I’m sharing how I started my business at 23 as a CEO, founder, and sports bra designer for big busts. To be honest, I always knew I wanted to run my own business. Building a business that allows financial freedom, time freedom, AND served other women seemed like a no-brainer. On the contrary, accomplishing this required moving mountains.
I truly believe we are capable of anything we put our minds to. Were we all put on this Earth for a God-given purpose? I’m not sure, that seems awfully capitalistic to me. I think we shouldn’t identify with purpose, especially when it’s associated with money. But, what I do know is that it feels good to help other people.
Finding sports bras that made me feel confident in my body as a bigger-busted woman has been a problem my entire life. I can remember leaving dressing rooms in tears as a 14-year-old girl because I was embarrassed by my bust size.
With that being said, I knew that if I felt this way, other women did too. I never wanted another girl to leave a dressing room the way I did at such a vulnerable age. That’s the start of my journey to Forever Evolving™.
This Post Is All About How I Started My Business As a CEO and Sports Bra Designer
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How I Started My Business at 23 Years Old
Mini Business Idea Gone Wild
It was October of 2020. I was in an accelerated MBA program at my university as a graduate student. During that time, I was also working two graduate assistantships, waitressing at a bar, and selling real estate on the side as a part-time real estate agent.
I applied to this exact program in my last year of undergrad with a real estate business idea and I was rejected. This program was designed to be a competitive 10-week course that helped entrepreneurs kick-start their businesses with the potential to earn seed funding from real investors at a pitch modeled after Shark Tank.
This program was truly the only thing I ever felt passionate about in college. So, I went for it.
When I was rejected from this program a year prior, I wasn’t heartbroken. I didn’t realize it then, but I wasn’t passionate about real estate. I’ve always loved exercising and sports bras are an essential item for this activity, especially for bigger-busted women.
Likewise, I’ve always had problems finding sports bras that worked for me. So, I submitted a business idea. A high-impact sports bra design that offered the comfort of a regular, light to medium support sports bra with the functionality of a high-impact sports bra (you know the ones that feel like bomb-vest, are never cute and are a bajillion dollars to purchase).
To my complete shock, the idea was accepted along with nine other applicants. I was in the program. Now, I had to figure out how I was going to make my “dream sports bra” that I knew millions of other women were shopping for every single day a reality.
Then The Pandemic Happened
I was 5 weeks into the program when the worst of the worst could happen. The pandemic. Everyone at my university was sent home and they told us they weren’t sure if they were going to do the final pitch due to the sheer volume of people required to be in one room. We would still get credit for the class, but the opportunity to pitch to investors was quickly dwindling.
I was devasted. I’d spent months and months working on this sports bra design. Despite the setback, I finished the program. Many weeks later, to my relief, they told us that we would pitch our idea in the fall of that year, six months later. So, I spent the summer finishing this sports bra design and seeking manufacturing.
This setback ended up being a blessing in disguise. In June of 2020, 2 months after the program and the semester had ended, I found a manufacturer. I spent the extra time leading up to the pitch that summer creating prototypes of this sports bra design with a manufacturing facility a few hours from my hometown.
In August of 2020, I graduated with my MBA. Oh, I also met my now financè, but that’s a story for another day!
The Pitch
In September of 2020, 9-months after I started working on this sports bra design for bigger busts, I pitched my idea. To my astonishment, I ended up getting backed by all 5 investors on the panel for my high-impact sports bra design.
This was such a turnaround moment for me because just a year prior, I was rejected from the program for a real estate idea I knew wasn’t for me. That day, I presented my most vulnerable and intimate business idea, something I was and still am truly passionate about, and it was accepted.
Making The Business Official
In October of 2020, I filed a patent for the IP of the design and an LLC for Forever Evolving™, a high-impact sports bra company for bigger busted women who exercise. I spent months coming up with the perfect name. I finally landed on Forever Evolving™ because I believe women are always evolving – in our bodies, our roles, our relationships, and so much more. To this day, I still feel so connected with the name of my sports bra start-up company.
