Pit stains are an absolute pain. Especially for those who sweat a lot. Or even the average person who is merely commuting in the heat. Imagine being in front of colleagues, and people can only focus on underarm stains.
And for those who become incredibly nervous in anxiety-provoking situations, sweating is unavoidable. Not too mention the costs of continually having to replace stained shirts and dresses.
Well, that's what precisely continued to happen to Erica, founder of the clothing line Lizzmore. Black Girl Ventures had an opportunity to speak to her about her business.
The Launch of Lizzmore
As a successful client-facing pharmaceutical sales agent, she found herself in the most critical meeting of her life. Standing in a room full of 10-15 doctors and surgeons in a huge surgical office, she found herself nervous--more so than usual. Naturally, this resulted in noticeable drenched pit stains on her dresses.
However, despite doing well by landing the deal and receiving a bonus, that mortified moment stayed with her. The embarrassment led her to think about what she could wear that would prevent sweat stains.
Erica researched different types of clothing but couldn't find any. And because she prefers to wear dresses, she could not find any dresses that absorbed sweat. She said, "I remember calling my mother and telling her how I couldn't find any professionally styled clothing to wear that didn't stain. My mother said, create your own."
Erica's mother is a seamstress, and so was her great grandmother. To honor her grandmother, she named the clothing line Lizzmore. Her mother upholsters furniture, creates gowns and curtains you name it, she pretty much does it all.
She says, "I grew up around that kind of creativity and making things. My mother helped me to make my first prototype." After running the idea by friends, she received the confirmation she needed: they would indeed wear a piece of clothing that prevented the sweat stains.
And so Lizzmore was born. Lizzmore Womenswear offers moisture wicked treated fabric in the underarm area to help the professional woman stay sweat stain free. The unique fibers make their professional dresses functional so that women can remain confident throughout their day.
But she encountered two significant unexpected life changes. Her job laid her off. Then a few weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. She had already started Lizzmore, but she was working on the business slowly. However, after the layoff, she had no choice but to take the leap of faith and make Lizzmore her full-time.
The Proudest Moment
"I felt relieved when I finally launched, like the actual process from starting with just ideas to sketches — and even traveling to New York to have the first batch of products produced. Then to physically have the product in hand, to steaming it and then having the website ready to go. To see it come true was the proudest moment of my life." Erica said.
Most business owners don't take their ideas past conception. Ideas are great, but execution is the name of the game. It could take months, maybe years of hard work to get to even get to that moment. But with anything, there are setbacks and fears.
Fears Are Part Of The Equation
Erica had many fears like any other business owner starting a brand new business. She was working a demanding sales job from 9-5 and had trouble finding time to complete tasks. While trying to figure out how to create the company, Erica was traveling back and forth because of her job. She had a lot of questions. Like, should she do this full-time or how much money and time should she put into the business?
Furthermore, she suffered from impostor syndrome. "You know, I'm not a true designer. I don't have a fabric background, only sales. I'm coming from a business perspective and not necessarily a designer's perspective. Will people think it's nice? I thought to myself, will people accept me?" Erica said.
Impostor syndrome is a universal experience. Most creators and innovators of the world still question whether they are qualified for their roles. However, even Maya Angelou said, "I have written eleven books, but each time I think. Uh oh, they're going to find me out now." Impostor syndrome doesn't discriminate.
Setbacks Are Bound To Happen
"I saved my bonus checks to fund the business, and within two weeks, I lost $5K. And there was nothing I could do about it." Erica says. It's not uncommon for business owners to have expensive lessons. Mostly through lack of practical business acumen and mentorship.
This costly lesson produced is when the production company provided her with seven unusable prototypes. That's when she realized she had to diversify the production companies. Even more so, she could not depend on one production company because depending on one manufacturing company could bring your business to a standstill — even tweaks to the product costs.
Being in the design industry requires a few crucial skills, such as knowing how to sew and understanding the metrics of design. Both of these skills are a considerable cost saver. Had she connected with others at the beginning of her business, Erica felt she would've gotten a lot further by supplementing what she didn't know with the right person to get it done.
