Insights for the Textile and Craft Industries: The Red Papers By

Mary Wingo With special thanks to Lisa Shalek and Stephanie Probst

Please forward all inquiries to roxwellwaterhouse.com. Roxwell Waterhouse is the leader of fabric branding solutions.

Copyright © 2013 by Roxwell Waterhouse

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Table of Contents Preface...... 1 Interview with Matt Muraoka of Permute Clothing...... 3 Interview with Victoria Behrends of SensoryBugs® ...... 6 Interview with R.J. Diaz of Industry Portage ...... 10 Interview with Daniel Burch and Lisa Silverman of Nadiflow ...... 12 Interview with Alexandra Weiss ...... 15 Interview with Teju Owoye of Tusodo ...... 18 Interview with Rebecca and Paul Connor Stephanis of Cover and Connect ...... 21 Interview with Kerry Nash of Little Lids ...... 25 Interview with Mary Jo Stockman of Fabulous Hat ...... 28 Interview with Olivier Buigues of Obinova ...... 31 Interview with Joy Hutchinson of Chappel Creek ...... 35 Interview with Renee Drake of BLUEDRAKE ...... 37 I am Isabel of 'Beau Je Boutique' ...... 39 Interview with Robyn Germanese of Eating Black Feathers ...... 42 Interview with Lisa Landvik-Geyen of WarmEmbrace ...... 44 Interview with Ninette Terhart of Terhart Enterprises ...... 47 Interview with Jason Leach of HighCountryRugs.com ...... 49 Interview with Kiki of KikiDzine ...... 52 Interview with Pamela Frazier of Pamela Hunt Productions Seamstress Extraordinare ...... 55 Interview with Lauren Runion of YellowBobbyPins ...... 58 Interview with Elyse of elyse oRiGiNaLs ...... 60 Interview with Natalie of Helmet Huggers LLC ...... 63 Interview with Kain L. and Bianca O. of TRAMA Textiles ...... 66 Interview with Ralph Laborde of Swaguclothing ...... 69 Interview with Tracey Kearse of AcARRE Crochet Designs ...... 71 Interview with Mazen Baltagi of StackOnRacks ...... 73 Interview with Karen Hunady of Crafts For All Seasons ...... 76 Interview with Ellen Eustace of Code Red Clothing Company ...... 78 Interview with Judi of J.Bissinger Designs ...... 80 Interview with Judy Tan of tanQ ...... 83 Interview with Carlene of Dries Preston Handbags ...... 85 Interview with Jo Lynn Haussmann of So Cute Kidz ...... 87 Interview with the Sara Scholl of Bunzuke Cloth ...... 89 Interview with Amir Usher of Amir James Clothiers ...... 92 Interview with Margaret O'Donnell of Dolce far Niente Texas...... 94 Interview with Keri Rogers of BAYA Wellness, LLC ...... 96 Interview with Jim Lafferty of eLLz Brand Shorts ...... 99 Interview with Young Ozogwu of Derasoft Clothiers and Interiors ...... 102 Interview with Anthony Davis of Four-T's Apparel ...... 105 Interview with Erik Hover of Suburban Apparel Group ...... 107 Interview with Sharon Blair of Portland Sewing ...... 110 Interview With Della Glein of della Q ...... 113 Interview with Emily Kramer and Amanda Gaskins of Anno Domini Designs...... 115 Interview with Jamie Godfrey of Jamie Godfrey Home Collection ...... 118 Interview with Averian Turner of Humble Clothing Company ...... 121 Interview with Jacqueline Polanco of Gaulf Clothing ...... 123

Preface

The fabrics products industry includes products of all types: clothing, accessories, household goods, industrial products, and artisan crafts. The fabric product industry is over a trillion dollar yearly market internationally. This guide was compiled to explore the entrepreneurial business end of such a huge, largely unnoticed market.

This book is series of interviews with people from all aspects of the fashion and textile business. In it you will read how they began their businesses and how Mary Wingo of Roxwell Waterhouse they have made them flourish through hard work, marketing and sometimes just plain old good luck.

But to quote Lucille Ball, “Luck? … I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work - and realizing what opportunity is and what isn’t.” The interviews in this book will help you see what is and is not a great opportunity.

Beginning a business is a daunting task, and a business in the arts can be even more difficult. Fashion and textiles may be one of the most difficult businesses to break into. Fashions, whether in clothing, accessories or household goods, change at breakneck speed and can take a great deal of time just to keep up with. Other businesses may not take nearly the amount of time or ongoing research.

Our interviews often stress the need for education and the guidance of a mentor. Without guidance, a fabric products entrepreneur can fall into many pitfalls: expanding too quickly, not expanding quickly enough, having too much product, running out of inventory, working with people who don’t support your vision, trying to do it all alone and hiring unscrupulous subcontractors.

I would like to thank the over fifty men and women featured in this book. Their time and thoughtful answers to my questions will make your transition into the business of fashion easier. I urge you to learn from their example – both in what they did right and what they did wrong. Not only did they tell me what worked for them in their business, they shared the mistakes they made and the most surprising things they have learned. This is valuable information for any new entrepreneur.

If I could summarize their wisdom into a few sentences, they would be:

 Learn about business before you start one.  Study the fashion and fabric products world.  Start slowly, but don’t be afraid to leap at an excellent opportunity.  Do plenty of market research before you invest in developing a product.  Customer service is key to ongoing business success.

But don’t stop reading there. Each person brings their own unique perspective and wisdom to these interviews. Whether you want to start a business in casual wear, theatrical costuming, home decorating, high fashion, children’s wear or exercise gear there is someone here to advise you.

You can learn what forms of promotion work for each of these businesses, the importance of inventory control and how critical it is to make sure you surround yourself with the people who share your vision and your drive to succeed in this dynamic and rewarding business.

Enjoy the interviews, learn as much as possible and I’ll see you on the runways!

Interview with Matt Muraoka of Permute Clothing

In 2011, three creative students pooled their resources together to create Permute Clothing, a funky streetwear collection

What is the name and contact info of your business? Permute Clothing A CH∆NGING CLOTHING COMPANY

STPL x MPLS // Minnesota Website: http://permuteclothing.com/ Email: [email protected] Shop: http://permuteclothingltd.bigcartel.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permuteclothingltd Blog: http://permuteclothing.tumblr.com/ Twitter: @PrmtClthngLtd

Instagram: @permuteclothing

Permute Clothing is run by Matt Muraoka, Max May & Mike Vernon.

How did you get interested in this area? The three of us have always had a fascination with Fashion, Streetwear & Marketing/Advertising, and found that making our own company could best meld those interests as well as allow us to delve into other areas of creativity, such as collaborating with musicians & other designers/artists.

When did you start? We premiered our first line in June of 2011.

How do you promote your items? We promote ourselves various ways, mostly with a mixture of sponsoring events, musicians, and collaborating with other designers/artists/creators. We also advertise via social media platforms and blogs.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? In high school we were all a part of a screen- printing class where we got very interested in printing clothing. We also all had an interest in street fashion, and streetwear, thus creating our own clothing company seemed perfect. We pooled together extra money we had and produced our first line of clothes, which consisted of 3 designs, and since then we've kept making more and more apparel, headwear and accessories.

What mistakes have you made? We’ve made the general small business mistakes. None of us have studied business, and we are all still in college, so we sort of have to learn a lot of things on our own, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

What have you learned? Starting and running your own business from nearly nothing is an incredible amount of work, but passion and a drive for success can take you a long way.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? We've noticed that people really enjoy our triple-triangle logo, it’s simple, but catches the eye. It also has a lot of personal meaning to the three of us. We go for a fresh & forward look, and try to throw curveballs at our clients by always trying to have an entirely different look, so a lot of the time reactions we get are people being surprised by what we came up with.

What is your most popular product? We've done embroidered hats, posters, patches, sweatshirts, t-shirts and some more apparel based products, but our sweatshirts and embroidered hats have been the most popular thus far, or at least have sold out the fastest, possibly due to the fact that we are from Minnesota and its cold for nearly half the year.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Be prepared to work hard and never lose your passion for what you're doing. At the end of the day that's what will keep you going.

What's surprised you about this? It's surprising to see how much people are down to support you doing something on your own, and at the same time never buy anything.

What kind of clients do you have? We have a pretty solid following of clientele in our native Twin Cities area in Minnesota, but this year we've made moves to popularize ourselves elsewhere as well. We've shipped clothing out to cities in California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, and many more domestically, and have been trying to make a name for ourselves internationally. We've had sales in France and Holland. I think it’s safe to say that our clientele covers a wide range of people.

What features/expansion are you planning? We recently dropped a new website, and that was a goal we had for the summer, but other than that we just plan to expand our company by creating more and more clothing, and spreading our name in a more ubiquitous manner beyond the Midwest.

Anything else? Check out our new website! http://permuteclothing.com/

Interview with Victoria Behrends of SensoryBugs®

A gifted visionary therapist, Victoria Behrends has developed a comprehensive therapy and product line used to treat clients with Sensory Processing Disorder. Her story is truly inspiring and remarkable---read on.

What is the name and contact info of your business? SensoryBugs® at sensoryprocessingbugs.com

As a craniosacral therapist with specialized Sensory Processing Disorder training, I work often with many clients who may have PTSD, ADD/ADHD, and physical or emotional trauma -- not just those who may have SPD. As part of treatment, I develop an Individual Strategy and a Sensory Diet. A Sensory Diet is a plan of specific activities and experiences that a therapist or parent can use to balance a child, teen or adult's nervous system and sensory processing. It may include a combination of organizing, calming or alerting activities with an individualized program or "diet" of tactile, visual, vestibular support with a backup of proprioceptive movement.

Calming and/or stimulating activities are chosen for the Sensory Diet, depending on the assessment of the child or adult by an occupational therapist, craniosacral therapist or other therapist qualified in SPD. With many people, sensory awareness is the answer to self-regulating pain, trauma and stress. The Sensory Diet helps in those needs as well as in SPD and other disorders involving sensory integration.

The objective is to help the child or adult have improved self-regulation, be more focused, have more skill and be more adaptive in response to their environment. The Sensory Diet can be further enhanced with a new awareness of the senses by fully enjoying nature and everyday sensory experiences. That's where SensoryBugs® comes in and that's why my product line has a beautiful bug theme, because it is amusing to clients, especially children, and because it is a nice connection to nature.

The sensory products that I developed from my own practice and for other therapists and patients came from the bug theme.

How did you get interested in this area? In my work as a craniosacral therapist, I found people were struggling with sensory processing disorders whose needs for resolution and support were not being met. I developed my products using leading edge technology and research in these areas.

When did you start? 2007, here in North San Diego. SensoryBugs® has been up for almost two years.

How do you promote your items? Mostly from my two websites, sensoryprocessingbugs.com, and craniosacraltherapies.com and from word of mouth in my own practice.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I’ve done lots of research, personal and professional, to determine which of my ideas were most effective in therapy with people AND, of course finding my wonderful small sewing staff. I spent over a year of finding just the right fabrics and notions to meet our designs for sensory processing products, and developing and going through the application process for the trademark--SensoryBugs®.

What mistakes have you made? Because I have an active Health practice and am a "one-man band" I often can't spread myself to further promote, develop and manufacture the SensoryBugs® product line.

What have you learned? It's a huge job to start from scratch, designing, developing and manufacturing. I spent time finding great people and high quality materials as well.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? People LOVE the bug theme – adults and kids alike, and they enjoy the whimsical design and the fabrics and fidgets used – it's all very playful and they open up to the possibilities of expression with Fidgets Bug Hooplas.

What is your most popular product? It's probably a toss-up between the Caterpillar Crawl and Play Set, and the Dragonfly and LadyBug weighted lap blankets.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Know how much time to set aside to create a product line and try to make it a full time job in the beginning.

What's surprised you about this? How much fun adults and teens have with the SensoryBugs® line--they get such a kick out of them!

What kind of clients do you have? All kinds, all ages, different attitudes, different health concerns.

What features/expansion are you planning? I'd like to create some guest-speaking formats within the "traditional system" to get the most important information out there about SPD and other related disorders including ADD/ADHD, PTSD – as far as the support and improvements that can be made by occupational therapists, parents, craniosacral therapists, teachers beyond current treatment. Some of these smaller products are needed in the home and small office settings--clinics rely on the big equipment which is only available during preset appointments within the hospital or clinic environment, and more time than that is needed to make changes in the sensory processing system.

Anything else? Just to further clarify, a Sensory Diet is a plan of specific activities and experiences that a therapist or parent uses to help balance a child, teen or adult's nervous system and sensory processing. It may include a combination of organizing, calming or alerting activities with an individualized program or "diet" of tactile, visual and vestibular support with a backup of proprioceptive movement.

Calming and/or stimulating activities are chosen for the Sensory Diet, depending on the assessment of the child or adult by an occupational therapist or other therapist qualified in SPD. With many people, sensory awareness is the answer to self-regulating pain, trauma, stress and the Sensory Diet helps in those needs as well as with other disorders involving sensory processing.

The objective is to help the child or adult have improved self-regulation, be more focused, have more skill and be more adaptive in response to the environment. The Sensory Diet can be further

enhanced with a new awareness of the senses by fully enjoying nature and everyday sensory experiences.....with leading edge therapies and SensoryBugs®.

Thanks so much for this opportunity to be a part of this Blog!

Interview with R.J. Diaz of Industry Portage

RJ Diaz has a very interesting take with design and textiles---luxury interiors and products for the construction and industrial sector.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Industry Portage Co. [email protected] (814) 401-1472

How did you get interested in this area? I wanted to establish my own business that would be an outlet for my creativity based on my education in architecture and experience in the luxury interiors renovation industry in New York City.

When did you start? I founded Industry Portage in 2010.

How do you promote your items? I am active on www.facebook.com/IndustryPortage, www.pinterest.com/IndustryPortage, www.twitter.com/IndustryPortage, www.IndustryPortage.wordpress.com and www.IndustryPortage.tumblr.com.

However, my biggest asset is my monthly newsletter which goes out to over 800 people.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Almost all of the copywriting, photography, website design and marketing has been done by me.

What mistakes have you made? I have not been very careful in analyzing or optimizing my SEO and implementing strategies to increase sales.

I have also made mistakes in establishing an affiliate marketing program and using other websites as retail outlets that did not produce any sales in exchange for my efforts.

What have you learned? I have learned to network with peers and use social media to establish my brand.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? In general, the reaction has been great. I do have an occasional customer who does not read the product dimensions carefully and is disappointed with the product.

What is your most popular product? The black canvas/tan suede Overnighter Duffel

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Be prepared to work long and hard at what you love. Be flexible and celebrate every small victory.

What's surprised you about this? I'm surprised by the very positive reaction to my products and how relatively few act on a purchase.

What kind of clients do you have? They are mostly people in the architecture and construction industry.

What features/expansion are you planning? An updated duffel design based on the best-selling Canvas Overnighter, a work bag specific to architects and designers, a motorcyclist/cyclist backpack design, a new Dopp kit design, a new briefcase design, more upcycled products and continuing my custom design program.

Anything else? My passion is functional design and the work that was produced by the mid-century masters of furniture, art, and architecture.

Interview with Daniel Burch and Lisa Silverman of Nadiflow

Daniel and Lisa founded Nadiflow as a high end designer solution for yoga wear for men, and later women.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Daniel Burch and Lisa Silverman Nadiflow [email protected] [email protected] www.nadiflow.com 3109 W. 50th St., #125 Minneapolis, MN 55410

Tel: 1.877.801.2023

How did you get interested in this area?

Our interest started with the desire to provide a better yoga pant for men. We wanted to provide pants that weren't just sweat pants, but rather a pant that could move and stretch with the demands of yoga. We also started a women's yoga line with an emphasis on responsible fabrics as well.

When did you start? We formed Nadiflow in 2010.

How do you promote your items? We promote Nadiflow through our website, social media, online advertising, print ads, yoga festivals, and green fairs. We also like to sponsor events that promote healthy and active life styles.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? What mistakes have you made? Our biggest mistake has been to underestimate the amount of work that goes into building a business. We also tried consignment when we started and that was not productive for us. The other thing that we grew to appreciate was outsourcing areas where we lacked expertise. That's huge!

What have you learned? We've learned to believe in our product and vision. Another huge thing is that we've learned to set boundaries. It's easy to work constantly on a business when first starting, and that isn't good. You need to be willing to put in long hours and be totally dedicated, but the passion that comes with running your own business can easily overtake your entire life. The best thing is set aside time for yourself, and stick to it.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? So far it has been overwhelmingly positive. We feel that a key to our success is to offer high quality products so we research, test and evaluate each item before it goes into our product line.

What is your most popular product? We have several products that stand out. Our men's pants made by Verve are hugely popular. Our Basic Yoga Pant for women, made from super soft rayon, are a huge hit with yoga instructors and students. We also have a hard time keeping our recycled Sari Mat bags and lavender eye pillows in stock.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? The apparel business is very competitive. You have to be extremely passionate and dedicated. Controlling cost is huge and promoting your business is key.