Today | How I Started My Business
After filing the LLC, I went straight into product development. I was told that this sports bra would take 8 weeks to develop…it took 2 years.
It’s February of 2023. Two manufacturing facilities, a lot of mistakes, a lot of money, and a lot of perseverance, and the final sample is on the way to my house right now. I know what you’re thinking – “You spent 2+ years designing this sports bra and it’s not even for sale yet?”
Had I known what I know now, I don’t think I ever would have pursued this idea. With that being said, I’m so glad that I didn’t know. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever pursued. Through months and months of developing and testing and failing and then failing again – I learned so much about myself not only as a businesswoman but as an entrepreneur.
I’m excited that my sports bra design is on the way, but I’m also terrified that it’s not going to be right. This will be close to the 10th sample since the start of this project a little over two years ago.
What Running a Business Is Really Like
The thing is, I know exactly what bigger-busted women are looking for in their sports bras because I AM that girl. I live through the disappointment of sports bra after sports bra every single day. And I guess, I just don’t feel good about selling a bra that I don’t believe in.
Despite my fight to bring this bra to the market, the feedback from my field testers over the years has been amazing. We’ve run into so many obstacles between the supply chain issues from the pandemic, the delays, and so much more. I guess I just truly believe that when the bra is right, I’ll know.
What You Need to Know About Your Business
So yes, when you ask me how I started my business, it’s a crazy story worth sharing! Is it as glamorous as I’d hoped? Absolutely not! But, it’s my dream and I think that’s worth fighting for. In my heart, I know that this product is going to change the lives of so many women.
With that being said, I’m sure that’s not as inspiring as a seven-figure business owner at the age of 22 who launched their product and had millions of sales in a matter of months, but this is real life. From my experience, this is what it takes to run a successful startup venture with a unique product and a unique problem.
I have big dreams for Forever Evolving™, and I won’t stop until it’s there.
Tips for Starting a Small Business | How I Started My Business
Identify Your Target Market
If you’re someone that has always dreamed of starting your own business, I’d tell you to go out and do it. I think dreams are put into people’s hearts for a reason. My biggest tip is to find a unique problem in the market and figure out how to solve it with a product or a service.
You cannot go into a business with the sole intention of making money. That will never be enough for you to persevere through this venture when it gets hard. You have to have an interest in what you’re doing and a passion for helping people if you’re going to be successful in your small business.
Whether you’re passionate about selling clothes online, or you’ve always wanted to start a bakery, when there is a will there is a way, but not without a clear customer base and a plan.
Always Think About Your ROI
ROI stands for return on investment. How are you spending your time getting your business up and running? Be sure that whatever activities you are doing are directly correlated with how you are going to generate revenue for your business.
Sometimes, money can feel like an icky topic. But, money is your lifeline to staying in business. If you do not know how your business is going to make money (i.e. product sales or services) then your business will fail. Get clear about how your business is going to generate a profit and get to work sister, I know you can do this!
Starting a Business Checklist
- Identify a problem or a gap in the market.
- Identify a clear target market (aka the consumer who is going to buy the product).
- Uniquely position your brand. What makes your brand different from everyone else? What do you specialize in?
- Establish trustworthy relationships. The people you work with are truly your lifeline.
- Consider the profitability potential of your idea (money is your lifeline).
- Start marketing (content is king in today’s market).
- Never be afraid to pivot or re-invent your business whenever it’s necessary.
There you have it ladies, how I started my business as a sports bra designer at 23. I’m 26 years old now and still as passionate about this idea as I was when I started. I look up to brands like SheFit and Lululemon and hope that someday, I can make women feel as confident in their activewear as these brands have!
To be continued…
This Post Is All About How I Started My Business As a CEO and Sports Bra Designer
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