Corinne Callinan

Undercover obsessive



She’s got the tights; the cape is in the closet – Corinne Callinan is soaring through stereotypes to bolster her reputation as a super-businesswoman.

It takes a definite sum of tenacity to go head-to-head with an Australasian brand giant. More so even to voluntarily take on one of Mother Nature’s most unforgiving natural wonders and walk away with a giggly high. Add to the mix a three-year-old daughter, a million-dollar hosiery empire, 50 staff and a multimillion-dollar property investment portfolio to manage and you get the gist of what drives this extraordinary woman.

I arrange to meet with the head hosier in a day’s time but she is undeterred at the late notice; instead excited at the opportunity to tell me about the innovative culture she has established in her business.

When I ask if we can take a few quick snaps, again she instantly agrees. But upon meeting Corinne, I can understand why. She greets me with a firm handshake and big smile. She is dressed immaculately in a green silk dress and black cropped blazer, obligatory tights to die for and black ankle boots.

I instantly get a flash of my ideal photo … Corinne standing atop a mountain of product; daughter (along with the indispensable legion of dolls and toys) in one arm with the other raised triumphantly skywards. Throw in a subtle reference to CXC (cheekily pronounced ‘sexy’) the band that subsumes the ever-growing body of her StepOut hosiery brand and the picture is set. Unfortunately, young Clio Xanthe Callinan (CXC’s muse) is at day-care. Oh well.

I begin to get to know Corinne and quickly discover that she is far from your average single parent.

Yes, the tell-tale signs of a devoted mother can be spotted amongst the Ralph Lauren upholstered sofa in the TV room and the antique furniture that have been carefully selected to feature in her Parnell villa, a basket of toys, a finger painting, photographs and, although her home could be mistaken for a crèche at times, Corinne is every inch a businesswoman.
After over ten years working in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), Corinne opted to leave corporate life to start her own business and family.

Corinne describes her entrepreneurialism as ‘somewhat obsessive’.
While other girls in their mid twenties were flipping through the pages of Vogue and Fashion Quarterly, she studied Property Press and spent her weekends shopping for houses. By the age of 31, she had a multi-million-dollar portfolio of seven houses in Auckland including her current Parnell residence which doubles as home for herself and Clio and as an office for her team of dedicated part-time mums.

Corinne had been actively looking for her own business for several years through business brokers and advertising but found nothing that appealed in any great measure.
“I had been sent some gorgeous Italian tights from a friend overseas and every time I’d wear them someone would comment on how amazing they looked and how they wished they could get something like it in New Zealand,” says Corinne. “The penny dropped and I thought there might be something in this.”

Two days later, Corinne was on a plane to Sydney to research the hosiery industry.
At the time, high-fashion tights were the fastest-moving hosiery type in department stores but Corinne identified supermarkets were missing out.

Her previous FMCG experience gave Corinne the idea to offer premium, mid-range, fashion and fuller figure tights to the busy woman on the go who normally would not have time to go to a department store.

“I came home and began looking at the grocery industry and could see that the market was predominantly owned by one large company which isn’t always a good thing for the consumer,” Corinne explains. “If a company has a monopoly, they can become complacent.”
In 2003, Corinne moved out of her Parnell home and into a one-bedroom apartment while she did 9am-5pm contract marketing roles to help fund StepOut research and development.
“To ensure that CXC did not fall into the money trap that many new businesses succumb to, I took early steps to control costs. I knew that I would have to plan for cash flow adversity for about two years so that’s why I took early steps to try and minimise expenses as much as possible. There were many months of vegemite on toast for dinner as every cent I had was being channelled into product development.”

But after 12 months, when costs needed to be reduced further, Corinne moved to Mangawhai where she lived and worked out of her parent’s garage.

“I’d come home and be at my desk by 6pm and work until 10pm. I’d set my alarm for 2am and work until 4am, go back to bed, wake up at 6am and work until 7am and then go to work. I did that for about 18 months. I didn’t socialise or take one day off during that time – not even Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve. It was the most intense focus.”

“At times, I could be called obsessive with what I do,” she quips. “In the beginning stages of starting my business, most people told me not to do it because my competitor was a large Australian company with very deep pockets. They said they’d never let me get a foot in and that I’d lose everything. But I knew that I had identified a market opportunity and I knew that I could take the market leader on. I never waivered. My work habit after that became quite obsessive and it had to be otherwise I wouldn’t have made it or it would have taken me several more years.”

“Initially they didn’t stand up very well in trials. People complained that the bands were too tight around the calf and waist and that the gusset would hang unusually. New Zealand and Australian women are a slightly different shape to other women around the world. Our size specs are specifically designed for New Zealand women.”

Supermarket managers told her that the introduction of alcohol and ready-made meals had put the squeeze on existing categories and suppliers were enlarging their packaging to stand out.

Not one to conform, Corinne did the opposite, shrinking the packaging on her hosiery range to a compact purse-sized square box. The square stood out from the traditional envelope-shaped hosiery packages and meant retailers had more space for her product.
Around 18 months after embarking on development, Corinne began manufacturing (now done in two factories in China).

