The Beginning of Something Great.
I’m pretty excited to announce Rebelz at Work, or R.A.W will be launching it’s first collection in the Summer of 2019. It will be a summer collection consisting of two high quality tanks, and t-shirts.
Since I was a kid I have always had a passion for art, and have always contemplated about jumping in to the clothing game.I finally decided to take the leap last year, and just dove into it. My aim to you this blog as journal, and inspiration to anyone looking to jump in the game.
Actions I have taken so far to start the business R.A.W.
Creating the company name:
Creating the name was probably the hardest thing I have had to do. A lot of the names that I thought were original, had been taken. I needed to figure out how to explain the clothing line and what it was about, with a simple name. Coming from the Hip-Hop scene as a BBoy, I wanted to market towards the streetwear and Hip-Hop market. I went through probably two-hundred plus names, before I finally settled on a name. I have a hard time jumping from one task to another, until the current one I am focusing on is finished. I let my obsession for coming up with a brand name delay me, from moving forward and taking action sooner. My advise, if you don’t have a brand name out the gate, that’s okay, just don’t stop creating. Eventually after some time creating your clothing, you’ll learn what your art means to you, and a name will hit you. Give it time.
Starting the Company:
I went online and submitted paper work for a LLC (limited liability company). I could have chose a sole proprietorship, but doing so, the company takes the name of the person who owns the company, and you end up doing business as your name. If you use a brand name other than the person’s name who open the company, then the name becomes fictitious and you’d be doing business as someone/something else. For example, if your name is John Doe, your company’s name would be John Doe, and you’d be doing business as (D.B.A) the company name you created. Not wanting to jump into more detail than I have to, researching how a company becomes liable, financially with a sole proprietorship vs a LLC is a must. I chose to go with creating a LLC. I knew I wanted to apply for company credit card, so I could build the businesses credit separate from my own. A company credit card is the biggest reason I went the LLC route, and creating it cost me $150.00 to apply with the state. I tried to mail the application into the state, with a certified check to save myself money, but the process took to long to get accepted. I got the application back three, maybe four weeks later, stating the application had been denied because a portion of the application was filled out wrong. I got frustrated with the time it took, and paid an expedite fee to use a credit card, and applied online. After submitting the application online, it was approved and I was notified within two to three days. My suggestion, save yourself the time, submit your payment and application online.
After the LLC was approved, I applied for an EIN, (Employee Identification Number) so I could create a business online, accepting payments. It is basically like your businesses social security number with the state. You use it to open your bank account, hire people, create an online store, etc… Registering for you E.I.N. is free, DO NOT PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT!!
Look for Vendors:
I don’t have any experience with screen printing or DTG printing, so I knew I had to find a vendor to provide my clothes, print on them, and supply hang tags. Sure I could have learned to print and diy a screen printer, but like most companies starting up, I am on a budget. I made the choice to stick to what I’m good at (art & business), and delegate/purchase the services I’m not good at. (Manufacture clothing, & printing). This start my quest to find a vendor with that could produce great quality clothing, at an affordable price.
Finding a vendor is not always easy. I looked both in the U.S. and overseas for vendors, and decided to purchase overseas. This step is all preference, but make sure you do your research and sample your work, before you run full production! You do not want to end up with a bad quality product that you cannot sell.
Creating a Website:
I am currently in this step, and I was having a hard time with the options between Square Space and WordPress. I Love the simplicity of Square Space, but sometimes it’s too simple, trying to create a unique look. Square Space lets you run a trial to before you purchase their service, which I found very helpful. WordPress released their update, which is like Square Space, but you have a lot more options to customize. After the back and forth, I decided to go with Square Space. I made this decision because I wanted to keep my momentum going forward, simply, and quickly. I didn’t want to waste to much time building up the website, when I should be focusing on getting product to sell. Maybe in the future I will switch to a different ecommerce platform, but for now Square Space meets my needs.
Overall I am excited about the start of this Journey, and I will keep you all posted.