Starting Up ~ Part I

A lot of people contact me because they read about me as a Mompreneur. They have great ideas but don’t know how to get started. Over the next few posts, I’m going to re-print some conversations with these individuals because they are full of some really great info that is presently just sitting in my archived mail box, not doing anyone any good. I will use the interview format of Q and A. So we can call this PART I…

PART I (See how I said I was going to do something, then I actually did it?) Ah yes, Execution! A vital part of a successful business! Granted, it was a little task, and an easy one as it turns out, but I can see you are already gaining confidence in your own project.

But I digress…

PART I
(This really applies to any juvenile soft goods product, not just clothes… Take note of the “Jenservations” which are observations I had or things I am experiencing. They might save you time and money.)

Q: I am thinking about starting a clothing line for kids based on a unique idea and I wanted to get your advice on starting a clothing line since you've already done it.

A: Not having a clue as to how to start in the apparel (aka soft goods) industry, the first thing I did was buy a book called "The Business of Fashion". Because there is ALWAYS someone out there who knows the answer to your question. This is a fabulous resource guide from conception to market. Another incredibly valuable book in getting started is Tamara Monosoff’s "The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing". Tamara contacted me in order to use my experiences to help her write her book. So Stylease is actually a contributor but I'll tell you, it condenses information for you and will answer pretty much, any question you have about getting started.

I learned as I went along and did not really contact anyone for help.

Jenservation: This can be very expensive due to the learning curve!

There are several questions you should consider in setting up your enterprise.
Mainly, how big of an operation are you interested in and are you launching your own brand?

It would be a good idea to do a business plan. I didn't start that way. I didn’t even know what one was when I started this thing. If I had taken the time to design a plan, I probably would have talked myself out of pursuing launching a brand due to the unbelievably all-encompassing monster that it all is. So for me, it's actually a good thing I didn't do one first, or I would have missed out on this terrific little journey . BUT, a budget and some projections would have been nice. (And an inkling of how difficult it is to secure major distribution channels!)

There is something to be said for enthusiasm and drive but do yourself a favor and HAVE A PLAN. In the same breath, don't bog yourself down with every tiny detail or it will prevent you from moving forward.

Now don’t laugh, but I honestly thought I could walk up to the buyer for Target and say, “Hey look and my neat idea” and she would say, “Wow, I’ll take 10,000 dozen in every size and color.” “And let’s do lunch, and be best friends.”
Well, ok, not that last part but I might as well have thrown it in there, because the first part was just as unlikely and naive.

Jenservation: When lining up financing… However long you think it will take you to do something, triple the time and cost!


Next post: Inspiration and reality