Starting a Children's Clothing Line & Apparel Manufacturing Business

Posting on Start Up Kids Line Blog

2006-11-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

I've started posting on my new blog at: http://www.startupkidsline.com. I'll update the email subscriptions in the next week or so.

:-)

A few fashion design questions, can I possibly help??

2006-11-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

I've been asked a few questions lately that I've been meaning to answer. I've just been too tired at night to do it. It's nice to have Kathleen Fasanella comment on my blog because I admire her; and Kathleen, I want you to know that I find your blog and your book invaluable. I think that I would have more to link to if I wasn't so in the midst of marketing, advertising, sales, and creating a buzz right now. I recommend your book to everyone I can! :-) Everyone - visit www.fashion-incubator.com for information on the logistics of producing a line!!

I had a question about press kits and what was included. Here is what I included in my first press kit:

sample blanket packaged in our signature gift wrap
retail brochure (we also have a wholesale brochure; both of which, of course, I've hated since just one measely day after I loved them and was satisfied with them).
business card
letter to the editor

I've recently read that you're supposed to add a well-written press release to your press kits, but this seems weird to me. I think I'm still happier with a personal letter. We've received favorable press now, so maybe there is a way to high-light that in our next press kit. I feel like I'm finally seeing through some of the fog,and I have to remind myself that I'm in this business because I believe my style is different and unique. And this is a good thing - so my press kits can be different too.

You get so caught up in the learning experience and "how is this done, how is that done?", that you forget - it's better to think out-of-the-box in this biz. Basically remind yourself that you don't have to do what everybody else does - you only have to do what you love. Watch The Apprentice and see how they craft unique catalogs and ads and think that way. And think about what kind of information you would want to see if you were going to place an order from a company. With a press kit - think of a WOW factor. You need to stand out.

That being said, I can also share what type of media I've recieved both as boutique owner and a manufacturer:

Some fabric vendors send simple cards with their logo in the top and tiny swatches of fabric. I have considered doing this for our blanket line sheets.
(line sheet is a page with technical sketch, item number, product description, and contact information. Your price sheet is a seperate document that lists prices by item number.)
I've received everything from a simple postcard to the whole kit: price list, catalog, line sheets, swatches, etc.
When I was an Arts & Entertainment editor I would receive everything from cds and bumper stickers to head shots and entire flashy kits of movies (often with sneak preview tickets - so there's an idea worth incorporating).

I'll try to get our line sheets uploaded to our site so I can link to them. Once I finally finished those suckers, I realized that I had been making it more complicated than necessary. But man, did I take forever to buckle down and get those done.

I have some production questions that I'll tackle tomorrow. Have a good night everyone. I wanted to write about "support", but again, too tired. It's good to have a few topics to look forward to though I guess...

Have to get into the marketing & advertising

2006-10-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

It seems like one thing leads to another. Our feature in Tot Trends Weekly has led to at least SOME more attention - we've had another request from media, so we're flattered and just going to keep going with it.

The next thing is that this blog leads to another: http://www.startupkidsline.com. As if there isn't enough managing of this and that for b*Fab, we're going to switch this blog over to the new blog in the next couple of days. I will write a post on how to update your email subscriptions and anything else that might be useful the day we finally officially move.

Now, advertising is rearing it's (ugly? exciting? overwhelming?) BIG (yes! that's it) head. Our feature also brought us attention as a company who might want to spend money on advertising (imagine that). I like all of the opportunities and wish we could jump on them - but we can't. The good thing to consider is that those that are out of our budget would probably bring us more exposure than we can handle right off the bat (I love wishful thinking). So, we have to be selective and pick a couple of things we think will be the most targeted.

I'm really leaning first towards a magazine that's distributed to OBGYN offices in the mom-to-be bags which are distributed in the San Diego area. The San Diego guide goes out in January - and if that works, we see a good ROI, we can target select areas of the country as the year goes on. So that one is really enticing. The one I wish I could do is New York Magazine's Gift Guide. Slick quarter page ad - good stable readership of higher income parents and grand-parents. Both are comparable in price. I'd like to get something out for the gift season.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Up to the textile show this week, I'm excited, but we've had so much schedule juggling to do it's crazy. My husband has to appear in court as a witness one of these days (could be monday, could be tues, and so on) - so I'm trying to work the LA trip out around that and his afternoon volleyball practices. We have Halloween with the kids, so need to get costumes finalized for that. And I have a sales trip at the end of the week.

But life is always this crazy, isn't it?

Our Personalized Blankets are Featured in Tot Trends Weekly

2006-10-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Today has been an exciting day because we learned that our Name in Brights blankets were selected as a featured item in the "Get Personalized" edition of Tot Trends Weekly.

Read the Baby Fabulous blog post about it here.

I'll provide more of an update, or more likely, request help with something soon. For now, it is very late and I must rest my eyes before my little angels rise...

The mistakes I made my first attempt at boutique sales

2006-10-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

I've been re-hashing my boutique visits and re-playing the whole thing in my head. I'm happy to have the first couple of visits over with, which was the whole reason I just went for it. I see I could've been more prepared, but I've also learned a lot about sales already.

Here's what I think I need to improve upon, which really boils down to my "don't say that again" list. First, I'd like to qualify that I DID know NOT to say some of the stuff I did, but for some reason I wasn't able to stop myself before the words came out of my mouth. Hindsight is Spectacular Vision, so I'm hoping my hindsight might save somebody from the same mistakes. Maybe someone out there will open up and share a couple of the things they'll never say again (anyone??):

No matter how many boutiques your products are or aren't in, act like they're selling hot and are in only the best boutiques.
Show confidence in your product and price point. I think that agreeing (yes I really did this) that the price was on the high-side, probably makes you look like you don't have confidence in your products. It's this mistake that's made me hash out a presentation - made me practice answers in my head...but most importantly, made me focus and gain some self-confidence again.
Ask more questions than I'm answering. I finally GET why it's important to find out what your customer's problems are and then immediately position your product as their solution. The only thing I said wrong in this situation was too much, but still - I do think that it went well overall.
Have all of your materials REALLY ready and with you. For some reason, I thought that the brochure would be enough, I could have potentially written a sale if I had our Terms & Conditions, and a few order forms with me.

Writing all of those out makes me feel like they were dumb mistakes. And I've read some things that warned me against all of the above, but the real-deal experience is different. I only now realize how much there is to learn here. Mainly, how to acquire someone else as a sales rep. :-) In the merry meantime, I'm just going to have to continue to pound the pavement with a more confident smile on my face.

I feel ready again, I feel much more prepared this time around. :-) I'm off to LA tomorrow morning (I think I've been completely blocking this from my mind), I'll meet with some sales reps of other brands (to carry them online) and visit some suppliers in the fabric district. I need to source some thick terry cloth, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get some samples. Need a velcro supplier too. The trips to LA are a drag...the traffic is miserable. I hope the trip is successful.

Sweating the Small Stuff

2006-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Every time another "small thing" pops up, I hear my uncle in my head, telling me"the hidden costs of being in business are unbelievable". Like a postage scale, shipping labels, gift packaging, etc.

Then, when it all magically comes together, I hear "priceless" in my head. I thought we had the whole shipping thing figured out awhile ago, it's just now ironed out. Down to clear packaging for our items. Well, see, now, even as I write "I'm done", I remember 1 more little piece - a notification that plastic bags are not a toy, do not leave around children. I guess it's always something.

Today's free gift with purchase (we do this as a surprise for our valued customers) turned out really cute. A little black baby personalized baby hat. Giving the free gift gives us loyalty and enables us to work out kinks in product development. Now I'll make one for pictures and that's an easy product to launch. Easy because: Embroidery design is finalized and computerized; we source the hats from another manufacturer; and the embroidery happens in-house.

Our online shop is posting sales and we're just starting our marketing campaigns. So that's encouraging. Which is the next pile of to-do's on our list. Banner ads of various sizes; standard email templates for our customer emails and newsletters. And while none of this has to do with actually designing children's clothing, it does have to do with design.

We're building a brand, so consistency in our message, across all of our mediums, is crucial. I think I spend too much time getting the email template JUST RIGHT, but in the end, I know that the ROI will be good because I'll use it over and over again. And, I spent enough time on it that I'm proud to send it out. I need to remember to enjoy the designing aspect of all of the business materials, instead of letting myself get so stressed out by it.

Speaking of stress, I have to stop now or I'll give myself a head ache thinking about all the other little things I need to tackle. I'm just going to go back up to the top and start there. Learning to focus is always a challenge of mine.

I also have to go to a parent meeting this afternoon. A 3 hour meeting - with both of the kids!!

Starting with the Small Stuff

2006-10-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

A trend I'm noticing NOW that we're finally offering small stuff is that it catches customers for you. By small stuff, I mean items like our hip, trendy bibs. These things are a relatively "safe" way for new customers to try out our brand. And we'll take it. Once we've got them hooked, we'll kill them with kindness, and hope to have them hooked for life. I wish that I had realized this from the get-go, because I would have just kept selling the small stuff all along. I started with these little to-die-for flower head bands, which we'll be introducing soon.

Wish I had kept selling them all along. That's just hind-sight and optimistic hind-sight at that. The reality is that, in order to learn how to do this manufacturing business right, I HAD to stop and learn all the steps, identify resources, test the processes, and most importantly develop high-quality, high-style products that I'm PROUD are made by Baby Fabulous and are Made in the USA.

Plus, I must admit, that I originally quit the small stuff because for some reason, I got it in my head that the whole b*Fab thing needed to be bigger. I think it's part of a designer's complex, to want to WOW with everything, and for something to feel "old" and over-done before time would even come to launch. I even had to tell myself the other day, "just because you're sick of this doesn't mean it won't be a seller - you've seen it too much, your customers haven't even seen it yet."

I guess I wouldn't have taken the time to learn everything I have learned if I didn't get the idea to make it bigger in the first place. Like I said, optimistic hind-sight. Stop beating yourself for the coulda, shoulda, woulda, and just move on. Be happy to have come full-circle, to have confidence in the small stuff on up...

If I had a penny for all the blog posts I've written on the importance of reeling myself in...I'd go buy myself a large coffee (mmmm yuuuuummy). If I had a penny for every time a Fergie song makes me want to cringe, I'd be riiiiiiich. I can't decide which is worse - london bridge or ferglicious - iiiiiiiii!!! Can you tell what's torturing me in the background right now?

Defining your niche market - what's your style?

2006-10-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Baby Fabulous is a trend-setting company. We target parents, aunts, grandparents, any baby gift givers who want to be the first to have something, who don't want to own the same thing that everyone else has, and who aren't afraid to take a risk on something new.

Many new companies are trend-setting companies by default. They target the trend setter crowd because it's important to stand out as a new brand, and you have to have some outside-of-the-box designs in order to stand out. You can be a trend-setting brand even if you just utilize color or graphics in a new, fresh way.

If you are targeting trend-followers, then you are targeting those consumers who go out and buy the fashions only after they see others wearing them, not until they've seen them in the magazines; basically not until these styles have fairly saturated the market. Trend-following companies (there is a large consumer base here) hope to be good at predicting which trend-setting styles from the current (or previous) season will stick long enough to entice the trend-followers into a purchase, and creating the perfect blend of style, color, and price to make the most of the trend.

As a trend-setting company, you should be happy to see your styles (or styles you like) gain a mainstream following...your styles should be well beyond that one by now any way. I believe trend-setting companies can have styles that they use for a few seasons, maybe refreshing just the length or the textiles, but in general, trend-setting companies must be constantly issuing fresh ideas, colors, and designs. It's the only way to keep your customers coming back...because your customers won't be happy to see everyone else wearing the same thing they are...

When Cold Calling on the Boutiques Doesn't Work

2006-10-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was a wash. I was even pretty sure that I'd meet the owner at the first boutique, because I was told that was when she was in and that was when I should come back. But she hadn't even opened her store by 45 minutes past opening time, so I bailed. Couldn't even locate the second one, which was just as good because I probably wasn't in the best sales mood at that point.

I also have not heard back from the buyer I did talk to last week, the one who said she'd give us a shot. Why not? Here's the part where I realize how much I have to learn about sales. I am not all that comfortable bragging about my stuff, but that's what you have to do. I've done fine walking right in and talking, now I have to work on my phone spiel, so I can land appointments and not waste my time like I did yesterday. I need to ask more questions and listen better.

I can't wait until we can get a sales rep. Feel strongly we need a boutique, and I feel very strongly about selling my own stuff right now. Today is our goal for soft launch, we'll actually announce to friends, family, and existing customers that the web site is up. The only thing is that this would be our 3rd email like that - so this one will just announce our new bibs. I feel better than saying "check out our awesome bibs" than "Look, WOW, we finally got a shop to function." Even though that's what I'm saying - "WOW we have a functioning shop!!"

Happy Monday. We're off and running, much to do before my daughter has school. I hear everyone else stirring in their beds, this means I have just a couple of minutes to get my head on straight, take a couple of deep breaths, and brace myself for today's business.

Our blog is helping our online shop move up in search results

2006-10-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many aspects to fashion design and selling your own clothing, I thought I'd share something is really helping us out with our online marketing and ranking in natural search results. This means where our site ranks in search results without paying for sponsored ads.

babyfabulous.com is a very new website and we already show up on page three of google for the search term "personalized baby clothes". That's huge. That means that once we're rolling and we really have a lot of blog posts, we have a real chance at making page one sooner rather than later.

I attribute this to the blog we have for our online baby shop. Besides using the blog to add a personal story to our site, and to build solid relationships with our customers, I use the blog to add relevant keywords and content to our site. I'm getting better at this and it's paying off.

The key is to focus on your keywords. When you create a new post, use it to reach out to your customers, to provide news and feedback, & to share, but also make sure you're keyword dropping in your posts. It helps to have a permalink functionality, which enables you to add keywords to the URL for each blog post you create. Feel free to ask me any specific questions you might have...

The web really levels the playing field, even start ups have a fighting chance to be seen.

