I may be the only shark who hasn't been on QVC, but I have learned a lot from those folks about what it takes to get a product on store shelves.
To make a bestseller, there are more customers than just your customers: Selling to the end-user is just one piece of the puzzle. In my case, I needed to first sell myself to the publisher to get marketing support and national retail distribution.
I've always wanted to do some kind of merchandising/clothing line/action figures because I know the fan base that I have are very loyal and dedicated, and they've always loved the action figures and other merchandise.
Selling online is one channel, but it's not the only channel.
I want my books sold on airport bookstalls.
I'm not going to launch a bikini business and then give up bikinis, am I?
Nothing exists if a store doesn't buy it and you're not able to get it.
I saw my potential as artistic director, which is very different from designer. Fashion companies might have $200 million to $300 million in annual sales - Hugo Boss has €2.5 billion. I have to create a world that is believable and also relevant in 7,000 sales points around the world.
When I started out, I was more focussed on being creative and wanting to do certain things I hadn't done before. That's great if you're doing fashion as a hobby. But when you want to sell out stores, you need to be very sure of the balance between commerce and art.
Has anyone actually asked the customer if they want to have something available directly after the show? You hear that three bags are going to be released tomorrow in five shops, so you produce 15 bags. How many customers are you going to satisfy with that? Fifteen!
Fashion brands looking for explosive growth go the wholesale route, to get their products into stores, but then they end up relying on those sales.
Fashion is such an octopus. You're connected to so many people: suppliers, pattern makers, production teams, marketing teams, vendors.
Fashion is a hard business.
With a global society hungry for luxury, distribution and supply chains are now as important for executives as a hands-on feel for products.
For me to be a billion-dollar author, I need to have people buying my books at Wal-Mart.
