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This sample business plan is intended to provide you with a template

that can be used as a reference for when youre hard at work on your
plan. The company is a completely fictional organic denim and apparel
company, however, we made sure the industry research was grounded
in real world numbers as much as possible. Lets get started:

Executive Summary

I'll Be Denim is an organic denim clothing line headquartered in Los


Angeles that currently focuses exclusively on locally producing a slim fit,
straight fit, and regular fit line of jeans for men and women. Founded by
Elena Horowitz, a retail industry veteran with experiences at JCrew, the
Gap, and Levis, and James Foster, a serial entrepreneur, the duo is out
to bring socially conscious fashion to the masses.

Currently selling online and through partnerships with a handful of local


boutiques in LA, the company is projecting to sell upwards of $400,000
in year 1 and reaching $750,000 in 3 years. Plans for expansion include
setting up distribution and manufacturing relationships in New York,
another fashion centric goldmine where the company aims to gain
greater market penetration.

With an emphasis on environmentally responsible fashion, Ill Be Denim


will also be starting a jeans recycling program where consumers will be
able to ship or drop off old pairs of jeans and have them used in the
manufacturing process for new ones.

Industry research has found that US consumers own on average 7 pairs


of jeans and stick to one brand based one one important variable, fit.
Given that statistic the companys designs center around providing the
best fit, with a tagline of denim so good, youll never take your clothes
off. To further take advantage of this insight, Ill Be Denim will be
launching a custom tailor option where users will be able to request
custom fit jeans through an online portal.

The primary competition comes from three foreign brands namely


Kuyichi, Hiut Denim, and Nudie Jeans, all which have been committed to
sustainable fashion since the onset and are huge advocates for the
organic cotton movement. The brand value proposition and
differentiation will come from being an American brand with images of
patriotism and ruggedness that shows both fashion forward thinking and
a concern for the environment.

Primary means of marketing will be online through analytic-driven


approaches like SEO and paid search, in addition to capitalizing on
social channels like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. User
generated content and engagement will be key as product pages will
include Instagram photos and promote consumer pride in our products.

The organic cotton will be sourced from two mills, one based in Turkey
and the other in Japan where it will be transformed to denim and dyed in
natural indigo colors and shipped to our manufacturing and shipping
partner DenimsRUs in LA. Day to day operations are handled through
an office in LA with a second office in New York to be opened in a years
time.

The company has been funded through the two founders, their family
and friends, alongside some private investment.

Our Story
Ill Be Denim is a denim clothing line based out of Los Angeles focused
on bringing the highest quality organic denim wear to North America.
Founded by reputable designer Elena Horowitz and business partner
James Foster in October, 2012 with the duo having gone from a small
basement operation in Elenas home to successfully launching their
online store and scaling their operations.

After both founders worked for several years in the retail and fashion
industries respectively, one thing became increasingly clear to both of
them, the industry is in the midst of a deep moral and ethical crisis. With
cheap labour being continuously exploited with abysmal working
condition overseas and traditionally manufactured cotton using upwards
of 25 percent of the worlds entire agrochemicals consisting of
unimaginable amounts of insecticides and pesticides, Elena and James
decided enough is enough.

The duos vision for Ill Be Denim is simple, fashionable denim wear
made with organic materials thats manufactured locally and created with
the intent to make the fit so comfortable that youll never want to take
their clothes off. To achieve such a grand vision, the company is
committed to providing the best in class customer service in addition to
working with only the most detail oriented local manufacturers and
promoting eco-friendly fashion to the mainstream.

The guiding values and principles for the company are guilt-free
fashion (letting customers purchase high-quality apparel without
shutting out their conscious), the denim is in the details (working with
only the best local production factories), and eco is not a fad, but our
last chance (sourcing organic denim from certified suppliers).

