Tag Michigan Business

A Christmas Message from Beau Satchelle

As another Christmas is upon us and the mad rush to meet the deadline to prepare for the holiday for family and friends is approaching fast and furious, Beau Satchelle wanted to take this opportunity to stop for just a moment and post a message of reflection. For us, this has been a year of transitions which involved some surprises, plenty of accomplishments and a few disappointments. We are grateful for our blessings in our first year of growth and continuing to do introspective work for our business and as individuals. Being an entrepreneur takes more commitment than one can believe possible. Possessing the ability to ignore all the distractions that can hinder your focus and surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded people are betting on your success is priceless. As we reflect on where we are as a business, the realization that our knowledge has come from many directions, I would like to touch on three areas that have impacted Beau Satchelle’s growth. Continuing Education Without a doubt, after the 2008 Recession, we saw the growth of many aspiring American entrepreneurs. And, as we all compete for consumer dollars, the ability to offer quality in products and services is important. Although we study our direct competitors in the luxury leather industry, we gain even more from other industries. We are inspired by tech companies with their visionary abilities; we admire five star hotels and resorts that leave no stone unturned to please their guests and pay homage to the selflessness organizers of the charities that we’ve partnered with who work so hard to help those less fortunate. We appreciate artists, designers and engineers of all fields who value producing quality, strive for sustainability and embrace beauty and creativity. The Internet’s Influence The emergence of the internet has allowed entrepreneurs to […]

The Backstory of Beau Satchelle

As 2016 quickly comes to a close we wanted to celebrate the end of our first year with a blog about our history. We get a number of questions asking about our background and the origin of Beau Satchelle. So in the beginning…destiny weaved her way into our lives. Co-founders, April Bayles (AJ) and T. Michael met in late 2007 and discovered they shared similar passions and interests. After countless discussions about the love and challenges of being an entrepreneur and eventually T. Michael sharing his business model of a luxury brand, a partnership was developed and Beau Satchelle was conceived. A native Detroiter and proud University of Michigan graduate, at a very young age, April adored anything to do with fashion…clothes, hair, accessories. Taught by her Mom how to sew and had inherited a talent for drawing from her Dad, she dreamed of becoming a high end fashion designer. However, life happened and she became distracted with other interests and put her love for fashion on the backburner. Her experiences through college and various jobs along with her serial entrepreneurship ventures prepared her for the opportunity to come full circle and work on building a business brand that focuses on the lifestyle of luxury. T. Michael, a Michigan native. While in college, had an initial urge to explore the art of leather crafting was when he was unable to find quality belts on a college student’s budget. So, after much research which entailed finding the local leather store and reading books on belt making, purchasing and using the right tools was the first step in what was then a necessity gone hobby to what is now an emerging business. Later in life, the situation reoccurred with the need of another briefcase after his career took him through several ‘brand […]

Beau Satchelle Holiday Reveals Continued

Our team has been working non-stop to build an ambitious collection of treasured luxury leather goods ready for this time of the year. This blog post continues to reveal our latest products to be acquired for this holiday season. Two of the designs we are introducing in this post were inspired from receiving beautiful skins with deep colors that just spoke to our designer’s talent to create simple yet exquisite products. The first bag speaks for itself….. the color, the shape, the design. One of a kind! It had its public test drive at a couple of special events and without fail, many women swooned over this jewel. The bag is vintage inspired with a structured box look and matching handle made from a stunning gator embossed Italian lambskin in a dramatic lipstick red. Hand-cut and hand-sewn with fine black waxed thread, it was finished off with black hand dyed and burnished edges. The nickel plated hardware was selected perfectly to give more attention to this bespoke design. The interior is plush with matching red suede and a suede sleeve to hold your smartphone or smaller tablet. Executive Bridle Briefcase – Dressing down seems to be the norm at emerging companies, yet we see an uptick among men from the boardroom to celebrities who desire to embrace the well-dressed lifestyle with an array of stylish suits. Just as important, is the carefully selected accessories that range from bracelets, watches, ties, hats, lapel pins, cufflinks, pocket squares, belts, etc. needing to be in sync, subtle and elegant. To finish off that stylish look, let’s take a peek at a Beau Satchelle bespoke briefcase. Made of bridle leather in black, it was hand-cut and hand-stitched with black waxed Tigre thread and was finished off with black hand painted and burnished edges. The […]

