Crazy-Looking Sweatpants Overalls idea → $100k/Month

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Onto Today’s story….

Kyle Bergman had a silly idea.

For some reason he loved overalls and he wanted to create something combining sweatpants and overalls.

So, he started swoveralls and now makes more than $100k/month.

Here is how he did it.

Kyle Bergman was looking for overalls made out of sweatpant material.

An overall is a one-piece garment that combines a top and pants into a single piece.

A sweatpant is a type of comfortable and casual garment designed for leisurewear and physical activities.

It is typically made from soft and cozy fabric, such as cotton or fleece, and features an elastic waistband and elasticized cuffs at the ankles.

He searched for them online and in stores but was unable to find them.

So, he decided to create them himself.

With his background in retail and experience as a merchandise planner at Bloomingdale's, Kyle thought he could be able to make his dream real.

He named his product as Swoveralls.

He discovered a supplier on Alibaba who offered to make sweatpant overalls, but with a minimum order quantity of 300 units.

Kyle negotiated with the supplier and managed to secure a sample pair of sweatpant overalls for himself, solving his initial problem.

Kyle loved the comfort and softness of the french terry cotton used in the sample.

Friends and family also loved them.

Kyle decided to validate more to see if there was really a demand.

He turned to Google's Keyword Search Planner to gauge the demand for sweatpant overalls.

To his surprise, it showed a significant number of people looking for sweatpant overalls, confirming Kyle's hunch.

He was doing his MBA at this time and he got some extra student loan money of $10k.

Instead of returning it, he used it to kickstart his business.

Living in a small apartment in NYC, he didn't have the space to store inventory or the resources to handle picking and packing orders himself.

Amazon's fulfillment service provided a solution by allowing him to store his inventory in their warehouses and handle the shipping and logistics on his behalf.

Also he realized by leveraging Amazon's marketplace, he could reach a larger audience.

And also tap into the existing trust and credibility associated with Amazon.

But there was one problem. He had to incorporate a company.

So he named his company The Great Fantastic and started it in March 2017

Taking a trip into the great fantastic is something his Mom would say when referring to risk-taking and adventuring into the unknown.

Kyle was inspired by this and came up with the name "The Great Fantastic"

He wanted a brand name that didn't pigeonhole his company and allowed for future expansion beyond sweatpant overalls.

The name "The Great Fantastic" conveyed a sense of fun, adventure, and not taking oneself too seriously.

The phrase resonated with Kyle and encapsulated the vibe and message he wanted to communicate to his customers.

He started selling the products on Amazon and sales was good.

Kyle launched the business as a side project while still employed at Birchbox and pursuing his MBA at NYU Stern School of Business.

This allowed him to bootstrap the company and maintain a stable income while laying the foundation for his brand.

Starting the business while working enabled him to reduce this risk dramatically.

Soon, Kyle quickly noticed that it was difficult to grow his fanbase and engage with his customers using Amazon's platform.

Kyle took the leap and created his own website using Shopify, providing a more personalized and interactive shopping experience for his customers.

Swoveralls started gaining popularity through word-of-mouth and organic traffic.

Kyle ran a Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaign with an upgraded product and also to reach a larger audience.

Initially the Kickstarter campaign did not reach the goal. So he stopped it, learned about his mistakes and started a second one.

This was a success.

He raised $108,000.

Next he decided to focus on social media to get leads.

He chose Instagram as his main social media platform.

Then he cross-posted content from Instagram to Facebook and Twitter.

The unique and visually appealing nature of Swoveralls caught people's attention on social media, driving more traffic.

Kyle also explored paid media opportunities,

resulting in articles being written about Swoveralls in publications like Fatherly and Business Insider.

He got a chance to be featured on the popular television show Shark Tank.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get a deal from the Sharks.

But a good thing happened, he got good exposure for his products.

One time they created a video highlighting the versatility of wearing Swoveralls in different situations and the fun of wearing them.

The video was strategically shared on a popular Facebook page called "22 words," which had a massive following.

The video became viral and brought a significant influx of traffic and sales.

As sales grew, he reinvested the profits back into the business.

Kyle drew inspiration from Chubbies and Allbirds; the brands he aspired to be like.

From Chubbies, he admired their humorous and engaging brand voice, which he incorporated into his own brand's messaging.

From Allbirds, he admired their commitment to creating high-quality products and their focus on sustainability.

He sought to combine the passion and fun of Chubbies with the quality and sustainability of Allbirds in his own brand, The Great Fantastic.

Kyle wanted to create a brand that didn't take itself too seriously but maintained a strong commitment to comfort and quality, similar to Chubbies and Allbirds.

His brand's vibe was a combination of playfulness, adventure, and a carefree attitude.

He recognized the importance of being mindful of past successes and lucky breaks when assessing future opportunities.

He began to target different customer segments such as youth/infant, plus-size/maternity, and the collegiate/pro market.

Slowly he created more products like Shorts, Youth/Infant Swoveralls and Fitness Swoveralls.

Swoveralls continued to grow and it now generates more than $100k/Month.

He says that failures and mistakes, though painful at the time, have ultimately shaped him into a stronger and more knowledgeable entrepreneur.

Kyle says…

“I truly believe we are the average of those we spend the most time with…

and so if you want to be a successful business owner…

get in front of other business owners and understand what makes them tick!”

He adds… “Trust the process, plan for uncertainty, and ride the wave.”

7 reasons why he succeeded

1. Checked Demand

• Kyle used Google's Keyword Search tool to analyze demand for "sweatpant overalls"

• The tool showed significant search volume for this term, suggesting consumer interest

• This confirmation of demand increased Kyle's confidence to pursue the product idea

2. Used resources wisely

• While in business school, Kyle had leftover student loan funds of $10k

• Rather than return this money, he decided to invest it into his Swoveralls business

• This money allowed him to pay for initial inventory and launch costs to start the company

3. Used Amazon's services to launch quickly

• Kyle stored inventory in Amazon warehouses to avoid upfront warehousing costs

• He also sold products via Amazon Marketplace to tap into their existing traffic

• This helped him to start and grow faster.

4. Bootstrapped the business as a side project:

• Kyle started Swoveralls as a side business while working full-time

• This allowed him to self-fund it without needing outside money

• Starting small reduced Kyle's financial risk in the early uncertain stages

5. Assessed his mistakes and retried.

• Kyle's first Kickstarter campaign failed

• Rather than giving up, he assessed his mistakes and changed tactics

• The subsequent campaign exceeded targets by raising $108,000

6. Got free media coverage

• The uniqueness of Swoveralls as a product attracted media attention.

• Kyle got coverage in Fatherly, Business Insider and other outlets

• This free exposure helped drive awareness and sales.

7. Used strategic content sharing

• Kyle shared a Swoveralls video on Facebook page "22 Words", which had a huge following

• The entertaining video resonated and was widely shared by the page's audience

• This organic visibility contributed greatly to sales spikes and momentum

🍹

Hope you liked the story and the tactics which made them successful.

Keep Rocking!

Yours "Build your Biz with almost no risk" Vijay Peduru