Selling School Spirit
Unusual Businesses Ideas That Work:
Linda Gunning was inundated with compliments on the University of Texas handbag she used to carry to school events. Though the bag, which she picked up at a local store, was roughly made and not properly licensed with the college, it drew a lot of attention from other women and fans.
Gunning soon realized that if she could obtain the licensing rights for collegiate logos and design her own line of high-end handbags emblazoned with school emblems, there would be quite a demand for her products.
Interestingly enough, obtaining licensing agreements wasn’t the biggest challenge during start-up; finding a manufacturer and researching what women really want in a handbag proved to be the major hurdles. She canvassed not only college-age women, but also alumni and families of students.
When she designed four different types of bags—a large tote bag, a smaller baguette bag, a crescent-shaped handbag and a bolder game-day bag—all marked with the longhorn emblem, the response was overwhelming.
With sales in mid-six figures, Bagalogos! bags have set their sights on other big-name schools with high-profile and loyal alumni.
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