It is coming around!

Production is underway for the fall line. The scarves are beautiful and I'm pacing myself so I don't get overwhelmed. From this week-end on I will have 1 to 3 shows per week. There is so much enthusiasm for my product. I'm truly feeling the love!

I went to the LA International Textile show this last week. It was quite a learning experience. I'm learning my way around LA again and it is nice to feel a little like I know what I am doing. I found fabric suppliers. Beautiful fabrics in whatever I want. Only problem right now is that they require a 1000 yard minimum purchase per print. Yea, that is 2500 scarves. I'm not quite at that level yet but I am definitely poised to go bigger when the time is right. I've got a few things in the works that are looking promising.

Anyway, I picked up some spring prints for the next line. I know it is pretty early to be thinking about spring but that is the way it goes in the fashion industry. Stay ahead or get left behind!

Anyway, looking forward to this week-end where I will be at the Paisley Pumpkin! Wish me luck!!!

WooHoo

Finally! Production issues are being resolved and my new fabric was shipped out this morning! Anyone that thinks business is smooth sailing better think again. Many issues come up at all levels, some of them quite costly. The trick is to resolve them and move on. That doesn't mean that everyone is going to be happy in the end, but, that's ok. I try every day to do right by people and after that, I just have to let it go.

I'm currently set up for two shows in September, two shows in October, and three shows in November. I'm now in twelve different stores around the Phoenix area and a couple around the state. I'm also starting to get orders from stores outside of Arizona. Curly Q's are catching on!

I'm excited also because my facebook page almost has 100 fans. I know it isn't much right now but it still marks a milestone in my business. I want to give a shout out to my fans. So many wonderful people have come into my life who have helped me out in this venture. Their kindness and support has left me grateful and speechless. I hope as I continue that I can pay it forward, so to speak, and give back a portion of what is being given to me.

As the weather starts to get cooler (Although that doesn't happen very early here in Arizona) I really think it will be the season for Curly Q's. My scarves are lightweight and very wearable in the summer time but I get people's ambivalence at buying a scarf when it is 110 degrees outside. As the weather cools off...those who are resistant are going to see the light. For me, I can't wait to wear them with layers! I've only been doing this since May so...I haven't really had a chance to put them with jackets, sweaters, etc. Can't wait to accessorize for fall and winter!

I also know what I'm going to be giving as gifts this year. Yeah, baby! Curly Q's all around!

Another Fabulous Week

I had so much fun at the Poppy's Petals event. I met some great vendors, had some delicious food from Picadilly Square, and got more fans on my Facebook page. I'm almost to 100 fans and I think I'll do a give away when I reach 150. Woohoo!

Sibley's West was also so much fun! The Girl's Rule Foundation is such an awesome program and the girls running the fundraiser were just as poised and sweet as can be. Every time I go into that shop I have to buy something. One of the funnest most unique shops around.

I'm looking at new vendors in Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Mesa, and North Gilbert. I'm hoping they will pick up Curly Q's and make it easier for all the fans to get their hands on one. :)

Sibley's west also made a video of me discussing my product. You can check it out:



As you can tell, I love talking about Curly Q Original!

New Shows and New Fabrics

I'm super excited this week because the boutique season is starting. Fall is definitely on the way. This week I'm doing Poppy's Petals event. This is my first one in a store and I can't wait to see how it goes. So grateful to Jami Lindberg (The Savvy Socialista) for including Curly Q Original in so many awesome opportunities.

Also this week, I'll be at Sibley's West on Saturday. They are hosting a fundraiser for the Girl's Rule Foundation. Check out their website. It is a great organization aimed at encouraging and empowering young women. I feel priveleged to be a part of it and share what it is like to be a fledgeling entrepreneur!

Fall is also evident in some of the displays. Check out these fabulous outfits created by Designer Blvd.


In other news...I have gorgeous fabrics sitting in my living room waiting to be made into the fall line Curly Q's. By popular demand I have more animal prints and SOLIDS! Can't wait to show them off at the Fall Shows!

All the fabulous stores!

These last couple of weeks have been amazing. I've been so blessed between the Oasis Gift Show and friends and contacts to be in six local stores!

Designer Blvd
Katybug Faye Boutique and Trunk Show
Kactus Jock (2 locations)
Sibley's West The Chandler and Arizona Gift Shop
Kristyn's Hallmark (2 locations)
Bff Divas

We now pretty much cover the entire East Valley and some of Scottsdale! The enthusiasm for my product has been tremendous! Check out this awesome picture of me and Sibley's West owner, Michelle!


