Cathy Paraggio, CEO of NoNetz Activewear, understands the importance of effective leadership in driving business success. With a wealth of experience across various domains including operations, sales, marketing, and finance, Cathy embodies the qualities of a versatile leader and entrepreneur.
Her leadership style is characterized by a strong focus on delivery, ensuring that organizational goals are met efficiently and effectively. Cathy excels at steering multifunctional domains and has a proven track record of managing operations and people with excellence. She prioritizes client experience, team building, and maintaining a positive work environment to drive success.
Cathy’s ability to thrive under pressure and tight deadlines enables her to deliver high-impact leadership solutions. With a dedication to achieving results and overcoming challenges, Cathy is a valuable asset to any organization seeking strong leadership and strategic direction.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Cathy Paraggio:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I’m a creative problem solver (with a technical background in computer science), an avid gardener (hence my love for sustainability), and a stained-glass artist. I like to look at everything and wonder how it can be done better.
Describe your background, and what did you do before you joined the company?
I designed and supported global networks until a cancer diagnosis took me out of corporate IT. While recovering, I found out I was very creative and loved the idea of being an entrepreneur. I started several small companies until the idea of NoNetz came along.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
It started when my son said he wanted to study music in college. NoNetz ensured Chris had no student loans after he graduated from NYU Clive Davis, Business of Recorded Music. He is now the artist known as Marcyline.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
Tenacity, endurance, customer service, and the idea to challenge standard practices have made NoNetz successful. Each design is tested with texture sensitive people; if they love it, everyone will be comfortable. Then we evaluate the design and think, How can we make it more sustainable? On the back end, we’ve automated a lot of mundane tasks with software, (sizing apps, sales/forecasting apps that automatically issue POs for manufacturing, AI response bots), making the company extremely efficient.
Which are the major services of the company, and how does the company get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
We redesign activewear with texture-sensitive materials from sustainable materials to solve comfort issues. We are extremely customer-focused; all responses happen within 24 hours, plus we really listen to people. What bothers them as well as what they like. For every email sign up, we plant a tree. For each order, we donate a portion to help women’s groups lift themselves out of poverty by collecting plastic prior to it entering the ocean.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
We are all collaborative peers. It’s not a top-down organization; it’s more of a collective of people who want to change how clothing is perceived (clothing should do more than hide your body) and how it can be less harmful to the environment.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
We rely heavily on innovation, whether it be new software, new materials, or new designs. We operate under the assumption that we need to do everything differently in order to help people and not be so heavy on the planet.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
Organizations that are truly dynamic thrive on team processes. Individual heroics often happen in an absence of leadership and a lack of communication. Flat, open organizations succeed when everyone thrives.
What are your responsibilities as the founder and CEO of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
What isn’t my responsibility? I’m constantly looking at sales channels, revenue optimizations, marketing ROAS, and evaluating supply chain fragilities. This has been a tumultuous time for supply chains. My favorite part is to evaluate new textiles.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Be kind to yourself when you fail. Some days it feels like you’re constantly on your knees. But those are the days when you’re learning the most. Perspective happens with experience over time. Challenging times are the best teachers of experience.
