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.
On this journey I’ve read a lot about people’s experiences starting businesses. The fact that I’ve found the accounts of others interesting, helpful and inspiring is part of the reason I started this blog. It’s not really in my nature to document my journey or process for others, it’s only ever been something I’ve done …
This week production re-commenced in our manufacturing location which was a huge milestone for me. It’s been lots of starts and stops as a result of COVID related restrictions. When production did start again in factories, PPE was prioritised, but now it looks like everything is up and running again. I’m waiting to get a …
If you’ve been following this journey for some time now, you’ve probably realised colour – it’s power and it’s potential – is something I’m very passionate about. I love colour; there is definitely something about it that energises me. However the extent of my experience with colour is probably dressing myself, doing my make up …
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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
What’s The Cost?
On this journey I’ve read a lot about people’s experiences starting businesses. The fact that I’ve found the accounts of others interesting, helpful and inspiring is part of the reason I started this blog. It’s not really in my nature to document my journey or process for others, it’s only ever been something I’ve done …
In Search of Balance
This week production re-commenced in our manufacturing location which was a huge milestone for me. It’s been lots of starts and stops as a result of COVID related restrictions. When production did start again in factories, PPE was prioritised, but now it looks like everything is up and running again. I’m waiting to get a …
Developing Colour Confidence
If you’ve been following this journey for some time now, you’ve probably realised colour – it’s power and it’s potential – is something I’m very passionate about. I love colour; there is definitely something about it that energises me. However the extent of my experience with colour is probably dressing myself, doing my make up …