BUSINESS NAME: Sassybax Bras
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Women’s Lingerie Products
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
Amanda Kennedy was getting dressed for a dinner date with her husband when she
caught a glimpse of her back in the mirror. She didn’t like what she saw.
“Usually from the front, I looked fine. But from the back, I looked ten
years older. This sweater was especially frustrating because it was cashmere
and was very unforgiving, especially with a bra that was creating a bulge on
my back. I tried every bra I had, and they all caused the same problem.”
Her inventive, spur-of-the-moment solution was the idea for a product that
women are now raving over. It’s the smooth silhouette that Kennedy’s
Sassybax bras create under today’s close-fitting fashions and fabrics. After
navigating the challenges of entering this tough market, Kennedy is reaping
the rewards of her innovative thinking with $2.4 million in wholesale sales
and growing.
THE BEGINNING
When did you devise the fashion solution that later evolved into Sassybax?
The lightbulb flashed on Valentine’s Day 2003. I was trying to put myself
together for dinner, and I wanted to wear a blue cashmere sweater. I hated
the bra strap bulge on my back. In a moment of frustration, I turned a pair
of control-top pantyhose upside down, cut off the legs, cut out the gusset,
and slipped it on instead of my bra! When I put the sweater back on, my back
was completely smooth. I began to laugh, but it started me thinking.
So what did you do first?
I started researching how I could make something that was an alternative to a
bra. I got on the Internet and did a search of hosiery manufacturers. I
found The Hosiery Association with dozens of phone numbers. I called every
one of them, described my idea, and asked if they had any interest or
information that would help me develop it as a product. One woman knew of a
machine that would knit around the torso without a single seam. This was the
Santoni machine from Italy.
Once you found the right technology, what did you do next?
I investigated factories that had these machines in this country and found a
very small number. I wanted to do my manufacturing domestically, because
it’s so much simpler to get to the factory quickly. The less complicated I
could make it, the better.
THE PROTOTPYE
What was the first step in making your idea a reality?
Armed with just my drawings, ambition, and enthusiasm, I went to several
interested domestic factories and talked to them after they agreed to sign a
non-disclosure document.
What was their response?
They were skeptical and asked for some kind of assurance that they would not
invest money in developing my idea and lose money if I couldn’t sell it.
There was one lone guy who was impressed with my idea.
So what did you do to capitalize on this interest?
I produced a prototype for the product. Then we spent nine months perfecting
it. We had an understanding that they would get the order once I had a
finished product.
Did you get any other opinions on these prototypes?
I gave them to friends to wear and critique, and I put together an informal
focus group for about twenty strangers. These women came and tried on the
samples, and they ended up sitting around in them all evening—not taking
them off. They didn’t know I was the designer. I heard comments like, “It’s
so comfortable. When can I buy this bra?” That was all I needed to hear. I
knew I had a winner.
What did you do with the feedback?
I didn’t go through the whole corporate thing with a hundred people and a
research firm. I didn’t have that kind of money to spend. Everything had to
be done on a shoestring budget. Besides, this group told me what I wanted to
know.
THE MONEY
What do you mean a shoestring budget?
I did everything I could by myself, or through friends, to keep my costs down.
For example, I spoke to several logo companies and they wanted around
$20,000. That, to me, was insane.
A friend of mine said she knew someone straight out of art school. This
extremely talented art student was happy to have the work—and the experience
for her portfolio. So I got a great logo for $1,500, and I still love it.
And how did you come up with your name?
Just like there are logo companies, there are naming companies. But they are
expensive too. I decided to do it myself. The independent woman in me liked the image I think of when I hear the word “sassy.” And, because of what this
bra actually does, its name needed to have something to do with the back. So
Sassybax seemed like a catchy solution.
THE MARKETING
What were some of the other pieces of your marketing strategy?
I searched for a web designer by asking people I knew who had websites. I
spent $1,500, but I found a designer who was willing to work hourly. I did
the graphic design myself.
With your special understanding of marketing to women, what was your
strategy?
I was marketing Sassybax as a comfortable and functional garment that
accommodates you. You don’t have to accommodate it. That slogan plays back
into the woman’s psyche. Women are tired of squeezing themselves into
garments like corsets and bad bras.
I marketed from a gut level, and from the truth about what my product does. I
have learned that women are much more alike than we are different. Body
issues are so deeply ingrained in all of us.
How did you create packaging that would complement this marketing?
Since this is a bra, it had to be seen, touched, and tried on. So I put it on
a hanger with a great hang-tag that shows what the product does for you.
THE LEGAL
Did you get a patent?
No. I didn’t apply for one because, in my business, proving anything in patent
law can take up to fifteen years and thousands of dollars.
But doesn’t it protect your product from being copied?
No. Fashion is a knockoff business, and everyone in our industry knows that.
Enforcing a patent is an endless stream of legal bills and an exhaustive
ordeal.
THE PRODUCT
So you’ve got your product, your website is up, and your marketing strategy
is in place. Then what?
Next, I needed to find someone to represent and sell Sassybax. I went to the
LA Mart (www.californiamarketcenter.com) and shopped my product around to
different lingerie representatives. I walked in the showrooms and asked for
a minute of their time. Then I showed them my samples. Everyone I talked to
said, “I don’t want to take on anything new right now.”
Then what did you do?
Someone told me about a book called Purple Cow. This is a book about marketing
a product that is unlike anything else on the market. It provided just the
encouragement I really needed.
What did you do next with your purple cow?
I decided to go to the Las Vegas Magic Show. This is one of the biggest
clothing shows in the ready-to-wear industry. After a few rejections, I
finally found one woman who invited me to the upcoming October market to
rent a space in her showroom.
How did that go?
More than twelve hundred people saw my product. By the end of market, I had
ten customers and $3,000 worth of sales. Best of all, I had a list of stores
that were now familiar with Sassybax.
What opportunities grew from that market exposure?
I approached a representative who sold lingerie exclusively. She loved the
product, and I knew she could sell it to her stores. In February, she and I
went to the Neiman Marcus buyer. They bought it, and we walked out with a test
order for ten stores. If it sold well, they would start adding stores in a
couple of months. They tested it, and it sold so well that they put it in
all of their stores within a month.
THE ADVICE
What is your best advice to someone out there who has a great idea for a
new solution?
The main thing is you just can’t get discouraged. You have to believe in
yourself, believe in your product, and, for me, believe in the power of
prayer. I didn’t do this business just for fun—I really needed it to work.
THE PLAN TO FOLLOW
STEP 1
Develop a prototype for your invention.
NOTE: Kennedy researched companies that manufactured products like her
invention, and she approached them to provide support in creating a
prototype.
STEP 2
Decide on your target market and construct a plan to reach that market with
your product.
NOTE: Kennedy was able to connect her product with her target market by
providing a solution to a real need.
STEP 3
Conduct focus groups to test your product and to give feedback.
NOTE: Your focus group should consist of people within your target
audience who examine and give their opinion of your product.
STEP 4
Display your product at trade shows in order to boost awareness.
NOTE: Kennedy suggests finding a company to represent your product in
their showroom at trade shows. If you are on a shoestring budget, partnering
up with another company can save you time and money.
Prepare to be a Millionaire by Tom Spinks, Kimberly Spinks-Burleson and
Lindsay Spinks-Shepherd is now on sale.
Buy
the book
www.sassybax.com
www.preparetobeamillionaire.com
