We're Inspired By...Michelle Hsiao

I say that I was “inspired and exasperated.” After two decades in big retail, including senior merchandising and ecommerce roles at Macy’s and others, I recognized how much expertise, profitability focus, growth discipline, and strategic I had gained, and how little of that small and mid‑sized product businesses ever get access to. I was inspired by this.

But I was also exasperated by being laid off twice in five years, and realizing there’s no complete security, no matter your title or the name of the company. So, in the early pandemic years, I did consulting projects with marketplaces and wholesalers. I also volunteered with The Acceleration Project, a nonprofit that supports small businesses to survive and thrive. That experience flipped a switch. I saw how transformative it was when a founder finally had someone sitting next to them who understood product, inventory, P&L (Profit and Loss), and retail math, but also cared deeply about their story, their family, and their capacity.

Revenue Growth Advisors was my way of formalizing all of that work. I wanted to build a consultancy that felt like a Fractional COO (Chief Operating Officer), a merchant, and a trusted sounding board all in one. We help product businesses to “get it made, make money on it, and get it on the shelves.”

The realization came gradually. In my last corporate role, I was away from home 190 out of 365 nights that year, and that was with a 5-year-old child at the time. I knew I didn’t want that kind of dynamic again. My father was/is a serial entrepreneur, so I knew the highs and lows of business ownership. Both of these factors inspire me to think less about “Should I go back to being an SVP somewhere?” and more, “What if I built the resource I wish so many of these founders had?” Consulting, and specifically a Fractional COO (Chief Operating Officer) model, was the structure that let me do the strategic work I love, while being able to go deep with multiple businesses and inspired founders, instead of just one.

Additionally, I have gotten deeply involved in founder communities and women’s networks, including Luminary, Entreprenista, and Female Founder Collective, and these experiences have reinforced the need for the work Retail Growth Advisors does, and additionally have provided me with such incredible support, guidance, and professional friendship that makes entrepreneurship feel more supported and less isolated.

I’m not interested in rooms or groups where everyone is only talking about revenue milestones, “big wins,” and press. I’m interested in the conversations about the struggles, how they overcame them, and how they want to help others avoid pitfalls.

I try to lead with deliberate generosity and specificity. That means making introductions without keeping score, making referrals in abundance, and working with cash-strapped pre-launch and early-stage founders in ways they can manage from a financial investment lens. It also means treating every “coffee chat” as a chance to see how I can support someone, not just how they might one day hire us or do something for me. Over time, that builds a web of mutual trust.

I spent years in environments where there was an unspoken “there can only be one of us” mentality, especially for women and people of color in leadership. I refuse to recreate that as an entrepreneur. I actively recommend other consultants, ops people, and agencies. There is more than enough business to go around if we’re playing the long game deliberately and from a place of generosity.

There have been many great mentors and examples who have impacted me. My father, the serial entrepreneur, has been such an incredible cheerleader for me my entire life, including on this journey of establishing and growing Retail Growth Advisors. A former boss was and still is a sounding board, occasionally doling out tough love and imparting words of wisdom like “Be Humble,” reminding me not to get too big for my britches and to listen and want to learn from others.

Once you’ve spent years looking at product through the lens of “what is this worth?”, picking apart the fabric, construction, and the style, it’s almost impossible to shop the same way! I pay a lot of attention to fabric quality, finishing, and also versatility. I have no problem paying a premium price for an item that I anticipate I will wear over and over again. But at the same time, I’m a big believer in the high/low outfit: I could be wearing a fantastic “investment piece” blazer, with a basic tee from Target, a broken in pair of jeans that I feel good in every time I wear them, and these adorable gold tie up ballet flats that I think I spent $30 on. I like to dress to feel pulled together and to make a good impression, whether that’s fully decked out for speaking at an event or just doing errands and taxiing my daughter around to her activities.

Over time, and honestly, through the layoffs and life transitions, my definition shifted. Now confidence feels more like: I know a lot but am not afraid to ask questions, admit what I don’t know, and to recover when things don’t go to plan. It’s less about perfection and more about resilience and resourcefulness.

Becoming a mother and then starting my own business also changed things. You’re constantly making decisions with incomplete information. You will get some of them wrong. Confidence, for me now, is being willing to step into rooms where I don’t know exactly how it will go, but knowing I belong there, and that I  add value just by being fully present and honest.

I love a great dress that fits well/is flattering, gets me noticed (in a good way!), and feels pulled together quickly. I have several in my closet that I return to again and again. One that comes to mind is this great wrap jersey dress with a timeless black-and-white print that I bought down in Soho, probably 15 years ago. I’ve worn it on interviews, to speaking engagements, big meetings- and it still holds up! The ease and polish of a dress is why I love this beautiful dress from Birdie & Claire!