As I sit here at the Thursday farmer’s market, my bamboo apparel neatly displayed for sale in my booth, I begin to brainstorm. Thankfully, as writer, I typically have a pen and paper nearby, which comes in handy when I’m thinking of new and better ways to market and sell Rain Frog Apparel.
It wasn’t that long ago that I first got the idea to start a bamboo clothing company, yet there has been a world of growth between then and now. There’s also a lot of history prior to my company’s launch, and much of it has nothing to do with designing organic tops and tees. I have written about entrepreneurs for more than a decade, but, much like giving birth, nothing really prepares you for the real thing until you do the breathing and pushing yourself. The idea is just the seed; making it grow takes more than a little watering.
It so happens that my son proved to be the impetus for Rain Frog Apparel, through his innocent interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance. He proudly recited the entire Pledge—and replaced the last line, saying instead, “With liberty and justice for frogs.” That resulted in one of those “A ha!” moments. I was reminded of my passion: to help make the world a better place for all of us. Including the frogs.
What I knew at the time was that frogs are terribly endangered, some already extinct, and that starting my own company would provide an avenue to give back and help the planet. What I didn’t know is that starting my own company would test me in every way imaginable.
I should have known it. I was the managing editor of
Entrepreneur magazine and executive editor of Entrepreneur.com, and I spent at least part of each day responding to questions from readers like me who were either in the initial startup stages or further along in the process, looking for guidance. I had good advice for them. That’s not to sound full of myself, but when I look back at what I wrote, it makes good sense.
As for whether I took my own advice in starting a business, well, let’s just say that I still haven’t completed my business plan—you know, that thing that helps you get money. Oh, and it also helps you figure out why the heck you’re starting a business in the first place. The why can’t be simply that you want to; there has to be a market for it. And you must have a clearly defined purpose for starting the business.
Finding the Peeps
Fortunately, there is a market for people who want bamboo clothing. And it’s growing. After more than a year in business, I’ve gotten to know my customers. They’re typically people who lead organically inclined lifestyles to begin with. Anytime I exhibit at expos and other events, I get to talking with my customers about the kinds of things they like to buy, and most of them already use at least a few environmentally friendly products. If they haven’t bought bamboo clothing before, they probably have bamboo sheets, towels or flooring. And as for the moms, they’re more than willing to pay for garments that they trust won’t irritate and pollute their babies’ sensitive skin.
Here’s what they’re not. They’re not the people at the farmer’s market who are only there for the beer and the band, or the flowers and produce. Now, after a complete season at the farmer’s market as a vendor, I can safely say that while perhaps it was worth it in terms of exposure and brand awareness, it wasn’t a blowout in sales—simply because many people weren’t there to shop. Don’t get me wrong; brand awareness is important. But equally important is having a strategy to convert that awareness into sales.
That’s something I could have learned beforehand, probably, if I had first investigated who my market is, what motivates them to buy, where they do their shopping and which events they frequent. I didn’t do those things. I jumped in with both feet. In some cases, it was a costly mistake.
For instance, not long after launching, I decided to purchase ad space and an e-mail blast with a company that does targeted e-mail ad campaigns. Again, I didn’t research whether the targeted e-mail would reach the people I wanted it to reach. The people mentioned above may or may not have been recipients of that e-mail. And even if they were, would they trust an advertisement or an advertorial (paid editorial commentary)?
In many cases, consumers are more likely to trust a company’s message and be motivated to buy from that company if it’s mentioned in the media. Media messages instill confidence and trust; they lend credibility to the company. Here is where a good public relations program comes in.
Coming from the other side of the desk, I haven’t always necessarily been impressed with PR people. I used to get stacks and stacks of press releases from PR reps pitching their companies’ stories, and only a handful would mention a story angle that was relevant. The others often were nothing more than fluff pieces. So, when I did get the occasional story pitch that described an angle relevant to our readership, I tended to want to work with those people and write about the company.
Having that experience as a journalist made it easy to find a PR rep of my own whom I like and value. The decision to contract out some PR work to Priscilla Thomas of Dolce Vita Events came just a few days ago, but I’m already impressed with her and feel I can trust her. This is someone who also puts on shopping expos of her own, but when I asked her if I should participate in one as a vendor, she recommended first seeing how I do at the event in which I exhibiting last week. She could have just as easily said, “Yes, you should give me your booth fees and sign up today!” Instead, she put my client needs first.
So what’s so great about public relations? Simple. Someone else can do the footwork (or most of it) of spreading the word about your company, leaving you free to focus on the things you do best. For many entrepreneurs, their “best” is the creative side of things. The big picture. I won’t say that I’m not into details; you can’t spend the amount of time that I have on editing and writing without having at least a passing fancy for details. But when it comes to my company, I would prefer to outsource certain tasks so that I can spend more time on my message.
For instance, when I first started Rain Frog Apparel, I built my own website using a basic template program. The site was functional but nothing special. I discovered that just because people stop by your site, it doesn’t mean they’re going to buy something. Without a compelling reason to stay, I couldn’t converts visitors into sales.
