Interview with founder of BetiS TM (Ukraine)

This enterprise was established in the beautiful tourist city of Ochakiv in Mykolaiv region, on the shore of the Black Sea. “The start of baby clothing business was difficult, and that is why very interesting,” told Victoria Chorna, director and founder BetiS TM. Today the factory is successfully growing and developing. For more than 10 years, BetiS has been a leader in manufacture and wholesale of baby clothing and textile products in the Ukrainian market.

We gladly accepted the invitation to take a closer look at the production process. We were surprised with the warm and homely atmosphere. We learned about establishment and development of the factory, and many other interesting facts.

- Victoria, when you started your own production, why did you choose this particular area? Did you feel very keenly about this subject?

- Not at all. When I had my daughter Lisa in 2003 and my son Sasha in 2004, I wanted to dress them in beautiful and elegant, convenient and durable clothing. I didn’t know how to sew, I didn’t know how to make the simplest stitch on the sewing machine, but I was ready to move mountains for my kids!

- It would be interesting to know how you succeeded.

- First I found one seamstress, and then I found another one. I started to build a sewing workshop. I started to learn, and I’m still learning. We have more and more seamstresses every year. We share new ideas with them. Together we make everyday discoveries and make our dreams come true.

- How do you choose your staff? What considerations are you guided by?

- Our city is small, with a population of only 14 thousand people. Half of them are military personnel. And finding a good seamstress with a tender heart and positive thinking is very difficult. So I decided to just select positive people ready to learn. Even today, after 15 years, we have a low percentage of professional seamstresses. We mostly employ our trainees. We start with the simplest things: how to sit, how to hold your back and hands.

- Did you experience ups and downs at the start?

- Yes, indeed! War, annexation of Crimea had a significant impact on us. We take and thoroughly analyse challenges, and then change ourselves. Every challenge makes us even stronger.

- We know that you are engaged in charity...

- I don’t like to talk about it. We do it sincerely, from the heart, with a great desire to help, not for publicity, and much less for advertising.

- We heard that every woman in your city, who had delivered a baby, gets a gift from you…

- Yes, but we don’t consider it charity. We have so many problems and troubles in our lives that we want such a great miracle as the birth of a child to be a real holiday for parents. Our gifts are congratulations for mothers and greetings for babies.

- Tell us a little about your products.

- Newborns come into this world unprotected. And we want our soft, lightweight and comfortable clothing that embodies love and tenderness to protect them. Our designers create a unique style taking into account experience and wishes of parents.

We focus on clothing for children aged 0 to 12 months. We pay great attention to design of festive clothing, coming home and christening sets for every season. We have a huge variety of textile products for babies.

- Do your designs and collections depend on market demand?

- Yes, of course. We were the first who started combining the uncombinable, i.e. knitted fabrics with veiling and guipure, pearls and rhinestones.

- You were one of the first companies in Ukraine to start manufacture of clothing for premature babies.

- Unfortunately, such mini-clothing is increasingly in demand every year. A year ago, we used to make clothing for 40 cm newborns, and now we start with 32 cm. We always listen to the opinions and recommendations of the Institute of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of the NAMS of Ukraine for manufacture of clothing for premature or low-weight babies. Whenever possible, we always try to support such institutions and babies there.

- Do you set higher prices for such items?

- Sewing such mini-items is certainly more difficult and costly. Although a heel is like a coin, it is sewn perfectly. The tiniest snaps are used instead of standard ones. But we don’t set higher prices for such items, because these babies initially require extra care, nurturing, and therefore extra money.

About 10 years ago, these products were custom-made. After many orders like this, we decided to make special collections for premature babies. Today they can be purchased at Antoshka chain stores and infant stores near perinatal institutions.

- Your christening sets are very popular in Ukraine. Tell us a little about them.

- We offer a wide variety of designs and embroideries. We offer embroidered names (of baby, god-parents, wishes, prayers, birth and christening dates) and customised designs. Every order is executed with special attention and love.

- Do you have any discounts?

- We have discounts and promo offers from time to time, and a customer loyalty program. We love and appreciate our regular customers.

- Are you a B2B company?

- That’s it. We don’t retail. Even when business was going through a bad time, when our fellow manufacturers retailed on their websites, adding a small margin to their wholesale price, we did not do that, knowing that we would hurt our customers and destroy their businesses.

- How do you check product quality?

- We have developed our own internal standards to comply and check with at all production stages. They are not GOSTs (USSR state standards). They are modern-day standards being in line with applicable law. All our items are designed for modern children as well.

- Please, tell us a little about your online showroom.

- It is rather a good and convenient assistant for our wholesale customers. They can look at our products online and order it at any time, even late at night and early in the morning. Global market trends require such an approach.

- You are frequent visitors of foreign international trade fairs. Are you ready to participate?

- We’ve visited many international trade fairs for children’s fashion industry. Due to meetings with partners and customers, we understand customers’ needs even better and meet customers’ expectations as much as possible. Next year we will participate in a trade fair in Cologne as exhibitors for the first time. We are making a lot of preparations.

- What are your impressions from Baby Expo?

- We participate in every edition of Baby Expo and Children’s Fashion Fair. We love them very much. It is an ideal event to meet with partners.

- What have you prepared for the next Children’s Fashion Fair?

- A new product line for babies. We have created it with great enthusiasm. We hope that customers will like it too.

- What are your personal secrets for a successful business?

- The early bird catches the worm. In other words, to achieve something, you have to be what you do. Our team is another important factor of success. Every team member knows how to appreciate, communicate, argue, respect, joke, and support. They don’t try their strength against others but work towards a result.