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So I'm starting a clothing brand with literally no following, and I feel like I'm doing something super controversial by not launching with a pre order. Every single YouTube video or video here on TikTok or Instagram that I've seen about, like, how to start a clothing brand, all the experts, all the advice is like, you pretty much have to launch with a pre order. It's the smartest thing to do. It's the best way to, like, save money, not overspend, not over buy. It's basically, like, just a better use of your time if you wanna launch. And, and it's not bad advice. And I don't feel like I know better or have it all figured out or my plan is the best or anything, but I really kinda took the time to pause and I'm like, okay, let's be, like, super, super, super realistic. Like, okay, I have 400 followers here on TikTok, I have 200 followers on Instagram, and then on my personal Instagram account, I have 3,000 followers. Like, who the heck's gonna pre order my stuff? Like, like, let's be real. My brand at this moment is such a small startup brand, I don't have the ability to build enough momentum to be able to launch, like, a successful pre order that would really, really, really help me gauge anything. I would much rather, like, create a really good creative and marketing campaign around really good products. When they do arrive, and then, you know, run ads, do organic, do the full spiel, do the full strategy, and have people be able to buy and to buy at that moment and the product arrive within a reasonable time frame, because hopefully they love the product. They post about the product, they tell their friends about the product, and then when their friend finds out about the product, they buy it too, and they're getting it as well within a reasonable time frame. I don't feel it's a sound strategy for a small startup brand with no momentum, no following, no nothing to be like, This is available for pre order starting June 6, but it'll ship in eight weeks. Like, I don't. I don't feel personally like that is going to give me the growth or the momentum that I am looking for, but I watch so many videos on this, and it kinda just feel like I'm making a mistake or something like that because of how many people say that you have to kinda, like, launch with the pre order and your first, first time, they say the best thing and they say things like that, like, the best thing that you can do. Like, I'm telling you right now, like, save your money. Like, you have to order a pre order, and you're just like, oh, my gosh. But I'm like, who the heck's gonna pre order my stuff? I literally have no, no following also as a consumer, I have never pre ordered anything. Like, there has not been something that I love so much that I pre order it and then wait four to six to eight weeks to actually receive it. So that could be another thing, you know, and I'm not. I can't speak for all consumers in the world. Like, I know there's lots of people that do pre order things, but I'm like, I am making button downs and trousers and a tea. My. The quality that I am providing in the fit and the style that I am giving to people is unique. But I can't run an ad to pre order a button down. There's. There's lots of button downs out there. Mine is unique. But why would someone want to pre order my button down and wait eight weeks for it? I have not built that type of brand awareness and brand momentum. Now, in the future, I feel like I can, because my product is going to stand out and my brand is going to stand out. But right now, in this very first launch, super mega early stage, I don't stand out at this moment. Anyways, that's a bit of my philosophy and thinking and strategy around my first long. And I really want to help anyone in my shoes right now. Just know, you if for your first launch, you're not making a mistake if you don't launch with a pre order, won't be able to collect the data that you need to figure out the next steps that you can take until after you launch something. And for me, it's important to be able to launch, you know, a marketing strategy. People can buy at that moment, people can receive it within a couple days, and they can tell their friends, and their friends can buy it. Like, I need that. That is important for me at this moment, and I don't want to sacrifice that for anything else. I am willing to invest the money into placing a bulk order and kind of seeing how it goes. That is something that I am willing and can do with the startup costs that I have kind of already calculated. So I will be open about how that goes for me. This may not work out for me. I may regret it. We will see. But that's why I am sharing everything, so we can kind of see and learn and grow together.