Breaking out of my comfort zone and into boutiques

2006-10-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have done it - I've gone to my first boutiques. And it went well. I got one of the 2 and even the first is interested, but the owner wasn't in. I'll work on getting mailers out and following up with phone calls, but I just needed to GO. They LOVE the personalized blankets. They LOVE that they could offer a personalized service through their boutique; they just DON'T LOVE the price point.

All of which gave me major food for thought on my way home. I think that I wouldn't have cared if I had success or not, today was just about breaking out of my comfort zone and making myself make that big step. This is HUGE for me. HUGE HUGE HUGE.

I have to tweak a couple of things with the options we have and some of our order forms and price lists, but the boutique that agreed to give us a shot is the one I really wanted. I still can't believe I went to them on the first day, but a little voice in my head kept telling me to do it.

I got some excellent advice from a friend who is a sales rep for another children's brand. I will ask for her permission to post that information here - it's incredibly helpful.

I want a sales rep and a sales room and all that, but I also really wanted to get some of the experience myself and hear some of the feedback on our products first-hand, so this is how I do that, by making myself our first sales rep.

Make copies of your patterns, technical sketches; everything!!

2006-09-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

What I learned today about starting a clothing line - okay, about work or any business - make copies of your stuff. I went and lost the bib pattern that took me so long to perfect. I'm convinced it walked away. I have all the other drafts and made note of my last tweak BUT this is a huge mistake to make. Time consuming and just a dumb mistake.

Painful experiences really drive the lessons home. I will forever make numerous copies of all the important stuff I need. So, this is just a friendly reminder, but it's also just a vent because I don't need to have to re-do work I already did, especially right now when there are so many other priorities. Oh, not to mention the time I wasted looking for the darn thing.

I'm positive that I put that bib pattern somewhere "safe". Oh, it's safe all right, it's even safe from me.

My Squidoo Lens on Fashion Design

2006-09-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've started a squidoo lens on fashion design. For all of you unfamiliar with up-n-coming Squidoo, it's a place where you create a "lens" which is a page where you can share all the useful links on a topic, suggest books and write whatever you want about your chosen topic.

I foresee people searching squidoo before google not too far in the future. Why? Because a lens is basically created by an "expert" on a topic and, ideally, contains links and books and references on the topic you're searching. They've done all the legwork for you and say "this information will help you". Or you can do the search on google and weed through the links yourself and then figure out if they are good or not.

So, I've just started this one and am open to feedback or anyone sharing good resources they've found on fashion design. There is a guestbook at the bottom of the lens for comments. I will also add this link to my link list.

http://www.squidoo.com/fashiondesign

I should also point out that creating a lens is a great way to promote yourself as an expert, promote your business, and create incoming links to your site.

Enjoy!

Starting to tackle the boutique sales

2006-09-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

We made it through another week, and I got the package shipped to the online magazine. I also placed a huge order for gift packaging and shipping supplies. Needed nice simple plastic bags to ship our products in and keep them from potential damage in the shipping process. BUT, still need to have the "bag is not a toy" warning on the packaging somehow. It's always something.

Today we started contacting boutiques about carrying our personalized blankets. HUGE. Just time to go for it and face the fact that we're going to have to learn as we go. A co-worker mentioned to me about a year ago that I'm the type who will test forever until I'm satisfied something is good. That comment has stuck with me and I am forcing myself to just go, even though I don't feel everything is perfect. It's not perfect, but I am very confident in quality and style and uniqueness of our blankets. Once someone sees them, they want one, so getting them into boutiques where customers can touch and feel and be truly WOWed by the blankets is a big deal for us.

It's our daughter's 4th birthday this weekend, and weekends are usually good work time because my husband and I are both home...but the forced breaks are good for the soul too.

Shipping and Packaging are Part of a Clothing Line Too

2006-09-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm busy trying to create an informational brochure for our personalized blankets. What a pain. It's simple enough, or so I thought. Print it and the first issue is that the print margins are cutting off some of our beautiful pictures. Get that all settled, some final tweaks, and then print it on the brochure paper -and all the colors are off, resolution is horrible, and the whole thing looks washed out. BLECK!!

Still, I'm determined to get our personalized blanket package shipped to the onling mag tomorrow, which means the whole darn package must be complete tonight. Slowly but surely we're piecing this business together. The shipping pieces are the latest difficulty, from simple plastic cover-all bags to the shipping labels. We need a shipping scale and postage meter. I placed an order today that should have us covered, bought a tagging gun for fine fabrics - that will help. Bought a few blank garment tags, gift boxes for the baby pillows that will accompany our personalized blankets, and a few other odds & needs I had never even considered needing.

I'm trying hard to set realistic goals for each day. School has started up. Our children are only in pre-school, but it's amazing how time-consuming it is. I'm so happy that they go, it makes a difference, but it makes it harder and harder to schedule work around life. I'm doing this whole thing so that I CAN schedule my work around my life. I have a good routine for the evenings, when my husband is working, I just feel like I don't have enough time to get done everything I need to for Baby Fabulous. Every single morning I wake wishing I had pushed harder the night before, wishing I had not let sleep take over so early. I need to work on balance and cutting myself off and feeling ok with what HAS been accomplished. Need to work on taking mind breaks before my mind breaks. :-)

But RIGHT now, the kids are being tucked in by their grandma and I'm off to print a 2nd draft of a letter that needs to go out with tomorrow's package. And that's not even getting the whole UPS account setup finalized and a means to print shipping labels, etc. Sometimes I can't believe how much there is to do - that's when you put blinders on and just chip away at items 1 & 2...

Link to great fashion blog series on marketing, advertising, and PR

2006-09-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, another reason I'll be leaving blogger is that it doesn't support trackbacks!? I wanted to link a great post on www.fashion-incubator.com regarding advertising, marketing, and PR. Andrea, a guest contributor will be posting a series directed at Design Entrepreneur's (DEs).

Here's the link to her first post: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/mt331/mt-tb.cgi/705.

This is an area that I feel I could use as much as help as possible in - all of it, from how to reach the market, what messages to send (for some reason I find identifying benefits vs. product details a difficult thing), to how to deal with the budget.

With our shop finally up and running again, we're ready to re-start the marketing and PR campaigns. I want them to be as effective as possible, but also don't want to go over-board and not be able to fulfill too many order requests. Don't want to stretch us too thin. HA HA Now I'm probably just wishing for too much - we'll be lucky if people start noticing us!!

Going to have a cutting experience

2006-09-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ooo - my contract applique seamstress is going to take me to her shop and show me her cutting machine and how to use it (is that scary or what?). I like to get the hands on experience. I like to know how things are done, what equipment is used - so this is exciting to me. I'll ask if she minds if I take pictures. She has fairly warned me that the risk is mine. I just want to try it for some of our simple blanket patterns.

Otherwise, we've been referred to a contract cutter by our contract sewer (who was referred by our contract pattern maker). They all take great pride in their work, and they are all happy to work together. I think this is huge. My contract sewer will pick up our fabrics from the cutter, and they are familiar / happy with each other's work. So far, I'm happy this way, oddly enough, I feel more control by not having the entire design / developement process under one house. Maybe I feel I have more of a chance of catching a mistake between phases instead of at the end.

Here's a picture of our sweet little pillow "gift" certificates. Each little pillow matches the blanket's print / plush combination, gives boutique customers a gift to leave with & the ability to purchase one of our blankets even if they don't know the baby's name yet. Each pillow comes with a drop-in-the-mail order form/gift certificate. Fill out baby's name and shipping address, blanket comes 3 - 4 weeks later. It's THAT easy. ha ha - that's why it's taken me almost two years to completely figure out the manufacturing process and locate someone with the right experience & skills, who is willing to produce one-offs (each name requires a different placement on the blanket, each blanket is dropped into the production cycle separately) and wholesale labor rates.

BTW - it's so nice to be meeting other people in the children's industry. I was hoping this blog would help me there, and slowly but surely I'm finding people who are going through the same thing. This is very exciting to me! :-)

We have to put out a fall 07 line or else

2006-09-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

OK - so the fall '07 season is going to be our first official baby clothing market. It has to be. Part of my intentions when I started this blog was to capture some of the real life experiences I've had to maybe help others tread the murky waters of the apparel industry, especially when you're an outsider wading your way in backwards. At least it feels that way. I'm switching to www.startupkidsline.com soon because I can categorize my posts there, which will be especially useful as we set to launch at least some clothing by February. And I hope to capture a full season from beginning to end. I hope I can keep up with it.

My eyes are tired from working on our brochure for our blankets, I need it to ship with the press kit tomorrow. The amount of work on our plate right now is mind-boggling, but it's awesome to see things get checked off each day.

Also been working a lot on my mental game this week. Changing messages I'm sending myself. I think this is important, we've got a shop launched, I need to be excited that we've really got a business. So my mantra is now "I've got a GREAT business, I've got a GREAT business, I've got a GREAT business."

We have a Baby Shop!!!

2006-09-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally have a baby shop online. This is a HUGE milestone for us, it's really a re-milestone, but who's counting the months it took to get our shop back online??!! I'm happy with it as far as it being sufficient to launch with - but oh my gosh, we have so much content and pictures to load, more products that need to be created.

But this is a great big deal for us. And we did it ourselves. We've lost so much money paying designers for nothing, and we've got a shop up and running in 2 weeks. Two weeks from when we realized we would have to identify a solution for ourselves. Granted, we've had to greatly lower our expectations on the design side, but having something functioning is the most important.

The biggest deal is that we identified the right solution, it has all of the bells and whistles we need, like the ability to offer products to wholesalers in addition to our direct sales to the public. All sorts of things that you think are standard with all online shops, like gift certificates and the ability to offer product options (yes, like sizes), even just multiple images of your products, are just not standard. So, we've identified one that has all of that stuff out-of-the-box. And we can have a shop running while we decide how much we want to invest in custom ecommerce design.

Now, we can just keep improving it everyday. But I can finally tell people to check out our site, that they can "find it on babyfabulous.com"!!! YES!!!!!!!!

And, another good thing today was getting back the sample for our press kit today. It's beautiful!!! Shooting to send that out by Monday, have some marketing materials to wrap up tomorrow. Who's kidding who, there is SO much to do tomorrow.

The Web Business Roller Coaster

2006-09-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling very positive this morning. I checked a lot off of our today list last night and I see hope on the horizon. Hope of getting this business off the ground. I'm calling it a startup now, instead of saying "I'm starting a business". I need to believe through-n-through that this thing is rolling, getting a solid push off of the starting line.

Then I logged into my email and got errors and everything was crashed and my stress levels escalated and I was sent scurrying to fix all these fires that I had intentionally made time for this weekend. So, one day early, but I wasn't in that same organized place I would have been if I had sat down to intentionally change all our domain nameservers and re-create all of our email addresses and somehow get past a "server not found" error on our home page.

Now, the Friday work day is coming to an end, the kids are rustling and getting up from their naps, so it's break time. Oddly, because of all the craziness with the websites, I feel ahead of plans. Didn't need the surge in blood pressure necessarily, but the after effect is ok. Sometimes we just have to be forced to deal with things. Why I love deadlines. Pressure not looming, I won't put the finishing touches on anything. :-)

Now, the crazy thing is that the website seems up, but I think it hasn't completely resolved to our new hosting, because it seems too good to be true that we would have loaded all the files on the new server right the first time.

All these fires and I'm still making my first boutique sales calls on Monday. Need to get excited about that, so they can hear the "smile" in my voice. right?

Push aside the bad, roll up our sleeves, and get to work

2006-09-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

Fall down 7 times and pick yourself up 8. Does it count if it feels like you've fallen 10, 20, maybe 100s of times? Yup, as long as the picking up side is heavier than the falling down side. I wrote a post who-knows-how-many-months-ago about uploading products to our online store.

I could just copy that post here because I'm back in the same position. Only, this time, it's truly on the up and up and I feel confident about this - that we're going to have something to launch with soon. OOOO - I can't say "soon"; our con-artist developers kept saying that - and 5 months later they didn't get us anywhere near "soon". What I meant by "soon" was "next week". Seriously. Even have the hosting re-figured out and mostly re-configured.

We've identified a new ecommerce solution and my husband has taken on the implementation, what design tweaks we can do, and I'm uploading products and creating the online content. We're going function before form. Not entirely true. I should say "we almost drowned ourselves by going form before function, but we've seen the light". The bitch of it is that it's only been two weeks since we discovered the project was a total fraud and we're leaps and bounds ahead of where they were. Oh the pain of the wasted time. and money. and time. and money.

Having our store crashed out for SO long has us in this panic state, and we're accomplishing great things under the weight of fear. I even have a press kit almost complete. This is a WOW thing - A) to actually have buckled down and did the writing and desktop publishing necessary to solidify a "look book", line sheets, price sheets, order forms - apparel merchandising materials, etc. - and - B) to actually have PRESS who has requested a press kit for our personalized blankets. That's a WOW and a WOO-HOO!!

Just the small amount of motivation I needed to push me onwards.

The time keeps ticking and we need to keep moving

2006-09-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Oh man. What a week it's been. We've got to scrap our hopes of our designers being able to accomplish even the simplist task for an online shop. So, we've had to scurry for a new solution, a quick solution. It's incredibly difficult to love to design and have to just accept that the web design will have to come after the functionality, because we need something working. If I have to tell one more prospect the reason they can't access our shop I'm going to pull my hair out.

We've been contacted for an online magazine's "personalization" issue, and this is big because it's free publicity on a pretty popular site - but any idea how painful it was to open the email that said "one of our writers recommended your site but I can't see how to purchase your products."? These motivational events kick us into gear though. We're going to make it, we're not going to miss this opportunity. Funny to say something kicks us into gear when I feel like we've been working non-stop forever. But it's true, we've kicked it up a notch.

I'm supposed to be going to boutiques this week. My big big chicken self just has to get over this. I don't know what it is, I can talk about things I've been afraid of in the past and I always say "it's so much easier than you think it will be, it's just taking the step." I'm just usually talking someone else into something when those words come out of my mouth. I'm going going going this week. I need to hold myself to that. Samples came in, line sheets are THIS close to complete, pillow gift-certificate is designed, no excuses left to drain...

