What It's About
An empowering apparel company built on self-affirmation.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
Michelle has an interesting perspective on failure: "Fail. Fail and fail often. When you’re early on in the process, it’s better to learn the hard lessons then, rather than when you get bigger and your business is booming because it will probably be more costly."
Fun Fact
Michelle’s first brick and mortar store is about the size of a large SUV, or enough standing room for 50 people to get real close and personal.
Notes from Chris
Episode 1056
MBack in November 2015, Michelle Cadore was a program manager at a New York City organization overseeing grants for small businesses. After working there for two years, she applied for a promotion to an open spot for a director in her division. She was pretty much already doing the job, she just didn’t have the title. But when she talked to her boss about it, she was told that they would have to see who else was interested. Devastated, Michelle headed home that night, silently fighting tears on a street corner in the rain … when a cab passed by and splashed her with water from head to toe. She chose to see it as a wake-up call from the universe to get it together: She was giving over the power of her professional future to someone else. In that moment she told herself “I am who I say I am.” That experience of self-affirmation was powerful for her, and might have been enough for some people. But Michelle wanted a way for others to experience and own that same powerful feeling. It didn’t take her long to decide how she would do it. As a kid she’d enjoyed designing clothing, and now she wanted a way for others to literally wear a message of empowerment on their sleeve. It was clear to her that the best way to do this was to start her own clothing line, which she called YES I AM in honor of that street corner epiphany. Not wanting to waste any time, she decided to keep working at her full-time job while investing $1,500 of her own money to start the brand. She came up with five positive, empowering designs and hired a graphic artist to bring them to life. One of her mentors was able to recommend a local printer, and connected her to a spot in the fashion district where she could purchase shirts wholesale. It took Michelle eight months from that puddle-drenching moment, but in July 2016 she launched YES I AM with the tagline “Brand Your SELF.” Although she was worried that no one would like her clothing, she brought her first samples to a pop-up fashion show, and kept expectations low. To her surprise, at least one person loved what she was doing, and snapped up a shirt right away. Her second event was at another pop-up show. By the time she arrived there were already three people waiting to buy her sweatshirts. She made $300 before she even finished setting up for the show. Even with the growth of the business, Michelle is still dedicated to doing all the production of YES I AM shirts in house. For her, it’s more than a clothing line. She is hoping to inspire and empower people, including herself. YES I AM is about manifesting your own dreams into existence. Moving forward, she collaborated with two partners to open a second business to support her first: a fashion boutique in Brooklyn called DA SPOT NYC. It brings together several indie brands that are all focused on fashion, art and lifestyle goods. Their mission is to provide a platform for independent creatives to increase their network, build brand awareness, and achieve economic mobility. Today, DA SPOT turns an annual 5-figure profit, with Michelle still earning several thousand a year from YES I AM. With the move into the new location, Michelle expects that sales will continue to grow. Her focus is on empowering yourself to get things done. She’s teaching people that you can’t rely on others to give you promotions… the best way to get it done is to promote yourself.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- YES I AM: Check out Michelle's fly, inspiring clothing line at her online store. And if you're ever in Brooklyn, go visit DA SPOT NYC.
- Michelle launched her e-commerce store on Shopify. (Use the link to start a 21-day trial and get 10% off for an entire year!)
- Austinite Creates Radical Girl Clothing Line: After feeling burned out from a career at Nike, this merchandiser looks elsewhere for radical inspiration. She then moves her side hustle to Austin, Texas while relocating for a new job.
- Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
- Designer Goes Viral with Playful T-Shirts; Earns $445,000: A freelance graphic designer turns his work research into a gold mine.
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Resources
CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE
Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.
Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!
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GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS
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Quote of the Day
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