Almost one day down already and like yesterday, we would be counting down to a New Year in 365 days. Let 2020 be different! Disappoint everyone who thinks you are all just talk! Keep to your resolutions! Find like minds who share your enthusiasm and keep encouraging you. Chat to me inbox if you feel discouraged. It will all end in praise this time 31 December 2020! Happy New Year everyone!!!
Happy Holidays from everyone at Martwayne ???. β
We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the New Year.β
We look forward to working with you in the New Year.β
β£The best way to sell products is to let them sell themselves. How do you do that? With great photos!
Photography can make or break your business. Regardless of if you are selling a physical product or a service, the pictures you use to communicate both are extremely important. Now while we understand that great photography or visuals may be expensive, you also need to understand that poor photography will hurt your business and sales in the short and long run. With the advent of smartphone cameras which can take amazing photos, an entrepreneur has to make out the time to create stunning visual images of their products in order to attract customers.
First it communicates what the brand is to the customer or even promoter of your business. Be it an e-banner or a physical shoot, your pictures tells us the mind behind the brand and if customers want to relate with the brand or not.
Image from stock.adobe.com
For example, I see a lot of pictures of items, such as fabrics, taken on the floor. I personally will not buy fabrics taken on the floor no matter how amazing the fabric or print is. I have written about this before on Instagram. Because for me, the following questions immediately spring to mind:
The other day, I saw a caterer who with a large food order posting a video with the food order lined on the floor. That to me is a no no. You simply cannot put food on the floor and if I was the client, the health and hygiene of my staff comes first. I will reject the order and probably never do business with you again.
Personal photography can be excused but definitely not pictures for business. Taking pictures of fabrics on the floor (with the tiles or carpet showing in the background), shots in bad lighting, poor looking flyers and e-banners should not be used to promote your brand.
βA brand is a personβs gut feeling about a product, service or organization.β
- Marty Neumeier, Branding Expert
Ashley Friedlein, CEO and co-founder of Econsultancy, has a similar take:
βBrand is the sum total of how someone perceives a particular organization.β
Ignyte explains it further:
"A brand is the way in which a company, organization, or individual is perceived by those who experience it. Because itβs intangible, a brand isnβt as easily defined as, say, a fish. But how theyβre defined is very similar indeed. Youβll probably agree that the most basic defining characteristic of a fish is where it lives. Fish live in water. Thatβs what makes a fish a fish. The same fundamental criterion applies to brands.
The answer to the question βwhat is a brand?β starts with where a brand lives. So where do brands live?
Brands live in the mind. They live in the minds of everyone who experiences them: employees, investors, the media, and, perhaps most importantly, consumers. Simply put, brands are perceptions.
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Humans are very visual people. It is easier to sell an item when people SEE what it looks like than hear you explaining it through words and text. It is that simple. These days, Smartphone cameras can take amazing photos.
'Most Customers Use Mobile Devices To Shop For Products. ...showcasing good photography to prospective customers who are the go is essential. Online shoppers who use mobile phones want quick and straightforward content and do not have the time to read lengthy content, so you need to allow the product photography to do the talking.β β
- Pic-Up, -
If you want to boost your sales and increase your income, then you should take your product photos and presentation seriously. Showcasing your products with high-quality images can be the difference between a conversion and no sale at all.β
Tope Williams-Adewunmi
A fashion entrepreneur passionate giving power through fashion
by sharing knowledge guaranteed to help fashion lovers
turn their love for fashion into a viable business.
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Do you watch haute couture fashion shows, and see breathtaking embroidery designs that combine thread, sequins and beads to create fantastic elaborate designs that decorate evening dresses, necklines, sleeves, etc? Those intricated patterns are created by hand. When you question how those are made, the answer is often Tambour Beading.
Tambour bead embroidery is an amazingly creative and absorbing style of embroidery. With a mesmerizing array of beads, sequins, embroidery threads and metallic threads available, the design possibilities for tambour beading and tambour embroidery are limitless.β β
Chanel FW2014 Haute Couture
βTambour beading evolved from tambour thread embroidery and is named from the drum shaped frame originally used β βtambourβ is the French word for drum. It was considered an exotic and exciting craft, and became a very popular pass time amongst women.β
According to the Textile Research Center,
"Tambour embroidery or tambour work is a technique whereby a chain stitch is worked with a fine hook (a tambour hook) on a fine, slightly open-weave cloth that is stretched over a frame. This type of work may have originated in India, where it is known as ari work or ari embroidery. For tensioning, sometimes a circular frame is used.β
Close up: The Wish Gown from the Catherine Deane AW14 collection
Guo Pei Spring 2016 Couture - EE
It is high fashion and couture technique widely used in ateliers and couture houses and is a highly sought after skill. It takes the concept of beading and embellishment to a different level.
Tope Williams-Adewunmi
A fashion entrepreneur passionate giving power through fashion
by sharing knowledge guaranteed to help fashion lovers
turn their love for fashion into a viable business.
To get notified about our articles, please sign up below:
You too could learn to produce stunningly glamorous tambour bead embroidery with our Tambour Beading and Embroidery Online Course. Simply call 08097876075 or click the link for more information.
Do you watch haute couture fashion shows, and see breathtaking embroidery designs that combine thread, sequins and beads to create fantastic elaborate designs that decorate evening dresses, necklines, sleeves, etc?Β Those intricated patterns are created by hand.Β When you question how those are made, the answer is often Tambour Beading.
Tambour bead embroidery is an amazingly creative and absorbing style of embroidery.Β With a mesmerizing array of beads, sequins, embroidery threads and metallic threads available, the design possibilities for tambour beading and tambour embroidery are limitless.β β
According to the Textile Research Center,
“Tambour embroidery or tambour work is a technique whereby a chain stitchΒ isΒ worked with a fine hook (aΒ tambour hook) onΒ a fine, slightly open-weave cloth thatΒ is stretched overΒ a frame.Β This type of work may have originated in India, where it is known asΒ ariΒ work orΒ ariΒ embroidery. For tensioning, sometimes a circular frame is used.”
According to the London Embroidery School,
“Tambour beading evolved from tambour thread embroidery and is named from the drum shaped frame originally used β βtambourβ is the French word for drum. It was considered an exotic and exciting craft, and became a very popular pass time amongst women.”
It is high fashion and couture technique widely used in ateliers and couture houses and is a highly sought after skill.Β It takes the concept of beading and embellishment to a different level.
You too could learn to produce stunningly glamorous tambour bead embroidery with our Tambour Beading and Embroidery Online Course.Β Simply call 08097876075 or click the link for more information.β β
Starting a fashion business with very little capital is very challenging, but it can be done.β Sometimes having too much starting capital can be a bad thing, it gives the early illusion of success and leads to wasteful processes and business practices. β
I remember when I first started out. Many people believed in my vision and of course I had lots of support from friends and family who wanted to support my dream. A year down the line, I was out of cash! When I thought back to what I spent the money on, it seemed to be on things that did not directly relate to revenue. It was more about 'branding' - and I use the word very loosely. I spent money on things that, in hindsight, did not seem to matter then such as having the perfect website, employing staff I did not need, spending money on business cards that cost so much but was never delivered and other things. β
When I was about to start over, I cried to my parents for help (well not literally) and asked them not to give me the money but to loan me the money. That was the best thing I could have done for myself. And luckily for me, my parents were quite shrewd. I had to pay the money back in instalments when it was due.
It made me 'hustle' because I knew I had to pay back money at a certain time. It made me think, strategize, spend money only when it was necessary and create new products and services. Lucky for me, all the excess staff I had left for one reason or the other. The interns went back to school, the Corps member completed her service, the tailor who was misbehaving then got suspended and never showed up at the end of his suspension, and little by little it all paid off. I watched my costs like a hawk, spending money only when absolutely necessary, bargained like there was no tomorrow and learnt to prioritize my spending. Little by little, it all paid off.
By starting lean, you'll be more likely to maintain disciplined financial practices as your business grows. Here are six tips thatβll help you start your fashion business on a lean budget.β
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1. Don't spend money without thinking about how that money is going to grow your business.β
2. Keep your business and personal account separate.β
3. Don't assume you have to buy everything for your business, rent or lease if possible.β
4. Hold off on opening a physical space unless you absolutely have to.β
5. Donβt hire unless absolutely necessary.β
6. Outsource.β
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One other thing I would add is that financial help from friends and family does not have to be financial in nature. You can ask for a donation of physical assets instead. I remember when setting up the office, my father gave me some office chairs, 2 desks (which I thought was old-school then but looked absolutely fabulous when I ran out of cash) and he also gave me a generator which I really needed, my mother donated 2 ACs when she noticed I did not default on my repayments, my friend also donated an AC, I was vocal on Facebook about things I needed and people who had these gave them to me. Money, at the end of the day is only useful for its intrinsic value so if I could get the things I needed, then chances of spending the money on things that did not really matter were really slim.
My advise to you is that if you're going to start with very little capital or start a business at all, you need to plan carefully and conserve all the cash you can.β Cash is the lifeblood of every business. Without it, your business will crumble because you will be unable to pay for goods, services or even your utility bills like electricity or staff salaries, if you have any.
Did you start your fashion business on a lean budget? Share your experiences in the comment section, weβll love to hear from you.β
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Tope Williams-Adewunmi
A fashion entrepreneur passionate giving power through fashion
by sharing knowledge guaranteed to help fashion lovers
turn their love for fashion into a viable business.
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