Start your Own Shoe Company

Shoes are essential for comfort, safety and as a fashion accessory. They come in different sizes, shapes and functionality.
The application of the footwear depends on the design and material used in the manufacture. Billions of footwear is sold worldwide yearly making the industry highly lucrative.
To enter the industry you choose between manufacturing, wholesale or retail. The manufacturer produces the shoes and sells to wholesalers/retailers or directly to consumers.
Shoe Making Company
To run a shoe making company you need moderate startup funding. You could run a small scale enterprise or decide on automation.
The manufacturer creates a design and uses a template to make the footwear. They use basic tools, semi-automatic or automatic equipment. Large companies invest in conveyor powered production.
To establish the factory you need adequate warehouse space for equipment, van, factory workers and company registration. To succeed the manufacture should network with wholesalers and departmental store.
shoes
Shoe Types
There are hundreds of shoe types based on the design and material used in the process. Common shoe types are ballet shoes, Chelsea boot, derby shoe and high heeled footwear. Others are slip-on shoes, loafers, sneakers and fashion boot.
  • ballet shoes
  • Chelsea boot
  • derby shoe
  • high heeled footwear
  • slip-on shoes
  • loafers
  • sneakers
  • fashion boot.
Shoe Wholesale, Retail Business
The wholesale needs to find a credible source for the product. They network with manufacturers and sell to retailers or general public.
 As a wholesaler you need a shop with adequate storage facility. Select quality or popular brands, purchase a delivery truck and register the business.
The job description is to buy in bulk and the move volumes rapidly.  They earn income based on small margins. 
Types of Shoe Businesses
  • Wholesale
  • Retail
  • Manufacturing
  • Affiliate Programs
Shoe Retailers
Sell directly to consumers and make money on margins. The retailer needs a commercial store, lots of advertisement and store branding.
To reach customers the store should be located in a commercial area with heavy human traffic. The retailer needs to determine the preferred customer demography.
You could stock female shoes male shoes or both. The price and quality of your stock determines the appropriate store location.
Steps to Establishing Your Own Shoe Company
Choose a Business Name
It is essential you choose a memorable business name. Make sure the name has the keyword element of your products.
Register the business as a limited liability company or sole proprietorship. Obtain a tax identification number and value added tax.
The shoes generally attract sales tax and insure the company. You need a trade licenses and manufacturers license if you go into production. It is essential you join shoe making associations in your locality.
Write a Business Plan
Write a shoe company business plan and carry out a feasibility study. The plan should focus on niche industry, startup funding, location, and business structure.
List your management team, mission statement, vision, goals, profit/loss and products. Use the feasibility study to evaluate your competitors. Understand their business model, customer demography and types of product the stock.
Networking
Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers depend on their network to succeed. The value chain can only work if each sector performs their basic functions.
A retailer can find wholesalers through directories, yellow pages and other online resources. Same applies for wholesalers looking for manufacturing partners.
Some retailers prefer going abroad to shop for footwear. They purchase the items from established stores and import the goods.
Build a Website
You will double your sales if you have an online presence. Millions of shoes are sold through ecommerce websites.
Build an ecommerce store and include images of your products. Make sure the website has a shopping cart for online orders. You could stock the shoes in your store and ship to customers around the world or locally.
Another format is selling shoe through a third party arrangement. You don’t have physical assets but sell through an affiliate arrangement.
You earn very small commissions on every purchase made through your website within 30 days. The provider also performs the drop shipment of the purchased shoe.
Shoe Making Equipment
Shoe makers use a variety of equipment to manufacture the product. The equipment are either manually operated or semi/fully automated.
Basic equipment’s are splitting machine, skiving, cutting and sewing machines. More are die-cutting machine, scissors, steel rule cutting dies, finishing, sanding and polishing.
Leather sewing machines include Post machine, harness stitcher and cylinder bed. Cutting, splitting, skiving machines are trimmer, leather splitter and Fortuna Skiver. Construction/repairs include shoe patch open arm, baser Lock Stitch and chain stitch.
Equipment's
  • skiving
  • scissors
  • steel rule cutting dies
  • finishing
  • sanding
  • polishing
  • Post machine
  • Harness stitcher
  • cylinder bed
  • skiving machines
  • trimmer
  • leather splitter
  • Fortuna
  • Skiver
  • shoe patch open arm
  • baser Lock Stitch
Marketing
The shoe industry is highly competitive and challenging. You need serious marketing to attract customers.
First make sure your store is very visible and in commercial area. Use traditional print media such as flyers, billboards, sign boards and business cards. Use classified websites, popular fashion magazines, and teen magazines.

0 comments:

Post a Comment