Really, what I need to accept is that it is not going to be perfect from the get go. We've just got to get moving though, and learn as we go, roll with the punches, but just do anything to get this off the ground. We're selling, and consistently, so this momentum is at least a little motivating. It's still scary as hell to be trying to get to survival by the time our business loans run out :-)

Our personalized baby blanket sales samples are set to arrive

2006-09-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Keep moving on. I think we have to cut our losses on the website (ouch), but I feel better about it to just be moving on. I pick up the official sales samples from our contractor tomorrow. YES!!! Once I have these, I have the ticket to boutique sales of our custom blankets. I just have to finalize our line sheet and start pounding the pavement.

My daughter started pre-school today, so that throws a new curve into our schedules. I think we had JUST settled into a routine and everything is switched up now. But it's a great thing for her, and I enjoy seeing how she is in a classroom environment. The worst impact on my working schedule will be the mandatory parent meetings 2 nights a month for 3 hours each! That's almost an entire work day for me, which is HUGE.

On a Project Runway trailer, you hear one of the contestants talk about how she had wanted to make a big career change, now she just feels it's too exhausting. Made me think of the years I've put into this and how much hands on work it takes to develop your own products and then build a business around those products. Throw in that you have to keep revising and introducing new products- at least 6 times a year (this is a goal, a pipe dream for us still) and it sounds incredibly exhausting. But I get a thrill out of every aspect of it. My latest thrill is the salesman samples coming back tomorrow. My latest pain is that my machine is on the fritz. There has been this grey cloud just hovering the last few weeks and I need to shake it from over our heads. Enough already. Can't all that hard work start to pay off enough for us to survive? Please, please, please.

Actions speak louder than words. Tomorrow's actions have to include the ironing out of more details. It's like planning a wedding and when you first look at it, you think ok, flowers, music, food. Then you get into it and you realize it doesn't end up until the moment you say "I do", all sorts of crap you didn't even think of....

Oh, the cloud could be breaking up because I did get a referral to some seamstresses that can help with our personalized blankets. More seamstresses for the wrap up, who are closer than previous contractor, which is crucial because these are custom made-to-order blankets. Rambling tonight somehow makes me feel a little better. Which is good because I'm also feeling bad about not accomplishing much tonight. Just didn't feel like doing anything but vegging on the couch. Really an indulgance I can't afford.

There is so much beyond manufacturing the apparel

2006-09-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Starting a clothing line means opening a business. There is so much to running a business that is beyond just manufacturing the apparel. I'm just learning more and more and more how to manage our business. It's so crazy sometimes. Little fires come up everyday that take you away from your priorities.

We have a huge fire right now, having invested 5 months in getting our ecommerce site designed. The worst is that it was up and running when we hired new developers to "improve" our site. So, we're here, fighting for our deposit, no where near where we were with the store 5 months ago. I can't believe I let it string out that long. Lessons learned. Happy to learn them earlier in the game. You can bet that everyone we work with in the future is going to get the 3rd degree. So, on the bright side, I'm going to be better at my business for having gone through this. On the other side, I just want to pull my hair out.

Work arounds, work arounds, work arounds. Jump start our other sales channels earlier than planned and start looking into new ideas. We're listening to everyone we can on this one, and just shooting for anything that will get us a store, an ordering point for our direct customers. We have product to sell, we're just sitting on this inventory. Luckily, we've intentionally purchased season-less products, so I know they will sell whenever we can manage to launch a simple store. And really, is that so much to ask?

If anyone has any GREAT web designers to recommend, we're all ears. Preferably with online apparel retail experience. We're 0 for 2 at this point, so incredibly disappointing. And so paintful to have to start over again, with the specs; to have to re-invest in getting BACK the functionality our old shop had before this latest group took over the project.

And this fire has to be dealt with around product development, ordering supplies, and packaging. Partner is all over product photography and marketing material development, not to mention product development, inventory, and his other job.

There are so many different things to learn about running your own business, no matter how much management or project management experience you have. But I guess it's part of what keeps the whole thing exciting.

Ordering from vendors is never ever just easy

2006-08-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many posts I've written on how flippin' difficult it is to place an order with vendors. Any vendors it seems. I get that it's just life. But why does it always have to be something, or a ton of things? It seems like it's always a ton of things each time I try to place an order, from their fax machine not working to them being out of the item they just told me yesterday was in-stock.

Today, emailed the PO no problem. Until I got the charges and they had over-charged me by $2 for each item. That's about a 25% over-charge. They have us under the wrong account status. So here I am looking up account numbers and spending too much time dilly-dallying back 'n forth trying to place a simple order.

And, to drive a knife into it, for all my bitchin' about others, I can't get my own ordering system in place. For our personalized blankets we had wanted (or planned) for boutique owners to easily login and place the orders. This would prevent them from having to order stock. Now we can't get a shop functioning, so we've had to rethink this. I've come up with a good solution, but it requires more money up front from shops and they'll have some shipping costs, but it's still a good sell.

I'm spending a lot of time rethinking our plan since parts of it have fallen apart. I have to get into boutiques a lot sooner than planned, so this has changed what we'll launch with, and in what order we'll develop our line-up of products from there.

And the nuttiness goes on. I'm cruisin' happy though because it was also nutty in my 9-to-5, except I didn't get to take breaks with my kids & I had to miss all of this life they were living, so much of their growing...

Tomorrow's a boring supply-ordering day

2006-08-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is all-scheduled-up with admin tasks. Icky boring. But it has to happen. We need to order the following supplies:

Care labels & size tags
A tagging gun
Blank onesies and infant t-shirts
Basic plastic shipping bags with "not a toy, do not leave alone with infants...blah blah" printed on them

We have to get some basic lighting for the photo studio and get the kids to the library (that's our fun part though).

I feel like I must need some good advice from someone on management. On motivating people. How can we be on our second set of web designers and it's still impossible to get a decent design implemented? I think I must have issues with enforcing deadlines. I have definitely learned that while a referral can be a very good thing, it shouldn't give you total confidence. I've learned to do a thorough check of their portfolio and references. But my goodness, if anyone has ANY tips on motivating people to get a job done well, I'm open to hearing it. Please please please share.

In the meantime, we have to get a site developed. We have to get a site with basic functionality up and running - especially with the holiday season approaching. Come on, come on, come on, we can do this. I know we can.

I'm finally satisfied with the bib design!!

2006-08-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

Starting a clothing line and I can barely do a bib. This is a real life example to show everyone as to why professional pattern makers are worth their weight in gold. Anyways, I'm finally happy with the fit. Here's the line up of prototypes, I think I'm even missing one or two that mis-happened along the way, but who's counting:

This has been hanging over my head for days. Each day thinking I was done with it (but I learned a lot in the process). It's a big part of our gift sets. Completion of this means we're ready for final prototype of all the gift set items. Could I really get to that tomorrow? Anyone else sew their own prototypes? I still do, up to the salesman sample stage. I can see myself handing this over very soon though.

How many pattern drafts to get the perfect bib?

2006-08-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how many revisions I've had to make on my bib pattern-in-progress. It's bordering on ridiculous at this point, but I won't go with something that's almost right; it's not ok if it's just "ok".

We do have an excellent contract pattern maker, but I'm doing this pattern myself because I thought it would be super-easy, I thought I would just whip it out. Once I'm happy with the fit and we've tested them a few times, I'll definitely have our pattern maker make a production pattern for us. But right now, I'm so into it and I'm THIS close, so I'm determined to pull through and get it done.

And to think I was so proud of myself last night because I pushed through, - revised the pattern yet again, and even sewed up a prototype. By the looks of it on the mannequin, I thought I had it for sure. Even went to bed with a sense of relief. But a bit of real fit testing today and baam! - I have AT LEAST one more tweak to make. And I'm having a harder time pushing myself to do it tonight than last night, for some reason.

Ah well, there's always tomorrow for more work to be done.

A little on the fashion side, a lot on the admin side

2006-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Even though we have professional contractors for our product development and production cycles, this small business is still largely a two-man show, my husband and I. There are so many hats to wear that I marvel we get any where at all. Part of my latest quest to get better organized and better at managing this baby clothing business is to devote some time each day to each aspect of my business. Even if it's just to check in.

Last week, I raved about how frustrated I am with the web design. Well, if you've ever seen super-nanny, apprentice, or any other such manage-your-life-better type show, then you know that 9 times out of 10, problems come down to mis-management. So, I've had to own up to this and change what I needed to change; well work on changing at least.

This essentially means I'm down to micro-managing the web design now. (DUH - it's about time). I'm updating our tracking sheet every day, testing what I can, and sticking to MY commitment to manage this project successfully. I'm in daily contact with the developers and receive a daily status update; so far, this is working better.

As a consequence of all this, I'm also getting better at micro-managing myself, something I'm learning is crucial. By dividing my time, I'm able to stay more focused on each task at hand. I get what I can done and then move on to a different aspect when it's time, be it vendor relations, order updating, supply tracking and maintenance, marketing, or sales, etc.

With that, the rest of my evening is committed to some prototyping and planning for tomorrow.

See if a design sells before getting the pattern graded

2006-08-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

I hope that life is about to get crazier. This would be a very good thing. I have a whole set of prototypes that I'm getting sewn up. I feel that there are a lot of "sanity checks" going on. For the better. I've designed a number of outfits and have had patterns drafted; most are in first draft phase, but some have already been altered a couple of times. I have only one pattern graded (which, btw, is something you don't do until you've gone to market with an item. I had this ONE graded for a couple of reasons: to test out the guy who we'll contract for our grading & because there is demand for this item via word of mouth alone, everytime someone sees it they ask if they can buy one).

Why don't you have a pattern graded until after market? Because it could be a huge waste of money. HUGE WASTE. There is no way to determine if one of your designs is going to sell until you take it to market. If you waste money getting a pattern graded and that design does not sell well, you've thrown your money and your time away. Because you MUST scrap a design that does not sell well. And if this happens you only want to be out money for the pattern design, sample fabric, and salesman's sample. If it's confusing, it won't be for long. All it takes is one time of throwing the money away on a design you never use to learn this lesson.

And considering companies launch with more than one design, if you get all of your patterns graded and only 1/3 sells, you're on the fast track to sinking yourself before you're even out of the gate. Production pattern, fabric ordering, marking, grading, cutting, production, and fullfillment all come AFTER you go to market with your fantastic fashions.

As for our fantastic fashions, once I have this round of prototypes, we'll know what we want altered, how the collection is coming together, and also which piddling couple of items we'll let ourselves launch with first. And that's only after we let ourselves get to apparel sales. But, there has to be something in the works all the time; the next idea, the next design - because it's the only way to keep the business in constant motion, always rollin' towards the next goal.

Inventory is important in apparel manufacturing

2006-08-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Started to take inventory today. We've received a lot of shipments lately, and we have a lot of fabrics hanging around, and I knew this. BUT I had no clue what the reality is..we have tons of fabric; really good, really cool fabric that we need to use and get off the shelves. It's bordering on ridiculous.

I acquired yards and yards of fabric when I over-ordered for our first set of salesman samples. And I over-ordered at that point because I had under-ordered the initial sample cuts. Too many headers, not enough samples. So when it came time to have the salesman samples made, I just had no clue that I would not need a ton of fabric for the salesman samples. So, we over-ordered. Chalk it up to education (and a whole lot of unused fabric).

I have no fear though - on the bright side, we've already invested in a lot of inventory, so we really have a lot of money just waiting to be made. I have plenty of patterns at this point that will work with these fabrics because they were drafted and designed for the same types of fabric.

My biggest lesson today though has been to stay on top of our inventory. Much better than we have been at least. It gives you the big picture of where you are, how much money you have sitting around, and also where you've gone wrong in the production cycle before. I know it's a no-brainer, but knowing the right thing to do and actually putting it into practice are two completely different things.

No such thing as "normal work hours" while starting a business

2006-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! That means I called it a day "early" - at 9pm. Woo Hoo!! I'll still be working this weekend because there is stuff that has to get done (and yes, I know there always is). But we take our time to play too. We have to. Or we'd go nuts, all of us, the whole family. The kids get stir crazy, we have to get them out. And then, we have to get out - amazingly enough, we get out for dates pretty often. It's only a few hours a week, but those few hours are incredibly refreshing for us.

Here I am saying I've called it a day, but as you can tell, "calling it a day" really means that I'm doing a few more things on the computer before I truly put my feet up. I'm feeling very stressed about getting this business off its feet. And I need to watch that and how it rubs off on everyone else. I meditate each night, this helps greatly, gets me relaxed enough to sleep and centered enough to face the next day. I know that the more organized we get, the more sane I'll feel.

We've received a lot of shipments this week so inventory is a high-priority on our list. I have to, have to, have to get better at keeping up with the admin stuff.

Bragging a bit about my partner's designs

2006-08-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Today I spent too much time dilly-dallying about how to get this web thing wrapped up. My partner, on the other hand, dove into these really cool silk screen designs that I just can NOT wait to see on the real baby T's and onesies.

My partner is my husband. He was an artist long before I met him, and I was too I guess. Well, I've always enjoyed creative endeavors, I wouldn't really call myself an artist. But he is - he has vision and thus, these designs are so, simple yet SO brilliant. And different and did I already say that I can wait to see the real deal? Anyways, we mesh, actually feed off each other when it come to creative projects. We spent our first anniversary painting a picture together. It sounds odd but it was a lot of fun and very memorable. We've been helping each other with brainstorming and design ideas a lot lately and it's a very cool thing.

It seems like our supplier for blank onesies and baby t's is going to be easy to work with. Got ourselves a sales rep, price list, we know what colors we want, and we're ready to roll with these. Which is extra awesome because there is a very limited amount of labor involved with the silk screen designs.

I'm busy messing around with this embroidery design I had thought would be so simple. I'll get it...it's just that there is so much to "get" all the time, isn't there?

