"And the beat goes on..."

You know when you start something and it's like you're looking down a long tunnel that keeps going down and around and you never see the end?  That's what the business plan seemed to be doing, going on and on and on... Wait... what if we added this ... No, what if we added that..."You know for just a few more dollars we could use that special paper I was telling you about".  Like I said before, we were building a HOUSE and all these fantastic add-ons kept snowballing and I must say that I was the main culprit. I was working with these two meticulous, inventive, articulate graphic designers who kept coming up with idea after idea and I would hem and haw about how much it was going to cost but at the same time I was saying..."Yeah, that's great!... We can do that ... I love that!!" I became a drug addict, looking for a fix and coming back for more and more. It was down right... pitiful.


But, you know what?... We did it, yup, we did. I now had a beautifully conceived, meticulously produced, detailed, eye catching Anteal Business Plan (Yes, we can't forget the Name, can we?). It is in the details and the subtle artistic nuances that I believe people and potential investors will appreciate and realize that this same attention to detail and all the other finer points will be carried throughout the conception, design, construction, layout and implementation of Anteal.




So, here is a photo of the front cover and the pictures, of course, don't do it justice but you get the idea. The steel pylons with the copper cables will be the main garment hanging system throughout the store, as it was in B.NY.

This is the back cover which is an image of an art piece that

Anthony Schmidt (an artist and an incredible window dresser),  our Art Director had made. I thought it was very appropriate. 

 This is the center page that opens up to a cloud list of my celebrity clients who were very supportive of B.NY. and I am sure they will be of Anteal, as well.







Here is an example of the layout of all the pages, each with a different graphic image, as a header, across the top of the page. 








So, there you have it, The Business Plan!


It took five to six months ,maybe two months longer than I had planned, but still that had set me back in the whole scheme of things. Now it was time to look for investors, friends or family and angel investors that would be interested in partnering with me in this venture. This was a whole new education for me, where do you look for investors, how do you get an introduction to them or the angel networks, do I even think about Venture Capitalists? These were just the beginning questions that I had, so back to Google and start researching the whys and wherefores of fundraising... fun, huh?


Well, there are articles and numerous articles, opinions and How-to's, all about the best way to approach investors and the kinds of investors available. Basically, there are three types of investor pools;  Friends and Family, Angels and Venture Capital.


For small start-up seed money, it is usually the Friends and Family that you start with because they know you and trust you and usually will not demand a large return but you have to be careful because it has to be treated as a business, not a friendship. They have to know the downfalls, that all best intentions aside you might fail and everyone will lose. It is a gamble, however you look at it, and they should not invest unless they realize there's a chance that they might lose their investment.


Then there are the Angels  (according to Wiki) "who are affluent individuals who provide capital for a business start up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. A small but increasing number of angel investors organize themselves into angel groups or angel networks to share research and pool their investment capital."


Last, but not least is Venture Capital which (also from Wiki) "is an individual or specialist organization that invests in new companies at a later time than angel investors - when the company has existed for a while, has gained some clients or gathered a trustworthy group of executives. It can also be a type of private equity capital typically provided for early-stage, high-potential, growth companies in the interest of generating a return through an eventual realization event such as an IPO or trade sale of the company." 


There you have it, a rather simple definition, I hope, of the three types of investors that I could approach. Obviously, Venture Capital is not what I need at this time primarily because Anteal is not that big of a start-up and most VC's are interested in an investment minimum of more than one million and usually more, plus they want majority control, a very large return and an exit in two -four years. Currently the primary fields of industry that VC's invest in are, of course, the tech and software industry which are generally high-potential and high growth and can yield a large return. I think I'm being realistic in ruling them out at this stage of the game.


My focus will be on the first two, Friends and Family and Angels, and now I had to figure out a strategy to accomplish this means to an end.


That I will leave to the next time... 

"Name that name ...."

It's a gorgeous day and Esther, our cat, is sunning herself on the kitchen table next to me as I am starting this blog. I'm starting out slow so I can allow the creative juices to percolate and flow since I've been in a doldrum of sorts the last few days. It does sort of work that way, doesn't it? Some days the mind is sharp and sizzling with ideas and then other days nothing comes up, Blank! Oh Well, I guess that's just how it is, obviously nothing to do with age.... or is it? hmmmmmm.


