And how you can too.
Usually, we concentrate our efforts on the outside forces that can support fashion brands’ growth by sharing tips or advice that we as designers and strategists can help to grow a brand.
Today, we are turning the tables and sharing some of the common traits that we have been lucky enough to learn from the many fabulous founders we know.
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟑 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬;
𝟏. Ask yourself what you are good at outside of birthing the kick-ass idea that is going to light the world on fire. Creativity? Organization? Market research? Find out by writing down what other people consistently compliment you on in work or an applicable personal situation. Once you have identified what those skills are then hire around them. The founders we know who have gotten the quickest and most efficient results have developed a keen understanding of what their not-so-secret sauce is early on. Additionally, they have begun to work on from the start those skills that they absolutely knew they would need to incorporate into their world, like public speaking, writing, and networking. If you need some help on these try either YouTube or Skillshare for a start.
𝟐. Don’t hire what you can learn quickly. Quickly learn what is not a priority to hire for.
Who and what you want to be spending on are the skills that will propel you forward. Sure, a VA would save you time. But like buying 3-4 cheap and cheerful Fast Fashion purchases when you could have gone all in for a fabulous Net-A-Porter number, the regret is real. Trim the fat from your budget on all those nice-to-haves. Then as an added bonus when you are beginning to sell a product, your profits will build quicker because you haven’t spent on too many little things you didn’t need to. Besides this, if you save on the smaller costs you can afford to invest in anything that relates to or builds the product for your brand. At the end of the day, this is the priority.
𝟑. Take the friction out of whatever aspects of your business that you possibly can. One way to do this is to build your team with people who have worked together before. Whether they are permanent employees or consultants getting you started, diving into new projects with partners we have worked with each other before makes everything go smoother because you can hit the ground running. You want to baton pass-off in any given situation to be as easy as possible. Because there will be enough hard things. Team dynamics and efficiency don’t need to be one of them.
You can see that the thread here is about relationships. If you know us then you know that nothing means more in our world. Community is everything. If you are interested in building yours try either the Entreprenista League or The Upside to start. Both are places where you can meet others, learn from them and get word of mouth out on your needs and your brand.
Want to talk about how to put these or some of our many other tips into action? We'd love to chat with you. Reach out to us and we will be happy to schedule a complimentary 30-minute chat. And if you like what you are reading and want to learn more? Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn to learn more.