Many women know the struggle of finding that perfect pair of jeans. Imagine this same struggle, but add the stress of every pair being too short. Or, imagine a man’s shirt that just won’t reach past the forearm, no matter which size you try on.
For the men and women of the tall community, this is their daily struggle. Insane Inseam, an online, consignment store for buying and selling tall finds, wants to help.
Designed by tall people, for tall people, the ladies of Insane Inseam want to help their fellow vertically blessed comrades find stylish, affordable clothing that fits.
Where the Idea Came From
When Melissa and Amy met in January, they knew they wanted to start a business together. And, as they are both over 6 foot tall, they knew they wanted to help the fellow tall community find clothing.
When they published a survey they included a question about consignment and found that 80% of those questioned said they would be interested in a consignment store for tall clothing. Their idea was born.
They launched a website in June and connected with Kellie’s Consignment, originally to simply ask their advice. They walked out of the store with an agreement to sell their inventory there starting in August. “We now have sales,” says Melissa, “that’s a huge turning point for us.”
The Problem Being Solved
Insane Inseam is an online marketplace for buying and selling tall clothing. “We want to bring together the tall community and give them a place to buy and sell tall clothing at a reasonable price,” says Melissa. “So they can actually afford to buy things that fit and get rid of things that don’t.”
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They want to help others and have a successful business but know that to do that they need people who are interested and to fill a need.
Opportunities
Amy says it’s really hard for the tall community to find clothing that looks good, “So, it’s exciting to offer attractive clothes to both genders.”
Though, she also adds that the thought of massive growth is a little scary. “We both work full-time jobs and work on this full-time.” They both want to make sure they can grow their business and still be a part of their families’ lives. “But, we’re smart,” says Amy. “We’ll figure it out.”
Target Customer
The tall community, both men and women.
Biggest Challenge
Money and time are creating their biggest challenges at the moment. “We don’t have a lot to spend on marketing or inventory,” says Melissa. And they need inventory to get a following. People have to be very specific about what they are looking for (a specific size) so the more inventory they have, the more likely they are to have what they need.
Funding
To solve the money problem, Insane Inseam is turning to crowdfunding. They just launched a campaign that runs for another twenty or so days. They’ll use the funds from the campaign to market and to grow their inventory.
The biggest goals of the campaign are to get the word out and to raise money.
Donate to The Campaign Here and Help Them Reach $5,000
Surprises
Melissa says they’ve been surprised by what they’ve discovered about the men’s inventory. While they had interest from both and women, and decided to provide clothing for both, the men’s clothing has been a challenge to get. “Men wear things forever. They buy what they like, buy lots of it, and wear it until it rips,” says Melissa.
The Future
While they have a very specific niche, it’s a very spread out niche. There is a large market of tall people across the country, but not within each state. So, in the future, Melissa and Amy hope to be able to reach out nationally and bring the tall community together on one site. They hope to give them one place to buy instead of needing to order from places like the UK.
And, Melissa adds, “Someone with a similar business model just got purchased by Ebay, so that’s a good goal.”
Advice
“Take the plunge,” says Melissa. “The faster you can do something, the scarier it is but the better you’ll feel.”
Amy adds, “Work through your fears by researching your idea and setting small, attainable goals. It’s scary, but rewarding.” Also, “Be willing to modify your direction is something doesn’t work.”
Visit Their Website and Connect With Them on Social
Maybe Chris and Melissa Allen from The Mini Maker has some tips on running a successful campaign?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/821322426/the-mini-maker-a-kid-focused-makerspace