When I finally got the proposal from Steinhardt Design, I could see how it would be a great appendix to the business plan which is exactly how Alexj and Diane suggested that I use it, as a tool to supplement the plan, an enrichment for the funding process. Aside from just a proposal for designing the website, it also involved the naming, logo and palette, branding and marketing of the site, as well as the store and the whole image of my new venture. It became quite apparent that Steinhardt Design was becoming much more involved and a definite asset and tool that I would be able to capitalize on as I moved forward in this project. Now, obviously, they weren't doing this for free and after seeing the quality of their work in the proposal and with a bit of negotiating we agreed on a rate and price that was fair for everyone.


We had discussed in what form should the business plan be, the standard presentation with a cover or without, would it have a spiral binding or just stapled,  8x11 or landscape and that basic business style was all boring, boring,boring!...not what I was looking for.
Being the graphic artists that they were they started free-flowing ideas such as, who were my potential investors, were they business oriented or artistic in nature, was it going to be presented to the investors in hard copy or by email, how did I feel about images on each page, how should it read, what was my customer base like, How Much Did I Want To Spend?... A lot of brainstorming, which was good for me because it made me think outside the box, but still keeping in mind a budget and trying to stick with it.


What came out of all of this was a artistic magazine style format, matte hard cover with chain stitch binding, graphic, textual image heading on every page, very sophisticated, elegant and rich, a "Magazine" that would look great on a coffee table and definitely stand out above the rest.  


Soooo....  Diane went to work over the next month, roughing out a sample, researching font styles, paper quality, layouts, images and headings, page order, printing quotes,etc. What was supposed to take a month turned into two months and then longer with many consultations and reviews and a few setbacks with their own work scheduling. In essence it was like building a house, having to deal with an architect and contractor and the constant delays and hiccups that occur in that process, no different, and of course I WAS
FRUSTRATED!.... Now, take a deep breathe, relax and tell myself that they're artists and that it will all work out.


Now, during this whole process, a major part of the branding is in finding THE NAME. What is the store going to be called? I had read quite a few articles on how to name a business, making lists of names, friends making lists, family making lists, making list of foreign names...French, Japanese, Italian, Celtic, their meanings and definitions. I tried and tried but everything sounded rather mundane and too cute or had been done already. I do digress here, because that process I had been trying to do, I did before hiring Steinhardt Design and part of their proposal was the NAMING of the store!


This was an interesting, very informative process that Alexj and Diane took me through, a two hour plus telephone brainstorming conference, in which they proceeded to ask me all types of questions such as;  the competition and what sets this store apart from it, of current and projected industry trends, about my previous store, B.NY. and my personal views and philosophy about selling, buying, favorite colors, cars, and animals, how I felt about customers and how I wanted them to feel about the store and their experience in the store. I told them about my years as an actor and how I transferred my acting over to selling and presenting collections and unique designer items to my customers. Basically, I treat the store as a stage, peopled with collections upon which I would direct and perform (converse, inform and sell) to the delight (hopefully!) of my customers (audience). As I told them, there was and is a great satisfaction that I derive from watching my clients leave the store with items that I know they will cherish for years and knowing that they had a good time purchasing them. They seemed to enjoy this outlook of mine and we continued to talk about many aspects including architecture, lighting and textures, etc. After almost three hours we called it quits and I hung up feeling drained and exhausted but extremely stimulated at the same time.... funny, it reminds me exactly of how I would feel after performing in a play.


It took them a couple of weeks to come up with a list of 15 names and their corresponding meanings and implications. Quite fascinating actually, the associations, the word play, how they sounded, the letter count, lower case or caps, the Google hits each had, all of which was quite illuminating. As Alexj was telling me that before Apple was formed it was just a fruit and now look at all the, innovations, connotations and ramifications of Apple and what it has done and contributed to society and the world. It all comes down to Branding!


