Get it Made, Get it Sold: The Basics of Sourcing & Sales for Entrepreneurs

Pricing? Vendors? Timelines? Learn how to get products made, sold, and successfully delivered with this essential class for creative entrepreneurs!

From Jeff Staple:

OK, you have a great idea for a brand. That’s nice. But in order to turn that dream into a reality, you’re going to need to embark on two major journeys: SOURCING and SALES. If you can’t make the thing (and make it with quality for a reasonable price), you can’t sell the thing. 

I’ve seen hundreds of great ideas that never get off the ground and never become a reality. Why? Because the founder couldn’t figure out a way to get it made and/or get it sold. In fact, as you’ll see in my class—sales and sourcing go very much hand in hand.

I founded my clothing line, Staple, back in 1997. Over the past 17 years I have manufactured Staple in every possible way, shape and form. I’ve also tried every possible method to sell the brand so I’m innately familiar with the pros and cons of each. With all this experience (and an immense amount of mistakes and failures along the way) I hope the lessons I share with you cut down the amount of time it takes for you to figure out sales and sourcing for your own endeavors.

What You'll Learn

In this class I will take you through the ins and outs of sales and sourcing, two essential pillars of any product based business. I will go over standard practices in the industry as well as the necessary materials you need to get going. We'll cover:

• Introduction to Sales. How the industry operates and the different ways to sell your brand.
• Building Sales Collateral. How to develop the materials you need in order to price and place your collection.
• Introduction to Sourcing. How to communicate with your vendors in order to cost and sample your line effectively. 
• The Relationship Between Sales and Sourcing. The sourcing and sales determine the timeline and costing of your production, but what happens after you deliver? 

What You'll Make

In this class you will put together the sales and sourcing collateral necessary to sell and produce your collection. This will include a line sheet, a costing sheet, and a production + sales calendar. For "extra credit" you can create a look book and promotional material.