Business Coaching
As entrepreneurs you understand that making good decisions can significantly impact the time and money required to launch as well as run a successful business.
With the hundreds of decisions you make daily making just two poor decisions each day means over 700 bad decisions a year: How far would that set you back or cost you in valuable time and funds?
At Delphic we have seen a great deal, worked through a lot and our vast experience will lend itself in guiding you when you don’t have all the answers. Our years of experience working closely with entrepreneurs who have taken their company from zero revenue to multi-millions annually has allowed us to walk hand-in-hand with our customers through a variety of experiences in their journey.
We have mentored CEO’s who have won Entrepreneur Of The Year and/or been on the covers of respected publications such as Forbes, Inc. and others. While these entrepreneurs earned the recognition themselves, we are proud of the behind-the-scenes contribution our hands-on guidance provided.
We have experience growing profitable businesses by offering things like:
Guidance in laying a foundation for growth.
Coaching you and your team to be well prepared for what’s next.
Having someone to bounce ideas, strategies, even frustrations off of.
Planning and conserving funding for when the time is right to scale.
CFO
and Financial Services
As consultants we give our clients the tools necessary to make the best financial decisions as they go through the growth cycle.
We believe that decisions should be made that will profitably increase sales and distribution with enough margin to allow you to build infrastructure and keep control of your company.
Whether you are a start-up or a multi-million dollar business, a manufacturing or service enterprise we provide the tools to ensure you are always making the best decisions.
Our services include:
Budgets
Variance Analysis
Cash Flows
Open-to-Buy
Costing
Financial Reporting
More important than how much funding you have to launch or operate your business is what you do with that funding. We equip both our start-up and established business clients with the financial tools to minimize risk and maximize profitability.
Once we have your financial tools up and running you can use them to put yourself in a position where you understand how to increase valuation to attract investment whether angel investors, private equity or venture capital as well as factors, P.O. finance companies and financial lending institutions. For a start-up we help you determine the best corporate structure and business model.
We develop cash flows to ensure your business remains solvent as well as help to guide you with purchasing decisions.
If you are an inventory business we develop budgets and open-to-buys to ensure inventory is turning and not over bought tying up precious cash flow for operations and potentially hurting margins by discounting.
We work closely with our clients developing realistic budgets & forecasts developing controls for accepting new customers who pay you timely, introduce you to factors or PO finance companies that will allow you to obtain the necessary cash flow to scale without diluting your equity in your company.
Whether you’re a start-up or an established brand we can work with your insurance broker to determine current policies in place and recommend policies where we feel you may be under-insured and at risk.
Once we get to know you and your business model, we can introduce you to lending institutions or potential investors as well as bookkeepers and CPA firms who would be the right fit for the stage you are at. We can refer attorneys who are experts in protecting intellectual property, trademarks, patents, manufacturing and sales rep agreements, employee stock option plans, 409a valuations and other legal matters to protect your company and personal assets.
Sales and Marketing
Once we do a quick but thorough analysis of your business, budget and distribution model we can recommend a course of action that best fits your needs.
The process is one where we work closely with you so if there are any uncertainties we identify them without delay to ensure everything is crystal clear and not mysterious. When we talk "sales distribution” with our clients it could mean many things like:
Wholesale sales
On-line stores
Pop-up shops
Brick & Mortar stores
Trunk shows
At Delphic we have a two-prong approach:
Help you determine your key competitive advantages and price points at both wholesale and direct-to-consumer, as well as methods to communicate those features and benefits to acquire showrooms, distributors, buyers and most importantly customers.
Determine the highest ROI as well as work to match your desired distribution model based on your manpower and budget.
Our extensive experience allows us to offer a variety of ways to help in many areas, some of which include:
Acquiring showrooms for wholesale distribution. We have proven methods to acquire showrooms and independent sales reps. We help you determine which showroom(s) to approach and provide you with a plan on how to determine the best fit based on your products and price points.
Hire and train sales teams to best communicate your brand value proposition. We have experts who have experience training sales teams including setting sales goals and monitoring team productivity.
Once you have acquired purchase orders and delivered products to customers what’s next? We have proven methods to successfully increase sell-through at the retail level to ensure reorders and build your success story.
