Let me Tell You How I got to be an Entreprenette®

Have you ever dreamed of making your “big idea” into a product, but were too overwhelmed by the challenges, too distracted by life and too totally stuck in your day job?

• Do you just KNOW that if all the stars aligned, you could actually turn your big idea into reality and make tons of money?
• Do you sit and daydream about how fabulous you could be if you were the CEO of your own company manufacturing your jaw-dropping idea?
• But do you wonder where to start?
• Do you get paralyzed with fear about how to finance it?

Wish your fairy godmother would knock on your door?

Well, I was in the same boat as you. I could do my job in my sleep. I was bored, sick of the drudgery and tired of everyone needing me to be in a million places at once. And I was really tired of working so many hours for someone else that I never had time to myself.

How is a smart, innovative, creative girl to function under these circumstances? Time to move on, right? Time to take control of your life and make it the life YOU want to live. But how do you do that? How can you possibly do that?

Does any of this sound familiar?

Thanks to all the mistakes I made and everything I’ve learned over the years, I can tell you exactly what you need to do to get your product made, into the hands of buyers and onto the store shelves so you can start making money and living your dream life as an Entreprenette with your VERY own small business.

I will teach you all the shortcuts and tricks to getting it done faster thus saving you months of frustrations and loads of wasted money.

My life in the movies

I’d been working in the film business as a costume supervisor for 11 years since graduating from college. It was a high-powered career; I managed multi-million dollar wardrobe budgets and worked closely with big celebrities. But as the years went on and the budgets became tighter, my job became a real grind. I was totally uninspired and didn’t care anymore if “Movie Star #1” wanted special undies or was allergic to cotton. I was starting to become a bitter party of one and wasn’t enjoying my life. I realized that I didn’t even have a life! I rarely got to see my friends and dating was next to impossible as I worked 18 hours a day. I wanted to get out, but what else did I know how to do? And - I had a real love/hate relationship with my job; the glamour of the movie business can suck you in, and it’s hard to get out.

Even when you have a glamorous and high-powered job, it doesn’t mean that it is fulfilling. Financial success and soul-crushing boredom can't compare to success and total, exciting fulfillment. I wanted to be fulfilled. Don't you?

I looked around and realized that I’d never had any other kind of “real” job except babysitting. I was embarrassed at my lack of expertise in the real world. If I left, what could I possibly do to make money? Could I be trained to do something else? How was I even going to figure out what I liked doing? Was there a class for that? I had no one to turn to for advice in a career change, as everyone I knew was in the film business and just as stuck as I was! And asking my parents was out of the question. They had never understood what I did in the first place!

In the late 90’s, I was an avid Martha Stewart reader (I still am); I always loved her “Good Things” section with all the clever craft ideas. She did a story I loved about making “little brown lunch bags” out of red felt with pinked edges. I thought the idea was cute; I went out and bought some felt and made the bags to wrap my holiday gifts. They were a huge hit.

This is when I had my AHA! moment:

When I was making the gift bags, I thought about changing the size and adding handles to make them into handbags. How cute, right?? Well, I ended up sitting on that idea for about 9 months. I thought about the handbags many times. When I was in stores shopping for work, I even fantasized that my bags were on the shelves next to Kate Spade's. But since I had no idea how to begin, no one to ask for help, and was too scared to leave my job, it seemed hopeless.

Then, one Sunday, at brunch with a friend, I saw an article that really rocked me. A girl just like me started her own handbag line, the idea I’d been brewing for 9 months. The worst part was they were ugly! And my idea was so cute. I got so upset; my friend demanded to know why I totally overreacted. I had to tell him about my own handbag fantasy. I was so scared he was going to laugh at me, but I guess deep down I wanted to tell someone - I've always found it really hard to keep a secret about something I’m excited about. Then and there he challenged me to get off my duff and try. Well, I knew I had to change something in my life so decided to take him up on it. OMG I was up the creek now and had NO idea what to do. EEK. –

