CEO and Co-founder of Avancer, Rashad Williams, reveals his formula to starting a clothing brand empire that will inevitably compete with the major brands. During this talk he outlines several key elements needed to get a successful start to building your profitable clothing brand. Additionally, he recounts lessons he learned along the way to help you avoid similar mistakes. 

Some of the areas discussed include start up costs, sourcing material, the craft of embroidery & design, networking w/businesses partners, getting product in local stores, and much more! 

Beyond the specifics of design and fashion, we also discuss general business strategy that can be applied to a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors.

Timestamps/Chapters:

0:01 Intro

1:42 Origins of Avancer

2:40 Accounting to Fashion?

4:07 Going into business w/ bestfriend

7:22 Clothing line start up cost

10:48 First designs

11:34 Embroidery vs other art forms

12:32 Sourcing material & finding manufacturers

13:46 First pop-up event and learning embroidery 

19:08 NBA Star wears 1of1 piece featuring Avancer’s embroidery 

21:17 Embroidering for with financial institution

22:54 Setting prices for B2B partnerships

24:07 Implementing social media 

25:10 That FIRST SALE FEELING

26:09 Ideation of designs 

30:20 Work life balance as an entrepreneur 

32:52 Dropping out to pursue passion

36:22 Doubt & self-belief 

39:58 Strategic pop-up locations to expand

41:12 Learning more about design in Oregon

44:00 Majoring in design vs business 

45:08 Design culture- trends vs individuality

46:12 Gary Vee strategy

48:02 Creating waterproof jacket

50:50 Adjusting product offering to increase demand

52:10 Balancing creative design with financial practicality 

53:58 Getting your product in local stores

56:48 Choosing online storefront: Spotify, Square, etc.

58:18 Avancer’s future plans for their warehouse and storefront 

1:00:01 Finding models and photographers

1:02:50 Shooting full length commercial for your brand

1:05:58 2nd Gary Vee strategy & Maximizing social media ads

1:08:50 1 TIME IS NOT ENOUGH!

1:13:35 Buyer psychology and relationships

1:15:25 Avancer’s future plans

1:21:40 Rashad’s GPS Shoutout

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Captivating YouTube intro footage from:

Nick: https://www.instagram.com/23.shoots?igsh=MWcwaXkydmo2czhvbQ==

Miguel: https://www.instagram.com/its_rendering?igsh=NWJqNG5ieDg4anR4

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Shop/Connect with Avancer

Website: https://avcrmoving.com

In Store: KY Vintage located at 3612 S Dale Mabry Tampa, Florida

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/avcravcr?igsh=Yno4N3djbWh3aGxv

Email:  avcrembroidery@gmail.com

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Connect with Rashad:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/rashad.e.williams?igsh=b2FmbXhoNm9yZGlp

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Rashad’s GPS shoutout: 

His mom & dad 

Cofounder LJ

KY:   https://www.instagram.com/ky.vintage?igsh=NjgwdGluN2JpYmN5 

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Connect with GPS Limitless

All GPS links: https://msh.ke/gps_limitless