in my 40s, you really step into who you are and let go of worrying so much about what other people think.
It’s like, "I just want to be raw and real."
Felicity Rogers: I definitely think that’s the case. People talk about how you become less worried about being judged as you get older. You become more self-assured. But also, there’s an element of experience that really comes with getting older, where you go, "Actually, I really do know what I’m doing now."
I’m not just trying to figure it out like I was in my 20s or 30s. So, there’s that confidence that comes with experience, and we should all celebrate that.
Fiona Killackey: Oh, amen. You are definitely living that. And people can hear it already. You are this incredible and very inspirational founder of Cargo Crew. A lot of people will be familiar. People will be listening and saying, “Oh my God, we wear Cargo Crew!”
This is so exciting. You recently celebrated 20 years. I was lucky enough to work with you, and I know your backstory, but I’d love for you to share a little bit more about the journey that led to where you are today.
But with hospitality and that industry in particular, in the last few years with COVID and a lot of, it, you know, it's been incredibly impacted. What does that… Because now still people like, I work with some hospitality brands and they're just saying people aren't coming in for a coffee every day. They're doing it twice a week now. And so there's an impact on them. And then you guys serve that industry. So how did you get through that? And was there any kind of, I don't know, you're a very innovative person. Did you come up with ideas or... Yeah. And if anyone's listening to this, who's really being impacted right now, and they're absolutely struggling, what did you do that might help them or what advice would you give?
Felicity Rogers: Yeah, look, I think there's always lessons in everything, right? But I think back to the pandemic, and I definitely remember the feeling that at that time it was around... That we'd been in business around 20 years. And I definitely remember the feeling that it was the first time that I felt like we lost control of the steering wheel. There was just this absolute unknown of how things were going to unfold after that March 2020 date. I remember just everything kind of stopped. Someone turned the tap off. So it was an extremely challenging time for so many businesses.
But I think what I would say is what we learned from that 100%, is that I think we used that as an opportunity to build deeper connections with our customers. I really feel like, as an industry, particularly hospitality, I think that as a community, there was an absolute kind of coming together. There was more connection. People, people kind of reached out and, you know, like, there was a lot more of an openness about wanting to work with other businesses and collaborate and do all of these things.
And I think from that time, that really did kind of... I think there was a bit of a mindset change around how you can collaborate so easily with other businesses. So, I would say the biggest learning was that. But also the direct relationship with customers that we built through COVID was, I think, like, game changing for our business.
So, I think you previously, like I mentioned earlier, Cargo Crew is innately a B2B business. But there is something about our product that does appeal to consumers as well, like home cooks, artists, florists – people who just like to create in their own time. And they might buy one of our aprons, they might buy an apron for a gift, they might buy a boiler suit for doing their craft and things.
So for me, the connection that we built with that kind of D2C customer was quite a new market for us during COVID. And that was because everyone was online, everyone was on social. And so we did a lot of online collaborations as well. We really kind of built the brand awareness through COVID in a way that I would never have expected through that kind of halo of D2C word of mouth.
And then when things started to resume, I think what I really noticed was at the end of the day, those people became like the brand ambassadors. We had this whole halo effect because a lot of those people obviously worked in businesses. Some of those businesses may have needed uniforms. So the recovery out of COVID was quite swift. And I think that was a real, I think, kind of testament to the strength of our brand, but also how we just really amplified and took that opportunity to even deepen those relationships at that time.
So they would be my biggest learnings. But also beyond that, if you think about today and the challenges in cost of living, the cost of running a business like every... is feeling the impact of that. For us, it's the cost of the goods to get products produced and shipped and even our in-house service team. All of these things cost businesses so much more these days.
And I think for me, what the biggest lesson than I've learned around people looking more at cost and people really kind of assessing, can we afford to invest in that if they're a business or a consumer? I do feel that there is a sense of people wanting value. And I think if you can really kind of educate your customer on what is the value that you're giving them outside of the product?
Is it the quality of the product? Is it the innovation of what you're providing as the product? Is it the quality of the service? Is it the ease of how you service them? You make it easy for them so they don't have to run around. If it was a, say, for example in hospitality, if it was aprons, we have no minimum order quantity. It's next day or same-day delivery in Melbourne. So it's like, how do you really harness the value that you bring to a customer? Yes, it's about price, yes, it's about, at times, cost cutting.
