Founding a Women’s Fashion Brand with Kiya Tomlin

Kiya Tomlin is a fashion designer and entrepreneur. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Pre-Medical Studies at the College of William & Mary, Kiya pursued her lifelong love of fashion by studying Fashion & Apparel Design at the University of Cincinnati. She later established her own brand and line of clothing for women, dedicated to helping her customers live their stories purely and fully, without restrictions or limitations. Kiya joins us today to share the story of how she started her fashion brand. She discusses her background and what led her to the fashion industry. She explains how she found her first customers and describes how selling online contributed to their growth as a custom design business. Kiya also outlines how she managed her team through the pandemic and highlights the power of email marketing. “There is no perfect time nor set of circumstances. Be confident and take the steps.” - Kiya Tomlin If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey! This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista: Kiya’s background and her path to fashion design and entrepreneurshipDeciding what she wanted to design and how Kiya found her first customersHow Kiya got the word out about her businessLaunching her website and how she got her first storefront and studio spaceGetting into the wholesale business and how Kiya learned to work with a factoryThe first steps Kiya took to find manufacturersHow Kiya knew the number of dresses to order from manufacturers in the beginningHer initial marketing strategy and trying her luck in trade showsHow Kiya’s fashion brand has evolved over the yearsDriving traffic to your website, attracting customers, and the power of email marketingBuilding Kiya’s team and making her first hireHow Kiya managed her team through the COVID-19 pandemicThe Kiya Tomlin team’s role in producing one million face masks and collaborating with the Pittsburgh SteelersKiya’s go-to fashion tip and her advice on growing a business while staying present with the family Our Favorite Quotes: “The responsibility of providing for someone’s livelihood is serious—it is not something to be taken lightly.” - Kiya Tomlin“The apparel timeline is stressful. But with selling online and direct-to-customer, you can have your own timeline.” - Kiya Tomlin“Being an Entreprenista means I get to live my story — and create with it.” - Kiya Tomlin Connect with Kiya Tomlin: Kiya TomlinKiya Tomlin on LinkedInKiya Tomlin on InstagramKiya Tomlin on FacebookKiya Tomlin on Twitter If you’re looking to take your business to the next level: Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE! Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch. Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey! Introducing… Startups in Stilettos Podcast