Business At A Glance
Startup Costs: $2,000 – $10,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Online Operation? No
Business Overview
Celebrity moms like Cindy Crawford and Kelly Ripa aren’t the only oneswho know that muumuu-style maternity clothes are so last century.
Today, pregnant women are all about celebrating their style and lookingsexy. From high-end maternity designers like Liz Lange and A Pea in thePod to midpriced maternity wear newcomers The Gap and Old Navy,clothing designers are on to the potential of this growing market.Withmore than 4 million babies born annually, it’s easy to see why thematernity clothing market is buzzing Assuming the average expectantmother purchases only five new maternity garments while pregnant addsup to a whopping 20 million maternity garments sold each year in theUnites States alone.
There are a few ways to cash in on this very largeand lucrative market. The first is to design, manufacture and sell thematernity clothing, and the second is to purchase maternity clothing ona wholesale basis and resell the clothing for a profit. While bothoptions are viable in terms of generating profits for the business, thefirst option has the potential to generate more sales and profits aswell as providing more options for the operator in terms of marketingmethods. Profit potential will vary, however, markups of 100 percentare not uncommon in this industry.
Needed Equipment
It depends on your focus. If you’re going to create the clothingyourself, you’ll need a sewing machine and other tools of the trade.Once the orders start pouring in, you may want to contract with amanufacturer. If you will just be selling them, you’ll need storage andtransportation. For both, you’ll need a computer to keep track oforders, accounts and contacts.
