{"id":57,"date":"2015-06-17T10:35:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T09:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.utelier.com\/blog\/?post_type=toolkit&p=24"},"modified":"2019-07-16T10:48:57","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T09:48:57","slug":"launching-a-fashion-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/toolkit\/top-tips\/launching-a-fashion-business\/","title":{"rendered":"6 things to remember when launching a fashion business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well done! You\u2019re launching a fashion business and there\u00a0are so many things you need to focus on. Your mind is busy with endless to-do lists. We got you!<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve compiled the key things that you need to bear in mind to give you some\u00a0clarity and help you act efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be scared of competition<\/h3>\n

You need to be aware of your competition for a variety of reasons: building an appropriate pricing structure<\/a>, and staying unique and true to your brand. But being aware is all you need to be, don\u2019t spend too much time and energy stalking your competitor. That energy must be saved for your business.<\/p>\n

Also, look at how well their products are selling, are they constantly pushing discounted stock outside of \u2018normal\u2019 sale periods? Find out as much useful information as you can by visiting stores, going online and researching your competition overall.<\/p>\n

Take note of how your competitor engages with your mutual audience, use your common sense and business acumen to analyse if it\u2019s good or bad. This \u2018advanced gut feeling\u2019 tool is something that will serve you and your brand well over time. Social media is great for people airing their views, so if you \u2018overhear\u2019 a complaint about a competitor, use it as a case study to learn from the encounter. We learn from mistakes, and more quickly when the mistake is someone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Accept that things will go wrong<\/h3>\n

Despite being awesome, having a perfect product and a business plan that delivers, you may encounter challenges. There will be typos, transportation fails and general Sod\u2019s Law-esque scenarios. But how you deal with those issues will be the making of you. Mistakes are the stepping stones to success, remember!<\/p>\n

In a world of social media storms and re-runs of blooper reel shows, people like to see a mistake, but they also love to see solutions. If you sell online and transport issues leave you with no stock at one point, are you going to offer a discount or do something more innovative? Be as creatively minded as you are when you\u2019re in the design studio. And, remember Fleming\u2019s Penicillin was a “mistake.”<\/p>\n

Thinking on your feet isn\u2019t enough<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t leave everything to chance and adopt a whimsical mindset. Finding a solution to an adverse situation is vital, but you still need a firm plan in place that means you shouldn\u2019t have to work off the cuff too often.<\/p>\n

This is why having a plan in place for all contingencies is key \u2013 as much for customers and employees as for you. This could be as simple as including an FAQ, Terms and Conditions or Terms of Service section on your website or on the back of invoices and receipts. Consistency is always good and allows for equality in how you treat your customers.<\/p>\n

Open up when you\u2019re open for business<\/h3>\n

Who doesn\u2019t love a story? It could be Instagram to just show images of your store opening or late nights in the studio and all the snacks that go along with it. Or if you\u2019re a bit of a wordsmith, set up a blog and link it to your website and social media accounts to tell the story of your fashion business with the key messages being:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • This is a great brand.<\/li>\n
  • I love my brand.<\/li>\n
  • I\u2019ve worked really hard at building it.<\/li>\n
  • You should fall in love with my products.<\/li>\n
  • You should spend your money on buying my products.<\/li>\n
  • Don\u2019t beg, persuade. Don\u2019t gush, show pride. Don\u2019t oversell, build a relationship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    You can build honest posts based on your production process, your excitement at launching and your inspiration behind products. Make your fashion business a positive beacon, trolling haters: ignored. Empowering your audience and responding to their comments: yes!<\/p>\n

    Get engaged<\/h3>\n

    Online, via social media! Don\u2019t see social media as a vanity stream to show a polished version of yourself and your brand. Imagine that you\u2019re actually speaking to your customer, that they are in your shop pre- or post-purchase and you are talking to them face-to-face. You would ask them questions, you would not only speak about your products and you\u2019d be personable and gracious. Start your engagement that way and then as you build your audience, consult them via social media as if they were a virtual focus group.<\/p>\n

    Be prepared<\/h3>\n

    You should know everything about your fashion business by now. Make sure you can reel off the vital statistics with gusto to the relevant people. Launching a business is not the end of the process. Sustenance and growth will be two of the permanent items on your to-do list. You will need to network and constantly market and sell your business if you want it to be as successful as you planned it to be.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Well done! You\u2019re about to launch your fashion business, there is so much you need to focus on and your mind is busy with endless to-do lists. We\u2019ve compiled the key things that you need to bear in mind to give you clarity, and act efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3924],"tags":[4153],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}