100UE Fundee Blog: Sole Discretion
Founders (from left): Alyxaundria Sanford, Sheree Coleman, Sherrae Hayes
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December 6, 2011: Partnering With Star Jones, and Taking Stock as the 100UE Program Nears Its End
By Alyxaundria Sanford
As the 100 Urban Entrepreneurs mentoring program draws to a close, Sole Discretion has had some great developments! In the last two weeks, we commited to participating in Star Jones’s “Go Red for Women Luncheon” in association with the American Heart Association. We’ll submit Sole Discretion products for high-end gift baskets that will be auctioned off to help raise awareness about women’s heart health.
As we come to the end of 100UE’s program, some questions we’re asking ourselves:
• How has the mentoring program affected the way we think about and run our business?
The group calls with the other funded entrepreneurs have been a great opportunity for feedback on our business practices. The standout advice that we’ve taken away from the program was to continue to engage our customers. Before we launched, we did demographic research and took into account feedback from our customer base, but it’s essential to the success of Sole Discretion to continue to take those nuggets of information and apply them to the business.
• Given the particulars of Sole Discretion’s product, how big a challenge is distribution likely to be?
Distribution has not been a challenge so far. When distributing online orders — which includes our boutique owners with wholesale/consignment contracts — we use the Postal Service. Priority Mail Service is extremely cost-effective and offers the comfort of being able to track packages.
• What logistical hurdles would we have to overcome if demand suddenly increased substantially?
Given that the three of us all have full-time schedules in addition to our duties for Sole Discretion, the only logistical hurdle would be finding time to assemble a substantial amount of orders. Our main goal, of course, is to grow our company and keep our customers statisfied. We would therefore make sure to get our product out!
• What third-party services, if any, do we anticipate needing to use to help meet our sales-and-distribution goals?
We have been discussing arrangements with several discount-shopper Web sites that would like to sell our shoes. Also, we are in the process of securing a large Christmas order for a high-profile client. As the 100UE program comes to an end, then, Sole Discretion is well-positioned for solid growth in 2012.
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November 3, 2011: Focusing on Fashionable Comfort — and Recalibrating Our Expansion Strategy
By Sheree Coleman
As a woman, I far too often find myself preparing for my day focused on a series of “or’s” — I can be fashionable or I can be comfortable; I can be comfortable or I can sexy. You get the idea. At Sole Discretion, we’re all about eliminating the or. We want all women to have a viable shoe option that encompasses all of her fashion needs: be sexy, be comfortable, be fashionable.
The last two weeks have definitely been a research-and-development period for us. We’ve recently been dealing with retail distribution firms, and although we’re not quite ready to seal any deals, this period has inspired us to sit down and develop a new framework for our expansion strategy.
The 100 Urban Entrepreneurs mentoring program has been very significant for us so far. Our business mentor, Pauli-Ann Carriere, has jumped in full force — we really couldn’t ask for someone more thorough. This week alone, she was able to take an idea of ours that we had placed on the back burner, build on it and present it to us in a new way that’s more accessible to us now.
With respect to our current shoe line, over the past year a host of businesses have offered a similar model — some well-known brands like Dr. Scholl’s, and some newer, smaller companies. While we’re keeping each competitor on our radar, our product remains unique, and we intend for that to continue with our future lines.
A couple of business practices we’re focusing on as we recalibrate our expansion plans:
1. Being able to use the Web to its fullest capacity. Technology these days is like a crutch for people — so we want to be able to build anticipation for Sole Discretion, and keep our momentum going via viral videos and being sure we generate heavy online activity.
2. Making our products more accessible. The Slim Goodies shoe, one of our niche lines, is an example. Slim Goodies is a transitional shoe line that offers relief to achy feet. Whether you’re in a club or just a high-traffic area, whether it’s 5 p.m. or midnight, our goal is to make sure that our lines are available. •
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October 26, 2011: Deconstructing a Successful Logo, and Naming Our Company’s Business Heroes
By Sherrae Hayes
Part of the early weeks of the 100UE funding-and-mentoring program entails breaking your business down to its core elements to determine what you’re doing right and what you could be doing better. It’s also helpful to outline who your own business heroes and inspirations are, and what you can learn from them as you build your own startup. In the clip below, I explain the design elements of the Sole Discretion logo — there’s more going on here than you might think — and talk about our company’s role models . . . one of whom might surprise you. Check it out:
