What do I need to know to start a shoe business?
Do you want to start a shoe business or learn how how to start a shoe line? You are in the right place. Starting a shoe brand will not be easy; you will need lots of help, patience, perseverance, and passion. Building a shoe brand is complicated, but you can do it! Here is a quick 7-step guide to help you break down the shoe brand building process step-by-step.
The Shoe Brand Building Business Plan – 7 Steps
Building a business plan can seem like a daunting task. It helps to divide your shoe brand business plan into smaller parts. Here are seven parts your shoe brand business plan must include.
1. The Footwear Product plan
2. The Shoe Manufacturing plan
3. The Sales plan
4. The Marketing plan
5. The Distribution plan
6. The Staffing plan
7. The Money plan
1. The Footwear Product Plan
Your shoe brand will need products to sell! Your product plan should explain in detail exactly what kind of shoe you are making, and you should be making more than one. You will need to make a shoe line. Offering different models and prices gives you more chances to succeed. Dreaming, designing, and merchandising your shoes and the brand image you will use to propel sales is the fun part! Are you doing the design work yourself? Don’t worry; you can launch a shoe brand even if you can’t design shoes. You will need to hire a designer, But first, you will need to clearly describe what you what them to make.
2. The Shoe Manufacturing Plan
How are your shoes going to be made? Will you make them yourself, or buy them from Asia or Europe? Will you need special materials or tooling? Your manufacturing plan will need to include development phases and manufacturing requirements for your new shoe design. You will need a schedule. Summer sandals delivering in the fall will not succeed.
3. A Sales Plan for Shoes
As you develop your shoes and your brand, you need to consider the sales plan. Who is your target market? What stores will carry your shoes? When will your shoes be sold? Will you sell to retail locations and online? How much will they cost? Who will sell your shoes to the stores, and what is their commission rate?
4. The Marketing Plan
Every new shoe brand must have a marketing plan! Without marketing, your brand will be invisible. Customers need to see your brand. You must find a way to reach your targeted customers and create a branding message to draw them to your brand and shoes. Do your customers shop on the web or browse boutiques? Should you advertise in magazines or hire a skywriter? You need to identify your customers and your competitors.
5. The Distribution Plan
How will your shoes get from the factory to your customers? The distribution plan links to your sales and marketing plan. You need to plan for exactly how your shoes will move from start to finish. Will the shoes land in your garage and ship to individual website customers? Maybe your container of shoes will ship directly to a rented warehouse?
6. The Staffing Plan
You will need a team. Don’t expect to build your new shoe brand by yourself. You will be the mastermind, the driving force, and the visionary for your new shoe brand, but you will need footwear experts to help. You may have an amazing new shoe design, but you will need development, production, sales, and marketing help. Don’t worry; you won’t need to hire an army full time, just be ready to pull in help when you need it. You can hire freelance and gig workers for almost any task.
7. The Money Plan
Building your brand is going to cost money. The financing of a new brand is complicated. You will need to know the startup costs for design, development, production, shipping, sales, and marketing in advance. You will need to know how much money to allocate for each and when you need it. Where will you get the startup capital? Do you plan to have a Kickstarter campaign, or will you need to make a compelling pitch for an investor? Your money plan needs to include the cost to buy your shoes and your profit when you sell them.
You can do it. Get this book and get started today.
How to Start Your Own Shoe Company, follows two startup companies from initial launch to retail sales and marketing. Both companies have a unique style, budget, and business plan. In each of the 14 chapters, a requirement or process is clearly described, and you will learn how each of the two new shoe brands will best tackle this challenge. How to Start Your Own Shoe Company will guide you through how to start a shoe brand, creating your brand identity, legally setting up your shoe company, and registering your trademarks. You will also learn how to design and manufacture your shoes, how to find the best shoe factory, and how to go about selling your shoes.
Many other topics such as importing shoes, working with international distributors, calculating profit margins, paying overseas vendors, and necessary capital requirements will also be covered so you can get your startup moving forward right away. How to Start Your Own Shoe Company is arranged in chronological order, following the shoe company startup process from initial design, through development, production, sales, marketing, and distribution.
More than 100 full-color drawings, photos, charts, infographics, spreadsheets, and sample forms clearly illustrate the complete step-by-step process. This book will help you meet many challenges and be your comprehensive guide to making your own shoe company come to life!