But for me, I think sometimes in tough times, if you shine above the competitors, that you're up against within the market, or if you're investing more in that R&D to make your product even better for your customer, then they're going to appreciate that. And I believe that that is what builds that kind of connection and loyalty from your customers. Yeah.
Fiona Killackey: And I mean, you have an absolutely great product as well. And we bought a whole bunch one year for client gifts and everyone went out with their customised apron and we have our little aprons with our names on them. But when you were saying that whole shine above, that is something you guys have done consistently. And I know you'll probably be blushing because you are like the person least likely to talk about your accolades ever. So when I started working with you, you would just casually mention, "Oh, yeah, yeah, we won the Telstra Victorian Business of the Year and we did this. Oh, yeah, Gwyneth Paltrow got some of ours." And, I'm like, just casual things and you're very chill about it.
Are you chill about it? Because those things maybe are, like, an external accomplishment that isn't as big as maybe, I don't know, something internal or personal that's happened to you that you're like, "Yes, this is great." Or is this just something that you're like, "Yep, cool, onto the next." Like, what is it about you? Because you have done so much, Felicity, and part of the thing that I love about you is that you just… You wouldn't necessarily know that, like, if I wanted to be stuck next to, you know, out of all lots of people I've worked with on a plane for 20 hours, I would happily be sitting next to you because you're just hilarious and funny and intelligent and determined. But you've also accomplished so much and you very rarely talk about it. Why do you think that is? Let's go all psychology here.
Felicity Rogers: You know, it's a good question because I feel like as a business, we do talk about those things. I think, me personally, I feel like I grew up at a time when people were less shouty about their achievements and I feel like, in a way, it's a bit generational. And actually, even having kids now, myself and as I said earlier, an adult and my daughter's 21, and seeing them on social and their friends on social and their networks and how much they really put themselves out there and how much they share, obviously, it's amazing from a digital opportunity, particularly having a small business to be able to promote on so many platforms now.
But it's definitely, I think, innately in myself personally, I just don't think I wasn't built like that. So it's really hard to all of a sudden become like, "Look at me, look at me, look at me." And I think, in a way, I'm more comfortable with saying, "Look at Cargo Crew, look at Cargo Crew, look at Cargo Crew's doing." And so maybe that's why, like, subconsciously, I'm not out there talking. I don't like to kind of, I guess, yeah, like boast, but...
But I would say that I absolutely do talk about those things and celebrate them. And more than anything, I actually do at times sit back and go, "That was bloody amazing. I can't believe that happened." The Gwyneth Paltrow example is incredible because it was completely organic. It came about because their agency, they employed to put together a pop-up when they launched their new GOOP skincare brand. I think it was around 2014, 2015. They organised this pop-up in New York. They found us online and they ordered these aprons. We didn't know that they were for Goop at the time. We saw it on social later.
So at that point I emailed Goop and I was like, "I just want you to know we're a small business in Australia and seeing our aprons at your pop-up was an amazing, amazing moment for us." And they actually emailed back saying, "Oh, Gwyneth loved them so much. She would love to wear one and gift all of these influencers in New York when she launches in a few weeks in New York. Can you send more aprons?" And so we're like, of course.
And I think what that showed us, me, the team, my sister, my husband, everyone in the business at the time was that if you do great product in this day and age, it will be found. Your website is this window to the world. You never know what's around the corner and anything can happen.
I think more than anything else, like when you kind of say, "Oh, do you just kind of move on?" I honestly think, like, my whole approach to things is often, I'm very curious and I know this is a topic that you've talked about before on your podcast. And I think about all the kind of traits in life. If I had to list, what do I see as some of the strongest traits, whether it's in people that we employ, whether it's people we collaborate with... like curiosity. It is absolutely up, so high up there on the list.
And I think being curious, you're constantly thinking, "What else can I do? What is next? How can I do this better? What would happen if I did this?" And I think that's what keeps moving the needle. So whilst we've achieved these great things and amazing things have happened, you kind of just don't sit there and go, "Okay, we've done that." And we're happy that it's not from a pursuit of wanting to better, that it's this pursuit of just going, "What is possible?" And I think that's a real driver for me personally. And I think, you know, my sister and my husband and the whole team were often very wide like that, you know, "What else is possible?"