What's surprised you about this?

How much we didn't know.

Between us, we have a lot of experience in manufacturing, marketing and sales. But we are learning more and more all the time.

What kind of clients do you have? We have customers of all ages and from all over the world. Yoga practitioners, people who do Pilates, runners, even climbers.

What features/expansion are you planning? Anything else? We want to add new designs for men and women.

Interview with Alexandra Weiss

Alexandra Weiss designs versatile and colorful "Bow Top" dresses that conforms to the client's body style and mood

What is the name and contact info of your business? Alexandra Weiss http://shop.alexandraweissdesign.com/ Instagram @alexandraweiss3 Facebook facebook.com/alexandraweissdesign website shop.alexandraweissdesign.com blog alexandraweissdesign.com/category/blog/

How did you get interested in this area? It's something I've always known I've wanted to do. I used to love to draw people and come up with stories and outfits for them. I took a turn around 8 years old and decided I wanted to be

President of the United States for a while, but realized I wasn't much into politics and more into doodling miniskirts and found myself back on track.

When did you start? I started my company in May of 2011. I was training for the NYC marathon, running with Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I designed a tote bag with a custom screen printed image and sold them for the cause.

How do you promote your items? I mostly promote my items using social media-Facebook and Twitter-as well as word of mouth. I've also made sales through networking events and local outdoor markets. I also have a blog for people to read where they can get to know me and my purpose and hopefully say, “Oh she's pretty funny, I'd like to buy her clothes. Also I would like her to be my new best friend.” And of course I'm happy to oblige.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? For the 'Bridge and Bow Project', I started with a concept. I had an idea for a garment that was both well-made and multi-functional so that the customer can get the most bang for their buck. I sketched out the concept-created a pattern and sewed a proto-and then worked with a sample room to produce the full line. After that-it was all about promoting the garments using any means possible.

What mistakes have you made? Not making enough mistakes! Going forward I want to take more risks-create too much inventory, create riskier designs-right now I'm focused on getting my product out there and playing it safe. I'm hoping in the future to have the luxury of taking more risks to really take the line as far as it can go.

What have you learned? I've learned lot about my customer-who she is, where she goes, what is she reading, what her interests are... It's been helpful in creating future products for her.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The reaction to the product has been great-people love the bright colors and the multi-functional aspect of it. It's a garment that works for your needs rather than just what you see on the hanger. It looks great on all different shapes and sizes of people because you can tie the shirt however works best for you.

What is your most popular product?

My most popular product is the 'Bridge and Bow Top' in blueberry. The color is electrifying even just on the hanger so it draws people to it. Once it's on you-it makes your skin pop...in a great way.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? The advice I would give to people thinking of entering this area is-think about the big picture. While having the passion, talent, drive, and means to start a line are all very important, knowing where you want your line to end up is most of the battle. Figure out marketing strategies, take every opportunity that comes your way, and listen to people's feedback.

What's surprised you about this? When I started my line-I thought the hardest part would be developing and producing my pieces. I realized only after that it was actually getting your items out to the customer that was and has been the most challenging.

What kind of clients do you have? Currently, most of my clients are local-living in the New York Tri-State Area. They are trendy working women who want well-made pieces without spending an arm and a leg.

What features/expansion are you planning? Right now, I'm working on a new tote program. I'd like to take the screen printed totes further and expand on the amount of images I offer. I'm also learning how to screen print myself so that I can have more of a hand in the tote making process, lower my cost, and add more love into my product.

Interview with Teju Owoye of Tusodo

Teju Owoye created Sarfini, a versatile travel fabric accessory that is used as both clothing and blankets for chilly travels.

What is the name and contact info of your business? My business, Tusodo, is a travel accessory company focused on creating fashionable and functional products for the modern jet setter. You can reach us at [email protected] or on our website at www.sarfini.com

How did you get interested in this area? I spent the last six years of my career traveling for meetings and events. I struggled to find fashionable and functional products for my trips. On a flight from New York to San Diego, I was extremely frustrated by how cold it was on the plane. I had only packed a small scarf to save space in my carry on; it did absolutely nothing to keep me warm! Also, I really did not want to use any of the itchy airline blankets.

I decided to create the Sarfini, which is the ultimate travel accessory. Sarfini is Tusodo's first product. The Sarfini is versatile-you can wear it as a shawl, blanket, or scarf. It is lightweight, packable, and stylish. The Sarfini was designed to flatter your body, so that you look like a jet setter when you walk off of a plane. Now, I travel everywhere with my Sarfini!

When did you start? I started Tusodo about one year ago, while working at my day job. Over the last year, we have been focused on building our team and finalizing our products. We have also spent a lot of time over the last year doing user interviews and focus groups. We have learned so much from talking with fabulous modern jet setters, who live for adventure and style.

How do you promote your items? We promote our items by leveraging various social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. We truly believe in experiential marketing. Our team constantly wears our products, and they educate and engage travelers in airports, taxi lines, and subways. You cannot beat the power of making a meaningful connection with a consumer through conversation.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Patience, perseverance, and networking have helped us get to this point. In the beginning, I spent a lot of time sewing prototypes, which I would show to potential consumers. Even though the prototypes were extremely rudimentary, I was able to get a lot of strong constructive feedback that helped me to improve each version of the product.

I also relied on experts, including my fashion design consultant to help me navigate technical nuances and the production process. I think that when you are starting a business, it is so important to focus on building a team of skilled individuals that provide expertise. You cannot do everything, and there is no way that you will be good at everything! Ask for help, and talk to your consumers all the time.

What mistakes have you made? At the beginning, we spent a lot of time holding onto design concepts that were not working out. Often, you get stuck in the "this is the way that our product should be" rut. If consumers cannot use it, scrap it right away! For example, we wanted to include hidden magnetic in the first design of the Sarfini. When we tested it, we found out that the magnetics were sticking to the metal hardware on people's luggage. Even worse, the magnets would rip the fabric over time. We kept trying to make it work for a few months, until we realized that it was just time to move on to another concept.

What have you learned? I used to think that the saying "Rome wasn't built overnight" was cliché. However, it is so true- especially when it comes to building a business. You have to be patient with the process of building your business. I have also learned that it is important to over communicate when working when contractors and suppliers. Set your expectations over the phone, and very quickly follow up with an email outlining what you discussed. This will save time and eliminate confusion in the long run.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? We have received a lot of positive feedback and support! Creating the Sarfini was a collaborative effort. We really relied on consumers to help us shape the product. We are so excited to see people wearing it and loving it!

What is your most popular product? Right now, the Sarfini is our only product. We will be introducing other products by winter 2014.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? For anyone interested in starting a product line, I would recommend reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and The Art of Start by Guy Kawasaki. There is a misconception, especially in the fashion industry, that starting a product line is an extremely costly venture.

These books provide details and insight on how to effectively build prototypes and get feedback from users to create a product and business without wasting a lot of time and money.

I would also recommend finding at least three trusted advisors and mentors who are already where you would like to be in 3-5 years. They will help you avoid mistakes and give you valuable insight and feedback throughout the start-up process.

What's surprised you about this? Every day is a surprise! It is amazing how many things you learn each day.

I am also surprised at how difficult it can be to find manufacturers and wholesalers in the U.S.

What kind of clients do you have? Our consumer is the modern female jet setter. She travels for business and pleasure. She loves adventure and can be found volunteering in Costa Rica, but she finds time to relax on the beach and enjoy an exciting day of zip lining in the jungle. She knows that travel is an elegant adventure. Everything that she brings on a trip is an expression of her personal style and ethos.

What features/expansion are you planning? Long term, we are planning on launching additional products including handbags and luggage. It is still a bit in the future, but we are already making plans!

For additional information, contact Teju Owoye at [email protected]

Interview with Rebecca and Paul Connor Stephanis of Cover and Connect

Inspired by the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Rebecca and Connor Stephanis created a stylish sleeve arm covers inspiring national pride

What is the name and contact info of your business? Cover and Connect. Founded/Introduced by Paul and Rebecca Stephanis Currently 4 employees, 2 co-founders and 2 interns Contact info: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CoverAndConnect Twitter http://twitter.com/coverandconnect Website http://www.coverandconnect.com Phone +1 919 926 8377

How did you get interested in this area? When did you start? We became interested in this concept when Paul and I traveled to South Africa shortly before World Cup 2010. While there, we witnessed the tremendous fan spirit among the spectators and were particularly interested in the many ways that people had sought to express their national pride.

Our cousins had created an arm sleeve cover to provide some comfort against the colder temperatures in South Africa while enabling the spectators to wear their jerseys unencumbered by jackets/sweatshirts, etc.

We returned to the US and sought the patent for the arm sleeve cover here in the States. While spectator sports were an obvious arena for the arm sleeve cover, we also thought that it would be a tremendous opportunity to connect various communities (clubs, non-profit organizations, teams, etc.).

In some respects, the arm sleeve cover allows people to "wear their heart on their sleeve" so to speak, and to celebrate their passions, connecting with others with similar interests.

How do you promote your items? We have made the decision to work at the local level through word of mouth. We anticipate success using this way of marketing given the highly visual nature of our product. Our interns have also worked to establish a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, and we will be constructing a website in the near future.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Once we obtained the patents on our products, we went to a local festival and shared a booth with another business. There we showed our two products and collected informal feedback regarding the arm sleeve cover and our second product.

We then worked with the Gonzaga University Entrepreneurship program's New Ventures Lab for two semesters in order to create a marketing strategy and plan.

We hired two interns earlier this year. Together, we determined the best course of action to be to introduce the product locally and then work out to a regional level and national level. In the past 6 months our interns have begun to promote our product by meeting with local businesses as well as creating our social media sites. We anticipate rolling out our product locally in fall of 2013.

What mistakes have you made? We are very enthusiastic about our concept, and have suffered on two fronts. The first was "analysis paralysis" and the desire to know everything before trying anything. The second, at the other end of the spectrum, over-eagerness to start and premature attempts to sell the product before we had ironed out some of the wrinkles.

What have you learned? Paul and I have learned that we need a healthy dose of both preparation and enthusiasm to move forward, and are seeking to find the right balance between action and planning.

Conner has learned: "Passion and excitement will set us in the right direction, but patience and a broad understanding of the market will be essential to becoming successful."

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Conner reports that people are excited. Our cold calling efforts have aroused interest but potential customers need more examples of our product.

After a couple of sales, he believes this product can catch fire via word of mouth promotion and custom design examples (other than simply country examples). However, there still remains a little uncertainty.

People like the idea and are considering it, but they are unsure if they can make a substantial profit from our product.

What is your most popular product? Our custom arm sleeve.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Conner: Do your market research! Understand your potential customers and what they want. Just because you are excited does not mean that they will initially be excited.

Have fun. As cliché as it may sound, if you enjoy what you do and have a true passion for what you are selling, your company/brand has a much better chance of being successful because your passion will rub off onto customers.

Plus, what is living if you are not having fun?

Rebecca: Good communication is key! Paul and I are clear on what we are trying to do and what our vision is. However, we are still working at relaying our passion for creating communities of people through the arm sleeve covers.

In this world that is increasingly connected on the virtual plane, I feel that our arm sleeve cover will create a connection at a very concrete visual level and enable groups of people to come together to celebrate their common interests.

Find good people to work with. We are truly thankful for the dedication and insights that our interns have shared with us.

Be humble enough to learn from everyone around you.

What's surprised you about this? Conner: The amount of work and consistency it requires to create a customer base from scratch.

Rebecca: All of the details that are involved in getting from the place where we are to our ultimate vision.

What kind of clients do you have? We anticipate having our first customers in the coming months. Initially, we will be approaching spectators of sports groups, non-profit organizations, and teams. However, we hope to branch out to other communities as well, which we define as a group of individuals who are passionate about the same thing.

What features/expansion are you planning? Conner: Great question for the two with the foresight! (Cue Paul and Rebecca)

Personally, I would love to see more comprehensive designs to better fulfill customers' visions. Further down the road I would also like to see an expansion of our product line into more community "support" (e.g. hats, shirts, blankets, scarves, etc.).

Rebecca: Paul and I have a second product that we are looking to roll out once we have the arm sleeve cover project underway. We will most likely start with that. From there, we will look into other unique designs that will allow people to connect with one another.

Anything else? We are excited about seeing where this journey leads us! And excited to see the potential of Cover and Connect unfold.

Conner: I'm excited to see what Cover and Connect can become!

Interview with Kerry Nash of Little Lids

Little Lids, a Boston company founded over a decade ago, is the maker of unique fashions hats for kids. Kerry Nash shares in-depth wisdom of running a business since 1999.

What is the name and contact info for your business? Kerry Nash, owner/founder Little Lids, a hat shoppe for children Boston, MA www.littlelids.com 1-877-314-4287

How did you get interested in hats? I am a HUGE hat person.

When did you start? My love for hats is a huge motivation for Little Lids but the business idea came alive after the birth of my son. He was born in the cold New England month of February. In need of a warm winter hat, I searched downtown Boston high and low and came up empty handed.

The light bulb went off, a hat shop exclusively for children. Babies are always going to be born and they need hats to cover their little heads in the spring/summer/fall and winter.

An online website where you can go anytime to find just the right hat for your little one – Little Lids was born in 1999.

How do you promote your hats? Our Little Lids business has grown by word of mouth. We ask each of our customer, if you are happy with our hats and customer service, please pass us along to family and friends. Advertising costs a ton of money and we would rather use that money to offer our customers a better service and product.

Social Media is a new, fun, and creative way to promote Little Lids and connect to people from all over the globe.

What mistakes have your made? We have made lots of mistakes.

 Spontaneous buying,  Making quick decisions, advertising nightmares, not using spell check,  pushing the "send" button in error to an important client  Being a salespersons dream, (I can't say no)

These are just a few but you get the point. Happily, most of them only happened once. I learned my lessons well.

What have you learned? We have learned that mistakes are a part of life but if we take the time to see what went wrong and use it as a learning tool, so be it.

What's the reaction to your product?

Everyone loves to see children in hats. There is truly something special about a boy in a little lids scally cap. They are a refreshing change from the traditional baseball cap.

What is the most popular product? Paddy Cap – thick brown plaid Woolrich wool – Made in the USA

The scally cap is our signature cap. A scally cap is another name for the newsboy cap. Scally is a term we use here in BOSTON. It is a replica of a cap my dad wore when he came over from

County Kerry, Ireland. He only took two things with him to America, a bag over his shoulder and the cap on his head.

We make our own line of Little Lids Vintage Caps. The caps are made in America.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Go for it. If you have a great idea and the passion to put some hard work and time into it, then dive in. I'd rather try and fail, then not to have tried at all.

What kind of clients do you have? Our customers are mothers, aunts, sisters and grandmothers with lots in between.

What features/expansion are you planning? Little Lids has all sorts of creative/ fun and interesting things in production for 2014. I can't chat about the juicy details but what I can share with you is that we are finally expanding our size chart to PREEMIE sizes hats and caps. We have been searching for delicate hats made with the purest cotton. Preemies are very special to us and we understand the need to offer these sizes to the world's newest and smallest people.

Anything else? We have created a super cool, fun little hat shoppe for children. We carefully bring together a rich collaboration of unique, hard to find and well-made hats.

We carry our own line of Little Lids Vintage Caps, which were inspired by my Irish heritage and my dad’s love for his favorite cap but we also carry other brands and styles. If it's not unique or an original hat design, we won't stock it. If we don't absolutely love it and wouldn't put it on our own children, then we will not sell it.

Interview with Mary Jo Stockman of Fabulous Hat

Mary Jo gives us the inside scoop of the ins and outs of 21st century high fashion millinery. By the way – a milliner is a custom hatmaker.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Mary Jo Stockman [email protected] www.fabuloushat.com

How did you get interested in this area? My grandmother and her sister were milliners. When they came from France in the late 19th century, they opened a millinery shop. Because of them the women in my family have always loved hats.

I got started because my avocation is driving anything from carriage horses to beautiful antique vehicles. When a lady drives a horse she wears a hat and great hats are part of the fun. There was nowhere to buy wonderful hats west of Philadelphia so my friend and I decided make them.

When did you start? 2009

How do you promote your items? We do booths at art fairs and horse shows several times each year. We have a website, use Etsy, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. We also do a few runway shows each year.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? The real jumping off point was finding a milliner who would teach the art. There are few of us and, traditionally, it has been a very closed guild. We have been lucky to have a great seamstress to help us get us this far. We have tried lots of kinds of shows, advertised at various places on the Internet and try to stay visible.

What mistakes have you made? Green hats.

I still have a few shapes and colors that have been around for a while. Sometimes things look better on paper. Probably the biggest challenge has been finding our market. Because we live in Minnesota, high fashion is not a priority here as it is in more cosmopolitan areas. We continue to look for wider markets and fashion trends.

