This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sara Fowler, founder of Pleat Collection. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When I was young, I used to try to sell rocks to my neighbors. I’d market the rocks based on their interests: selling them as a paperweight to one neighbor, a key hider to another. I was thinking like an entrepreneur from a young age.
In middle school, I started babysitting. I loved kids and being in charge of my own business. I babysat all through high school, college, and beyond. Ultimately, I saved about $30,000 in babysitting money.
My parents each ran their own businesses — my mom as a physician and my dad as an electrical engineer. I knew I wanted to start some type of business, too. Having money saved from babysitting would make that easier.
My babysitting money meant we were profitable from the start
After college, I worked for a baby clothing brand. As I learned more about the industry, I realized there was a hole in the market: there were no brands helping tween girls make a soft transition from baby clothing lines to young adult lines. I decided I wanted to create a brand that filled the gap between smocked (baby clothes) and cropped (teen clothing).
With my idea in hand and research done, it was time to draw on that babysitting money. I used $25,000 to register my business and launch the first line of Pleat Collection in 2021. I was 28 by then, but the money I had saved as a teen allowed the company to be profitable from the start. I was — and still am — incredibly proud of that.
I don’t have tween girls — but I’ve learned what they love
Surprisingly, I didn’t get any pushback about the fact that I didn’t have a tween daughter myself. When I launched Pleat, I wasn’t yet a mom, though now I have a 2-year-old son. If anything, people took me more seriously because I wasn’t solving a personal problem—I was solving a problem in the industry.
Although I wasn’t yet a mom, Pleat was built on personal experience. As young as kindergarten, I would feel more confident in clothes that helped me feel like myself. I had a shirt that showed the stages of a flower growing, and I just loved it. I didn’t have the words for that at the time, but it made me feel elevated.
That’s what I aim to give girls with Pleat. Tweens are still discovering their identity, and experimenting with clothing and style is one of the easiest ways for them to do that. When a girl slips on one of my outfits and does a little toe pop, I smile ear to ear. She might not know why this outfit makes her feel great, but she knows that it does.
I’m excited for my son to see my work ethic up close
Thanks to the solid start from my babysitting money, Pleat has remained profitable since it began. I’ve kept total control of the company, along with my husband. That means the success of the company has been a major financial blessing. Last year, we did $1.1 million in sales; this year, we’re tracking to increase that by 30%.
I’m still very frugal and conservative with how I spend. It’s just me and my husband fulfilling all those orders, though the time has come when we need to hire help soon.
I indulge in some small things. I’ve honed my eye for quality clothing since launching the brand. These days, I’ll buy a beautiful dress that I might not have splurged on before.
As my son gets older, I’m excited for him to see the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining a company. I want him to see that breaking out on his own is always an option. That’s a gift my parents gave me — always believing that I could do this if I set my mind to it.
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