Fiona Killackey: That whole answer is so insightful and it's just such a, like, testament to who you are as your character. It reminds me, my dad, when I was growing up here, you used to often say, "Don't just be interesting, be interested." You know, listen to other people, get curious, ask questions. And I feel like I'm always, you know, my husband’s constantly like, "20 questions. Fiona, here she goes." But I've always been curious, like, "Oh, but why did you build that? Or what did you think? Or like, do you like working there? What do you like about it?"
And even with my son at the moment, he's five, he just started prep. Yeah, there was like one issue he had at school and I was like talking to actually a friend who's a psychologist and she said, "The best thing you can do as a parent is be curious."
Felicity Rogers: Yeah, yeah, right.
Fiona Killackey: "What else could you have done?" And because you're making them think and they have to think instead of just, you know, you rushing in to save everything. So on that, you mentioned your husband and your sister are also part of the curiosity camp at Cargo Crew. And so they are also co-founders. What is it like working with family? And what advice would you give to someone who's listening, who's like, you know, my business is at that stage where I'm going to hire a family member or a close friend and I don't know what to do, like, what advice would you give?
Felicity Rogers: Yeah, great question. You know, I think, look, it has, it definitely has its challenges, right? I think for us, our family dynamics work because we’re very, very clear on what role each of us play and it's been really important that there are strong boundaries in place. So, for example, like, my sister, Kate, she is a co-founder and a director of the business, but she’s also the CFO. So she looks after all of the finance, the operations side of the business. That’s her strength. My husband, Dan, he is a co-founder and he looks after the warehouse, the logistics side of the business. So, again, a very operational role.
Then me, my role has always been in the marketing, product development, and sales side of things. So I think it works because we’re really clear on what each other’s roles are. We don’t step on each other’s toes. And we have worked together long enough now that there’s an understanding of how we work, how we operate, how we communicate.
But, having said that, it is still family, right? And so sometimes there are those moments when it's like, okay, we need to just step away from each other. We can’t talk about work 24/7, which can sometimes be hard because, like, when you’re in a small business, that’s kind of what you do. You're always thinking about it. But I think, for me, what’s been really great is we have this respect for each other’s different strengths, and we're able to kind of divide and conquer.
And my advice would be that if you’re going to work with family or close friends, it’s really important that you set clear boundaries around the business side of things, but also personal side of things. Like, it's so important that, like, when the working day is over, you don’t keep talking about the business. Like, make sure you have that space to switch off, to reset. So that when you come back the next day, you’re not just burnt out or kind of overloaded by each other.
So, I think communication and respect are probably the two key things. If you’ve got that, you can work with family and friends, but, you know, if those things break down, it’s going to be really hard.
Fiona Killackey: Great advice.
And then, if you can kind of sit there and say honestly to yourself, there is so much opportunity for this business to reach more potential without being so tightly tied to yourself as the founder, then you. If you make that connection and deeply feel that someone could come in and help you achieve that, then that's when you really start thinking, “Okay, I think there’s potential here for us to go to market, talk to people, and see if we can even get the right conversation happening.”
There were a lot of pre-talks and meetings we had over the years where we thought, "Well, this could be someone we could potentially talk to about partnering with, or someone that we could potentially look to talk to about funding." But it always started with the right fit. We always wanted to think about the investment. We wanted to do it with like-minded people who were truly committed to helping us grow the opportunity we believed we’d built with Cargo Crew.
So, as far as the timing and knowing whether it’s the right time for you, I think for me, and for us, it was a journey. It was about being clear that it was the right time. We got the business to a stage where we felt that external funding and expertise could come in and help us take it to the next level. So, the timing felt right for our business.
We’d really started to dive into the global market in the last couple of years, and I think there’s a lot of risk that comes with that. Ultimately, as individuals, we wanted to de-risk the situation so that it didn’t all sit on our shoulders.
For people making the decision around taking on investors or co-owners, you need to really understand what they’re going to bring. For us, it’s really enabled us to embrace and go after that international growth that we’re now seeing.
Timing, I think, is also about acceptance. I read recently about “radical acceptance.” If you are going to do it, when you’ve been in a business that you’ve ultimately built and controlled with a small group for a very long period of time, you need to radically accept the change that will come with that. Bringing in new layers of executives, a new CEO—those changes shift the dynamics of how we work.
