START YOUR OWN BUSINESS Archives - Page 9 of 10

Buying the Brands You Want For Your Boutique – Interview with a Sales Rep

After my previous post on “How to Get the Brands You Want in Your Clothing Boutique”, I have received quite a few e-mails and questions on how exactly the buying process works.

Since I know quite a few people in different areas of the fashion industry, I thought that it would be helpful to interview my good friend Heather that is a Sales Rep at the California Market Center in Downtown Los Angeles for a children’s clothing line. I hope you find this interview helpful in the quest of opening your own boutique or store!

How long have you been working as a Sales Rep?

I have been a Sales Rep for 12 years.

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

This depends on the season, but usually I start my day off by checking my e-mail and responding to any customer inquiries. I also communicate with manufacturers (since we handle more than one brand in our showroom) about building their brand. I also will enter orders in our system after they are placed by our customers.
When customers come into the showroom, I will help them and if they are new to our showroom I will show them around, tell them about each line I have and then proceed to find out what they are looking for. We can write orders in the showroom or I give them my card and will follow up with them in a few days and write orders over the phone or through e-mail.

What shows would you recommend for first time Buyers to attend?

There are so many different shows for each area of the U.S. that I would recommend finding the show closest to where your store location will be. There are shows and markets in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, and many more.

Are shows the best way for a new Buyer to find what lines they want to carry? Where else should they look?

Shows and markets are definitely the best way. Here in LA we have an event at the Cal Mart called local Tuesdays. It lets locals come in and shop in the showrooms and get free lunch, free parking, and a Starbucks gift card. It is something to entice people to come during the week since we are here and it can get kind of slow when there’s not a market or show going on.

What should a new Buyer say/write to a Sales Rep when contacting them for the first time?

Most new buyers will either call or come in to the showroom and can feel extremely lost if it is their first time. I would say they should somewhat have an idea of what sizes they want in their store and the retail price point for their store and then we Sales Reps can take it from there. We’re there to help!
In my opinion walking around the showrooms and “shows” is the best thing to do because you can see the actual samples and the quality of the merchandise you will be buying versus if you purchase just from online then you really have no idea what the quality of the brand will be.

What is the best way to contact a Sales Rep?

Either by calling, e-mail, or stopping by the showroom. For us you can find our contact information from the Cal Mart’s website or the LA Kids Market website. We are happy to have buyers come into the showroom or we can also e-mail them our showroom’s website so they can view the lines that we carry from there.

What information will you need from a new Buyer in order for them to purchase?

In general, you will need your business license number (tax ID number) and seller’s permit number for us to be able to set up a new account for you. You will either need a storefront or a store website. Some brands you must have a brick and mortar store to be able to purchase a particular line and not just an online store. Most lines have a minimum dollar amount that the buyer must meet and that varies depending on the line. All first orders require a credit card. Then after your first order you can get terms. If it is a new store you probably won’t get terms for a least a year and with good credit.

A lot of times when opening a new store, Sales Reps want to know what other lines you carry in your store before they approve you. Since it’s a new business and not yet open, how should I answer that question?

A reason why they ask this question is because if the store that is opening is close to or next to another store we want to be sure there isn’t overlapping lines. We also want to make sure that the store is legit to help protect the brand from being sold on the street corner. 🙂

Do you have any other advice or tips for a new Buyer opening their first store?

My best advice is to shop around and shop the market. There are so many brands and trade shows that it can be overwhelming. It is important to do your research!

5 First Steps to Start Your Online Boutique

Fashion and Technology with Poshmark

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When it comes to the business side of me, there’s two things to know – that I love fashion and I love technology. I’m quite the nerdy fashionista. So, when my girl friend told me about an app called Poshmark in November – I was beyond thrilled to check it out and I’ve been attending daily “Posh Parties” through my iPhone ever since!

Warning: Do not continue if you are trying to keep your shopping addiction in check!

What is Poshmark?