What have you learned? The business of the business can consume you. It is very important to keep current with taxes, accounting, insurance, etc. Sometimes it seems that creating the product is interfering with the business.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Most people are crazy about them. They are beautiful and fun to wear. That said, we continually fight the casual style in our part of the country.

We still have occasional sticker shock. Women have not worn hats regularly for a long time so they are accustomed to getting a beach hat at Walmart for $8.99. They forget the cost of their Coach handbag and Jimmy Choo shoes. Great hats are another high end accessory and you get what you pay for in style and quality.

What is your most popular product? Black hats made from sinamay straw are always popular.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? This is an expensive business to start. Be ready to invest in your education and equipment. You should also check your market. Areas of the country in which hats are popular also tend to have more milliners.

What's surprised you about this? People really love the art. It is incredible when someone falls in love with something you created and make it their own. We had one client who saved for a whole year to buy a hat that she saw at a show.

What kind of clients do you have? Mostly women but occasionally a gentleman will buy a piece for his wife or girlfriend. They are usually people who have a strong sense of self, a great sense of humor and they care about fashion.

What features/expansion are you planning? We are at a crossroads. We want to expand but are trying to decide which direction to take. We would like to move in to the wholesale market rather than retail.

Anything else? Life is short. Wear a great hat.

Interview with Olivier Buigues of Obinova

Pay close attention to this entry, as Olivier Buigues describes in great detail product development, marketing, milestone, and stumbling blocks of the evolution of the Invisible Gamepad. Thanks Olivier!

What is the name and contact info of your business? My name is Olivier Buigues, and I am the creator of the concept of Invisible Gamepad. I later decided to become associated with a friend of mine, Morgan Mainou, to help me launch the Invisible Gamepad on the market. The company, Obinova, has been created during an early stage of the creation of the project in order to facilitate its management. The easiest way to get in contact with us is through the Invisible Gamepad website http://www.invisiblegamepad.com/contact.html or directly through our email address: [email protected] or [email protected].

How did you get interested in this area? We've both been interested in video gaming since we were kids, but we never thought of having a business in this sector until I discovered that a few dabs of clear glue on my iPhone touchscreen dramatically improved my gameplay experience just by letting me feel my way around the on-screen controls the same way I would a physical controller. From this came the idea of an Invisible Gamepad, a set of stick-on controls that could be applied to touchscreen devices and customized to fit any game.

At that moment, I knew I had something worth developing into an actual product. I studied the market and confirmed that I had something unique to offer; something I could make an actual business out of.

When did you start? I first had the idea about a year ago, in 2012. At that time there were very few mobile game controllers available on the market, so the concept was pretty innovative. Since then, other controllers have appeared on the market and became quite successful. I purchased many of these controllers and found them generally deceiving. They were all too cumbersome, expensive or not convenient for regular use; I realized that the Invisible Gamepad was actually a smarter and inexpensive solution, so I decided to launch it as a project on Kickstarter.

How do you promote your items? The Invisible Gamepad was unveiled 2 weeks ago on Kickstarter. The beauty of this website is that it is a huge meeting point for innovative fans from all around the world. People on Kickstarter are eager to back projects they believe in with real money, and they are also keen on giving the constructive feedback you need to improve your product.

Social media and blogs are the other way to promote a Kickstarter campaign. The principle is simple: if you can convert your friends into apostles of your product and convince influential bloggers that you have good stuff, you will create a positive buzz and find new supporters. The practice is much more difficult and requires a longer learning process. The first requirement is to really have a good product and a credible plan to launch it. Then, one must learn the way to communicate with every stakeholder efficiently and with authenticity.

Eventually, of course, it is not all sun and rainbows out there, and some forms of media have their own specific interests. That's what makes this process interesting.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Once I realized I had something worth developing into an actual product, I studied the market and confirmed that I had something unique to offer. I had plenty of enthusiasm, as well as input from family and friends. I did some rough estimates of how much time, money, and talent it would take to realize a viable product, and once I was certain I had a chance of success with the resources I had, I decided to move forward with the project.

First, I needed to name and register my business.

After that, I started to think seriously about the project and I considered moving to Europe, but the European market is fragmented and difficult to work with. I decided to register my business in the US. I came up with a name using Dot-o-mator, registered my business through SmallBiz.com, bought my domain through Bluehost, obtained a US business address with Virtual Post Mail, and filed a temporary patent through the official website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

I also used Weebly to create my website, bought stock photos through iStockphoto, and hired graphic designers and animators through Fiverr, crowdSPRING, and oDesk. In the end, all the tools I needed were available online: I didn't even have to leave the country to get my business registered in the US – I didn’t even have to leave my house!

The next step was to develop some quick prototypes. I contacted potential manufacturers across three continents and had my first prototype ready in about a week. The first testing phase involved adjusting the design and materials until I had three significant variations I could run by my panel of testers. After some more adjustments, the final prototype was ready and I began focusing on production. I found out the economies of scale were huge and the first batch would be quite expensive, but I went ahead and manufactured a small quantity to test the market response.

The last step before launch is logistics. I started with a fully integrated solution from Amazon, but the results I got from their revenue estimator were misleading: it computes their sales commission as well as storage and shipping costs, but not the shipping costs paid by the client. Adding those to the product meant I'd either have to increase the final price by 50% or take a huge loss on each sale. I therefore decided to move my stock to ShipEdge, which lowered my logistics costs by almost 60%.

The response to this small sample was phenomenal. Some of the feedback even went into the final version of the product. It was at this point that I decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign to get the funding I needed for the full launch of the Invisible Gamepad. And now that this project was too big for me to manage all by myself, I was lucky to have Morgan Mainou, a good friend with a positive attitude, join me in this venture. I finally had everything I needed to succeed.

What mistakes have you made? We learned a lot of things out of the innumerable mistakes we made. The biggest mistake was surely to have waited too long before launching the Invisible Gamepad on the market. At first we were not aware of how some online services and Kickstarter made it incredibly easier to launch an innovative product on the market very swiftly and with few resources.

We have no doubt that if we had knew of those tools before, we would have launched this project more than a year ago with a much bigger impact on the mobile gaming market!

What have you learned? If we learned one interesting thing during this venture, it's how the creators of successful Kickstarter campaigns are keen to share their knowledge with other entrepreneurs. A lot of web- based services like Kickstarter are now allowing ordinary people to make their dreams come

true, and as our predecessors on Kickstarter we are also proud to provide as much advice as we can to future Kickstarter entrepreneurs.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Some users have been so disappointed by their experience with the controllers for mobile gaming available on the market that they are reluctant to test out a new solution. Luckily, we have solid evidence that people who tried out the Invisible Gamepad are almost unanimously convinced by the enhanced game experience they get. The tests realized during the pre-Kickstarter testing stage confirm this observation.

When we realized this, we decided to focus our communication campaign on sending out some samples of the Invisible Gamepad to many bloggers. We hope to see the result of those tests published in coming days.

What is your most popular product? The Invisible Gamepad is our only cherished product.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Our first piece of advice is just to do it; there is nothing like working on fulfilling your dreams.

Our second piece of advice is to do it soon; launching a project is like having kids: if you wait for the perfect moment, it may never come.

Our third advice is to browse the web, check out the testimonials of people that successfully launched similar projects before you and eventually saturate your mind with the learning that comes from the experience, and especially one that comes from other's mistakes.

What's surprised you about this? Even though both Morgan and I have extensive experience in the industry, we often feel there is always a lot to learn from people that have been in the same situation before, if you take the chance to know them.

What kind of clients do you have? Roughly 50% of our backers come from outside the US despite having to pay $5 more than their American counterparts for the shipping of the product. If we consider the market, female clients represent nearly 40% of our backers. We receive a lot of different questions from gamers, some questions are very basic while other are very deep, so we suspect that both experienced gamers and occasional players feel the need of a tactile feedback and are backing this project.

What features/expansion are you planning? In any journey the first step is the most important one. Kickstarter was a godsend that provided us great media coverage and the opportunity to sell our product to real people. We had the opportunity to get in touch with some distributors and wholesalers that showed some interest in the Invisible Gamepad. Even though it is very early to draw conclusions about this process, it remains clear that Kickstarter will remain the most important step in this adventure and one of the most amazing experiences in our lives!

Interview with Joy Hutchinson of Chappel Creek

Joy Hutchinson has taken her extensive background in both professional sewing and medical services to create a business manufacturing top quality medical clothing and emergency bags.

I have sewn most of my life. I worked for a clothing manufacturing company for 13 years making outdoor sportswear and accessories. I started sewing, then transferred into the cutting and eventually was a manager of a satellite plant. When the company downsized I purchased 2 of their machines for my own use. I have been doing this on my own for the last 11 years.

I was approached by some folks to make outdoor covers and bags for their outdoor cook stoves and utensils. I was able to design and manufacture what they needed and to their satisfaction for fit and durability. I kept in contact with my previous employer and was able to get some contacts for suppliers of materials that I needed. I was also able to purchase directly from my previous employer for a time.

I also have worked in emergency services for 20 years and have used numerous equipment bags and clothing. I started working with my supervisors and co-workers on designing and making clothing and equipment bags to better fit the needs of our particular service. This has expanded to another service as well.

I have struggled with advertising as that is not my strong suit. I am better at designing and manufacturing. I have advertised mostly by word of mouth. My business is not yet to the point of having to hire anyone except on an occasional basis.

I did take my emergency bags to a supplier of medical bags. He seemed interested and even took a few photos, but I never got any more response than that. My presentation apparently was not what he expected. Those who I have manufactured for have seemed happy with the products and have reordered on occasion.

The years working for the outdoor sportswear company taught me that quality in materials and workmanship is key to the business. If there has been any question on any item for workmanship or materials I have made sure that it has been fixed or replaced to the customers' satisfaction.

I need to get more aggressive in the advertising part of my business.

Also with the competition there is in both outdoor covers and bags and emergency medical equipment bags and clothing, you always have to keep up on the latest changes, and look for needs that may not have been met that I could make better. CHAPPEL CREEK ENT. OWNER JOY HUTCHINSON P O BOX 32 COKEVILLE, WY. 83114 307-279-3527

Interview with Renee Drake of BLUEDRAKE

Renee Drake provides deep insight into the premium swimwear business, which she cultivated many years ago in New York City.

The name of my business is BLUEDRAKE and we are located in Chicago, Il. Clients can reach us via the web at www.Bluedrake.us or by directly e-mailing me at [email protected].

The business is primarily a custom board short line for men and women. All of the prints are designed by me (Renee Drake) and then the suits are sewn in the USA, in California. It takes approximately one month for a custom suit order to be made and then shipped to the client.

Many years ago when I lived in New York City, I started thinking about developing a luxury swimsuit brand using my own prints. The decision to make it a custom business enables my clients to choose any print that I have at any given time, unlike most retailers who offer a very limited selection seasonally.

BLUEDRAKE offers over twenty different prints and our print library is constantly growing. If someone loses their favorite BLUEDRAKE suit, it is not a problem. I can immediately make you a new one in the same print that you originally ordered.

BLUEDRAKE originally started making women’s resort wear and children’s swimsuits that we then sold in Hawaii, Nantucket, San Francisco, and Virginia. After two years, I decided to switch entirely to the custom board shorts.

Our business evolved into the custom suits primarily for one reason. I am first and foremost interested in designing prints. With resort wear you have to not only change the print but you have to constantly reinvent the garment. I knew that if I could find the perfect quick-dry fabric that could take my digital print then I could settle on one classic construction for the actual suit. That way I could always focus my attention on the part that I do best, the print design.

Luckily we haven’t made any big mistakes. The best thing about doing this business as a custom business is we don’t carry any inventory - each suit is made for a specific individual. A lot of businesses end up sitting on inventory for years and then having to sell it at a discount.

The drawback is you don’t make as much from your sales as it cost a great deal more to produce your product. Right now I am most interested in building my brand. I am learning what people like and am able to see what type of print people are drawn to and what colors they like. I am doing this without investing a large amount into producing suits that I like and think will be popular, only to find out that I am wrong!

I have been surprised to discover that just as many women will order board shorts as men. At every trunk show I have had, where I show samples and clients order their suit, I have sold just as many women’s board shorts as men’s board shorts.

My swimsuit price is $165.00, which puts it on the lower end of the luxury swimsuit market; however, it is on the high end if you look at the entire range of the swimsuit market. The clients tend to be affluent buyers. It’s a special suit so the purchase is often for a special occasion or bought because the person is about to go to a resort.

For now, our plans are to just keep building our brand slowly and develop new prints that will appeal to our clients. We are dedicated to continuing to provide a luxury suit, with a beautiful print made in the USA!

I am Isabel of 'Beau Je Boutique'

I am Isabel of 'Beau Je Boutique' https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beau-Je-Boutique-Handmade-clothing-and- Jewelry/153540208057320 or www.beauje.etsy.com

917-880-8616

I became interested in this line of work after making my own clothing and having people constantly complementing me on what I was wearing and wanting to know where they could find stuff like it. I saw the need for custom made clothing and am trying to fill that need.

I started designing, sewing and pattern making just over 20 years ago. Before I completed my schooling for design, I started getting jobs upon the referral of my teacher who had the greatest confidence in me. Since then, over the years, I have done many courses that would enable me to become a professional today. Within the last 2 years I have started making and selling jewelry.

I promote my work by dressing the part. I wear something that I designed or made every single day that I step out of my house. I also carry business cards along with me on my journeys.

I use social media from time to time to introduce new products and jobs that I am working on. My business gets around via word of mouth, also. I take flyers and business cards from time to time and leave them in various businesses (permission granted of course).

To get to this point in my business I have done some research into the need for the business in my area and online. I also try to purchase the right tools for my jobs to help me work smarter and quicker. I have been promoting myself.

Mistakes made: I figured that I would make great fitting clothes and well-made jewelry, which I did, then the task of photographing looked me in the face. I had poor photos and that cost me. People weren't stopping by to see what else I had after the first bad photo. The true beauty is hidden in bad photos. I made many other mistakes but I will name just a few. I failed to push my products hard on social media. If you are not constantly in people's faces, they quickly forget. (that is still a work in progress). I was afraid to charge what I really thought my work was worth, especially for my jewelry because I figured people would stay away but that is a myth.

I have learned that to have a strong presence you have to work very hard not just at working on your products (which is very important) but promoting your product is just as important. If you are not promoting your products, how are your products going to be seen by potential buyers? Also very important is taking great photos, it makes a huge difference. I have also learned that if you value your work, your customers will also.

People's reaction to my product/service is great. I do, however, have a better response to my product in person to person contact rather than online. I get a lot of word of mouth customers from previous happy customers.

I would have to say that so far my most popular product online has been this https://www.etsy.com/listing/123048599/african-inspired-high-waist- trumpet?ref=shop_home_active

However, my main success comes from the one of a kind custom pieces I make.

My advice to anyone wanting to enter this area of work is to make sure that you have a good handle on the skill and always give your best work. You should not allow people to badger you into a lower price just because you are afraid of losing a potential customer.

Always remember, if someone does not appreciate your work enough to pay for it, they are NOT YOUR CUSTOMER. Work hard at making your product better every day. I was surprised that so many people, like myself, are dissatisfied with off the rack clothing and would much rather have their clothing custom made. The market for this is growing.

My clientele is varied. I work with a lot of professional people, teachers, doctors, nurses, the corporate worker, business owners etc. and the everyday person who doesn't want to wear what everybody else is wearing.

As far as expansion, I am currently working on my official website. This is going to be for custom made clothing and accessories only. People will be able to request the designs they want made in whatever color and size they want. I will have examples of my work there so that all can see the variety of work I offer. There are more details to it but for now, that is all I can say about it until it is launched.

I am not limited to one type of clothing or jewelry. I do weddings (bride and bridal party), maternity wear, formal wear, casual wear etc. I am multi-cultural so I create something for most everybody. You can also have your jewelry custom made for what you want to wear. The possibilities are endless.

Interview with Robyn Germanese of Eating Black Feathers

Robyn's eclectic style has its origins in the family tree---from her Mother. She has been a funky stylist for almost a decade.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Eating Black Feathers Stylist & Designer Robyn Germanese [email protected] [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? My mother had a wild, fashionable sense when I was a kid. She really expressed herself through her looks. She encouraged me to do the same.

When did you start? In 2005

How do you promote your items? Etsy, and my EBF Tumblr, and of course Facebook.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done?

I went to school and got a fashion design/ costume diploma. I have worked in various types of establishments with all kinds of people, techniques, and machines.

What mistakes have you made? I am unable to socialize with snobby people. I get bored and want to go talk to kids, elders, and commune with solitude or nature. I am not really good at self-promotion. I am better at promoting others, through my blog Corridor47, as well as Lelook, and my Trendland articles. I just self-promoted there. These are two things a fashion designers should be good at. Also I am quite lazy by my own standards.

What have you learned? The fashion world is impossible to keep up with, which is what makes it exciting. It’s as if we are constantly chasing something that can’t quite be explained. Making collections is to tell lies over and over again- as collections are deeply influenced with so much time passed. I would prefer to have the passion for photography or painting which can be more impulsive.

