The plan.

One of my favorite stories ever is The Count of Monte Cristo. A story about a man, who was betrayed and sent off to a prison where was tortured everyday and left to live the rest of his days there, being tortured every damn day. The man befriends an older man, who teaches him Math, Science, and I believe, Literature. Well the older gent, ends up dying and the man manages to escape the prison. Well, before dying, the older gent leaves the man with, I guess, a treasure map which leads him to tons and tons of wealth. He ends up back in his town, where he was betrayed and exacts revenge on those who betrayed him.

Well I wasn't betrayed, but I am likening myself to the The Count. While I'm not exactly planning or plotting revenge, I'll just call it that for now, because it's just more fun and I get to wear a cape and cool goatee and I get to rub my hands together with an evil smirk. While I did have a plan last year, what I didn't do was focus. I realize now that, just having a plan isn't good enough. I've gotta execute the fuck out of that plan. The plan is like a high priced prostitute and I'm going to execute the fuck out of that plan. Okay, weird analogy, I don't even hire prostitutes but I thought it would be funny. 

So here it is, as vague as I want to make it, since this on a blog which can be viewed by anyone and everyone. 

1. Web site - I need to have some internet real estate, my own part of the web saying "here we are, this is what we do, bitches". It's very professional and I think it will speak volumes of my brand when it comes to potential customers and wholesale buyers.

2. Map out my product line - before, I kind of just winged it and just threw numbers out there when I bought t-shirts and had them printed. Only to be stuck with hundreds of t-shirts that have yet to be sold. Big no no. I need to go through each and design and look at how many for each, what colors, what sizes....and keep it minimal.  No more over-optimistic guesses anymore. I am not Supreme. 

3. Marketing, I need to really stay consistent with my Twitter, Pintrest, and Tumblr accounts. And stay the FUCK away from Facebook. So when my products finally arrive, what little buzz I have can maybe contribute to some sales. 

Now for some serious long time goals, remember I'm shooting for the stars here. 

1. Wholesaling - When I am wholesaling, I seriously need to be selective of who I wholesale my products to. This is genius marketing on its own, though it will be hard as hell to execute. Creating an image of exclusivity, yeah everyone is doing it, but very few can pull that off nicely. 

2. Fulfillment - I know for now, well for a while, I'll be making frequent trips to the Post Office to mail off every tee that I sell. But once my company grows, I will need a system that can facilitate that, so that I can focus on other aspects of the business. 

3.Billing/invoices/data - I will need to come up, or find, a system that will assist me and my team on keeping track of sales, orders, and inventory. Even when we get into custom work, we will need to have some invoices on hand as well. But A system to keep track of that stuff, as well as keeping it in order will be needed. 

4. Sponsorships aka Expensive Marketing - Since I am aiming my brand towards the streetwear field, I want to sponsor rap artists. Rap artists who have that money-making vibe about them, since my brand's image is about success, making money, looking prestigious. But, this time around, there are requirements. You'll have to be an artists with a large following, have to atleast do more than a certain number of shows a year, and you have to fit our image. After all, my company is spending money on you, so the least you can do is meet our requirements. Oh and, I won't be trying to sponsor signed artists. They have to be independent, just saves a lot of the bullshit that comes with dealing with signed artists.

5. Tradeshows - I will be attending tradeshows to get my company out there. Since image is everything, when each and every company sees me, they will see nothing less than success. I will be confident, I will make you believe that I am raking in six figures in annual sales. I will make you believe that I am the second coming of Supreme. Ha ha. But seriously, my image will get me places, high places. It will also make me friends, friends in high places.

6. Automation - in many tech businesses, automation usually means that machines and computers are doing the job for the owner, therefore little to no maintenance. In clothing, automation is a bit different. They haven't invented machines yet that can order, design, and print t-shirts and sweaters, so I'll have to hire people to do that. I will hire a small team of designers, a sales rep, and an maybe two accounts payable clerks. That's automation in the clothing biz. I'm probably missing a few cogs in the machine, but for now this will suffice. So I the owner, will hopefully just oversee things, approve/deny things and try to get out there, shake hands, buy drinks, and write emails for the most part. I know this is possible. I'll also probably have an in house printer for screen printing, and probably just outsource all of the cut and sew work that needs to be done, if or when it ever gets that far.

I have dreams and aspirations to be in magazine articles, web site interviews and such. I know that I can do it, this isn't just a dream, it's a reality that I am actively pursuing. I mean, these are some peoples' reality as I speak. So I know for a fact it's out there, I just have to stay persistent this time and be patient. I think patience is the most important thing of all.