Poshmark is a free app available on iPhone or iPad that allows you to sell items from your closet and shop items from other women’s closets. You can often find great deals on gently used or new items that you’ve always wanted, but never wanted to pay full price for! Poshmark has three “Posh Parties” each day where you can share items from your closet or shop from other women’s closets. Sample parties in the past have been, “Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Minkoff & All Saints Party”, “Date Night Party”, and “Hot Handbags Party” – just to name a few.

What makes Poshmark so great?

For me, what makes Poshmark so great is the Poshmark community. I have only had great experiences with the ladies on Poshmark with whom I’ve bought from and sold to. I also attended a Poshmark meet up here in Los Angeles with my girl friend Winnie and had the opportunity to meet Poshmark’s CEO, Manish and Community Director, LyAnn – who happen to be some of the nicest people I’ve ever met! It was great to chat about Poshmark and meet a few new Poshmarkers as well over a glass of champagne.

How do I join Poshmark?

You can download the app for free on iPhone or iPad – or you can sign up directly from Poshmark’s website. (You will need the app to be able to sell items.) Here is a screen shot of what my profile looks like:

If you are already on Poshmark or are just signing up, please send me message and say “Hello”!

*I do have a few more invites available that I’m willing to share with you guys so you can get a $5 credit for your first purchase and I get a $5 credit too! Just use the code HNAAV when signing up. I only have a few left, so if it doesn’t work for you then it means someone else beat you to it! 😉

My Own Poshmark Closet Challenge:

So while I love fashion and shopping (online that is) – I absolutely cannot stand having a closet overflowing with clothes, shoes, and handbags! I am actually quite the minimalist believe it or not! I know, so ironic right? … The Minimalist Fashionista…. Even I can’t keep a straight face typing that! Ha! Anyway, it got me thinking – why don’t I get rid of almost everything in my closet on Poshmark and then every so often shop for a few new items. At the end of a season, when I’m done wearing the item I can sell it again on Poshmark to buy new items for the next season! That way I’m always recycling what I have and I only really end up spending the difference of what I bought the item for and what I end up selling it for. I already started the first round of cleaning out my closet so I’ll be posting it all in my Poshmark closet soon! Wish me luck and I’ll update you guys on how my plan of closet minimalism goes! 🙂

How to Get the Brands You Want in Your Clothing Boutique

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So, I wrote a previous post on the 5 First Steps to Opening Your Clothing Boutique. In Step 4, I talk a little bit about researching what brands you want to carry in your boutique.

Today, I’m going to go a little bit more in depth on how to contact the brands you want and what information they will need from you.

First things first, by this point you should have your Seller’s Permit and your Business License. The process of obtaining these vary state to state, so check on your own state’s government website for information. After you have your Seller’s Permit and Business License, make a list of brands that you would like to carry. Remember, you may not be able to get every brand that you want.

Depending on what type of boutique you are opening – for example – Junior’s clothing, Contemporary clothing, etc., will make the difference on how fast or easy it is to get certain brands.

If you choose to do Junior’s clothing, shoes, or accessories it will be fairly simple to acquire those junior brands that you want. Most junior brands I have worked with have only required me to provide my Seller’s Permit number, if even that.If you are in Los Angeles, a good place to start for Junior’s Clothing is the San Pedro Mart. The minimum to buy is usually 6 pieces for tops and dresses and 12 pieces for jeans or pants. Here, you will only need your Seller’s Permit number.

If you are more specific on what brands you want for Junior’s clothing, go to that brand’s website, find their wholesale contact information, and send them an e-mail or give them a call to set up an appointment to visit the showroom.

For example, I decide I want to carry the line Pretty Rebellious. I google “Pretty Rebellious” to find their website, click on Contact Information, and there I find the Sales Rep and L.A. and N.Y. Showroom contact information. And don’t worry if you are not in Los Angeles or New York where the showrooms are – once you get in contact with a Sales Rep, they can send you photos of their current line and you can place orders through e-mail.

Now, say you want to carry a more Contemporary brand like Seven For All Mankind. When you contact their Sales Rep, they will have you fill out a questionnaire and you will most likely have to provide pictures of your store (if your store is already open).

Here are the types of questions that they might ask:

How many years in have you been in business?
What is the size of your store?
What percentage of your store is Women’s?/Men’s?
What other denim brands are carried in your store?
What other clothing lines do you have in your store?
What stores in your area are considered competition for your store?