An impulsive artist can see immediate results with painting, or photography but that is impossible to fulfill with fashion. The lie is a 6 month process of blood, sweat, tears, and a lot sore fingers.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? I normally have two kinds of reactions:

1. “I love this” or 2. A woman actually said “I am not sure if I am repulsed or intrigued.” Both are welcome as long as I can respect the person.

What is your most popular product? Dresses, stretchy T shirt Dresses, leggings, and motor- jackets.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Save money for your collections and supplies, listen to your gut instinct, know about business, keep a journal by your bed with a pen and draw everything you see once your eyes close. Surround yourself with good, supportive people.

What kind of clients do you have? Women who like to be a bit colorful, ethnic and tough.

What features/expansion are you planning? I am working on a business model now that should allow me to have a larger studio, put out a few collections a year, as well as employ skilled pattern makers and sewers. I eventually want to have some more shows and my own store.

Interview with Lisa Landvik-Geyen of WarmEmbrace

WarmEmbrace was borne out of a need to fill a creative niche where sincere compassion and empathy were lacking before.

What is the name and contact info of your business? www.WarmEmbrace.com [email protected] Lisa Landvik-Geyen Chief Encouragement Officer Phone: 507-581-5880

How did you get interested in this area? We sell Get Well and Sympathy blankets. I noticed that the majority of the online market for Get Well and Sympathy gifts was dominated by the flower and gift basket industries. I felt that neither of these gift options were particularly meaningful, and that there was a void in the market that needed to be filled. Blankets seemed to be the obvious alternative.

Our company was founded on the notion that blankets and hugs have a lot in common. From our infancy, we learn to associate blankets with warmth, love and security - some of our most basic human needs. When you send someone a Warm Embrace, you provide an anchor that can bridge the gap that distance creates - in other words - it's like sending a hug! Our blankets become and enduring and tangible reminder of your care and concern.

When did you start? September of 2012

How do you promote your items? Search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, print ads, social media. In other words - by all means possible!

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Once I did the market research and was convinced I could be successful, I took the steps everyone has to take to develop an online business...developing a brand, logo, product line, website etc... I want our blankets to be a deeply meaningful and sentimental gift alternative, so I spent a great deal of time thinking through how to communicate that.

Each gift blanket is delivered beautifully wrapped, with recipient information describing the symbolism and sentiment behind the gift, as well as a personalized greeting card that customers compose at checkout - these cards are then hand written (not computer generated), so the end product is really special.

What mistakes have you made? We've discovered that our current web site isn't as user friendly as we had hoped, and are currently working with another company to update it to a responsive Magento template that is more user friendly.

What have you learned? I've learned that it takes an incredible amount of work to get your products in front of customers in a competitive online market place!

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Our customer responses have been overwhelmingly positive. Their comments and emails to us have been very encouraging.

What is your most popular product? Our most popular gift blanket is a lovely cotton blend with the message "Love and Prayer Surround You" embroidered on it. Customers have purchased it both for Get Well and Sympathy.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Know your market and know your competition. If you've got the right idea and business model, your business will succeed.

What's surprised you about this? How much I enjoy fulfilling orders! This business is more than a money making venture for me. I have a compassionate heart, and it brings me a lot of joy being able to help customers express their deep care and concern for others.

What kind of clients do you have? Men and women of all ages, although we tend to have more female than male customers. Our products appeal to anyone looking for a meaningful Get Well or Sympathy gift alternative.

What features/expansion are you planning? The revised and updated website I mentioned earlier, as well as new product lines.

What else? It helps to have a strong brand, and I believe we do!

Interview with Ninette Terhart of Terhart Enterprises

If you want the layered look without all that crazy bulk, then the HIPSHRUG by Terhart Enterprises is perfect for you.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Terhart Enterprises product name is HIPSHRUG email [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I love low maintenance beauty and style. I thought how fun and easy to just slip on a HipShrug and add an extra layer under my tank or T without all that extra bulk on top with layering 2 or 3 shirts.

When did you start? 2010

How do you promote your items? I really don't, it’s just through friends and people I meet that I talk to about it.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I started out by sewing all the HipShrugs myself. It was so much work to purchase so much fabric in downtown LA! I went through pattern after pattern. I had a meeting with a women in the fashion industry that said, "You have a great idea here but you need to clean up the stitching and make every HipShrug consistent.” So off I went and hired a working Seamster. I decided I needed labels and really make it look professional.

What mistakes have you made? My biggest mistake was trying to do everything myself! Impossible task and very unrealistic.

What have you learned? Whatever it is you decide to put time into ... do it with passion.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Women LOVE IT!! They started wearing them over bikinis, as head wraps and even ponytail wraps! It’s a multipurpose lil’ garment!

What is your most popular product? GUNSLINGER HipShrug

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Make sure you know what you’re getting into. Yes, there are always surprises along the way so just have a plan that you can follow and be open to all opportunities that show up.

What's surprised you about this? How darn cute they look when I see them on my friends when they wear them around.

What kind of clients do you have? ALL ages, shapes and sizes!! A couple of men too!

What features/expansion are you planning? None at this time. My main career is Personal Training. I have an awesome personal training gym in my home and have a thriving business. You can download my FREE APP - just go to your app store in your phone or computer and type in NINETTE TRAINER. All the info to get started with me is in there and if you want to contact me please do at [email protected].

Anything else? Thanks for asking me to participate in this interview!

Interview with Jason Leach of HighCountryRugs.com

If you are looking for a one of a kind rug for your home, office, yacht, playroom or man cave, HighCountryRugs.com is the perfect place for you.

What is the name and contact info of your business? HighCountryRugs.com Jason Leach – CEO [email protected] 970-379-3225

How did you get interested in this area? My parents are Oriental rug collectors, and when we lived in Switzerland we travelled to various parts of the Silk Road buying rugs while on vacation. It was really a hobby for them, but I learned a lot about cultures, traditional patterns and construction at a young age.

After getting an education in Anthropology and the Arts, I later got the idea of doing only custom rugs when I saw what interior designers had to go through to try to find rugs for their clients. I knew I could make it easier for the designer to get the perfect rug for the client in the best quality, and save them time and money while doing so.

When did you start? I started to work with my partner on the website in 2001, but it would take a few years from then before we could find a web designer who really could make our concept function as it needed to so that the customizing part of the website was intuitive, user-friendly and useful as a professional interior design tool.

How do you promote your items? As a web-based company, we use SEO as best we can and use a few interior design trade sites to get more exposure from this sector. We mainly target hospitality design professionals and we market to them directly.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? In addition to making a tool that was useful to the trade, we really wanted to design our company to be green, sustainable and socially fair. In many ways our business model was perfectly suited to accomplish all of these at the same time. We found the best weavers that were willing to work with small orders that were different each time, and who were good to their employees and their local environment, even if it cost us all a little more. We run our business almost completely online, so there are no paper catalogs, no retail store, virtually no inventory, so we waste almost nothing.

What mistakes have you made? Our biggest mistakes was not learning how to promote our business properly in the earlier years, and not taking capital investment offers that would have helped us grow more quickly. It took us longer than it should have to get noticed in an industry that is filled with behemoth companies that are wasteful and charge too much for the products that they do sell, because their customers have to pay for the inefficiencies of the company and the inventory they will never sell.

What have you learned? We have learned that we are on the right track, and we are changing the way people do business. It is not always easy to get someone to try something new, but we are converting people all the time.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Our product is second to none, so the reaction is always positive. Our product line is anything anyone can imagine, so this well received also. If someone can imagine it, we can make it. True interior designers like to DESIGN, and we help them do that with no limitations. They are not decorators who just shop and place things in a space.

What is your most popular product? We have unintentionally gotten a following from the yachting community because of our Compass Rose http://www.customorientalrug.com/index.php?module=shop&file=detail&id=295 and other nautical designs, but our ability to make any size and shape works well for the unusual spaces sometimes found in yachts and private jets. Animal print patterns are always popular, and our antique reproductions allow us to re-create a rug in a museum for a fraction of the price. We have also been getting more requests for stair runners lately.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? There are obviously pitfalls in any business, but manufacturing overseas, importing, selling both wholesale to the trade and retail, and managing a company that is totally reliant on IT and changing technology all present unique challenges. Anyone wanting to get into this realm should be well educated in all of these fields, and understand that some vendors and customers come with very different skill sets. Building a strong team of professionals is key.

What's surprised you about this? I suppose it should not have been so surprising, but the pace of technology and its availability to the general public has been lightning fast. We started before iPhones and iPads, and did not foresee people using our website from hand-held devices. I routinely get calls from people trying to access the flash-based customizing app on these devices. These parts of our site will not work in iOS until we have done a major overhaul of our website.

What kind of clients do you have? We have all kinds of clients, from major hotel chains to retail customers that want a small rug in their bathroom and everything in between.

What features/expansion are you planning? We will eventually redesign the website to work in iOS, and we will add 3D rooms to help people visualize the rugs they create in a virtual space. We currently allow people to view a rug in 3D over different types of flooring, but full rooms with other furniture will be the next development.

Anything else? Check out www.HighCountryRugs.com or contact us http://www.customorientalrug.com/contact.php to learn more.

Interview with Kiki of KikiDzine

If you are looking for a stylish cover-up or a fashionable handbag for that special night KikiDzine has what you are waiting for

What is the name and contact info of your business? KikiDzine [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I aways had a passion for designing. One day I just picked up a pencil and started sketching handbags as images came to my head. I was laid up for a while after an accident and had more time to research how to start my own line of bags and sketch more bags. As for my cover-ups, while in Miami I was searching for a nice cover-up that would cover my buttocks and most were to short or way too expensive, like $300, so that got me thinking about making my own.

When did you start?

KikiDzine started in 2011, but I spent 2 years prior to that working on how to start my own business in the fashion industry.

How do you promote your items? I promote through word of mouth, friends and family, social media outlets and local stores.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I can say it has been a long road to get to this point - I really had to do lots of research in this industry. Finding reputable companies that would be willing to work with small start-up businesses and produce small lots of inventory was the hardest thing to do.

What mistakes have you made? I have made many mistakes and the biggest one was rushing into things.

What have you learned? I have learned to take my time and build my business slowly. Taking baby steps is best and taking time for yourself away from work so you return refreshed and able to focus more is also important. It is easy to get burnt out quickly.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? I have gotten some great feedback from my customers on the quality of sewing and fabric choices for my KikiDzine cover-ups. Our Panchita leather handbags also are made of the finest quality leathers and hardware. Our customers love the reasonable pricing of our products along with the quality and the fact it is made in the USA.

What is your most popular product? For the KikiDzine Cover-ups our most popular are the Side lace tunic and the Halter Bella. Our Panchita leather Tia handbags are the most popular as customers love the width and size of the bag. It's a multi-purpose bag great for travel, beach, office and I even have some customers using it as a diaper bag.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Be passionate, persistent, stay focused and don't burn yourself out. Also make sure you have a financial plan - very important. It is not an easy industry to get into, but have lots of patience and follow your dream. Don't give up.

What's surprised you about this? The amount of time I have invested in building this business, but I was and still am determined to grow bigger.

What kind of clients do you have? My clients range from beach lovers to jet setters to your everyday mom.

What features/expansion are you planning? I am looking to add more KikiDzine cover-ups and Panchita leather handbags which are currently in the works.

Anything else? Find a mentor - I was lucky enough to come across one on LinkedIn and he has helped me tremendously in understanding the fashion industry. Be a listener not a talker or a know it all and you will learn lots.

Interview with Pamela Frazier of Pamela Hunt Productions Seamstress Extraordinare

From rifle scope covers to exotic dresses to repairing your favorite pair of jeans, Pamela Hunt Productions Seamstress Extraordinare can do it all.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Pamela Hunt Productions Seamstress Extraordinare Pamela Frazier, Owner PO Box 707 Clatskanie, OR 97016 503-880-8863 [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I’ve sewn since I was a teenager and made my own clothing as well as given clothing as gifts. I enjoy being creative with fabric and other mediums. Recently, I have begun quilting and making wall hangings. When I retired, I decided to go into business to earn some extra money. I make clothing using patterns, do alterations and repairs. I’ve made neoprene rifle scope covers from scratch as well as embellishing wedding dresses.

When did you start? I’ve dabbled with sewing for years, but when I retired from the work force it seemed the natural thing to start my own business using skills I’ve developed over the years.

How do you promote your items? I distribute business cards around where ever I go. Word of mouth has been instrumental in getting my business off the ground.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I started my business with a 50 year old Singer sewing machine I purchased about 20 years ago for $35 dollars, but over the past couple years, I have purchased 3 more sewing machines as needed when specialized machines were required. Now I can do heavy duty stitching as well as decorative stitching. Plus I also have a mid-arm quilting machine for doing free motion quilting. I have also been building my supply of fabric and notions so I can be ready at a moment’s notice to sew just about anything.

What mistakes have you made? Mistakes I’ve made might include not being aggressive enough in my advertising, although I wanted to start off small and grow slowly so I wouldn’t swamp myself.

What have you learned? I have learned patience, tolerance and a host of other good qualities in order to persevere in growing my business. It’s important to build professional relationships that are solid where you can earn the loyalty of clientele.

What’s the reaction to your product or product line like? So far I’ve had very positive feedback from my products and services. I’m confident that I can keep up the good work and continue to grow my business.

What’s your most popular product? So far, my repair services and embellishment abilities have been the hot items. I hope to expand the "favorites" to include other products and services.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? My advice would be to "go for it"! I stressed over the idea of opening my own business for too long before I took the plunge. Life is too short to stress over such decisions so a person should knuckle down and just do it if the finances allow.

What surprised you about this? Surprise came when people started calling me out of the blue to do work for them. Some of these people I did not have contact with personally prior to their calling me. They were made aware of my services by way of other vendors and people that I distributed my business cards to in the recent past. Life is good when people are willing to pay for your products and services.

What kind of clients do you have? My clients include people from all walks of life.

What features/expansion are you planning? At the present time, I am not planning any expansion of my existing studio. Additional features might include more lighting and storage bins.

Anything else? I just want to put a feather in Mary Wingo’s cap - she was very helpful to me when I was in the process of replicating my label. Thanks Mary!

Interview with Lauren Runion of YellowBobbyPins

YellowBobbyPins brings a fresh new look making you and mother Earth look fabulous.

What is the name and contact info of your business? YellowBobbyPins can be found online at Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/yellowbobbypins, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/YBPins and on Instagram.

How did you get interested in this area? When I was a child I would spend a couple weeks each summer at my grandparents. My mother strongly believed that her left-handed mother needed to teach her left-handed daughter how to sew. And she did! A few years back I took my sewing skills and began to reclaim discarded clothes. As my interest in eco-friendly living grew, my passion to create eco-friendly clothing grew too.

When did you start? I began the YellowBobbyPins adventure a year and a half ago.

How do you promote your items?

Facebook. It is such a cliché these days, but it is a quick avenue to a wide group of people. The second way is by wearing my own label.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Getting to this point has meant a whole lot of sewing and ripping out mistakes. It meant taking chances and putting your best foot forward. It took sitting in the coffee shop processing what went right and what was a flop. All in all, it’s hard work and a strong product that helps move YellowBobbyPins forward.

What mistakes have you made? Who me? Mistakes? Always! Mistakes are part of my daily routine. One of my favorite quips is that “Artists use their mistakes to make something better.” Probably one of my biggest mistakes has been to overload my studio with fabric. Too many choices tends to clog up my creative spring.

What have you learned? I have learned that staying in production keeps my ideas fresh. When life gets in the way of studio time, getting back into creation mode can seem overwhelming.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? People comment on the originality of YellowBobbyPins clothing. They love the idea that no one else will be wearing that garment.

What is your most popular product? YellowBobbyPins makes a lightweight hoodie that has sold out quickly everywhere it has been offered.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Be original. Yes, observe fashion trends, but create what you would wear.

What's surprised you about this? I love the joy I get when I get to meet the individuals who purchase my clothes.

What kind of clients do you have? YellowBobbyPins draws the artistic woman who wants to wear ethical fashion.

What features/expansion are you planning? YellowBobbyPins is working on a new line of t-shirts called *Cut and Paste.*Each shirt will be one of a kind. They will be hand dyed and can be made to order. This line will be available in September.

Anything else? Stop by Etsy and Facebook to check us out. We’re a small company that desires to treat our customers with care.

Interview with Elyse of elyse oRiGiNaLs

Elyse oRiGiNaLs offers a refreshing line of clothing that keeps customers coming back for more.

What is the name and contact info of your business? elyse oRiGiNaLs www.elyseoriginals.com

How did you get interested in this area? I have consistently been a creative person throughout my life and am lucky to have been gifted with an eye for putting colors and patterns together. I used to experiment with my store-bought clothing and eventually started constructing clothing by hand.

When did you start? I hand-sewed my first item when I was 18. My mother saw this burgeoning skill and bought me a sewing machine for my birthday in 1998.

How do you promote your items?

