Thoughts on entrepreneurs “moving to the next level”

Oct 23, 2010 by sharphilldesigns

As most of you know, Sharp Hill Designs is a “one-woman band.”  That is to say, it’s me….designing, sewing, selling, shipping, marketing….the quintessential mompreneur.  But for the past 2 years, I have really wanted to move to the next level, which is to say, have someone else making and selling my bags.  This is my story of how I moved to the next level.  How successful I will be is yet to be determined, but I have definitely moved to the next level.

I joined a Ladies Who Launch incubator group 2 years ago and that started to get me focussed on finding a manufacturer.  I contacted several US and foreign manufacturers and actually had a great relationship with a sewing studio in Massachusetts for a while, but at the end of 2009, they went out of business.  In May 2010, I was introduced to Angela Jia Kim’s Savor the Success and attended the annual conference Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World.  Angela announced that she would hold an intensive one-day Mastermind group for 6 women, to be selected by her, in June.  I signed up and was selected.  At the end of that day, I had a blueprint to achieving my goal.

In July I was introduced to Sarah Shaw, the LA coordinator for Savor the Success and a product development consultant, through her website at entreprenette.com.  I hired Sarah to work with me and through her, I was introduced to an agent in Hong Kong, through whom I have placed an order for1800 totes and clutches for spring/summer 2011.

These are the bags and they will be available for shipping in January 2011.  I have assembled a sales force of 6 independent sales reps covering most of the East Coast, the South and Northwest and am confident that they will do well with the collection.

Is this a big step for Sharp Hill Designs?  YES…but we are ready for it and and savor the challenges we face.