Her idea worked and now all of the country's Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises supermarkets stock the StepOut range. Supermarkets were chosen because of the high product turnover, stock volume and her previous experience in the sector.
Corinne is fiercely independent; standing gallantly on her own two nylon-clad feet – in business and in her personal life.

“I prefer that than relying on other people who have their own lives to run. I don’t expect any special favours because I’ve chosen to be a single mother.”

Corinne explains how, in her early thirties, the sound of her body clock ticking away became something she couldn’t ignore.

“I didn’t want to miss out on [being a mother] just because I hadn’t met the right person,” she says.

Although Corinne has been married once before, she is hesitant to go down that path again.
“There have been opportunities over the years and I certainly could have had a family in a more traditional way, but I was never 100 percent certain and ethically it was not the right thing for me. There are no gaps in my life. It’s very full and content.”
Corinne is an early riser, getting up at 6am every day; not to exercise, but to get the business cogs moving while she’s fresh and alert.
“I don’t exercise regularly,” Corinne admits.
“Generally the trigger point to exercise is when I gained a few kilos. I dust off my walking shoes, strap Clio into her buggy and hit the pavements. I really admire all those lycra-clad people I see around but the gym is just not for me – I’d rather be outdoors.”
Corinne did, however, do some more serious training for her recent three week adventure to the Himalayas.

“It’s been on my ‘to do’ list for the past ten years and it was the hardest, yet most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done – giving birth is the only experience I can compare it to,” she quips.

Corinne tackled the Annapurna Circuit, a 300 kilometre trek around the Annapurna Himalayan Range. The trek reaches 5,300 metres, following ancient trade routes over the Thorung La Pass.

“It was unseasonably cold,” Corinne tells. “We experienced freak weather – some days it got down to -20C. We walked through knee-deep snow for seven days but the worst thing was the altitude. You’re getting 50 percent oxygen at those levels – there’s no way you can prepare for that.”

Although the 19-day trek took the party through some of the region’s most dangerous features, Corinne says half the achievement was getting over the Thorung La Pass, the highest point of the trek at 17,769 ft above sea level. The pass is high enough to cause acute mountain sickness in trekkers who have not acclimatised to the altitude.

“You’re ascending at about 500-1000 metres a day and getting over Thorung La Pass to the summit was a long day – we were walking for 13 hours. But the exhilaration of doing it was incredible. Descending was amazing too because the further down you got, the more oxygen there was. It was like this amazing natural high – you felt light as a feather.”

Corinne has never shied away from hard work. If anything, she approaches it with open arms.
“With having a family, I’m not afraid of the hard work or the long hours but I wanted the flexibility to be in a position that I could accommodate child sickness and things like that. If Clio is feeling ill, we’ll have a home day and when she sleeps I’ll do work then and make up the hours later in the evening. I have the freedom to finish a few hours early and we’ll go to the Zoo or the park. I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.”

Subsequently, that culture runs through the company. The CXC office has a family friendly orientation. Between the five part-time women managers, there are nine children under seven years old.

“With that many children, there’ll often be one that can’t go to school because it’s a teacher only day or they are a little off colour so the girls will bring them into the house and work up here. Or, they are able to work from home. It takes that anxiety and stress away which is so important for any woman in the workforce with children.

“A lot of companies talk about it but very few companies actually achieve it,” Corinne says of the work/family balance she has formed as a key to her business culture.

“As a result of this culture, I have attracted a very high calibre of personnel. The managers here could walk into much more senior positions in the corporate world but they choose not to because they value the flexibility they have around school holidays, special events and sick children.”

Sales Head Hosier Honcho, Annabelle Caesar loves that Corinne encourages staff to take school holidays out to spend time with children.

“Personally, for me this has been a huge factor keeping me out of the workforce,” Annabelle says. “When you work for a company that genuinely takes an interest in your family responsibilities, it motivates you to go the extra mile in return."

Corinne explains that many employers think that if a woman is only working part-time, she must not be serious enough about her job.

“All the women who work for me do so part time; about 20 hours a week but the loyalty and commitment is phenomenal. Although they are part time, when the chips are down and something needs to be done, it’s not uncommon to find the three senior managers emailing or skyping each other with ideas; trying to find solutions at 11pm. If something urgent comes up, I don’t think there are many organisations where people have that level of commitment.”

Corinne leads by example, inspiring her team and single mothers everywhere to pursue their goals for themselves and their progeny.

A tight squeeze
• Plan. Daily ‘to do’ lists and prioritising – I always ask, ‘Is this revenue generating?’
• Drink coffee. Eat breakfast. Laugh often.
• Keep things in perspective – don’t perspire the small stuff.
• Delegate. Set clear objectives and parameters and then entrust my managers to do what they are exceptional at.
• Multi-task. I remember having a 40-minute logistics phone conference with five men while simultaneously breastfeeding my eight-week-old – Just another day at the office.
• Treat others with respect and honesty.