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How Ocean SF Became a Leadership Incubator

Published on by Sydney ThomasLeave a comment

In 2021, when I was struggling the most to get my company Ocean SF off the ground, my daughter Paris who was the Ocean SF summer intern project manager that summer suggested I make it a non-profit because it certainly was NOT profitable. I was personally funding Ocean SF and trying to sell clothes in the middle of a pandemic. She suggested turning Ocean SF into a leadership incubator because that’s the part of running Ocean SF that I love the most: turning people into great leaders.

Luckily, we are not a nonprofit and have grown more and more profitable over time, but working with my interns is one of my favorite things. I love getting to watch them pull the levers and drive new business. Yes, social media looks easy, but it’s not. It takes creativity, careful planning, skill, and hard work—Ditto for creating new products, running a website, inventory control, and managing countless pop-ups. Running a clothing company like Ocean SF can look glamorous, but it is anything but. It has been one of my greatest challenges. 

Since 2021, Ocean SF has become more than a lifestyle clothing brand — it’s a leadership incubator that fosters creativity, resilience, and purpose-driven action. With a foundation rooted in sustainability and community impact, Ocean SF inspires individuals to lead with intention in their professional and personal lives. By exemplifying values like innovation, environmental stewardship, and ethical business practices, the brand creates a unique ecosystem where emerging leaders can learn how to align their actions with a greater vision. Each product and initiative reflects a commitment to leadership that blends style, functionality, and responsibility, empowering customers to make meaningful choices in their own lives.

The Ocean SF leadership incubator focuses on cultivating essential skills like adaptability, collaboration, and vision. Through workshops, events, and mentorship opportunities, the brand connects individuals who share a passion for environmental awareness and positive change. Participants not only learn how to lead but also how to inspire others to embrace sustainable practices and forward-thinking solutions. By fostering a culture of growth and shared responsibility, Ocean SF positions itself as a platform where leaders can thrive while addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

At its core, Ocean SF is a movement that encourages individuals to lead by example. Whether through the garments they wear or the initiatives they support, the brand reminds its community that leadership starts with small, intentional actions. By creating opportunities for learning and collaboration, Ocean SF embodies the belief that leadership isn’t confined to boardrooms; it’s present in everyday choices and their impact on the world. In doing so, Ocean SF, besides producing high-quality, ethical clothing, nurtures a community of empowered leaders ready to drive change.

The Ocean SF journey proves that when we start on a course of action, especially one where we follow our hearts, we never know where we will end up. I feel blessed to have work that I love where I can provide real impact every day.

Thank you to all who have supported me along the way.

Love and blessings to all.

P.S. Shop Ocean SF 20% off sale using code: LOVE2025 and follow us on Instagram (click here).

Holiday Sale

Published on by Sydney ThomasLeave a comment

Dear Ocean SF Loyal Followers and Supporters,

MERRY! MERRY! Holiday Season…

ON SALE NOW – Our 100% Cotton LOVE hoodie sweatshirts are on sale for 20% off starting Now through December 25th. You can now get two (one for you and a friend or loved one) for $100. They are cozy and warm and get softer over time.

Order now before they sell out!

Use Code “LOVE 2025”

Share the LOVE!

Summer Must Go…

Published on by Sydney ThomasLeave a comment

Saying Goodbye to the Ocean SF Summer Interns

For the past four years, I’ve run a summer intern program for Ocean SF. I can’t remember exactly when this idea came to me, but it was in 2021 when I had both my daughters home from college due to COVID-19. I was also teaching leadership and management classes at UC Berkeley, and as part of my content, I focused on women in leadership. The statistics were astonishing, but not in a good way. One statistic stated that if a woman doesn’t find themselves in a leadership role in the first five years of her career, she never would.

In 2023, women held about 32% of management roles globally. This marked an increase from 29% in 2019, showing slow but steady progress.

As of 2023, only 8.8% of Fortune 500 companies had female CEOs, a historic high but still demonstrating the underrepresentation of women in top leadership.

Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) make up less than 30% of the workforce and are even more underrepresented in leadership roles.

In the health sector, women comprise 70% of the global health workforce, yet they occupy only 25% of senior roles in the sector.

