I’m pretty excited to announce Rebelz at Work, or R.A.W will be launching it’s first collection in the Spring of 2019. It will be a summer collection consisting of two high quality tanks, and t-shirts.

I have always had a passion for art since I was a kid, and I have always contemplated about jumping in to the clothing game with my art. I finally decided to take the leap last year, and just dove into it. My aim with this blog is to basically to tell the story from the start, in hopes to look back on it after I have made it great! Not only do I want to use this blog as journal, but as inspiration to anyone looking to jump in the game.

Actions I have taken so far to start the business R.A.W.

Creating the company name:

• Creating the name was probably the hardest thing I have had to do. A lot of the names that I thought were original, had been taken. I needed to figure out how to explain the clothing line, and what it was about in a simple name. Coming from the Hip-Hop scene as a bboy, I wanted to market towards the streetwear and Hip-Hop market. I went through probably two-hundred plus names for over a half a year, before Rebelz at Work hit me.

Starting the Company:

• I went online and submitted paper work for an LLC (limited liability company). I could have chose a sole proprietorship, but doing so, the company takes the name as the person who owns the company, and you end up doing business as your fictitious name. For example, if your name is John Doe, your company’s name would be John Doe, and you’d be doing business as (D.B.A) the company name you came up with. Not wanting to jump into more detail than I have to, but researching how you become liable financially with a sole proprietorship vs a LLC, I chose to go with the LLC. I knew I wanted to apply for company credit card, so I could build the businesses credit separate from my own, this is the biggest reason I went with the LLC. It cost me $150.00 to apply with the state, and I tried to mail the paper work in to save myself money. I got the papers back three maybe four weeks later, stating the application had been denied because I filled a portion of the application out wrong. I got frustrated with the time it took, and paid the expedite fee to use a credit card on the state’s site. The application was approved and I was notified within two to three days. My suggestion, save yourself the time and submit your payment and application online
• After being approved for my LLC, I applied for EIN so I can create a business online. It is basically like your businesses social security number with the state. You use it to open your bank account, hire people, create an online store, etc… Registering for you E.I.N. is free, DO NOT PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT!!

Look for a vendor(s)

• I looked both in the U.S. and overseas, and decided to go the route of purchasing overseas, to keep cost down while starting up. This step is all preference, but make sure you do your research and sample your work before you run full production! You do not want to end up with a bad quality product you cannot sell.

Creating a Website:

• I am currently in this step, and I am having a hard time with the options between Square Space and WordPress. I Love the simplicity of Square Space, but sometimes it’s too simple when I try to create a unique look on my page. They let you run a trial to before you purchase their service, which I found very helpful. WordPress released their update, which is like Square Space, but you have a lot more options to customize. I will let you know what I decide.

Overall I am excited about the start of this Journey, and I will keep you all posted.