{"id":95788,"date":"2025-10-09T10:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbcroyalbank.com\/en-ca\/?post_type=rbc_my_money_matter&p=95788"},"modified":"2025-10-09T10:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:56:15","slug":"a-run-of-success-how-signe-sarah-reinvented-tights","status":"publish","type":"rbc_my_money_matter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbcroyalbank.com\/en-ca\/my-money-matters\/business\/get-inspired\/business-success-stories\/a-run-of-success-how-signe-sarah-reinvented-tights\/","title":{"rendered":"A Run of Success: How Sign\u00e9 Sarah Reinvented Tights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2020, this single mother set out to fix that age-old problem \u2013 while also setting an example for her son. The lesson she wanted to teach? Perseverance. Out of that vision came\u00a0\u00a0Sign\u00e9 Sarah<\/a>, a brand of durable, affordable rip-resistant tights. Today, Sarah Herscheid is proud to serve as President and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Sarah in action and hear her explain the passion and vision behind her innovative product<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing snags along the way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sarah\u2019s idea required time and research to bring to life. The first materials she sourced, from Asia and Europe, fell short of her quality standards and couldn\u2019t deliver the product she had in mind.  Many would have stopped there. Sarah chose to persevere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah recently spoke with La Presse<\/a> (This link leads to a website with content in French only<\/em>) to share her story and shared, “When you feel like giving up, hang in there.  You’re almost there,” she says.  “As entrepreneurs, we start out as ‘uninformed optimists’, ready to take on the world.   Then reality catches up with us;  we lack time and resources, and we become \u2018informed pessimists\u2019.   That\u2019s the moment when quitting feels easiest. But if you hold on, you come through as an “informed optimist” \u2013 with renewed energy and the experience you need to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah spent several more months gathering information until one day she met an Italian manufacturer, who introduced her to a durable textile she could trust. Together, they refined an innovative weaving technology that combines comfort and durability.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah knows from her experience that not everything can be perfect from the start. “You have to start somewhere,\u201d she says. \u201cThe rest will come.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So long, snags!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, from her apartment in Carignan, Sarah prepared her first twenty-two orders for clients eager to say goodbye to ripped tights.  As her customer list grew, so did her need for space. She moved from an apartment to a house \u2013 only to find her basement was quickly filling up with boxes of Sign\u00e9 Sarah products.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth can easily cloud perspective.  Sarah admits she underestimated her success and lost sales when her top seller was out of stock. The shortage meant thousands of lost revenue, cancelled orders and disappointed clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of seeing the moment as a failure, however, Sarah reframed it as an important lesson: to prepare for growth and accept the unpredictability of entrepreneurship.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stitching up the market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sarah\u2019s appearance on the show Dans l’oeil du dragon <\/em>led to another run of success. She generated $26,540 within one hour of the show\u2019s broadcast.   And the next day, the pace continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four months later, Sign\u00e9 Sarah had grown from 40 to 450 points of sale \u2013 a 500% increase compared to before her TV appearance. The next challenge? Financing that growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After building the business on my own, RBC provided us with the financial support we needed to support our rapid growth, with valuable advice every step of the way,” says Sarah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sign\u00e9 Sarah is preparing to expand into Ontario, thanks to partnerships with various selling points across the province.  The next stage of growth is already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enduring impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sarah is now a finalist for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and the Quebec Business Women Awards, both of which will be presented in the fall of 2025.   “In difficult times, it is important to remember that you grow from challenge and discomfort,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committed to making a difference, Sign\u00e9 Sarah also has a direct \u2013 and positive \u2013 impact on the environment.  Thanks to the quality and durability of its products, the company is helping to break the cycle of overconsumption and waste caused by the appalling number of ripped stockings thrown away every year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past year alone, Sign\u00e9 Sarah says she has saved no less than half a million tights that would have been thrown in the trash.   This year, that number could double.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Starting a business comes with all kinds of firsts. Here\u2019s how to make them easier<\/a>.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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