Building a Licensed, Collegiate Apparel Brand That's Scaling into Wholesale | Megan Smalley

#637 Ever wonder how a side hustle born in a guest bedroom can grow into a nationwide licensed apparel brand? In this episode, host Kirsten Tyrrel sits down with entrepreneur Megan Smalley, founder of Scarlet & Gold, to explore her 13-year journey building a thriving apparel company that creates products people actually want to wear. Megan shares how she evolved from running a small side hustle out of her guest bedroom to managing a licensed apparel brand serving universities nationwide. She opens up about the twists and turns of entrepreneurship — from shutting down her business during motherhood, to relaunching with a print-on-demand model, to scaling into wholesale and overseas manufacturing. Megan also offers valuable insight into leadership, building team culture, managing growth, and breaking into the wholesale market. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, this episode is packed with real-world lessons on pivoting, perseverance, and creating meaningful products! What we discuss with Megan: 0:00 The Problem: Lack of Feminine Apparel in College Bookstores 3:40 Building a Business: Custom and Licensed Apparel 7:16 Pivoting and Growth: From Guest Bedroom to Retail Store 10:54 Navigating Life Changes: Infertility, Motherhood, and Business Hiatus 14:32 Reinvention: Print-on-Demand and Remote Teams 18:10 Scaling Up: In-House Production and Custom Orders 21:48 Wholesale Expansion: Pre-Book Collections and Market Strategy 25:26 Direct to Consumer vs. Wholesale: Business Models Compared 29:04 Team Building and Company Culture at Scarlet & Gold 32:22 Lessons Learned: Advice for Entrepreneurs and Final Thoughts Thank you, Megan! Check out Scarlet & Gold at ⁠ScarletandGoldShop.com⁠: https://scarletandgoldshop.com/ Follow Megan on ⁠Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/scarletandgoldshop/ To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/training (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/training)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And follow us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/millionaire_university_mu/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MillionaireUniversityMU/) Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@millionaireuniversity_mu?lang=en) Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyG31bPcrqhbjvGsuz-JaXw) Twitter (https://twitter.com/Millionaire_Uni) To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors) . Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews here (https://www.millionaireuniversity.com/podcast) ! #entrepreneurship #clothingbusiness #apparelbusiness #apparelbrand #customapparel