But what I would say in response to your first question—how am I feeling?—is that, really, if you’re going to make that change and want to enjoy the journey, you need to be open to new ways of doing things. Bring in new expertise that you can develop yourself, which is something I’m very interested in and want to continue developing.
If you're going to make the decision to bring in investment, be okay and happy with that decision. Then embrace it because, absolutely, change is hard for anyone. It’s really important that you remind yourself why you wanted the investment and the journey, so you can achieve the best outcome for the business. And then, it’s a win-win. It’s been exciting so far.
Fiona Killackey: Yeah, oh my gosh. So helpful for anyone who’s listening and thinking about this. I’m totally going to text this episode to a few people I know who may well be thinking about this sort of stuff. But you have so much going on! You’ve just had this massive change in the business, and you have two children—one’s gone through high school, and the other one is finishing up now. You’ve also got a brand new puppy! So how do you organise your time? Because you seem to be a very organised person. Do you have more hours than everyone else, Felicity? How do you get everything done? Do you have any tips? Is there something that’s changed the game for you?
Felicity Rogers: I feel like you are way more organised than me! I just want to say, your organisation skills are absolutely what I aspire to. You are incredible in that area. I can’t compare myself to that.
But, honestly, if I’m really brutally honest, I think I’ve blended my life and work together so much that it’s not necessarily an issue of balance. It feels like it’s all one thing. I’m always working, but I’m always enjoying what I’m doing. So there’s a blend of enjoyment and non-working moments that come into my work.
When you ask how I get so much done, I guess I do, even subconsciously, bring work things into moments of leisure. Whether it’s catch-ups, brainstorming, or collaborating—those things might sit within work time for others, but for me, I love driving those things. I get energy from it. So, for me, there’s a bit of a blend of boundaries that works for me but may not work for everyone.
The other thing that I do—tactically—is that I’m very analogue. I use a printed notebook every day, rather than relying only on my calendar. I’m a very visual person. I like to write things down. So, during the day, I’ll update my notebook many, many times. I’ll reprioritise my to-do list and then transfer things to the next day, iterating as I go. It’s an old-fashioned approach, but it works. People often ask how I remember everything, and I tell them it’s just a good old-fashioned notebook.
Fiona Killackey: I love a notebook, and I feel like it’s more real when you write it down. I used to proofread books for a publisher a long time ago, and when I was doing my latest book, I kept saying, “Can I print it out?” They wanted me to do it in Adobe, but I can’t find mistakes as well on the screen as I can in a physical format.
Felicity Rogers: Yeah, I agree—absolutely, 100%.
Fiona Killackey: You’ve mentioned Gwyneth Paltrow and the US, but Cargo Crew is also big in the US and getting bigger. You’re working with different people to help on that. How did you first approach the US market? For Australians, especially, getting into the US is huge. We’re this small country, it feels like, in the middle of nowhere. How did you get in, and what tips do you have for anyone else thinking, “I want to grow bigger in the US”?
Felicity Rogers: For us, it was very much organic. It was this ongoing surprise that kept happening after we launched our online store. In 2012, we launched the online business, moving from being an offline business that serviced local Melbourne businesses and corporates to this online store. We introduced fashion elements to the website, getting people excited about uniforms. After that, we started to get international buzz. Our first international order came from Mexico, which was so exciting!
But we noticed, particularly with the US, that we kept receiving these random orders—single aprons—for a style we called the Boston Denim Apron. It would always be from hairdressers. We had Shopify at the time, and we kept seeing one or two aprons going to hairdressers in the US. It became a repeated thing. We found out that there was a business in the US called the Business of Balayage. It was a huge trend at the time, and this business had a massive Instagram following. The team of educators used to wear our denim aprons during their events, and that’s how it started.
They became our unofficial ambassadors. Every time they visited a salon, we'd get orders because people saw them wearing our aprons and wanted the same ones. That was the lightbulb moment for us—our product was resonating with hairdressers in the US. We weren’t promoting it; they were seeing it and willing to pay for shipping to get it to the US. We realised that there must be other industries that would also love our products.
It was a word-of-mouth thing through the Business of Balayage. Over time, we started to focus more intentionally on the US market. That’s how it began for us—completely organic. But what I’ve learned is that you really need to step back and understand the product-market fit. The US is so huge, and while there are more people, there’s also more competition.
