Sharae Averhart
MoraRae
Texas
What is your product(s)?
I design clothing for petite plus size women, so anyone under 5’5, sizes 12-26. I focus on sourcing sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, linen and Tencel and operate a made to order model. At the moment, I create all orders myself, cut, sew, packing and shipping, it’s all me! This helps ensure that MoraRae does not add to the fashion industry waste that wreaks havoc on the environment. I also donate $1 from each order to the Shamora Was Here Foundation. A nonprofit organization, founded by my family and I to honor my sister Shamora who passed away in 2019. The main goal of the organization is to spread epilepsy awareness and to honor my sister’s memory.
Where were you with your idea or business before joining Factory45?
Before Factory45, I had the core concept of my business, sustainable focused with a mission to spread epilepsy awareness. But at that point, I had a print on demand model and a different business name. I have been following Shannon since I was in college and read about her success on Kickstarter with {r}evolution apparel. Over the years, I saw her launch the Factory45 program and always told myself, when the time and money was right, I’d join. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I found myself working 100% remotely, with a corporate job that paid well, so I used the extra time I had to jump into Factory45 and I am so glad I did!
How did joining Factory45 help you?
Factory45 helped me to fill in the gaps and provide much needed resources. I have a degree in fashion design and have worked in the industry but I still struggled to find manufacturers and sourcing partners that matched the sustainable and ethical practices I wanted to instill into MoraRae. Factory45’s Supplier & Production Partner list has helped me so much. Although I am not ready to bring in a manufacturer yet, I feel confident that when I do, I’ll have this awesome resource to turn to.
The main thing I learned was how important building a blog is for a fashion business. I honestly still struggle with this because I love to design and create clothing so much, the blogging gets put on the back burner. But Factory45 explained why it’s so important to build that audience base to be successful and to scale a business. I am constantly working on this aspect of the course.
The main opportunities that have come up have been my ability to put myself out there to be a guest blogger, podcast guest, etc. Which is so important, as Shannon explains in detail in the course. Before Factory45, I knew that these were things I wanted to do but thought I needed to have a full collection launched before I did. Factory45 helped me to focus on where my target audience is hanging out and to collaborate with other brands/bloggers to reach them.
In your opinion, what is the most valuable thing about Factory45?
Wow, it’s hard to choose! The community has been amazing. I follow so many fellow Factory45’ers on instagram and have done my best to support them as they have launched their products! It’s nice to know that it is possible to succeed and it feels good knowing that I am not alone on this journey.
All of the content in Factory45 is so valuable. I really appreciate that I have lifetime access to the course and database resources because we all move at a different pace. I find myself looking back at specific modules or databases when I hit a new roadblock in my business and it’s nice knowing that I have this support to help me.
What were some big or small milestones that you hit after going through Factory45?
I successfully rebranded/renamed my business from STATEMEANT Apparel to MoraRae. It took me much longer than anticipated, but I officially did a soft launch in June 2022! In those 2 years from starting the course to launching, I focused on narrowing down my exact target audience and creating designs that solve problems for her. I also formed the nonprofit, Shamora Was Here, with my family so that as MoraRae grows, we can contribute to the organization and honor my sister while spreading epilepsy awareness.
Please describe your business after Factory45.
After Factory45, MoraRae is officially in business! I have done a soft launch to friends and family to start and am continuing to take my time. As I said before, I am working on implementing more of the core guidelines from Factory45 like blogging and guest posts, in order to reach my target customer. Before Factory45, I had a lifelong dream and passion but no direction. Now I know where I’m going and I have the support of the course to lean on whenever I need it.
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