My sister and I are making a line of clothing and want to sell it to a major manufacturer. I know this won't be easy, and we could use a little help. We are creating designs, patterns, and prototypes, but don't know what other steps we need to take. We have a possible contact with the company we want to pitch to, and would like to be able to show them something by early summer. What do we need to do? What should we have prepared before going in for a meet. Neither of us have ever done anything like this, and we know how difficult it is to get in with a major clothing name, but we think it's possible. Do we need a business plan? Attorney? What do we need other than design, pattern, and prototype? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Yes, you need a business plan. You might find a sample one on the following sites that you could tailor to suit your needs. http://www.sba.gov/ and SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" | SCORE (http://www.score.org/index.html) there is also other excellent information available on either site.

If you do have a possible contact already with a company, then I would suggest asking that person what the requirements would be to do what you are trying to do.

If you click on the following search, you will find other companies that you could also contact about the possible manufacturing and marketing of your clothing. Clothing Wholesale Manufacturer - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Clothing+Wholesale+Manufacturer)

In my opinion, I don't think that you need to have an attorney involved at this point. But, it would probably be a good idea to at least have an initial, free consultation with one and then to keep him or her informed as to what is going on should you actually need the attorney at some point in the future.

As far as the legalities are concerned, it's always good to be seeking out the professional advice of an attorney who can tell you if you are taking the proper legal steps in order to do what you are trying to do.

Thank you. I really do appreciate the information you provided. Having a free consult with an attorney is also a good idea. Hadn't thought of that one.