Stripe & Stare Co‑Founder Nicola Piercy joins Rebecca to share how calm, pragmatic leadership powered the journey from scrappy startup to a 50‑person team, with Oprah among its famous fans. They explore hiring people you genuinely like, navigating the messy middle of growth, and keeping perspective when things go wrong.
This week on The Third Seat podcast, Rebecca sits down with Nicola Piercy, Co-Founder of Stripe & Stare to explore a leadership journey defined by radical pragmatism.
From selling their first pair of sustainable knickers in 2017 to reaching over 50 employees and a million pairs sold, Nicola and her business partner Katie have navigated exponential growth with an “unflappable” mindset.
Nicola shares the behind-the-scenes reality of what happens when your brand lands on Oprah’s “Favourite things!” list, and why she ultimately decided to step back from the day-to-day to let the business thrive.
In this conversation Nicola and Rebecca discuss:
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to be a “hero” leader, or struggled with the chaos of a fast-growing team, Nicola’s refreshingly grounded approach is a masterclass in lead-by-example pragmatism. Tune in now! 🎧
[0:00] Founding Stripe & Stare
[2:22] Surviving lock-down and rapid team growth
[4:20] Bringing in a new CEO and reshaping Founder roles
[7:20] Purposeful Culture and Managing Your Team
[13:07} Why start-up life isn’t for everyone
[16:10] Complementary Co-Founders and Pragmatic, Intentional Leadership
[26:35] Peak Moments with Oprah and LoveShackFancy
[30:33] Collaborations and going after dream partnerships
[37:36] Team rituals
[41:53} Advice to Founders & Accidental Leaders
Nicola Piercy
Co-Founder - Stripe & Stare