I love how we are both wearing the same Curly Q!!! Or how about this beautiful little ensemble put together by Katybug Faye Boutique!


Super fun and gorgeous!

A word about my photos and website

I would be remiss if I didn't 1st, express the importance of having an up and running website, and 2nd, publish the beautiful photos from Haleigh Rohner Photography.

First, I can't stress enough how important a website is to starting a new business. Even though I was a brand new company with hardly any expertise, I got a logo, a website, and professional photos done. When you have this up and running, people have an immediate link to your product. Suppliers are better able to help you because they can see what you are doing and what your needs might be. It shows you mean business (please excuse the pun). Really, you need to show that you are serious about your product and you are going for it. The response was nothing but positive and was so instrumental in forwarding my business and getting the responses I needed early on.

Second, look at these beautiful photos. I'm always shocked that people will spend thousands starting a new business and the take a bunch of photos with their point and shoot to promote their product. Spend the few hundred dollars and get the photos. A picture is truly worth a thousand words. It give you cred in the industry, it gives you media to send to potential buyers, it gives you photos for spur of the moment advertising that may come up (yes, things DO come up). Get the photos! Look at these beautiful images!


See how the product just "pops" with these photos? You don't have to explain the product...they can already see it in action, with a dress, with jeans, with a skirt...it gets the customer thinking "hmmm...what could I wear these with". I have so many in my closet already and these photos even inspired me! Thank you to the beautiful models who make Curly Q Original look fabulous!

Oasis Gift Show

So, I may have overdone it in my preparation for the show, but, I had no idea what to expect. I'd barely done one boutique and had only a couple of stores that I wholesaled my product to. However, no one can say I wasn't ready for anything. My husband, my oldest daughter, three great friends, and I took shifts during the three day week-end managing my booth.

Right off I started talking with other vendors in the cash and carry area. I wanted to get a feel for what to expect and how my product compared with other offerings. I was actually kind of surprised at the amount of, well, how do I put it...cheep jewelry made in china...that was prevalent in the cash and carry area. Don't get me wrong, I love that stuff and I bought a good amount at the show, however, I was wondering if I was in the right area. I had handmad in the usa items that could not come anywhere near the prices of accessories in the other booths.

I rallied, however, and had incredible energy for my product. Not only is it made in the USA but there is nothing like it anywhere. As I spoke with vendors, they also had great things to say about my product. They were so helpful and gave so many great pointers to me...I felt like I had entered into some type of family.

The vendors out on the floor and in the artisan's section were equally kind, helpful, and supportive. Each had different experiences and insight to share and I appreciated everything that I was learning.

Selling! You know, I always thought I was a terrible sales person. I think most people are unless they have something that they really truly believe in. It was an absolute joy selling my product. Our booth was more like a women's accessory party than a store. I loved grabbing women out of the aisle and putting a scarf on them to show them just how fabulous this accessory would compliment their outfit. The best was when our booth was absolutely full. Everyone wanted to see what the commotion was and the energy of a dozen women accessorizing themselves was just a joy to behold.

Large wholesale orders were also great. Meeting these store owners who had come from throughout the west was an absolute treat for me. I loved getting to know them and hearing stories about their journey. They are all entrepreneurs, just like me. Once again, it was like being accepted into an extended family.

One of my favorite things that started happening is when people started coming around saying "I see everyone wearing these beautiful scarves around the show and just had to come over and get one for myself." I also loved the people who came back day two and three to get "just a couple more" for either themselves or friends.

My group and I had an absolute blast. We laughed and smiled everyday. Several of the vendors who did this for a living said they had never been situated next to a happier booth and that it was a joy to have been next to us. I think that was one of the greatest accomplishments. I guess that is a lesson learned...do what you love and love what you do. Happiness can be found anywhere.


One of the highlights was on day three when the Oasis Coordinators came by and presented me with the "Best Booth Award". I was smiling ear to ear. What an honor to be such a newbie in the business and receive such an honor. I left feeling so proud of my team and my business, what I had accomplished and what was going to be accomplished. Oasis was the perfect springboard for my little business. Watch out, Curly Q Original is going nationwide!

Preparing for the show

Everything I've been doing for the last two months has been leading up to this event. I booked the event knowing that I would really be pushing it to have enough product for the show and subsequent buyers. Wow, what a wild ride. I was making scarves up until the night before the event. Scarves were everywhere!


This is my second daughter surrounded by scarves in various processes of assembly. My girls were a wonderful help to me during this busy time! They are also quite fun to work with if you couldn't tell. We all worked round the clock for two weeks! Busy, busy, busy!


