Licensing

So What’s up with the Licensing business?”

Simply put, licensing is creating an agreement to give another company the right to produce something, be it a design, idea or concept. The original artwork or designs for all of Tiffany Michelle Design’s products are partnered with other companies to execute the manufacturing, marketing, wholesale sales, and distribution of lines. Tiffany works very closely with each company to make sure that there is a synergy in philosophy, design, marketing, customer service, and quality.

For Tiffany, the decision to license simply came down to determining how she wanted to spend her time every day. She felt that her passion was far more in favor of design and marketing than product manufacturing. She made a list of her strengths and weaknesses and put down on paper “the dream” game plan of the kind of business she wanted to own and develop. She envisioned a company beyond the products and saw endless opportunity. The vision included a television show, a magazine, a website, retail stores, children’s books, design books, and a streamlined combo platter of art+fashion+music concierge for your uniquely creative special event. Opportunties to treat clients to their personal style of indulgence in every facet of sensory art. The potential was overwhelmingly exciting and fueled some tough decisions about the projected future of evolution and success.

It was time to make a list. Every dream!! Every product that she wished to design. Everything from hot pink & zebra dyed animal hides for area rugs to funky toilet flushers decked out with bling. Every category is given a priority and then manufacturing research starts in overdrive. Retailers and clients are consulted about all of their favorite vendors for quality, service, shipping, and more. Companies with existing strong brands are investigated for their manufacturing expertise. In addition, just simply paying close attention to our own personal buying habits and taking note of what we appreciate with the companies that we purchase products from on a consistent basis.

Needs for each product category tend to be very specific so there is always a need for continual evaluation as we seek out new directions. One thing that remains constant for Tiffany Michelle Designs is the importance of partnerships that are created. There is a constant and abiding goal to improve and raise the bar and to find partners that are willing to grow as those steps are taken.

A lot of questions are asked?

-Will this partnership produce products with integrity?
-Will this partnership make us a more recongnizable brand?
-Will this product open up new channels of distribution for our company?
-Will our retailers be excited about this new product?
-Will they expect it from us or will we surprise them?
-Will this partnership support our vision of our purest brand image?

When asking the right questions of ourselves and our partners and then following up with the application of clear vision and solutions… success will follow.