Another critical point is when designing clothes, consider offering variable sizes. As Lizzmore seeks to expand its sizes to the plus-size women's wear, it posed expense challenges. She remembers spending whole days going door to door in search of different factories because each factory specializes in various styles from coats to shirts.
Lastly, the manufacturing world is predominantly still run by Asians, which poses language barriers. But her products must be created in the U.S. because she needs to see the product firsthand before it hits the market.
Where Do The Designs Come From
Erica says ideas are great, but they are useless if you're not working hard. Inspiration presents itself in different ways. She enjoys going to furniture stores to browse, to see color palettes, and to see what the designers are designing.
Sometimes new ideas for dresses come to her when she's doing other things. Because she's 8-months pregnant, she's been focusing on designing the baby's nursery, so she's exposed to colors and more designs. Again, inspiration continues to find her.
How Are Customers Responding
The response to her product has been great. She has a positive support system that continues to push her. During her pop-ups, the women's faces lit up when she explains the benefits. She meets strangers who are excited about jumpsuits and dresses. As a business owner, when the customers are eager, it's like fuel. It's the extra jump one needs to continue to create and produce.
Pitch Competitions Lessons
Erica has pitched three times before BVG. She first pitched at the Black Female Founders business incubator, which is ten-week supplemental learning that teaches you how to run a business startup. This gave her the space to practice in a one-day pitch. Her confidence increased, and she worked on her pitch deck. She felt ready for the Black Girl Ventures pitch competition. The best part of the pitch was meeting all the other founders.
Most businesses struggle with communicating their numbers to investors. Erica says, "It's important to have your numbers down pat, understand the finances, your profit margins. Understand how your company is going to make money and how your investors are going to make money." This concept will keep you in the game. A powerful solution to a problem is a massive piece of the pie. However, the numbers are what's needed to seal the deal.
Also, presence is everything when you're on stage. It's critical to exert confidence in the business idea and to communicate what the business is. "It has to make sense and a profit." Says Erica. Not only does the light bulb go off in the entrepreneur's mind, but it also needs to go off in other people's heads as well.
The Fundamental Skills Of Every Business Owner
"The ability to work hard. It's easy to get caught up in not being consistent. Having talent is one thing, but having the actual drive and determination to see it through. That's something else." Erica says. It's possible to waiver the way one feels about their company because some days are more stringent than others. But to be an entrepreneur, it's vital to have unwavering faith, even when it's hard to do so.
Erica launched Lizzmore at the end of November 2018. Because she sold a few dresses, she decided to post (and purchase) many ads for Black Friday. However, there were no purchases. She felt deflated and defeated. In a moment like that, most business owners would just quit and say maybe it's not for them. "It took me a while to get over that." Erica shared.
Companies need to have a deep understanding of who they are, what they want because that will help to remain consistent in everything a company plans to accomplish. During a pitch competition, an entrepreneur's job is to sell themselves. Convey the brand clearly and effectively. Which means, having unwavering faith means 24/7. She says, "You can't give up, and you can't let your down days limit your vision."
What Is Self-Care?
Erica is learning to breathe more. She's also working through not letting things affect her. She believes stress management comes from having a lot of alone time. Erica feels blessed to be able to work on her business full-time. She is home when stressful things are happening. Erica goes for walks or finds one person who will listen to her vent.
However, sometimes, a bit of pampering goes a long way. Erica feels her best when her hair and nails are groomed and manicured because she's around clients, presentation matters. Self-care is different for everyone. However, the underlying truth is self-care is necessary when managing the ebb and flow of life.
What's Next For Lizzmore?
Growing its presence is Lizzmore's priority. They plan to curate more pop-ups. Of course, they will continue to design. But more importantly, Lizzmore is focused on building its network and collaborating with other designers as well as other industry leaders to expand the success of LIzzmore.
Favorite quote: "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." Pablo Picasso
HelloAlice provides information about different summits to attend, various business groups to join, and network. It keeps track of what is happening in every city to connect you with other business owners. Bumble Biz is the business version of the dating app Bumble. It's a networking app.
Favorite Tv Show: Erica doesn't watch much Tv anymore but happily admits she watches an Atlanta Housewives reunion on any given day.
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