I also spent quite a lot of time out in the garage painting items for my booth. I am a girl with a vision and that vision had to be just so. When all was said and done this is what we came up with.


Those doors may look old but they are not. I got new doors from the local home depot and distressed them myself. I bought various door handles and knobs from a couple of local stores. See the vanity? Yeah, also NOT old. Several layers of paint on that thing and recover the seat you'd think it came from an antique store.

After the painting, I needed a few more touches. The picture frames are from my good friend at Fanciful Frames and the gorgeous photos are from Haleigh Rohner Photography. I borrowed the divider from another friend, got a knockoff steam trunk, a couple of odds and ends from around the house, and voila! My booth!

Didn't know quite what to expect going into this. Who does this? Goes from making scarves for fun to designing and filling a booth for a full out wholesale trade show? Oh, ME!

Problems and Sucesses

I was going to go into all the problems that have come up but decided it would be better to keep it a little closer to the vest. Let's just say that there have been many, MANY obstacles to overcome. When you are dealing with different companies and different personalities there will be issues. When you are ordering stuff online it can and will show up different than expected. Calls will not be returned, e-mails will be "lost", order counts will be off, promises will be broken...that is just the way of it. If y0u want to start a business, you have to know that it will not be smooth sailing.

My 'business consultant' told me right up front that there will be lots of obstacles to overcome and to be ready for them. The warning was well timed because if I hadn't have been prepared, I may have quit. There is a lot of fear when starting a new business and anytime something went wrong I just wanted to run away. But I remembered that it is the strong people who succeed, not the quitters so I kept plugging along.

So glad I did. It was always so amazing to me that when things were at their worst, something else would come along that was excellent news. When one thing didn't work out, another would. When one person fell through on me, another person would come through. And, I was and am always so blessed to have wonderful friends and family in my life to encourage and inspire me. Words of encouragement and inspiration can go a long way so surround yourself with positive people and stay away from negative people. Attitude can have a profound impact on how successful you become.

Some of my high moments these first few months were:

• Getting accepted to several very amazing boutique shows in the area
• Having my product recognized and applauded by great people in the boutique arena
• Being found by The Savvy Socialista and her taking my product on Sonoran Living (a local morning television program)
• Having friends sell my product to other friends
• Having a repeat customer from Missouri
• Seeing smiles when people first put on my scarves
• Winning best booth at the Oasis Gift Show (more to come on that)
• Meeting fabulous vendors and buyers who are all so encouraging
  
• Being complimented on my overall look--from photos to business cards (Thanks friends and family!)
• Seeing tons of beautiful product all over my home and having wonderful family help me to assemble (made me happy seeing all those curly q's!)

Those are just some off the top of my head. It has been a whirlwind adventure these last few months and I'm looking forward to an amazing future.

The Evolution of a Company (Warning, LONG)

You would think that it would be easy to sell a product. Especially seeing as it is only one product (different styles of course but still...). I thought, make product, sell product, done. Silly me. First things first, I needed a business license. Easy right? Wrong. Dealing with the Government can be very interesting. Everyone wants you to have the same things at the same time. At any rate here is the best way to do it. Go to the Federal website and get an EIN number. Then go to the State Department of Revenue and get a Tax ID number (this it so you can collect sales tax...yippy). After THAT you can get your business license. Total cost: $77.00.

Logo, check (and thanks little bro). Website...hmmm...a little problematic but finally got something up that looked decent. Photos, check (thank you good friend the photographer). Inventory....um....lets work on that.

Well, now I have a small business. But, what I really want to do is go big, right? So, time to set up a corporation...Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. Why the rush? Well, back in June I did my first show. I couldn't keep the scarves in stock. I did really well at the show and thought I would make a go of it. Well my 'business manager' advised me to do a trade show. Ok, cool. When is a good one? Oh, there is one right here in Phoenix at the end of July! That only gives me less than two months! You can do it! Ok.

So, the rush began. Back to the story....a corporation is what I needed to do. So, we got some legal advice and applied. Six weeks to wait and $300 later we were getting it done. BTW, after one changes from a Sole Proprietorship to a Corporation you have to go through the whole business license again. Another $77 (sigh).

How many scarves do I need for this Trade Show? Thousands? Are you kidding me! I can't make those all by myself! Time to figure out how to mass produce. Remember, I have only been making these for the last month. It took me one month to make 140 scarves. I've got to find an easier way.

