INnovators Aim For Swimwear Dominance
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA Fort Wayne mother and daughter hope to achieve “world domination in retro swimwear.” Cheryl and Olivia Fabian founded OFabz Swimwear in 2010, which focuses on combining vintage designs with updated fabric and production techniques. The Fabians say winning a 2011 business plan competition through the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center and Ivy Tech Community College gave the company a “stamp of approval.” The company was featured in this month's “INnovators With Dr. K” segment on Inside INdiana Business Television. The Fabians do not currently have a physical store location. They say selling exclusively online allows them to reach a broader audience.
Production currently takes place at a factory in Pennsylvania. Cheryl Fabian says manufacturing in the United States allows them more control over the product. It also enables OFabz to produce in smaller amounts, which Olivia Fabian says allows it to respond more quickly to trends.
The INnovators With Dr. K is hosted by Indiana University entrepreneurship professor Don “Dr. K” Kuratko. In this month's segment, he suggested the Fabians should focus on “three Ts”:
1. Transitioning from the appearance of a hobby to a professional business
2. Building a team that includes people with retail expertise
3. Increasing trajectory by identifying a viable growth market
Source: Inside INdiana Business