Co-founder, Califoria Cashmere
www.calcashmere.com

As winter approaches and our thoughts drift to warm fires and favorite sweaters,Talibah Al-Rafiq, Co-Founder of California Cashmere eagerly awaits for custom made orders of scarves, gloves and sweaters to start piling in.

Tired of the daily grind as a product manager for a major insurance company, Talibah and her husband Ajamu vowed to make their corporate jobs a means to an end. The end, though, while exciting, was mostly uncertain. With dutifully earned savings, the couple invested in various real estate properties, flipped them and made a comfortable profit. Desperate to escape the city life in San Francisco, they purchased a farm in the outskirts of the Bay Area. This refuge, after several years of research, innovation and vision, allowed them to break free from urban life, a corporate existence, and venture into new territory reinventing themselves as the most successful goat farmers and cashmere producers in the country. Forbes reported that the company looks to be the only ranch of 500 cashmere-producing goat ranches in the U.S. to turn a sizable profit. The Al-Rafiqs bought their first 15 goats with $30,000; and are on a serious roll.

What I learned from Talibah: Don’t set yourself up for failure. Set realistic benchmarks, goals and projections. Celebrate your achievements. This will help you stay positive and the momentum from the success will prepare you for the challenges ahead.

A-Ha Moment

“I was working in the insurance industry when we purchased our farm in the outskirts of the city. We were looking for a new career adventure away from the corporate suite and the farm was a promising start. We needed to figure out how to turn it into a business and it required several years of research, time and learning. It was through patience and planning that we decided goat breeding and cashmere production was a viable means to the end.”

Shifting Focus

“We purchased our first cashmere goats in 1990. At the time we thought that we could raise the animals, sheer them, and sell the wool. That was the initial focus of the business and after the first year of sheering we found that, like with any farming enterprise, you are not going to make a substantial amount of money because someone else is asserting the value of the product. We needed to re-analyze the marketplace and figure out a way to address the needs of potential customers and strengthen the value of our product.”

Reinvention

“There was an enormous bottleneck in the industry in that China controlled 80% of the cashmere market and therefore also controlled the processing of the cashmere wool. Despite that fact that we took great care in tracking the genetics of our animals to produce the finest cashmere, we were forced to bundle our wool with other farmer’s wool and ship it to China where it underwent a cleaning process known as dehairing. In the end we were given a blended product and we lost control of the quality of our wool. The market did not offer a solution to process smaller quantities of wool for dehairing, so we decided to address the problem and solve our issue of quality and control while providing a service that there was much demand for.”

Realistic Budgeting

“Expect challenges and be prepared to meet them mentally and financially. We identified an opportunity in the market but we needed the capital to purchase the machine and fund our trip to China, which was where we needed to go to buy the machine. We were fortunate that our previous investments gave us a cushion for cash flow and were prepared for the sudden surprises. Our trip was successful and we now dehair wool for all the goat farmers of the U.S., which represents 30% of our business.”

No Roadmap

“The challenge we had was that there wasn’t very much written information about our industry. We decided to take another business module, a comparable one of course, and apply it to ours. We read and thoroughly researched the sheep industry, which gave us insight into breeding, sheering and wool production. We were able to take this information and successfully apply it to our business.”

Why We’re Different

“We take the cashmere from the goat to the coat. We raise the goats, clean the wool and then we actually make the garments. In the U.S. and especially China the three steps are not performed in the same place or under the same roof. We handle all the processes ourselves and can therefore guarantee the quality of our product. This is our competitive advantage.”

Ingredients for Success

“What has allowed us to succeed in this business is that we are not afraid to look at things from a different standpoint. The bottom line is not our only concern. Creativity is essential to sell your product and identify the different and effective ways of marketing it. You must have a clear marketing and business plan. And it’s helpful to have realistic goals and benchmarks. You have to crawl before you jump.”

Planning Becomes Organic

“Realistic objectives are essential to keeping the spirit positive. There are so many things you cannot control and its wise to avoid setting yourself up for failure. It is hard to plan and project so if you can keep things short term and track the momentum of your business until you reach a routine, then the planning becomes organic.”

Be Your Best Customer

“Cashmere instantly imbues luxury. The texture is seductive so why wouldn’t I want to devote my time spinning, knitting and creating garments myself? Again, this was an organic next step for the business. Every person you meet whether at a tradeshow, exposition or store becomes a potential customer. I took knitting and sewing classes to learn the trade and started making sweaters and gloves, which eventually inspired the idea of custom made cashmere products. Now I spend more time making and selling the products then sheering the goats. I always take the customers creative input and add my vision as well.”

Inspiration and Admiration

“The results and goals I achieve are what inspire me. Making something myself, seeing the results and producing things with my hands also inspire me. Who I admire… my husband. Without him this dream would not have become reality.”

Make Every Conversation Count

“Networking is ever present. The most important thing that I do everyday is to tell someone about my business. I try to have a new contact everyday. Through trust and relationship building, the individuals become walking, talking advertisements. Every person is a potential customer.”

Words of Advice

“Believe in yourself and what you want to do. Second, be prepared and be honest.”

This Featured Lady was profiled by Alexandra Salas, a Buenos Aires based writer.