Blue Jays Pants + Hypocritical Decision Making
If you listened to the first episode, you know I hinted that I was about to start a business I once promised I'd never touch again.
Well... here's the reveal.
I'm building another clothing brand.
After selling my previous apparel company in 2023, I was convinced I was done with manufacturing for good. I'd experienced the highs of growing a national brand, but I'd also lived through the complexity of production, inventory, staffing, warehousing, and razor-thin margins.
So why would I willingly jump back into that world?
The short answer is: I'm not.
At least, not in the same way.
Looking Back to Move Forward
My first clothing business taught me more than almost anything else in my entrepreneurial journey.
It started small. I was sewing garments myself while on maternity leave, pricing them based on what I thought people would pay, and simply enjoying the creative process.
Then it grew.
Production moved overseas.
Custom fabrics were developed.
Patterns became production-ready.
I hired staff, leased warehouse space, opened a retail store, and suddenly every new layer of growth added another layer of overhead.
The business became larger.
My margins became smaller.
Looking back, one of my biggest lessons wasn't about marketing or manufacturing—it was about designing a business that could scale profitably.
The Unexpected Spark
This new business wasn't something I had been planning.
In fact, it started while I was packing up my office.
As I sorted through boxes, I found old sewing machines, garment patterns, and pieces of my previous business that had been sitting untouched for years.
It reminded me why I fell in love with apparel in the first place.
Not the logistics.
Not the inventory.
The creativity.
So I bought a few sewing patterns, found some fabric, and started making clothes again simply for fun.
Then something unexpected happened.
The Pants That Started Everything
A group of friends and I were heading to a Toronto Blue Jays game, and I decided to make matching custom pants for everyone.
What started as a fun weekend project quickly turned into something more.
After posting a few photos online, people started asking about them.
That's usually how my brain works.
Most people would think:
"That was fun."
I immediately started thinking:
"Could this become a business?"
This Time, Success Looks Different
One of the biggest exercises I went through before committing to this idea was asking myself a simple question:
What does success actually look like?
Ten years ago, success meant growth.
Today, it means freedom.
I don't want another warehouse.
I don't want shelves full of inventory.
I don't want dozens of employees.
I don't want to spend my evenings packaging orders.
Instead, I'm intentionally designing a business that is:
Small and boutique
Highly curated
Operationally efficient
Profitable without becoming overwhelming
Built around my life—not the other way around
Ironically, I think those constraints might actually make it a stronger business.
Learning From Past Mistakes
Before I spent a single dollar, I started asking questions I never asked the first time around.
Questions like:
What will this cost if I scale?
Can I still make healthy margins?
What happens if I hire help?
How will fulfillment work?
What does my ideal operation actually look like?
Instead of assuming I would figure it out later, I wanted to build the business with those realities already in mind.
Going Straight to the Source
Rather than guessing, I reached back out to the production partners I had worked with in the past.
Together we explored:
Manufacturing costs
Fabric sourcing
Tagging and packaging
Fulfillment options
Shipping directly from production
The goal wasn't simply to make great products.
It was to create a system that minimizes unnecessary handling, reduces costs, and allows the business to operate efficiently from day one.
My "Business Plan"
I've never been someone who writes a traditional 40-page business plan.
But this time, I did something I had never done before.
I mapped out the fundamentals.
Before moving forward, I wanted clarity on:
What problem am I solving?
What makes this brand different?
What will it realistically cost to operate?
How will the business actually function?
Can I remain profitable even if products go on sale?
Those questions are far more valuable than filling out a template no one ever reads.
Every Decision Must Earn Its Place
Throughout this series, you'll hear me ask the same question over and over:
Is this investment actually worth it?
For example:
If a plain shipping mailer costs $1 and a fully branded mailer costs $3...
Will customers genuinely value that extra $2?
Or will they throw it in the recycling five seconds later?
Every decision—from packaging to photography to marketing—will be evaluated through the same lens:
Will this create enough value to justify the investment?
If the answer is no, it doesn't make the cut.
Introducing... Fever Dream Apparel
The final piece of this episode was revealing the business name.
Fever Dream Apparel.
The name came unexpectedly during a conversation about all the businesses I've built over the years.
As we laughed about everything from clothing manufacturing to selling specialty soil online, someone joked that my career felt like a fever dream.
The moment I heard those words, I knew I'd found the name.
To me, Fever Dream represents:
Creativity
Curiosity
Adventure
Building a life filled with memorable experiences
Creating products that feel effortless, expressive, and fun
Before committing to the name, I ran it through the same checklist I recommend to every client:
Trademark search
Domain availability
Google search for competitors
Brand confusion review
Only after clearing those checkpoints did I move forward.
What's Next?
Now that the foundation is in place, it's time to bring the brand to life.
In the next episode, I'll take you behind the scenes of developing the Fever Dream identity—from logo design and typography to mood boards, labels, and the visual direction that will shape everything moving forward.
