I have business plan that I intend to pursue throughout college in the athletic apparel industry.  The market is very competitive but more often than anticipated, I see a small start-up brand make their mark in the market and get publicity and that is what I hope to do someday with my own company.  The sports industry is wildly popular worldwide because just about every country has sports and athletes that would buy the product.  Based on the season and sport, the supply and demand for my product will shift.  For example: If it is Summer time, people will most likely not be in the market for ski and snowboard apparel.  Top brands like Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour will continue to be the leaders in the field due to their strong reputation and dependable products.

Being in the same market as Adidas and others, it will be difficult to get a lot of recognition at first because a lot of athletes are brand loyal when it comes to their apparel.  I feel that the most promising advertisement strategy would be to promote online through local athletes looking for a sponsor and branch out through their fanbase.  I have a few friends playing division 1 sports and if they promote the product to their team, then the product could grow in popularity.  In order to better compete with already existing companies, I plan to increase brand awareness with a clean and unique logo that potential investors/customers will recognize.

As the CEO of my new company I will make sure I have my time invested in my product to promote and get my products name into the market as soon as I can.  I have a few colleagues that I have lined up with interest in helping promote my product(s) and I know with these people I will be able to get some recognition by bigger athletes for my product.  I also will email various small companies with the same goal in mind to potentially work together to get a product into the market.  I have set up a meeting with a business professional by the name of Donald Varshine in the beginning of December to discuss what I can do to make sure my product is of best quality and how to make profits bigger than my initial investment into the product.  I have spoken with this professional a number of times and read articles about how he made his business successful and why it is well known to this day.  He was the founder and former owner of a company called Keystone Dedicated Logistics.  He has given me advice for my company based on what he learned in the business world and how he has turned his failures into positive learning experiences.  I plan to utilize these strategies throughout my growth process Andy goal is to have my company name in the market by the year 2024.

As I am looking into the marketing of my products, I plan to put the view of potential customers in mind and think what would make them want to invest in and/or buy my product(s).  I asked the students in my BUS105 class if they would be interested in purchasing one of my products that I came up with and every male athlete raised their hand with the intention to invest in my company based on a simple explanation I gave about what my product will consist of.  In order to get more interest for my company, I will use a marketing strategy consisting of: a price that makes sense financially for both the company and my customers, a dependable product, a social media and communication based promotion strategy, and find a manufacturer with good prices and a solid reputation.

From a financial standpoint, I want to find workers with an outstanding reputation in the industry.  I would also like to find investors who are willing to support the company’s growth over a 5-year period minimum.  In order to keep my company financially stable, I will work with a financial advisor to help keep my revenue and costs in check.  Financing my company correctly will be big part in the overall success of my company.

I plan to keep the productivity of my company at a high rate with dedicated workers who will stop at nothing in order to make sure the product is a success.  I can spot good work ethic in a person based solely on their behaviors outside of work.  I know how to utilize the abilities of people in order to maximize productivity.  By keeping records of production I will be able to analyze and improve any potential problems in the work system.  I hope to see a large number of athletes supporting and using my product one day and possibly being one of the companies mentioned when people think about athletic apparel.