Introducing a new shoe line to make business? What do I do?

My cousin is a shoe designer in an other country. I want to introduce his products in the U.S. shoe market. Would I need any special licenses, how could I start? what do I need? We do not plan to open a store yet, we want to begin to sell in other retail or department stores. Thank you if you respond!

Introducing a new shoe line to make business? What do I do?
You will need to check with your local city and county for the requirements in opening a wholesale business. Most likely, you will be asked to





- register your business


- get your tax ID number (if you choose to do so otherwise you use your SSN)


- decide on the legal structure of your business (e.g. sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, S-corp or C-corp)





The easiest way to get the word out about a new shoe line is to participate in shoe trade shows where shoe retailers and buyers from major department stores and boutique attend. Here are the most important trade shows in the shoe industry:





- World Shoe Association http://www.wsashow.com/ - the largest and most comprehensive footwear and related accessories event


- Magic Marketplace http://www.magiconline.com - mainly apparel and accessories, though includes footwear as well


Fashion Footwear Association of New York www.ffany.org - largest shoe show in the East Coast


- Shoe Market of the Americas http://www.smota.com - held 3 times a year in Miami


- North American Shoe and Accessories Market http://www.northamericanshoe.com - the 10th largest shoe show in the world


- Los Angeles Shoe Show http://www.californiamarketcenter.com


- Southwest Shoe Expo http://www.southwestshoeexpo.com - held 5 times a year at Dallas World Trade Center


- Chicago Shoe Expo http://www.chicagoshoeexpo.com - a small regional trade show held 4 times a year in Chicago


Micam Shoevent www.micamonline - international trade show for medium to high end footwear held twice a year in Milan


- GDS http://www.mdna.com - the premier shoe event held twice a year in Dusseldolf, Germany





If you can attend only 1 trade show, make it the World Shoe Association -- this is open only to industry participants and not to the general public so you have to prove that you are a shoe seller. Prior to attending, contact as many industry participants as you can and let them know you will be in this show so you can meet with them during the trade show.



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