The Online Fashion Agency is the first to interview Miriam Lahage since the sale of Koodos to E-Trader.

How long had talks been going on and were there other potential bidders?
As with any start-up, we have had conversations with potential investors over the life of the company.

I have to admit that when we met the individuals at the e-trader group, it was obvious to all of us that there was something special there—that by putting these companies together the possibilities and potential were huge.

The fact that e-trader group had deep domain experience in clearance online and were in a complimentary vertical made it make a lot of sense. We liked each other, spoke the same language and quickly saw that Koodos could make an important next step in its growth by being acquired by e-trader group.

What advice can you give to online fashion retailers re planning exit strategies?
Someone wise told me that you should start planning for exit on Day One.

By that he meant make sure you are building value by creating a great team with a  solid business model, make good decisions that you are proud of and you can justify, and be a good steward of the company by being smart with investing the company’s resources.

Also, assume that you will need to provide information and documentation, so keep good records!

Which aspects of Koodos do you hope the new owners keep in place?
Koodos has helped over 200 designer brands solve their excess inventory problems, a service which I hope it continues to provide.

We are also proud of the high standard of customer service we offer, with 95% very good or excellent ratings from our customers. Overall I know that Koodos is in great hands with e-trader.

It has been my passion for so long—it is rewarding for me to know that Koodos will grow to be an even better company under their leadership.

You’ve been offered new projects to work on, what can you tell us about them?
I can’t talk about them yet, except to say that I have been incredibly lucky to connect with individuals who are as passionate as I am about their work. Whatever the project, I will be helping good people whose ethics I admire to create value in their businesses.

Are there any online fashion brands you would like to work with?
We are lucky in London to have some wonderful established fashion brands and some very interesting emerging talent, and I am excited about the possibilities of working with big and small.

Who in the industry would you most like The Online Fashion Agency to do a Q&A with?
Koodos MD Miranda Grubb is an expert in online home fashions and has made the transition to fashion. I think it would be great to hear what she thinks.

Matt Roberts was one of the first people in the online space to befriend me when I first came to London. I have appreciated his ability to help move my thinking forward to think about what is on the horizon, and think others would benefit from it as well.

Alicia Navarro has done some interesting things with Skimbit, and might help all of us to do more lateral thinking.