Chirky Soul is an e-commerce clothing store advocating for soul peace, love, and healing. Our clothes are 100% ethically and sustainably sourced and we just really believe in the opportunity we have to spread positivity and light through the clothing we wear.
WEBSITE: CHIRKYSOUL.COM
INSTAGRAM: @CHIRKYSOUL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Opportunity/Problem
It is clear that so many people across the country are struggling with mental health. Coming off of a really difficult year, we are craving positivity and enlightenment as a society. We need more people advocating for peace, love, and healing - and not just at the surface, but truly at a soul level; that is what this brand gives people the opportunity to do.
Another struggle we are faced with in the fashion realm specifically is that there is really a lack of information and options when it comes to sustainability in our wardrobes. Not many of us even know the difference between slow and fast fashion and how detrimental these fast-fashion options can be.
Solution
We are really giving people the ammo they need to be able to be vessels of light around their communities and really feel like they have a tool to open people's eyes. These garments are, without question, tools to provoke conversation and positive thought which is what we need so much more of in this world. Not only are we giving them tools that will encourage people to be positive vessels, we are helping people to move away from unsustainable fast fashion closets to ecofriendly and environmentally conscious wardrobes.
Market
Our target audience is currently focused on women between the ages of 18-35. Most of our customers would likely hold careers as Mental Health Professionals, Teachers, Yoga Instructors, Spiritual Healers, Pastors, and really anyone else who is interested in spiritual peace, love, and healing! Since we market to people all over the country, the potential reach is very broad and we would have the potential to reach a large number of people on a daily basis through highly targeted Facebook & Instagram Ad strategies.
Competition
There are a few other e-commerce brands that are selling similar items with messaging on their garments. Other t-shirt brands that our customers may be able to go to include:
• Wholesome Culture
• Self Care Is For Everyone
• Save Lands
• Be Hippy
Why Us?
What really separates us from the other brands is our focus on sustainability paired with our level of focus on Godly and Spiritual relationship/healing which we feel is the center in the pursuit of happiness.
Expectations
We are projecting sales of just over $100,000 in the next year, and we project that this number will continue to climb to $300,000 and more in the years to come. To achieve $100K in sales for the year, we would need to sell just 10 t-shirts a day. We plan to re-invest the vast majority of our earnings in the first year back into the company to ensure that we continue to facilitate consistent growth.
Our biggest and most important expense will be marketing and ad spend as it is highly essential in the success of an online store.
Financing Needed
Up to this point, Chirky Soul has been completely self-financed through personal investment. In order to really invest in the growth of the business, there needs to be a large investment in things like inventory and marketing/ad spend. I believe so strongly in the future of this business and the impact it can have on people's lives. For this reason, I am seeking a gracious Angel Investment of $100,000 to really be able to take this e-commerce brand to the next level.
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OPPORTUNITY
Problem & Solution
Just in the past year, according to Mental Health America, we have seen a 93% increase in anxiety and a 62% increase in depression rates devouring Americans just like us. Astonishingly heartbreaking, I know. In a society where self hate, judgement, and unhealthy comparison spirals are at the swipe of a finger, it's no surprise we all feel so lost; and it's no surprise so many of us are hurting silently.
Feel a little helpless? Like you just want to help, but don't know how? I know the feeling all too well.
But what if there was something we could do? What if we had the ability to shift a perspective, or change the way someone sees themselves just with the clothing on our bodies? If we are able to see the truth and beauty that surrounds us so clearly, why can't we be advocates for those that aren't quite able to see it? If there is one thing we can all agree on, it's that the first thing most people do when they meet us is judge our appearance. What if we took advantage of that truth and used it as an opportunity to spread light and positivity? What if we saw our clothing as more than fashionable material, but a suit of armor made to combat the thriving negativity that surrounds us?
In the 19th century, people used "Chirky" as a slang term to mean happy or cheerful. I think at the core of each of our bodies is a Soul that seeks just that.
Chirky Soul is not just a brand of eco-friendly apparel items. Chirky Soul is a MISSION advocating for the soul peace, love, and healing of our communities. With positive and life-giving messages on our garments, we are advocating for the mental wellbeing of the people we encounter & doing so in a completely sustainable way! It has been incredible to see the rise in demand for eco-friendly products as more and more consumers become aware of their environmental impact.
The comfort isn't just in the Chirky messages, but in the material itself. As advocates for people and the planet, we understand the importance of sourcing ethically and sustainably. Our tees are made from Organic Cotton and Recycled plastic bottles! Just 1 tee saves 4 bottles from ending up in a landfill, or worse. While Chirky Soul 5 CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with third parties without the express written consent of the plan author. spreading messages of love and positivity, our consumers can find comfort in knowing that they are also moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle with our brand.
