Lightning bolt moment leads to success
● Pixel Shoes and Julz owner literally had a lightning bolt moment that led to her success
Her footwear and handbag range was born out of a lightning strike that burnt down her store.
Now Julie Oates aims to take the international market by storm when she takes her brand Julz to the Moda fashion trade show in the UK next month.
Can you give some background on yourself and your business?
I started my retail store Pixel Shoes in 2010, and a few years ago, the store was struck by lightning, which created severe damage.
The situation I found myself in prompted me to re-look at my business model.
I had wanted to get into the wholesale market, so I took the opportunity to embark on the wholesale approach to retail and footwear.
What is your core service?
In addition to Pixel Shoes, Julz – which is my wholesale arm – offers high-quality ladies leather shoes and bags.
Where was the idea born? Apart from the experience I had with my shop being struck by lightning, the idea was born from my experience in owning and operating Pixel Shoes.
I saw quality and comfort issues with some of the brands I stocked. So I saw a gap in the market for high-quality, comfy leather footwear for women who are discerning consumers, who are willing to pay a little more for high-quality footwear and handbags.
What makes your business unique?
Julz offers exceptional quality and service, and our shoes are eye-catching; they’re a talking point, but they’re also incredibly comfortable to wear, and take people from the school run, to the office, and through to date night.
We have more than 200 retailers nationwide and a less than 1% return rate with our products, which shows the popularity of our products and that they really do deliver on comfort, style and quality.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
To begin in the footwear and handbag industry, you need to find the right footwear designer for your brand.
You need reliable, honest suppliers who can make your products to the standard that you demand, and of course, who have the same values, ethics and approach to business as you do.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before launching?
Importing from China is always challenging. There are also things that happen which you can never plan for. For example, we had water come through a small hole in a 40foot container when it was leaving China, so considering it takes about 25 days to get here, when my stock arrived, the shoes were wet and mouldy, and we couldn’t sell them.
The language barrier between myself and my Chinese manufacturing partners was initially a problem, and for my first few trips I had to employ an interpreter to assist me.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations?
One of my biggest challenges is entering a foreign market.
This is really hard due to the logistics in terms of getting stock to another country, setting up a database of customers, the exchange rate and not being in the country to assist with any issues.
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about success?
Embrace failure. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.
If you’re going to take bold steps, they’re going to be experiments, and if they’re experiments, you don’t know ahead of time if they’re going to work. Experiments are by their very nature prone to failure, but a few big successes compensate for dozens and dozens of things that didn’t work.
What kind of advertising do you do?
We use a lot of social media, and through our positive reputation and the loyal base of customers we have, word-ofmouth has been a huge factor in our success.
Julz also has several agents that work for the brand and get the product into the market.
What is your target market? Julz ladies are 25+, confident, style conscious and don’t buy into fads. They like to be stylish, complimented on their style choices, and take the world on with both hands.
What are some of your business highlights? Achieving consistent growth year-on-year; securing a South Africa micro-chain retailer – which was the turning point in Julz’ growth – and being able to expand internationally and able to exhibit at, and be the only South African brand at, Moda in the UK in August.
How many people do you employ?
We only have three people. I believe in keeping it as small as I can for as long as I can.
What lies ahead for the business in the rest of 2018?
I cannot wait to see what happens following our foray into the international market after Moda in the UK.
What we do know is that our spring/summer 2018-19 collection is on the water on its way here as we speak . . . and we’re all excited to see how the collection is received by retailers and our market.
We’re also trend hunting and planning our summer 2019/2020 collection at the moment, and looking at bringing on a South African footwear manufacturer.
How did you acquire funding for the business?
After the lightning and the store burning down, our insurance pay-out allowed us to reopen Pixel Shoes and start Julz.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from your business journey so far?
It’s never easy, but it’s worth it!
What do you think are the key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
A good work ethic. My dad instilled this into me from a young age. You must always do business with integrity. Never give up. Be adaptable. We work in many markets, countries and with many personalities so we need to be able to bring the best out in any situation.