Name: Michelle Bier

Age: 36

Hometown:  Bismarck

Education: Bachelors of Science in Nursing

Name of Business: J. Hilburn Men’s Clothier

Business Type (partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.):  I am a partner for J. Hilburn Men’s Clothier.  The company is based out of Dallas, TX.  I am self-employed with J. Hilburn so my title is Independent Style Consultant.  J. Hilburn is known around the country for the great quality of clothing and that it is all custom-made for each client.  I usually meet my client at their place of business around noon or whenever is convenient for them.  I show my clients a book of about 200 fabric swatches.  The client starts by picking their fabric for their custom shirt or suit.  Then they pick their collar, cuff, pocket, pleats, placket, and any contrasting fabrics or stitches.  I then take 10 measurements for a shirt and 3 measurements for trousers.  All the fabrics are from Italy.  It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for a custom-made dress shirt and 4-6 weeks for a suit or sport coat.

How did you get started?: I knew a friend from Dallas that is currently doing this and is very successful at it.

What I do every day:  I actually work fulltime at Sanford Health as the Hospice Manager

Successes (best part): Just getting started and it has been very slow at this point.

Challenges: Getting people to understand the concept and the kind of quality the J. Hilburn provides is not something that you will be able to find around here or anywhere in this state.