If you have no fashion industry experience, it can feel really daunting to try and start your own clothing line. Where do you source materials? How do you find factories and manufacturers? How do you sell your line to retail shops? But if you go slow, do your research, and have some patience, you'll discover you can get yourself off the ground. And that's exactly what Kristen of Exclusively Kristen did to start her fashion line with no experience. She spent the last 3 years navigating the industry one step at a time to get her line of tops for full busted women off the ground. She patiently and diligently researched what her customer wanted to make sure her product fit right, used the right fabric in the right colors and hit the right price point. After this long journey of educating herself and learning how to manufacture a product and work with factories, she recently started talking to factories in China to get her designs produced. In the interview, we cover: Why it's worth the small investment of hiring an expert to make sure things are done right How spending a little more money up front pays off 10x in the long run The value of asking your suppliers for referrals The importance of deeply understanding your customer Why you should have the self discipline to go slow and make sure your product is done right Her strategy of using pop up shops to get to know her audience and build a base following The difference in pricing, minimums and fabric costs from American made vs overseas Guest Info & Resources Exclusively Kristen Website Exclusively Kristen on Instagram Exclusively Kristen on Twitter Exclusively Kristen on Facebook Enjoy the show? Help us out by: Rating us on iTunes - it really helps! Subscribing on iTunes - I appreciate each and every one of you!