Tory Gerbig and her college sweetheart Chris lived normal lives struggling with college debt. She was raised in a family where she was never told she could be anything she wanted to be. Most of her family members were nurses and teachers. It was therefore unthinkable that the financial struggles of family would lead her to build one of the most consequential online clothing businesses in America.
Leaving college in the midst of a recession in 2005, the only job Tori could find was selling insurance. She started out making $25,000 while Chris worked another job in corporate America. But their combined income was not enough for their needs, the family they were raising and the $70,000 student debt they were servicing.
Overwhelmed by financial obligations, Tori decided to sell items on eBay and Etsy as side hustle.
This is their story, a perfect American dream, where they pulled their company from their living room to a 5000 Inc. Company. This is the story of Pink Lily.
The Baby Steps
Like every average American, the demands of student loans, mortgage and car loan weighed heavily on their young shoulders. But they decided to do something abut it. Sell on eBay to supplement family income. They started by selling random things like USB drivers, necklaces, golf clubs and any small thing they could afford.
They identified items going viral on the internet, bought them at wholesale to sell at retail on eBay.
The Power of Facebook.
The business struggled to pick, suffering from low sales. One day, while Tori was on unpaid maternity leave in 2013, she created a Facebook group to sell clothes and accessories. She was getting products from vendors in Los Angeles, China and South Korea.
Her daily routine therefore involved taking photos of her merchandise and posting daily o the Facebook group. It helped a great deal in driving sales and igniting a fire she never thought possible in sales.
Because her life, livelihood and future depended on it, she went out of her way to place her heart in her hustle. She would care for her baby until he slept, then post on Facebook and ship products until 2 am.
Even though her background in marketing helped a great deal, she did the following on Facebook to drive sales;
- Did live videos.
- Took beautiful photos,
- Continued to do more of the photos that received a lot of responses.
Other key drives of sales are Pinterest and Facebook ads. She says one time a pink cardigan went viral, and she sold 100 of them in a day. The first year in business ended with 800,000 followers on Facebook, a huge market to support Pink Lily.
Initial selling methods
Facebook, though it provided much success, other methods had to be employed to push sales. Tory would sell items on the trunk of her car at lunch break. She also left work early at times, drove to town, to meet people and sell products.
By late 2013, the couple was bringing in $500 a day in sales.
Tori and her husband Chris, pressed hard by their financial obligations, used the profits to pay their student loans. The rest they invested back in the business. This is how she embarked on Building A $ 100 Million Clothing Empire from Her Dining Table.
Starting an Online store
In January 2014, on the advice of her husband Chris, Tory decided to take the business to the next level. As sales improved, it became no longer tenable to operate the Facebook group alone. They needed an online store to display and sell their merchandise.
The couple paid $500 for the development of the website through FIVERR. The website didn’t look good. It had several design and functionality challenges, but at least it was an ecommerce store. And that’s what they needed. Pink Lily Online was born.
Having added a selling platform, they gave themselves a revenue goal of $100,000 per month. They managed to hit this hit and surpass this target in the 4th month of business.
At this point, Tory took the brave decision to leave her insurance job and concentrate all her energies on Pink Lily. This was the proof of concept she needed to take the plunge.
In April 2014 she resigned from her job, her husband following suit in July same year. They set aside an emergency fund of $10,000 between them to get by for a couple of months should things go wrong.
Revenue Surge
After their courageous decision to leave the security offered by the jobs, they went all in on Pink Lily. And it paid dividends.
- In the first seven months, revenue shot to $ 1 million.
- At the end of the first year, revenue was $4 million.
- 2014-2015 – revenue grew from $4 million – $12 million.
- In 2021, the year ended with revenue of $141 million.
It was time to take on a new level of growth.
Opening Physical Stores
In 2016, the couple completed their first 25,000 sq foot warehouse in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They thought this was enough. Later in 2017, the demand for more space pushed them to add 25,000 additional square feet, including office areas and photo shot areas. This came to be the 50,000 square foot fulfillment center that became the headquarters of Pink Lily.
Today Pink Lily has over 200 employees and over 210,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Management and operations
Tory is now the leader and face of the brand, while her husband Chris is the president and overseas Pink Lily’s finances and operations. While Tory admits that working with a spouse in the same business and place can be challenging, they have a little history. As college friends, they worked together in the same restaurant, and this helped them bond and learn to work together.
Tory now works 50-55 hours a week, having scaled down from the 70 hour week she worked previously. This us because they have hired staff and so many directors. But she still goes to buyer meetings, still travels with her photo teams to buyers and markets around the country.
While she did photography herself in the initial says, she has now hired professional photographers. Also, in her team to drive marketing are 7 models.
Challenges in the Apparel industry
- Knockoffs – cheap, low quality competing attire.
- The problem of sizing. i.e. How do customers find the right fit for online purchases. Solves this by offering videos on sizes and possible fits.
- Returns
But every business has challenges, and she has found ways to address these challenges.
Advice to those who want to sell Apparels.
- walk, before you run.
- define a gap and address it.
- Have classic styles that work for people for a longtime.
- Have a sustainable clothing line.
- Know your customers and what they love.
- You can be a female leader in an industry and be successful.
Conclusion on Building A $ 100 Million Clothing Empire from her dining table
Now debt free and having gained the financial freedom she so desperately sought, what started a side hustle has catapulted her to American corporate fame. What started as a side bustle packaging and shipping at her dining table has grown to a vibrant online store and giant warehouses.
From Tory and Chris, budding entrepreneurs, particularly in the apparel industry can learn a lot. One of them is the rewards of persistence and the fierce determination to change one’s situation. Regardless of your station in life and with whatever you have, you can begin today to lay the building blocks of success.
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