All the clothing in the world doesn't design a website

2006-08-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, today was spent mulling through emails and trying to figure out how we landed here, 5 months into hiring NEW web designers and they've just finally got the 3rd shop application installed. This is a major road block for the business. I almost can't discuss it, it makes my blood boil so much.

I beat myself up for this, I can see now all the mistakes I made that led us here, ERGGGGGG, but that's it. Enough. My husband stopped me and turned me straight, telling me that the only useful thing we can do now is figure out if we can salvage enough to get a functioning site, and otherwise, that we need to sit and re-evaluate a few of our plans.

Every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise. I already have ideas about what this will blossom into, or, really, I'm creating visions of what this HAS to blossom into. We have clothing and blankets to sell, and we shall....

I've been itching for the perfect book for a few days. So pathetic that I actually have combed my own book shelves for about 3 nights in a row, knowing each night nothing new was there to strike my fancy. I spent an hour at the book store last night and I was ready to give up, when I saw "The Pampered Chef" by Doris Christopher, the founder of well, The Pampered chef. I'm happy with it, it's been just the real life you-can-create-your-dream-business story I need right now.

Keeping a good, productive pace

2006-08-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

I found my notebook from the first months of "starting my own clothing line". Oh my. There is so much distance and knowledge between there and now. So how come I to feel like I'm still such a baby in this apparel manufacturing business? I kind of hope I always do, because that means I'm still hungry for the next step, still feel a need to learn more.

Today was productive again. I'm trying to remember to pace myself, even when I'm in a happy designing place. Burn out, not necessary. I got the second draft of the gift bag pattern and prototype completed. Gave me more ideas, but those "ideas" will have to translate into improvements which WAIT until the next edition. We need to get selling these cute little sets now, and before that I have to wrap up the final edition of the bib pattern.

Silk-screen designs are also being drafted. There is so much progress, and seriously, it's been at a nice pace, not a flustered, un-prioritized craze. Organization has worked some wonders for us, more to organize, always (means more wonders await us!).

I'm following my heart, my gut, and my guides and everything is telling me to JUST WORK.

What's a few patterns, a few prototypes?

2006-08-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today I spent my time hashing out the details and pattern measurements for our gift set bags. The math, however simple, is my least favorite part. Got the first draft created out of muslin. I have tweaks to make on both size and trim placement, but these bags are going to work perfect.

I'm learning with each passing design the importance of simplification. Simplification is important for labor purposes, but also for sourcing. These gift bags were originally a throw in idea, but they have now evolved into a viable component of our gift sets. Designing the bags as simple throw ins, -the extra touch to seal the sale-, made me focus on making them really easy to make. This "restraint" has resulted in cleaner lines than I usually go for, and the bags are a lot "cooler" as a consequence.

I absolutely expect to have to go through at least 3 drafts until I'm completely satisfied with a design. I did the "rough" draft for these a couple of days ago, by cutting a random strip of fabric and playing with various folds. I then tested various trims and pinned it all up the way I liked the best. This "rough draft" gave me enough information to create today's first rough pattern. Rough pattern enabled me to create the first real prototype, using an inexpensive muslin and scrap trim.

A completed prototype gives you usability (or, with apparel "fit") information; enough information to make some tweaks and complete another version of the pattern. The ability to test the item this early is HUGE.

I'm excited to crank out the second draft tomorrow. A couple of simple improvements will hopefully prove to make all the difference in the world. :-)

Worked really hard AND spent the day with my daughter

2006-08-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

I spent the day running all over town, but I got so much done. And my daughter went with me for all of my business errands - one of the reasons I'm doing this whole thing - more time with the kids. I just need to remember to appreciate it more.

We met a good friend on her lunch hour and she was dreading returning to the office. She said "it must be so nice to not have to go into the office". Ya, it is....I hated going into the office. Absolutely detested it. As a matter of fact, I hated it so much that I decided to start my own business. But just because I get to spend time during the work day with my kids, doesn't mean this is the easy route.

It's EASIER to go into the office. It's easier to leave work behind when you work for someone else. And there is a certain amount of satisfaction you get being able to bitch about the boss and all the lame stuff they do, bad decisions they make. You don't get the same satisfaction from bitching about your own lameness...

Today, thanks to my friend, I did take a few moments to appreciate that I was with my daughter and not away from her. I worked hard today, hard enough that I actually feel OK taking a break and not working late. So, even though it is harder and definitely more work doing my own business, life is so much better like this. SO MUCH BETTER...plus my chocolate plush fabric arrived while I was away and I'm officially in LOVE. :-)

You do get to do a little fashion design here and there

2006-08-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm writing just to write. Because it's late, but I finished what I needed to finish. I got back to some of the fun of design, again out of necessity. It's been a long time since I've had the joy of a NEW design. Because I've been trapped in learning about starting my own clothing line.

When I first started, I did a ton of different designs - all of which sold well. But all of which convinced me to learn the REAL way to do things and that, beyond any doubt, production could not be up to me. By REAL way, I mean I went off in search of a pattern maker, cutter, grader, sewing contractor, and on down the line. Plus, I had to learn how to do technical sketches and spec sheets and all that FUN stuff. I didn't know that my day job would take up so much of my time either - I equate starting a business to committing to night school - years of late night work that is, for some sick reason, fun enough to keep going late night after late night.

Anyway - I've finally learned it enough put it into practice! Now I get to design again. And I'm so excited. Even if it is only 10% of the job, it STILL makes the other 90% worth it.

The magic of it all coming together

2006-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Holy WOW! Today it actually feels like ALL of the planning and ideas are coming together. I have the stuff that I need around me: the design tools, the machines, the patterns, fabrics, trims. We're actually to the point of making final samples for product photography.

I'm in a grand mood because I was in a grand groove today and thanks to a spankin' great idea from my husband, I designed super cool packaging for our gift sets. We're going to be able to launch our site (ha ha that feels like a joke right there) with simple, cool items and gift sets. We hope to offer a good range of prices, ease our way into the hearts of our customers. I have the first apparel design to offer wholesale in boutiques, so it should ALL be simple enough to give us hope of REALLY launching sometime in the next millenium.

I AM still excited to launch the store; have to be even though I've been looking at the design of it so long, I'm sick of it - but we've got to just stick with it and pray for it to be functioning soon. Come on!

I think they can, I think they can, I think they can...

Our light pink plush fabric has finally arrived

2006-08-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

I finally learned my lesson to "grab it while you can get it". This is a huge lesson to learn. Yes, you MUST test your fabrics before you purchase a large amount of fabric. But you just have to be speedy at this, especially if you're a small fry guy. And you should go to market and see what will sell before you invest in fabric. The problem is by the time this happens, it seems the fabric is sold out. The industry is moving at more than 6 seasons a year...no other explanation for it.

Luckily for me, I know that our blankets are selling well, so investing in a bunch of the plush fabric is a safe bet (we've been selling via word of mouth only). Not to mention I have a few other things to use it for...AND as much as we design away from traditional pinks and blues, light pink is still one of the best complimentary colors for us to use.

I am just so thrilled that this fabric arrived today. I feel like I've been trying to track down this perfect fabric for a couple of years and it's finally here. Everything is finally coming together. All in it's due time.

In my search for design inspiration, I found a quote today that really sunk in (by Dorothea Lange, American Photographer):

"I realize more and more what it takes to be a really good photographer. You just go in over your head, not just up to your neck."

I need to get in at least up to my eyeballs...

Admin stuff is getting done and giving me some control

2006-08-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

These last few days have been about re-organization and laying a solid foundation. Prepping, lots of prepping for launch going on. Which is good, it makes me feel more in-control, which is very much welcomed after feeling so overwhelmed for so long.

I've got a lot of the little to-dos out of the way. FINALLY got a PO together for all the different tags and care labels we need for the various items we are ready to sell. And I got standard spec sheets made for the blanket options we've chosen; this increases the efficiency of our prep-for-production process we have to go through each time an order is placed.

I've talked about narrowing our options, I've cut us down to a whopping two options. One for girls, one for boys. As those are close to selling out, we'll have a different limited edition to offer. It HAS to be this way because the plush fabrics seem to be available on a limited edition basis (at least our various suppliers are often out-of-stock and waiting for shipment). We have to purchase enough plush to match the print from the get-go and sell from there. And the amounts will increase as we grow.

My main challenge right now is just hitting go. I can no longer depend on an online store launching, so it's time to pursue our other avenues of sales. It is, apparently, in my personality type to test and attempt to perfect forever... My new mantra is 'go go go'.

GO
GO
GO.

A long road trip is just the medicine

2006-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

I took a little over a week off and it didn't kill me! I think it actually saved me. I'm one of those people who is always telling my collegues to "get out of here, there will always be work to do tomorrow, you need your rest"; but never taking enough breaks myself. Lots of underlying issues there, but whatever. The point is, I took a break, I took my mind off of the whole thing. Checked email a couple of times, and otherwise only used my laptop to download each day's pictures.

I had planned to, at the very least, keep contributing to my blog, but I'm happy that I did none of it. We're getting near to launching for REAL this time, and the reality is I might not get a good stretch of time off like that for awhile (if all goes according to plan, our lives should get super crazy really soon)!!

We drove down the entire west coast of the United States and it was amazing. Some fresh air and breathtaking scenery can really do a soul good. The stuff calendars are made of...I give great thanks for this family vacation.

I confess that I watched Project Runway as much as possible, does that count as work?? I feel sane again. Not so overwhelmed; even though there was lots of talk of quitting in my head; part of the fatigue that I had to get myself through. Mental fatigue from over 3 years of non-stop business brainstorming - geesh - don't forget there's life to live too.

The main point here is TAKE TIME OFF, it's worth it, it's worth your business.

Project Runway was an entertaining show

2006-07-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

I had the privilage of watching Project Runway last night. I say privilage because we only get a couple of channels in this house, and I'm pretty sure this was a "teaser" designed to draw us to watch the remaining episodes on Bravo (I think that's the right channel).

I really enjoyed the show. It made me want to be up there competing; tackling the fashion design challenge. I feel both light years ahead and light years behind those contestants. Does that make sense? I feel I've turned flat fabrics into amazing things, I can draft a rough pattern, but I haven't worked for so-n-so, and I didn't go to fashion design school. OH, and yes, I can use a sewing machine, one of the main downfalls of the contestant who got kicked off; she had to resort to hand sewing her garment. Painful.

The project looked like fun - use materials sourced from the house to create a woman's garment. Some were great, some were bad, most in-between. Some designers were optimistic, some unsure, some just had attitude about having to use those materials in the first place.

Fashion design is an interesting thing - you have to have confidence in your skills and style to go into it at all, but really, you've got to find a way to keep that confidence from going over-the-top and slipping into an inflated ego. I get it with the reality shows; you need the dramatic, the idiotic, the whole gammet to keep it interesting, to keep it edgy. But you also know they didn't have to look far or wide for the dramatic types for Project Runway; the quiet and unassuming are probably a rare breed in this industry.

Project planning and catalog progress equals Sanity

2006-07-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

I stuck to my word and got some project planning done last night. I'm hoping that it's realistic. It cleaned up my life in my mind at least. Started by setting the major deadlines and worked back from there. It is unbelievable what a learning process starting a business is, I guess you just have to convince yourself you're on top of it and go at it bit by bit.

Made serious catalog progress; but also reigned myself in by stopping the "this has to happen NOW" thought process I had going on; the root of my insanity. I just let myself drift from the schedule too much, then I just left it behind. Now we have to stick to our deadlines. I'm walking into a boutique on August 1.

This MAJOR deadline sets in place the deadlines for line sheets, marketing materials, cc processing testing (not depending on the ecommerce solution anymore), and most importantly the samples. Cotton fabrics are set to arrive tomorrow and we have the plush in hand. All the contractors are in place, such small words, but these are huge things. Learning who to contact for supplies, locating contractors that not only work in children's wear but are reliable and produce quality items, and learning each phase of apparel manufacturing can turn out to be a lengthy process. And if it's not a referral-heavy process, it can be excruciating and costly.

****We've purchased www.startupkidsline.com to move this blog (not up yet) so that we can create categories and actually file some "how to" type articles we want to write. I mention it because locating a reliable referral when you're an industry outsider is a tricky thing, but not hopeless. Of course, believing in miracles never hurts either. I'll share how I did it soon, but I did it well enough that each person I locate is astounded at the others I've found to work with, and they are all outstanding. And it started with one little referral that could.

Just keep manufacturing, keep something happening

2006-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling really overwhelmed the last couple of weeks. Yes, couple of weeks. Ick. Enough already. I keep trying to tackle these projects that seem huge and daunting, an approach which is clearly not working because my solution is to just not do them.

But, okay, so this is a slump. I classify you as super-human if you don't slip into slumps, and if this is you, oh please share your secrets. But legal ones only please.

I have to give myself some credit, because I have kept going, I have kept the manufacturing process rolling, consistently trying to find new suppliers & contractors, I've even worked on a couple of designs. So, I didn't let myself slump into a stop, but I've got to pick it up. And to pick it up I've got to get a grip at where we're at. I've got to find the confident me again, find some way to shut up the negative voice inside.

I think it's so interesting how when things are going good, you're feeling good, everything is moving and you're on top of the world, you're just convinced it'll always be this way, after all, you're soooooo groovy and you know exaaaaactly what you're doing. Slip and slump and it's so easy to convince yourself you're nuts for trying to climb this mountain you've piled high in front of yourself, it's too much, and who the heck did you think you were anyways?

Our website launch has gone from May 1, to June 1, to July 1, to now-I'll-believe-in-miracles-if-it's-by-August 1. Trade Shows are sold out and we wouldn't have been ready anyway. SO WHAT? Roll with the punches & REVISIT the plan.

Stop depending on the site launching and keep moving. Get some line sheets and get up the guts to walk into some boutiques. Tonight, re-planning, re-planning, re-planning and NO MORE RESTING.