Word of mouth is the best! My clients love their handcrafted items and promote for me. Additionally, I use social media including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I also send out monthly e-newsletters to clients who have opted in.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I've used the baby steps approach to get to where I am today. In years past, I had sold many items at a myriad of summer events. Later, I began selling on eBay and saw some success with bidding on my dresses reaching over $300. Eventually, Etsy was born and I designed my website, which has been steadily increasing in hits every year.

What mistakes have you made? Mistakes? I'm meticulous and over-think everything before I actually make a decision so I can't think of any right now. I'm positive there have been some minor ones, however.

What have you learned? I've learned sooo much about business: web-design, marketing, customer service, the power of social media, etc. A business owner such as myself wears many hats. Mine just happen to also be stylish =o).

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Women get excited because my designs are very unique, flatter a woman's figure, are comfortable to wear and wash in the machine. Men love the originality of my shorts and pants. Most times, when a new client buys something, they buy another of my items within a couple of weeks. My creations make my clients feel youthful and beautiful partly because I put tons of love and positive energy into each one and think my clients can feel this when they put one of my pieces on. It's wearable art.

What is your most popular product? Hmmm. that's a hard one. I think it would have to be my sweetheart style manufactured line, elyse SIGNATURES. They are proudly made in the USA. Everything else is made by these two hands. Other popular items include dresses made from imported Indonesian batik fabrics.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Don't give up on your vision. Don't copy other people's style. Instead, be inspired to find more creativity within yourself. Do have confidence in your ability. Make waves and keep-on trucking on.

What kind of clients do you have? My clients are among the nicest people in the world! They are unique, fashion-forward beauties in all shapes and sizes. It's a risk buying things online and this is the way I primarily sell my creations so I'd like to thank them for their continued patronage.

What features/expansion are you planning? Shhhh... this is a secret.... but I guess it won't be long! I am working on a new line for little girls which will include bedding. It is set to launch by year's end.

Anything else? I think life is about taking chances and making the rest of your life the best of your life. I live by this mantra every minute of every day.

Interview with Natalie of Helmet Huggers LLC

Skiing has just been made amazingly stylish with these beautiful and sexy helmets from Helmet Huggers.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Helmet Huggers LLC www.helmethuggers.com 201.914.9011 https://www.facebook.com/#!/helmethuggers https://twitter.com/helmethuggers

How did you get interested in this area? My sister Stephanie and I started skiing when we were 3; our mother, Melanie, has been an avid skier for about 30 years. While we each have been wearing helmets for almost 10 years, one reason we realized we didn't like to wear them was because they weren't fun, fashionable or sexy. After our mom bought a fun devil horned cover for our younger brother, she began to search for a fashionable one for women. When she came out empty handed, we thought maybe we could make them ourselves. Our mom had entrepreneurial experience starting an oil brokerage company, my sister and I both love fashion and have backgrounds in accounting and finance. All of this combined with our shared love of skiing... starting Helmet Huggers just seemed like a perfect fit for us.

When did you start? November 2011

How do you promote your items? Word of mouth, postcards, social media, participating in local fashion shows, trunk shows, small ads in local magazines, features in blogging sites, and of course wearing them whenever we get a chance.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? What a question. We've hired a hat designer to prototype our design, registered a patent for our product, researched fabric, sourced faux fur suppliers, developed a marketing plan...the list is endless.

What mistakes have you made? We have made a ton of mistakes, and still make mistakes today. But we look at these mistakes as learning opportunities and that's how we continue to innovate and make our product better. We have all worked hard to prevent these “mistakes” from happening a second time, which means we are doing better as a company and a product. As none of us have any retail experience, the biggest challenge has been the barriers to enter the fashion industry as a retailer.

What have you learned? What haven't we learned! We have learned how to create a web site, photoshop and take product photos. We have learned how to cut faux fur and spandex. We have learned how to develop excel spread sheets to keep tracks of sales and inventory. We have learned how to be a top- notch customer service company. And we have learned about our customers and what they want.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? For the most part, we have had an incredibly positive reaction. Many people love the idea of a helmet cover as a real fashion accessory. Women say they are much more likely to put on a helmet for skiing, snowboarding and bicycling now that they can look more attractive and can change the look of their helmet so easily.

What is your most popular product? Our plain white spandex, which we have named "Pearly Gates" - or our plain black spandex named "Lady Morgan" each with a with Tan or Brown Faux Wolf trim. Our Helmet Huggers are each named after a ski resort trail: Pearly Gates is from Snowbird, UT and Lady Morgan is from Deer Valley, UT.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? We created our product because we wanted a fashionable helmet cover for women and couldn't find one after extensive searching. Our advice would be to create a product that is unique and make sure you do some serious market research first before spending time and energy developing it.

What's surprised you about this? I think we are most surprised at the amount of time and effort that must go into making a well- made product, and then turning it into something mainstream. From buying labels and packaging, to registering a patent and marketing, there are a lot of days it seems like there is not enough time to do everything we want, especially since each of us has a 9-5 job. I think we have all gained a new appreciation for entrepreneurs.

What kind of clients do you have?

Women skiers, snowboarders and cyclists between the ages of 20 and 60 years old are our main clients. A few men who are buying our Helmet Huggers as gifts. We are also selling wholesale as well as retail in the USA and internationally.

What features/expansion are you planning? We are expanding into men's helmet covers, and using new trims in addition to faux furs. We also hope to make our market more year round by reaching the southern hemisphere skiing and snowboarding industry.

Interview with Kain L. and Bianca O. of TRAMA Textiles

TRAMA Textiles offers hand made woven products from table runners and backpacks to belts and clothing that come from their heart to your home.

TRAMA Textiles 3a Calle 10-56, Zona 1 Quetzaltenango, Guatemala [email protected] tramatextiles.org

Follow us: facebook.com/trama.textiles etsy.com/shop/TRAMAtextiles

For us, the Spanish word TRAMA, “the weft” or “binding thread”, is interchangeable with the word comida, “food¨. Our weavings clothe us, warm our families through highland winters, and carry our babies on our backs. They unite our people from generation to generation and sustain us as much as any food.

The patterns of our textiles differ throughout our communities, varying from village to village, department to department, and from the highlands to the lowlands. Each of our designs and patterns tells a different story, representing the unity of our past histories and present cultures. The ancient textile craft of backstrap loom weaving binds together our families, communities, lands, and the traditions passed down from our ancestors.

We are active members of TRAMA Textiles, the Association of Women for Artisan Development in Backstrap Loom Weaving. We work directly with 17 weaving cooperatives, representing 400 women from five regions in the western highlands of Guatemala: Sololá, Huehuetenango, Sacatepéquez, Quetzaltenango and Quiché.

Our mission is to create work for fair wages for the women of Guatemala; to honorably support our families and communities; and to preserve and develop our cultural traditions through the maintenance of our textile arts and their histories. In 1988, after some of the most devastating years of Guatemala´s civil war, our association was formed.

At the beginning our name was CENAT (Centro Nacional de Artesania Textile), but since then we have changed our name to ASOTRAMA (Asociación Trama) and finally just TRAMA Textiles. The civil war was a time when most of the men from our communities: our grandfathers, fathers, brothers and sons disappeared.

Those of us who remained were forced to figure out how to survive and support our households and communities. During those desperate times, we realized the benefits of collaboration. From this union, TRAMA Textiles was formed.

Today our groups proudly weave as they continue the ancient textile art of backstrap loom weaving that has sustained our cultures and communities for over 1,500 years. TRAMA’s backstrap loom weavers utilize traditional technology and designs to create high-quality products both for national and international markets.

Weaving in the intimacy of their homes, our weavers are able to provide additional economic income to their families. By marketing their products through an organization that fights for the dignity, well-being, and ethnic expression of its associates, the continuity of their traditions and work is guaranteed.

TRAMA Textiles is a worker-owned women’s weaving association offering training to weaving cooperatives around Guatemala and enabling them to produce quality fair-trade textile goods. The administrators participate in annual meetings where executive decisions are made and new administrators are elected.

Women who participate in these meetings are representatives chosen from each of the 17 groups which make up our association. Because our groups come from a wide variety of places, there is a range of indigenous languages spoken: various dialects of K’iche’, Mam, Kakchiquel, Ixil and Tz’utujil. The representatives are chosen primarily based on their literacy skills in Spanish so that all groups of the association can communicate with each other.

The training we offer to each of our groups combines new and interesting ways to make their crafts more marketable, while keeping their traditional methods, designs and patterns alive. The association buys the products from each group at the wage the group determines. The product are then sold in our retail shop in Quetzaltenango. We also sell products in two other shops in Antigua: Colibri and Ojo Cosmetico, in addition to exporting goods to Europe and the United States.

TRAMA Textiles also relies on its weaving school, La Escuela de Tejido, to help pay for the administrative and promotional costs of the association.

Interview with Ralph Laborde of Swaguclothing

Swaguclothing is an up and coming company that offers creative and innovative designs.

What is the name and contact info of your business? We are swaguclothing. [email protected] at Swaguclothing.com

When did you start? We started about 1 year ago and we just saw that there was space for new clothing and design other than the ones everyone already wears.

How do you promote your items? We are trying hard to get our name out more and more and we have social media as the biggest marketing.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? My sister and I are co-founders and we just sat down and spoke of a way to change the look of everyone out there.

What mistakes have you made? We made the mistake of thinking that business was easy and we would be millionaires in a week. We didn't think of the long meetings and hard work. We made mistakes in trusting unknown companies in helping with marketing.

What kind of clients do you have? We are mostly working with the younger people between 14-30 but this brand is for everyone - we don't want to limit our market.

What features/expansion are you planning? We plan on launching our site in the near future and expanding from t-shirts to hoodies and hats. It's a long, hard process but we are up for the challenge.

Interview with Tracey Kearse of AcARRE Crochet Designs

AcARRE Crochet Designs makes beautiful hand made scarves and hats that are sure to keep you warm and in style for those not so warm days.

What is the name and contact info of your business? AcARRE Crochet Designs Tracey Kearse, Founder/CEO [email protected] https://www.etsy.com/people/AcarreCrochetDesigns?ref=si_pr

How did you get interested in this area? My great grandma taught me how to crochet at a young age.

When did you start? I learned how to crochet at the age of 11 from my great grandmother. Back than I was only crocheting pot holders :-).

Now after years of putting down the hook, I have had a new found interest in crocheting and picking up things beyond where I left off with AcARRE Crochet Designs. I came up with the name AcARRE by using the fourth letter of my older sister, me, my younger sister, little brother, niece, and nephew. So the venture of and name behind my business is truly a family affair of AcARRE Crochet Designs.

How do you promote your items? Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I promote my items on Etsy, on Facebook, on Pinterest, craft fairs when possible and word of mouth through friends and family.

What mistakes have you made? Right now my business is made to order crochet items, which I think is great, but if I start to produce some inventory during the summer and make my items readily available rather than one having to wait 2-4 weeks depending on style I could possibly bring in more sales.

What have you learned? If I start to produce some inventory during the summer and make my items readily available rather than one having to wait 2-4 weeks depending on style I could possibly bring in more sales.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? People are impressed with my crochet skills and what I am able to do. They love them and so far all has been great.

What is your most popular product? My most popular product is crochet infinity large hooded cowl scarf.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Crochet may not be a skill one can pick up right away but never give up because it can be a creative and rewarding field.

What's surprised you about this? The amount of people that do crochet and the skills that they have. I can’t wait till I have the skills to do very avant-garde crochet designs.

What kind of clients do you have? All clients, men, women, and kids/babies.

What features/expansion are you planning? An expansion I am looking into is getting into a small boutique next year.

Anything else? See images and product info can be found at https://www.etsy.com/people/AcarreCrochetDesigns?ref=si_pr .

Interview with Mazen Baltagi of StackOnRacks

StacksOnRacks has taken the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure," to a whole new level by rescuing clothing from going to landfills and turning them into masterpieces waiting to be discovered.

What is the name and contact info of your business? StackOnRacks Website: StacksOnRacks.com Instagram: Shop_SOR Facebook: ShopSOR Twitter: Shop_SOR Contact: [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? The partners involved have always had an interest in fashion as well as vintage clothing. Once we learned that thousands of pounds of unique donated clothing was sent to landfills our interest grew even further to make this online shopping experience available to the general population.

When did you start? Although we have been selling items at pop up shops around the country for 3 years now StacksOnRacks.com was formed in early 2012.

How do you promote your items? Currently we promote through pop up shops, word of mouth, social media, blogging and our website which will launch in the next couple of weeks.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Well, first thing we did was test the demand. We included ourselves in pop up shops around the country with great finds. Once we found that there was a demand for the clothing that we found and at the price we were selling we knew we were onto something. Next came establishing the brand and culture of what we stand for. Although we were into fashion it then became more of a sustainable goal for us. It was disheartening knowing that thousands of pounds of clothing were

sent to landfills each day. Since then we have been building the brand and website. Also, have surrounded ourselves with people who believe in what we are doing and want to be involved.

What mistakes have you made? Our biggest mistake was wanting to get our product out as fast as possible without establishing what our brand and culture is. Basically, explaining to our customers what we were about and what separates us from everyone else.

What have you learned? We have learned that your culture and your brand are just as important as your product. Take your time in establishing this because it is going to be with you forever. We also have learned that you can’t play every role. Initially we tried to be the photographer, stylist, hair/makeup, marketer and businessmen behind the project. This was a mistake.... play your role and surround yourself with people who play their roles.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Our clients are actually shocked that we were able to snag one of a kind pieces like the ones we have before they were sent to landfills. Then when we tell them the price they want more.

What is your most popular product? Our Fur and Leather coats are for sure a hit.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Establish your brand and culture before anything. Surround yourself with likeminded people who aspire to be in fashion as well.

What's surprised you about this? The amount of name brand clothes that were sent to landfills every day.

What kind of clients do you have? All kinds actually. Surprising, very wealthy people who may very well be buying their own clothes back.

What features/expansion are you planning? So many actually, but first things first we want to launch the website. Eventually we are working on setting up ourselves with a nonprofit to provide a "Buy One, Give One" system like Toms shoes. We would like to donate an article of clothing when one is purchased. We also would like to make blankets, pillows, shoes etc. with some of the textiles that we are unable to sell.

Anything else?

OUR STORY

You may describe Stacks on Racks as the love child of a fashionable philanthropist and an environmentally friendly chap who was the first on his block to recycle. At our core we enjoy fashion and thrive on our keen fashion sense. Our Texas based start-up goal is to provide the fashion savvy do-gooder with fabulous finds, no matter the brand, at a price that everyone can afford. We are traveling the country to hand-pick second hand donated clothing that will make you not only look great, but also feel great through reducing our environmental footprint with the intent to donate an article to someone in need. We empower you not only to think out of the box, but also to make a difference doing so. The best way to look good on the outside is to start on the inside. So share it, tweet it, hell yell it from your cubicle. Giving back has never looked so good!

Philosophy

The average American donates more than 68 pounds of clothing a year. Although this may sound like a very good thing, more than half of the donated items end up in our landfills polluting and causing harm to our environment. Among the donated are amazing fashion finds including dresses, tops, coats, furs, and leathers. It is not necessary to spend a hundreds of dollars on articles of clothing when thousands of pounds are being sent to our landfills every day. Stacks on Racks (SOR), a group inspired by style and sustainability, works with some of the country’s best non-profits to recycle these fashions and offer them to the consumer at prices to fit any budget. Our end goal is to incorporate a buy one – give one model. What that means is that for every item purchased we would like to donate an article of clothing to someone in need in the United States. In addition we would like to get to the point where we can take any piece of clothing and possibly break them down and form new pieces. Blue jeans can turn into shoes, dresses can be combined to form pillow cases or bed sheets, etc. The possibilities are endless. Please help us by preaching our philosophy to your peers. You can start saving our planet NOW!

Thanks for joining our revolution,

Stacks On Racks

Interview with Karen Hunady of Crafts For All Seasons

Whether it's rain, snow, sun, or wind, Crafts For All Seasons offers everything you're looking for to turn your ideas into decorating masterpeices.

What is the name and contact info of your business? I created a website called Crafts For All Seasons (website is http://www.crafts-for-all- seasons.com/), which has craft projects for every season of the year. Each tutorial has step by step photos as well as detailed instructions. There are many crafts for children along with more challenging projects for adults.

How did you get interested in this area? I’ve always had a creative side to me, and I love making things. I have loved crafts my whole life, and I have fond memories of crafting with my mother. I was always keeping myself busy during the summer by making all kinds of creations with the craft supplies we kept on hand.

I also love technology, computers, and the Internet. I knew there was a lot of income potential by starting an online business, but I didn’t know where to start. My dream was to share what I love with others. That’s when I decided to build my own business by creating my website about crafts.

When did you start? Crafts For All Seasons launched in January, 2007. Ever since then, any craft I make gets photographed and explained in step by step instructions, and shared on the web. It is very gratifying to share ideas and give back to the community with free craft projects.

