These are economically unprecedented times, so it’s completely understandable why so many people are making unprecedented financial decisions. Whether you want to start a business or join a direct sales company, there’s probably never been a better time to find a new source of income.
Today we’re going to talk about LuLaRoe, the iconic patterned leggings company you’ve likely seen all over social media. If you’ve been tempted to become an independent consultant for LuLaRoe because you want to sell cute clothes and do something fun from home, I want to help you make that dream a reality, but better. This post will show you exactly how to start your own company selling leggings you’ve designed yourself at a fraction of the cost of a LuLaRoe startup kit using an MLM-free method of e-commerce (because MLMs are a predatory business model that you should avoid at all costs).
(This post contains affiliate links, so if you sign up or purchase something they might throw a few pennies my way. A girl’s gotta eat.)
What is LuLaRoe and How Does it Work?
LuLaRoe is a popular multi-level marketing (MLM) company that’s known for its patterned leggings, dresses, and other clothing products. All of their products are sold through independent distributors who buy the products directly from LLR and sell them through online parties, Facebook groups, their own websites, pop up shops, craft fairs, etc.
To become a LuLaRoe consultant, you have to invest $499 in your initial inventory, which consists of 65 pieces you get to choose yourself (it used to be a $4-5,000 investment so that’s gone down significantly). You are then considered a “consultant,” which is the lowest rung on the totem pole. In order to stay here, you have to purchase at least 33 pieces per month from LuLaRoe, whether you sell them or not.
This compensation information is from Digital Cash Kings – there is a chance this model has changed, but LLR no longer makes this information readily available and no distributors want to give me the information so this is what I have to go off.
The next level up is LuLaRoe sponsor, which you become when you purchase at least 175 products per month.
Up next is LuLaRoe trainer. You have to purchase at least 250 pieces a month and have 3 people in “three different legs or lines” of your downline in order to obtain trainer status.
Then there’s the LuLaRoe coach. You still only have to purchase 250 pieces a month, but you also need at least three trainer-level distributors in your downline.
At the top of the pyramid you have LuLaRoe mentors. You have to purchase 250 pieces a month, have 3 trainer-ranked team members, and 3 coach-ranked members in three different legs or lines. Your “team volume” must also be at least 1750 pieces, which does not include your “personal volume.” I assume this means your downline must be purchasing at least 1,750 pieces directly from LuLaRoe each month.
You’ll also make anywhere from 1-5% in commission from your downline.
So in order to be a LuLaRoe consultant and move up in the ranks, you have to purchase anywhere from 33 to 250 pieces of clothing directly from LuLaRoe each month, whether you sell those pieces or not. The only time you get to pick the exact products you receive is with your very first “starter kit” order. So if you want 10 pairs of black leggings, you can request 10 pairs of black leggings in that first order. That’s the only time you have any choice of what shows up. With every order you place after that, you can choose style – leggings, dresses, t-shirts – but it’s up to them which exact products they send you in each shipment.
If this business model still doesn’t have you convinced that LuLaRoe is a bad idea, you can ask these sellers who say LuLaRoe sent them into bankruptcy. Or those who filed a class-action lawsuit against the company owners Mark and Deanne Stidham. Or the supplier who sued them for $49 million. There’s no shortage of information as to why LuLaRoe is a terrible idea and even more terrible company to join, which is why I want to show you a better way – one where you can sell fun and adorable and unique leggings to your friends and set the rules – AKA real business ownership.
Start Your Own Clothing Boutique: How to Sell Leggings, Dresses, and Other Printed Apparel Under Your Own Brand
You can start an online clothing store selling products you’ve designed yourself without ever having to store inventory, with no order minimums, and with no shipping required on your end. This process is called print-on-demand (POD) and it’s the #1 way my business makes money.
In short, POD is an almost entirely automated process where you create your own designs and patterns, upload it onto the products you want to sell, sync these items to your shop, then when you make a sale, you pay the manufacturer for the item’s base price, then they print and ship it with your branding in 2-7 business days. All you have to do is create the designs and product listings, then get the word out and market your products just as you would with LuLaRoe. You can do this without the pressure to meet a monthly goal or risk of getting knocked down the ladder after one bad month. It’s your business – you make the rules.
