Did you know that two-thirds of people that want to start a business don’t because they don’t think they’ll succeed? Well, that’s why we introduced Maker’s Row Gold! This new plan gives entrepreneurs the support and resources they need to actually start their business.
To show entrepreneurs that it is possible to start a successful business, we talked to some of our users about their brand, journey to success, and what they accomplished in a year.
Our first installment was with Ami Beck (check it out here), this week we spoke with Kirrin Finch!
Describe your brand in one line:
Kirrin Finch is a conscientious menswear-inspired apparel company made and designed in NYC.
How did your brand start?
We founded Kirrin Finch in 2015 after being frustrated at our inability to find clothes that matched own personal style. As women who gravitate towards button-up shirts and bow ties, we found themselves envying the clothes in the men’s section, but ending up frustrated because the options available were not designed to fit a woman’s body.
What do you consider your biggest achievement for your brand?
Two years ago, neither of us had any experience in the fashion industry or starting a company. Today, we’ve launched a growing e-commerce brand that’s been featured in various outlets including The Atlantic, Fast Company, Vice Magazine, Huff Post, and even on the NYC Subway System. We’ve ran a successful Kickstarter and delivered our rewards on-time, and in many cases ahead of schedule. And most importantly we’ve developed a loyal customer base who appreciates the clothing that we are designing.
Do you have any goals for the upcoming year?
We are planning on building upon the success we’ve had on our e-commerce platform, to explore opportunities to wholesale and expand our product offerings in 2017. Our ultimate goal is to be a lifestyle brand that can provide customers with a one-stop shop for menswear inspired apparel.
Any words of encouragement for entrepreneurs that aren’t sure if they can actually start a business?
Being an entrepreneur can be really amazing, but it can also be trying at times. A couple of thoughts after starting our business:
1) There are so many resources (many of them free) to help support entrepreneurs. For example, SCORE, SBA, SBDC and services like Maker’s Row. Tap into as many of them as you can. Get yourself some mentors and take classes.
2) At first, we were really afraid to share our idea with people because we were concerned that someone might take the idea and run with it. After awhile we realized a few things- Just having an idea is great, but starting a business takes so much more than that. Most people don’t have the energy or the gumption to do it. Let alone steal an idea that someone else is passionate about. We also realized that getting lots of people’s feedback was invaluable and way more important than keeping our idea a secret.
3) Take small steps, and be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small. When we first started working on the business full-time, we felt like even though we knew we were working hard, it didn’t feel like we were really getting any closer to our end goal. So we started an accomplishments list. Every Friday afternoon we would sit down and write out all of the things we did that week that were significant. Some things on the list were as simple as making a new contact, and others were as big as hiring a factory. Regardless of the size, celebrate the things you do, because otherwise it is easy to get wrapped up in a never ending to-do list and feel like you aren’t making progress.