Selling online is different than wholesale and brick & mortar retail business models. The differences are many and include organizational structure, key personnel as well as how cash is used for inventory, infrastructure, sales and marketing, web development, fulfillment and logistics.
We have digital marketers who will analyze your efforts, determine best course of action and train you &/or your team to efficiently run your digital marketing; if time &/or infrastructure does not allow for this in-house then we will run your campaigns for you.
We work closely with influencers &/or to find the right person that fits your brand image and budget.
For established brands we help with online budgeting and forecasting, build-out your infrastructure and org chart to determine when to bring on your next key hires and where to find them.
We provide location analysis, budgeting and guidance for pop-up shops or brick & mortar stores.
Trunk Shows. How to set up profitable trunk shows to get critical first-hand feedback from customers as you get your product in front of them and into their hands during your launch or when you are looking for feedback on new collections or categories.
Digital Marketing
At Delphic we constantly hear our clients complain about the commitment, cost, and results from their digital marketing companies.
We decided to make it easy for our clients by teaming with an agency of young digital marketers who are one of the elite designated Facebook Preferred agencies in the world. This elite team not only has experience working and scaling some of the top brands out there, but do so without a long-term commitment (we do month-to-month) and with analytics that will allow you the cash flow to build a direct to consumer brand without breaking the bank or feeling out of control.
All engagements begin by working with you and your team to ensure your message and content is aimed at the right customer and that you are differentiating yourself from the competition.
We look at your:
Competition analysis
Current marketing
Website optimization
Email marketing
Digital advertising
Ad Funnel
Analytics
Content
It’s all about the numbers.
We then do a 10 hour test where we work with the following platforms: Facebook/Instagram, Google Adwords, Bing Ads, Snapchat, and Pinterest with the goal of an immediate positive return on ad spend during testing using a minimal amount of cash during this phase.
As we build your email list and fill the funnel we incorporate tried and true methods to automate your digital efforts while growing your average order value and conversion rate.
What differentiates us from most digital marketers is that if we are not getting the desired return on ad spend we stop spending until we figure out what works rather than to keep spending your precious capital without the results.
Design Services
Our designers have worked with concepts as well as collections for major retailers like Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters and
Forever 21 to name just a few.
We strive to help you make your dream a reality by working closely with you and your team.
Merchandising:
There are core steps required in merchandising your collection that include:
Setting up timelines and calendars for design and development in order to make sure both sampling and production are timely.
If you’re a start-up we help you determine the optimal number of styles, colors and sizes to launch your collection with while taking into account your cash flow to launch.
If you’re an established company we help you analyze past selling seasons to determine future collections that bring the highest profit margins and cash flow.
No matter where your company is currently we can help with cash flow by analyzing costing and margins per collection, as well as negotiate the fairest terms and minimums with your manufacturers.
Introducing you to top-of-the-line pattern makers.
Sourcing componentry. If your budget doesn't permit you to delegate this task we can provide you with the textiles companies to source components yourself.
Sourcing factories best suited for you in Los Angeles or abroad depending upon quality of production and capacity needs (i.e., 50 units per style to over 50,000 units per style).
Overseeing production and quality control or guide you/a member of your team to oversee production.
Our expertise launching new brands as well as scaling existing brands allows us to efficiently and cost effectively help you by utilizing our vast network of experienced industry professionals at a fraction of the cost and time it would take you to find and vet the right people and entities on your own.
Research
Whether you are launching a new concept or a new product category it is important to understand the competitive landscape.
Some things to consider early on:
Who will you compete with?
How will you sell?
Where will you sell?
Who is your customer?
What are your features and benefits?
What does your MSRP need to be to maximize sales?
Launching a new brand or a new category within a brand can be onerous but it doesn't have to be back-breaking; it can also be exhilarating with the right guidance.
At Delphic we can assist you with many essential tasks that are vital to running a business and being successful. Tasks that must be done such as researching the market you will enter by studying the brands you are competing with; speaking to those brands’ employees & customers; visiting stores and websites to understand what they sell and how they communicate their essence. However, if your budget does not allow you to delegate all or any of these we can guide you as you take each step.