With a little research I did find a way. I found a place that I could outsource the cutting. Fabulous! Now what? Oh, labels. I need brand recognition, right? The search was on to find just the right label. After hours online and some samples I finally found one that would work. I put together artwork (once again with the help of my talented brother and the graphics team at the label company) and sent off the order. Mind you, I only had six weeks at this time so hurry please!

Fabric!!! Oh no! I need a lot more fabric than I can buy at the local fabric stores to make thousands of scarves. Where on earth can I find Polyester Chiffon at a reasonable rate? Online? Nope, can't really see the pattern and the prices are not wholesale. Dang it! Connections, not really. So, I thought, how about the Fashion District in LA. Surely they have fabric!

Booked a last minute trip to LA with my good friend and 'fashion consultant'. We flew out in the morning and flew back the evening. Now, here is an interesting story. I had done a little legwork before I went. I called some shops in the fabric district and was assured that they could get me "anything I wanted". Any fabric at all? Yes. Any pattern I want? Absolutely! So, if I send you some swatches you can procure the same patterns? Oh, yes, we can do that! Ok!

So, I spend $70 to overnight some swatches on Friday. He said he would have the fabric by Tuesday when I would be there. So excited, right! Ha ha, silly me. I go to talk to J____ and he pulls out my swatches and says: I'm sorry, I don't have these but here is some I do have! Those are really ugly! You promised me you could get anything. Well, these fabrics are not in the country so sorry! Aw STINK!

The hunt was on. I had exactly 8 hours to get 700 yards of beautiful chiffon. Good thing there are over 100 stores in the Fashion district. Now, I don't mean to be insensitive but for those who have not gone to the Fashion District, it is at least owned by 80% Persian. No prices on anything (except for a few stores) and barter, barter, barter! Thank goodness for Peter at the UPS store. That man has it going on! If you want to be successful at business...finish this blog and go talk to him. He gave me store ideas, labels so that everyone could send the fabric to him and then ship it out all together and kept is all organized. Everyone in the district knew Peter. (sigh of relief).

Store after store after store. 35 yard here and 75 yards there. After LOTS of "I love you" and "God bless you" and "you're killing me" from many Persian store owners :), I finally ended up with 650 yards that I could send out to the cutting factory. That is another week wait for it to get from California to Ohio. Now down to just 5 weeks. Panic, Panic, Panic.

The good news is I was VERY happy with the fabric we found and my 'fashion consultant' was indispensable in helping me. Note to self, however. Take samples of everything. My big mistake was going home without samples of the fabric I bought. Makes it very hard to put photos on my website! I'm not telling you how much money I spent on fabric. Ha ha.

Well, I have a week to do some other things. Booth! Ah, the booth for the trade show. I don't know if you have seen booths at a trade show but generally they are quite elaborate. I have a 10x10 space ($1350 mind you) to decorate and make inviting so people will come in and look at my product. I don't think a couple of coat racks are going to do it. So, I had a brilliant idea. A lot of work but brilliant. After the show I will post pictures and maybe a tutorial of what I did. If the scarf thing doesn't work out, maybe I'll go into booth design. At any rate. The booth, ordering, waiting, painting, etc. was going to consume another 3 weeks (of course this was overlap with other things so, I'm now down to 4 weeks to show time and in it about $800 dollars.

Fortunately ordering more business cards was a piece of cake (thank you little bro, again)!

Party favors for the trade show? Who would have remembered that! Thank you 'business consultant'! How about pens with the logo and contact information on them! OK, one more use of my awesome logo and another two weeks wait and another $320 dollars.

Now, how in the world am I going to track orders? Better make up some order forms and receipts. Easy right? Oh, legal mumbo jumbo again! Time, time, time. Find a printer, get the designs off, $400 later, and another two weeks wait. Man am I cutting it close!

Hey, the fabric finally got to the cutter, and, it is 4th of July week-end. No cutting for 4 whole days! Yikes! Two week turn over and I still have to assemble them when they get here! Plus there is another week of shipping time to consider! Panic! Panic! Panic! Poor V_______ and S_______. I pestered those poor men almost daily. Getting the pattern and prototypes right and getting them to get the cutting done for me. Not the easiest thing to do, I'm told...and...I'm not even going to tell you how much that cost either (hey, I can't give every detail away! Everyone has to do some legwork on their own).

So, how am I going to accept credit cards and how am I going to keep track of inventory, cost, expense, tax, etc. etc. etc. Hello new computer, hello new phone, hello credit card system, hello services. $$$$$$$$$$$

BTW, during all this time I had a family vacation (planned way before the business venture was). Four birthdays of my daughters and an anniversary. I must be out of my mind! (see previous post).

