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Growth Tip: Outsource to Grow Your Fashion Business

Growth Tip: Outsource to Grow Your Fashion Business

⁣As a fashion business owner you might find out you are being less productive because you’ve gotten to that point where, there’s just not enough hours in the day to get things done.  As you take on new clients or new responsibilities and have new products that you’re launching, you get to a point where you’re overwhelmed and you can no longer manage everything. At this point you should consider outsourcing.

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Why You Need to Outsource

β€œhe more operational you are, the poorer you become”

Deji Agboade, Growth Lab

Being too operational stops you from focusing on what matters the most, strategy, deep thinking and networking to grow your fashion business. You are constantly overworked, tired and too grumpy to think of better ways to grow the business. And worse, you end up losing so much money in reality than you think you are saving.

Outsourcing your work can help your business save money, assign specific work to specialists, save time, and expand your offering. 

 

It is important to think about the opportunity costs of taking on certain tasks. Time is your greatest asset. As Warren Buffet said, β€˜As rich as I am, the only thing I cannot buy back is time’. So you need to think about how to save time as much as possible.

 

For example, you might think you are saving money by going fabric shopping yourself. But are the cost savings really worth it? You spend hours in traffic getting there, spend hours walking around the fabric stores and then you spend another set of hours getting back. You are tired, you are probably frustrated and all you want to do is sleep to recoup that lost energy.

 

However if you engage the services of a fabric shopper, they take on all that task including the traffic, the walking around and the haggling of prices. S/he will charge for the service but it will leave you to focus on the core of your business, think clearly and make even more money.


What Can You Outsource

In addition to the above example, you can outsource many tasks. Duties like clothing production, digital marketing, customer support, invoicing, shipping and so much more can be given to someone else. Taking these tasks off your desk frees you up to focus on growing and improving your business.  Plus it also helps to grow the economy – which is the bigger picture.  Similarly, it is important for players in the industry to specialize and carve a fashion brand niche for themselves so they become top of mind when designers need their services.


If you’re looking to increase capacity, expand your offering, or improve your skill set, there’s no easier or more affordable way than through outsourcing.


Do you currently outsource? What has your experience been like? Share in the comment section below.

Recommended Resources

Specialization in the Fashion Industry

Finding Your Fashion Brand Niche

How to become less operational in your business so you can make more money

Why Outsourcing is good for your business

Want to Specialize in an Area of the Fashion Industry? 

About Me

Tope Williams-Adewunmi

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.

Someone you know needs this article.  

If this helped you, help them out by sharing this article on social media.

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Fashion Business: Finding Your Fashion Brand Niche

Fashion Business: Finding Your Fashion Brand Niche

⁣In the fashion industry, there are tons of existing brands and products. Finding a fashion brand niche to cater to is very important. How will you ensure you stand out so you are the first company people think about when they need that specific product? ?β €

You can do that by finding a unique, special place in the market, the gap that only you can fill, a niche market.β €

What is a niche market?

Plus Size clothing KQJ Apparel

A niche market is simply a very specific segment of a much larger market, composed of a tight, clear range of products sold to a tightly focused target group. For example, if your market is ladieswear, your niche could be plus size clothing.β €


Often times, we find designers in this environment offering every need you can possibly think of in a bid to capture a wider audience. Some people offer menswear, ladieswear, childrenswear, maternitywear, bridal, bespoke, ready to wear and the list continues. This becomes counterproductive in the long run because not only are they seen as a jack of all trades, they eventually burn out.


For example, Garment Production House is a B2B business which offers sewing and production services to fashion designers looking to start their clothing lines in small quantities. Larger orders are referred to factories that can accommodate the volumes and items such as tshirts are also outsourced to companies who specialize in t-shirts.


Another company, not in the Fashion Industry, who has carved a niche is Accounting Hub, the small business accountant who offers bookkeeping and accounting services to small companies.


When you have a tight niche, it gives you increased visibility, honed expertise, enhanced customer relationships and you also spend less on marketing thanks to your specific audience.


How do you find your brand niche?

Fashion Illustration by Martwayne Student

If you don’t have a business niche or you’re struggling to decide, use the following five steps to find your niche.