So, as much as I didn’t want to spend the money, I decided to contract out the design work to a professional, Urban Profile (urbanprofile.net), which is near my headquarters in Fullerton, California. As I write this, my revamped website is still in development but set to relaunch within a few weeks. Obviously, I can’t report on the effectiveness of my new site yet, but so far I’m quite happy with the look and feel. And it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg; Urban Profile agreed to work within my budget but is still creating a site that looks great and has all the functionality I need.
I also saved on costs by utilizing friends for photo shoots. Initially, I had myself pose for all the photos, but after about a year of seeing my face all over my website, I decided it was time for a change. The new photos are reflective of the overall message: that bamboo clothing from Rain Frog Apparel is good for you, good for the planet. It’s not just good for me!
Finding the Green
Yes, you read that correctly earlier. I haven’t completed a business plan yet. So how have I financed my business—all the inventory, marketing, printing, shipping, exhibiting, leasing? Primarily, it’s been through credit cards. And I would only recommend this route to someone who has thoroughly researched their potential for return on investment.
Like the student attending law school using financial aid, the entrepreneur needs to know how they will go about paying back their means of financing—whether it’s credit cards, a loan or private investors. Now that I have a PR and marketing strategy in place, along with a revamped website, I have a better idea of how I will go about paying down my debt. However, it would have paid to create the business plan first, along with a financing strategy.
There are many organizations available to help small businesses get off the ground, including the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), the Small Business Administration (SBA) and those designed specifically for women (such as Ladies Who Launch or the National Association for Women Business Owners).
One that I have personally used is SCORE. They offer free one-on-one counseling with a business professional, along with a variety of workshops for entrepreneurs. One recent one that proved helpful for me was the business plan workshop. I left with a step-by-step action plan for getting it done. Now I have no more excuses—so slowly but surely, I’m chipping away at it.
Finding the Purpose
As I mentioned, an entrepreneur needs to have a clearly defined purpose—not only for starting the business, but for everything he or she does in life. If my purpose is to make the world a better place, then that purpose must guide me in everything I do, from being a good mom to my son (now 6) to building a business that gives back.
I learned this lesson in a karate studio, of all places. I first enrolled my son at American Martial Arts Academy in Fullerton, California, when he was 3 years old. I began taking kickboxing classes and eventually enrolled in a martial arts program for myself as well. At the same time, I enrolled in the academy’s “business college,” which prepared me not only to teach karate classes, but also to change my mindset and abandon old ways of thinking.
Old ways of thinking often included negative self-talk and an “employee” mentality that prevented me from following my passions. The owner of the karate studio, Brad C. Wenneberg, taught us in the business college that the path to success must include a willingness to help and serve others in some way and to take the focus off of self. In our karate classes, we are encouraged to help others who are of a lower-ranking belt—and we learned from Brad that we must also extend that willingness to help into all areas of our lives.
Brad took his message a step further by writing a book,
Unleash Your Inner Warrior, which is set for release in April 2009. A warrior, in our dojo, is one who serves. I’m not talking about letting people walk all over you; I mean having an attitude that we can make someone else’s life better just by reaching out to them and lending a hand. How many times have you gone about your day without noticing the people around you—in the grocery store, at the gas station, at your child’s school? By simply striking up a conversation with a stranger, you can learn a little about them and perhaps make their day.
For instance, a few days ago, my son and I took our bottles and cans to the automated recycling center. The machine jams easily, and if it does, you pretty much have to abort the mission unless there is someone on duty minding the machine. Anytime it jams, the alarm sounds so obnoxiously, you’d think that a nuclear holocaust had begun.
When my son and I drove up, there was already a woman feeding her recyclables into the machine, and within a few moments, it jammed. The alarm sounded, and I knew there would be no more recycling of cans. I could have stomped off in a huff or simply driven away without saying anything. Instead, I said, “That’s happened to me before.”
A look of relief swept over the woman’s face, and she replied, “It’s so annoying!” Then, she laughed, adding, “I got 75 cents. Woo-hoo!” I laughed with her, and then my son and I went on with our day.
It doesn’t take much to reach out to another human being. But it pays big dividends to exude positivity. Sometime down the road, I’ll be embarrassed by something I did—and I know there will be someone there to laugh with me, too.
As I get ready to step into my second year of business, I continue to look toward my mentors for advice and guidance. I continue to be thankful that through the course of business, I have gained an even greater opportunity to fulfill my purpose. And I continue to scribble my thoughts on little scraps of paper.
At the end of the day, I take a deep breath and spend some time reading, reflecting and running down my “gratitude list”—the mental list of things for which I am thankful.
I have yet to make it through the entire thing before drifting off to sleep.
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[mompreneurs]
We proudly announce that the new Rain Frog Apparel site is up and running with all your favorite bamboo tops, tees and robes. If you previously shopped at www.shoprainfrog.com, that URL has now been redirected to www.rainfrogapparel.com. 
