Get it Made, Get it Sold: The Basics of Sourcing & Sales for Entrepreneurs

ABOUT THE CLASS

Pricing? Vendors? Timelines? Learn how to get products made, sold, and successfully delivered with this essential class for creative entrepreneurs!

OK, you have a great idea for a brand. That’s nice. But in order to turn that dream into a reality, you’re going to need to embark on two major journeys: SOURCING and SALES. If you can’t make the thing (and make it with quality for a reasonable price), you can’t sell the thing.

I’ve seen hundreds of great ideas that never get off the ground and never become a reality. Why? Because the founder couldn’t figure out a way to get it made and/or get it sold. In fact, as you’ll see in my class—sales and sourcing go very much hand in hand.

I founded my clothing line, Staple, back in 1997. Over the past 17 years I have manufactured Staple in every possible way, shape and form. I’ve also tried every possible method to sell the brand so I’m innately familiar with the pros and cons of each. With all this experience (and an immense amount of mistakes and failures along the way) I hope the lessons I share with you cut down the amount of time it takes for you to figure out sales and sourcing for your own endeavors.

What You’ll Learn

In this class I will take you through the ins and outs of sales and sourcing, two essential pillars of any product based business. I will go over standard practices in the industry as well as the necessary materials you need to get going. We’ll cover:

• Introduction to Sales. How the industry operates and the different ways to sell your brand.
• Building Sales Collateral. How to develop the materials you need in order to price and place your collection.
• Introduction to Sourcing. How to communicate with your vendors in order to cost and sample your line effectively.
• The Relationship Between Sales and Sourcing. The sourcing and sales determine the timeline and costing of your production, but what happens after you deliver?

IN THIS CLASS YOU WILL DO:

In this class you will put together the sales and sourcing collateral necessary to sell and produce your collection. This will include a line sheet, a costing sheet, and a production + sales calendar. For “extra credit” you can create a look book and promotional material.

CLASS PROJECT
Create a line sheet, costing sheet, and sales/sourcing calendar

14 Videos (1h 50m) – presented by Skillshare
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ABOUT THE PRESENTER
In 1997, jeffstaple walked into a boutique in New York City wearing a shirt he printed in his silkscreen class at Parsons School of Design. He had no intention of even wanting to start a brand. He walked out of that store with an order of 12 shirts. Staple was officially open for business. What started as a small T-Shirt line handmade by jeffstaple, grew organically and began to gain visibility in NYC. In the process of building this burgeoning brand, Nike asked jeffstaple in 2005 to create a special commemorative sneaker that would represent New York. The Staple Pigeon Dunk SB was conceived and lead to much fanfare upon its release and exposed Staple—as well as sneaker culture—to the masses.

@StaplePigeon is now a world renowned brand which reflects the gritty and never-ending energy New Yorkers (and all urban dwellers) possess. It not only exists as a representation of New York, but The Pigeon is also the influence behind Staple’s extensive apparel range and collaborative items available across the world. Inspired by street culture and design, Staple’s reach encompasses many different landscapes such as fashion, music, sport, and art.

TWO DECADES ON, STAPLE CONTINUES TO BE A POSITIVE SOCIAL CONTAGION.

In addition to @staplepigeon, @jeffstaple is also the founder of Staple Design Studio and Reed Space.