There is ABSOLUTELY a market of people who understand the rising mental health numbers and feel helpless too. Like they just want to help, but don't know how. Our customers are more like partners aiding us in this very important mission. They are powerful vessels of light, and our clothing can be their suit of armor.
Target Market
Our e-commerce business focuses on a fairly broad target audience primarily comprised of women between the ages of 18-34 from all over the U.S. This target really branches into three segments; mental health advocates, deeply spiritual consumers, and sustainable living consumers.
Mental Health Advocates
• Our research shows that within the last year in America, we have seen a rapid increase in people actively seeking help for anxiety (93% increase) and depression (62% increase).
• The science is actively shifting. We are currently seeing a significant shift in the focus of mental health research and practice where "Medical Masking" and medication is being recognized as less effective than Positive Psychology which focuses more on positive reinforcement and internal happiness.
• There are approximately 331.4 million people in the American population -> 20% of them have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. (66.2 million people).
Spiritual Consumers
• According to our research, the United States has the largest Christian population in the world with over 200 million Christians.
Sustainable Living Consumers
• The demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products is increasing now more than ever. This growth is mainly due to the growing awareness about using ethical fashion for sustainability.
• The ethical fashion industry is currently worth over $6.35 billion USD, and is predicted to almost triple in less than a decade.
• According to sustainable fashion industry statistics, the market is expected to grow to $9.81 billion in 2025 and $15.17 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 9.1%.
• Ethical/slow fashion is absolutely the future of the fashion industry!
Competition /Current alternatives
Although there are no direct competitors locally (in the Oklahoma City area), in the United States, we face three major e-commerce brand competitors. The first is "Self Care Is For Everyone", the second is "Wholesome Culture", and the third is "Be Hippy."
Our advantages
Self Care Is For Everyone
• Mission focus: Mental Health advocates
• Not made with sustainable/eco-friendly materials
• Not really advocates for spiritual connectedness
• More expensive than Chirky Soul
Wholesome Culture
• Mission focus: Anti-animal cruelty/plant based living
• Made with sustainable/eco-friendly materials
• Not really advocating for mental health or spiritual connectedness
• More expensive than Chirky Soul
Be Hippy
• Mission focus: Peace & love
• Most of their products are non-eco friendly
• Not really advocating for spiritual connectedness
• More expensive than Chirky Soul
Across all three of these competitors, our "stand out" factor is that we are not only advocating for sustainability and mental health, but we have a focus on SOUL peace, love, and healing which is very spiritually centered. We also have more competitive prices across all three of these competitors.
EXECUTION
Marketing & Sales Marketing Plan
Earlier this year, we started working with a successful e-commerce coach named Zack Long with "The Smart Founder" who has really been able to give us some great information that has helped us shape some of the efforts we are putting into marketing our products. We have been able to learn a lot more about the power of Facebook & Instagram ads which we have plans to continue running and implementing with the proper funding. On a trial basis, we ran an Instagram ad for one of our top garments and in just that month our online store sessions were up 191% from the previous month. We have also acquired 112 email subscribers so far from active customers and interested potentials which has been a powerful marketing tool when trying to promote our store and any new product offerings.
Beyond that, we have really put a lot of focus on building our Instagram presence as we recognize that social media is a very powerful tool for online fashion brands. We currently have almost 5,000 followers on our platform and hope to reach 10K by the end of this year. We have also worked with different influencers to run giveaways on Facebook and Instagram which has also helped tremendously with marketing and exposure. We experimented with a brand ambassador program as well which we plan to re-implement once funding is more available. We've had several people reach out since we paused the program saying they want to represent the brand.
We also participated as a local vendor at the Night Market at Scissor Tail Park in OKC which was a GREAT way to gain exposure & we had a lot of success there. We plan to do more in person/pop-up shop events to gain local exposure within the community.
Another fun thing we did was we sent out personalized/handwritten thank you notes to all of the customers that supported us in our first year (2020) and provided them with a discount code on their next purchase.
Lastly, we are really harnessing the power of reviews as well. We have integrated Stamped.io to our Shopify store and have started to collect great reviews from customers on our clothes. We plan to continue driving reviews to our page.
Sales Plan
Our store is strictly e-commerce (unless we do a pop-up event in which we would process a transaction on the spot/electronically via our "Shop Pay" app). Our website is powered through Shopify which accepts various payment options (all major credit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal).
