I had a teacher friend who quit her job. She loved being with the kids, but it was just a lot. She also got a baby, and decided it was time to leave in her twenties.
At the time of leaving, she was making a couple thousand dollars per month. It was enough for her to say good bye to her job.
The goal is to get your manufacturing in order and find distributors. Look at building it into a brand that reflects your lifestyle.
Table of Contents
Manufacturing: Developing the Clothes
It’s all about the brand. Look at working with influencers. You will need to be able to design your products. You can work with clothing manufacturers to help you with the design and creation.
You can search clothing manufacturers in a search engine to find some in a specific location. You can also work with Chinese ones from Alibaba.
I’ve found that you would need to have some kind of logo and look through the designs. You can get a sample from the manufacturer.
Generally, they will require you to make a deposit and a large order. This will give them the resources and time to build out the product.
Finding the time to work on the business
You can work on a lot of this business in your spare time. You have to leverage other businesses.
There are companies that will help you with manufacturing the clothes. They will help you with branding the material.
You’ll need to find distributors that will help you sell your clothes.
Set up a system to see your stock and find news ways to sell your clothes. You can create a channel or start working with influencers.
Finding Distributors
The easiest way to sell clothes is through distributors. You can do a search for distributors specific to your clientele.
They already have a relationship with retailers or a customer base. This means that you will be able to send bulk products to your distributors.
If you have a lot of distributors, it’s just a matter of replenishing your product.
Creating a Business Entity
Some of the things that you will need for your business is getting a business identity. It’s important that you have these parts squared away.
They will require these things as you build up your partnerships.
You will be able to get a LLC from Rocketlawyer. I’ve found them to be the fastest way to set it up and be official. This is one of the most common set ups for businesses. You can operate different parts of your business with the LLC.
Read about: Getting an LLC with Rocketlawyer
You can also go to your county and set up a DBA. This means that you will be able to use a business name. It’s a cost efficient way to get started. It will run through your name, so there are no protections to this set up.
There are a lot of benefits to using an LLC or DBA. You will need one to get a bank account and to work with different businesses like distributors.
Getting More Customers Through Social Media
One of the best things you can do is developing a social media following. Get pictures of your product and start uploading them.
This can be done on other platforms like YouTube.
The benefit is that you are creating an audience that will fall in love with your brand. When you have a new product, you can try selling it first to your followers.
Creating an Online Store
You can use a platform like Shopify for your online store. There are pre-made templates to help you with the design.
The benefit of Shopify is that it is made exclusively for sellers. It has a back end log of sales online and in person. This means your business is in one spot.
Some other platforms like Wix are okay. It’s set up to be a website. This means you will be missing some of the tracking that you might get on Shopify.
Developing an Email List
As your build your brand, you will get opportunities to reach more of your clients. Emails lists are a great way to give discounts to your clients and update them on future products.
You will be able to send mass emails to clients and even set up automations to warm them up for a potential sale.
Read: How to send mass emails to clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first in building up my clothing line?
Start with figuring out your clientele. Do you know what genre of clothing you want to get into? This will help you figure out what type of clothes you should focus on.
How can I sell my clothes?
Sell it online and in person. See how your friends and family respond to your products.
How can I get money to buy clothes?
Save your money to get your deposit and first order. You can start with one style. As you make sales, you will need to reinvest your money to get more product.
