If a business has ceased to be fun and has transformed into a burden,
either you find something to re-energize your interest in the business, or
ditch that business altogether and find a better fit for you.
Entrepreneurship is not just about making money; it is about earning money
while enjoying what you do.
Marie Routhier (http://www.marierouthier.com
and
http://www.unabashedlycanadian.com) of Winnepeg, Canada was an
up-and-coming fashion designer: first focusing on skating costumes, then
moving on to formal and bridal fashion design. She was starting to make a
name for herself with a growing list of clientele. The popularity of this
young designer was such that several bridal and business magazines in Canada
even featured her success story (Editor’s Note: PowerHomeBiz.com learned of
her from a Canadian home business magazine).
After years in the bridal fashion industry, Marie started to lose
interest in the business. An accident forced her to reassess her life,
including her business. She packed her bags, and moved to Newfoundland where
she went back to her original passion – sewing with spandex. Now, Marie is
one of the well-known Canadian sporting costume designer and author of
several books.
Marie shared her story with PowerHomeBiz.com in an email interview.
PowerHomeBiz: How did you start in the
business of designing clothes? Did you have any formal training in fashion
design or related studies? What inspired you to start an apparel business?
Marie: I was a figure skater in a poor family! Anyone who has ever had to
pay skating bills knows that it's a very expensive sport! My family could
not afford even basic practice dresses for me, so at age 11, I started
making my own. People around the rink liked my work, and started paying me
to make costumes for them, as well. You could definitely say that necessity
was the mother of invention, in my case!
Everything I do now, I've learned along the way. I did attend a fashion
tech and design course for a year in grade 11, but quit. It wasn't an
academically inclined school at all, and that's what I needed. This was
never meant to be a career; it was supposed to be a way to pay my way
through a few science degrees! I still intend to go after those degrees, but
it's been put off by a few years. I have to grow the business to the point
where I will be able to run it, and attend university concurrently.
PowerHomeBiz: You started formal wear, but it
was cut short by your accident. How do you compare the business of creating
gowns vis-ŕ-vis the business of creating sporting costumes?
To be quite honest, brides are usually awful to deal with. I find that
most of my costuming customers are extremely nice to deal with. For the most
part, they respect my time and me; they are polite, and show appreciation
when they receive their finished products. I've had some brides that were
the same way, but many would be rude, act as if they were my only clients,
be very demanding, etc. I'm not stressed out dealing with my costuming
customers. The other big difference is that spandex costuming clients don't
seem to balk at paying decent prices for quality - I did get pretty sick of
brides assuming that I could / would knock off some mass produced wedding
gown for less than minimum wage!
PowerHomeBiz: When you recovered from the
accident, you opened a formal wear shop again, then decided to close it.
What led to your decision to retire from the formal wear segment of the
fashion industry?
I didn't actually re-open a formalwear shop, I briefly had a workspace to
just do custom orders. It wasn't healthy for me at all. After a series of
bad experiences with brides (bouncing cheques on me, changing their minds on
design several times after starting, one showing up at my home at all hours,
demanding spontaneous appointments to show her dress off to friends /family,
etc), it started really wearing me down. The day I had to call a friend over
to keep me company, because I did not think I could manage to work on a
dress for a certain bride alone, was the day I decided to get out of it. It
ceased being fun long before that, but that was definitely the straw that
broke the camel's back.
Around that time, my boyfriend was transferred from our home of St
John's, to Toronto. The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) has a much bigger market
for spandex costuming, so I definitely took that as a sign that there were
better things to do! I sent out a few emails to swim clubs announcing my
availability to do team orders, and the interest just started pouring in.
It's a very niche market, and I have the advantage of having worn the very
same type of costumes that I now make.
PowerHomeBiz: You then shifted to spandex
costumes. What led you to shift in market and type of product altogether?
Did you see a lot of opportunities for you in the spandex costume market
than formal wear? What inspired you to start a costuming business for the
sports market?
Spandex was how I started, and it had always been fun. You can express
yourself more, the fabrics are much wilder, and it's really cool to see your
gear on athletes in competition, rather than just get wedding photos ad
nauseam! Also, with spandex costuming, clients can do cool things in your
work- win big competitions, TV appearances, etc. -- makes it a lot more
interesting, I think.
PowerHomeBiz: What preparations did you make
when you started your spandex costume business (e.g. did you prepare a
business plan; did market research albeit informal ones, etc.)?
Actually, I was so sick of what I was doing at the time, that sending
emails announcing my arrival to ON, and my desire to do costumes was my only
real preparation. I got so booked by that first series of emails that I
still haven't had time to do a proper business plan, and I really need one!
The initial set of orders snowballed with word of mouth, and it hasn't left
me with much time!
PowerHomeBiz: You are not only selling
clothes, but you are selling a lifestyle. How do you characterize Marie
Routhier sporting costumes? Who is a Marie Routhier wearer?
I have to say, I love my clients. They all have great spunk and attitude!
Reminds me of the personalities I used to hang out with in my skating
days... oh, the memories!
PowerHomeBiz: How did you finance your
business? How much was your start-up capital?
I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I didn't finance it. Because I
was previously burned on payments, I now have a pay-in-advance policy -- so
the first orders covered the cost of fabrics, etc.. and that was my only
real start up costs. Anything else along the way has pretty much been paid
for with orders.
