GET ON THE LIST


Julie Turkel NYC

Skip to content
  • Brand Collaborations
  • Branding
    • Interviews
    • Fashion Brands
    • Lifestyle Brands
  • Free Licensing Advice
    • Brand Licensing Examples
  • Just Julie
    • Julie in the City
    • Momlife

Julie in the City

Miracle On Greenwich Street: A Brand Building Business is Born

Has anyone ever given you some off-the-cuff piece of advice that sparked a revelation that up until that moment should have been so simple and obvious? Here’s my moment: I had been working for various media companies including Nickelodeon and Discovery Channel. I decided it was time to jump the corporate ship to define my…

Read More
Follow Me @iamjulieturkel
  • Monday view outside my window while I listen to The Jenna Rainey Show podcast @jennarainey. I am doing a regular feature on the podcast and on today’s episode I talk about how I landed in the wacky world of licensing in the first place and my journey in building a licensing business of my own. It’s not easy to listen to the sound of my voice - I have to be totally honest - but I’m grateful to be able to tell my story in the hopes that you will learn something and be inspired. Thank you, Jenna, for the opportunity. Link is in my bio to listen.
  • On this #NYE I am going to be sandwiched between these two #littlewomen and most likely in bed before 11pm. I could not be #happier. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to be working in a field that allows me to balance #work and #momlife (and be profitable and #creative) with virtually no guilt. This past decade made that point abundantly clear, and the work/life balance was just what I needed to help put the meaning of success into perspective for me. I cannot wait to jump into new projects in 2020, including a new #podcast in the works, a re-launch of #brandplusbrand and too many new product launches with clients to name here. But for now, I am going to hang at home with my girls and wish you all a #happy and #healthy #newyear 🥂
  • Last day to buy the #BrandPlusBrand class that I am co-teaching with @jennarainey before the cart officially closes for a looooong time. I wanted to feature (above) some of the amazing design #talents 🙌🏻 I have personally worked with over my almost 20 years in business - #NateBerkus, #DabneyLee, #FrenchBull, #JennaRainey and #RealSimple. All of these brands were at the early “seed” stage of #branding and #licensing when I began working with them. And ALL of these incredible brands grew exponentially via the tools and methods included in the Brand Plus Brand class. Now, it doesn’t hurt that each of these brands passed the “Are you ready to license test?” - included in Module 1 of the class - with (mostly) flying colors when I started working with them. But I think it’s important to note that these highly successful designers and brands were once at square one and needed the help of experts to expand into lifestyle brand status. And now they are the experts! Jenna and I have packaged everything we think you need to know to understand the licensing and brand marketing spaces so you can map out your plan, empowered and informed. Link in bio to purchase the class.
  • I am going to share a story at the risk of alienating some of you who may not be into this stuff - but 18 years ago I went to see @mariapapapetros. A one hour #intuitive reading with her gave me just what I needed to begin my #journey as a #creativeentrepeneur. To put things in context, I was consulting in #licensing strategy for #eloiseattheplaza at the time, it was right after September 11th, I was living in the #westvillage, questioning my #purpose, surrounded by so much #creativity, but so unsure about the future. Maria said don’t worry - “If you lose your job tomorrow, you will find your dream clients”. I had no idea how that could happen because I was so far away from where I wanted to be with no road map. The very next day I lost my Eloise job 😳. There are snippets of what happened next in my #instastories and a whole lot more in the Brand Plus Brand class launching September 15th. Suffice it to say Maria was spot on. I am so #grateful for the people and resources I invested in and #trusted to lead the way. Today, I am working with not only my dream clients @dabneylee @jennarainey (and others) - they are #partners, #collaborators and #friends. Jenna is my co-teacher who brought me this opportunity to take my own business to the next level through #skillshare and #education. Dabney created the #brandplusbrand logo in a hot minute and is truly the best kept secret in branding and licensing. Oh, and Maria - a few years ago I went to see her and she spent the whole session convincing me I needed a name that had “14 letters” and the words “brand +” in it, which is when I came up with name Brand Plus Brand. I sat with the name in my notebook, having #seriously no idea what to do with it until Jenna approached me about creating this class. Jenna and I (J + J 😉) put our own personal brands together to bring the knowledge, tools and support you need to grow your brand through partnerships. So when Jenna asked me what we should name the class the answer was pretty obvious. Brand Plus Brand goes live September 15th - 22nd (link in bio). I can’t wait to see what the future holds for everyone involved in this class 🔮💫