How do you promote your items? Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Crafts For All Seasons is non-membership site with free craft tutorials. I also have a free quarterly newsletter that gets emailed to my subscribers. The income I make is from my Amazon e-store, affiliate programs, my craft e-book, and advertising space.

I promote these by placing a button that appears on all pages of my website. I have a button advertising my e-store, a button advertising my e-book, and I put sales ads for my affiliate companies in my right side column that appears on my website.

What mistakes have you made? I used to offer advertising space to potential customers and deal with them directly. I would offer a monthly or yearly rate, billable through PayPal. For my particular website, this ended up being much more work for less return. I found that some customers would not renew after a month.

Many times, I would have to ask a high price because the same ad space was doing very well with Google AdSense in its place instead.

What have you learned? I have now realized it isn’t worth my time to sell advertising space directly to customers. I use Google AdSense and Media.net in those spaces instead, which give me amazing results with minimal maintenance.

What is your most popular product? I just came out with a 650 page craft e-book with over 178 craft project tutorials. My visitors have really enjoyed this because it is convenient to be able to find quickly browse the craft projects without an internet connection or waiting for pages to download. The e-book features a 28 page pictorial table of contents which shows a picture of every finished craft so it is easy to find what you are looking for.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? If you are thinking of starting a website, I highly recommend Site Build It, the web building system I used. It is so great for beginners since it teaches you everything you need to know about building a profitable website.

Interview with Ellen Eustace of Code Red Clothing Company

Code Red Clothing Company offers trendy high fashion clothing for when you work or simply go out on the town.

What is the name and contact info of your business? The name of my fashion line is Code Red Clothing Company. I can be contacted at [email protected]

My website is not published yet, but will be soon.

How did you get interested in this area? I’ve been interested in fashion since childhood. I always had the entrepreneur mindset and wanted to start my own line of clothing.

When did you start? I began putting things in place for my business in the fall of 2012. I designed my line for fall 2014 this past spring. I plan to launch my line in January 2014.

How do you promote your items? I spoke with shop owners and buyers about my upcoming fashion line and will be sending out “look books” and postcards. I plan to have a model shoot early this fall and then publish my website immediately following the shoot.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done?

I had my samples developed with a local patternmaker and sample-maker. Once we conducted a fitting, my patterns were graded and I ordered a marker. I’m currently shopping for a factory to handle my production.

What mistakes have you made? I contracted several items to be developed with one sample maker. I ended up spending a lot of money and was not happy with the results. Having learned a valuable lesson, I contacted several sample makers and assigned only one style to each. Eventually, I found one that I liked.

What have you learned? Think before you spend. Try to spend as little money as possible. If you have two similar styles, and you know the buyer will only buy one, choose the best one to develop.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? I’ve been getting favorable reactions from people I’ve shown my items to. They’re already asking where they can buy my clothes.

What is your most popular product? Believe it or not, I’m getting great feedback on my simple mesh shirt. People like the idea that it’s sewn “inside out” and the label is on the outside of the garment. This shirt is perfect for nightclubs.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? If you want to launch a fashion line, get started now. Don’t wait until conditions are “right” before beginning your project. I waited and learned that conditions are almost *never* right. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

What's surprised you about this? That people will still splurge on clothing, even in a down economy.

What kind of clients do you have? Most of my clients are trendy women in their 30s and 40s. Occasionally, I generate interest from twenty-somethings with a bit of disposable income.

What features/expansion are you planning? Right now, I’m starting with knit tops. Eventually, I would like to expand into woven tops, skirts and pants.

Interview with Judi of J.Bissinger Designs

From house to house boat J.Bissinger Designs brings beauty and comfort to where you hang your hat.

What is the name and contact info of your business? J.Bissinger Designs 109 78th St. Sea Isle City, NJ 08243 610-550-1152 / email: [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I always knew how to sew, when my hubby decided to partially retire I needed something to do. I have always worked with him in our Dental Practice. When he decided to cut back to 8 hours per week (lol) I thought, I need to do something. We live at our home in Sea Isle City 95% of the time. It’s a barrier island with a million boats. I taught myself how to do boat upholstery over the winter by volunteering to recover boat seats for free. I found out that it was fun and I was awesome at doing it. I loved it and people loved my work.

When did you start? I started my business approximately 5 years ago.

How do you promote your items? I do not advertise, it is all word of mouth. I have a legitimate business, licensed and insured. I have done work for the city that I live in. It is the best. I did a job for someone in my town and it was on. It took off like wild fire.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? To get to this point has been an adventure. It took guts. After a winter of volunteer upholstery and canvas work, I had business cards printed up and started handing them out. I had my insurance and license at this point because I wanted everything on the up and up. I literally walked around handing out cards at marinas and putting them on boats that were parked in people’s driveways. I would talk to anyone who would listen. I also started doing custom window treatments. I found that during the winter the boat business was slow. I started offering to make draperies, pillows, cornice boards, etc. This also took off. I have been lucky enough to do work most winters in new construction. I fabricate and install many different types of window treatments and home accents in people’s homes. I have had the opportunity to work in beautiful homes and on beautiful boats and yachts. I am very fortunate, but I have also put in the time and effort.

What mistakes have you made? At times I have bitten off a few projects that I wished I didn't. However, it has only been a few and I got through it. It is not all ice cream and cake. Projects like those keep you in check. They are lessons learned. It’s all good and I wouldn't change a thing!!

What have you learned? I have learned not to be sooooo critical of my own work. I really beat myself up if it’s not absolutely perfect , but I guess that's why people like my work. I am a little crazy about things need to perfect. I have also learned that you just can’t please all people all the time :).

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? People love my product line which consist of: boat upholstery & canvas, custom window treatments and other home accents. I have also made faux fur jackets for a high end wedding in Washington, DC. I have people that just show up at my house (that's where my shop is) and say, "I hear you can sew, can you fix this for me?" This is the best. I have fixed everything from clothing to an inflatable water slide. It is hilarious. Some of the payoff for such deeds is wine & cookies (lol).

What is your most popular product? The thing that keeps me the busiest is boat upholstery and I think that is my favorite thing to do.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area?

My advice to someone wanting to start their own business is to do their homework. Know the product that you are offering inside and out. You must be willing to stand behind it. I have had jobs in historical buildings; I researched the building history before going to meet with the client, so that I knew what I was talking about before I got there.

What's surprised you about this? I think the thing I was most surprised about in my business is that people really don't know what they want. They want me to tell them want they want, and it works, they respect my opinion and go with it.

What kind of clients do you have? I have clients from all walks of life. I have done work on yachts and small fishing boats; I have worked in penthouse suites, in historical hotels and little beach houses. To me all these people have the same importance. I view them the same. The big boat or house is no better than the little one. I pay attention to each project the same way.

What features/expansion are you planning? This year I added custom embroidery to my vinyl and canvas line. I worked on it all winter to perfect it and now I offer that to clients, it has gone over well. I even just recently was contacted by the US Military to possibly do work for them. We are still working out the details (very exciting).

Anything else? I love what I do, my hubby is my rock and constant support. He is my left hand when I need help in my shop. I actually do all this work myself. I wouldn't change anything about it, and each year I try to add something new!!

Interview with Judy Tan of tanQ

Judy Tan and tanQ help to bring awareness to the world by helping different organizations and displaying unique and eye catching designs on their one-of-a-kind t-shirts.

What is the name and contact info of your business? tanQ www.tanq.us www.facebook.com/tanq.us www.twitter.com/_tanq

How did you get interested in this area? We want to make a positive impact on the world by fostering hope and encouragement through design on t-shirts. Through the use of stimulating graphics, we allow people to promote the causes that are important to them and support them financially. Our goal is to bring people closer together by creating common threads and encouraging individuals to become involved in their communities.

When did you start? 09/2010

How do you promote your items?

Online, social media, local shops and art events.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? We want people to wear the shirt. It’s not just a branded shirt; it’s an expression of the core message of that month’s non-profit organization. So we research to discover the core essence and mission of each non-profit. We then conceptualize a design and a direction to communicate their core message in an eye-catching and appealing way. Each limited edition tanQ t-shirt comes with a greeting card that displays that month’s design, a mini button, and a tag indicating its edition number. What mistakes have you made? So many. We make mistakes every day, but that's the beauty of it. There's always room to improve, but I’m not afraid to fail as much as I am afraid of not trying. If you are starting your own business, be prepared to fail at some level. Learn from it, then pick yourself back up, dust off the bad choice and march forward.

What have you learned? The whole journey of starting tanQ was a learning experience from the beginning – to be the conductor of every aspect of the business. Every day I learn something new.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? One rewarding aspect would have to be seeing the successful results of each month’s shirt. It feels good to know that I designed a t-shirt that just helped support a great organization and a good cause. Also, bringing people closer together and encouraging more individuals to be involved in the community and become aware of local organizations is very fulfilling!

What is your most popular product? Spoon Me http://www.tanq.us/product/07-jul-spoon-me t-shirt that was featured in Portlandia Season 2 (TV show)

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? None of it is easy. I don't think anyone starts their own business because they want something simple or easy. It’s discouraging sometimes but you have to pick yourself right back up. Remind yourself every day why you are doing what you are doing. Believe in yourself!

What's surprised you about this? Every day is a surprise and you have to accept and embrace every fireball that comes your way!

What kind of clients do you have? All types!

What features/expansion are you planning? Keep it simple.

Interview with Carlene of Dries Preston Handbags

Carlene and Dries Preston Handbags have introduced handmade handbags that enhance the everyday lives of women from all walks of life.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Dries Preston Handbags. We are located in New York, and our handbags are made by hand in the USA. Styles are being updated and can be viewed/purchased at: www.driespreston.com. I love friendly, inspiring and inquiring emails, so send an email to: [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I share my gift of beauty with the world, so my love of shape, color and form has always been the driving force which leads me to create products that are aesthetically pleasing and functional too!

When did you start? In 2002 I began designing for various fashion companies then in 2010 I followed my inner nudging to design and deliver beautiful interior lighted handbags to glamorous women!

How do you promote your items? Quality product and word of mouth. Planning execution through social media and interviews.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Build relationships; relationships with my label manufacture Roxwell Waterhouse at www.roxwellwaterhouse.com or with a friendly blogger, Bag Bliss at www.bagbliss.com.

What mistakes have you made? Early on proceeding with the advice from others who were not in the industry and who didn't have solid business experience.

What have you learned? 1. Trust my intuition, always. 2. Listen to what my customers want; all of my creative work is for them!

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? "Wow - that bag has a light inside!" I always carry a Dries Preston handbag when out at night and the crowds of people who surround me never diminish.

What is your most popular product? Illumina Interior Lighted bag - it's a wristlet that's compact albeit has a roomy interior to hold all of your essentials, and is super comfortable and easy to carry on a night out!

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? 1. Determination. 2. To find and build relationships with people who have a common vision.

What's surprised you about this? How willing people are to connect with others to help them improve.

What kind of clients do you have? Women of any age who are fashion-conscious.

What features/expansion are you planning? Increased product selection that continues to embody style and function.

Anything else? Making people's lives brighter one handbag at a time! * Go to www.driespreston.com - Click on the JOIN US tab, and enter for your chance to win a DRIES PRESTON interior lighted handbag! *

Interview with Jo Lynn Haussmann of So Cute Kidz

Jo Lynn Haussmann has brought a wonderful line of adorable clothing that we can all enjoy from infants to adults. What is the name and contact info of your business? So Cute Kidz ~ Jo Lynn Haussmann 817-637-9009

How did you get interested in this area? I love creating & designing.

When did you start? I have been sewing and accessorizing kids' clothing since the late 70's after I had my daughter. I started "So Cute Kidz" in August, 2011. How do you promote your items? Really just by word of mouth or my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.416897708341735.99550.236253039739537&type= 3

My FB page is So Cute Kidz and also Living with Sparkle. I tried a website page and it didn't work as I didn't have the funds to purchase a search engine.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I started out with a webpage and then moved on to a Facebook page. I set up at Trade Days Shows and festivals last spring and summer and did very well but it was just too much for me to do by myself. I then started promoting my items to our church, which is very large, and to children's boutiques. What mistakes have you made? My biggest mistake was that I tried to partner with my sister. It turned out to be as disaster.

What have you learned? There is much more profit selling children's apparel and accessories directly to a customer than to a shop. Shops want to pay very little. I am making a good profit working with churches. What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Positive! Especially my children's apparel and accessories featuring sports teams. Many women also like my ladies' custom designed Christian Tees. What is your most popular product? A onesie and t shirt that I put Ranger bling, ruffles and bows on. Also my custom designed Christian ladies Tees.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Don’t expect to make a fortune right away. It takes making the right connections. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.

What's surprised you about this? I really thought if I promoted my products enough on Facebook that I would do well there also. I have hundreds of Likes but very few orders. I don't know what to do to actually get sales. I have tried running sales specials and promoting, promoting, promoting but rarely a sale.

What kind of clients do you have? Boutiques and a church. I was setting up at Trade Days and Festivals last year but it is way too physical for me now due to health issues.

What features/expansion are you planning? Nothing in particular. I am not making enough profit to get any larger even though I feel my team accessories and apparel would do well.

Interview with the Sara Scholl of Bunzuke Cloth

Sara Scholl of Bunzuke Cloth is a premier creator of handmade eco-friendly cloth diapers--- with a funky twist!

What is the name and contact info of your business? Bunzuke Cloth www.facebook.com/bunzukecloth www.hyenacart.com/bunzuke [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I started making diapers for my daughter when she was 3 months old, after I got tired of hauling so many disposable diapers to the dumpster every other day. I used fabric I had around the house

like fleece throw blankets and flannel pajamas. I couldn't stop sewing diapers! I soon had plenty for my baby and my sister wanted me to make some for a friend's baby shower. So started Bunzuke!

How do you promote your items? I have a Facebook page where I post pictures and update fans. In turn, pictures get shared on other various social networking pages and the items promote themselves. I occasionally participate in blog reviews.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I became a SAHM when I was pregnant with my daughter, and started making stuff for friends and family under "The Operation." I sold the items on Etsy. Once diapers began selling, I received positive feedback, and customers shared their excitement over their new diapers with friends and family. I started selling out on Etsy and began to focus on making diapers and opened up shop at Hyena Cart under Bunzuke Cloth!

What mistakes have you made? Once word about Bunzuke Cloth was spreading I started getting a lot of requests for blog reviews, events, and giveaways. I was so flattered, humbled, and excited and wanted to do them ALL! I was soon simply giving away diapers for very little in return or getting "fans" who weren't truly interested in my product but just looking for free stuff. It was a lot of pressure and I was left feeling disappointed.

I also made the mistake of not preparing to meet the growing demand. I didn't have a good record keeping system in place or simple items to complete my diapers like labels and materials.

What have you learned? "Mockery is a form of flattery." It is only a natural progression of business, that where you cannot meet the demand of a unique product, another business will come in behind you to meet the demand. In the wise words of King Solomon, there is nothing new under the sun and I have gotten a thicker skin when I see some of the diapers I've made be re-created by another diaper maker.

"Start how you want to finish." Have everything in place as if your business were fully established and thriving. Record keeping and financial programs, logos and slogans, shipping materials, plenty of supplies, and good business sense. Also know the laws and guidelines involved in selling children's items and being an established business in your state.

"Keep it fun." I keep it fun by only listing products that are already finished and ready to ship, with the exception of custom orders. If I sell diapers that haven't been made yet, I become on the clock of the customer. It becomes an enormous amount of pressure to keep the customer satisfied while also meeting the demands of home life. The fun of it leaves.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like?

I would describe it as extreme. People seem to either love or hate my diaper creations, either in look or price.

What is your most popular product? Custom diapers. These are special diapers that meet the specifications of the buyer and made to order. They are often character diapers or have intricate designs and embellishments.

What's surprised you about this? I've been surprised at the overwhelming response to my diaper designs and that I am still able to keep a busy shop and sell items that I love making!

What kind of clients do you have? Statistically, Over 85% of my business is mothers between the ages of 19 and 26. Relationally, I have the most supportive, exciting, and fun customers there are!

What features/expansion are you planning? I would love to create and copyright the pattern for my Convertabunz TM Snapping Prefold & Inserts to sell on my website.

Anything else? I know some people wonder where the name and logo comes from. The Bunzuke Cloth logo is a little sumo baby. The ultimate Bunzuke is a list of the top ranking sumo wrestlers. From a western point of view, what do sumo wrestlers wear? Diapers! BUN-zuke is just a play on words to emphasize "bunz." Bunzuke Cloth's slogan is "one step ahead." Sumo wrestlers move forward with focus and strength, one step at a time. I want Bunzuke Cloth to move forward with the same power and I am also driven to stay "one step ahead" of the competition, which is very strong among work at home moms.

Interview with Amir Usher of Amir James Clothiers

Amir James Clothiers are creating a fascinating line of clothing that brings fresh and unique new designs to the world of clothing design.