Preparation in anything you do is vital. We have experience in all areas that enables us to eliminate the mystery of how this all works.
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." ~Benjamin Franklin
Knowing what to look for and how to interpret your results allows Delphic to help you minimize your risk, maximize your time & opportunities while ensuring the best chance for success.
Manufacturing Products
At Delphic we feel that one of the most important decisions a company can make is finding the right manufacturer.
You may already know that the manufacturer you choose will be one of the crucial relationships needed to scale your brand, if not the most crucial.
Some things to consider:
Do they have the right equipment to make your product?
Do they have the capacity you need to fulfill deliveries?
Can they produce your product at the cost you need in order to be profitable?
Can they accommodate the minimum order quantities you need so you don’t tie up valuable cash flow with an inventory of finished goods &/or raw materials you may not be able to sell or use for months?
What is their reputation in the industry?
Do they have a good track record for quality control; on-time delivery; and producing finished products that are up to par with the samples they make?
Will they provide terms or a line of credit? At what point in time in your relationship with them will they consider doing so?
Are they willing to sign an NDA before speaking with them as well as a Manufacturing Agreement prior to entering into a working relationship?
Delphic will help you find the right manufacturer through our network of seasoned industry veterans. We can make sure your development and production cycle timelines are strategically thought out, properly planned and attainable. We can help streamline your logistics from manufacturer to customer, determine freight with domestic and duty with overseas manufacturers as well as introduce you to freight forwarders and fulfillment houses.
Art Direction to Communicate Your Brand Vision
We take your vision and help create a distinguishable look and impression that will communicate your unique story in a palpable way.
We are able to do this at a fraction of the cost the big brands spend without ever compromising on quality.
Our Art Director and his team have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world including Vince, Rebecca Taylor, XOXO and Lucky Brand to name just a few. Our team carefully chooses locations and themes ideal for your brand story. He works closely with you on casting the right models while being hands-on with his team of photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists to ensure everything is consistent with the desired vision so you get optimal results and meet your budgeted goals.
Digital Photography:
Website
Social Media
Line Sheets
Digital Look Books
Brochures
Direct Mail
Trade Show Booths
Domestic & Foreign Manufacturers Introducing New Brands in the USA
Delphic Consulting Group works closely with both foreign and domestic manufacturers who wish to set up their own new brand and enter the US market.
We work very closely to understand their vision then continue to help them create and market their new business for the US.
Overview:
Understanding the categories of product and manufacturing capabilities within your scope as well as features and benefits of each type of product you produce &/or the manufacturing methods employed.
How to set up the US entity for a foreign manufacturer. We can connect you to law firms and tax experts who can guide you as you set up the most advantageous US entity based on your current situation.
Research to determine what type of categories, styles, collections and price points to create for your customer in the US market. Our research team digs deep visiting competitors, stores/web sites and speaking to their managers, staff and customers in order to determine the product positioning that will give you the best chance for success.
Create a budget that outlines in detail the steps and costs involved based on your internal manpower for the project as well as what the Delphic team will do to support it. This will give you a guideline of cash needed to launch and operate the business over a 3-5 year period in a comprehensive breakdown of estimates for revenue, expenses, hiring and timing of new hires, the capital investment for property, plant and equipment as well as a detailed open-to-buy showing inventory production/turns and desired weeks on-hand.
Brand identity and creation.
Our designers work closely with your team to create a collection that will not only be competitive but will stand out with its own unique features and benefits.
Costing to ensure that when goods arrive in the US for distribution there is enough margin at initial mark-up to grow the business profitably.
Digital marketing and wholesale customer acquisition.
Art direction and photography. Our Art Director has worked with many major US brands and with his team of photographers/stylists/hair & makeup artists along with the models selected will meticulously support the essence of your new brand.
Our own web developers or, if you prefer, we can work with your web developers to create a site for e-commerce.
Work closely with the manufacturer on distribution through wholesale to build brand awareness.
Make introductions with fulfillment centers to distribute product on-line and off-line.
Work closely with leadership to help the founder(s) operate the business which includes, but is not limited to, meeting on a monthly basis based on need and budget.