Tiffany King Discusses Bae-Cation to Business Created

May is Date Your Mate Month. We have an amazing story of a date that turned into a business. While on a date or “bae-cation” as many like to call it, the idea that launched Regalia Swim and RGN Sport was born. We spoke with Tiffany, the co-founder of these brands, and gained more insight into their backstory and success.

Tell us the backstory of your brand.

Tiffany: Our first trip as a couple was to Cape Town, South Africa. I was griping to Patrick, now my husband and business partner, about needing sportswear that addressed certain things like chafing thighs, never having pockets, and just never seeming to fit the bill. Additionally, I had never seen African print athletic wear and it always seemed ironic to me, so it seemed like an obvious way to reach a customer base that had encountered many of the same types of problems with athletic wear that I had. Patrick is not the type of guy you tell a dream you have no intention of working toward and true to form, he gifted me a sewing machine the next month and told me to start working towards it.

At the time we already had plans to go to Bali in the following spring, so I started sampling swimwear. It required a knowledge of stretch fabrics, elastic, and serging — all of which I knew would be important in regard to athletic apparel. In making these pieces I thought it might be a good idea to start with something designed in-house so I could learn the business hands-on — and it wouldn’t require as much capital upfront as manufacturing. So in 2018, we started with Regalia Swim to understand logistically what it takes to make apparel and build an e-commerce brand. After two years of planning, we launched RGN Sport in October 2020 with all the experience, knowledge, and relationships we’ve gained.

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Tiffany: Do your best to learn all aspects of what it takes to bring your product/service to market. Even if it’s a process you don’t strictly have a hand in (i.e. manufacturing), understanding all parts of the process only benefits you in being able to negotiate and vet whether subcontractors are able to produce the quality needed for your brand. This is part of the hard work that is done in the infancy of your business, but this acquired knowledge will be valuable in the future.

What do you define as success?

Tiffany: The goal post for success consistently moves because there is always another aspect of the business that needs to be handled. Beyond increased profits and happy customers, I like to recognize the small goals overtime to keep a positive mentality around the tedious tasks that must be handled. Right now, the success we’ve obtained is happy customers that come back and recommend us to their friends. The success we’re striving towards is finding marketing strategies that resonate with our target audience and gain more brand awareness and organic growth.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Tiffany: Monti Landers. Watching the growth and trajectory of her swim brand has been very inspirational and the way she seems to tackle the growth of her business along with her marriage and motherhood is everything I aspire to do.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Tiffany: We are currently planning to be vendors at Essence Festival and Curlfest. We are releasing at least one new product for RGN Sport and just launched our new Regalia Swim collection this year with plans to introduce additional colors later this year.

Keep up to date on Instagram: @rgnsport

Tammy Reese

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