Have to do the midnight shift, but I'm exhausted

2006-07-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

The motivation behind our business is our kids; based on our wild imaginations and big dreams of a life with better balance. But "better balance" is a joke. The reality is that it takes midnight shifts, and endless midnight shifts at that.
It's enough to make what has to happen during the day, like phone calls and appointments, actually happen. Otherwise, it all happens after the kids are in bed. And it HAS to happen almost every night. The other night, my husband and I gelled on the sofa and didn't open our computers, didn't slip off to our offices, we just watched tv. It was weird, doing nothing. I felt not right, restless, but after about a half-hour, I settled into it. And I remembered our life before we embarked on this journey, we spent a lot more time together, just chilling, just hanging out.
This week, he is off in Minneapolis for the Junior Olympics Volleyball tournament, and I'm just exhausted. Chasing and entertaining a 3 year old & a 1 year old is almost more than I can handle on my own. It takes mental work too, keeping up with those two. I'm just absolutely exhausted.
So, here I am at 11pm, staring at my computer screen. I keep opening the applications I'm supposed to be working in, looking at the project, and then closing the app, sick at the thought of tackling any of it. I mean, I'm just flipping exhausted.
But the alternative would be me getting up around 5:30 to shuttle the kids off to some other family, make my way to a gray cube and a lovely corporate job... ugh, I have to cut off those bleak thoughts.
I can't go back to that, so I'm going to back to the computer app and finishing what I started.

No KIDShow; but still having fun with fashion fabrics

2006-07-06T22:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we're not showing at KIDShow like we thought we would. Sold out. I think it was unrealistic anyways. Thanks to some very valuable input, we're on the waiting list for ABC Kids Expo (technically for this year, but the waiting list is already 230 vendors long, so we signed up in hopes of registering for next year).

It's all good. Our blankets are season-independent (although the prints are limited edition), so we can just sell like mad through boutiques.

I've found a cool print that I can not wait to turn into something cute (our sample cut is on the way). I love it, I can't wait to have it in my hands, I have visions. The colors remind me of the beach cottage my husband and I lived in; the 70s retro print curtains I had purchased off ebay. And fits right in with my theme for the season.

I have also discovered a cool fabric we'll turn into some cool cabana shirts for boys. Always hear there's not enough cool boys stuff out there (there isn't), but it doesn't sell as well either. I think even cute little shirts like the cabana shirts we'd like to do fall quicker into the "dress up" or "special occasion" category than skirts, dresses, or fun shirts do for girls. Girls can get away wearing the dress to the grocery store, it's even less-fuss than other clothes. But button-down shirt for boys just aren't as all-occasion.

This is my guess as to why the cool boy's stuff sells less - more hassle than not. Easy-care is the answer. Our answer.

Designing is an estimated 10% of a designer's job

2006-07-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

The admin side of things takes up so much time!! Besides the technical sketches, spec sheets and other paperwork stuff that has to happen on the design side, there are the line sheets, order forms, and catalogs that have to be designed & printed & packaged & mailed. We're thick in this right now. I'm very happy we've simplified the line, because creating the marketing materials is a simplified process too.

It's also very exciting to be HERE; months upon months of product development, online store development, business development and we're actually poised to watch our products take off. The part I've been afraid of, the part I've been prepping for: handling success (by which I mean making a living, that's my first definition of "success"). It has never been a concern where or who we could sell our blankets to, but always a concern that we would be able to handle the orders when they started rolling in.

We're about to find out I guess. It's about as scary as I thought it was. But back to the baby step at hand, pull myself back into where I'm at tonight; what I need to accomplish to get our sales materials out to the boutique in Indiana, and a set of samples ready for the reps who want to take our line to the Chicago market (yes! to market!!). OH boy. I mean baby. I should say "OH baby", since it's baby blankets that are going to buy us our "in" with the boutiques. See, there is a plan behind this...I promise. A much-revised as we've gone along plan, but a plan just the same.

Keeping the manufacturing process simple is so hard!!

2006-07-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have a really hard time limiting myself. We manufacture custom, personalized blankets and we use cotton prints opposite of plush chenilles. I love so many prints that I want to offer them all. Which is why we were originally offering way too many options. This created a nightmare in all of the following areas:

Displaying the various fabric combinations in a catalog, online store, and gift certificates.
Maintaining the inventory for umpteen different thread and satin ribbon colors
Maintaining the fabric inventory - especially how to monitor if a combination has sold out, so no more are sold after that.
Managing re-order points.

So, we're streamlining by only offering four boy combinations and four girl combinations. It'll be easier to manage in EVERY SINGLE WAY imaginable. Especially in my head!! LOL

Less thread colors, less ribbons, less prints - plus, better plush fabric so we're skipping the batting (huge huge huge b/c less cutting, less matching, easier to sew through); all means less headache in the selling phase. It was really difficult to sell so many different options online, much less try to convey how to select & order your blanket if you've received one of our gift certificates.

So, it's all the right thing to do, and it will streamline our operations- but I just can not limit myself. It is so hard for me to keep from picking a zillion different prints. My partner weeds it all out for me, but he even said if I "could limit the number of "your favorites" to weed through, that would be GREAT!" :-)

Anyone else have a hard time keeping it simple? Tips on how you do?

KIDShow and boutique interest kicks us in gear

2006-06-28T12:32:00.001-07:00

We're now on basically an 8 week deadline for Spring / Summer '07; we're planning on KIDShow in Las Vegas at the end of August. Deadlines keep us on track, but there is panic too. 8 weeks is truly nothing. At the same time though, we're not going to go crazy and overdo it. I've recently talked about keeping it simple, not launching huge. It isn't the number of items, it's the style and quality that will matter. Fall market is the big market, so I'm considering Spring / Summer a dry run. But tech sketches have to get in this week, even with a light line.

Sent sample blanket to a boutique in Indiana and they LOVE them, have no doubts the blankets will sell. So, heeeeerrreeee we go...and I have no doubts they'll sell either. I'm SO deadline oriented that it takes a "we'll take it" to make me sit down and copy-edit, organize, and iron-out our sales materials. There is SO much to do. But, this work is all part of the KIDShow deadline too.

Anyone out there going to KIDShow? Or better yet, has anyone out there shown at KIDShow? Was it worth it? (PLEASE speak up if it wasn't!!) We visited as buyers about a year ago, but it was too hard for me to tell, at least from the short time we were able to spend there, whether it was drawing a large crowd or not. KIDShow does have the advantage of happening at the same time as the MAGIC show, well, I'll have to verify that it's the same this year too. :-) Even if it's not huge, could be a good venue to get our feet wet; get some trade show experience under our belts...

Time to buckle down and do the technical sketches

2006-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Technicalities, technicalities, bleck. I like to draw, I like to get ideas, I like to see those ideas become a reality, but some of the details in between just bug me. Without fail, everytime I take my technical sketch & spec sheet to our pattern maker, I get the pattern back with a simplified spec sheet and a new, clean, precise technical sketch. And the patterns usually come back according to my vision, but only because she asks me questions about what I was trying to show on my technical sketches.

I'm learning. And I'm trying really hard to get better with each one. Even with the infant croquis I use, I'm still figuring it all out.

I should clarify that I have drawn ONE tech sketch that wasn't re-drawn by our pattern maker: the technical sketch I did for our blankets. This tech sketch consists of a whopping two rectangles, help me for starting this biz if I couldn't at least get two rectangles right. ha ha

Anyone out there in the middle of tech sketches?
ok - off to draw now...

Crafting our baby clothing brand

2006-06-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our logo, our brand, has been really important to me from the beginning. Maybe too important, I don't know - pretty much everything about branding is arguable; especially HOW you craft a brand. But, to me, crafting a brand, an image, is important for a clothing line.

We started with a logo that I now view as overwhelming. Can't blame the graphic designer; the designer did a great job; he gave me exactly what I wanted. Luckily, by the time I was willing to listen to feedback on it (too noisy; hard to read; harsh colors for a baby brand(it was red and black!!)), I had grown out of love with it myself, so it was easy to talk me into a re-vamp of our logo.

We found LogoWorks around the same time (highly, highly recommend). I had a more intimate relationship with our brand by that time too, which made it easier for me to convey what type of image we wanted the Baby Fabulous logo to present to the world. It was also important to us to have a "mark", a seperatable object that we can use to start stamping our brand identity in minds worldwide.

We ended up with this happy-go-lucky star, which I love. And now, that happy green star will be embroidered on all b*Fab items. Which is just FABULOUS, and makes me smile.

Note: The "willing to listen to feedback" part above is important. I learned to be careful about falling in love with a design; can sting too much when other's don't love it, and you'll find you have so much buy-in, so much heart invested in it, that you don't really listen to the crucial feedback you receive.

The little dress that started a clothing manufacturing business

2006-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

I just re-discovered the first little holiday dress I made for my daughter. It was crafting this entire dress from scratch, patterns and all, when I knew only sewing basics, that inspired me to start our own manufacturing business; made me think I might be able to design my own clothing line.

Our daughter wore this to a big holiday shin dig my mom had at her place, and we got so many "I've never seen babywear so cute" and especially, "you could sell that to boutiques" - type comments; which gave me confidence.

It's hard to tell, because I pinned it to my office wall for refreshing inspiration, but it has sweet off-the-shoulder sheer sleeves and a tube top with a two-layered skirt (it's teeny - size 3 months). I look at that picture and I can see how much I didn't know when I made this dress. At the same time, I'm proud of how well I actually did for my FIRST design; it even fit!!

Coming from a place where I knew nothing about design to where we're at now is somewhat amazing to me. It's been a longer road than I thought, just to be barely chuggin' along. But it's the best possible road I could've been travelling down over the last 3 years. Absolutely the best. So I keep travellin' on...

Always some chink in the manufacturing process

2006-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today did not feel as progressive as previous days have seemed. I was finally able to pick up our sample done with the poodle fabric, which I just love. I'm learning there are pros and cons to everything, and this busines is about weighing those pros and cons, making what you hope is the best decision, investing in it, and then praying for the best.

We're a baby company, so texture is a crucial factor in our baby blankets process. I really want "baby soft" fabric. And I love the new plush fabrics we've found. But they are a bit more difficult for the seamstress' to applique on because the plushness makes the applique a little too mobile. If that makes sense. So, labor costs will likely increase. However, this fabric is also so plush that we could skip the batting in the middle (which , in my humble opinion, makes the blankets too stiff, but lots of people like it) and that would save on both material AND labor costs. Confident that the blankets would be thick enough because the fabric is really plush and cozy.

But when the contractor called and told me it was all more difficult (results are different in other ways as well) and it basically sucked because she was trying to make the appliques look the way they did on less-plush fabric (the cotton chenille) and it's just not going to happen - I wanted, for the first time, to give up on the damn things. But I've been determined for so flipping long to get this process figured out, and we're RIGHT there, that I'll keep movin' on. I just need to make sure our prices cover our costs and give us a nice profit.

We're moving the product development along

2006-06-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. We made good, nah, GREAT! progress on our product development. I think that having the online store so close to finally opening is making a difference in us moving this whole thing along. That, and being scared for our lives.

I have to keep reminding myself that this is what I expected, the slow start-up; especially since we haven't done any marketing yet. I should be happy at how much we are selling for how little we're pushing it. Our stuff, our label, our brand IS getting out there. I'm shipping a sample to a boutique in Indiana on Monday. Our designs are unique enough to be moving fine via word-of-mouth. I just have to remind myself we're a trend-setting brand and we need to stay that trend ahead.

And, in light of needing that next hot product, I had so much fun designing today. I was finally able to let go of these stupid designs I've been stuck with (hanging onto) forever. I went down this crazy path where I had to find a pattern maker (not easy), and then a sewing contractor, then a cutter, and the whole time, I wasn't designing anything new. It was a learning curve that I had to go through. A necessary time-lag.

But today was like wiping away those cob-webs. I got out some NEW fabrics and I was off and sketching. It was so much fun. I have some cool ideas. I've narrowed down to a few types of fabrics, so I'll need only a few sample cuts. I'm doing fine as far as getting a Spring/Summer line together, staying close enough to schedule. It will be a small line, trying to keep it simple.

I really want to enter the market big time in the fall season. There's more buying going on, and a longer buying season. So, I'm looking at Spring as our dry run. Keep it small, keep it affordable for us to produce, and do the entire market/production cycles all the way through. Get the practice and the real feedback on our products.

It's all very exciting, but it's all very overwhelming too.

Progress gives me motivation to keep moving

2006-06-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well, there's no shortage of bugs to work out with the shop, but just the fact that we're getting our products added to our online baby store is PROGRESS. And I'm really happy that I'm really happy with our site's design. So far; I'll be happier to see the shop pages styled more like the shop page mock-ups we were originally shown :-) But we need a shop to open, so the rest can all come in due time.

***On the cool side: Our first "kidsART" silk-screen design is ready to be silk-screened. We've got plans to run the original kids Art contests through our forums. But, here it is:

Right now, I have to get back to writing the product descriptions. Which is boring, especially when I'm not liking my descriptions, but all of this stuff can be constantly evolving as we go along, we just need to get it all functioning!!

Getting so close to the store opening is making it SO much more motivating to get the designs rolling out. Refreshing. It feels like I've spent three years learning, now I get to apply what I've learned; I get to design again!!!

Narrow down our available options

2006-06-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. We WERE offering about 10 - 12 different blanket options for each type of baby-soft fabric we were offering (3 diff. fabrics). So, what is that; 30 - 36 different options? I think that offering a good selection is good, but it's a maintenance problem. If we narrow our options down, we'll have a better chance of making it. The inventory will be easier to manage, the cutting order will be easier to manage (and afford), the thread order, the ribbon order, the plush order, the custom production - all simplified by limiting the number of options we have available. Plus, it will be less-overwhelming for our customers.

Now we have to do the actual weeding of the print/solid selections we'll offer. Changing our plush options to microfibers; a "poodle" and a "snuggle-up" plush swirl - which is much higher quality than the swirl fabric we originally started with, but it's this "swirl" fabric that was the inspiration in the first place. So, to find a fantastic supplier for this perfect baby-blanket fabric is just what we needed right now.