They will also have you fill out a credit application. Once they have reviewed all your information, they will either approve you and you can start ordering, or they can also deny your application.

There are also brands that you will not be able to carry at all. For example, the Kardashian Kollection was designed ONLY for Sears. It is not made available to anyone else to carry. You must go to Sears to buy that brand.

So, I hope that this post has been helpful and as always, leave me a comment if you have any other questions I didn’t answer. 🙂

5 First Steps To Opening Your Clothing Boutique

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It may seem like a daunting task to open your own clothing boutique. And while it doesn’t come without a lot of hard work, I know that anyone can do it!

At the age of 23, I decided to pursue opening my own store and am proud of what I accomplished in the end.

When I first started – I had no one to guide me and no one that I could ask questions to see if I was doing something correctly or not. All in all it was a lot of trial and error.

I decided to go ahead and put together 5 steps that will help you get started. This is for those of you that have the idea in your head, but haven’t started anything yet because maybe you just don’t know where to begin.

1) Create Your Vision

The very first thing I did when I decided to open my clothing boutique was to create my vision. If you have no vision, you have no end result. What I did that I found very helpful was to create my boutique’s vision book. I found pictures (from magazines and online) of the colors I liked for the inside of the store, what my target customer liked or looked like, different merchandising ideas, etc. Basically anything and everything that helped me to see my vision clearer. If you know exactly what the final look and feel of your boutique should be, it will be easier to make decisions throughout the process of opening your store because you will know exactly what you want the final product to be.

2) Develop Your Boutique’s Brand

When thinking of your boutique’s brand, keep in mind how you will stand out next to all the other clothing boutiques or stores. Have this in mind when choosing a name for your store and when designing your logo. When developing my store’s brand, I wanted to center around the fact that all the clothes and items I was going to be selling would be from Los Angeles based brands and designers. I wanted to offer Wisconsin all that Los Angeles had offered me in the shopping experience. I then developed everything from that idea, including my store name, look, and ambiance.

3) Begin Your Business Plan

My business plan was probably the most difficult thing about opening a boutique for me. I bought a book on how to write a business plan and in the end I had barely looked at the thing. What I found most helpful was finding examples online of business plans. BPlans.com is a great site that has a lot of information on business plans. You can create your business plan there and they even have very specific business plan examples for clothing boutiques. When I thought my business plan was complete I took it to the bank to ask for a loan, only to be sent back home a few different times to revise it. 🙂 So, no need to get discouraged if you have to revise it a few times! In the end, you’ll have a beautiful blueprint for your business.

4) Research Which Lines You Will Carry

It’s probably easiest to shop stores similar to your boutique and see what lines they have when deciding what merchandise to carry. Compile a list of brands that you’re interested in carrying and begin to contact the sales reps for these lines. Sometimes it takes a little while to be approved to carry certain brands or some you won’t be able to get at all. It just depends how selective the brand is when choosing what stores will carry their line. You could also visit a place like the Cal Mart in Los Angeles to get ideas and see the styles of different lines that you may want to carry in your boutique.

5) Start Your Website

I ended up starting my website before I opened the doors to my physical location. I started with a store on E-bay and then designed an e-commerce site through Yahoo. Yahoo has a site builder that once you learn the basics – you can develop a pretty nice e-commerce site on your own. I was trying to do everything at as low of cost as possible. I have a friend that just spent almost $5,000 on their e-commerce site which I think is completely unnecessary. Even once I wanted a better designed site I only paid $400. I put an ad on Craigslist and the person I found was looking to add to their portfolio and experience and did an excellent job on my site. Starting your website, Facebook page, and Twitter can help you get your name out there even before you open!

***UPDATE: Since I wrote this post, I have switched my boutique’s website over to Shopify. I absolutely LOVE Shopify. It is by far the easiest e-commerce platform I have used. What do you guys think of Shopify?

*****UPDATE: By popular request, I wrote a tutorial on How to Open an Online Boutique with Shopify!

Do you have any other questions about getting started on your clothing boutique? Leave me a comment! 🙂