Here is the list that they sent me in order of their preference:


anteal                    From the ancient antea meaning "being before or in front".
macassar                Exotic expensive hardwood.
bronzino                 Mannerist painter.
merida                   Roman theatre.
taliesin                   Celtic god of creativity, creative arts, inspiration.
emperador              Exotic expensive marble.
banyan                    Probably the coolest tree ever. So unique. 
chrysalis                  Cocoon.
felidae                    Family name of wild cats.
leonis                      Derived by us from Leonid meteor shower.
panthero                 Modified family name of wild cats.
mei                        Just sounded good to us.
bedoli                     Mannerist painter.
morphos                  Gorgeous butterfly.
ravel                       French composer.


As you can see there were a variety of names and we had a conversation about the meaning and relevance of each name, how it was derived and the branding capabilities of each. I took a few days to Google them, research, mull them over and made a short list of what I felt were the best three:  Anteal, Banyan, Macassar.


 Macassar is a gorgeous hardwood and the sound has an exotic, familiar ring to it. The store would look incredible with a counter-top or table made out of this wood. Rich, Luxurious, Inviting....

The Banyan tree is a magnificent, intertwined tree in the East Indies, part of the Mulberry family and very recognizable all over the world. It actually has separate roots that intertwine into one tree. Plus there are the letters B, N and Y in the name and could tie back to my old store B.NY.

Then we come to the word  Anteal, or  An"te*al\, a. [antea, ante, before. Cf. Ancient.] "Being before, or in front."  


This rang true to me, this is what fashion is... in front of, before  and "Anteal will place its clientele at the forefront of fashion design, fostering expression of individual identity through unique and exceptionally fine clothing."


Thus the name Anteal...

"Build it and they will come..."

All right,   Now that I have a concept in my mind, I've got to put it on paper which is easier said than done. 


See, I live in a world of constant struggle between creativity and logic.  I am a creature of habit but dislike regimented structure, I enjoy the freedom of being my own boss but when it comes to the grunt and leg work, I do procrastinate. Coming up with new and captivating ideas is ideal but when I counter them with the pros and cons, sometimes I find myself sitting on the fence, seeing both sides of the picture and unsure of which way to turn, so I struggle and struggle. And so it is this time as well...


THE BUSINESS PLAN can be a daunting endeavor for anyone and I am certainly not the exception. Having never had to do one before, I checked out Google and saw the lists of names and company's that write plans as well as the "How To" web-sites, gathering as much information as I could. Cost wise the "How To" option seemed the best way to go but also it would require a fair amount of time and due diligence, researching and learning the necessary formula for a plan, being knowledgeable in using the Internet (which is a debatable issue), learning how to use an Excel worksheet for all the financial data (excuse me !), incorporating all of this into a format that was comprehensible and captivating at the same time. After a few weeks of trying this route, I realized that I was OVERWHELMED and STUCK and getting DEPRESSED! 


So, on to Plan B, which was to hire someone to help write the Business Plan. After researching my options, which ranged from the low of $400 to the high of $3000, I found someone in Texas who was very reasonable and willing to work with me on the price and also be available over time for corrections and updates and would leave me with an  Excel Worksheet Tool for all the financial data that could be adjusted at any time. Basically, I did my homework, gathered what information I could or had from my previous business, and then we had a recorded phone interview for a couple of hours blocking out the necessary info into his formula, discussing store philosophy, background history, competition and marketing strategy, customer  buying profiles, staffing, location, demographics, industry analysis and then all the financial data for the staffing forecast, revenue , income statement and balance sheet formulas. Fortunately I had, at my fingertips, all my Quickbook ledgers from B.NY. to give me accurate figures for my expected operating costs, revenue and staffing payroll. Without that, it would have been difficult to guesstimate.


This process with Jeff, from Texas, took a number of weeks, going back and forth, adjusting and fine tuning it, so that it would read easily and impart a sense of ME into what could easily have been a technical and boring plan. Jeff is a numbers guy,very smart, but when it came to the writing aspect of the Plan it was pretty cut and dried. I needed more style and flow to the narrative portion of the Plan, especially the Mission Statement and the Executive Summary, which is very critical because it is the first thing an investor will read and if you don't grab them with that then you can forget about it. I sent it to another "professional writer" and she did her thing but it turned out to be TOO much in the other direction, to flowery and over-detailed, sort of lost in the translation if you know what I mean. Then it went to some good friends, Rick and Janice, who looked at the original and the "flowery" one and then roughed out a version that had a little of both and was more direct. They were a great help to talk to and brainstorm with, gave me a lot of food for thought.