Prints are a different thing altogether. I'll pick my favorites and then will turn those over to the creative director and have him weed out the options even more. He has an amazing knack for picking the best-sellers, so I'm happy to have him.

Anyone out there? If so, anyone up for voting on some swatches - helping us weed our blanket line, up for giving your input on which you'd buy for a baby gift?
(In that light, anyone know how to post a poll on blogger?)

We can start adding products to our online baby store!!!

2006-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

I can not, can not, can not believe it, but the day has come when we can start uploading products to our store. I'm allowing little tiny thoughts to creep in like "you're really about to open". Up until now, I've blocked all of these thoughts and only let myself focus on the next little "to-do". That next little (medium really) "to-do" is uploading product images and descriptions to our catalogue. YES!!!
This means it's really time to prep the articles and forums and press releases. And start distributing them, start the email campaigns, everything. Very exciting, and yes, it's very nerve-wracking too. And now with an online store, it will so much easier for us to experiment with different ideas and test out what works, what doesn't work. This should be fun, no shortage of work to be done here though. Hip, hip, hooray, three cheers for our line of baby and toddler-wear being launched in the websphere....
Can you tell the good news has picked up my mood a bit?

Three months post-leap; where are we?

2006-06-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

It's been three months since I quit my 9-to-5 job and its time to reflect on how far we've come. I can't believe I really jumped. I remember my husband saying "I bet we won't believe where we are in June." I guess I didn't know it would be disbelief at how far we're not. Where have we gone? What have we accomplished?

Located great new plush fabric, jersey, trim, and pellon suppliers
Scrapped our online store and completely re-designed it
Acquired new products from two different manufacturers to add to our online catalogue
Got the silk-screen equipment, which is huge, huge, HUGE!!!
Got the embroidery machine too. We have everything else manufactured by contractors, but on our personalized blankets we'll add the embroidered name, birth date, and weight ourselves.

I never let myself feel that I've accomplished enough. Why? And it's only since I started my own thing. I had no shortage of slacker days in the job I used to hate. Now, with this thing, I'm up late, and the hours creep out more and more by the day. 12:30 AM, then 12:40ish, now it's 1AM or after. Last night, I had to restrain myself from the computer to make myself chill out. It was good. I got 8 hours of sleep too. Which was like a weird, twilight-zone type event. And, even though it was good, something I needed, I ended up feeling my morning was completely wasted.

Need to keep up the meditation, learn to ease up, learn to live with the understanding that there is always more to get done tomorrow. Learn to take it slow, because there might not be tomorrow. Live in the moment, do the best you can, let go of the rest of it.

I keep getting more help and keep needing more

2006-06-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I think that actually, it isn't that I need more help, it's just that I'm finally recognizing where I need help. Are there any seamstresses out there in San Diego who would be interested in helping me with my prototypes and some samples? I would prefer someone local - but I'm flexible too. Email info@babyfabulous.com if you're interested.

I think I'll be off to Craig's List for some of my first postings really soon. But I've had the fabrics cut and pieced together for the first round of fit prototypes I need - and they've just been sitting there for days. It's one of those little pieces of the process where I've allowed myself to think - "they're easy enough to zip together"; that's not the point - it's making the time to do zip them together, on top of everything else it's going to take to get our online shop launched in a few days. (...could be true, but not saying much more about it...)

Plus, I'm not so naive as to think that there wouldn't be a quality difference w/ a professional seamstress making the prototypes; a quality difference which would be reflected in the final fit of our garments. Although, I have had some manufacturing done that gave me great pride in what seamstress skills I do have, or on the flip side, made me appalled she was trying to pass herself off as a professional contractor...just astounding I tell ya.

The Steps it Takes to Create Applique Personalized Blankets

2006-06-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, I want to give up at some points. We have the manufacturing process for our applique blankets figured out, but that doesn't mean it's ironed out. Here are the number of steps and a brief idea of what each is; this is why our blankets cost what they do, (well, on top of the fact that we select high-quality fabrics).

If ANYONE has any ideas, for anything, especially any more modern capabilities / ways of helping us with this process, we would LOVE to hear your comments, your ideas, or contact us at info@babyfabulous.com. Okay, here's the run down:

Cut the individual blanket pieces.
Tote pieces, contract po, technical sketch, applique fabric, & thread to the applique contractor.
Applique contractor has to apply backing to the applique fabric.
Next, she loads fabric in machine to cut the personalized letters.
Letters are placed on blanket backing.
Letters are manually machine-sewn to the blanket back (as opposed to sewn by computer machine the way embroidery is stitched).
Pick up the appliqued portion of the blankets and take them to the finishing contractor ( or send depending on whether I feel we're in need of a face-to-face or not).
Blanket back is matched to batting and print fabric (same as applique fabric) is used as the border.
Finished with satin ribbon trim.
Add label.

So, 10 steps to get the blankes manufactured. Are we nuts? I've wanted to drop these things so many times - but I KNOW that if we can keep it up, we're so close to getting it ironed out, it will get more and more streamlined, we'll have an incredible edge in the personalized baby gift market.

So, ideas - is there a more modern way to do applique? I'm tempted to skip the batting, because it doesn't really come through what a pain this is. All of this could be my ignorance, but I've been all over town to find someone capable and willing to take on the personalized applique, and repeatedly, have been told there are only 2 people in the entire county that can assist me with THAT type of work. Which is nutty in itself. Turns out one of those who are capable is an absolute angel in my life. The other lady was a complete bitch the first time I talked to her, so why on earth would I take one step further to pursue a working relationship with her? LAME.
Ideas? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

A friend of mine said it's called "call reluctance"

2006-06-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I guess that's what it is - call reluctance. But it's amazing how much voicing it helps me to move past it. I have to get out and get wholesale sales. We are selling direct to the public (which was via our online store , but is now via word of mouth; selling, S-L-O-W-L-Y), but we need the wholesale sales to get moving. So this little chicken doesn't get to be a little chicken anymore.

I think that I have too much personal investment in the products. I did telemarketing at random, extra-poor times during college, never even flinched at a "no". So I don't really get this. I do need to complete a catalog, but like everything else, I can figure it out as I need it.

I need to figure out a couple of new glitches in our manufacturing process too. We have new embroidered personalization options, but I want some more samples of it. Need more silk screen samples, and photos of our custom gift wrap. When the heck are we going to get to any of that?

I need to be doing so much more marketing. So, I was at least going to start a few threads on my forum and try to get that rolling, but now the forum, one of the pieces that was actually working, is broken too. Just getting beyond frustrated with the shop delays, at the same time I know I need some much complete to be ready to launch this baby. Maybe just started to feel a bit exhausted. 4 - 5 hours of sleep a night can get to ya! Or so I've heard...

Passion helps to fight the intimidation factor

2006-06-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Every new step in this starting a business & starting a clothing line process has been intimidating to me. From figuring out what licenses I needed and where to apply for them, to our first tradeshow, first phone calls for a pattern maker (oh god, do I have anything even close to what they need?), even first meeting with a sewing contractor. But, committing to starting a business (we've mortgaged the house and I quit my six-figure tech writing job to follow these dreams) means committing to taking all the "first steps" you need to take to make it happen.

I've been hung up on approaching boutiques. And not admitting that "approaching boutiques" was where I was hung up, instead blaming it on the need for a catalog and our ordering options, but I could solve those problems overnight. Our cool blankets are personalized, so we do need ordering options, gift certificate options:

Where am I lacking confidence? It doesn't really matter, I can't stay intimidated for long, I have to take this baby step, because it's the most important baby step of them all - starting the wholesale sales. Getting into the boutiques. I know which boutiques I want to approach first, I just have to do it now.

And yes, I want to do it myself. I honestly don't care if it's a slower process, if there's a learning curve, if it means that I'll know my business inside and out. It also makes me appreciate how hard each different phase is, which hopefully translates into respect for everyone I work with.

I used to modify my own patterns. Finding a most amazing pattern maker was the biggest blessing, and each of our partners has turned out to be excellent, from IT, to website design, to our sewing contractors. And I appreciate how much work goes into each phase that they complete for Baby Fabulous. So, go do this, first few sales, get feedback, get client input on processes, etc. and then, we'll be ready to hire a rep. Just go now. Just go.

To launch a clothing line, first define your niche

2006-06-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

I was lucky when it came to defining which niche I would go into - inspired by the first little holiday dress I made for my daughter, I knew it would be baby & toddler apparel. I knew my collection would be a luxury line; a line aimed at the affluent who would be willing to pay a lot for our cool little baby clothes. This part is partly out of necessity - by the time we've covered our costs for materials & labor, we're already at a high price point. This is mainly due to the fact that we are adament about having our products made in the USA.

Even still, knowing what niche we wanted to target meant that we had to do a lot of research. The only way to make sure we could sell our collection for a profit. Yes, baby and toddler upscale apparel is the only growing segment of the apparel industry right now. Why? Because parents spend their money on the kids. It's a huge shift, and it's a shift that has us well positioned.

I think women's wear would be the hardest to break into, but not if you defined enough of a niche, really narrowed down your focus, then it's possible you could succeed. I mean narrow, as in "women's shorts". Get really good at putting out cute shorts (which the market is actually in desperate need of right now, designers can't seem to decide whether or not to go with gouchos, cropped, or shorts, and we're all left with something exactly-in-between-and-exactly- the-wrong-length to wear), get good at creating shorts that are flattering on women's legs, that fit well - and you've got a great chance at carving out your own little share of the market.

The very beginning of starting your own clothing line

2006-06-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

I started blogging my starting-a-clothing-line story months ago ( last August). In the meantime, we've had to take that blog down while our site was being re-designed, and basically start a new blog here. (And we'll be moving this one to our own domain shortly). But I started this because, when it first occurred to me that starting my own children's clothing line was something I could do, - a potential answer to my raise-my-own-children dreams - , there was no real information on the internet. Plenty of the logistics, and what-to-dos, but none of the "this-is-what-it's-really-like" stories.

I wanted so desperately for someone to tell me how they even knew where to begin (I was so completely in the dark that I was using home patterns to provide a neck line, or arm-hole, and then making up the rest of my pattern on my own), or when they were able to quit their day job and what it was like, and most of all, if anyone really made it this way - starting a clothing line when you know nothing at all about the industry.

Since this blog has started 3 whopping years into my journey, there is a lot of back tracking for me to do. But I have journals from all those years, so I'm hoping to be able to share with you most of my experiences on this start-up path; a lot of the stuff I was desperate to find out.

Tomorrow I'll touch on the very first thing you need to do to embark on this journey - define YOUR niche and how your products will be different & wearable enough to sell.

Sometimes there are good people on your side

2006-06-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Our custom-applique manufacturer called today, declaring that she had found a supplier for one of our much-needed and very-crucial-to-our-cycle materials (YES!!!). Super-cheap, and, - this is the amazing part - , super-helpful. On the bolt, like we need it. In the quantity we need it.

Finding this material has been hanging over our head for months. Well, I should say finding it at a decent wholesale cost has been hanging over us; it's available almost everywhere if I'm willing to pay retail.

Since our manufacturer was placing an order anyway, we piggy-backed our orders. By adding our orders together, we can each order less yardage than if we were going it alone. Two of us to meet the minimums instead of just one of us. The added advantage is that now that our manufacturer has an account, she can order less yardage next time. Meaning we can order less yardage, simply by placing our order through her; avoiding creating an account on our own (high minimums on initial order).

The good people who made a big difference for our business today: our manufacturer, who thought of us when she found the supplier and was placing an order, and the supplier, who is willing to work with small companies, and go out of their way to meet our needs.

So here's a sample of my rough design sketches

2006-05-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

As promised, I've scanned a page from my design sketch book to show you just how rough your concept sketches can be. These are just initial sketches, very rough, very "on-the-fly". My rough-sketching is generally brainstorming, just get as many ideas on paper as possible. If I get enough of a vision to add the details in writing, that one has the greatest chance of turning into something.

The sketch in the lower-left corner has a lot of detail, and when I see the sketch, the image of the finished garment is what I see. I don't even really need to read the details because it comes back to me. But I will need to add these details to the technical sketch and our spec sheet.

Don't give me too much credit either. Even my rough sketches are done over an infant croquis. This gives me a realistic perspective, because infant proportions are drastically different than children's, (and on up) proportions. I have the croquis cut out on a piece of paper, and I just slip it under each blank page and move it around as I move from one sketch to the next. This notebook is probably at least 25 pages full - and I like maybe 5 of the sketches total. One of the biggest take-away lessons from my college photography class was that you are incredibly lucky if you get ONE good shot off a roll of film (not to date myself). With digital, we get one great shot out of about 100; no exaggeration. It is the same way with all creative design I find.

Why am I still ranting about suppliers?

2006-05-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

When I was first getting into this industry I read to expect suppliers to be out of certain fabrics, to especially expect them to run out of it after you're in the sales phase of your fashion cycle. This means, yes, you are showing your samples and taking orders, and then when you place the fabric order, you find out they are out of that fabric. You then get to call your customers and inform them that you only have either another design, or another colorway in the design they ordered. Either way, you don't have the one they ordered. But don't worry, it said, this is to be expected.

You will be more respected as a reputable company if you make the calls and let them know as soon as possible that you don't have what they want.

And, I'm finding that all of the above is true. But man is it frustrating and annoying. And a complete waste of time, especially when the suppliers have the products listed AS IF they are available.

Today, the lovely sales rep from the hoity-toity NY company called back AGAIN to tell us that they were also out of our 2nd and 3rd fabric options. And she was rude, no fun to deal with. As if we don't expect that in this industry, but it's completely uncalled for. I'm sorry, you're being rude to us, when you just wasted our time, on two seperate days because you can't get your sh*t together? Do you realize how much competition you have? She said: "It is this way with everyone" (um, no, there is a HUGE difference between running out of a fabric months after I've purchased the initial sample cut and presenting me with fabric selections that you don't even have).

Make no mistake all big brands had to start somewhere - treat everyone as if your business depends on it. Someday it might.

