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.
Two questions I’ve been grappling with of late are: What kind of brand am I going to be? When do I need to decide by? I’ve worked in communications for over 10 years but never explicitly in branding. I say this to highlight the fact that I’m no branding expert. I do know that when …
This was a big question for me. If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know I registered Mummy’s Muse as a company back in 2017. I’ve always been sure that this would be an e-commerce business so I knew the website would be my very first shop front. It’s hard having high standards and …
If you’ve ever worked in an office with an active fridge, you’ve likely seen a note with the phrase on the image above. The grown up version of declaring ownership of a brand name and identity is to protect them with a trademark. Please be clear that licking your brand name or logo won’t mean …
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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
Identity Decisions
Two questions I’ve been grappling with of late are: What kind of brand am I going to be? When do I need to decide by? I’ve worked in communications for over 10 years but never explicitly in branding. I say this to highlight the fact that I’m no branding expert. I do know that when …
To Build Or Not To Build?
This was a big question for me. If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know I registered Mummy’s Muse as a company back in 2017. I’ve always been sure that this would be an e-commerce business so I knew the website would be my very first shop front. It’s hard having high standards and …
Trademark Your Brand
If you’ve ever worked in an office with an active fridge, you’ve likely seen a note with the phrase on the image above. The grown up version of declaring ownership of a brand name and identity is to protect them with a trademark. Please be clear that licking your brand name or logo won’t mean …