1. Identify your interests and passions.
2. Identify problems you can solve.
3. Research your competition.
4. Determine the profitability of your niche.
5. Test your idea.

No magic formula will point you to a winning business idea, just find where your passion intersects with a deep-seated void, and you’ll be the perfect person to fill it.

Recommended Resources

Specialization in the Fashion Industry

Fashion Business Idea - Start a Ready to Wear Line

Fashion Business Growth Tip: Develop a Unique Selling Proposition

Fashion Design Opportunity: Fashion Illustration

Start & Grow Your Fashion Business

About Me

Tope Williams-Adewunmi

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.

Someone you know needs this article.  

Help them out by sharing this article on social media.

To get notified about our articles, please sign up below:

Fashion Business Ideas – Start a Ready to Wear Fashion Line

Fashion Business Ideas – Start a Ready to Wear Fashion Line

Thinking of turning your love-affair for fashion into a successful business? You can take the plunge by starting your own ready-to-wear clothing line.  There is a huge market for ready-to-wear Clothing and you can tap into it by starting yours.  And the best part is, you don’t have to break the bank! You can get started on a lean budget.


What You Need to Know to Start a Clothing Line

shop ladies clothes for officewear and corporate wear on @gphmall

I found this article by Marie Claire magazine very insightful because it focused more on the business of fashion than the fashion design itself.  The 9 tips you can actually use if you want to start your clothing line  stated one of the most important things I believe – you don’t need to be rich to start a clothing line.


In our Online Fashion Entrepreneurship Course, we state the importance of doing research before you go ahead to produce.  The truth is, the minute you choose to start a fashion business, you are no longer a fashion designer but an entrepreneur so it is important to think like one.  Leans means, spend the least to get the highest value.  It is also important to find a product market fit rather than assume the market will like what you have created.


Be practical not emotional

Shop ladies and office corporate wears in lagos @gphmall


Many people produce simply because they get and act on positive feedback which is good but can be a big mistake.  Experience, however, has taught me that there is a huge difference between liking your product, the willingness to spend money on it and the actual purchase.  This is why pre-orders and pre-launches where you get people to pay for the products upfront actually validates the business idea.


There is so much to learn.  If you want to know more about starting your ready-to-wear clothing line or have tips to share? Let me know in the comments and share this post with anyone who is interested or you know who needs the knowledge.


If I have enough interested people, I just might run a webinar, write an e-book or create a series of blogposts on the process. Also let us know in the comment section if you prefer a webinar, an ebook or a blog posts.


Turn on notifications and follow our posts to know when we make a decision.

Recommended Resources

Specialization in the Fashion Industry

The Difference Between a Fashion Designer & a Tailor

How to Start a Fashion Business with no money

Debunking the Various Myths about Fashion Design and the Fashion Industry

Fashion Business Growth Tip:  Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition

Finding Your Fashion Brand Niche

Become a Fashion Designer or Grow Your Fashion Business

About Me

Tope Williams-Adewunmi

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.

Someone you know needs this article.  

Help them out by sharing this article on social media.

To get notified about our articles, please sign up below:

Fashion Business Growth Tip: Develop your Unique Selling Proposition

Fashion Business Growth Tip: Develop your Unique Selling Proposition

What is your brand’s unique selling proposition (USP)?  If you can’t answer that question, you need to figure it out.

Unique Selling Point

Image Credit: www.germanystartupjobs.com; As seen on Medium


Often times we hear the terms Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point. Create your USP they say. But do we actually know what it means?  I found this image on Medium in an article which explains it in very clear terms.   Your USP is what makes your business stand out and gives customers a reason to buy from you.  It separates you from the competition and can be the difference between success and failure for your fashion business.  To get that unique selling point, you must be in the winning zone.

Unique Selling Proposition

 Think about what sets you apart ?, pinpoint what makes your fashion business unique, define your target market and then come up with your USP using those factors.  Don’t be the regular fashion brand, you’re in an industry that is very competitive. You need to be unique to grow.

For example, at Garment Production House, we found that there was a dearth of garment factories that produced in small quantities so fashion designers can test the market without tying down huge capital.  They could start with just one design with a minimum of 6 pieces and the sample to make 7 pieces.  In our opinion, if the designer is unable to sell 6 pieces of their designs, then they need to hit the drawing board again perhaps the product-market fit is wrong.