Many Australian businesses think that if they make it in the US, that’s it—they’ll hit their happy place. But yes, there’s more opportunity, but there’s also a lot more competition. You really need to ask yourself: What makes your product different from what’s already available?
For us, from day one, we’ve been doing something different in the uniform market. We focus on design, fun, and innovation, bringing energy to uniforms. I think that’s what people in the US noticed and wanted to be part of. Our product-market fit has continued to build since those early days.
I’ve also learned that you need to go to the US, especially if you’re going to employ people or work with representatives there. Meeting face to face is crucial. You’ll observe so much more than just in meetings. It’s about getting feedback on the product and building relationships with those representing your business.
Now, we’re on track to have our biggest month ever in the US. It’s now 20% of our total business. We’re also looking into setting up warehousing there this year, which is really exciting. But we’re making sure to find the right partner who aligns with the quality service we’ve worked so hard for in Australia. These are the challenges we’re facing as we expand.
In terms of online marketing, the US market is huge, but it’s costly. The average return on ad spend for paid social is lower than in Australia. But once you target the right groups, it’s worth it because you get more volume, which makes the investment pay off in the long run. For the past 18 months to two years, we’ve had a focused effort on the US, and now we’re starting to see the fruits of that labour.
Fiona Killackey: Amazing! And speaking of meeting people and representing your brand, did you get to meet Paris Hilton when she was wearing your boiler suit recently? I saw her saying, “That’s hot!” and I was like, oh my God, that’s amazing—Cargo Crew and Paris Hilton!
Felicity Rogers: It’s too much, isn’t it? Well, it came about organically, like the other stories I’ve shared. We were working with a chef who was cooking with Paris Hilton in that Instagram post. Her name is Chef Bay, and she’s a celebrity chef in LA. One of our team members at the time happened to see that Chef Bay was cooking with Paris Hilton in the kitchen, so we were like, “Let’s just reach out and say, ‘We have this amazing boiler suit that we know you’ll love.’” We sent it over to Chef Bay and mentioned it to Paris as well. And sure enough, we saw Paris in our suit on her Instagram the next day! So, that’s how that came about. It was a really exciting moment for us.
Fiona Killackey: I love self-care and my family. I feel like it's my family's self-care because I always come back in a better mood because I've got my walk and I’m like yes, okay, it doesn’t matter if I haven’t slept. I am happy. Next one. Are you an early bird or night owl for getting work done?
Felicity Rogers: Definitely an early bird. I actually have found as I’ve got older that if I work too late, it really interrupts my sleep. So, I’m actually... that is an area that I have boundaries. You’ll be so happy to know I have some boundaries about how late I work at night. Generally, I definitely want to be switched off by, say, 8:30 because I do feel like I need that time to unwind before I go to bed. Otherwise, my mind tends to tick over. So yeah, definitely. I actually love getting up early and doing some work before the day starts when you’re really fresh and feel really kind of, you know, energised.
Also, as you mentioned earlier, we do have a new puppy and, like, this morning he was awake at like 5:30 and I was like, oh my God, we’re up and about already. And so it’s like having a new child in the house. So yeah, I would say definitely more of a morning person. Yeah.
Fiona Killackey: What does success look like to you? Beyond revenue?
Felicity Rogers: It’s a tricky one. Like, I think it’s definitely for me success and satisfaction go hand in hand. And I think that feeling of satisfaction is about serving your drive in a way. I think I am a very driven person. I get excited, I get energised, and I want to feel that satisfaction—that I can apply that energy, whether it’s new ideas, whether it’s just coming up with something and thinking, is it possible to do that? Could we actually do that?
And then when you actually work through and go, why not? Why can’t we? It’s the satisfaction that comes with actually ideating together with the team or with myself or whoever it is, and then actually being able to execute that. For me, it’s satisfaction. And I think if you have satisfaction, you’re going to have success, right? Because you’re going to feel good about what you’re doing. You’re going to have opportunities to continue to experiment and try new things.
Yeah, so I’d say a sense of satisfaction translates to success because satisfaction... you should feel happy with what you’re doing, you know? You should feel all those things, you know. Ah,
Fiona Killackey: I love that answer. I love that answer so much. And actually, I’m starting a little side thing and I’m so excited and I feel like it’s going to bring me a lot of satisfaction.