I was teaching leadership, but my sailing apparel company Ocean SF was going under due to the implosion of retail during COVID-19. All of the hard work I had put into finding investors, partnerships, and distribution channels had gone up in smoke overnight. I thought it would be a good idea to combine the two and at least begin to incubate women leaders. Being resourceful, I recruited my eldest daughter, Paris, who has strongly supported the brand since its inception. I tried to recruit my younger daughter, but she refused and could not be coaxed into spending her summer working for her mother under the direction of her sister. Paris, however, was enthusiastic and got to work. We found seven other interns to round out our team. I proceeded to teach the interns everything I taught in my classes at UC Berkeley. Paris was the project manager, and everyone learned to use project management tools. They alternated between leading their own projects and managing their own teams.

We had a ton of fun that first year, and we made good progress in building the company’s foundation, and it has continued since. This past year, we had another large group of kids who dug in and made a significant impact. We had three pop-ups and have grown our social media by over 1000%. We also transitioned to a San Francisco lifestyle brand. We are now partneing with a Shop Locally a website for local brands in and around San Francisco. It will be another avenue for us to sell our products.

It must be noted that we have also had boys intern with us as women need advocates and allies.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my interns a few days ago. I have to say it wasn’t easy. Motherhood has been my most treasured role in life, and being able to connect and bond with young people is something that I love. Now that my children are launched and working in the corporate world, I have the next generation to help shepherd toward their professional lives. I shed a few tears because I will miss them, but we will stay in touch and continue our initiatives with monthly meetings and check-ins.

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok. Like and share our content with your friends, and remember to buy sustainably and shop local and woman owned!

Ocean SF & Leadership Development

Published on by Sydney ThomasLeave a comment

Ocean SF has been an incubator for leadership and development through our Summer Internship program, which began in 2021 with our first seven interns. Sydney Chaney Thomas, an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley, taught a course called Effective Leadership and Management that summer, and she began using the class content to educate her interns on leadership and management. She used the same leadership development instruments with each intern and began meeting with them individually, working with them to understand and development their core strengths and competencies. Each weekly Intern meeting would address one of the ten modules Sydney presented in her professional leadership course.

In addition to this layer, she began creating groups where each intern could use their leadership abilities for different projects. This allowed each of them to find and utilize their leadership styles. The group was extremely diverse, comprised of college students with various skill sets and backgrounds.

In addition to this, Sydney Chaney Thomas is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She earned this certification while working in technology but uses it as an overlay to all of her projects. Learning to be a skilled project manager is a transferable talent across all industries and has been especially helpful in clothing manufacturing, inventory control, and management of webbased platforms and social media campaigns. Sydney teaches her interns how to create a project plan and utilize tools like Asana and Trello to manage project deliverables.

Each summer since 2021, Sydney Chaney Thomas has run this program. and in 2022, the program ran through January to accommodate an intern that had deferred at NYU that year. In 2023 the program ran throughout the entire year as Ocean SF becomes more than just a company and place to work, but a true calling.

This summer we are getting a later start, but plan to make great strides with our brand. Sydney Chaney Thomas is a corporate leadership consultant working for Villa Leadership with clients in the Silicon Valley, and a member the Executive Leadership Committee for the Fine Arts Museums of an Francisco, and is also on the advisory board for the Haas School of Business Innovation Squad. Even with this busy schedule Ocean SF and the leadership concepts she teaches through the Internship Program remain closest to her heart.

I am happy to share my knowledge through internships that use my clothing brand Ocean SF as a catalyst for learning and through my ability to teach complex concepts and help others find their path and thrive. It is my great joy to work with young people as they start their careers.

Sydney Chaney Thomas – Owner and Founder of Ocean SF

When Ocean SF was struggling to find footing during Covid and afterwards with so many retail closures one of the former Ocean SF interns suggested Ocean SF be used primarily to train leaders and that profitability could be secondary to the mission of Ocean SF which began as a vehicle to drive sustainable sportswear and rid the world of plastic.

Like many great companies Ocean SF prides itself on adapting and evolving as a business.

We invite you to apply if your interests are aligned with environmental causes, sustainability, innovation and leadership.

Contact:

contact@oceansf.co

For Immediate Release

Published on by Sydney ThomasLeave a comment

Ocean SF Summer Intern Program 2024

Our leadership and entrepreneurial internship is back this summer by popular demand. We are kicking off in July and are seeking qualified candidates.

Interns Summer 2024 

Ocean SF Leadership Development Internship  

We seek highly motivated and creative individuals to join our summer intern team. Ideal candidates must be interested in all aspects of building a sustainable fashion brand and, most importantly, promoting environmental causes. This program will teach and develop entrepreneurial skills on all levels, including product development, marketing, fashion design, social media, advertising, technical skills, and management and leadership. Please DM me for more information.

Contact:

Sydney Chaney Thomas

sydney@oceansf.co