Because I’d never really thought about being in business for myself, I seriously had no idea where to start. I had supervised the manufacturing of clothes for lots of movies, so I knew a bit about the construction of garments, but had never made a handbag before. I went to a fabric store and found some really cool white felt to make a sample. I thought this would be a snap since I knew a lot about making clothes, but when I sat down to make the bag, I quickly realized that I had no idea what I was doing. Clothing and handbags have almost nothing in common. I am really not a seamstress so I cut and sewed over and over unable to get it right, with many tears in between. After all that effort, I finally sewed up my first sample. It turned out exactly as I dreamed and was totally adorable! I still have it on a shelf in my office to remind me where I started.

This is my original prototype

OK, Now what do I do?

Now that I had my prototype I needed to figure out all the next steps; find a good quality felt, figure out how to make more than one at a time and then what? Sell them? I seriously had ZERO experience making handbags, so who did I think I was? How do you do something you know NOTHING about? I had always thought that handbag makers were little old men in Italy. How was I supposed to do this? How was I ever going to figure all this out and how LONG was this all going take?

Because of my years in the costume business I had a few contacts in the fashion world. I had to overcome my fear of asking for help; I called my friend Todd to see if he could give me a few pointers on what to do next. He was happy to help (as so many people turned out to be) and gave me the idea to use pool table felt. This was genius. Then he sent me to see the people who could fuse the felt to make it stiffer so the bags would look better. Let me tell you – I barely knew that I needed fusing, let alone what it was when I started researching it all.

Of course I was too afraid to tell anyone else I was working on this I worked at night and on the weekends (I still had my movie job) cutting and sewing new samples on my dining room table until I got it right. After months of trial and errors…

The pinked bag was born

If I can do it, you can do it!!!

OK, so one night, my close friend, and the costume designer with whom I had worked for years wanted to meet for drinks. I decided that I would show her my new Pinked Edge Bag. I was so nervous, but why? I needed to stop all the negative thoughts from running through my mind. If I thought it was cute, then everyone else should too, right? I mean after all, I do have good taste, I dress movie stars for heaven's sake!

Well, of course she LOVED it and congratulated me on taking the first step to being my own boss and taking the first step towards having my VERY own small business (and quickly admitted that she was jealous). So there we were, sitting at the bar in a restaurant in Los Angeles when a woman walked up and asked where I got my adorable bag. My friend was so excited for me, she yelled out “She MADE it!” I wanted to die. I was so embarrassed. But weird as it may sound, it was this stranger’s approval made this feel real. Maybe real people would want to buy it.

I still couldn’t afford to quit my day job…

In between jobs, I got my friends to invite me to movie sets so I could sell my bags to the women in the cast and on the crew. This is how I got my first celebrity clientele. I mostly did the selling out of the trunk of my car – It was hilarious. I was selling a lot of bags now; all the cutting and sewing was killing my fingers and I needed someone to do it for me. I was reluctant to be a pest but I needed some advice; I went back I went to my friend Todd. He changed my life with a referral to a cutter and seamstress.

Now that I could mass produce bags, I could think about selling to stores. This gave me a whole new set of problems. WHERE and HOW was I going to sell them? How do you find stores? And if I got a big order how would I ship it? Where would I store it all? And the biggest problem of all – how was I going to pay for all this? My head was spinning and for the next few weeks I could barely sleep thinking about all my potential problems. I could really do a number on myself and often turned out to be my own worst enemy.

Todd manufactured clothes for Anthropologie (he still does), and thought I should sell to them. He hooked me up with the buyer and after about 6 months of back and forth, they finally ordered 800 pinked bags! Yippee! I was really in business.

SO I QUIT MY DAY JOB!

Sarah Shaw Handbags was off and running.

EEK. I really needed to figure out how I was going to manage the production, store, ship and worst of all, pay for it. But how? I didn’t feel like I could just go and sit in Todd’s office and ask him the 80 million questions I had burning a hole in my head. So I went armed with a few bags for his girlfriend and got to ask about 10.

