Faculty
FIDM Grad and Instructor Melissa Triber Launches Creative Consulting Business
Host of our upcoming panel discussion on March 16, “A Conversation With Iconic Female Entrepreneurs," FIDM Grad and Instructor Melissa Triber is an entrepreneur in her own right. She recently launched a creative consulting firm, Golden Ratio Creative, Inc. While fielding multiple job offers after a pandemic layoff, Melissa was inspired to start the company. “I had an ‘a-ha’ moment to take them all on. They were all different roles, but I thought to myself I love every opportunity that’s being presented, so why not do them all?”
Melissa grew up in Spokane, Washington and attended Freeman High School before heading to Central Washington University and earning a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising. Wanting to learn more about the industry and build a strong network, she sought out a Merchandise Product Development degree at FIDM, completing it in 2010. We checked in with her to learn more.
Please tell us about your new business venture! What will you be doing? Last year I launched my own consulting business. Golden Ratio Creative, Inc. is a creative agency that identifies as a strategic leader in consumer behavior, product development and branding. We help businesses streamline their product offering through effective trend forecasting and design development in order to resonate with their target audience. We also offer art direction, styling and marketing.
What inspired you to launch this business? In July 2021, the print and textile manufacturer where I was Creative Director shut down due to Covid. I received a handful of phone calls asking where I planned to work because of the shutdown, and at the time, I had never considered starting my own business.
After a few weeks of discussing opportunities between a few companies, I took them all on by launching my own company. I decided to offer four key services that hyper-focus on my areas of expertise over the past 13 years in the industry. Today, GRC, Inc. offers trend forecasting, product development, art direction and marketing services for customers.
How did FIDM help prepare you for this work? I was really lucky to have excellent teachers and a great network while I was at FIDM. The connections I built at the school have had an incredible impact on my career. Through FIDM, I started my path towards trend forecasting, product development, and styling, which are now three of the four key services offered at GRC, Inc.
I’d really like to give a huge shout-out to one teacher in particular, Susan Spencer. She really believed in me while I was in school. Not only did she help guide me in my career path, but she recommended I become a teacher at FIDM in 2017. I now teach Trend & Design, Classification & Line Development, and Introduction to Business of Fashion at FIDM. I want to help students succeed the way Susan helped me.
Anything else you’d like to share? My advice to anyone seeking a role in a creative Industry is:
1. Network as much as you can
2. Maintain healthy relationships with your peers and colleagues
3. Don’t be nervous to get your foot in the industry. Think outside the box on how to connect with your dream company—write them a letter, ask them to coffee, make a mock-up project for the work you want to do for them—be genuine in your pursuits.
4. Don’t be afraid to receive the answer no. Keep pushing. It may not have been the right door for you.
5. If you are at a company now, try and find someone with experience there whom you can lean on as a mentor.
Explore Melissa’s business on Instagram @goldenratio.creative.
Join Melissa Triber in our discussion on March 16, 2023, at 5:00 PM PT with a curated panel of iconic female entrepreneurs, including fashion designers Johana Hernandez, Jasmine Rennie, and Angela Dean. Learn what it takes to launch a company, the importance of mentors and preparedness, lessons they’ve learned along the way, and advice for those who want to follow in their footsteps. Register for the event.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Alumni Faculty
