Could you please tell us about your background prior to starting your business?
Prior to starting my business, I stayed busy by homeschooling my four young children. Prior to that, I sold B2B software.
Carissa Rose
Did you have any entrepreneurial experience? If yes, how did it help you in starting this business? If not, what surprised you as you started your business?
Although I never myself had been an entrepreneur before, I had been around entrepreneurs who taught me a lot about being an entrepreneur. My husband was a successful entrepreneur for more than a decade and I had worked for a couple of entrepreneurs as well. The most help I gained was from my husband; he was smart enough to grow his business so it could run without his presence. A couple of things that surprised me the most in starting Carissa Rose Designs LLC was that first, the most important thing is choosing your vendor group and second, building a competitive and brand worthy website is expensive and time consuming.
What inspired you to start Carissa Rose Designs?
Frankly, I’m inspired by my mom, Helene. Her sudden death from an aneurysm jolted me into reality that I no longer wanted to live my life in the shadow of a dream not pursued. Five months after her passing I started the business plan, when my fourth child was just four months old. Life is precious and we never know when the end will come. Dreaming of a business that empowered women with comfort and confidence began in 2004 and I had to make that dream a reality.
Tell us about Carissa Rose Designs and its products:
Carissa Rose Designs LLC is an online retailer selling button-down shirts, tailored tops and woven dresses for women. We specialize in fitting the female form – our exclusive designs are available in two shape profiles to accommodate bust and waist curves with no pulling or button gaping!
Are the products only available online? What do you offer to help people purchase your clothing online with ease?
Yes, our products are available exclusively online. At the beginning of the year, we realigned our business model to be consumer focused, instead of based on wholesale activities. We have a new website launching this month that is dedicated to helping people purchase Carissa Rose Designs LLC with ease. It has an updated sizing form, increased explanation of our silhouette types, posted reviews to learn from other customer’s experiences, size & fit tab for each style, and free returns! We are excited to have these increased merchandising capabilities. And best of all, we love talking with shoppers – they are always invited to give us a call to discuss the specifics of a style’s fit.
How did any advisors make a difference in your business?
In the launch phase, I found a SVP with Levi’s through our local SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives through the SBA). He was an excellent mentor as I figured out how to mass manufacture a garment. Now as we are growing, a client of ours who is a serial entrepreneur and now high net worth individual and angel investor advises us on business growth.
What do you consider the most difficult challenges you face as you grow your business?
Finding our customer is our core challenge. Being an online retailer, we can’t count on foot traffic, as in a mall, to bring people to our door. We have strong resonance with our customers, but the challenge is we have to find her. We have not had a marketing plan in place yet and have done very little in the way of marketing other than word of mouth and reaching out to media ourselves.
What do you consider most rewarding as an entrepreneur?
Empowering women with comfort and confidence to live each day to the fullest is extremely rewarding. I also feel rewarded when I get an email, phone call or Facebook comment that says “I love my Carissa Rose shirt and feel great in it” or “It’s the first button-down (shirt or dress) I’ve been able to wear in years.”
How was your experience participating in the TLC Show Homemade Millionaire?
Homemade Millionaire was a wonderful experience. Surprisingly, I really enjoy being in front of a camera and of course talking about Carissa Rose. At the time I was still homeschooling my children, so to be in alone in NYC for more than a week, was quite a treat for me. The people involved in the production, from camera operators to producers, were really great to work with.
What are your plans for the future?
- To grow our customer base.
- The new website launches this month—we are excited for the positivity it brings to our 3rd and 4th quarter outlooks.
- We love shooting videos, so that will be on the shortlist.
What advice would you give an aspiring woman entrepreneur interested in the fashion industry?
Find mentors! And location really helps. Dallas is third in the nation behind NYC and LA for garment manufacturing. Being in New York, an aspiring designer entrepreneur can find a couple of mentors with proven successes and expertise in her field. For example, she needs to be a passionate garmento, as well as have the experience of selling a product, preferably fashion, online directly to the consumer or a mentor who can help if she doesn’t have this experience herself.
For more information about Carissa Brown and her business, please visit http://carissarose.com/