All the little things it takes to run a business

2006-05-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

There are so many 'little' things that go into running a business. Just like in life, where there is always some maintenance task (oil change; doctor's appt; extra tax bill, etc) to take care of, in business there are constant outstanding maintenance tasks that keep you feeling like you'll never get to the point where your business is just running.
Tech issues, admin issues, blah blah blah. Makes me want to focus on simplifying the business basics as much as possible: get all standard forms done (such as purchase orders and invoices), get everything networked and wired correctly, get the new desk up, get the papers sorted and filed, get the taxes done, get everything backed up and our project schedules updated.
I just now recalled that when I logged in, I had thought I'd write about the fact that people have to remind me it's a three day weekend; the lines between personal, family, and work life are so completely blurred. And in the moment between that thought and me actually logging in, the business stress had swept me up again, and my mind was off racing, or, really, stifled, by all the stuff that has to happen. And even after all that I'm still not to my main point; my main point was that this is the week we need to have product ready to sell. Thinking of that made me think of all the things that have to happen between now and being ready to launch a shop by the end of the week. Which brings us back to the beginning.
Yes, sleep is calling my name. Sleep is a good, god-blessed thing, I could throw back a drink or two with my angels, the voices that guide me..it seems sleep is the only place they can find me, the only place I find enough silence to listen to their whisperings, the only place they know I'm listening. I guess it doesn't matter if this sounds crazy, it's my reality - I know in my soul there are angels singing, my muses swinging inspiration from their wings..bringing me tomorrow's tasks to complete.

We Have a Vision, Now the Sketching Can Begin

2006-05-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

It was an amazingly productive day for a Friday. Back in college we used to joke about Friday's being 10% days. Our excuse to stay out late on Thursday nights. We finally got the sample ordered and I've finally come to a full vision for my portion of our Spring '07 collection. Love the Rag-A-Muffin idea and it's going to be very comfy, very new millenium rag-a-muffin.

So, the sketching has begun. I'll scan in a sample of my rough sketches tomorrow, just to prove to everyone that you don't have to be an artist extraordinaire to get ideas from your head to reality. It helps, and it's something I'm working on improving all the time. But as long as I can look at my drawing and understand the vision I had, then I have a good shot at getting the technical sketch right.

I've gone back-n-forth in my methods used to get to the first prototype. I used to do a mock-up of the first draft of the pattern and then create a prototype myself and proceed with the first meeting. However, once we located a great pattern maker, I started just drawing the technical sketch, including the desired fit-measurements, and attaching the swatches of the fabric to be used. Seems to work well, but, going back to the artist part, I need to learn some more of the "lingo" of technical sketches in order to better convey the idea I have for the finished product.

Amazing how hard it is just to get an order completed

2006-05-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

I marvel at how long it can take to actually get an order processed with some suppliers. First it's learning which way they'll take your order. Then you'll send it via their preferred method, but actually, they need you to fill out a new customer sheet.
Then the fax machine jams on their end. Then their fax is busy for a day. Then our fax machine won't send the second page. THEN, they're out of 1 of the whopping 2 fabrics we requested, until July. So we have to go back to looking (oh, THAT's the thing I had to do before calling it a night!!! shoot, weed through thumbnails of prints in hopes something strikes my fancy), and send two potential options this time, thus improving our odds of finally get a simple sample cut of fabric ordered.

And this isn't just how it goes with one supplier, either. This drama is pretty consistent across the board.

I went shopping solo for about an hour today. Found it inspiring, this Spring has some cool styles out, made me want to come home and shred my children's clothing and put it back together again all rag-a-muffin. And THAT's it--- thank the lord for midnight inspirations - Spring '07, b*Fab goes to market as Rag-A-Muffin Cuties.....
000 I want to draw this out, "draw" as w/ pen & paper...veering, finally, finally, finally - I can't even explain how thrilling this is for me, I've been waiting, my muse must've been snoozing. now, she's clearly hovering over me, blessedly....the pictures are coming to me...images I've been craving, something to show the world we're not trendy, but we're cutting new trends with ease..bah bah black sheep

Balancing reality with family and dreaming

2006-05-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

Today I've done a lot of thinking about this whole life we've got goin' on right now - we're kind of in a "WOAH" place, but probably always will be. There are always a zillion things that need to get done and somehow we need to better define our roles. We're in this now, I mean, we're thick in it, our survival depends on it, because we've both quit our play-it-safe corporate jobs to chase these risk-most-everything dreams.

And there is no shortage of stress that follows decisions like that. We need to recognize that it is a constant up-hill battle, and that we have to just keep learning as we go. Keep moving with the punches and be willing to change what isn't working.

We're starting a clothing line from scratch. But I'm confident we're doing it right - from our niche audience and unique products, to our choice of sales channels and marketing. But I also feel we're doing it wrong - with the admin and the project management and the book-keeping.

Big surprise the designer's hate the analytical details of the business. Which means we have to bring someone in who does care about those details...

Will we ever be in full production?

2006-05-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

We've finally got our personalized blankets rolling out. It's a slow process. I feel like everything is always waiting on something in order to really be able to happen. Like the blankets, we're ready to sell them development & production-wise, but now the site is under re-design and without it, we don't have the ordering portion of the process in place. But is this just a bunch of excuses for putting stuff off?

I know that it's not just excuses, we are pushing everything along, and everything is moving. I think it's more a case of wanting the end to happen without having to go through all of the baby steps first. But we have many more baby steps to go before everything is rolling all the way through. We need to get our stuff in boutiques, so we need the ordering system, so maybe it comes down to revisiting our priorities.

I seriously need to learn to appreciate the accomplishments as they happen, give ourselves some credit for working all hours of the night to get this business off its feet.

Sometimes the design doesn't turn out as planned

2006-05-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well, our first prototype of the embroidered personalized blanket in the poodle is a no-go. We have to re-think the fabric combination. The poodle fabric is too thick, so the embroidery gets swallowed. We use a print on the other side, so embroidering on the other fabric is not an option either.

Revisions and re-designing are normal parts of the fashion design process, if you're doing it right. Rarely is a first-draft ever THE draft. And you should be really picky too - these products represent YOU and YOUR BRAND. I love that our business name is baby Fabulous, because it is a constant reminder to not settle, and not be satisfied until it's FABULOUS; from fabric quality to final fit and look, has to be excellent through and through.

These blankets will have to be done in low-pile fabric, flannel maybe, or fleece (never my favorite, love it all you want, it screams CHEAP to me for some reason - and I know not all fleece is cheap, it's just what it screams to ME; so I can't bring myself to sell it people as THE fabric for our FABULOUS blankets).

OOO, and exciting, exciting, our stretch jersey swatches arrived today, which I have designs galore in mind for. :-)

Feel rushed to produce new products

2006-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

I've had all these projects hanging over my head and it's getting to be a bit much now. I hate procrastination, yet I've had a lifelong affair with her. :-0

Never fail, once I actually buckle down and do something that I've been putting off, it's easier than I feared it would be. I have no choice but to buckle down now. Here we are, on our developer's backs, wondering when the shop will be up and we have lots left to do also. We have to get some of the embroidered personalization samples photographed, we've got to get our gift wrap photographed, and we need to get the silk screen gift sets cranked out too.

The best you can do is take baby steps. I learned a valuable lesson about rapid-fire deadlines - they leave little-to-no time for procrastination. So, if we can maintain that setup - consistent deadlines and frequent meetings, then we should be making progress along the way, right?

Some of the sample fabrics have arrived and oh boy!

2006-05-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am in love with the "poodle" fabric we found at the LA textile show in April. We got it in baby yellow, and we're pairing it with a mustard / pumpkin luau print for a sample. This sample goes to a boutique owner in Indiana. We'll get her feedback and, if we all love it, try to implement it. It has some advantages over the cotton chenille we're using now:

It's about $2.00 a yard cheaper
It's about 15" wider. That 15" is the difference between us having to use a yard vs. a yard 1/2 for our large sized blankets. It is also the difference in usage of a yard for our lap size blankets as well. Makes us realistically need 60" fabric.
It's 100% polyester, but it is so, so, so, so much softer than the cotton chenille.

We're running the poodle through its care-testing right now. It cuts nicely. No visible thread-bare spots, warping, or pulling. I love the super-soft texture so much I'm considering replacing the cotton chenille in our hooded poncho with the poodle. It drapes better too.
The only non-plus is that it isn't organic fabrics. We could easily continue to offer our cotton as our luxury personalized line.
We're also expanding our line to simple embroidered personalized baby gifts, and while we were cutting the batting from the blankets in this line to reduce the price-point, I actually like the drape of the blankets without the batting. So, this is something we'll be re-visiting now too. In the meantime, I'm excited to try the poodle on a simple blanket. Simple n' Sweet could be cute name for the line.
I just got back from the custom applique manufacturer. Getting trained all the pieces of the process on her side, and we're in the muck of a really labor-intensive process. Seriously. Why do I always have to be so damned determined to be different that I end up doing the most difficult things in the world? Because it's the only way I find it worth it - what's the point if I'm just copying, that's not what I LOVE to do. I love to design something new. And apparently, something difficult too.

Be a company to believe in

2006-05-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

I think, all customer service and business plans aside, that you have to have a solid foundation as a good company to truly succeed. A good company believes in their people. Believing in your people translates to happy people, which translates to quality products & great customer service, which translates to happy customers, which translates to sales, translates to more jobs for more happy people. It's pretty simple. And yet, it's what most corporations choose to overlook today.

Too much pain to instill a little joy into your employee's lives, or what's the deal?

Time for a design sanity check

2006-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's time for us to call a design meeting. We have a ton of patterns and we need to decide what is flexible enough for the Spring season and then which fabrics (colorways) we'll offer those styles in. We need to have a prototype of each design sewn up for the fit meeting. Most likely will just use muslin for the first prototypes, there are always alterations needed before something is the perfect fit.
Once we know what we have to start off with, we can design around that, and identify where we want just plain jersey T's and how we'll make them match.
There is so much going on, it's insane, and there really isn't a money payoff yet. If I take a step back, part of me thinks it's nutty to devote myself to this like I do, working so many hours and not much to show. But on the other side, on my stable side, on this side, I know that it takes this kind of work to even have a pipe dream of success.

Challenges of Selling Wholesale & Retail

2006-05-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

We elected, way back when we were designing our business model, that we would sell via the internet and via boutiques (brick 'n mortar stores). Boutiques have already targeted our target gift market and will be the best avenue for us to grow our brand. Online we'll reach all those people who do their gift shopping via the internet. In our minds, these are two distinct audiences for us.
Little did we know how long of a path getting a store online can be. It's amazing. Maybe we're too picky, but we really need something we're proud to display, something that makes us want to shout out loud about it. And we're finally almost there. Finally!!
We always throw all kinds of chinks into things, like referral programs, and wholesale discounts, etc. We have major plans for our business, and we want as much automated as possible. So, this is an investment we have to be willing to make from the beginning. And we're making it. I just can't wait to get the store back up. We need people to be able to shop!!!

Finding a rhythm to the days

2006-05-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

Seems like we're finally slipping into SOME sort of a schedule. It's not easy with two kids, age 1 & 3. But, we're managing. With everything on the upswing the way it is right now, we just keep piling new stuff on our plates. Strangely, this seems to be helping us. It's forcing us to manage our time, or GO INSANE!

Because here we are, we've started these things, and if we fail to manage our time properly, these things will fall apart. And back to work goes mommy. But going back to work is not an option for me. That's why I'll work and work and work until I can no longer stand on my own two feet. I know that I'll get out of this every ounce it gets out of me.

Ridiculous how the time slips away from you

2006-05-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

There has been much happening, but there is SO much more to do. I almost feel the season is slipping away from us already. We do need a sanity-check meeting. Get a grip on our goals again. I think we can still bring it under our control. In many ways we are ahead. In many ways we are behind. Mainly in the Admin ways. One of the biggest ways I need to learn to delegate. But in the meantime, I need to get some of it caught up, somehow.
I've got new textiles to design with. Different textures and sweeter patterns than I've been using lately, so I find them refreshing and exciting. Need to get samples made. Ok, stop it. We don't need to re-hash that there's a lot to do, we need to rehash how we're going to get it done.
The execution of the plans. To get a line, our first collection, ready to sell by August. OK, calling a meeting.

How to order sample cuts of fabric

2006-05-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

My partner is now taking over most of our vendor relations and project management in general. So, he had his first round of calls for sample fabrics. I could tell it was quite the learning experience. And actually, it's quite the learning experience everytime you call a new vendor. Each has a different way of doing business.
Some want you to set up an account; some want you to send a fax, some want an email, some a phone call, some will only meet with you. Some have catalogues, some don't.
I always tell people, the more you get into business, the more you can see how unevolved we really are, for all our wham baam shidazzle technology, SO much is still done manually. It's pretty amazing.
But ordering sample cuts should be as simple as referencing where you met, or how you found, the vendor (best best best if you can reference someone that referred you) and asking for 5 yards (by product number if possible).
Sample cuts of fabric have nothing to do with any other minimums that textile companies might have for fabric orders. Sample cuts have to do with verifying that something will work out for you. Your vendors don't want you to feel ripped off either, they want to make sure that you are happy so you come back as you grow into the superstar you know you're meant to be.
ha ha , I'm making fun of me. Really, I just want to make a living for my family. That would make me happy, that would be fashion design success for me. Not that I don't have dreams far reaching, but a comfortable family life is really all we need.

About sample cuts of fabric

2006-05-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

At the trade shows, you can order sample cuts of the fabrics you like. A sample cut of fabric is usually 3 - 5 yards.

Why do I want just a sample?

You want a small cut of fabric so that you can test it. You want to cut a standard size square of the fabric and wash it. Once it's washed (according to recommended care), measure the square of fabric against the template you used to cut it out; this will show you if the fabric warped (the sides of square will slant or pull) and how much, if any, the fabric shrank. You want to hold it next to the unwashed portion of the fabric to see how the color held up. Finally, you want to check the fabric for any loose threads, pilling (threads of the fabric pile up on the surface), or areas of uneven thickness or weave.