Clothing factory in Lagos

Click on image for more.

Ours is one of the clothing factories that accept such low minimums and we assist the designers showcase their items on @gphmall

Shop ladies clothes on GPH Mall

Click on image for more

For us, that's our USP.  We make the clothes and help the designers sell them.  Most factories either just make while online shopping malls just sell.  We combine the 2.

Now you have a clear example. Now it's your turn? What is your unique selling proposition? Is it clear & precise? Are you still working on it?  Share your answer in the comment section below.

Recommended Resources

Finding Your Fashion Brand Niche

Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition

Should we focus on the Unique SELLING Proposition or the Unique BUYING Proposition?

Finding Customers and Increasing Revenue

Turn Your Love for Fashion into a Viable Business

About Me

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.

Someone you know needs this article.  

Help them out by sharing this article on social media.

To get notified about our posts, please sign up below:

Fashion Business Ideas – Fashion Illustration

Fashion Business Ideas – Fashion Illustration

⁣There are so many opportunities to explore in the Fashion industry and Fashion Illustration is one of them.

It basically entails communicating fashion ideas in a visual form with illustration, drawing and painting .

So I did this illustration of Mercy LAMBO's outfit to the #13thHeadies2019. Took me a while, But I'm here now!
Mercy Lambo

Reposted from Martwayne Student,  @__tersaa (click on illustration to see more): 

"So I did this illustration of Mercy LAMBO's outfit to the #13thHeadies2019.

Took me a while, But I'm here now! ?"


Fashion illustration as a career option is growing in popularity thanks in part to the images we see being shared on social media.  With popular fashion illustrators like @leankid  carving a niche for himself and earning his income solely as a Fashion Illustrator with illustrating gigs for GTBank for the GTBank Fashion Weekend, product launches and wedding invitation cards.

Beyonce Illustration by @leankid at Coachella

Beyonce Illustration by @leankid at Coachella

Naomi Campbell Illustration by @leankid

Naomi Campbell Illustration by @leankid

@leankid collaboration with @ GTBank for the @GTBank Fashion Weekend

@leankid collaboration with @ GTBank for the @GTBank Fashion Weekend

You should also consider carving a niche for yourself in the fashion industry as a fashion illustrator. f you are wondering about how to get started and what it takes to become a successful fashion illustrator here are four steps:


1. Have no Self-Doubt

Believing in yourself is everything, as is keeping a positive mindset towards your everyday life. β €
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2. Do your research

You’ve decided to pursue becoming a fashion illustrator as a career…congratulations!!!  This is where you start to put in work by starting with β€˜research’.  Take all the time you need to study the fashion industry, the top illustrators in the field.


3.  Take a Course and Learn

Creative and Fashion Illustration Course at Martwayne

Creative and Fashion Illustration Course at Martwayne

Improve on your artistic skills and take our Creative and Fashion Illustration Course to expand your knowledge.  It is perfect for complete beginners and those who can also draw.  β€‹We will also guide you on how to start a career as a Fashion Illustrator.


3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Sleepless nights will become your best friend. You must have heard the saying β€˜β€™constant practice makes one a professional’’.  It is especially true of all skills and Fashion Illustration is not an exception.  Even if you can sketch right from the womb, you still need to turn that raw talent into a refined and sellable skill.


4. Create a unique Style

Develop a unique style and stick to it. In carving a niche for yourself in the Creative & Fashion Industry it will benefit you greatly to have your own unique style of illustration.


It’s important to always remember that your journey to becoming a fashion illustrator won’t be smooth sailing, but stay positive and believe in yourself no matter what.

Recommended Resources

Specialization in the Fashion Industry

Fashion Illustrator Leankid on Fashion Insider by GTBank Ndani TV

Fashion Business Growth Tip: Develop a Unique Selling Proposition

Getting Your Business Ready for 2020

Bring Your Designs to Life

About Me

Tope Williams-Adewunmi

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.

Someone you know needs this article.  

If this helped you, help them out by sharing this article on social media.

To get notified about our posts, please sign up below: