Dear Future Boss Babe,
So its 2023 and you've finally decided to knock a few goals off your list this year; seriously this time... for perhaps the 100,000th time! One of these goals may be starting your own fashion or beauty business! You might have an interest in let's say...nails, hair, skincare, makeup, swimwear, t-shirts, jewelry or even everything under the sun!
I understand that making that first step is never easy especially when it comes to knowing where to begin! When I first thought about starting my fashion business, I had so many questions in mind. Who should my target audience be? What article of clothing should I focus on! Which social media platform do I engage my potential customers on? What should my business name be? How do I register the name? ... And the list goes on! So take a deep breath and let's take it step-by-step. I'll walk you through the initial stages of my journey and share with you many tips that I learnt along the way! Through this guide you can get started on the right path because I've already done the hard work in the trial and error phase so that you don't have to.
My fashion journey in 2014 started with an interest in sewing but not figuring out what my fashion niche should be. The only thing I was certain about was my desire to build an empire. I got started searching for courses that would provide me with the knowledge and experience that would help to get my career started. I did a beginners course followed by an advanced sewing course. With these new and exciting skills my first thought was, 'What should I name my fashion business?' but little did I know that sourcing a business name should actually be one of the final stages when getting started. This strategy I learnt at a later date through my marketing/branding education. The reason for this is simply because your business name should be more than a name. It should have a meaning to the direction of your business. Yes you might think the name is cute or trendy but your business name should be so much more than cute or trendy. You need to be strategic. What if you created a name which limited your ability to incorporate brand extensions? What if your name doesn't connect with your target audience? What if your name sounds similar to a competitor in the industry. There are particular characteristics to selecting a name but before we get distracted, let's finally get to that first step in starting your fashion or beauty business.
Developing your internal brand is the very first step in the fashion branding stage...not the name or even the logo. At this stage you should determine your purpose, vision, mission and brand values. These four pillars are the building blocks to many other stages in successful branding. Fashion brands can be difficult to explore in business because there is not usually a functional need for these products. Did you ever hear someone say that they needed a Louis Vuitton bag? Well, perhaps but not in the functional sense. You must work on developing that emotional connection. Branding is about influencing the perception of the brand image in the consumer's mind. Branding is the meaning that consumers give to your brand. Don't believe me? Ask Marty Neumeier. He is a known brand guru. Focus on these four areas in your internal brand as they will guide you in determining what really does this brand stand for? What is my reason for existence besides making money? Where am I headed? and What am I doing everyday to get there? Answer these questions and this will help you to align with the right strategy to reach the right target audience. Be sure to join our fashion community of like-minded fashion entrepreneurs to gain exclusive branding, marketing and sewing content from the fashion brand builder- Jade herself! Get started on your own unique journey but let us help you along the way! We did it and so can you! I promise you that this is your year! 2023 is yours!
Sincerely,
Your Bestie- The Fashion Brand Builder
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