Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivan Kumamoto.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ivan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started selling caps and gowns with my housemates during my senior year at USC, in 2016. At the beginning of our 2016 spring semester, we received the pricing for all the graduation accessories, and I was shocked to learn that a one-day cap and gown outfit would cost $60. In addition, if you wanted to wear a sash and customize it, and get a diploma frame, you could easily spend $500-1,000 on graduation day.
I thought this was ridiculous and looked for ways to bypass what I considered to be abusive pricing on behalf of my school and their vendors. So I scouted different suppliers to try to find the most similar possible products, and see if they’d let me negotiate the price lower if we bought larger quantities.
I found a couple of reputable suppliers, and my roommates and I started spreading the word immediately. We told everyone that we could get them a cap and gown for half the price the school was selling for. Looking back, a $30 difference doesn’t seem like much but when you’re a college student, every penny counts.
So I’ve been selling half-priced graduation outfits since then. It’s harder nowadays because I don’t have a direct student connection, but still, get a lot of people from previous years referring to their younger friends. I was surprised to hear how much the word still spreads from the alumni to the newer generations of students. I think it’s because it means a lot to them when they’re able to participate and celebrate their graduation, without having to break the bank.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been quite the opposite of a smooth road. While there have been a lot of victories along the way, some of my lowest points and biggest challenges in life have been through this experience.
After the first couple of years’ success selling to over 2,000 students, my former housemates and I had a big fight over how to manage and keep growing the business. The biggest disagreement was about how everyone got paid. We had a lot of heated arguments, and I think they did not like negotiating with me and felt like I was evil or something, because my ideas were unreasonable to them. We couldn’t come to a solution and ended up breaking off the relationship. It’s a bit sad because they were some of my best college friends, or so I thought.
My biggest takeaway was that communication is paramount from the very beginning. If we had communicated better and more frequently, I’m sure that things would’ve been smoother. But we waited until it was too late and there was a sizable amount of money on the table.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We provide high quality, near-identical college caps and gowns at a fraction of the price that colleges sell them for. Because I went to school in southern California, I know all the schools in the area very well, so I know which schools can wear our outfits and which ones have unique or custom outfits.
I’m proud that Discount Cap and Gown is like a classmate friend, someone you can trust to help you navigate the commencement process. It’s everyone’s first time doing it, so they might not always know they don’t have to get the “official” attire directly from the school. We also help them figure out what color tassel they need, and what style of gown to get for their particular degree.
People are very grateful when we help them through the process and save them money. Some people have even told me they wouldn’t have participated in the commencement ceremony if it wasn’t for us, because the school outfits are so unaffordable.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up mostly in Texas and used to skateboard all the time. When my family moved to the US from Mexico, I bought a skateboard immediately because that was the American Dream for 11 year-old me. My best friend and I would skateboard in our apartment community all day, being chased by security because somehow they didn’t like kids skating around. It’s still so memorable in my mind, I couldn’t have been happier.
Pricing:
- – $25 for cap, gown, & tassel set. Not selling yet this year but planning on re-opening around March or April.
Contact Info:
- Website: discgown.com
- Email: discountgown@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discount_cap_and_gown/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiscountCapandGown/
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