Felicity Rogers: Oh really?
Fiona Killackey: So do you have anything in a particular outfit or something style-wise, or is there a particular song that always makes you feel confident?
Felicity Rogers: You know what my thing is? It’s really bold coloured pants. When I need something to kind of like bring the moment or like to kind of like... I love that so much. I have a whole selection of different tones of pink, burgundy. I actually just recently bought these bright lime pair, which I’m so excited to wear. I’ve just had to have them taken up. You know when you buy the pants and they’re so long? They’re like made for supermodels.
Fiona Killackey: Like, I’m like, almost, and I’m like, who are these made for? I’m pretty tall. And they’re so long.
Felicity Rogers: You’re so tall. So I think, you know, put on the coloured pants and then you’ll definitely be feeling like, you know, ready to go. That’s my hot tip.
Fiona Killackey: I am totally into collective closets. If they’re listening, need to touch base on those pants.
Felicity Rogers: What is your favourite way to celebrate a win?
Felicity Rogers: Definitely, I would say definitely in the moment with those that helped make it happen, make that win happen. Like, in the moment. Like, I feel sometimes when you build things up and you’re like, let’s go and do this and all this to celebrate, and then you’re like, the moment’s already passed. It’s like, what can you do in that moment to celebrate something?
And I think where we are right now with our team, just as an example, my design and production team, the other week we worked on this really interesting brief. We had to get all creative and custom-make these really interesting accessories, and we just really worked so well together as a team.
Then I was saying to them, let’s have no boundaries. Just like, let’s go crazy with creative ideas and let’s just see what comes out of it. Anyway, we did all these kinds of prototypes and presented it to the client, and they were so thrilled. And basically, going back that day to the team after we had presented it and saying that the client was blown away, and everyone was like jumping with joy because they were like, that was so fun.
We all got to be part of something really interesting and different from the day to day. We got to bring creative energy, and it’s just really about celebrating that with the people who were part of that. So that would be something that I think over the years, I’ve learned—really just make sure you stop and say thank you to people who have been part of bringing something to life, whether it’s a product or whether it’s a pitch or whether it’s a bit of content. It’s the small stuff that makes such a big difference, honestly. Yeah.
Fiona Killackey: And have fun that you’ve had fun. And then it also has a great outcome, like that whole satisfaction success that you just talked about. And so, lastly, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Felicity Rogers: Both my sister and I are obsessed with, you know, Sir John Hegarty. He was like one of the original founders, or he was part of founding Saatchi & Saatchi. He’s a big ad guy in the UK. I’ll have to share it with you, actually, with this link of something that we saw years ago, where he talks about how you build a great creative product. How do you constantly surprise and delight your customers and things like that?
But something that he did say, and it’s actually similar to what your dad used to say, is that... do interesting things and interesting things will happen. Doors will always open. And that, I honestly think about that all the time because sometimes you get opportunities and they’re not necessarily that easy to execute. Often people come to you with ideas and then it all starts off really fun and exciting. But the reality is, like anything in business and in life, doing things in quality or creatively, it takes commitment. It takes time, it takes a commitment to execution.
And so sometimes you just kind of go, oh, maybe I can’t be bothered. Not that I probably do that that much, but you can, you could. Whereas if you have the mindset, this is a bit out of the box, this is something that I haven’t done before, I’m not sure how to do it... It actually doing it is going to pay dues for you in more ways than I could ever say. And I would say having that approach to so many things has been an absolute key to our success. So do interesting things, and interesting things will happen, 100%.
Fiona Killackey: So I’m like, yes. And again, thinking of all these things I want to do and it’s like, yes. And also, I think it goes to the point of like, let’s just not get complacent because if you find running a poor business, like I work with people who maybe have had a business for 15 years or 10 years or whatever, and I know like my business is coming up near 10 years, and you can feel like you’re just doing the same thing, same thing. And it’s like, if it’s not interesting to you, how’s it going to be to other people as well?
Felicity Rogers: Absolutely. That is so key. And even like, yeah. As it relates to the product that you’re putting out there, if you’re not excited by it, how is anyone else going to be? Like, it’s totally businesses of tomorrow. You need to be constantly innovating, constantly innovating, having the passion to do that. And if you’re not doing that, then, you know, maybe it’s time to think about what else you should be doing.
