Like fashion, the lingerie industry can at times be brutal. Working in the corporate lingerie world is often a competitive, stressful and exhausting experience leaving one with stories that can rival infamous scenes from The Devil Wears Prada! Though it is a smaller offshoot of the fashion industry, the intimates market has been growing and the demand for faster turn around rates and cutting-edge products are as high as ever. Big name brands are constantly stealing designs from smaller indie labels and offering them at lower prices and usually compromised quality to the masses.

Quality and workmanship are suffering as companies rush to reach a bigger audience and gain more revenue. Which is exactly what I did about a year ago this winter, when I decided that my passion for lingerie still burned bright, but my dedication to big business corporations did not.

6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Own Lingerie Business

While my 12 years working for big chains and department stores allowed me a taste of this fantasy world, I found, more often than not, that the payoff was not always worth the sacrifice.

Through it all, my obsession with lingerie never wavered, so I decided to stay in the industry I love while trying my hand at my own business. After months of research and preparation I founded WonderLust Lingerie , an online lingerie boutique specializing in fun designer and indie labels and accessories.

I now handle all aspects of the business on my own and am proud to be a small business owner, knowing that my hard work will benefit both my customers and myself without harming anyone in the process. A well-informed owner is one of the most critical things needed to run a successful business, so keeping these tips in mind when considering a new venture may prove helpful down the line.

How old are they? Where do they live? How much money do they make? What colors do they prefer? Where do they buy their clothes? A middle-aged housewife with a disposable income may not be looking to buy a sequin G-string with matching garter, and failing to tailor your product to her needs can quickly result in loads of missed opportunities. Another helpful tool that worked for me was to identify an actual person celebrity, athlete, musician as my target customer. I got to know everything about that person, and was soon able to pick up on little cues and details of what they wore and where they shopped.

Having a consistent vision across the board, from your product to your marketing, is invaluable these days and can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Once I knew what direction I wanted to go in with my new venture, I put together a business plan and a timeline. Between securing the financial start-up, registering the business, buying products, building a website, and getting the word out there, the task seemed daunting. I worked day and night to make it happen!

But two months turned into three, and three into four… no matter how much I had prepared, there were constantly new obstacles popping up and tasks to add to the list. Legal issues took up more time than expected, the buying process seemed to drag on for months and before I knew it, my initial launch date had come and gone! I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, so it was hard for me to accept something as satisfactory when I was striving for the very best, but I soon learned what I had to prioritize and where I could make exceptions in order to keep the process moving along.

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Often times you are paying for the brand itself and the experience that comes with it. When doing my initial planning, I first aimed for a pricing structure that would place me lower than my competitors with comparable product.

But after months of number crunching and financial management courses I found that those products were marked up not just to make a profit, but to keep the business up and running on a daily basis.

I learned that a smart pricing structure is directly related to the cost of doing business. If you price your goods accordingly, your customers are sure to understand and learn to view you as a respectable entity. One of the most surprising things I realized in my early months is that not many people were interested in selling their product to a new online boutique.

After numerous unanswered emails and rejections, one sympathetic vendor finally told me that many brands only want to work with larger, established companies. These brands often hire agents to manage their sales and are very strict about how much money they bring in. Big retailers pay big bucks and buy big quantities, leaving us little guys to struggle with more limited options.

It was a disappointing fact to learn, but thankfully, most of the labels that will work with start-ups many of them indie brands themselves know the value of partnership and have been supportive from the get go. These are the brands I look forward to forming lasting relationships with, and remind me why I continue to love this industry so much.

However, smart budgeting is important and it can pay to get creative with your resources. Social media is a great place to establish a presence and build a following for little or no money. So what better way to reach them than to appeal directly to their preferences? In fact, social media is such a daily part of our lives that not establishing a presence on one or more of these sites could potentially have a negative effect on your credibility as a reputable business!

I began spreading the word through friends and family on platforms that made the most sense to my business, like Pinterest and Tumblr, which are great places to visibly show off fashion products. Establishing my presence before I had even launched the business also proved helpful, as I had a base of followers already secured once my website finally launched. Being active on these sites and engaging other users can go a long way, and all it takes is a little bit of your time.

This makes customer service especially important in this day and age. Being able to reach a representative and be treated respectfully and in a timely manner is something all consumers can appreciate, especially when times are tough.

And with multiple social media platforms available to them, an unhappy customer has more influence today than in the past. But it can often be hard to distinguish between a concerned customer and a troublemaker.

Just make sure to find a healthy balance. However, when some suggestions began to conflict with the vision of my business, I knew I had to draw the line. What are your thoughts about big business vs. Do you have any other advice you would offer?

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Lingerie designer and founder of WonderLust Lingerie. I specialize in fashion and trend pertaining to lingerie, sleepwear, hosiery and everything in between. I believe that the right kind of underwear can change your entire outlook for the day so finding a balance between fashion and function is key.

Myself a Textile dress manufacturer and having great knowledge about all kinds of fabrics and their processing. Once again lovely article. Reading your articles has given me so much hope and a healthy dose of fear as well! Very insightful article- not much information out there about how to start a lingerie brand. I have pinned this article so i can also read and re-read it for future reference. Do you have any advice about how to protect your product before putting it out there to be exposed and vulnerable much like myself in launching a business??

Sourcing global or quality brands at affordable rate is another.

Hi Kristina, I too run a small startup Lingerie line in India named Great Investigate along with my co-founder Liza.

Thank you very much for such a great article helped so much made me think more and take time before jumping in. You can not imagine how helpful I have found this Post!

I have read it once a week, every week since June!! I recently moved from England to Nigeria to be closer to family and I intend to fill the gap in the Lingerie Market.

Getting across to brands can be tricky especially nowadays. The ones who do partner with you will most likely become strong relationships that will foster over time. Lingerie trade shows are also a great place to start where you can get a lot done in a little time. Good luck to you!! Kristina, thank you so much for sharing. In an echo to what you have already mentioned in 1, I would add to have a really strong marketing strategy.

Because, really, if no one knows about you and your business, you might as well have a huge billboard in the desert. I even knew this, but not well enough to double or triple my guess. Good luck to your store! Definitely — passion is the 1 requirement for sure! Haha — very true! No matter how much planning and forecasting I do I still feel strapped for cash each season!

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Hello, I loved your article and have found it to be the most helpful in finding a way to start my own lingerie line for nursing mothers! If you would like to give me more information on how and where to start please let me know. I am open to any advice, thank you so much. So glad you found it helpful! Your email address will not be published. The Lingerie Addict is generously supported by its advertisers.

Please consider white-listing thelingerieaddict. Site layout and design by Jason Moore. About Advertising Lingerie Sales Favorite Boutiques Search. Related Posts Is It Worth It? The Pros and Cons Of Running Your Own Lingerie Business Insider Secrets: Kristina Lingerie designer and founder of WonderLust Lingerie.

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