In my last post I wrote about the challenges of locking down a manufacturer. Well these challenges exist, but the way I’ve begun to think about things have evolved. I realise that there are many ways to do this manufacturing thing. I don’t think my day one manufacturer needs to be my forever manufacturer. Sometimes you write these things down and it seems so obvious, a giant ‘duuuuuhhh’ but you’d be surprised that when you’re in it, such simple revelations can feel like epiphanies. I’m probably going to have a day one manufacturer which will allow me to have very low minimums at very high prices and I’ll most likely run at a loss. Surely that’s a big no-no when running a business? Well yes, I don’t want to permanently run at a loss, but I also don’t want MOQs and a low unit price. You see in my heart my products are perfection. I love them, I’m excited about them and I want the whole world to experience them. However my head says – and thank God for this head – as I start to produce these garments they are going to evolve. There will be room for improvement. I’d rather produce fewer pieces earlier on, get feedback and get to a much better product before pushing the button and producing so many.
I feel like I’m going to end up with different manufacturers for different stages in the process till I get to a point where I’m big enough for a manufacturer to be willing to do smaller test runs with me alongside bigger orders. Now that will be an exciting time and one I look forward to. This season has taught me that I need to continue to push myself to not think of things in a linear fashion when it comes to setting up a business.
Sidenote: I find it extremely tedious looking for these post images, so please bear with me. Some of them are truly awful.
Vendor at trade show: Hi Me: Hi! Does your factory do digital printing? Vendor at trade show: Yes we do (friendly smile back). We only do sublimination printing. Me: Wonderful. (shoulders back, confident, ‘I mean business voice’) I’d like to print on 100% cotton at approximately x GSM. Can you help me with this? Vendor …
I’m realising that I need to strengthen my mental rebound game. I think psychological resilience is vital for someone trying to build something from nothing, you have to have a really strong mind. Perhaps they weren’t ‘The One’ I’ve written about the Tsunami of Doubt that washes over me from time to time. It’s really …
Today was an exciting day. After months of playing around in Illustrator, I decided on the colour combinations of my prints that I like the most and sent them to a local printer to digitally print on a number of fabrics. I wanted to see what the prints I designed look like in real life …
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There Are Many Ways To Skin An Eggplant
The more common version of this saying – I won’t dignify it by writing it out – involves felines. Now I’m not an animal rights champion, I’m not even vegetarian, but it felt inhumane to write that phrase down. Fortunately the clever people at http://theanimalrightsactionsite.blogspot.com/2014/01/animal-friendly-alternatives-for-common.html gave me this alternative and here we are.
In my last post I wrote about the challenges of locking down a manufacturer. Well these challenges exist, but the way I’ve begun to think about things have evolved. I realise that there are many ways to do this manufacturing thing. I don’t think my day one manufacturer needs to be my forever manufacturer. Sometimes you write these things down and it seems so obvious, a giant ‘duuuuuhhh’ but you’d be surprised that when you’re in it, such simple revelations can feel like epiphanies. I’m probably going to have a day one manufacturer which will allow me to have very low minimums at very high prices and I’ll most likely run at a loss. Surely that’s a big no-no when running a business? Well yes, I don’t want to permanently run at a loss, but I also don’t want MOQs and a low unit price. You see in my heart my products are perfection. I love them, I’m excited about them and I want the whole world to experience them. However my head says – and thank God for this head – as I start to produce these garments they are going to evolve. There will be room for improvement. I’d rather produce fewer pieces earlier on, get feedback and get to a much better product before pushing the button and producing so many.
I feel like I’m going to end up with different manufacturers for different stages in the process till I get to a point where I’m big enough for a manufacturer to be willing to do smaller test runs with me alongside bigger orders. Now that will be an exciting time and one I look forward to. This season has taught me that I need to continue to push myself to not think of things in a linear fashion when it comes to setting up a business.
Sidenote: I find it extremely tedious looking for these post images, so please bear with me. Some of them are truly awful.
Related Posts
Knowledge Gaps
Vendor at trade show: Hi Me: Hi! Does your factory do digital printing? Vendor at trade show: Yes we do (friendly smile back). We only do sublimination printing. Me: Wonderful. (shoulders back, confident, ‘I mean business voice’) I’d like to print on 100% cotton at approximately x GSM. Can you help me with this? Vendor …
Strengthening My Mental Rebound Game
I’m realising that I need to strengthen my mental rebound game. I think psychological resilience is vital for someone trying to build something from nothing, you have to have a really strong mind. Perhaps they weren’t ‘The One’ I’ve written about the Tsunami of Doubt that washes over me from time to time. It’s really …
From The Screen To Reality
Today was an exciting day. After months of playing around in Illustrator, I decided on the colour combinations of my prints that I like the most and sent them to a local printer to digitally print on a number of fabrics. I wanted to see what the prints I designed look like in real life …