My preferred production partner is Printful – they have a whole section of leggings that you can design and sell under your own brand. Here’s a video of Printful’s manufacturing process for leggings. They also have a detailed guide on their full process and how POD works, which you can check out here.
Printful syncs to several marketplaces so you can sell your items in multiple places and make more money. You can sell your items on Etsy as handmade with production assistance. You can create your own Shopify store, sell on Amazon or eBay, or even sign up for other POD sites like Society6.
Printful’s best-selling all over print leggings are rated 4.5/5 stars by sellers. Make sure to check out each product’s review section so you can learn from other people’s experiences and see pictures of some products that others have made. Printful also has plus-size leggings, so you can sell sizes up to 6XL.
All products come with a template that you can view and download as a guide to help you while creating designs.
Imagine doing the same promotional work you’d do for LuLaRoe, but instead of selling another company’s clothes, you get to say that you’ve created this brand and these leggings yourself (because you have).
Now that you know where to go to have your leggings printed, you have to decide how they’re going to look.
Create Your Own “Unicorn” LEGGINGS Designs: How to Make Your Own Unique Patterns With Clip Art and Canva
In order to sell leggings through Printful, you need designs for those leggings, which are typically pattern prints that repeat all over the fabric. LuLaRoe was known for what it called “unicorn” leggings, which were extremely rare patterns that were hard to find and therefore sold at a premium. People would lose their damn minds in search of unicorn leggings, and I’ve seen various patterns on Poshmark and eBay advertised as LuLaRoe “unicorns” that are selling for hundreds of dollars. Totally ridiculous when you can just invent your own unique designs instead!
If you’re not an illustrator or graphic designer, one of the easiest ways to create unique patterns is by sourcing clip art and graphics through a site like Creative Fabrica. It’s my favorite place to buy clip art for my t-shirts and printables because everything is made by independent designers who sell their graphics for commercial use. They even have a section of freebies so you can start designing your leggings without spending a fortune.
When you buy clip art from a site like Creative Fabrica, you’re allowed to sell the designs you make as long as you’ve added other elements to make it “unique” – you can’t just slap the graphic on a t-shirt and sell it with no modifications. So if you were to buy these adorable watercolor dogs for your line of pet-themed leggings, you could create a pattern with each breed of dog and add other small details such as hearts or paw prints to make it unique. (Here are some watercolor cats if you’re more of a cat person).
The only designs on CF where you’re allowed to use the files as-is are located in the POD section, which means you can use them on POD products without making any alterations. There are far less graphics in this section than the rest, so it’s helpful to learn how to make your own patterns.
How to Make All-Over-Print Patterns
Once you’re ready to make a pattern, watch Printful’s video on best practices for creating patterns for all-over-print products. This video will also show you how to make patterns for free using their internal design software and clip art. I made this pair in less than a minute using Printful’s clip art and pattern maker:
This video tutorial will walk you through how to create a seamless pattern using Canva.
Here’s another video on how to create branded patterns in Canva.
If you have Illustrator, this video goes over how to make a pattern using Printful’s leggings template.
Here’s another good video on creating trendy patterns in Illustrator.
One great thing about this process is that you can sell these patterns on far more than just leggings. Printful also has all-over-print (AOP) t-shirts, sweatpants, skirts, dresses, and even swimwear. So you could create an entire line of clothing with patterns no one else has ever made, with absolutely no monthly order requirements or upline pressure.
Ready to start your own leggings boutique?
Sign up for Etsy with my referral link and we’ll both get 40 free listings.
Then sign up for Printful and decide which products you’d like to sell.
Sign up for Canva to create your designs (make sure to take advantage of the free 30-day trial of Canva Pro)
Download some graphics from Creative Fabrica and start designing your products!
Recommended Reading
How to Grow Your Sales Organically With Etsy SEO
Where to Find the Best Mockups for Your Print-On-Demand Product Images
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