I know a bunch of you are planning on attending the fabric trade shows in NYC this week — there’s Premiere Vision, DG Expo and TexWorld all happening in the next five days. I remember going to my first trade show several years ago and even though it was one of the smaller ones, I […]
Over the past two years, I’ve worked with over a hundred fashion startups at various stages of business development. While there are many, many things I’ve observed and learned in that time, there are four big ‘things’ I want to go over today that have the potential to directly affect the success — or downfall — […]
“That’s, like, pretty much what I’m doing.” “She’s selling the same thing I am.” “I just found out X person is also making X product, so what’s the point in me even trying?” As someone who works with and mentors new entrepreneurs on a regular basis, I’m no stranger to panicked emails popping up in […]
Over the weekend, I boarded a ship in Miami with over 2,000 creatives, tech millionaires, celebrities and startup founders for a three-day, invite-only “conference / festival” called Summit at Sea. In the company of Martha Stewart, John Legend, Harry Belafonte, Blake Mycoskie and the list goes on, I spent the weekend connecting with some of […]
“What happened to your first company?” It’s a question that I’m asked a lot when people read about {r}evolution apparel and what I was working on before Factory45. Usually the question is posed with slight trepidation — like the person doesn’t want to bring up a sore subject. The assumption is that the company fizzled […]
“People aren’t going to care until it hurts them personally.” That was the last comment in the closing discussion of The True Cost movie screening I co-hosted in Boston this summer. The documentary has been sweeping film festivals and fashion media across the world with a no-holds-bar narrative of fashion’s effect on people and planet. As […]
What do you do when you’re sent a live interview request for international television? You say, no, of course. Who would ever subject themselves to that kind of stress? I was walking home from a morning of co-working when I got an email from a producer at CCTV America. She had found an article I […]
Every few months, I’ll get hit with a lack of marketing “mojo.” Usually, marketing is my top priority. (It should be yours, too, if you’re running a business.) I know the marketing channels that are most effective for me and I’m typically very strict with my output. But then, all of the sudden, I’ll wake up one […]
Did you know an online shopper decides within 90 seconds whether he or she is going to buy from you? That’s right, you have a minute and a half to make a first impression and either convert the sale or lose it. According to Vouchercloud, over 92% of online shoppers say visuals are the most […]
“What if I tell someone about my product and they steal my idea?” One of the most common questions that comes up with my entrepreneurs in the beginning of Factory45 is the concern about copycats. I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked, “Should I have my production partner / patternmaker / samplemaker sign […]
