I chose this line of business so that I could meet the need for satin bonnets in the north, and so far, I’ve been doing this for the past 8 years. Now, we have expanded into a full sleepwear brand and have different lines compared to when we just started.
We offer couples and family pyjamas, we make boxers for men and we sell other sleep accessories like pillowcases, scarves, turbans, and scrunchies. We also sell in wholesale to entrepreneurs looking to go into the sleepwear business.
Are you looking to kickstart a ready-to-wear sleepwear business but have been confused about the logistics and costs involved in making it a reality? Or have you been having sleepless nights about someone who will mentor you in this fast-growing type of business? Then say no more!
Ready-to-wear clothing has been in existence since the 19th century, when the Dewachter brothers launched their store, offering clothes in different sizes. While ready-to-wear sleepwear hasn’t been around for very long, the current rise in demand for these clothing items has motivated many entrepreneurs to launch businesses that are meeting the increased demand of this product.
In order to help you launch a thriving ready-to-wear sleepwear/sleepwear accessory business, we’ve enlisted the help of Rasheeda Abdulkadir, an expert from our community of amazing entrepreneurs, who has been running this business for the past 8 years.
In this chat with her, she shares valuable insights on what it will take to start this type of business, how to market your products and get customers, as well as the possible challenges one might face in this line of business.
Let’s dive right in.
What is the name of your business?
The name of my business is Sleep in Satin, and we sew and sell customized and ready to wear sleepwear and sleep accessories for the whole family
Why did you choose this business, and how long have you been in business?
I chose this line of business so that I could meet the need for satin bonnets in the north, and so far, I’ve been doing this for the past 8 years. Now, we have expanded into a full sleepwear brand and have different lines compared to when we just started.
We offer couples and family pyjamas, we make boxers for men and we sell other sleep accessories like pillowcases, scarves, turbans and scrunchies. We also sell in wholesale to entrepreneurs looking to go into the sleepwear business.
How can someone start this type of business?
Knowing how to sew is very important in starting this business, just know how to sew
How much will it cost to start a ready-to-wear sleepwear/sleepwear accessory business?
Typically, it will cost between N150,000 – N200,000 at this time.
How did you acquire customers when you just started out?
Initially, Instagram was where I got all of my customers.
How do you go about marketing the business now?
I currently employ two marketing strategies: offline and online.
For online marketing, I make use of Facebook ads and influencers to get my products in front of more people.
However, for offline marketing, I attend fairs, and also market through referrals
What is your day-to-day like running this business?
My day to day activities currently revolve around three major tasks;
- Taking orders
- Creating social media content
- Assigning job order to tailors
What is the profit margin like? Do you make a good profit from this business? (please give us a range if you don’t mind)
Currently, I make up to 40% in profit from my business selling ready-to-wear sleepwears
What are the biggest challenges someone new to this business will face?
The biggest challenge anyone new to this business is likely to face is fabric sourcing.
Are there any national associations a newbie should be aware and be a part of?
There is currently no association for sleepwear brands, however, my brand falls into the fashion design category. There is the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), so you should be aware of this because starting this type of business automatically makes you associated with them.
How well do you see businesses like yours doing in the next couple of years? (say 5 years)
In 5 years time, my ready-to-wear sleepwear should be in supermarkets around the country and we should have distributors in all states
Are there any tricks to help newbies set up their businesses differently from others doing this same business?
Well, customization is key. Every newbie should customize and make their business about them
What is that very important thing you think newbies to this business must know?
Knowing the difference between high quality and low quality fabrics is very crucial in running this type of business.
With small and medium sized businesses being the future of the strength of the Nigerian economy, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start one in order to create jobs, assist with innovation and more importantly benefit and make gains in the process
If you’ve been in the dark about how to start and slowly scale a ready-to-wear sleepwear brand, well, there you have it! Having this conversation with Rasheeda Abdulkadir has helped us get more insights about what it takes to launch a ready-to-wear sleepwear brand.
You can clearly see that it doesn’t take too much financially to begin your business operations if you’re really interested in this, and an amazing thing is that Rasheeda doesn’t mind being contacted if you require any assistance along the way.All you have to do is send her an email on [email protected] or visit her website on www.sleepinsatin.net