Detroit Welcomes FashionSpeak 2016

A favorite time of the year for Beau Satchelle is in October when one of Metro Detroit’s premier non-profit organizations educate and promote the growing cut and sew industry in Michigan. Their annual FashionSpeak is part education, part networking, and all about the business of fashion. It is a time for professionals (designers, manufacturers, retailers, buyers, and bloggers) in the industry from veterans to college students to meet and learn from each other. So here’s Beau Satchelle’s takeaways from a packed day of learning: The morning began with Lauren Kirsch Weiss who serves as a buyer at Freeds of Windsor who shared tips on surviving trade shows from two standpoints that of a designer displaying their lines and secondly being an efficient tradeshow buyer. From a designer’s view it comes down to doing good prep work prior to the show (especially reaching out to potential buyers), presenting the best of you and your designs during event, and solid follow-up post show. The second speaker was Amy Dietrich, a product development expert and design consultant at Restoration Hardware whose topic was “Determine and develop your best product” and we have covered many tips that have been in previous blogs which boils down to doing your homework about your product, your customer and your competition. Karen McDonald, a public relations expert was the presentation that was key for Beau Satchelle. She offered a number of suggestions on creating a public relations plan for an emerging design business that included having good photography, a strong website, developing a press release and 3 to 6 talking points, know media’s deadlines, and practice interviewing. Karen also invited Rebecca Voigt, stylist editor from Hour Detroit, a local luxury magazine and RJ King, editor of Dbusiness an online business magazine that focuses on Metro Detroit businesses to […]

Creating A Luxury Brand From Scratch, part 1

Lately, a number of our fans and entrepreneurial peers of Beau Satchelle have asked us about lessons learned during our first year of launching our small business. Introducing a new brand and creating that initial momentum to attract attention and buyers takes laser focus and hard work to stay the course. The number of years and amount of grinding it requires to become an overnight sensation in the world of business can be daunting for a start-up. Breaking into the life of niche, affluent buyers demands, different thinking and actions require stepping up your game. Our 2016 journey has become fascinating. The many personal and business lessons gained are invaluable. Sharing with our readers through this blog, our continuous journey of building a brand, we hope, gives insight and confidence to peers who have or are considering taking the leap into creating their own start-up. Believe me, there is a wealth of teaching moments that will take more than one blog post, so let’s cover three in this one: 1. CREATING A VISION – Starts with knowing yourself. While making the moves to market your product, this is the time to dig deep and be introspective. This may mean determining what self-beliefs may hold you back as an entrepreneur, from selling to approaching a potential high end client. Your limiting mindset can totally derail your confidence in pricing and selling your premium products to a buyer with high expectations and discriminating tastes. Even if your luxury product is extraordinary, do the inner work on yourself to build confidence in attracting and working with high end clients. Our vision which we speak about in detail in our March 16th Blog post, titled “Vision Board of our Future” and is our North Star. In conjunction to creating the big picture, producing a […]

The Nuances of Stitching Leather

Last week, we had the privilege of participating in a swell event that featured a number of the newest and hottest retail spots and restaurants in Downtown Detroit. We were honored to represent our display of leather wine carriers and wine journals that were created exclusively for the House of Pure VIN, Detroit’s signature wine retailer. For Beau Satchelle, attending these events gives us the opportunity to gather feedback on the luxury products that T. Michael has created. Most reactions are that of astonishment at the craftsmanship of the products. “No way is this handsewn” is what I consistently hear from those who view our products. It is both humbling and confirming to T. Michael’s creative abilities. So, at this event, one admirer asked about the artist’s learning curve to producing such works of art. As a witness to his growth, I can assure you it began with one stitch, followed by the repetition of a million of stitches. The concentration that an apprentice must possess to perfect a saddle stitch, which is one of the main techniques used to sew leather, is utterly remarkable. If you are ever privileged to watch a Master leather craftsman stitch leather, it looks quite effortless. Almost to the point that it looks easy. But because I seem to get the same question about his personal journey of learning his craft, I wanted to give some insight into the growth of a self-taught leather artisan. T. Michael’s actually started his leather journey in college when he was unable to find quality belts that could fit within his budget. So, his next move was to visit the local leather store, pick up the necessary supplies and design belts, that to this day he still possesses. Fast forward to 2012, when the attraction of leather once […]

10 Success Habits of A Small Growing Luxury Business

After last week’s blog regarding the Olympics and what lessons we derive from the experiences of the absolute top athletes in their respective fields, a curious reader inquired as to our specific habits that keep us focused on “the main things” in building a luxury leather business. As with any creative business, Beau Satchelle has for the most part, two main areas: the creative side (the design and production of our leather goods) and the sales/marketing end (getting our products seen and sold). Our success in these two areas are determined by building consistent, small steps every day that stimulates momentum and progress over time. For Beau Satchelle, keeping our eye on the prize, a successful luxury leather company, requires us to practice the following ten habits: 1. Maintaining a Healthy Body – not suggesting to necessarily be in shape to perform a marathon (unless that is the goal), but at least creating the physical routines for endurance on those long days that support good energy and fitness in the area of exercise and healthy eating. 2. Maintaining Healthy Mind Set – Reading positive and intelligent materials and books, listening to educational podcasts, watching You Tube channels of other entrepreneurs, networking with other business owners keeps us sharp and encouraged. More importantly, having a great sense of humor will keep you sane! 3. Gratitude – the daily grind of a business can be draining and challenging. To keep a perspective on what’s truly important, acknowledging what we are grateful for comes in different forms whether that be through prayer, writing in a journal, using this blog to publicly acknowledge who and what we are thankful for or just recognizing our teammates value to this business is worth its’ weight in gold. Showing gratitude to others is limitless and appreciated. 4. […]

