Start A Preppy Clothing Business - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
Starting a preppy clothing business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell preppy clothing, or selling preppy clothing online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Key Stats
Startup Costs
Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
---|---|---|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
Employee & Freelancer Expenses |
$151 |
$352 |
Website Costs |
$223 |
$7,215 |
Business Formation Fees |
$5,600 |
$20,400 |
Equipment & Supply Expenses |
$66 |
$1,200 |
Retail Business Expenses |
$1,250 |
$11,650 |
Inventory Expenses |
$350 |
$14,750 |
Software Expenses |
$162 |
$3,094 |
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$75 |
$5,286 |
Total Startup Costs |
$7,877 |
$70,947 |
Case Studies
Successful Businesses
Business | URL | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|
|
vineyard vines |
vineyardvines.com |
42,222 |
|
Southern Honey Boutique |
southernhoney.com |
158,514 |
|
Country Club Prep |
countryclubprep.com |
213,317 |
|
Perfectly Priscilla |
perfectlypriscilla.com |
258,787 |
|
Petite Dressing |
petitedressing.com |
262,396 |
|
Number One Wholesales |
numberonewholesales.com |
333,887 |
|
Kelly in the City |
kellyinthecity.com |
368,274 |
|
EastCoast Lifestyle |
eastcoastlifestyle.com |
567,889 |
|
Bon Worth |
bonworth.com |
607,930 |
|
Shelly Cove |
shellycove.com |
676,792 |
|
Duck Head |
duckhead.com |
705,024 |
Pros & Cons
Pros | Description |
---|---|
Flexibility |
You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own. |
Ability to start your business from home |
It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning! |
Scalable |
With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers. |
High customer retention rates |
Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer. |
High margins |
The gross margins for your preppy clothing business are typically around 50%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily. |
Amazing perks and discounts |
Working in the preppy clothing business comes with its perks! As a seller for these products/services, you typically also get to enjoy industry perks and discounts. |
Cons | Description |
---|---|
Taxes |
As a preppy clothing business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it. |
You may need to charge sales tax |
If you are selling your products in various states, you may be required to charge sales tax. Although this may not impact your financials specifically, it can be a headache to create a process and procedure for this. To learn more about sales tax, check out this article |
Time commitment |
With starting a preppy clothing business, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business. |
Difficult to build trust with your customer |
With starting a preppy clothing business, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business. |
Impatient customers |
You may offer an engaging user experience for your customer, but customers expect a lot and may be impatient if they aren't pleased with your product or service. |
Learning Curve |
When you start your own business, you no longer have upper management to provide you with a playbook for your roles and responsibilities. You should know the ins and outs of every aspect of your business, as every decision will come down to you. |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Direct Sales
Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.
-
2
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
-
3
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
Get our 5-minute email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.

- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings