Have you ever dreamed of starting your own fashion business? Creating your own clothing line requires the same steps to start any small business, with a little extra know-how of the industry and an eye for design. By following these steps, you can turn your dream into reality.
Leverage Your Expertise
This is a two-fold step. First, educate yourself on the ins and outs of the fashion industry. The more knowledge you gain, the better you can navigate your business through this complex world. Read as many articles from professionals as possible in your spare time to stay versed on owning a fashion business.
Second, develop your concepts and ideas. As you gain a better understanding of the industry, you can see which of your ideas are likely to create new trends or appeal to the masses.
The Business
Several spectacular designers have failed to see their dream come to fruition because they lacked a strong business model. You need to think about whether you’ll work on an e-commerce website, a storefront, or both. What will your pricing structure look like? Does it cover materials, store upkeep, utilities?
This step involves creating a business plan, one that investors can back to help you secure the funding you need. It should also include a break even point where you start to make real profits once your loans are paid back, which should happen sooner rather than later.
Looking around at what other people charge for quality clothing is a great way to help you create this business model. If you wanted to make dresses, for instance, you could look at the best gala dresses from Azazie to get an excellent idea of what they charge.
Know the Cost
While developing your business plan, it is vital that you understand what the cost will be to operate this business. That includes everything from materials to cybersecurity for online payments. Start with the cost of creating clothing, then look at the basic upkeep of a store or website.
Next, factor in everything from employee payroll to shipping. This step will help you create a solid plan of borrowing, spending, and profit that ultimately leaves your business thriving.
Hiring Help
Small businesses often rely on others for help. That could mean hiring a graphic designer to create your logo or a technical designer that works with you on clothing lines. When it comes to employees, you need to think about essential individuals like a product manager or someone to work the desk in a storefront.
Managing these employees while getting your business off the ground can be difficult, but there are tools that can help. Clockspot, for instance, allows you to monitor working hours while simplifying payroll by using an Excel spreadsheet. Anything that can automate this process offers you more time to focus on running the business.
Branding
As always, you can’t forget about branding. What separates your fashion business from others in the eyes of the public? Is your logo catchy? How can you communicate that your store is unique before an individual sees your clothing lines for the first time? With a proper business model and branding, you’re well on your way to success.
