Last edited 11:50 a.m. Jan. 18.Andrea Reynolds mixes her passion of running with a desire for comfortable clothing operating AbDesign LLC, an online women’s athletic gear company she runs from her Battlefield home.
Reynolds says she started the company in April 2007 because she wanted comfortable clothing different from the typical athletic brands in department stores.
“I was tired of it, so I thought, ‘I am going to create something of my own,’” says Reynolds, who previously worked in administration at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in Kansas City.
At
RunningChics.com, users design their apparel with 20 baby chicken logo options such as “Swimming Chics,” “Teaching Chics,” and “Pregnant Chics.” The original series of three “Running Chics” is the best-seller, Reynolds says.
Creating custom clothing has its perks, but Reynolds says it’s also expensive, as each logo cost $300 to $500 to create.
The logos are copyrighted, a roughly $35 fee, and Reynolds is working to secure protective trademarks as well. She says it would cost more than $4,000 to trademark the company’s original three logos.
“The three Chics running is the logo we have really tried to trademark, because it’s the one people recognize,” she says. “Copyrighting is a way to keep your work protected while you are in the process of trademarking. Trademarking is the last step of material protection.”
Reynolds’ sister, Kristen Moreland, of Kansas City, owns a 10 percent share of the company. As the sole employee, Reynolds contracts with Two Tall Design, 1615 S. Ingram Mill Road, for site design and maintenance. Two Tall Design owner Chris Jaquess says
RunningChics.com is on a basic platform, which costs between $3,000 and $4,000 to build. He charges about $85 for monthly maintenance, including e-commerce.
A key to a successful e-commerce site is building relationships with customers, Jaquess says.
Reynolds says she attempts to connect with customers through service and variety online. To that end, Two Tall Design is working on revamping the site in the next month.
“We are just trying to give it a fresher look,” Jaquess says. “The biggest change in the last two years for the Web has been mobile phone access, and if a site is two years or older, more than likely it can’t be accessed by a mobile phone.”
Currently, the site generates mostly domestic sales, with the exception of Canada, Reynolds says.
AbDesign sends its printing work to Nixa print shop Greystone Graphics, which specializes in small businesses, says General Manager Brad Simpson. Reynolds says she sends Greystone Graphics between two orders and 10 orders per week.
From the onset, Reynolds has supported nonprofit work with her business. Five percent of all sales go to the Queen City chapter of Girls on the Run, a running, wellness and life skills program for girls.
“It’s a national organization, but the money that I give stays in Greene County,” Reynolds says. “I wanted to make sure I gave back somewhere.”
AbDesign revenues had grown each year until 2011, when sales dropped 30 percent to $26,000, Reynolds says.
“It was partly the economy, but also partly due to personal choice,” she says. “I decided not to do some of the expos we normally do and decided to sit out.”
Simpson at Greystone Graphics notes that clothing production costs rose in 2011.
“We have had more price increases for materials in the last 12 to 18 months than we saw in the five years prior to that,” he says. “We have had a pretty strong year for orders from our local clients, but nationwide, customers aren’t ordering as many garments.”
Reynolds is budgeting for a revenue record of $40,000 in 2012.
“This year, being down from last year was kind of a bummer, but you have to have the perseverance to keep going,” she says.[[In-content Ad]]
