When Finding a Business Partner Can Save a Business

 VentureMoms ElizabethThurer and Lisa Daniel - Elizabeth Daniel New York

When she
couldn't find a comfortable white shirt to wear under a sweater, she set out to
make one.  Because Elizabeth Thurer had
been a ballet dancer, how the body looked and moved had been a major focus in
her life.  In the real world, she loved
the polished look of a button down shirt but never liked how the shirt lookek,
felt bunched up underneath, and always came un-tucked. 

With need
driving her invention, Elizabeth had her tailor sew a button down collar onto a
stretchy t-shirt bodice to see what her concept might look like.  Now she had found a solution.  Getting encouragement from friends and family
Elizabeth thought, "I might be on to something and the story of Spanx resonated
with her, because there was nothing like her product on the market." 

Knowing
nothing about the fashion business, Elizabeth says, "Ignorance is bliss. When
I met with people in the industry I asked them to explain how things
worked...and they happily helped.  It was
a steep learning curve.  Had I known
more, I probably wouldn't have started my business."

She found a
workroom, sourced fabrics, produced 100 shirts and promptly sold out.  Now came the hard part - selling shirts, trunk
shows, trade shows, accounting and production. 
It was overwhelming and Elizabeth thought about abandoning her idea,
when someone said,  "You have to
meet Lisa."  Sometimes finding the
right partner can make all the difference in the evolution of a business. 

Lisa Daniel
had experience with on line and in store selling.  Her first job, first day was at the chaotic
sidewalk sales for Ralph Lauren.   When
the two met, Lisa had been running an on line store featuring the Calypso line,
among other brands, and selling mainly to  East coast customers.  When Calypso added locations in the East, her
service was shrinking and Lisa wanted something of her own.  "I was tired of putting so much time in
for someone else's business."

Lisa and Elizabeth
met several times and realized that the sum of their talents could make the
shirt line a more viable business. 
"Starbucks was our best friend; it became our office."   They revamped the line, added colors and sleeveless
shirts and went back out into the field in October of 2011.  The line now has five shirt
styles that can be worn alone or as an essential layering piece.  Selling at holiday boutiques, trunk shows and
trade fairs, their shirts are now in multiple stores and sales are
promising.  Elizabeth says, "There
are so many ways to sell and market a product that didn't exist 20 years
ago." 

Lisa has two
kids, and runs the back end of the business, "It's more than full time,
but the flexibility is great.  I grew up
with a working mom and I love how my daughter sees me with a job." 

With three
boys, Elizabeth works around their schedules. 
She says, the nice thing about running your own business, "There is
no monotony, every day is different and exciting." 

VentureMom Tip

When you are overwhelmed, think about finding the right partner.