I hope that this not too mundane and boring, but this is how I have worked best in the past, which is coming up with an idea, fleshing it out with 2-4 different people and their points of view and then looking at the whole picture, sitting down and piecing together what sounds right and then getting rid of the  chaff. That is basically what I did here and I  think I was successful in achieving what I had set out to do. The problem was, it was still in a standard business plan format and rather generic looking and that bothered me.


During my investigation of store web-sites I checked out Atelier New York ,which I had listed in my previous blog, and thought whoever designed this site did it in a very clean, detailed, sophisticated and captivating way. I liked the simplicity and the focus and point of view that the site gave to the store. I looked at the Contact page and saw the website designer's name, Steinhardt Design . His name is Alexj Steinhardt and when I Googled him, I was impressed with other work he had done in websites and in graphic design as well. He seemed to concentrate in the Music field designing a number of sites for renowned symphonic musicians as well as artists and book stores. This probably results from him growing up in a musicians family. His father is Arnold Steinhardt, a symphonic violinist, whose website Alexj designed, of course! This, I felt, was definitely the right direction I should be looking into,someone with an artistic sense-ability, pure of thought and not driven to the typical bells and whistles that seems to be so prevalent on websites these days.


I put a call into Alexj and, complimented him on his work and told him about my project  and asked if would he be interested in designing the website for my new venture. We talked about timeline and the direction of the site which had to be integrated with the POS (Point of Sale) system in the store. He said that he would put together a proposal after he talked with one of his lead designers, Diane and would get back to me. It was a great feeling of relief and anticipation that I had after hanging up with him. I felt that he and I clicked and I looked forward to reading his proposal. 
Which we will see... 

"If I had a hammer..."

So, how do I go about building a new store? You see, I must go back and explain that my previous store, B.NY. was a store I had been working for, became a partner and then purchased from my former employer/partner's widow over time. Now, I am the one who has to come up with a concept for something new and exciting. Fun, huh?

This is how I see it....in this day and age online is becoming the norm in everything and  eCommerce just keeps escalating even during the Great Recession that we've been experiencing and shows no aspect of slowing down, BUT... people will always want to go to a brick-and-mortar store to do their primary shopping. We are very social animals, we like to get out and visit shops, especially our favorite ones, where we can peruse the latest fashions, get feedback from the sales associates, fill a dressing room full of clothes and style away to our hearts content. It's FUN, it's SOCIAL, it fills a need or want, whether to interact with somebody, kill some time (as a retailer THAT is not my favorite thing!) and of course the end result is to find some fascinating, unique, MUST HAVE items to add to our wardrobes.

My new store will be two-fold; a brick and mortar store and an online store or as it is called a "click and mortar". In my mind the physical store will be the anchor, the hub, and out of that will flow the online store which does need time to get up and running but will soon become the driving force of the whole operation. To accomplish this, one needs to do their homework and that is what I set out to do.


 In my business, every time I would travel to Paris, Milan, Florence, New York, etc, I would always go out and source other fashion stores,L'Eclaireur in Paris , Corso Como 10 in Milan, Atelier New York to name a few and see what lines and designers they were carrying, always seeking something fresh and new that would fit into the mix of my store. At the same time, checking out the layout of other stores, how they were merchandising their product, how the windows were displayed, was the staff attentive and engaging, the lighting... extremely important!...the traffic flow in the store and could I incorporate any or all of this into my store to improve the shopping experience for my clients. It was always very interesting to see how other store buyers would buy a designer that I was carrying, the depth of the line, the sizing and color direction they would choose and how that collection would be displayed and presented to their customers. This is and was part of the process to keep myself abreast and current in what I was doing. I know how to do this and do it well, now it is time to channel that energy to the Web!

