ECPI Business Administration Grad Builds Fashion Startup
Key Takeaways
An ECPI Business Administration graduate transformed a hobby into a thriving fashion startup by combining sewing skills with formal business education in accounting, project management, and marketing. Her success demonstrates how college coursework in business fundamentals directly enables entrepreneurs to launch sustainable companies and scale their creative vision.
- Tabitha completed her ECPI Business Administration degree in 2.5 years and launched a fashion startup combining sewing expertise with business training
- She used accounting and project management skills learned in college to accurately cost materials and price products profitably
- Marketing knowledge from her degree enabled her to identify target markets and grow her online audience across YouTube and Instagram
- Her business TJ Sewer began as YouTube tutorials but evolved into a full fashion line with custom pieces after recognizing market demand
- Business administration education provided the financial literacy and strategic thinking necessary to transform a creative passion into a viable business
She was right but it turned out a bit different than even she might have imagined. Tabitha figured she would first go back to college but four years was out of the question. She was looking for knowledge, not a social experience.
“That’s why I chose ECPI University,” says Tabitha. “I saw I could earn my degree in Business Administration in 2.5 years and I knew that was for me!”
When she began her studies at the Newport News campus, this busy mom still found herself with extra time on her hands so she decided to learn how to sew, recording herself on camera and then posting her progress on YouTube and Instagram. Not long after, her online audience began taking notice as Tabitha began crafting clothes that looked like they came from a high-end boutique.
“Somebody would see something I made and want me to make one for them,” says Tabitha. “I always told them that I would rather teach them how to do it, so I began posting ‘how-to’ videos.” After a while, however, the entrepreneur in her saw an opportunity and began working on a business plan to launch her own business.
What Tabitha has accomplished in a matter of months is impressive, to say the least. She has nearly 6,000 Instagram followers and more than 21,000 YouTube subscribers. She is specializing in skirts for now, but will soon launch a bridal line. In addition to online sales, she has one boutique carrying her line and another about to come on board. Even some people in Hollywood are taking notice. Actor Charlie Sheen’s wife is looking for some fresh new skirts and an entertainment reporter is planning to wear one of her designs to an upcoming red carpet event.
While her creative flair may have come naturally, Tabitha credits her business acumen to the time she spent at ECPI University. “I use what I learned there every single day,” she says. “Whether it’s accounting, project management or marketing, I use all of it to understand my target market and grow my business. I had one class I absolutely hated, but now I think it was the best class I could have taken. The skills I developed now allow me to cost materials and overhead, and price my clothes accordingly. Just like they say on TV, going to ECPI University is the best decision I ever made!”
Tabitha Sewer’s clothing line can be viewed online at www.tjsewer.com, the CheapbutChic1YouTube Channel, or Instagram.
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