We are also in the process of adding a Shop Pay Installments option to our online store which would allow customers to break their payment up into 4 interest free installments.
OPERATIONS
Locations & Facilities
Currently, I am operating out of a home office located in downtown Oklahoma City which is working well for now. Our products are currently all print on demand which helps us to avoid having to carry inventory in this space. Eventually, the goal is to be able to have a warehouse and small office space where we could hold inventory ourselves and ship product to customers from our own location.
Technology
We operate our e-commerce store through Shopify which is also where our customers process payments.
In addition:
• We use Quickbooks to manage our accounting/bank transactions
• We use Tax Jar to manage our sales tax compliance
• We use Stamped.io to manage our reviews
• We use Adobe Creative Cloud to create our designs
• We use Preview to plan and schedule our social media content
• We connect with our customers through various social media platforms (primarily Facebook & Instagram)
Equipment & Tools
Since our store is completely online, our primary tool is our laptop which we use to manage our e-commerce store through Shopify. We also have a Rollo printer that we purchased and use to be able to print our own shipping labels for anything that we are shipping to customers outside of the "print on-demand" items. For shipping these types of items, we also use a small package scale to properly calculate the package weight. Other tools/supplies include a shirt folder, polybags, poly-mailers, business cards, & inspiration cards.
As mentioned earlier, eventually, we would love to have our own facility but we are operating from home for now so the equipment list is low.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Ownership & Structure
Chirky Soul is registered as a Sole Proprietorship owned by myself, Yazmin Catalano. There are no outside investors as this time, though we would love to involve one as we continue to grow.
Company History
I started Chirky Soul just before the COVID 19 pandemic hit in 2020. It was an incredibly unfortunate time to start a retail business as people were losing their jobs and uninterested in spending any money on clothing. As the world kind of fell into a frenzy, I became more and more passionate about being able to provide people with positive content to combat the negativity we were constantly surrounded by. My husband actually came up with the name "Chirky Soul" one late night in our 1100 square foot apartment after putting the kids to sleep. Chirky is a slang term that people used in the 19th century meaning "happy" or "cheerful". We came to the conclusion that at the core of each of our bodies is a SOUL that seeks just that... happiness. Thus the name Chirky Soul came to life!
I am still working a full time job as a Buyer, whilst caring for two small kiddos! My goal would be to be able to leave the 9-5 and pour all of my energy into this brand.
We had pretty good traction when we first launched, but really hit a wall when the pandemic hit last year. Even still, we have 112 email subscribers so far, close to 5,000 followers on Instagram, and we have been able to make enough sales to prove that there is definitely an interest in our brand & mission.
Team Management team
Chirky Soul is a one woman show at the moment (run completely by myself - Yazmin Catalano). I worked for several years as a buyer in the apparel industry where I learned many skills involving cost negotiation, supplier management & development, sampling processes, product development, and more. This experience is what drove me to start my own clothing brand.
Advisors
I work pretty closely with an organization called "The Smart Founder" which is run by Zack Long. They specialize in coaching founders in the e-commerce world. They have helped tremendously with learning how to master Facebook & Instagram ads as well as optimizing our product and landing pages for the highest probability for conversions. We meet with them on at-least a monthly basis to acquire the latest insights on what's working and what isn't in the e-commerce world.
In the future, I plan to enroll in two additional expert level coaching programs (one led by Bob Proctor, and the other by a company called Foundr) as I believe it is highly beneficial to have mentors in business that help to facilitate your growth!
Financing/ Use of funds
Marketing/Ads - $45,000
Business Advising/Coaching - $15,000
Inventory - $25,000
Materials/Supplies - $5,000
Reserves - $10,000
The majority of the funds will be used for marketing and ad spend. We plan to be highly strategic with our ads by pushing ads for our top sellers ensuring that these are the lowest barriers of entry which will then hopefully expose our advocate base to the other options on the store. Currently our top 5 sellers are the "LOVE" Crop, "Together" Tee, "Respect Mother" Tee, and "Mother Nature" Tee.
These funds will also enable us to be able to invest in inventory, valuable business advising/coaching, and supplies needed to packaging and shipping. The remaining $10,000 will be used as reserves until our sales ramp up.
Sources of Funds
Because of how early we are in business and having started in the midst of a pandemic, everything we have been able to funnel into the brand has been through self-investment. With not having much time under our belts, it makes it very difficult to get a traditional loan through a bank. We are really looking for an Angel Investor who believes in the mission to take the leap of faith with us and help by investing so we can really take this thing off the ground!