What do busy, working mothers do to keep on top of it all? They hold meetings while they run! Brillliant. When I reached out to Title Nine's Sports Bra Merchant, Molly Hanks, she suggested I join her on her morning run from the office. She and her cutie 2 year-old daughter were ready to go at 7am. A few of her co-workers joined us and it was a great way to talk about business and get the daily run in. The run flew by and Molly was so gracious in sharing her thoughts and knowledge. I was briefly in teh office and saw a wall dedicated to the greatest "Difficult" women of the world. Let me tell you the list was full of strong, passionate women. Molly is an athlete with a passion for a great sports bra. I was so impressed and now even more a fan of Title Nine. Check them out!
The last month was been really productive which means I am getting further along in my entrepreneur adventure. Both scary and exciting.
The design is with the pattern maker and in the meantime I have had to decide on the best fabrics for wicking, support and comfort. It's been a fast education in the world of cut and sew. I did't know what a binding was, what a #3 zipper meant, or what 15% vs. 29% lycra would mean. But I have some great advisors in Julie and Abi at V. Mora in Chicago, where the production of the prototype is taking place. The easier decisions will be colors. I envision jewel tones and a fun turquoise octopus logo. I had to lean on my friends when it came to a name. We had a "name that bra" party, complete with wine of course, to encourage our creativity. I have some really fun and super smart friends! Ta Da is the winning name! I think it captures the moment I hope women feel when they zip up the bra and realize it was easy and it fits great and now they are off to comfortable workout. Going to Outdoor Retailer Expo in Salt Lake City was well worth it. Not only did I do some research on the competition, Moving Comfort and 2XU, but I met people who were super excited about my ideas and volunteered some great advice. All the while my biz planning class is getting heavy with financing, marketing and branding. Thanks to Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center and their amazing alumni I am feeling good about the business plan so far. And of course triathlon training continues. It's now the season where it's 2 workouts a day and my club's (PacWest Athletics) Arizona training camp is fast approaching. Camp is always fun but it is usually a wake up call that my fitness isn't where I expect it should be!! Working towards a Wildflower PR :) |