Fiona Killackey: And what is interesting to you? And so before we finish up, what are you most proud of from your whole big 23-year journey so far and prior to that when you had the other business?
Felicity Rogers: I definitely, I definitely think it’s got to come down to the longevity. Like it’s got to come down to the longevity of the road that we’ve kind of travelled for so long and maintained that, okay, this is where we’re going, and just continued on that journey. Yes, we’ve definitely taken some detours and gone over some big hills and things like that. But I think I am really proud that we have managed to remain consistent on this vision of what we believe we can do, which is to now build a global destination for modern uniforms.
But alongside of that, and absolutely, you know, even more important, has been the fact that we have also grown a family. My sister’s now got a young family, obviously, my husband and I are in the business together and having our kids. Our kids have seen us create something from nothing. And I think in these days, you know, it is really, really hard to create something from zero, from nothing. And for that thing to have a unique point of view, I really feel that Cargo Crew has a unique point of view, which is why we are resonating even now, globally. It’s unique. It’s like what makes us unique. It’s something that people resonate with. So I’m really proud of that. I’m really proud that it has got a unique point of view and that we created that and we’re continuing to take it to the world. So, yeah, it’s a pretty exciting time.
Fiona Killackey: So exciting. Okay, so if people are listening to this and they’re like, oh my God, I have to connect with it or I have to go and check out Cargo Crew, where should we send them?
Felicity Rogers: So definitely, our website, www.cargocrew.com.au, and if you’re on Instagram, check us out on Instagram at @cargocrew.
Fiona Killackey: Didn’t you want that chat to just keep going? I know that I absolutely did. And every time I talk to Felicity, I feel like we chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, and then, you know, for whatever reason, we'll have to part and I’m like, oh, my God, there's still so many things I want to ask you or say to you or, you know, it’s just, it’s effortless chatting with her. And I think this is such a gift that Felicity has, is that she makes anyone feel at home. And I’ve seen it. I’ve done workshops with her, I’ve seen her, you know, in events. I’ve seen her just talk to people. And she just has this warmth about her, which is, like I said in the, you know, interview, I’d love to just be caught on a 24-hour flight next to Felicity because chances are you’d be laughing your head off, but you’d also be in super deep conversation and you just get out feeling like, my life is better because of this person. So absolute joy to have her on.
I’m going to highlight just two things, as I always do from this, but I think it would be wonderful for you to reach out to Felicity or myself and let us know what stood out most for you. What are you going to learn? What are you going to take away from this? What are you going to implement from this?
The two things that really stood out, and I kind of alluded to this in the intro for this podcast, is just this belief and it's so genuine and so authentic in Felicity, which is this idea of staying forever curious. And I think so often we can get caught up in the chaos and the challenge and the overwhelm instead of really stopping and going, okay, okay, things are, maybe going in a different direction. But how can I get curious about that? How can I think about all the different options? And I see it because I’ve sat with Felicity and I’ve heard her come up with creative idea after creative idea, and it seems like it’s endless, but I feel like curiosity is something the more you feed, the more you have, in a weird way. And I love that she said curiosity is so high up on the list. Because I think, to quote her, she said, being curious, you’re constantly thinking, what else can I do? What is next? How can I do this better? What would happen if I did this? And I think that experimentation is such a core part of people who are, quote, unquote successful. And not just successful, like financially, but successful in that they find fulfilment through their business as well.
I know that in my business, whenever I felt really, like, challenged, I try. You know, of course, I probably have days where I’m just like, ugh, you know, go and win the lottery or something. But I also have days where I’m able to pick myself up by like, okay, okay, let me take a minute. What could we do differently? I’m an intensely curious person. Like, my family is constantly like, oh, here goes Fiona with her, like, 20 questions to every... I have been like that since I was a child. Even though I was an introvert, quite shy. My mum would always say, oh, you used to always just talk to random people to, you know, you’d ask people at the checkout if they liked their job. Like, you were constantly asking people questions. And it’s definitely, like, got me in trouble sometimes. Trouble. But I think sometimes people are like, oh, wow, you go deep quickly. But I’m just not here for the fluff. Like, I want to know all about you and I want to know what makes you tick. And that same curiosity has worked really well in my business. Like, hmm, I want to write a book. Okay, how do I do that? Like, all right, how do I do that? Instead of getting so overwhelmed by all the potential things that could go wrong, it’s like, okay, well, what could happen? Like, let me just pull on this string and see what happens. And I think Felicity also shares that and is so curious. And I think that curiosity has led to so many incredible things happening for the Cargo Crew.