Anyway, I am now down to two weeks. I am waiting for my product to get here which should be in two days. I will then have to assemble thousands of scarves and hope they will all sell either online or at the trade show. AND, I have a TV spot on a local morning show in 1 week (thank you 'socialista') and am running specials to launch my website. My website is up but, like I said, I have no photos of my products (and, no products yet). Darn my poor planning in LA. Crazy, crazy, crazy!!!!!

Excuse me while I go work on my sales pitches, my banner order, my inventory line, my business plan, press release, info sheet, tax forms, uhaul, storage unit, facebook page, website, booth, etc. etc. etc.

Next up, problems and successes.

Am I out of my mind?

It truly is an interesting thing when you realize the thing you decided to do may just be bigger than you can handle. I thought, what is there to worry about? Make product, sell product, done! Hahahahahahahahaha!

I have this really great friend who enjoys starting companies. It is a talent she possesses and has helped many, MANY, people make a go of their own businesses and ideas. While taking my daughters to the orthodontist I ran into her. "Tory!" she said "We have to talk! Lunch, tomorrow!" "Ok" I say. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. This friend has contagious enthusiasm and can make you feel like you can do ANYTHING! Everyone should have a friend like that in their life (in moderation, of course). :)

I knew we were there to talk about the scarves and brought her a couple of samples. Oh my goodness. She raved about the product. It was then that I started to realize "Hey, I might really be on to something here!". It was like having my own little business manager complete with her own board of directors. Within a couple of days she came back with focus group information in hand and an invitation to a very large trade show. "When is the show?" I asked. "The end of July." She said. "How am I going to get enough product to go to something like that?" I asked. "We'll figure it out." she said. "Ok." I said.

I started making a list...and the list got longer, and longer, and longer...

Day 1: Am I out of my mind?
Day 2: I must be out of my mind!
Day 3: I am completely out of my mind!

You get the idea.

The Birth of an Idea

It has only been two months and what a whirlwind it has been...but let me start at the beginning....

All of my family lives out of state. We try to get up to see them at least once a year. This last spring break, my children and I went up to spend some time with my folks and siblings. One thing we always do when we visit my parents house is do crafts with "Grandma" (my mom). Jewelry, hair accessories, homemade cards, sewing, crocheting...you name it and we do it. This last trip my mom and sisters had figured out a unique cutting technique to make scarves out of an old t-shirt. They had seen something similar on a morning show segment. So, my girls and I went to making several scarves for ourselves. It is always fun to do crafts at "Grandma's" home because she has so many items in her craft room that we can design and tweak our ideas to meet our individual tastes. Each of us made our own scarves to take home and were quite pleased with ourselves.

Returning home I wore my scarf out and people began to comment on it. My good friend (who is a brilliant accessory designer) mentioned that she would like to have a couple. I had thought about making a couple more for me and my girls so I bought a couple more t-shirts in neutral and fun fabrics and made a few more for my family and my friend. I started thinking "I wonder if I could make these out of other fabrics?" I tried a couple of beautiful chiffon fabrics and seared the edges. They looked so beautiful! My friend said "You have GOT to sell these!"

A small boutique was coming up and I decided to participate. I picked a name, got a logo made up (by my incredibly talented brother), designed a website, ordered cards, made displays, had some professional pictures taken (from another extremely talented friend). At the same time, I bought beautiful fabrics and made over 120 scarves. It was very time consuming and I was experimenting a lot so I made many different varieties. I made some with lacy flowers, children's sizes, some longer and some shorter (not much consistency at first, unfortunately). Regardless, the scarves were a hit. I couldn't make them fast enough and had to turn friends away so I would have inventory for the show. The show came and I did very well and was actually picked up by a couple of local boutiques. Looked like I was going to make a go of this.

Anyway, things were looking like I could do OK with this product. OK, however, was not what the universe had in mind. People started coming into my life encouraging me to go bigger with my product. Amazing talented people offered their talents and services to move my business forward. Ideas flowed into my head and connections started happening. I realized how blessed I am to have such incredible support in my life. I thought "Why not? Let's do this thing!" So, with the support and the go-ahead from my husband and children the process began.

Up next:
Am I out of my mind?
The evolution of a company
The difficulties of mass producing
The time frame
The problems
No, seriously, am I out of my mind?
The successes
Let's spend money, money, money
Ha ha, let's spend some more money
More blessings from the Universe
A TV spot of my own
The launch of a website
Our first HUGE show