 Well, I jump on the Internet and start Google-ing away, checking out web-sites, searching various boutiques online presence, who had eCommerce and who just had a presence and if they had eCommerce was it 24/7 fully functional or did you have to call the store to purchase. What were they selling, how much, quantities, designers, men or women fashions or both, was the site clean or cluttered?, how easy was it to navigate and check out, did they blog or style on the site, did it use Flash or not. These were just a few of the questions I was searching answers for. Obviously there are a lot of websites selling clothing but it really comes down to the few high end fashion forward sites that I am interested in because they are the ones I will be competing with.


 The number one high end women's fashion site is, in my opinion, Net-a-Porter.com , based out of London, founded by a stylist and former journalist, Natalie Massenet, who employs over 500 people and claims to attract over two million viewers a month. Other sites to take note of are Yoox.com from Milan and Farfetch.com, a site that allow stores from all over the world to join showcasing their store products in one site. Now, keep in mind that these are just online stores only with no physical presence but they are doing an incredible business over the Internet. The stores that I will be competing directly with are the brick and mortar stores  in Los Angeles,  Maxfield, H. Lorenzo, Ron Herman, Fred Segal, etc. All these stores have sites but not all actually sell off their sites but use them as presence to get people interested to call or come in.


 Mind boggling isn't it? Well, it is to me and I guess that's what is important. I have to tell you that I am somewhat computer and Internet challenged and this doesn't come second nature to me as it does to my son, Gavin. To him its a second language and pity the fool...Me... who doesn't get it as quickly as he does!...It's a Joke, Gavin, OK?... I have to tell you that he is very patient with his old dad, most of the time.


Anyway, as you can see, I had my work cut out for me and I just wanted to give you an inkling of the process and how my mind works. It is late and I'm going to sign off now.
Next time...

"The times they are-a-rollin"

Here I go, first time blogging, so excuse my fumbling. I wondered, what should I write about, my thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc, and would anyone care? Probably not! So, why not write about what I have been doing for the last year since I closed B. NY. in Santa Monica.


It has been a very interesting, thought provoking and soul searching time. You see, for those of you who don't know me, which is, I'm sure,  all of you... I owned and operated a high end fashion forward clothing boutique in Santa Monica for the last 19 years. It was called B. NY. and we carried some of the most avant-guard designers from around the world. Designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Undercover, Marithe & Francois Girbaud, Ann Demeulemeester, Haider Ackermann, Kiminori Morishita, Attachment, Masatomo, Limi Feu, Sacai, and many others. These men and women are true artists in their designs and use of  fabrics and silhouettes and it was always very inspiring to be associated with them even if I was just selling their clothes.

This was my passion, my way of expressing myself, allowing me to create my own artistry by utilizing their designs and my store space to showcase a very tightly, focused point of view to my clients and associates. B.NY. had always been considered the undiscovered jewel hidden near the beach of Santa Monica, relished by my clients and the celebrities who enjoyed the paparazzi free zone, like Robert Downey Jr, Damon Wayans, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Lee Curtis and many others.


There were so many good times and a few bad tines as well. especially leading me up to the decision to close B.NY in December 2009.  Oh well, it was a perfect storm situation, everything that good go wrong went wrong, but of course the driving force was the ECONOMY or lack of it. Enough of this, it's time to move on and that is why this, BLOG!


I took some time off, long overdue by the way, to relax, rejuvenate, and re-energize. Do I want to remain in the fashion industry?(its what I know best after 25 years).  Is it time for a new change?(maybe it is... who knows?).  How do I reinvent myself? (that's a great question...I wish I knew). What am I going to do when I grow up? (OK, Mom, I'll tell you when I'm ready). What is my gut telling me to do? (Enough already!).


These were some of the conversations that I had with myself in the first few months and it became quite apparent to me that the passion for fashion had not diminished, that I missed the interchange between my clients, my employees and my vendors. I miss being able to cherry pick a collection, focus it for my clientele, present it to them and watch them enjoy trying on the clothes, finding all the delicious nuances of the fabrics and designs and then purchasing them knowing that they have just acquired a unique article of clothing that they will have and cherish for years.


So, what to do I do now? Obviously, I need to open up a new store, something that will catch the attention and fulfill the demand that I still feel is lacking in Santa Monica and also on the Internet. Thus began my journey in starting a new business, the concept, the business plan, acquiring the necessary ingredients to bring this to fruition... the funding of the Anteal boutique.