Heroes of Scale Episode 5: Designing Sustainable Growth with Sarah’s Bag
This episode explores how design-led thinking, brand differentiation, and change management shape success in the creative industries – through the lens of Sarah’s Bag. It offers insights into overcoming production constraints, fostering brand loyalty, and scaling internationally.
00:00 | Introduction to the episode’s topic: Design Thinking and Growth Strategies. The episode features Dr. Fouad Zablith, a subject matter expert on Design Thinking Application and Sarah’s Bag’s General Manager Mrs. Manal Mouawad and is moderated by Dr. Bijan Azad and Mr. Sami Kteily.
02:01 | Sarah’s Bag: A Lebanese social enterprise that manufactures and sells ready-to-wear accessories and bags.
06:26 | Key challenges facing Sarah's Bag’s scaling: production limitations, high return costs, product imitation, and ethical concerns.
09:43 | How to use design thinking to develop a sustainable growth strategy.
14:24 | Why an agile change management mindset is essential for organizational success.
18:25 | Driving growth through innovation: Attracting new customers while keeping loyal ones.
21:25 | How to incorporate incremental, value-driven changes while fostering a culture of agility and creative experimentation.
26:30 | Change management practices: clear objectives, employee engagement, and empathetic leadership.
29:45 | Application of knowledge, skills, and cross-industry networking from the SSS program to enhance daily operations.
34:53 | Growth planning as an introspective analysis for defining impactful steps and structuring them within an operational roadmap.
40:53 | Growth planning and decision-making as interconnected processes for prioritizing actions across time frames and adapting to changes.
45:50 | Participant reflections and recommendations for the SSS Program.