Current Company Status


Ill Be Denim was incorporated in October, 2012 and operates as a
partnership between Elena Horowitz and James Foster. All company
shares are held by the founding duo. Since sourcing, manufacturing, and
selling out of Elenas basement to friends, family, and through local
boutiques, the company has grown to have its own online store,
relationships with suppliers of premium organic denim in Turkey, and
local manufacturers in LA. The company has had its revenues double
every two months.

Ill Be Denim Objectives

Ill Be Denim is currently selling denim jeans online through its Shopify
ecommerce store shipping primarily within Southern California with
market penetration in New York, another in addition to sporadic orders
north of the border to Canada in Toronto and Montreal. It also currently
partners with two local fashion boutique stores focused on selling eco-
friendly apparel that looks and feels good. The company is laser-focused
on growing its sales and operations as broken down in the two phases
listed below:

Phase I (Next 6 Months)

Increase online sales by 20 percent by end of year through influencer


and social media marketing tactics

Partner with 3 additional local high-end fashion boutiques with shared


values as distribution channels

Increase online social presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and


Pinterest by 30 percent

Build out a custom apparel line of the business giving online


consumers the ability to create their own denim jeans and jackets
Phase II (Next 12 Months)

Explore possibility of brick-and-mortar operations through testing pop-up


stores in LA region

Create strategic partnerships with local fashion boutiques in New York


for distribution in the area

Scope out local manufacturers in New York area for quality production
with aim of opening operations for denim jackets as the next product line
and increased delivery within region

Initiate a jean recycling program whereby consumers will be able to


deposit their denim and have them be reused in the creation of new
jeans

The Team

Elena Horowitz is an award-winning fashion designer who graduated


from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked at top retail brands
like J Crew, the GAP, and Levis for the past 15 years. Fed up with the
lack of speed with which most retail brands were moving towards
embracing eco-friendly means of production, she decided to quit her job
and start Ill Be Denim. She serves as Chief Design Officer (CDO) and
works with partner manufacturers to ensure quality of product.

James Foster dropped out of the University of Berkeley after finding


success with his first online store selling fertilizer and garden equipment
with his college roommate. After successfully exiting the company, he
went on to hold operational positions in management for a slew of
ecommerce companies before meeting Elena at a party and hitting it off.
The two discussed their guilt over buying from traditional fashion brands
and decided to combine forces to launch their own label. He serves as
the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and oversees all supplier
relationships, business logistics and strategic partnerships.

Market Size and Development

A recent report looking at the Global Denim Consumption and


Production through the years 2011 to 2021 by Denimandjeans.com
found that in 2007 the world jeans market was worth an estimated $51.6
billion and is at pace to grow to $56.2 billion by the year 2014. The report
also revealed that North America consumes an estimated 39 percent of
denim purchased worldwide while more than 50 percent of production is
still based in Asia, specifically in countries like China, India, Turkey,
Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Another report that focused exclusively on the denim consumption habits


in the US found that an average US consumer owns 15 denim garments
on average, 7 of which are pairs of jeans. Out of all apparel purchased
denim makes up 17 percent which explains why it continues to be the
highest selling clothing item in the world.

However, when it comes to consumer behaviour and trends most US


denim purchasers buy jeans for fit at 66 percent citing the reason over its
brand name. Interestingly enough though, 73 percent prefer to purchase
the same brand as the one they own with men showing more loyalty at
64 percent than women at 45 percent.

Going deeper into the growing level of awareness around environmental


sustainability and climate change, the Cotton Incorporated 2013
Environment Survey found that 51 percent of consumers say that
environmentally friendliness is important to their apparel purchase
decisions. Digging a little further, about 33 percent are actually more
likely to seek out environmentally clothes for themselves.

When it comes to the material of their clothes though, nearly 72 percent


of survey respondents say that natural fibres are better for the
environment than synthetics, with 51 percent of consumers willing to pay
more for them. Such trends are driving global brands like Gucci,
Timberland, and others to focus on making their products and supply
chain more environmentally friendly.