What is the name and contact info of your business? My name is Amir Usher and I’m the CEO of Amir James Clothiers. We can be reached at our website www.AmirJames.com; by email @ [email protected]; and/or our blog site at amirjames.tumblr.com.

How did you get interested in this area? My interest in fashion started at a very early age while seeing my parents customize clothing and accessories with their own company. It materialized from fascination with putting together the nicest outfit to designing for everyday wear. From there it transitioned from a fixation and into an opportunity to develop my own brand and it’s been history ever since.

When did you start? The company was developed and launched in 2009.

How do you promote your items? We promote our product through event sponsorship, email, blog sites and various social media outlets via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? The process has definitely been a learning experience to say the least. Basically, getting the business aspect, i.e. paperwork, in order before proceeding with designs, labels, promotions, etc. From there I purchased equipment and learned the process of manufacturing in the most efficient manner. In time, opportunities emerged which put the company in a position for expansion.

What mistakes have you made? The biggest mistake thus far has been overextending ourselves and actually believing that we could do everything solely on our own. Also, not properly managing inventory-causing overage in the spending budget.

What have you learned? I’ve learned that patience is definitely a talent and business is simply that, business.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The response thus far is surreal. The support and love from customers is overwhelming. Everyone seems to be satisfied with his or her product and display it genuinely.

What is your most popular product? It would have to be the Strapback Hat called “The Essence.”

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? I would tell anyone who is seriously considering entering this field of work to make sure you are willing to put forth the time and passion needed to convey your vision to the world. Also, be creative and inspire with each piece of product you choose to release.

What's surprised you about this? The response and how receptive customers have been to the products.

What kind of clients do you have? My clients consist of males ranging from the ages of 16-30 who have a definitive passion for fashion and consider their style to be synonymous with timeless creativity.

What features/expansion are you planning? The brand is focusing on collaborating with other fashion lines to produce some apparel for the Fall Collection and placement in a few boutiques within our region.

Anything else? I would like to thank you for the opportunity to express our vision and share a bit of our journey with you.

Interview with Margaret O'Donnell of Dolce far Niente Texas

Margaret O'Donnell is bringing the unique fashion to the world of hand bags that allows women to go out in style and look fabulous.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Dolce far Niente Texas, [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I enjoy sewing functional objects.

When did you start? 2010

How do you promote your items? Word of mouth, web site, Facebook.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? My business is really just my hobby. I don't make enough money at to even support my sewing habit!

What mistakes have you made?

Too many to enumerate here. But the main one is making a product that is very expensive to produce and beyond the price point most people are willing/able to pay.

What have you learned? People want a unique product, but are very particular in the features they want, so selling one-of-a-kind objects is very hit-and-miss.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? I always get rave compliments; few purchases. Shop owners love my purses and bags and want to carry them in their stores, but they sell very slowly.

What is your most popular product? Antique linen mangle cloth kitchen aprons.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Have fun and let go of your ego.

What kind of clients do you have? Women of all walks.

What features/expansion are you planning? Just got the Square, and still trying to figure it out.

Anything else? People love the labels I bought from you!

Interview with Keri Rogers of BAYA Wellness, LLC

Keri Rogers is bringing her fresh new line of yoga props into the world of fitness making sure we stay fit, comfortable, and stylish.

What is the name and contact info of your business? BAYA Wellness, LLC Website: www.BAYAWellness.com Email: [email protected] Phone: (864) 430-1275

How did you get interested in this area? My mother is a master seamstress and worked out of our home most of my life. When I got into yoga and realized the lack of yoga props available, I asked her to teach me the art of sewing and together we designed some top quality yoga bolsters and relaxation pillows. It was fun to learn from her and offer something that honors what I want to offer to the world.

When did you start? BAYA Wellness was founded in August of 2010.

How do you promote your items? Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Newsletter, Etsy, Website, and Direct Email Marketing

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? So far, with the help of my master seamstress, we've developed a top of the line selection of Yoga Bolsters as well as an assortment of Relaxation Pillows. Our bolsters are the lightest on the market and designed for durability. Our yoga props have been to studios and individuals all around the South Carolina area and surrounding states. We do not have a physical store and I make the yoga props in my home office/yoga studio. Our yoga props are retailed at over 6 locations currently (2 of which are consignment).

We just sold our first product online last month and that was an awesome baby step into the online marketplace. I've personally emailed and reached out to my network to find opportunities for my props to be sold, provided demo models for public use in busy studios, and done trunk shows. Our growth continues slowly but surely.

What mistakes have you made? Worrying too much and trying to have it all figured out - rather than living in the moment and enjoying the journey. You don't have to have it all figured out... just pick a direction and go! :-)

What have you learned? Efficiency is king and do a little work every day rather than stressing at the last minute. Because I make the same products year round in different prints and patterns I like to make up a lot of my inner liners so that I always have them on hand. Also, buy product purchase labels from a printing shop rather than trying to make and print your own. Order them in bulk to save yourself time and wasted dollars and hire a professional. It's worth it!

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? People love them. Here's one of our latest testimonies: "I have gotten so many compliments on my new bolster. It's awesome." - Alex Moody

Our products are different and made for practical use - people can tell! :-)

What is your most popular product? Yoga Bolsters - which are dense supportive pillows made for people to use with postures on the floor.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area?

Make sure the day to day work is something you're happy with. If you don't love what you do... it shows!

What's surprised you about this? How supportive and excited people have been about our yoga props. People are hungry for small batch designs and love what we offer.

What kind of clients do you have? Yoga teachers, massage therapists, yoga and health students of all ages, meditation practitioners, studio owners, retail facilities, humans.

What features/expansion are you planning? Selling my products in studios and yoga centers across the southeast and online. I'm also considering adding yoga sandbags to my product offerings.

Interview with Jim Lafferty of eLLz Brand Shorts

Jim Lafferty and eLLz Brand Shorts is bringing a refreshing new shorts design to bring the fun back into summer.

What is the name and contact info of your business? eLLzwear LLC dba eLLzShorts www.eLLzShorts.com 103 Markley Rd., Schwenksville, PA 19473 Owner, Jim Lafferty [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area? I came up with the idea to make my shorts while driving to Disney World from Philadelphia. It's a good 16 hour drive through the night all hopped up on 5 Hour Energy. Yeah, I got this crazy idea to make the most comfortable and unique shorts known to man. The shorts would have all the features that I wanted in a short – smaller usable pockets, a smart phone pocket, a gusseted crotch, all cotton, lightweight fabric.

I also had an idea to re-introduce the men's floral and tropical shorts which was a fad when I was in grade school in the 80s. I came up with an idea to make shorts with collegiate and professional sports team colors. That’s coming.

When did you start? Aug 2010. I bought my first book on how to become a fashion design entrepreneur. An odd direction for a middle aged jock sales guy and family man but I have a desire to seek financial independence and I’m also artistic. I can’t draw well or anything but I have ideas and hopefully enough people will like my ideas.

How do you promote your items?

I have a website and I’m working every day on marketing. I cold call local stores to carry my shorts. I have 6 stores currently. After I got my first shipment of product last October, 2012, I went a little crazy and misguidedly spent or probably better stated wasted about $5,000.00 on Facebook and Google pay per click ads. They just did not convert into enough sales so I have since stopped those campaigns. I then focused on SEO and optimizing my site to get traffic through keyword search. I made another poor choice by hiring an SEO company from India through Elance. They sounded great and did a good job of getting a few good keywords ranked high but still, the end result was no sales. I paid them $350.00 per month for 3 months and then I stopped.

I talked to another SEO consultant who was referred to me and I asked them to evaluate what the Indian company actually did for me. The keywords they got ranked were phrases that are rarely searched and the backlinks they had generated for me were from fake sites that had no traffic. So I’m not hiring out of the US anymore and I’m actually getting ready to hire another company to help me with SEO and web marketing. I ideally want to sell my shorts directly to consumers.

Another strategy I invested in is affiliate marketing. I spent $700.00 to join shareasale and I have a good amount of affiliates trying to refer people to my website but it’s a been 6 months now and not one sale has resulted. I going to give this more time because everything I read tells me affiliate marketing is a good strategy to have but that it takes a long time to develop. So we will see.

I also run my own email marketing campaigns. I only have about 200 subscribers and this method has worked in reaching those who don’t see my social media updates.

I have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. I work on trying to get people to follow me by following them, liking their posts and engaging them in conversation. So far, I can’t say my effort has paid off but I’m going to keep at it.

One of my hurdles right now is that I don’t have a lot of product. I have four styles of shorts and I have a t-shirt in 3 colors. I have 2 new styles shorts in production right now and they’ll be in at the end of July. Having a small number of products makes it hard for marketing and SEO. You can only say so much and promote so much about same 4 pairs of shorts. So the more I can sell, the more product I can get and the more traffic I should be able to draw.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? After I educated myself in fashion and clothing manufacturing I hired a consultant for a day at the rate of $750.00 She gave me some great points but it was old school. She hooked me up with a sample maker in NYC that I wasted a lot of time and money with. However during those trips I met a manufacturing broker that essentially gave me the tip I needed to see the light. So ultimately getting this referral led me to people who did provide sound advice.

What mistakes have you made? Paying for pay per click ads. Attempting to make my shorts in the US. I tried and had bad experiences every step of the way.

What have you learned? So far I’ve learned that at least my clothes in particular are just better sourced overseas. I can’t get printed fabric like mine in the US. I’ve learned that it takes a long time to foster a relationship overseas. I communicated with about 5 suppliers for over a year before I made my decision. I have two suppliers I work with now.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The reaction is great. I have rabid fans of my shorts. Not one return yet which is great. The finished product is fantastic and better than I even thought they would be. The only thing holding me back is marketing. Not enough people are getting to my site.

What is your most popular product? My Ti-Vine short which a cargo short with Hawaiian Ti Vine print.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Before you spend money on what you think you need, decide on supplier first and have them tell you what they actually need to make your product. I wasted a lot of money on things I thought I needed or what others told me I needed.

What's surprised you about this? Nothing. I knew I would take some hits financially and timing wise because I entered an industry I had no experience in. I consider that money spent as my hard knocks education, learning the hard way. I’m not looking back and not too upset about the mistakes I’ve made. I just move forward.

What kind of clients do you have? Consumers and small boutique retailers.

What features/expansion are you planning? New styles of shorts including licensed collegiate and professional sports league apparel. More shirts and accessories.

Interview with Young Ozogwu of Derasoft Clothiers and Interiors

Through a lot of hard work and dedication, Young Ozogwu has introduced this fabulous line of clothing from Derasoft Clothiers and Interiors into the lives of many happy and satisfied customers.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Our business name is Derasoft Clothiers and Interiors.

We have outlets in Abuja, Enugu and Lagos. Our head office is located at Suite 21, Fatima Plaza, Koroduma, (one-man village) Karu LGA, Nasarawa State

How did you get interested in this area? I chose this line of business because I have a passion for it. I got interested in this business when I discovered that there is a vacuum in the fashion industry for locally made products for children and young people in both the low and high-end range.

When did you start? I started this business in 2008 after we did a lot of research and industry business analysis.

How do you promote your items? Our products are promoted through several channels, like our outlets, showrooms, fashion shows, social media and our website (www.derasoftclothiers.com.ng/).

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? The process that I adopted to arrive at the point we are now is very simple. Focus, dedication and tenacity. In this business, one must remain very focused irrespective of the distractions and challenges one may face.

At a point people were asking me if I was sure of what I was doing and what if I wasn’t successful. But I was confident about my business plan, and put in all my energies into making it to happen.

What mistakes have you made? God has been with me thus far, so I have been careful and very prudent with my resources. No regrets.

What have you learned? I have learned that for you to survive in this saturated industry, you must carve a niche for yourself. You must be visible and stand out. You must be naturally creative and also have the guts to try new things, especially venture into areas where others dread.

We have also learned that customer satisfaction is everything. For us this is guaranteed and assured. Every product is unique and tailor made to fit the individual and to cap it all, our product is affordable. Customers can’t get a better product experience anywhere else.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? From the feedback we get, I feel proud to say that people love our products. Our products are in high demand mostly by young girls and teenagers. In our production process, all creative, design, production, distribution and administration are carried out under one roof. This ensures that quality is overseen throughout our process.

What is your most popular product? All our products are popular and very dear to our heart. For us, every stitch matters. Exquisite, quality and affordable products need no introduction. Our adherence to quality assurance testing on all our products makes us stand out. To answer your question directly, our “Old Skool Groove” and “Open Happiness.”

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? I want to encourage anyone who is planning on starting this business to get on it already and stop wasting time. Just make sure you have genuine passion for it, because when the frustrations of the job come, it is only your genuine love for the business that will keep you going. Pay attention to details.

What's surprised you about this? You mean about the business? I wouldn’t say that I was surprised in the true sense of the word. I have always known that many young females are craving to wear clothes made with an Ankara or other local wax materials. This is because clothing from the boutique is usually not tailored to fit.

Many fashion houses that make women’s clothes concentrate on adult clients and customers. But our focus is bringing adult styles down to children and teen girls. These want to be able to choose their own material, style and pattern and have their clothing tailored to fit them.

What kind of clients do you have? We have both low and high end customers. We ensure that using local fabrics, we make the coolest kids' clothes that they can rarely find in the market. She'll look fabulous and unique!

What features/expansion are you planning? We have already introduced online ordering of our products on our website (www.derasoftclothiers.com.ng/) and soon we are planning on going to some international fashion shows as a way of expanding our customer base while at the same time creating more outlets here in Nigeria.

Anything else? For that truly special, luxurious gift for your fashion loving girl, you can make it happen at Derasoft Clothiers!

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DerasoftClothiers and Follow us on Twitter:@DerasoftClothes

Interview with Anthony Davis of Four-T's Apparel

Anthony Davis is an artist who, by integrating original designs, amazing artwork, new innovative ideas, and a unique approach to the different indie brands of clothing, has established himself as an inspiration in the ever growing world of clothing design.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Four-T's Apparel www.four-ts.com

How did you get interested in this area? I have always liked being creative and designing things. Growing up in New York City, I had always been influenced by the different styles and creativity in the fashion world in the early 80s and 90s, and I guess it just stuck with me.

When did you start? About 7or 8 years ago.

How do you promote your items?

A lot of social media sites and also stickers and business cards. Word-of-mouth is always helpful.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? The process to get to this point is basically just staying constant. Consistency is big part of moving forward in this business, because it is easy to get stagnated when things are moving slow.

What mistakes have you made? As far as mistakes go, there are too many to name here but just to name a few I would include rushing and not taking my time to do the proper research, being impatient can be costly.

What have you learned? What I've learned? A lot. I learn something new all the time about this business, from the ordering process to the different materials and printing process. And I'm still learning.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The reaction to our product line? Well, it is always different being that we developed four different brands and each brand has a niche clientele. For instance, we develop a brand called chess-not-checkers so people who like the game of chess gravitate towards that brand more.

We also developed a brand call {Handsome1}, {Beautiful1} And {Tru-Balance}. Handsome1 and Beautiful1 are pretty much self-explanatory. They are for the people who believe in themselves and feel that they displayed these attributes. With our brand Tru-Balance, people see designs that have deeper meaning of something truly different. So we get different reactions to our different brands.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? The advice I would give would be to make sure this is what you want to do, and do your research. Don't rush because it can get costly and is time consuming and also discouraging, but if it is what you want to do then it is well worth it.

What's surprised you about this? I guess what surprised me the most is how big this market really is and how many Indie brands are out there.

What kind of clients do you have? We have all types of clients. We have different brands to suit different people so we see a diverse clientele at our business.

What features/expansion are you planning? As of now, we are working on getting our web shop redesigned and also we are planning to release a new shirt for our Chess-Not-Checkers brand we will be releasing it around the 15th of the month and a new shirt for our Handsome1 brand toward the end of June.

Interview with Erik Hover of Suburban Apparel Group

Erik Hover, whose forte includes screen printing and embroidery, began Suburban Apparel Group in a small garage at the age of 15 and has grown to include multimillion dollar clients. He secret to success is dogged determination and "true grit."

What is the name and contact info of your business?

I'm Erik Hover, Co-Owner of Suburban Apparel Group

8439 White Oak Ave. Unit. 111 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730. Phone # (909) 559-3704.

Our website is: www.suburbanapparelgroup.com

How did you get interested in this area? My interest in screen printing and embroidery sparked from wanting to start my own clothing line which I was getting printed through another printer who was ripping me off. I decided to purchase my own equipment on eBay and figure out how to become the best at quality screen printing at a fair price. That was 12 years ago and I haven't stopped since.

When did you start? I started in 2001. I was 15 and still in high school.

How do you promote your items? Word of mouth is our biggest source of promotion. We do such a great job that our clients keep sending us referrals which end up turning into return clients. Yelp & Google AdWords are also very effective forms of advertisement.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? It's been a long road so far in getting Suburban Apparel Group to the point it's at. Massive amounts of trial and error were endured to form the technique we use to bring such a quality product to the market. We started in a garage doing small orders for anybody we could convince to let us do work for them. Now, we're in our own shop printing for multi-million dollar companies and our work is shipped to and sold in stores all over the world. Dedication, hard work and a stubborn team who had no intention of providing a mediocre product, is what really got us to this point.