So I love that. Stay forever curious. I think that is such a beautiful thing and just such a thing that if you're always curious, then you're always learning and you're always open. I think curiosity doesn't happen without you being open to learning and just open as a person. So, yeah, love that.
The second thing that is so genuine with Cargo Crew and, you know, I've witnessed it firsthand with them. I've also witnessed it as a customer of theirs and it's this idea of authentic connection. And I know that can feel really, like, overused. And even in my book, Business Brand, I talk about the Ace brand model and authenticity is the first part of the Ace brand model. And I feel like it’s something that Cargo Crew does really well. They really understand who their customers are, they really get to know them, they come up with insight PDFs for them and reports of what’s happening in the industry. And they do really interesting things because they are genuinely interested in building those genuine connections. And I love that Felicity talks about, you know, the deeper connections with community and that it’s always ongoing, but that one of the biggest things she’s learned is, you know, you’ve got to have people on the ground, you’ve got to understand the territories that you’re going into and whether that’s literal, you, the US territory, or going into hospitality groups or going into hairdressers or going into, you know, whatever industry you're going into, to take the time to build genuine connections. And then, you know, so, like, if you’re building them, you’re building them with a genuine idea of connection rather than, I don’t know, sales in particular, but that through those connections, you are more than likely able to then grow your brand because people like you and people are genuinely interested in what you’re doing and you’re curious and they’re curious and it just really works to build that connection.
So I love that there’s so many other things in there. There’s... oh, just so much in there. I’m definitely going to listen to this one again for sure. But if you want to connect with Felicity, you can head on over to Cargo Crew, that is C A R G O C R E W.com. If you're listening in the US, you can use the same URL. I think anywhere around the world you can use the same URL and it will take you to, you know, wherever you need to go. You can also head on over to all the socials and find them. Cargo Crew. And like Felicity said on LinkedIn, she is Felicity Rogers with a D R O D G E R S.
And honestly, she is just such a powerhouse and one of those people that, like I said throughout this interview, she’s just really humble and she’s not going to go full ball into like boasting or anything about who she is, but she just is like standing in her power because what she’s created is magnificent and she knows it and she owns it, but in a really beautiful way. So, absolute pleasure to talk to Felicity. Any chance I get is a pleasure.
And so again, if you’ve never heard of Cargo Crew, go and check them out and if you have heard of them, maybe give them a little love and just be like, hey guys, I just heard about Felicity and I just love what you’re doing and thank you for how it’s impacted my business. When I had my book launch, I actually talked about Felicity’s business in my speech because I was saying how, you know, when you get a uniform that has been designed for you, when you get, you know, your aprons and let’s say you’re a hairdresser and you get the brand put on them and everyone’s got their name, it empowers you to feel just this lift, like you are more professional, that you really have your business now.
And I know that Cargo Crew is being worn by so many small business owners in cafes, in restaurants, in offices, all over, and by a lot of solo operators who are wearing their cool boiler suits to build ceramics, to make art. And so go and show them love, because this is how small businesses, you know, thrive. Because they want to be doing something that people genuinely love. So if Cargo Crew has impacted you, maybe take a second to actually say thank you and show them that love, because that’s how we all keep going.
Thank you so much, Felicity, for coming on and thank you for listening to this. If you found this useful, please hit subscribe and also, please leave a review. It would just mean the world to me. I did put a call out on Instagram recently and thank you for everyone who’s left a review since then. If you want to go through this in text format or find links to anything that we mention, you can find that at mysdailybusiness.com podcast494. Thank you for listening. See you next time. Bye.
Thanks for listening to the My Daily Business Podcast for a range of tools to help you grow and start your business, including coaching programmes, courses and templates. Check out our shop at mydailybusiness.com and if you want to get in touch, you can do that by email at hello@mydailybusiness.com or you can hit us up on Instagram at mydailybusiness_. You can find us on TikTok at mydailybusiness or find me Fiona Killackey on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting.