Pair all those facts together and you get a winning combination
championed by Ill Be Denim, provide consumers with organic denim
manufactured locally with an emphasis on designing for fit while also
offering custom fit solutions.

Competition

Kuyichi - Based in the Netherlands, the company has been in the


market since 2001 selling organic denim wear while simultaneously
using natural indigo dyeing techniques and running a robust jeans
recycling program

Hiut Denim - Based in the UK, the company operates out of a small
town known for manufacturing jeans. It currently offers a selection of
organic denim jeans targeted at both men and women, making only 100
pairs a week and resolving to only make jeans

Nudie Jeans - Headquartered in Sweden, the company achieved its


goal of launching an organic denim jeans collection in 2012 and has both
online and brick-and-mortar locations. They also have a wide assortment
of sustainable efforts ranging from providing a fair living wage to
everyone involved in the manufacturing process and recycling jeans.

Brand Differentiation and Value Proposition


Though there are more than a handful of organic denim startups, at Ill
Be Denim, we firmly believe that with the founders combined
experience, industry partnerships, and focus on providing the quality
denim jeans produced with sustainability in mind from cradle to grave,
the brand can stand out. Our plan is to leverage our American heritage
and love for the fabric and use a marketing strategy that is closely
aligned with building personal relationships with our target market. In
addition, with fit being the biggest variable in jean purchase decisions,
our custom fit program in addition to our slim, straight, and regular fit
jeans will help us delight our customers who in turn will spread the word.

Target Market

With our initial line of slim fit, straight fit, and regular fit denim jeans,
were looking to target the following consumer segment:

Age: 17-35

Social Media Savvy: Voraciously active on popular social networks like


Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr

Fashion Forward: With a keen eye on their day to day wear, these male
and female fashionistas dress to impress

Addicted to Mobile: They Instagram their food, check their Facebook


status while waiting in line, and tweet every traffic disruption they
experience.

Eco-Friendly: They feel a pinch everything they know their clothes were
manufactured unethically or are aware of the eco-footprint they have by
consuming clothes made with regular cotton
Location: The beachheads for the company will be LA and New York,
however, with the ability to shop online, well heavily promote ourselves
throughout southern California

Marketing Plan

SEO: Our content and blogging efforts will be targeted at having us rank
competitively for keywords like organic denim, organic jeans, and
eco-friendly garments

Paid Search: We will invest in both Google Adwords and Facebook Ads
to take advantage of their PPC services with optimized landing pages for
conversion

Instagram: We will launch campaigns and contest to encourage user-


generated images which we will then upload to our product pages to
build a community around our brand and the values we stand for

Other Social Media: We will subcontract a community manager to


regularly engage our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest communities

PR: We will promote our story, values, and fashion to leading fashion
blogs and print magazines emphasizing our earth-friendly and ethically
manufactured clothing

Business Development: We will actively look for the most popular local
fashion boutiques frequented by our target market that shares in our
values and beliefs

Another point to highlight is our focus on customer service with a 100


percent fit satisfaction guarantee or reimbursement for any
alternations, in addition to a complete refund policy effectively in place.

Daily Operations
For our day to day operations, Ill Be Denim has established several key
partnerships that ensure long-term durability and the ability to scale
alongside demand for our goods.

We will source the best organic cotton from two suppliers, one located in
Turkey and the other in Japan which means that their supplies were
produced without the use of any pesticides and was dyed in indigo using
a natural means. Once the shipment arrives in the US, itll be routed to
our production and shipping partner, DenimsRUs located in the outskirts
of LA who the company will work closely with to ensure quality through
regular checks and audits. It is also where the products will ship out of
through an integrated backend system and order processing
mechanism.

The Ill Be Denim office is located on 2029 Century Park East where the
two co-founders in addition to two admin and one sales and marketing
support staff will work out of handling all online order processing and
ensuring the purchase to delivery of their denim products runs smoothly.
Its also where all requests for refunds will be handled in addition to the
future launch of the jean recycling program

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