Patsy Aiken
Patsy Aiken
Founder, Patsy Aiken Designs
http://www.patsyaiken.com
Do you obsess about those discouraging stats that say 95 percent of small businesses fail within five years?
Patsy Aiken defies the data. Her high-quality children’s clothing company, Patsy Aiken Designs, has been in business for more than two decades. She started designing infant layettes with a $200 bolt of fabric, and today realizes annual sales of approximately $7.5 million from showcasing her clothes through her Chez Ami home parties.
Recently Aiken spoke with Ladies Who Launch about her successes, challenges and secrets for business survival…
Not Your Standard Fashionista
“I did not grow up in the apparel business and my background was not fashion design. My degree is in advertising and journalism. I was the only girl in my marketing class of about 200 men at the University of North Carolina. I met my husband, Joel, there and we have been together for 37 years, and working for more than 25 in our design and manufacturing company.
“In 1979, we were living in California, in Monterey. Joel was a Navy pilot getting his post-graduate degree as a systems analyst. Women didn’t work outside the home nearly as much then. How the business started… I sewed for my children and people wanted me to sew for theirs – instead, I created a sewing class to teach them how.”
Serendipity Leads to Start-Up
“Each week I made garments to demonstrate new techniques to my students, many more than my five-year-old daughter could wear. When we moved to Coronado, California, we moved next door to the lady who owned the only children’s store on the island and I sold my designs to her. Joel and I believe that our business was a whole series of fortunate circumstances that fell into place through incredibly hard work and blind luck!
Loving the Upscale Stores
“For 20 years, we sold our product through retail boutiques and upscale department stores. We were selling to 1000 to 1500 stores – it would vary from season to season, with the spring season and swimwear being a major part of the line. We had independent sales reps in the major markets -Dallas, Atlanta, L.A., Chicago and New York and Neiman’s, Saks, and Nordstrom were big customers of ours for many years.”
Leaving the Upscale Stores
“But we started to become frustrated because we didn’t seem to have much control over the growth of (the business). We were fortunate to work with the top sales organizations because we had really nice products, but they were independent salespeople and they would often represent 20 lines. And as much as we loved the exposure we got with big stores, it was becoming more difficult to deal with them.”
Shopping for Kids’ Clothes at the Home of a Friend
“The climate was changing – new stores were opening like Baby Gap, Gymboree, Talbot’s Kids. Everyone was competing and competing with a vengeance. So in 1990, after much agonizing and evaluation, we switched to a home- party business model. We wanted to see if our sales would grow if people could see a larger selection of our products and we had control of the marketing.
“At a Chez Ami home party, people come into the homes of their friends, and our sales consultants have up to 250 pieces being showcased at the party. When you see whole line… it’s hard to resist all those really endearing, classic styles. We’re into our sixth year of home parties.”
Calling Entrepreneurial Moms
“We have about 450 Chez Ami sales consultants located in 40 states and we are adding to this number each season. We provide a full array of garment samples (often more than 200 pieces per season) for customers to touch and try on, an eager, concerned support staff to assist consultants and their customers with all issues, and often personal communication with both Joel and me. For an extremely minimal financial commitment, a mother can be involved in a fun and lucrative career twice a year and will earn cash commissions for sales written at parties arranged with her hosts, as well as large discounts on all personal orders for her children. And everything we offer (except tights and sweaters) has been proudly made in the U.S.A., as it has been from Patsy Aiken Designs for over 25 years.”
Stylin’ Your Children for Summer
“For boys, my favorite pieces for summer have been the Hampton short-all, shorts and tee, as well as the Nantucket sailboat short-all. For girls, I love our Nantucket starfish sundress (a wildly popular style this season), the Amelia pique pink dress and bubble, and the Malibu halter dress.”
Tween Spirit
“One of our newest additions has been our Chez Belle line for girls, focusing on ages 8-12. The collection is receiving a lot of interest and excitement from young girls and their mothers, who have felt there is a void in the market in age-appropriate, yet updated and fun, styles for the tween years.”
Greatest Success
“My greatest pleasure is having my husband of 37 years as my business partner, knowing that we’re working together to create something of our own, and realizing it’s impossible for us to do it alone. I’m sure there are many times Joel wishes he could tell people that he makes fishing gear or golf clubs instead of baby clothes, but being involved in a business that’ about children makes everyone happy.”
Greatest Challenges
“Having a life. Having personal time and making sure I have stamina on not much sleep. I also have personal challenges in our company like trying to be a good manager as well as a good entrepreneur. Finding that place between making everything too personal, or not personal enough. We have 50 employees now. I am always telling young designer hopefuls that it seems like design is only about five percent of what I do… 95 percent is all that other stuff that goes into running a company.”
Her Secrets to Staying in Biz for 25 Years
- “Incredible personal support and collaboration with my husband and business partner”
- “An awesome staff of talented and excited people who really want to be working in children’s apparel”
- “Unbridled enthusiasm season after season”
- “God-given blessings of creativity and stamina”
- “Type ‘A’ all the way”
- “Ability to make quick decisions and move on”
- “Being exceptionally lucky”
- “Being involved in a business that involves children – something that makes everyone happy”
Words of Advice – Discounting Is Not a Good Deal
“Don’t over-promise or over-compromise. Don’t let people intimidate you into discounting or lowering your prices. Decide on a price you think is fair, and unless something is wrong with your product or service, stick with that price. Think a lot about the pricing and don’t undercharge. Try to picture yourself in another place in your business. People will not want to hear you say, “I need to charge more now because I had to rent a building or hire more people to help me.”
Words of Advice – Play the Name Game
“Some of the best advice I was given 28 years ago – think carefully about the name of your business. Remember that your company might evolve into something else – and you don’t want to lose the name association and brand loyalty you may have already created. Avoid making it too ‘cute’ and trendy – trends date you later.”
Favorite Quotes
“Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.” – Zig Ziglar
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Favorite Book for Inspiration
“Inner Simplicity” by Elaine St. James
