“When we first launched, we had the Jay-Zs, Black-Eyed Peas and Gym Class Heroes of the entertainment world wearing our line and thought that was all we needed to take over the sneaker game.  Boy, were we wrong.”

So, having famous people sporting your gear doesn’t necessarily guarantee big sales figures. This is point #5 of a half-dozen smart tips for young footwear and apparel designers looking to get into the game.

SOLED OUT

by Casey Arisohn

As an avid collector of sneakers, I was always fascinated by fashion and footwear.  From the timeless designs of the Jordan series to the casual Vans line, still, I knew there was a void in the footwear industry.  Being immersed in the fashion industry at a young age, I quickly learned the ins and outs of the retail business.  I learned the importance of having a product that consumers could relate to.  More importantly, I learned the importance of having a line that has its own voice and own lane.  It was at this moment that I had a startling revelation that I could apply the same tenacity and ambition to my own business and thus Radii Footwear was born.

In August 2008, I launched the fashion driven sneaker line known as Radii (ray-dee-eye) Footwear. The name had to show there are no limitations to fashion, opportunity and creative style.  The dictionary defines Radii as “a range of influence” which I thought was perfect seeing that I wanted to prove how wide the range is.   Everyone has their own identity and I believe the array of colors and designs we have caters to everyone of any lifestyle.

Today, the idea of starting a business in a downward economy can be intimidating, but with the right product and knowledge of the market, it is less risky to start a business and succeed during these times.  Here are a couple of survival tips when opening your own business:

• Conceptualize your product. For us, we were creating a sneaker line.  Keyword: sneaker.  The concept of a sneaker is not new but our approach is what separated us from the “others”.  I believe the downfall for many start-up companies is the fact they believe they have to come up with this 23^rd Century idea in order to setup shop.  Most startup companies never get off the ground because of this mindset.  I look at billion dollar companies like Mac and PC.  They’re both computers.  They type, print, you can surf the Internet, etc.  But it’s their conceptual approach to the computer that differentiates the brands.  A Mac has different capabilities than a PC and vice versa.  The same applies to the world of fashion.  Fashion works in twenty-year increments.   You take a look at what was happening twenty years ago, and you can always find how it is tied into today’s trends.
• Know What You’re Getting Into.  You cannot expect to open a new business and succeed without researching and understanding your market space.  This is especially crucial in an oversaturated industry like the retail business.  As a designer, your voice determines your product.  You have to know what’s hot and what’s not.  If it’s the summer season and beachwear is in, you don’t open a winter gear shop, do you?  It just doesn’t make sense.  Every succeeding business succeeds because they assess the competition and think how can I make it better?  Was McDonald’s the first company to make a hamburger?  No.  It’s the same with Radii.  We’ve taken an existing product, assessed the competition and launched a line with its own creative identity and voice.
• Don’t sweat the details. If you overthink, chances are your business will never see the light of day.  You can only prepare so much when starting your own business.  You’re bound to make mistakes as we all do in business.  My partner pushed us into an early launch date.  I didn’t think the line was ready but he gave me a piece of advice that still lives with me today which is, “…if you wait to long, you’ll never come out.” It just comes to show you that if you believe in your product and your business, you have to take a chance sometimes or you’ll never get anywhere!
• Product, product, product. It’s all about your product.  If you have a great product on your hands, it will speak for itself.  It all comes down to the goods you manufacture.  Sure, the volume might not be where it was years ago, but as long as you’re making quality products that consumers want, you’ll weather the storm and make it through.  In Radii’s first six months we had celebrities like Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani wearing our brand.  We have not nor do we plan on paying celebrities to endorse our brand.  We have been fortunate enough to have a product that speaks to the entertainment community which widely spreads our popularity amongst different culture lines and consumers.  Remember, consumers are the ones spending their hard earn cash to keep your business afloat.  If you ensure they’re getting a bang for their buck, they’ll keep coming back for more.
• Make the most of your marketing dollars. Find creative ways to reach your targeted demographic.  When we first launched, we had the Jay-Zs, Black-Eyed Peas and Gym Class Heroes of the entertainment world wearing our line and thought that was all we needed to take over the sneaker game.  Boy, were we wrong.  After a few weeks, the craze was over.  Jay, Gwen, Will.I.Am suddenly became yesterday’s glory.  We needed our story to be told on a continual basis.  So, we hired a marketing/public relations firms to get our story out there and they’re doing an amazing job.   For those on a smaller marketing budget, understand that we live in a day and age where you can get your product out to the masses yourself.  Huge marketing budgets are not given nowadays so you have to be prepared and smart where you spend your marketing dollars.  Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter make it easy for you to constantly interact with your targeted audience while programs such as Wordpress and Blogspot are excellent blogging options to continually feed news to your consumers.  The key here is to spend more on your product if it comes down to the two. One example was a sunglass company I knew that put millions into marketing, yet their product was not up to par.  The company was out of business within a year.
• Be your biggest fan. I have seen too many people get into a business that they do not have a passion for.  They see it as a “get-rich-quick” scheme and in the end it usually results in them spending more money than what they get in return.  Your drive and passion will inspire those that work for you, not to mention your desire to see your business succeed.  If you’re not your biggest fan, who is?

So what did we learn today?  Conceptualize your product.  Know what you’re getting into.  Don’t sweat the details.  Ensure you have a quality product.  Make the most of your marketing dollars and be your biggest fan.  Implementing these rules into your own business will help you bust the “economy blues”.  Remember that starting your own business is a learning experience. No one becomes a billionaire overnight.  But, the saying that “practice makes perfect” could not stand truer as Radii Footwear is a testament of hard work, passion and drive.  Here’s to much success!

Extra-credit reading for hungry entrepreneurs: URB’s exclusive 3-chapter excerpt from former Wu-Tang GM’s new book, The Entrepreneurial Secret

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