Putting an end to the struggles?

The first meeting with our first potential production partner went seemingly well. Even though their video quality wasn’t great and the audio kept breaking up, we were encouraged. Speaking directly to one of the company’s directors, who presented themselves well, gave us hope. We figured they might do most of their meetings in person, rather than relying on this "modern" technology called the internet 😅.

The main items we discussed were promising. It seemed they were willing to work with us, even though we were just starting out. On top of that, they could handle Made-to-Order production and potentially take care of fulfillment. It sounded like the perfect setup for us to get started.

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Made-to-Order means producing a piece of clothing one at a time, once it's ordered on the website. This approach results in less cost upfront, it's more sustainable since you don't overproduce, but it comes at a higher cost per piece, because the production isn't as efficient as with large orders. If you want to read more about Made-to-Order, here's a pretty good article.

Due to the poor connection during our video calls, where we often had to ask them to repeat themselves and still found it hard to follow, we always made sure to summarize each call. Reconfirming what was discussed and outlining the next steps. This was crucial to make sure everything was well understood, and since communication could be challenging, especially on our calls, this would put it all in writing for everyone to understand.

Then after, several meetings, and a sample for the polo and shorts, we got our first quote:

€35,000

To be fair, we had shared the idea for our full collection with them, and they had made a quote around that. Which would be for three separate polo designs in various color options, a couple of shorts, some t-shirt designs and a couple of sweaters. It was fine to receive this quote, but since the project is being financed independently, with a salary from a day job, you may understand that we don't just have 35K laying around in some dirty old sock.

We reconvened with the producer, and cleared the air. Our goal is to start small, with limited capital, and the focus should be on Made-to-Order, not a full production run as they suggested. From the samples, the polos were approved, but the shorts needed quite some tweaks, in order to keep cost down, the decision was taken to solely focus on the polos.

They shortly came back to us with another "interesting" quote:

€6,000

While the quote seemed more reasonable, it only covered the fabric for the polos, not the manufacturing, packaging, or other costs. The main issue was the minimum order quantity of 350 meters of fabric from their supplier, limited to one design and color. Despite the producer offering made-to-order, this didn’t help keep costs down. Overall, this didn’t fit our idea of starting small, as we’d be out of pocket without having anything to show for it.

As we delved deeper into the relationship, it became clear that the manufacturer wasn't sticking to our original discussions. It felt like they hadn't listened to us and were pushing for a larger order without giving us the necessary attention. It became evident that this producer wasn’t a viable option to get our project off the ground. Hence we cut ties.

This was a painful exercise. After investing considerable time and effort into this supplier, pulling the plug after 10 months was a major setback. It made us doubt whether all the struggle was worth it. It was a tough pill to swallow, feeling like we had wasted precious time and were back to square one.

We realized we needed to take things slow. For now, it would be a side project and with a baby on the way (we were three months from the due date), we allowed ourselves to proceed at a more relaxed pace. Better to do it right than to rush into it. So, we started looking for another partner once more.

We were certain that there must be a way to build this brand using only manufacturers in Portugal, and staying within our intended budget. It was just a matter of finding the right people.

So, back to step 1, Googling for manufactures in Portugal. We again contacted many of them, and also re-contacted some of the previous ones. A company we were in touch with previously, was setting up a department specifically dedicated to helping small new businesses get there idea of the ground, with the promise of low MOQs and still reasonable prices.

We had a chat with one of the account managers and very clearly explained what we needed. They were booked up for manufacturing jobs over the summer, but after summer they could certainly help.

The fire was rekindled, and now it looked like we could finally maybe get somewhere?

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