What mistakes have you made? Mistakes are common when starting up any business and let me tell you, we've had our fair share of mistakes. None of us attended business school so the business aspect was semi-neglected for quite a while. We were so caught up in bringing a quality product that we let the paperwork fall by the wayside. We eventually got it under control. On the printing/technique side of things, when it comes to screen printing and embroidery there is no book that can teach technique and quality, so we ruined (intentionally: for learning purposes) a lot of shirts to dial in the different inks and chemicals we use to get the perfect print.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? It's impossible to say we've never had a complaint because some end customers love to complain for no reason on occasion. But on a broader spectrum the response to our product is great! Like I

said earlier most of our business comes from referrals. We've learned that integrity and top notch customer service is above all the most important part of running a business. If you mess up on an order then sincerely apologize and offer to fix the prints or replace the order altogether. I guarantee that you won't lose that customer.

What is your most popular product? Since we do screen printing and embroidery those are considered services. But between the two we do more screen printing than embroidery.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? A lot of great advice has already been given in the previous answers but I can say that for people looking to get into screen printing and embroidery is this... It's not an easy business and while there is a lot of money to be made, do not be fooled into think the money is going to come easy. Take your time, don't quit your day job and become a scholar of the craft. Expect to work long hours with little time off but also reap the rewards when you please a client.

Interview with Sharon Blair of Portland Sewing

Sharon Blair is founder of a remarkable program that teaches area residences the art and business of fashion sewing to future up-and-coming superstars. We are fortunate to have her share thoughts and nuggets of wisdom reflecting 40 years of industry experience.

Her motto is "We are apparel people teaching apparel people."

What is the name and contact info of your business? Sharon Blair Portland Sewing Sharon @ Portland Sewing [email protected] www.portlandsewing.com

2111 NE 43rd, Portland OR 97213 In the heart of the Hollywood District (503) 927-5457 "We are apparel people teaching apparel people" 7 blocks north of the Hollywood Max station or 1 block north of the #12 bus stop at 43rd & Sandy. Park for free on Tillamook Street or in the small lot north of our building

How did you get interested in this area? I've been in the apparel business for 40 years. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine told me I'd be good at teaching. I did have a teaching degree in Biology. So I gave apparel a try. I love it! I found people in Portland have a real hunger to learn how to make clothes professionally.

When did you start? Portland Sewing started business in 2002.

How do you promote your items? We promote through area stores, social media, our own website and area schools. We get great word-of-mouth from former students.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? We started with a beginning sewing class for four students. We added classes as people requested them. As I like to say, we've grown organically. The business has grown to add classes in such things as intermediate and advanced sewing, tailoring, draping, design and specialty classes on zippers, textiles, sewing difficult fabrics and the business of apparel. In 2010, Portland Sewing purchased a building in the Hollywood District of Northeast Portland. Every year for the past three years, Portland Sewing holds a contest to choose 8 of its students to go through Fashion Forward Program (r). The show launches new designers by taking them through the steps of product development, sales and fulfillment. Past Fashion Forward participants include:

-- Bryce Black who went on to Project Runway -- Alyssa Woods, Lisa Silveira and Alyson Clair who now sell at several boutiques on the West Coast. -- Karen Davis, last year's audience favorite, who now sells at two area boutiques. -- Caitlin McCall, one of this year's audience favorites, who just got a big order from a Portland boutique and a major story in the Portland Mercury (http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/quick-study/Content?oid=9573557)

What mistakes have you made? Not getting a larger building.

What have you learned? Pulling together a great team of teachers and fashion professionals is key. What's the reaction to your product or product line like?

We've grown from 4 students to 2,000. Here's a comment from one of our students: “You know what, I am just overall delighted to be in your school. I feel as though I’ve been searching for it for years as an alternative to FIT or Pratt or Parsons.” – Aimee R

What is your most popular product? We have three: Fashion design (sketching and Illustration), patternmaking and apparel construction.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Be passionate, persistent and professional: build your skills.

What's surprised you about this? The amount of time it takes to be an overnight sensation. Typically it takes 10 years.

What kind of clients do you have? Women and men in their mid-20s who want to take charge of their lives and follow their dreams.

What features/expansion are you planning? Get a bigger building and add on-line classes.

Anything else? We have been reaching out to leaders in the city, county, state as well as business leaders. We want to make Portland a market center for the apparel industry.

Interview With Della Glein of della Q

Della is a professional, well-seasoned knitting and fabrics expert who has been serving a diverse global clientele for nearly a decade. She offers very valuable advice about the industry. Read on...

What is the name and contact info of your business? della Q Della Glein 877.733.5527 [email protected] www.dellaQ.com

How did you get interested in this area? While taking a sabbatical from my professional career, I traveled to Southeast Asia and fell in love with the fabrics and embroidery. When I returned home I showed friends handbags, textiles and clothing from Vietnam. The loved them just as much as I did. I decided to import handbags with the luscious silk fabric. While showing the product to boutiques I learned many knitters were looking for something unique for their knitting projects. I spent time talking with store owners and knitters and have now developed a full line of knitting accessories including bags and needle cases.

When did you start?

Fall of 2004

How do you promote your items? I attend both trade and retail shows talking with store owners and knitters. I also do a fair amount of social media and have a very strong email program.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? I focused on developing a brand that was unique for the industry. I listen intently to my customers – both wholesale and retail. I watch my cash flow. I look for partnership opportunities within the industry. I look to other brands outside the industry for marketing and sales inspiration.

What mistakes have you made? I started a product line that failed due to lack of research on the consumer needs and lack of financial planning.

What have you learned? Listen to your customers, but balance their requests with business practicality.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? My customers LOVE the fabrics and the quality of the sewing. They collect various pieces to build their collection of needle cases and bags.

What is your most popular product? The QueÒ Circular Needle is a must for knitters. It includes needle size numbers on each pocket to easily find the right tool so you can spend more time knitting and less time looking for the right needle!

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Have a financial plan, don’t just start a business because you like a particular product or area. It is a business, not a hobby.

What kind of clients do you have? Most of my customers are owners of boutique yarn stores from the US to Australia to Europe to Japan.

What features/expansion are you planning? I would love to develop products using fabrics other than silk and cotton, perhaps linen or suiting material.

Anything else? Thanks!

Interview with Emily Kramer and Amanda Gaskins of Anno Domini Designs

This creative duo has created very eclectic and beautiful fashion lines since 2008. They offer some very revealing and informative advice---read on.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Anno Domini Designs Emily Kramer and Amanda Gaskins www.annodominidesigns.com Rock Hill, South Carolina (803) 450-0051

How did you get interested in this area? Amanda and I had a history of costuming for historical events, theater and some clothing design. A friend in Chicago told us we could take it further and make it bigger. We spent the entire 12 hour drive home talking about it. That was when Anno Domini was born. We decided we were passionate about clothing designs of just about every era - so why not make it now?

When did you start? That drive home happened July 5th, 2008. That's when it started.

How do you promote your items? Social media plays a part. We also get involved with Charlotte Fashion Week, and other events and shows in Charlotte and Chicago.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? For us it was kind of a crash course. We learned a lot in our first few years, but more after we won Best Emerging Designer in 2011 at Charlotte Fashion Week.

The prize was a booth at the America's Mart - Atlanta Apparel Mart. We pulled our brand together visually, but realized what the real world of boutiques was looking for very quickly. Since then we have been able to take an honest look at our customers, and see through their eyes. The bumps we had in the past were mostly that while everyone seemed to love our designs, they were too expensive to produce on a grander scale. So we had some growth in the couture department, but now we're able to really approach and build relationships with stores.

What mistakes have you made? We made huge mistake of allowing our lack of serious interest at Atlanta Apparel Mart get us down. It cost us some time, and we weren't inspired to create again for months. Being generally positive people, we thought we'd breeze through it, and it hit us harder than we thought it would. Once we recovered, we decided to use it as a learning experience. Other mistakes we made involved business with people and organizations without contracts. Verbal agreements at the time seemed enough, and we were trusting. Now, we know not to promise a bunch of time, designs, models, etc, without asking some very important questions, and knowing who it ultimately benefits, and why.

What have you learned? Way too much to list. Every day seems like a learning experience. Here are a few things I'd say are big ones:

1. We learned that models are probably not the measurements they send in. Measure them anyway.

2. We learned that networking is essential. Don't fool yourself into thinking talent is all you need. It's a business. Run it like one. That designer you can't stand is making it big because he's a people person who can work a room.

3. Finding what motivates us is important. Motivators change - so one day it's music, one day it's rage. Keep it fresh.

4. We learned to celebrate the wins, even the little ones. We celebrate them with style and passion. Those are the memories we want to keep.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? We hear "wow" a lot. From backstage, I listen for the audible gasp at every show when our first piece walks. My favorite is: "You MADE that?!?" Never gets old. We love hearing stories about what piece was whose favorite, etc.

What is your most popular product? The biggest number of inquiries we get are about the peacock gown. It's a showpiece, so it gets a lot of attention. The most popular seller has been the turquoise Moonstone dress.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Don't forget it's a business involving art. The art is your passion, but don't lose sight of your business. There are plenty of brilliant designers that make almost nothing. You might think it's epic to sew porcelain teacups to a $100/yard silk skirt and call it art. It probably is. However, you have to keep perspective on what your salable product is and what your customer wants to buy.

What's surprised you about this? I was surprised after one of our shows when we got asked by a junior high student to speak in her class on career day. We did it - we couldn't say no. It was a neat experience. We are always surprised by the people who look up to us.

What kind of clients do you have? We have a lot of varied clients who shop for an occasion. Most are women. Weddings, red carpet, prom, pageants, and holiday parties are top events. She tends to have a flair for fun and drama. She likes to turn heads, and she's one of a kind.

What features/expansion are you planning? We're going to participate in Charlotte Fashion Week again September 2013. We're also planning some really artistic photo shoots for our next look-book.

Anything else? We've always got something up our sleeve, and we keep an open mind to opportunities. As things change, we grow. Who knows what could happen?

Interview with Jamie Godfrey of Jamie Godfrey Home Collection

Jamie Godfrey is a professional crafter from Jersey City and is the creator of high end and unique home accessories. He has collaborated with giants such as Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren to produce unique product lines

What is the name and contact info of your business? Jamie Godfrey Home Collection www.jamiegodfrey.com https://www.etsy.com/shop/jamiegodfrey

How did you get interested in this area? I studied fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Technology. When I was pulling trend and inspirational materials, they were always from interiors. After college, I ended up working for Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren developing home product lines for those companies. It was my dream to take my own ideas and make them come to life. I also wanted to focus on making all of my products in the US, from materials from US suppliers.

When did you start? February 2012

How do you promote your items?

I sell my housewares and gifts through my Etsy site. I've relied largely on social media and word of mouth to get my name out there. I also attend street and craft fairs when I can.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? It's all happened rather organically, I have to say. I get an idea and I run with it. I like the freedom in being able to be creative and selective about the products I produce. I typically don't do a great deal of market research because I don't want to be influenced too much by what other artists are producing.

What mistakes have you made? Not enlisting more help sooner. I enjoy working with my hands and producing the items myself. I've had trouble in letting go of that control and hiring additional help, which is necessary if I am to grow my brand to the next level.

What have you learned? First and foremost, to believe in myself. If I like something, chances are my customer is going to, too. If it's not working for me, I drop it and move on. Another great lesson I've learned is that customers are craving handmade products from artists in the US. There are local movements all across the country in various mediums and I am happy to be a part of that.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? Overwhelmingly positive. I think I've struck a balance of sophistication and wit that resonates with customers.

What is your most popular product? Definitely my hand-embroidered "Hot Mess" kitchen towels. They are my number one item.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? You don't have to have tons of money or years of experience to get started. If it's handbags or T- shirts or pillow shams that you're interested in, make one! Your first one probably isn't going to be sellable, but you did it. You made something. That will fuel a desire in you to keep making, keep improving. Never stop improving on your craft.

What's surprised you about this? I've received and completed dozens of custom projects for people. They've contacted me through Etsy to hand-embroider items for weddings, christenings, and gifts for other special occasions. One of my favorite custom projects was one where I hand-sewed French knots on dinner napkins in a Braille pattern, spelling the words "Thank You."

What kind of clients do you have? Wide ranging. From what I can tell about their demographics, they seem to be 20-40, primarily women (although I have had some orders from men). I even shipped candles to a woman in London! That was very exciting.

What features/expansion are you planning? I definitely want to expand my decorative pillow offering. I also desperately want to expand into top of bed items such as quilts, duvets, coverlets and pillowcases.

Anything else? Do what you love. You can't go wrong with that.

Interview with Averian Turner of Humble Clothing Company

Averian Turner is founder of Humble Clothing Company, an eclectic North American menswear and accessory business that has been around since 2007.

The trials and tribulation that I went through with my company was not exactly knowing how to run a business properly. So I had to take classes, read and research the best ways to run a successful business. I still ran into bumps, but it made it a lot easier knowing how to get yourself out of that situation. It also helps to listen to those who been through some things that you have. In my 6 year journey I have come in contact with all different types of business men, and I love to pick their brains. I learned a lot by doing that. They taught me to stay persistent in anything I do, all ways have passion for the field you’re in, and stop at nothing to get what you want. And that's what I live by.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Humble Clothing Company HumbleClothingCompany.com [email protected]

How did you get interested in this area?

Fashion was something I was always into, so when I had the chance to start my own fashion line I ran to it.

When did you start? I started Humble in 2007.

How do you promote your items? I promote my brand through social media sites, word of mouth, and events.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? It took a lot hard work, dedication, and money to get where I am now. You just have to stick with it, and I have great results so far.

What mistakes have you made? I have made the wrong decision on many occasions.

What have you learned? I've learned to slow down so I can make better decisions for the business.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The reaction to my brand is so powerful, it's an instant attention getter. Very eye catching and positive.

What is your most popular product? My watches.

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Go hard at it if it’s your passion.

What's surprised you about this? Nothing, everything you do you have to put your all into it.

What kind of clients do you have? All different types, my brand is for all.

What features/expansion are you planning? Well we are working on that now, can't let it out just yet.

Anything else? Look for me to be doing great, positive things. Thank you I appreciate your time and energy.

Interview with Jacqueline Polanco of Gaulf Clothing

Jaqueline Polanco is the founder of Gaulf, LLC, an American Golf clothing producer with a vision for ethical manufacturing.

What is the name and contact info of your business? Gaulf, LLC Contact: Jackie Polanco, COO Tel: 732 252-8744 Email: [email protected] www.gaulfapparel.com

How did you get interested in this area? I am a child of parents that worked in sweatshops in New York City in the 1960s. Although conditions were poor and the pay was low, they were grateful to have jobs. As bad as those jobs were, they no longer exist. It always bothered me that many lost their jobs because production was sent to other countries like China.

Producing apparel that was 100% made in America became our goal.

When did you start? The idea to form Gaulf Apparel began in the 1980s although we did not launch our line until 2008.

How do you promote your items? We first promoted our line of golf apparel by displaying it at the Asia Golf Show in 2010. We were the only company showcasing genuine American apparel.

Tell me about the process to get to this point, what have you done? Since our Elite line is 100% made in America.... it took us over a year to identify other manufacturers of genuine American items to use for our production. Our fabric is American, the

cotton shirts are made from American fabric and American grown cotton, our thread is also produced in America, as well as our buttons.

Everything that goes into the Elite shirt is made in America. It was fun identifying these people to work with.

What mistakes have you made? Many! But it is part of the process and what keeps us fine tuning our apparel.

What have you learned? We have learned that not all female golfers are a size zero! Our goal is to clothe the "real" golfer, the one that has curves, lumps and bumps... the real woman, not the paid model. I also want to add that one of Gaulf's biggest challenges was identifying factories that would take small orders. We did not have million dollar budgets to produce massive quantities of golf wear. We found that not many factories were willing to work with us to produce 300 pieces and under at a time, a big problem I am sure for other small businesses.

What's the reaction to your product or product line like? The Chinese LOVED the idea that our Elite line was American and of high quality. They are a very picky about their purchases and demand quality.

What is your most popular product? Our most popular product is the Elite (style Vin10). It’s eye-catching!

What advice would you give to people thinking of entering this area? Take your time, do your homework and do not cut corners. Produce a quality product you can be proud of.

What's surprised you about this? Our biggest surprise is how so many American yell "buy American" then they are shocked when they see the price tag! Our best customer is the educated consumer that realizes that you CAN NOT produce a shirt here in America for $3.00.

Sorry, we do not have slave laborers!!!

What kind of clients do you have? Our clients are pro shops and universities that need to outfit their golf teams. We also work with tournament organizers.

What features/expansion are you planning? We are adding new styles/designs-- slowly but surely.

Anything else? Looking forward to seeing more American made products!!!