We recently connected with Jessica Fultz and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The apparel industry is saturated and in a struggling economy and the age of convenience, it’s easy to understand why supporting smaller apparel companies isn’t at the forefront of consumers’ minds. It’s an effort to be competitive in pricing while maintaining a high level of quality with one-of-a-kind designs. Personally, I will never place profitability over quality and my vision for my brand. I create and sell items that I want to wear, and that I do wear.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jessica and I own a small apparel company, Billie Co. Most of my designs could be described as alternative or traditional tattoo style, but I like to mix it up and just create what I like. I like to create designs with meaning and you’ll see that when you look at my products. I sell mostly t-shirts but I have hoodies, hats, and stickers available too. These designs are made for everyone and I have sizes for women, men and youth.

My mom was the inspiration behind this brand (and the name). Her name was Billie Jean and she passed away from cancer at the young age of 45. She was vibrant, a fashionista, never took life too seriously, but she taught me so much in life. One thing she told me before she passed was “Don’t wait to live”. I’ve always wanted to create a boutique or clothing line and that was my push to just do it. I’m proud that I’m creating designs that I’m proud to wear and proud to see others wearing too.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth and social media. My customers sharing on social media that they love what they purchased from me has brought more new business than any amount of a marketing budget.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Each order that goes out comes with a handwritten note from me thanking them for their order. It’s just me running the business so my hands are on every single order and I am so appreciative of each one. When my customers tag me in their posts promoting my brand, I share it. I acknowledge every client and that’s important to creating relationships with your consumer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopbillie.co
• Instagram: billieco.llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billieco.llc