The Description of the Business Idea
My business idea is a clothing boutique, Trophy Curves, for plus-size women. Nowadays, appearance plays a vital role, and many women face problems concerning their body image. The clothes that do not fit can cause not only short-term disappointment but also damage self-esteem and influence self-love for an extended period. Thus, it is extremely important to support women and demonstrate their beauty with the help of the right high-quality clothes at affordable prices. My boutique is about people and people who want to stop worrying about their everyday selection of the look of the day. The clothes give the opportunity not to apply much thought to the issue of choice between comfort and beauty because it combines both features. I have a user-friendly Internet site with three to six days of US delivery that can satisfy even the most demanding customers.
It is possible to find every piece of clothing there: from evening dresses to swimsuits. Hence, it relieves plus-size women from clothing-related problems in any season and presents a unique chance to enjoy life no matter their size! The most significant competitive advantage is the affordable price of the items. As the plus-size industry has undergone rapid development only recently, most players offer such items at the prices of the luxury or semi-lux clothing segments. Therefore, many ordinary women cannot afford to buy the clothes explicitly designed for them and are forced to go shopping in mass-market boutiques. The main message of my business is to demonstrate that every woman deserves to wear beautiful clothes to highlight all the advantages and hide the flaws. To serve this mission, the new collection prices in my boutique are in the range of 20-30 dollars, and the items on sale cost even less.
The Problem to Be Solved
The lack of a wide selection of clothing for plus-size women due to the recentness of the social transformation in terms of tolerance of people of different shapes, sizes, etc. There are not many existing specialized boutiques, which to puts the target audience at a disadvantage because of the supply shortages.
Competitive Advantage & Value Proposition
The high quality, complemented by the reasonable prices, is my competitive advantage, as other stores of plus-size clothing offer items of identical quality for much higher prices. Moreover, the range of fashionable items offered in my boutique is more comprehensive: from everyday looks to special occasions. Value proposition – serving the uniqueness of every woman disregarding the size.
The Rationale of the Business Existence
To enrich the clothing industry of clothes in general and ensure the accessibility of a wide selection of fashionable items for plus-size women specifically.
The Activity of the Business
To bridge the gap between women of different sizes and put them in the same position in terms of such an essential issue as the choice of clothes to wear every day. It implies equal quality, prices, and correspondence to current trends in mass-market and semi-lux women’s clothing stores. My long-term interest in fashion, complemented by my adherence to the body-positive movement, led to the development of the idea of a plus-size clothing boutique, which unites all women in their fashion fervor.
The Location of the Business
With special attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems reasonable for start-ups to be based in the virtual environment, especially at the beginning.
The Date of the Start
As spring approaches, the demand for clothing tends to increase – thus, now is the ideal time to launch my business.
Interest in the business
I am interested in fashion, and during the last fashion weeks, I noticed the increasing trend for clothes targeted not only at ‘ideal’ models but at different women. I am a good fit for this venture as I have experience designing clothes, including plus-size clothing. My university study’s theoretical and practical foundation gives me the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge necessary for the business launch. Moreover, several people in my circle have examples of successful businesses and can share their experiences to help me avoid severe mistakes.
The Target Market and Niche Market
My target market is plus-size women in the USA. It is indeed a niche market as it covers a small market segment, so I am focusing only on the individually constructed clothes of 1x, 2x, or 3x sizes for females.
The Marketing Strategy
The marketing strategy includes the intensive engagement of social networks, especially Instagram, as it seems to be the primary promotional platform nowadays due to the constantly increasing number of users and influencers. Furthermore, as the body-positive and tolerance are trending, the demand for specialized clothing is even higher. I am considering the seasonal sales and promo codes for the first shopping as well as referral codes of the influencers to attract new customers and build awareness. My marketing budget will be around 7% of my potential sales revenue.
The Defining Characteristics of the Brand
The defining characteristics of my brand are colorfulness (whereas minimalism is everywhere now), a limited quantity of every item to ensure the uniqueness of the clients, and unique construction for a plus-size format that will highlight the advantages of such a shape.
The Competition in the Industry
The women’s clothing industry, in general, is very competitive: NAICS and SIC identify 94569 business establishments in the US. However, as my business engages in the niche market – specialized clothing for plus-size women, the saturation is lower, as only 8% of brands offer such options. The industry is now in the stage of growth as the rates of obesity in the US are steadily increasing. Between 2012 and 2019, the percentage of people in need of plus-size clothing shifted from 19% to 42%.
The Revenue Stream
The main revenue stream is sales, as my business is a clothing boutique. In addition, shipping is also charged (there is an option of free local pick up in St.Petersburg, Florida).
How Much It Will Cost to Start Up This Business
My start-up costs include the materials and the manufacturer. As the boutique is online, I spare the rent, etc. I have no employees, and there is no cost for a sales tax permit in Florida. The design and launch of the website and marketing are also on me. Therefore, the total costs of my start-up for the first line (100 items) of clothing are approximately 10$ per unit for manufacturing and 7$ per unit for materials on average, in sum 1700$.
How Much It Will Cost a Customer for the Products
The price of items varies from 25$ to 45$ (without sales), plus shipping (if needed) – 9$.
How Much It Will Cost an Investor to Become a Partner
It will cost 500$ to become a partner (at the beginning, after establishing the process and an accurate understanding of the turnover, the rate is likely to rise). Thus, a bigger share of the business will remain mine as a founder of the start-up.
The Biggest Strength
Just try it out, and you’ll see the difference! The new look in the plus-size industry is not as on the mass-market items of bigger size but as on individually designed trendy clothes that are on equal terms with the usual ones. Such a perspective allows women to enjoy their lives in every size and shape as there is no more difference in quality and price.