  • I have been avoiding posting about this topic #allsummerlong , so before it ends (😭)I want to address a #licensing trend that is going to keep #trending - influencers making the #leap from being just an #ad to #becoming a full fledged brand. No eye rolls please - like #stylists, #models, #celebrities, #bloggers , influencers are #creativeentrepreneurs in their own right, and some are very #savvy. I’m all for this (even though I know there are so many talented, aspiring designers who are frustrated by the dominance of social media). Though they may not be trained designers, the influencers’ licensing potential lies in their ability to establish the right balance of #aspirational + #accessible. The “make or break” qualities influencers (or any brand) must possess are #trust and a unique design point a view. They must fill (or create) a void/niche, or their brand is not identifiable. In fashion, I really admire influencer Danielle Bernstein @weworewhat because she chose to #launch two unique items that she can “own” - swimwear + overalls. For swim, she partnered with high end brand @onia. Launching a line at a high price point is a risky choice for someone with a large following like hers, as they may not be able to afford her products. BUT it’s smart to start small and go for better quality to get your feet wet before you go mass. That’s how you build experience, credibility and trust. In other words, slow and steady wins the race. Plus, how cute are these looks?
  • Today feels like a #throwback day but I also want to talk about the cost of #trademarks, so here it goes... Today I got a letter informing me that a trademark I own, Girls on Greenwich, is about to expire. I used to have a #sidehustle as the founder of an #ecommerce site that focused on #preloved luxury #childrenswear. It was called Girls on Greenwich - a nod to my West Village #singlemom life and #daughters. Anyone remember these photos from my GoG days? If you have a #creativebusiness it is pretty essential to trademark your brand name in at least one product category. If you plan to license your brand and create a #lifestylebrand I would start with filing your trademark in 5-10 categories, depending on your #vision. According to the USPTO notice I received that will cost around $3-6K + the cost of an IP lawyer - some helpful info, I hope. Also, for those of you who remember GoG, who thinks I should keep the trademark? #brandplusbrand #feelingnostalgic
  • First things first, tomorrow (8/15) round two of early bird registrations for the #brandplusbrand licensing class begins for one week only. If you missed the offer last month there is still the opportunity to save $100 before the price goes up to $597 when it launches on 9/15 (#linkinbio). Feel free to #comment and ask me or @jennarainey any questions you have about the class. One of the most common questions I get asked is how to determine your #licensing fees and royalty rates. We dedicate a whole module in the class to #pricingstrategy and it’s valuable info. When I think about pricing I think about #supermodel Linda Evangelista’s controversial #quote (above). For me, the bottom line is that it’s good to know your bottom line (whatever it is). In licensing (as in modeling, I suppose), $10K is not a huge ask when you think about the potential millions (or hundreds of thousands) a company may make from your art/design/brand/ideas/influence. Hence, $497 is a small price to pay if it’ll give you the #toolsofthetrade and confidence to make 10 G’s. #quotesforyou
  • This news is not exactly new this week, but my “home away from home”, my literal first home office (the shoe department 💁🏻‍♀️) and source of constant #inspiration and brand discovery @barneysny is in bankruptcy. Various articles say that my #licensing #superpowers might be able to save it! This is for sure challenging times for US retailers and it’s not the first time that Barney’s has #struggled to make ends meet. Barney’s will close a few stores and look for (and find) a buyer. One of its biggest assets is its #trademark brand name. What does it stand for to you? At one point they used the tag line “taste, luxury and humor” in #marketing, and that still feels true to me today. Retailers are by nature competitive and not #collaborative. In the early days of starting my licensing business, I was in discussions with Barney’s about licensing their name to create products (bags, jewelry, home, etc.) sold outside their own stores. The question came up continually: “Where would we sell these products that would not compete with our core business?”. The thing is, in today’s volatile #retail climate, this mentality does not fly. That’s why you see @jcrew + @nordstrom and @netaporter, or @macys + Story joining forces. It’s important to keep an open mind and align your brand with outlets that your consumer #respects, but also exposes your brand to new consumers. That will make licensing your brand name much easier to envision and more likely to succeed, when your stores and business both need a serious life raft. #brandplusbrand #collaborationovercompetition
ABOUT
CONTACT
Back to top
GET ON THE LIST


© 2020 Ripe Ideas LLC. All rights reserved. A+A Spark || Design by LIBBY Co