Things got super-busy and suddenly I was in over my head. I was wearing too many hats; designing, overseeing production, selling, and shipping. I didn’t even have time to think about the marketing part. I seemed to be getting by on a shoestring and not executing anything particularly well. My life savings were pouring down the drain and I had no idea how to stop it. I seemed to be spending so much money on filling all the store orders and making new inventory, but the money coming in never seemed to be enough to cover it all.

I was EXHAUSTED! Was this the life of an entrepreneur? When was I going to feel like a CEO and be able to have those leisurely lunches with all those other fabulous entrepreneurs? I was supposed to be the boss of me, right? How come no one had ever told me that you have to work twice as hard for yourself?

This is what I realized:

I forgot how to delegate. I had spent years delegating and telling people what to do for me as a costume supervisor, yet when it came to my own company,money and business I was helpless. Why was I afraid to say what I needed? It was my name on the door - I should have power, right? Well, I came to realize that I had none. I needed an injection of confidence.

On top of that, I didn’t know how to "cost" properly. This was my biggest pitfall. There is no “how to cost” booklet for handbags. I really had no one to turn to here. I had met other handbag designers along the way, but the business was so competitive that everyone was hoping the other would fail so no one was handing out advice.

One big thing I did know was how to close a deal! Call it inherited luck or whatever you want. But as a 2nd generation garmento, I do have the gift of gab and can sell ice to Eskimos. Back in the day, both my grandmothers were major power players on Seventh Avenue in NY; they wielded a magic wand over all of the big department store buyers. I didn’t get all their magic dust, but I did get enough to charm stubborn buyers into trying out my handbags.

I thought about giving up as I had never worked so hard in my life. But what kept me going was seeing someone wearing one of my bags.

One day in NY, I was in a restaurant bathroom and there was a young woman with one of my bags. I had never seen anyone with one before and wondered where they all went once they left the stores. Here I was standing face to face with someone who had actually BOUGHT one of my bags! I casually asked her where she got it and she said, “The Anthropologie Store in SOHO, but they were sold out last week when my friend went to buy one so you should call around first.” I thanked her and could barely breathe my heart was beating so fast. This was an amazing moment in my life.

Although I had a showroom in LA, I soon realized I needed one in New York as that’s where all the action was. I signed with one of the top showrooms and they grew my business 400% in one year! This was such a huge growth and so far ahead of any of my projections that I was really unequipped to handle it.

I was in such a panic that I seriously considered going to business school at night to get with the program and keep myself above water. Since this was totally unrealistic, I finally got smart enough to keep asking questions of everyone I could think of. I found myself enrolled in the “Street School of Advice”. It’s amazing to me how much people want to help you and show you the ropes; all you really have to do is ask. Seriously - the next person you speak to can change your life!

I found another great source of advice to be the other designers in my showrooms who were willing to hand out tips on shipping, merchandising, PR, and small tricks that helped make things run more smoothly. As I was learning the practical “nuts and bolts” from all these other people, what I came to realize was that when it came to designing the line and picking out fabrics I was confident and never wavered; when I trusted my instincts I was the most successful.

After a lot of detective work, I had found a professional handbag manufacturing company that allowed me to expand the line and the designs. By this time, I was designing over 400 styles a year.

At this point I was getting lots of major league press. Instyle, Lucky, Allure, The “O” list, ELLE, Real Simple and People, to name a few. I was feeling so confident and treasured all the accolades. I was interviewed on ET and Access Hollywood, and even had a few cover stories in the Los Angeles Times and in Women’s Wear Daily. I was getting famous.

