“We didn’t even pay ourselves for two years. I was driving for Uber in the morning and then going into work. We were all working full time on this and then trying to figure out ways to have rent money.”
Clothes, can’t live without em’. They keep us warm, hide our bodies from the unsuspecting public, and make our pets look really ridiculous. Since we all need to wear them, that means that lots of people need to make them too. What kind of an undertaking is that though? If you want to start a jewelry company you can buy some jewels and stick em’ in some precious metals, next step profit. If you want to start a clothing company you buy some cotton and…then…next step profit? Luckily we have Jim Snediker, Co-owner of Stock Manufacturing Co., to explain all them steps of starting a clothing company to us.
“We created a brand that had a differentiation that was built in…We created a more compelling business and everything kind of snowballed from there.”
“When you go to New York or L.A. there’s a million people trying to start clothing companies, there’s a million people just like you out there. I think that we’re pretty unique, but we’re the only ones doing this in Chicago. ”
Interview Contents
1:40 - The start of Stock Co.
6:45 - The typical cost model for making clothes.
8:50 - The advantage of working with a factory.
10:50 - What allowed Stock to success where his previous business did not?
12:30 - The pros and cons of manufacturing in the US.
18:15 - Various sales and shopping channels.
21:00 - Making uniforms and the wholesale business.
26:10 - The time and process to make a shirt.
33:00 - Was 2012 the right time for his brand?
35:10 - The amazon effect.
38:20 - Having a Chicago influence on Stock Co.
43:10 - The importance of partnerships and networking.
53:25 - Working hard for success
