Starting a Baby Boutique & Clothing Line

Starting a Clothing Line Seems So Simple on the Surface

February 7th, 2007

Sometimes, an amazing amount of stuff can get done in a limited amount of time. Such as some last-minute samples we need for the next week’s trade show. Pattern maker and sewing contractor are literally jumping through hoops to make this happen, but it’s happening.

It makes me wonder what the hell I’ve been doing for the last 4 years it took to finally, finally, finally launch our line. Officially. For about the third time. If I can get samples done in literally a matter of weeks - from sketch to complete salesman’s sample - why did it take us so long to get to “GO”?

Then reality hits and I remember that on the surface, it seems like it’s just the business that took a long time to get going. But life is always happening, and actually happening more than the business is. So, earning a paycheck, having first one baby, then another, buying and selling a new house - all these things relegated starting a business to a mere few hours a day. If that.

Oh the nights I couldn’t drag myself off the couch or away from the tv to go work back in the quiet end of the house. During my second pregnancy, I was so exhausted from chasing a toddler around and working full-time, that I pretty much put everything about Baby Fabulous on the back-burner.

But the “back-burner” is the key. I never said “forget it” in my head, just that it was on-hold. And in retrospect, that was ok, because life is more important anyway. Time with my kids, what little of it I did have, was far more important than me building a business fast.

And, another thing that makes it seem so simple NOW, is that I’ve come so far. I’ve learned so much. From being absolutely a deer-in-the-headlights at my first trade show, I now see that trip as a “must do” and know where I’m going, who I’m going to talk to, and the really huge difference - what I’m looking for when I’m there.

It seems simple now because I’ve gone through that first boutique sale, I’ve gone through the first line sheets, catalog, web launch, advertising campaigns, publicity event, etc. Now we have our first big trade show in a week, and there is so much to learn over the next couple of weeks. I’m reeling to be honest with you. Reeling from another big publicity event we piled on top of this, reeling from going full-throttle since after Christmas. Full throttle as in 3AM mornings. Though I’ve only been able to drag myself up at 4 the last few days. But there are these times when you go full-throttle and push through because passing up the opportunity is not an option. So, we go on and on and on and come a week from now, we’ll be winding down and we can get back to a normal groove.

Entry Filed under: Planning beyond the collection