We Started A $10K/Month Business Trying To Make The Perfect Men's T-Shirt
Hello. This is Marcel, one of the founders of Fioboc, which is a fashion apparel brand with a sole focus on men’s clothing.
Sometimes, men are busy and have no time to take care of their dressing and sometimes come across problems finding soft and fashionable clothing. So we think we should help and make some changes.
In fact, at the very beginning of the venture, Ambrosino and I were clear that the clothing track we were stepping into had long been a niche market, and nearly all brands sell T-shirts. But this is where the opportunity lies. We have our own positioning theory - the category is brand, when people talk about T-shirts, they can't associate with a specific brand, and this is the opportunity for Fioboc.
Before we realize the importance of positioning, Fioboc suffered a great loss at the beginning. We got no customers, and no sales until we found our position: Fioboc needs to be the representative of the Soft T-shirt. So we started our T-shirts business, and we sold more than 1,000 units in the following months and got about 800 customers.
All 20 Team members‘ efforts finally paid off. From then on, it operates well and can generate about 10,000$ in revenue each month.
If you are interested in our products, click here to browse them, and here is a special coupon (STARTER) I prepared for you！
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
Ambrosino and I have worked around in almost every position in the fast fashion industry, Brand Rep– Fashion Retail, Product Developer, Wholesale Director, Garment Production Coordinator, etc.
We have witnessed so much waste behavior, I guess this is why it is called dirty fashion. Associated with reality, we mean to establish our own brand and do something different and sustainable. We believe there will be a group that is in line with us and will support us.
In the current clothing market, any clothing company has white T-shirts. But what we can think of is still Burberry's trench coat, Hermes' platinum bag, Ferragamo's belt and shoes, and LV's casual wear and bags ...... Only no brand is doing the T-shirt category synonymously, which is the historical opportunity that Ambrosino and I saw.
We all know that men have always been at the bottom of the consumer stigma chain. Also, we realized there was a gap in the market for the perfect men’s t-shirt. We released a men's staingo series and a cooling t-shirt with minimalism, these are perfect for work, dating, travel, exercise, and lounging.
If you are curious about what the staingo series is, check here. Or you might doubt its possibility, check this review from one of our customers
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
In terms of pattern, Fioboc collects 60,000 real users' body data for ergonomic pattern making; in terms of fabric, the special high-grade fabrics of international luxury brands are used; in terms of process, the luxury level process such as the use of three stitches.
The technology element is a point of particular importance to Ambrosino and I, and has been labeled Fioboc as a "technology company". According to its introduction, Fioboc is currently developed according to the principle of bionic lotus leaf film, which can be "oil-proof, stain-proof and water-proof".
In addition, all our T-shirts have a UV sensor T mark on the sleeve, this mark will change color with the intensity of light to remind users of sun protection, which takes into account certain social attributes.
Ambrosino and I are almost obsessed with technological innovation in clothing. In October this year, Fioboc held a launch event that was more like a science experiment on clothes. Soy sauce was splashed onto a white T-shirt, shaken, and the sauce dripped off the were clothes as glossy as ever.
"I now very much like to study the emerging technology, to see if there is a possible application to the clothing possible." Ambrosino and I, for the investment in science and technology, also do not mind the money.
Currently, Fioboc's popular T-shirt has been updated to the second generation, and the product category has been expanded to include shirts, jackets, pants, etc., with "micro-innovations" on almost every piece of clothing without exception.
Prepare well before starting! You must make it clear where your position is in the market. That’s the key to success.
Describe the process of launching the business.
Emm, about the launching process, everyone must be cautious about this and know more strategies. From the original concept to the final product, there are licensing papers, apparel design and fabric supplier, logo and website design, packaging, …lots of rifles, etc.
Finally, we produce our first batch of clothing. This is about 100 pieces. While none of these are sold.
Then we begin to do marketing to let more people know about it, we send out free samples to key opinion influencers and let them do an honest review about our clothing. We are so happy that we received positive feedback and they generously share their opinion with their audience.
That’s how our first audience comes. The first batch of clothing was half given away and half sold out.
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
The first one we want to convey to the customer is that our intention is to redefine the fashion industry with tech. We stick to the principle of sustainability. This helps us to establish the first expression in the target audience's mind.
Well marketing strategy helps us a lot to acquire customers. We have devoted more than 10,000$ to marketing and successfully realized ROI greater than 3x. According to the practice, we found that promotions on Youtube channels perform better. So as I mentioned earlier, how it works is we usually give something away just for sharing the video on their timeline. Often, it is a free shirt or gift card. Honestly, it is worth the dollar amount that we may “lose”. So in about 3 months, we’ve grown our Youtube followers from literally 0 to 1,750 people, all organically through our existing customers sharing our videos and posts which has been really cool.
The most important thing is a good product. From the customer’s feedback, these are the superior features of Fioboc apparel:
- Soft and breathable
- Durable Material
- Classic design
- Anti-dirt and Waterproof
- Package
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
The same as the evolution of smartphones, Fioboc T-shirts continue to upgrade and iterate, and in 2022 the main launch of the new water magic T, adding "waterproof, stain-proof, oil-proof" lotus leaf film technology to solve the pain point of T-shirt stains. Fioboc will extend our Staingo series and launch several styles, such as shirts, hoodies, etc.
Long-term goals would be to continue to grow organically every week through Facebook and Instagram. We’re really trying to grow our Instagram audience because our industry jives well with that crowd.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
Up to now, the positioning strategy is what I think is particularly helpful. When Fioboc established its position-T-shirt category, then we got a circle to work around and all marketing worked for this position. We are still working on it. Positioning is more of a daily commitment than a one-time event.
Every business has a brand, but is it by default or by design? You can either work proactively on your positioning or let others do it for you. Brand positioning matters for a couple of reasons.
- It allows you to differentiate your brand.
- It helps you justify your pricing strategy.
- It makes your brand more creative.
A few tips on how to position your brand in the market:
- Be unique.
- Be relevant.
- Be consistent.
- Be credible.
Positioning defines where your product (item or service) stands in relation to others offering similar products and services in the marketplace as well as the mind of the consumer.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
Currently, we launched a plan on our site to get our customers involved in sharing their opinions about the purchase, called Ambassador plan.
If you are a celebrity/blogger/YouTuber that can help brands to promote. We also have our affiliate program in-house and also on Shareasale.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
As I have mentioned, the positioning strategy helps us a lot. I learned it from the book: Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout.
This is also the book I would recommend to all people who want to start a business.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
Prepare well before starting! You must make it clear where your position is in the market. That’s the key to success.
A handbag maker may position itself as a luxury status symbol. A TV maker may position its TV as the most innovative and cutting-edge. A fast-food restaurant chain may position itself as the provider of cheap meals. So who are you?
Brand positioning creates clarity around who you serve. It also explains to your target audience why you are the best company for them and what sets your products or services apart. It helps you justify your pricing strategy. The positioning of the brand can be used to justify a pricing strategy.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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