From Side Hustle to Sustainability Solution: Celebrating Cecilia Hermawan's Entrepreneurial Journey
From Side Hustle to Sustainability Solution: Celebrating Cecilia Hermawan's Entrepreneurial Journey
Last week, my Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact class at Meredith College had the privilege of welcoming Cecilia Hermawan, founder of Vico Style and Preloved Guru, for an inspiring conversation about her entrepreneurial journey. Thanks to my connection with the incredible Heidi Neck from Babson College, who featured Cecilia in her entrepreneurship textbook, we were able to hear firsthand about the path of a female founder tackling one of fashion's most significant sustainability challenges.
Cecilia Hermawan, Founder of Preloved Guru
Finding Purpose Through Problem-Solving
Cecilia's journey is a testament to how entrepreneurship often begins with identifying a personal pain point that evolves into a larger mission. After spending her twenties working in the apparel and footwear industry—from managing stores to working in merchandise allocation at the corporate level and then at a fashion technology company for over seven years—Cecilia found herself unfulfilled in her career.
This led her to Babson College, where she studied under Professor Heidi Neck while exploring what kind of entrepreneur she wanted to become. During COVID, what started as a fun side hustle selling vintage fashion on Etsy and at pop-up markets whenever she was "kid-free" gradually transformed into something more significant.
"I was doing a little bit of soul-searching," Cecilia explained to my students. That soul-searching eventually culminated in a pivotal question: "What am I going to do for the rest of my life? Am I going to do this vintage fashion thing as a side hustle, and just keep doing it as a side gig, or am I going to jump on it full time, give it a good shot and see how it goes?"
The Evolution of a Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneur
Cecilia chose the entrepreneurial path. She transitioned from a full-time salary job to part-time while growing her vintage fashion business, Vico Style. By 2023, she had taken "the training wheels off" and was working full-time on her venture, opening two brick-and-mortar stores in Boston.
However, 2023 brought unexpected challenges. Boston experienced record rainfall that summer—20 inches with flash floods—keeping potential customers away from street stores. This was followed by inflation and political uncertainty with the election. These external factors significantly impacted foot traffic and revenue projections.
Yet, true to the entrepreneurial spirit, Cecilia didn't see these challenges as failures but as learning opportunities. Through running Vico Style, she gained invaluable insights into the pain points retailers face when selling second-hand items and the difficulties consumers encounter when shopping for pre-loved fashion.
Pivoting with Purpose: The Birth of Preloved Guru
These insights led to Cecilia's second venture, Preloved Guru. While Vico Style continues as a self-sustaining business with one store, Preloved Guru represents a tech-driven solution to the larger problem of fashion waste.
"The problem statement is for Preloved Guru and Vico Style... for a lot of companies or retailers that are selling second-hand, discoverability is an issue which leads to slow inventory turnover," Cecilia explained. For second-hand retailers, inventory can take up to a year to sell due to supply uncertainty. One day a store might receive products that are all extra small, and the next day they could be extra large.
This unpredictability, combined with the unique nature of each second-hand item, creates significant challenges for both retailers and consumers. When products don't sell, they often end up donated to thrift stores, and when thrift stores can't sell everything (which they can't), items ultimately go to landfills.
The statistics Cecilia shared were sobering: it takes 30-40 years for a single pair of shoes to decompose in landfills, and approximately 87% of fashion waste ends up in landfills.
Leveraging AI for Sustainable Shopping
Preloved Guru addresses these challenges by connecting second-hand products from retailers to consumers using artificial intelligence. Through computer vision, large language models, and custom machine learning models, Preloved Guru personalizes the second-hand shopping experience.
"Think about it this way," Cecilia illustrated. "If you like blazers that are black or brown, and our retail partner happens to have those black and brown blazers in your size, then we match directly what you're looking for with what the retailers have."
This approach differs from peer-to-peer marketplaces like Depop or Poshmark. Preloved Guru is retailer-centric, focusing on empowering both online and brick-and-mortar second-hand retailers with software that helps them manage inventory and connect with consumers searching for specific items.
The goal is to promote circularity in fashion and help retailers recoup lost dollars while encouraging consumers to "shop second-hand first." By addressing the problem at scale and working directly with retailers who hold these items, Preloved Guru aims to make a significant impact on reducing fashion waste.
Funding the Future
Cecilia's approach to funding her ventures demonstrates her resourcefulness and strategic thinking. For Vico Style, she bootstrapped the business using her savings for initial capital while securing government funding from the cities of Boston and Cambridge to help revive local businesses after COVID.
For Preloved Guru, as a climate tech and social impact startup, she's pursuing a diverse funding strategy, including pitch competitions with cash prizes, non-dilutive government grants, and raising money from angel investors. This approach allows her to be fiscally conservative while avoiding premature dilution of her ownership.
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Throughout her visit, Cecilia shared valuable insights for my students about the entrepreneurial journey:
Listen to the market: Pay attention to what consumers are telling you and be willing to iterate based on their feedback.
Be agile: Recognize what's working and what's not, and be ready to pivot when necessary.
Progress over perfection: "I am my own worst enemy," Cecilia admitted. "I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I have to do this, and I have to do this right.' But it's actually not that. Being able to move fast is so important."
Think strategically about funding: Consider all options, from bootstrapping to grants to investments, and choose what makes the most sense for your specific business model and growth stage.
Solve real problems: The most successful businesses address genuine pain points in the market.
Inspiring the Next Generation
As my students listened to Cecilia's story, I could see wheels turning in their minds. Her journey from corporate dissatisfaction to purposeful entrepreneurship resonates with many young women seeking to make a meaningful impact through business.
Cecilia even offered students the opportunity to become brand ambassadors for Preloved Guru, conducting "street style interviews" on campus about second-hand shopping habits and wish list items. This grassroots marketing approach not only helps Preloved Guru gather valuable insights but also gives students resume-building experience in social media content creation.
The Power of Female Founders
What struck me most about Cecilia's visit was her embodiment of what female entrepreneurship can and should be: solving real problems, building sustainable solutions, adapting to challenges, and creating opportunities for others along the way.
As we continue to champion women in business at Meredith College, stories like Cecilia's provide both inspiration and practical insights for our students. Her journey reminds us that entrepreneurship isn't just about starting a business—it's about having the courage to pursue meaningful work that addresses significant challenges in our world.
Through founders like Cecilia Hermawan, we see how women are leading the way in creating more sustainable, thoughtful approaches to business that benefit both people and planet. And that's something truly worth celebrating.
If you're interested in learning more about Preloved Guru or becoming a brand ambassador, visit prelovedguru.com or follow them on social media.