Well, at last things are starting to fall into place. I have such exciting news to share!
First…the Jessica and Marcia style jeans have finally arrived. When the truck backed up to the warehouse, I had no idea what to expect. The driver opened the doors and, to my pleasant surprise, they were packaged perfectly and the boxes were not damaged. The shipment was small (about 15 cases); 250 of the Jessica and 250 of the Marcie.
In this industry, it’s rare that a factory would agree to make such a small minimum quantity. But the new factory I’m using now has been so helpful and cooperative and I’m so impressed with the quality of their products. Their samples have been amazing and now to see the final production, I’m “over the top”!
The next two styles on their way are the Jonathan and Timmy “Dip Down”, our larger men’s style jeans. They should be arriving about September 20th and now I have confidence that this will be a successful delivery also.
The factory has started production on four more styles as well: The Charlie and Michael “Dip Down” for smaller men and the Danny and Jacob “Dip Down” for larger teen boys. They should be arriving near the end of November, just in time for the holidays.
The last size group, the Youth style pants, are now being designed and I'm hoping to have them available by year end. Unfortunately, we hadn't been able to find any models in that age group until just recently, But at last two adorable models have been found and Jill has begun working on those pants styles.
With product finally becoming available, it’s now time to develop a marketing program. So I’ve added a new addition to our team, Laura Smiley. Her experience in Marketing and PR should bring improved sales and more public awareness.
We’re also building an advisory board and preparing a business plan. I want to take Downs Designs to the next level and will start to look for outside funding. I want to manufacture pants in khaki, navy, black and another style denim. This will take a large sum of money, so I think it’s time I reach out for help.
With the economy in such bad shape, banks will not loan a startup company money, they say you must have sales, but how can you sell something if you don’t have money to make it. It’s a frustrating situation…the chicken or the egg! But, I’m going to see what other options are available and I’m certainly open to suggestions.
I’m thrilled with the direction Downs Designs is headed and so encouraged with all our progress! I think we have a bright future ahead!
Karen
www.downsdesigns.com
Karen
www.downsdesigns.com