Six Luxury Lifestyle Blogs Beau Satchelle Enjoys

So on a personal note, as a child, one of my many answers to “what do I want to be when I grow up” asked by grownups that influenced my life as a child (besides a veterinarian, a circus ringmaster and the manager of the next Jackson Five singing group), I was going to be the next Gloria Vanderbilt. I grew up when paper dolls were in vogue and I absolutely loved drawing clothes and was taught to sew by my Mom. As a teenager, I collected every magazine (way before the internet) that featured the latest and greatest in fashion for young women. However, my career as a fashion designer didn’t pan out, but my love for beautiful things has grown immensely. Since the pre-launch of Beau Satchelle to the world and thanks to my world traveled partner and artist extraordinaire T. Michael who has broadened my experiences to another level in the world of luxury. Subsequently, my tastes have grown more sophisticated, I genuinely appreciate quality and excellence whether it be a wearing a handcrafted leather handbag, dining in a Michelin Star restaurant, or displaying treasured heirloom jewelry. The artist, chef or craftsman has put love and perfection into his or her work, which is what affluent customers deem priceless. As we build our business, we keep an eye on our luxury leather competitors, but it’s just as important to understanding our market’s buying habits in other industries and how they engage in their chosen lifestyles. Our true love is leather, but we embrace the high standard of living our clients seek when it comes to discernment, uniqueness and beauty. The growth of our business has a lot to do with our connections to our local, national and international network of business associates, however, we also have a […]

Why Is The Luxury Consumer So Fascinated With Luxury Goods?

When a brand sells luxury products or goods, it is not just about selling an item, it is about selling an idea or promoting a luxury lifestyle. Tapping into the way someone desires to live or recognizing how they choose to live, is called lifestyle selling, and, it is a meaningful strategy when marketing items that are considered luxury. In a world where we are free to dream most any creation imaginable, there are luxury designer architects anxiously awaiting our call to make any fantasy and the wildest dream come true. The more unique, intricate and customized, the more excited the luxury consumer becomes. “Why?” As the wealth of consumers continues to increase, luxury goods companies are continuously searching for ingenious creations to provide to their expanding clientele which is younger and more successful than ever before. Many luxury consumers have created enormous wealth for themselves and continuously seek out ways to self-indulge by purchasing one of a kind products and partaking in services where others only dream. Luxury consumers who create their wealth, take extra special care and exercise creativity in how it is spent. Luxury consumers enjoy, appreciate and desire all aspects of their lifestyles and activities as much as possible. From the clothes they wear to watches and accessories, what they drive to private exclusive club memberships, it all must represent their individual brand image. It is part of their strategy to continuously market themselves to the very people they try and engage in business whether on the golf course, in the boardroom or at a black tie affair. Luxury consumers buy products and consume services for their premium quality, personal history with the brand and self-pleasure. Many luxury brands position their products to be highly differentiated in the market amongst competitors by the use of celebrity […]

You Can’t Stop Change!

Unbelievable! We are half way through the summer. Many Michiganders seriously cling to this time of the year with our warm weather because Michigan winters can be brutal. Although, Mother Nature has been quite kind the last two winters. Grudgingly, there is an appreciation for our four seasons in that it reminds us that life has its own changing seasons and time waits for no one. Almost three weeks ago, the citizens of Great Britain voted to leave the European Union which according to economists impacts their currency value, trade agreements and immigration policies. Needless to say, the global economy has been impacted and for now, the cost of purchasing goods for consumers in the United States has become favorable. There is no denying that we are all impacted, not only things that happen in our country, but when global changes take place (whether it be political, economical, technological, or social changes). Although Beau Satchelle, is a small luxury brand, we even recognize the impact of “Brexit” and other world changes. Buying certain premium leather and supplies from our friends ‘across the pond’ in London has suddenly given us a price advantage. The ability to level the playing field by introducing our products to luxury consumers in not only Europe, but Africa, Asia and the Middle East is an inspiring challenge. In addition, the luxury consumer tide to search for more independent, artists whose values stress integrity and quality has been a blessing for us. As we share our mission statement, please keep in mind that in this ever changing society, we continue to evolve and play our part in helping build a better community. -AJ Beau Satchelle’s Mission Statement: Beau Satchelle provides fine bespoke leather handbags, cases, luggage, accessories and connoisseur specialties to those who crave individuality and one […]