The perfect dress doesn’t exis-
Enter Teresa Jack, dressmaker and entrepreneur. She wanted to design a dress where you could twirl around and not show everything underneath. And—it has pockets.
Teresa had an idea for a business making and selling the perfect dress, so she signed up for The Mill’s Everyday Entrepreneur Program (EEP) at Salt Lake Community College. This 10-week course teaches entrepreneurs to identify and validate a business opportunity, and then help them build a solid ‘go-to-market’ strategy to successfully launch their business.
One of Teresa’s first assignments was to find potential customers for a focus group. She posted about her assignment and the dress on TikTok and the video went viral, amassing over a million views. She has since made local and national news headlines in Axios and Fox 13’s The Place. And her business, Chelsea Reece, has exploded from there.
@teresa_jack Replying to @thisiskrysten this model is @littlepixiegirlx btw 🥰! But would you guys be open to being in a focus group and helping me bring this dress to market? It would help me SO much to better understand the customer. #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #fashiontiktok #fashiondesign #fashiondesigner #smallbusiness #cottagecorefashion #smalldesigner #smallbusinesscheck #whimsicalfashion #whimsical #newenglandstyle #tiktokfashionmonth ♬ Star Wars (the Force Theme) - Less Gravity
Jon Beutler, director of The Mill Entrepreneurship Center, sat down with Teresa Jack, Founder and CEO of Chelsea Reece, for a Q&A.
Jon: So, Teresa, it’s been quite a ride the past four months, how did it all start?
Teresa: Well, I had this idea to create the perfect dress to stroll through a museum, a romantic walk in a park, and breakfast at Tiffany’s. A dress that anyone can twirl in without showing the main event. And a pocket to hold your Skittles.
Jon: We met in November of 2022. I still have that email and I quote, “I'm a motivated little entrepreneur with ideas, passion and vision. I'd love to be a part of EEP,” so we got you registered for the class.
Teresa: Yes, and when I knew I was in the class I immediately ordered a prototype, ‘cause I wanted to have it on the first day of class, so I could start validating my idea.
Jon: You walked into class that Tuesday with a blue dress and a matching doggy bow for your best friend. We don’t mess around at all in class, we get right to work, and your first assignment was to start talking to customers.
Teresa: What I decided to do was create a quick TikTok video and link to a survey to capture feedback on my design idea.
Jon: And how did that go?
Teresa: Viral! In less than 20 hours, over 1 million views.
Jon: What I remember most was the infamous phone call we had Saturday morning, four days after you started class, there were a few tears?
Teresa: Ha, I forgot about that part. I had several people who wanted to purchase the dress, and I needed $1500 for the minimum order, and I didn’t have the money.
Jon: Friends, family, fools. Credit cards, aluminum cans, we looked at all the options. We decided to apply for a micro-loan and we started to gather information. Then out of nowhere we decided to have a pre-order sale, or a discount for pre-order.
Teresa: Yes, so I spent all day Saturday setting up my website with a discount and went live.
Jon: And….
Teresa: I sold over $20,000 in the first 24 hours, it was crazy.
Jon: And Chelsea Reece was born.
Teresa: Our growth continues to accelerate, we have added several more colors, and this fall we will be releasing new styles, more accessories and maybe other clothing as well. Stay tuned.
Visit www.chelseareece.com to view her collection.
The next EEP class is starting August 8, and will run for 10 weeks. Check out the website for more information or sign up here: https://themillatslcc.com/everyday-entrepreneur-program-application/
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