Sale!!!!

“Our main selling price point is between $40 and $60, but we have items at all prices,” says UsTrendy founder Sam Sisakhti. “Shoes, clothing, and accessories…you can find one-of-a-kind clothing from independent fashion designers all over the world. Each piece has a unique story behind it.” Visit http://www.ustrendy.com to see the full collection, on special summer sale this week!

Designer depot

“Any designer can come on the site. We want to have an open system that is democratic,” says UsTrendy founder Sam Sisakhti. “Designers sell their clothing through us and get payment for it. We take a commission from the sale and send the rest of the money to the designer. It is really cool because many designers are able to quit their jobs and design full time from their UsTrendy sales income.”

Start it up

"I think the first and most important thing when starting an ecommerce site is having a good product at a good price," says UsTrendy founder Sam Sisakhti. "So often this is overlooked with flashy marketing and trendy business models. Once you have the product and a good price point, get a clean site that is simple to use and works." 

Raising the price

"My advice is clearly define how much money you really need and if you really need funding," says UsTrendy founder Sam Sisakhti. "Try to bootstrap the business if possible. Sometimes this is not possible, but a lot of times people have this false notion of funding or bust. People tend to go to investors in a really desperate way. I did this early on. But when you go to an investor, you need to come from a point of empowerment. You should be at a point where you plan on doing this business with or without their money. You use their money just to make things happen faster. Do not approach them in a desperate way. You want to be a train leaving the station. Also, make sure to balance your time between raising money and running business. Oftentimes people focus all their time on raising money and forget about actually working on business." 

 

 

Sam's Jackpot

A white dress with a heart cut-out? Got it. A mint chiffon strapless number?Yup. A polka-dot long-sleeve peplum look? Take a gamble, and try a search. Chances are, Sam Sisakhti's shopping site has it in stock.

 

And by the way, if anyone knows about gambling, it's Sam, who, after quitting the job he always thought he wanted but ended up detesting (corporate finance), jetted off to Vegas to get lucky. He did, sort of. Won 200 bucks at a blackjack table. But he ended up winning in another way, too. He had taken the trip with a buddy who was trying to make it as a clothing designer but was pretty much hitting Sam up for his next meal. Sam wanted to help him, but he also wanted to make some dough himself. He scribbled an idea on a napkin. 

 

So Sam had this idea, really believed in it, and met with a potential investor back in Boston. No thank you. Sam met with another. Not interested. Sam met with some 198 more. REJECTION. But all it takes is one good hand, right? He finally met with an investor who believed in Sam and invested $1 million in UsTrendy, a shopping site where designers all over the globe (like his buddy) can sell their designs, and where customers around the world can buy them. Here are some numbers: 16,000 designers sell on the site, 1 million visitors a month use the site, and, although exact numbers are not released, Sam says UsTrendy earns millions in revenue. Designers earn a living. Customers buy their polka-dot long-sleeve peplum numbers. And Sam never, ever has to work in corporate finance again. We call that a win-win.  

www.ustrendy.com

 

 

 

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