The Lead Summit Speaker Spotlight:
Lynda Fisher, Chief Revenue Officer, Rowan

This week in The Lead Speaker Spotlight Series we sit down with Lynda Fisher, Chief Revenue Officer at Rowan. Rowan is an ear piercing and jewelry brand that has reimagined the ear piercing experience and revolutionized the traditional mall-based model.

In four short questions, Lynda shares with us how her career evolved to this point, how she is using tech to drive brand loyalty, what she will discuss at The Lead Summit, and more!

Join Lynda and over 180 speakers talking about the future of brand-to-consumer at The Lead Summit on July 10-11 in NYC! 

Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us today Lynda. Can you tell us about your journey to reaching this position of Chief Revenue Officer at Rowan? Was there a moment, a mentor, or an experience that you can point to which set you on the path to this point in your career? 

I feel so fortunate because I’ve worked for incredible role models who I credit for my success as a leader. My first boss at Donna Karan, Betsy Grass, who is such a thoughtful leader, was my first introduction to the retail industry. She was the first person to introduce to me the concept of people working hard for people and always made sure to invest not only in my career, but in me. It’s because she helped me to build my confidence that I was able to take a leap of faith and join a newborn company with a team of four young entrepreneurs – Kate Spade, Andy Spade, Elyce Arons, and Pamela Bell – on a mission to disrupt the handbag industry in new, creative ways.

Working for Kate Spade, which was at the time a small, entrepreneurial startup hungry for growth, I was exposed to many different aspects of the business which helped me to grow my skills as a leader across departments. The founders were great people managers who taught me that people are what make a company successful.

From there, I earned the opportunity to work for Burberry at a time when Rose Marie Bravo and Eugenia Ulasewicz were reinvigorating the brand. Both were kind and effective leaders with incredible vision and understanding about how to put the right people together to make something magical.

At Frances Valentine, because I was working with people I already knew I loved working with, I was focused on how I could learn more about the industry itself. What I learned is that fashion and retail are more than just what you wear and how you dress. It’s about finding the joy in what you wear.

That’s how I landed at Rowan, where I’ve been able to translate what I know about the importance of people and finding joy in self expression to a new industry – ear piercing!

You are continuing to think about technologies that can help you run a better business –what technologies out there excite you as the Chief Revenue Officer?

We are customer experience obsessed at Rowan. I’m always on the lookout for technology that enhances our understanding of each customer’s journey, allowing us to personalize their in-studio experience. Equipping our teams with data ensures we address customers’ excitement and potential anxieties about getting pierced. The more we know, the safer and more celebratory the experience will be. 

We’re also always looking for new ways to serve our customers the product they’re looking for. For example, we’re implementing new inventory management tools so we are better able to address the customer’s needs.

Data also tells us there’s a direct correlation between employee experience and customer experience! At Rowan, we’re eager to implement new technologies which enhance the employee experience. We recently began using Yoobic, and we’re excited to explore all the platform’s capabilities!

At The Lead Summit 2024, you will be speaking about store experiences that drive brand affinity and loyalty. Can you share with us a sneak peek of the session?

Authenticity is at the core of our brand, driving affinity and loyalty. Our Founder, Louisa Serene Schneider, started the business because she couldn’t find a safe and celebratory place for her daughter to get pierced. Many of us joined for the same reason.

As an ear-piercing brand, our business is inherently experiential. We focus on providing the safest, most celebratory experience. But the appointment itself isn’t actually where the customer experience starts – or ends! The moment you make your appointment, we arm you with all the information you need to go into your piercing appointment calm, cool, and collected. 

When you get to our studio for your appointment, you’ll find our colorful, joyful spaces are as inviting as they are clean – and, we hire only licensed nurses for piercings! We ensure that the individual being pierced has a safe, clean space that feels warm and inviting. With piercings, many emotions can flow from an individual including excitement and nerves. Our nurses and sales managers are trained to ensure all guests feel welcome and comfortable at Rowan, and it shows in our brand affinity and loyalty. Word of mouth is one of the biggest drivers to our brand, and we know this is because our teams aim to provide an excellent experience every time. We’ve been so thoughtful because we genuinely care; we want you to walk out of our studios feeling elated.

Our in-store experience extends beyond the physical space. We follow up after the piercing to ensure each piercing is healing well, check in on the aftercare process, and answer any questions. We have a nurse hotline that is always available to our customers. Because we follow the Rowan Clinical Piercing Standards, we’re proud that less than 1% of our piercings have adverse outcomes, compared to the 30% industry average. At Rowan, every piercing is a milestone and every milestone can be celebrated with a piercing, or a new pair of hypoallergenic earrings.

Like all of us, you are looking for those special shopping experiences. Can you share with us a recent memorable shopping experience and what made it special?

I’m always on the lookout for brands that are able to bridge the generational gap. I have two daughters – one who’s Gen Alpha and one who’s Gen Z. With my Gen Z-er graduating from high school, we’ve been doing a lot of shopping for college. We went to Sephora recently to stock up on her products, and it was of course exciting to see how she interacted with the space, but what was more interesting was how my 10 year old engaged. We were all so excited to be there! Each of us felt really connected, there was something for each of us. Even though TikTok has reported on Gen Alpha’s inappropriate use of trending products, I felt like Sephora was doing a great job at promoting products that felt appropriate for each age group.

Not many brands are able to provide an authentic experience to multiple generations. At Rowan, this is something we’re focused on as well. I could come in with my 10 year old to get her first piercings, my 18 year old to get her third, fourth, even seventh piercings, and myself to get my conch pierced!

Join Lynda at The Lead Summit, July 10-11 in New York City!

Brand and retail attend free!

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