I recently received an email from Rebecca, a new mom and aspiring entrepreneur. She has been interested in starting her own business for sometime now. Becoming a mom made everything click. She has a great business idea but is feeling afraid and insecure about taking the first step.
Here’s an excerpt from her email:
It is all so confusing. Apart from the initial fear and insecurities that scare you, it is the bigger picture, like this, that puts a damper on your ideas. "No materials; can't sew. Can't start a business then." The idea is then swept under the rug, and off I go making dinner. Until I get that feeling again, not to drop it.
I believe deep down, that I have a winner here. Something big and I have no idea where to begin or who to trust to share some of this information with to help me get in the right direction.
I think this a good time to reflect on what I think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. I know there are loads of moms who have a great idea but don’t know where to start. And I also know that it’s not just the practical “how-to’s” but the larger issues like confidence and fear of failure. Here are the traits that I believe can make a difference.
- Optimistic – If you’re going to be successful, you need to believe you will be successful. An optimistic outlook will carry you through the ups – and downs – of life as an entrepreneur.
- Charismatic – You don’t have to be the most outgoing person in the world to be an entrepreneur. But when I meet someone who lights up when they speak about their company, I know they have what it takes to sell the idea.
- Resourceful – I believe learning is an ongoing process whether you are just starting your business or have been established for a decade. Market conditions will change, industry best practices will change. To keep up you need to find people in the know and ask questions.
- Thick-skinned – You have to prepare yourself for the fact that not everyone will love your idea. More often than not, Robeez have been well-received but I also got a lot of “no’s” along the way.
- Self-motivated – There will always be some tasks in your business which you prefer to do and others that you would rather pass on. There’s a lot of discipline involved in running your business.
Rebecca also had questions about manufacturing so I will cover these specifics here.
I also do not sew (never have). The idea I have in mind is not something I would necessarily be working with in my home. I would need someone else to be creating my vision. Who are these people and do they supply the materials? How does one find fabrics made of Lycra and cotton?
I can suggest a few potential solutions. The first would be to hand your idea to a product design and development company. They specialize in taking your idea and developing it for the marketplace. This is probably the best option if you are not necessarily interested in running a company. A Google or yellow pages search would be a good place to start.
If you want to be a little more hands-on, another approach is to hire a designer. A designer can take your idea and create a pattern. Using the pattern, they will develop a prototype and make adjustments from there. To find some with these skills, you could look for a local seamstress in the yellow pages.
For fabric suppliers, you’ll need to find a fabric wholesaler. They will be able to offer you a better price than local retail shops but you will likely need to purchase a certain volume to qualify. You could search online to find the best option or seek out a company using a fabric you like and find out who supplies their materials.