I was on top of the world but the scary thing was that I still couldn’t turn a profit. In an effort to ease the financial anxieties I decided to bring in some reinforcement in the way of investors and shareholders. This seemed like a good idea for the next few years until I could figure this all out. Things were starting to turn around as I now had someone to teach me how to price the bags correctly (wow, had I been wrong) and revisit how we were spending money in general. It was a great lesson for me but turned into a disaster as they didn’t raise enough cash. We turned to several other sources and seemed to float along for about another year. We still had a ton of company debt and I was now in the hole personally for about $100K. How did I let this happen? I was really in the dark about how all the money stuff worked. I guess I just never wanted to face the music and hoped it would fix itself.

By year 3, sales were steadily increasing and profit margins rising and we were getting more press than ever before. We were selling in over 600 boutiques nationwide as well as Bloomingdale's, Saks and Neiman-Marcus. I was doing something I loved and felt passionate about. I had found my rhythm and was having fun…and getting in some of those leisurely lunches I’d dreamed about. I now had a staff of 4, including my sister Lizzy who I was able to bring in as my full time publicist. Our website was doing an insane business and we were winning customer service awards left and right.

Year five was post 9/11 and like many other businesses our size, I couldn’t recover from the blow. On top of that, I’d lost my biggest investor - he was having his own business problems. I had invested every last cent I had in the world, and was only making a small salary at this point because of all my past mismanagement and the debt we were paying off. After scrambling around - unsuccessfully - to try and hold it together, I had to make some painful decisions. In the end, I decided that the best thing for me to do was to close the company.

Months of painful and degrading meetings with my shareholders ensued. It was so awful; the only way to put an end to it was for me to quit - even though it meant losing the rights to my own name, as the Trademark Sarah Shaw Handbags was owned by the corporation. At this point, I was both devastated and relieved; it was sort of surreal. The experience of being on the brink of bankruptcy is very scary and exhausting. My father was my hero throughout it all; he held my hand and advised me every step of the way at to how to manage the debt. I couldn’t have done it without him. I couldn’t face my friends and investors. I felt like such a failure. Nobody knew what to say to me.

I hid and cried a lot during the 3 months it took to finalize closing down the business, but I came through the awfulness with an important realization: that I - me, Sarah Shaw - was the BRAND, not just the name on the door. And that being the brand was way more important than having one. I felt inspired to do something new. I was empowered.

The new me was armed with all the skills I had learned via the school of hard knocks. I was now a seasoned professional with a “Street MBA”! With a friend, over the next year, I created and patented a closet organizer for handbags called The Handbag Hanger. We put some into production and sold them on the internet and to a few stores while we were figuring out what the ultimate business model would be.

At the same time, my partner and I had a fun fling with an online store that we launched with big fanfare from the press. We were selling celebrity-oriented items and getting loads of media placements. I was also using my hard-earned knowledge to consult with various accessory companies. After a year or so, I realized I wasn't inspired by what I was doing. I began to see that I had strayed too far from my real passion - I missed my first love: manufacturing and creating my own products. I was so busy helping everyone else bring their project to life that I wasn't working on my own. And I missed seeing my own ideas materialize. The big realization was that however much I love doing it for others, I missed doing it for myself.

Towards the end of 2005, a friend referred me to Ladies who Launch, a national women's networking group for entrepreneurs. I took their Incubator class, hoping it would redirect me with the Handbag Hanger and get me back to my manufacturing roots. The incubator was a life-changer for me; I was so inspired and encouraged by my launching buddies that I created Simply Sarah in Early 2006 and grew the company to be profitable in less than 10 months. Simply Sarah sells the Handy Hold All® (AKA the Handbag Hanger), Cosmetic Bags and Organizing Baskets. Simply Sarah is now sold in over 400 stores nationwide with exclusive distribution deals in Australia and Japan. I also license the use of Handbag Hanger patent to a large US company who produces it under their label to a teen clientele. Simply Sarah gets tons of press including Lucky, Instyle, Los Angles Magazine, Parents, and Accessories Magazine. We also get reviewed on lots of blogs that drive sales to the website.

