S9 E3: The Career Tool Most Buyers Never Think to Use with Levanah Gates, The Buyer's Coach

This week we're joined by Levanah Gates, The Buyer's Coach -a former buying manager at M&S, Tesco, BHS, Fat Face, and George (Asda)- who now coaches buyers and retail professionals to build confidence, gain clarity, and navigate the fast-paced world of buying.

Levanah started her career in 2009, studying illustration before falling in love with retail through part-time work at Jigsaw. She worked her way up through some of the biggest names in the industry, spending six years at George as a buying manager across knitwear, swim, footwear, and accessories. After having her daughter in 2019 and returning from maternity leave into a post-pandemic world, she made the decision to leave and retrain as a coach. She launched The Buyer's Coach in January 2024 and has since worked with over 200 retail professionals - buyers, merchandisers, designers, sourcing, and tech - supporting them through career moves, promotions, and the day-to-day pressures of the industry.

In this episode, we get into why networking feels so loaded in fashion retail, why the culture of "busy as a badge of honour" makes it even harder to prioritise, and how to actually approach it in a way that feels natural rather than cringey or corporate. We also talk about the generational gap emerging in buying teams, the loss of human connection through over-reliance on email and messaging, the fear around the word "networking" itself (and why we think it needs a rebrand), and why building relationships outside your own four walls is one of the most powerful -and underused - career tools available to buyers right now.

We also reflect on our own events and what makes them work: no formal agenda, no name stickers, no performance. Just buyers in a room, sharing experiences, laughing, and realising they're not going through it alone.

3 Key Takeaways:

Networking doesn't have to mean a formal event- the best place to start is reconnecting with someone you already know. Scroll back through your phone, find a supplier, ex-colleague, or old manager, and simply say hello. You don't need to start from scratch.Connection is career currency - the majority of job opportunities are invisible and driven by relationships built long before you need them. Investing in your network isn't a distraction from the job; it's one of the most strategic things you can do for your long-term career.Buyers massively underestimate how transferable their skills are - if you're feeling stuck or like your role is too niche, the reality is the opposite. The core skills of buying translate across categories, industries, and company sizes. You have far more options than you think.

Join us at our Manchester Meetup on 20th May at the Corn Exchange - Levanah will be speaking live! Details in the links below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-buyers-club-manchester-meet-up-tickets-1988335705620?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

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