This testing process is crucial if you care about the quality of the apparel you manufacture. Not to mention your bottom line. Because you don't want to venture down the design path, at all, with a fabric that sucks, that doesn't hold up well, and that your clients will just hate anyway.

What if I'm overwhelmed with choices?

If you've narrowed your line down to your niche market, then it will be a lot easier to narrow your textile selection down. For example, we do infant and toddler clothing, so we know that a lot of fancy fabrics won't work for us. We can skip these booths entirely. We're looking for comfortable, soft, often stretchable and always machine-washable fabrics. We like jerseys and cottons. We like cotton print fabrics.

Next, you can order a "header". This is like a color card for the textiles - you get a card that has swatches of fabric attached - one swatch for each colorway offered.

A colorway is the color theme that any given textile line has available. For example, the same hawaiian print offered in green, purple, yellow, and blue is a print offered in four colorways.

Headers often cost around $5, and often are offered free.

Get as many headers as you like, or as you can afford. This gives you a few days back at the office to consider your selection.

Learning to delegate

2006-05-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

I sent an email to my girlfriend last week about learning to delegate and bring someone else into help. You can't do it yourself. You think you can't afford the help, but really, you can't afford not to get the help. And on and on.

It's one of the hardest things for us entrepreneurial types to deal with, our control issues. Almost by default, we're prone to want to do it all, think that we can do it the best anyways. Otherwise, we wouldn't believe our businesses could be a success, that it could beat out the competition in this highly competitive world.

I'm learning that momentum makes you delegate; leaves you with no choice. As things are picking up and I'm finding myself spread thin again, I realize that having all of the manufacturing pieces delegated isn't enough. I now need to look into delegating the business operations and administration. So, seeking out someone smarter and better than me at project scheduling and management. I'm already bringing in my partner for vendor relations and inventory maintenance. But we must delegate more more more to keep our momentum on the upswing.

completely sidetracked by 'other' projects

2006-04-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

Well, everything I said I'd do today I'll do tomorrow. And here I sent an email to my entrepreneur girlfriend telling her to remember to chill, that she needs to delegate more, it's important. And I'm scattered all over the map.
I don't know how many times I've scolded myself for not writing up, or keeping to, a schedule. But, time and time again I let it slip. I could have a zillion excuses, but I shouldn't. I should feel really proud of myself for how much I did today, instead I just feel I let myself get a bit too lazy. I could have got more done. The furrowed lines I'm seeing develop on my brow indicate that I'm too hard on myself - hold myself to standards I would never expect of others. No, not ME. All these 'little' issues stem from my one big control issue...
Back on schedule - I'm talking about creating a life schedule. Not just a project schedule (ugh, which also needs to be updated). There is so much to balance with kids and running a business. And now we want to get them into activities this summer. I can't believe it's May 1 tomorrow.
Oh, wow, tomorrow's the day that's set for the big immigrants strike. Won't it be interesting to see how that plays out?

How the design process goes at first

2006-04-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

We start the design phase, I should say we are in the design phase. This means lots of stuff needs to start rolling, preferably tomorrow.

Our next, urgent, get-it-rolling, steps are:

Call textile suppliers and order 5 yard sample cuts; chenilles, jersey's, and trims are top priority.
Start some rough sketching of ideas, colors, the theme, baby, we need the THEME.
Create a prototype of simple embroidered blanket, burp, and bib.
Create the gift sets.
Get the photo studio set up so we can take good isolated product pics

But then, business is running so I have to maintain our marketing/advertising/sales too. This is a daily task, especially as we're working so hard to build our online presence.

We have an August deadline for salesman's samples AND preparation for our first gift show. The countdown has begun.

The Spring / Summer textile show was awesome!

2006-04-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

We'll, we had a great day at the textile show. We were on a mission this time, and knew exactly what we were looking for. We were in and out of there like something miraculous. The trend forecasting area they have setup in the lobby is my favorite, it gives me a real feel for the upcoming trends.
I'll get into all the details manana. I am very excited about some of these suppliers we've located. We even got numerous suppliers for silkier chenilles to offer with our baby blankets, which is HUGE, because it was dragging me down. Our previous supplier was so unstable that I almost thought I was going to have to discontinue that line.
But I don't, and not only do we get to keep that one, it's going to be umpteen times better. EXCELLENT.
This is a pic of some of our trade show pick ups. The color card in the background is the color and texture forecasting card for the Spring/Summer '07 season.
Now our next step is to contact these suppliers and order some sample cuts for testing and prototyping.

Tomorrow's the textile show in LA

2006-04-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

We're off to LA textile show in the morning. Traffic out here is horrible. I hate it. Almost made us leave, back in the day when I got no joy from my job and had a long commute in traffic. San Diego cost of living is ridiculous, so we thought we'd jump ship (actually, last year was the first year more people left San Diego than moved here). Picked out a cute mountain town outside of Colorado Springs, then fell in love with Sedona on our return trip. We went so far as house shopping, but everything fell through. Everything changed after that, too. I got pregnant with our second child, got a new contract with Hewlett-Packard, and ended up buying a new house just 3 blocks away. Ironically, it has everything we thought we couldn't afford here: enough room for a family and a business, and an amazing view. Plus, my new job at HP had enabled me to avoid all traffic and instead enjoy one of the most scenic commutes you could dream of.
But, I digress. No way to avoid the traffic to LA in the morning. I'll pick up the sitter at 6:30 and we'll jet out of town, but realistically, it will take us at least 3 hours to get there. Which is insane. The unbelievable thing is that the one freeway that leads N into downtown LA is still 2 to 3 lanes in some places. It bottlenecks thousands of people everyday. No wonder they have a brown sky.
I might actually give myself some time to get excited now that I've wound down all the projects that were hanging over my head.
Creating a prototype of a cool blanket that is a lot less labor-intensive than our current luxury personalized blanket. It's actually ready for the test, so that will be fun for the afternoon. New products are good, we need a price range, we need them on our site SO bad. But ah well, we're held up waiting for the site re-design to be implemented anyways.

come along on this journey with us

2006-04-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well we're all set for our trip on Monday. It's our current production cycle that is driving me nuts. Sometimes I want to throw in the towel, but I've spent many a sleepless night on this, and personalization is, and will remain, huge. If I keep going, we'll have an edge, an edge, an edge...but...I'm going to have to rethink a couple of things. Luckily, it seems sometimes we operate the best under stress (oh, there was actually an article on this - you want your employees operating under an optimum amount of pressure; just so much that the stress pushes them to go above and beyond. BUT you can't cross the thin line or you'll regress and lose all the progress you'd gained. It sounded kind of twisted to me, but it's true too. I operate the best under deadline pressure. I think I've been a procrastinator since grade school. Which is Not bragging, just observing my own behavior).
So, under much stress and diress, I've clicked onto a few cool and easy-to-produce designs that will hopefully give a kick to our online offering.
Shooting for a May 1 re-launch of our site. So much to get done. Ugh. I want to stop thinking about it for 2 minutes because I get frustrated with the kinks we're stuck on right now.
I wanted to dive into today's post with a request for everyone who is starting their own clothing line to join us and share your input often. We can share a ton without sharing the secrets to our success, I swear.

We're going to go through an entire design season

2006-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Monday Monday starts a whole new world. I'm going to be diligent about conveying the daily ins-n-outs of getting through an entire season. This will help keep me on track too. Make me think about how we're spending our hours, what our focus should be, and the ever-important task of scheduling.
We're learning new ways of motivating each other too. But today's joy and pleasure came from the impromptu dance of my 1 1/2 year old. Who knows what music he was hearing in his head, but he pulled me in, and we spent a good ten minutes lost in dance. And giggles. And I owe him so much for those ten minutes. 10 minutes to remind me why I'm pushing onwards and upwards, even though right now, the struggle feels huge, and the mountain to climb reaches so high, it's tip-top is buried in the clouds.
I know this is a long road, right? But isn't all of life? And wasn't it still a longer road to commute to work and sit in a cube, getting paid to do something I hated to do? I do believe that's a longer road, a road more destitute, a road with no hope. So, even though making this leap means we're hanging by a rope, I guess it's better than sitting in the cage the rope is tying to the tree.
See ;-).... I too, am capable of motivating me.
Spring Summer '07 season starts on Monday. I hope you'll come along for this journey, you can learn everything right along with me.

Digging up through the dragging days

2006-04-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

There is a lot, a lot, a LOT, that goes into starting your own business. One aspect is marketing, and since we're launching an online store, I've been researching online marketing. Getting involved in forums is a great way to increase traffic. So I've found some work at home mom (wahm) message boards that are pretty cool. But today, I keep landing on these "do a service, not a product" posts. NO, I don't want to. But I have to admit it has me a little dragging today.
These are the times that it's hard to push through. Working for yourself means you have to have boatloads of discipline and time management. There are so many non-business oriented opportunities to get out of the house or just slack off. If you don't keep pushing through, the business will fall through, and you'll watch your dreams slide by the wayside. So, is that it for me? Fear that motivates me?
I'm getting better at doing tasks that require less-motivation, less brain-power, less drive on these down days. Admin type tasks. Not phone calls. It's interesting too, how much must truly depend on mood. Other days coming across a lot of "you won't be successful" posts would light a fire under me and drive me to push late into the morning...today, it's all I can do to keep focused and get a few little things done...

A new season, new hope, our first collection

2006-04-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

One of the things I need to get a lot better at is meshing out some concepts to bring cohesiveness to our season. We've been so busy getting our custom and personalization manufacturing figured out that we haven't been able to focus on the apparel. Now that we have an online store, we need to get apparel pumped out there. This is the hardest part about starting a manufacturing business - all the stuff you want to manufacture, but can't right away.
We've sold so many different successful products, from baby headbands to our popular "Name in Brights" line of personalized items. We just need to bring them all together now. If we could manage that, to get all of our current products on the market, we'd be cruising along...
We have our first major gift show in August (San Francisco), and I'd love to be showing at KidSHOW in Las Vegas in August too. That is the time for Spring/Summer season sales to start.
So, Monday's textile show starts a new season for us. Our first true "season". We need to stick to our project schedule and meet our goals. It'll be a test.
The challenge is always to put together an easy-care, trend-setting, super-comfy, super-mix-n-matchable collection. We can do this, just keep working, just keep working, just keep working...

The fabrics kick off the season

2006-04-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm excited because next week is the International Textile Show at the California Market Center (CMC) in Los Angeles. This signals the start of the season, and this show, held April 24 - 26 is for the Spring/Summer '07 season. Designers start working on a season a year or more in advance of when the items hit the store shelves.
The Textile show is great because there are a wealth of suppliers at your fingertips. This is good, contacts are good, even if the minimums are too large for you in the beginning. But it's the forcasting that I find the most valuable. If you approach the show wide-eyed enough, it's easy to tell what types of prints and colors will be the most popular for that upcoming season. In 6 months the finished products will be for sale at various tradeshows around the world. This is called "market". To go "to market" you must have finished salesman's samples of each design you wish to sell.
Market is also exciting, because then you get an idea of what are to be the most popular styles, the season's trends. It's amazing to see how much similarity there is between the various designers. That's because a majority of consumers are trend followers. This means they wear trendy clothes, but only after they've become mainstream trendy. So designers try to guess which of the previous season's trend-setting (fashion-forward) designs will become the current seasons trends. And so you see a lot of similarity because many designers are good at guessing which styles to emulate...

These books have helped a lot!!

2006-04-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've done lots of research on starting a clothing line. There isn't a lot of the real "starting a clothing line" type information out there. Sure, there are plenty of fashion design textbooks, but they tell you the basics, not the ins-n-outs of getting your manufacturing business launched.

However, the books and resources that you can find at StartingaClothingLine.com will be invaluable to you, especially if you are trying to figure out things like how to approach boutiques, how to define your line, things to consider in planning your line, and how to market your line. These books are down-to-earth resources for start-up lines and I've found the information to be right on target (so far).

I'm not sure about their software, but it sure looks user-friendly. I need to look into whether it covers children's sizes or not. My guess is that it doesn't. Most don't.

There are also a lot of valuable resources to be found at Fashiondex Online. I highly recommend the fabric swatch kit. It's a great training and designer's resource guide.

Leaving a top ranked career behind

2006-04-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, you know you're following your heart when you leave behind the 13th ranked career in the US as far as positive growth in the coming years, to chase a career that doesn't even rank in the top 50. Well, according to a Money Magazine survey anyways. I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't skip a little beat when I read that technical writing is ranked #13 - of all jobs in America today. That's pretty big.
My dad was pretty shocked when I told him I was quiting, ending my contract with HP for us to focus full-time on our clothing line. It's the stability thing to him. But stability is an illusion. There is no such thing as company loyalty. So the way I saw it was I could be miserable dragging myself into the cube life, writing about which button to press when your printer does this or that, or I could take this big giant leap I spent 3 years planning and plotting for and at least know whether it would work out or not.
Not even huge money in this industry unless you get huge (we will eventually), but that's ok. We just need to support our family for now. Plenty of time for more greed to set in eventually! LOL

Off and running

2006-04-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

We're finally launching our infant/toddler apparel manufacturing business. I've just left behind my career as a technical writer, after investing 6 years and making it to the top of my game w/ cutting-edge skills. I hated it. Did not like the cube life, at all. It drained me and kept me away from my kids. For 10 to 12 hours a day. LAME.
So, since the birth of our first child, we've been driven to start our own business. It's taken us 3 years to accomplish the research, planning, and development necessary to actually start sales. The start-up stuff all had to happen around having our second child, selling one house and buying another, and changing jobs. I worked full-time while my husband was a stay-at-home dad by day; volleyball coach by night. This meant that everything happened between 8 and midnight w/ meetings and phone calls on my lunch hours. But we've made it to our first goal, getting me home, now we just have to keep it going.
Ever since we've started on this journey, I've looked for info on what it's really like to start a clothing line. Not the how to's, but the realities. And there isn't a lot of real stories out there. So, I'm here to share mine. And get help and input and feedback.