At the end of 2007, after taking a hard look at our profit margins, I moved my production overseas and hired a 3rd party fulfillment center to handle the shipping. Moving my production overseas has simplified my life enormously and raised our profit margin by 60%. I now work with a textile designer here in Los Angeles to custom design all my own fabrics - which is totally cool. I no longer run all over to manage my production. I have total control over my day, and am finally living my new dream life. I am a mom to identical twin baby girls; I get to spend a lot of time with them as I run my business from home.

For the past 6 years, I've worked with lots of people; I help them tap into their inspiration and realize their dreams. I love sharing my knowledge with my clients. I smile watching their faces light up when I give them a simple tip that saves them countless hours or loads of money. Each of my clients has walked away with a mini-rolodex of sources, tips on managing production, tools for researching their competitors, merchandising advice, as well as resourceful and inexpensive ideas for marketing and PR.

The biggest thing I've learned is why it's important to tap into your own passion and talent. Once you announce out loud that you're serious, focused and ready to receive it all, the magic starts to happen. It always does. People are naturally attracted to other people who are following their own passions. It makes them feel happy to be around you and share in your joy. It literally elevates them and makes them feel they can achieve their dreams, too.

I feel so strongly about how much my knowledge can change your life and help you achieve the fulfilled vision that you have for yourself, that I want to teach you how to do it. There's nothing like taking an idea that's been swirling around in your head (possibly for years) and watching it come to life before your eyes. Imagine watching your creation being born. This is a HUGE moment in your future as an Entreprenette.

Mine is only one story about how you can get a product-based business up and running. You don’t have to have a degree to do this. All you need is an idea, and the commitment to that idea. You have to be passionate and put yourself out there.

You must be willing to do the research and learn the steps to be successful.

• This will be hard work.
• This should be fun.
• This will be life changing.

To a lot of people, launching a product seems romantic, and ultimately it can be. Not everyone turns out like Kate Spade or Martha Stewart, but you don't have to be them - there are many successful designers and inventors out there who are living their dream life.

Once you launch a business your life will never be the same:

• You will look at everything differently.
• You will have faith in your ability
• You will learn to harness your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.
• You will be passionate about everything
• You will have goals in order to achieve your vision.
• You will learn to handle adversity and have the courage to make on-the-spot decisions.
• You will reach out to friends and strangers for advice.
• You will become more curious than you ever imagined.
• You will recognize failure as a step towards success
• You will enjoy the art of discipline.

Having your own business is as much about creating a life as it is about making a living. It takes courage, passion and commitment to decide to become an Entreprenette. From the relatively safe cocoon of the corporate world, where paychecks arrive regularly, you will be venturing into the unchartered world of being your own boss. Manufacturing is one of the most challenging - BUT ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING things you will ever do.

Do you ever ask yourself any of these questions?

• Do I want to be my own boss?
• Do I want to see my product on the shelves of stores?
• Do I want to feel proud when I make a sale?
• Do I want to see my product in magazines?
• Do I want to get my products into the hands of celebrities?

And do you feel like the only things you need are the know-how, the right amount of handholding and someone to guide you through this process?

This is why I decided to put everything I know into a 10-week private coaching course that not only explains how it's done and answers the questions that arise during your process, but that provides you with concrete goals, exercises and the accountability to complete a prototype and start down the road to being a full time Entreprenette!

Did you know that women are rockstars?

• Women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men
• Women-owned companies generated $1.9 trillion in annual sales Women-owned businesses employ 12.8 million people nationwide
• Women-owned businesses account for 41% of all privately-held businesses
• One in every 11 adult women in the United States owns a business.
• The majority of women business owners are under the age of 50.
• Women business owners are nearly twice as likely as men business owners to intend to pass the business on to a daughter.

Here are some truths about launching:

• You don’t need to have a patent to get started
• You don’t need a degree to launch a business
• You don’t need to be a financial wizard
• You don’t need an office to be in business
• You don’t need to make your own prototype
• You don’t need experience

All you need is an idea and the commitment to follow your passion

When in doubt, take the next step