smart, sexy & comfortable
thanks to bita saviss
 Young,
savvy and caring, Bita Saviss, owner of Bita Saviss Lingerie
started her
business from scratch. Hailing from Tehran, the beautiful
Bita has created, what women call, the most comfortable
patented push-up bra. They come in colorful colors and
with a cutting
edge
style
that fully
embraces real life curves. The first product,
the Lavand Distraction Bra, originated when Bita became
determined to improve upon conventional bras in the market.
Today, she has expanded
her
line
to include sexy, and innovative designs, including a new
line of G-strings. The vivacious businesswoman sat with
us for a brief discussion:
PersianMirror: Tell
us about your background.
Bita
Saviss: I
grew up in Tehran. It’s a very
lively and fun city. I moved to the U.S. with my family
when I was 16 years old. High School was a bit of a challenge
at first since I didn’t understand English, but
it forced me to learn English fast. After that, I attended
USC’s Marshall School of Business. I knew business
would be challenging, and I liked the idea of being my
own boss. I also grew up seeing my family starting their
own businesses. My grandfather started a gas company
in Iran with not much start-up capital. Today it’s
one of the main Gas companies in Iran. My father is also
a successful businessman; it helps to have business-minded
family members who are supportive. They’re risk-takers,
and they understand what it takes to start and grow a
venture. The Lloyd Grief Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
was particularly attractive when I was attending SC,
because
it was chosen as the # 1 Entrepreneur Program in the nation
by Success Magazine year after year. Aside from having
knowledgeable and experienced professors, they invite entrepreneurs
- who share their experiences and challenges of starting
their venture - which is very insightful and encouraging.
"You
have to have a very bold and fearless attitude" -
Bita Saviss
PM: What
did you decide to do after college and how did you end
up leaving your job to do what you do?
BS: I
was playing with the idea of a push-up bra.
I was frustrated with buying uncomfortable push-up bras
that didn’t perform. After graduation,
I made a few prototypes that weren’t exactly excellent
so I kept fine-tuning it.
After about 6 months
of working on my business, not having an income and not
being able
to implement my concept successfully,
I decided to get job at a start-up company called Rent.com,
which was recently bought by Ebay. At first, it was just
a part-time job while I would work on my business. After
2 months of working there, I got promoted to a full-time
management position. The job required long hours, and I
didn’t have the time or energy to work on my business.
It was a great experience working there as I learned about
management, and also how a start-up might have to change
its original concept in order to succeed. Even though it
was a great job with a lot of potential, I knew I wanted
to perfect my push-up bra concept and introduce it to the
market. I left the company after 18 months to launch my
venture.
PM: How
did you get started and what were the few years like for
you?
BS: The
first 2 years were very challenging. At first I decided
to work with contractors in Los Angeles so they could take
over production, but I was not impressed by the quality
of their samples. The Lavand Distraction Bra is a complicated
bra to assemble so I decided to set up my own factory in
order to control the quality. I didn’t know anything
about manufacturing. Thankfully I was introduced to people
who had years of experience in pattern making and operating
machines. But I had to do my homework. I knew I couldn’t
rely on anyone to teach me how to set up my factory.
I spoke
to a few individuals who spent years in manufacturing;
they all believed that I shouldn’t set up the factory
since I had no previous experience in manufacturing. Thankfully
I met with a great business consultant at SBDC, Peter Kraus,
who is one of the most encouraging and positive people
I have ever met. He not only encouraged me to open my own
factory, but he also put me in contact with my first wholesale
accounts.
PM: We
have to ask. What makes you so different from all the other
lingerie companies?
BS: Our
first product, the Lavand Distraction Bra, is patented.
There is nothing like it on the market. It increases breast
size by 2 full cups and it’s the best push-up bra
ever made. Also, instead of focusing mainly on the competition,
we focus on the customer and we go out of our way to please
them. For example, if a customer has purchased a bra and
she would like the tails to be shorter or longer, we’ll
customize it for her at no charge.
We also work with manufacturers
in Italy and France to help us with production. They
do quality work. We provide
customers with new, unique and quality products.
PM: What
advice would you have for young people who may be starting
their own business with nothing but a great idea
and lots of ambition?
BS: People
have great ideas everyday. Having a solid concept is a
good start. Having ambition is a must. However, it won’t
set you apart from other ambitious people whose great concepts
never get off the ground. You never feel 100% ready to
start your own business. You just have to go for it. You
have to have a very bold and fearless attitude towards
everything. Don’t worry about the fact that you don’t
have experience. Sometimes it’s better to not know
what you are getting into, because if you actually know
what it really takes you might be too afraid to take the
first step. It’ll also require a lot of sacrifice
to start a venture and make it grow year after year.
Having
faith in God and persistence is very important. Listen
to what God puts on your heart and don’t ever
doubt. You also have to truly believe in your product and
know that it’ll fulfill a need. Your concept will
be rejected many times by many different people before
you finally succeed. Do not focus on opinions. Just keep
in mind that by each rejection or challenge, you’re
getting closer to your dream.
PM: Have you been to
Iran lately?
BS: I love Iran. I
haven’t been there since I left at 16, but I would
love to visit there for a few weeks. Most people in Iran
are humble, real, warm and friendly. After 12 years of
living in Los Angeles, I’m still not used to the
certain attitude Iranians have adopted here. I see it pretty
much everywhere from Persian parties to grocery stores.
We need to learn to be comfortable with who we are, stop
judging each other and stop worrying about what people
think of us. There is a lot to be learned from Iranians
who live in Iran; especially the younger generation. They
live under a strict government, yet they are happy and
a lot more free than many Iranians who live in U.S. Would
I like to go to Iran? Yes. It would be refreshing to be
reminded of what our culture is really about and how Iranians
should treat each other.
PM:
Desert Island. Three things. What will you take?
BS: Bikini,
make up and tanning lotion.
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