Change You Can Believe In...

There's a case to be made for the small business these days. While big corporations are going through these massive restructuring plans to stay afloat--and small businesses certainly have their vulnerabilities they also have one big commonly overlooked advantage.
Flexibility....

"I can change in a day," a successful small business owner once told me. He looked around his small office, snapped his fingers as if to drill his point home and said again,"If something stops working out...I can change it all in a day."

While his statement may have been a bit of an exaggeration, his comments do have an interesting underlying question. In these challenging economic times how many small companies are taking advantage of their unique opportunity to change in a day...a month..or next year for that matter?

Many of the fashion business owners I encounter are just trying to keep what they have, lower prices, push the sales reps, find new production.

However maybe now is the time to pull out that small business trump card and "Change in a Day!"

So who's going to dream up all this change..as if the small business owner doesn't already have more than enough to do? Well as the saying goes "Fish can't see water." If you're in the trenches of running your everyday operations you may not even know quite where to begin...

Why not get some outsiders involved to give you some ideas to create change you can believe in....

1. Hire Some Bright Interns--And not to answer the phones, file or fax. Encourage them to share ideas, give feedback and even have a pet project. Schools like, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising allow employers to skip the clutter of craigslist and post opportunities for interns directly on their website.

2. Meet with a Consultant--Why not get the assistance of someone that knows how other companies have managed to succeed and fail. Many times their insider perspective can make the difference between a golden parachute and feeling like your business is trapped at the bottom of the ocean with an iron anchor. You can find these helpful industry insiders presenting seminars at trade shows and other industry events or you can check out Fashion Business Inc Consultants that may be able to help.

3. Get Some Free Business Advice--Score.org is an association of retired executives that helps small business owners plan and assess their businesses completely free of charge. Maybe you need to revisit your business plan...or maybe you never even had one to begin with. Now could be the perfect time to rewind and restart. Get the scoop on score and its services at www.score.org.

Will You Be My Sales Rep?

Finding a sales rep as a new brand is no easy feat. You have to find a rep that believes in your brand and is willing to nurture it to its full potential.

It really takes warm-up time to build brands up…and in those times you nor your sales rep will be making any “real,” money so to speak. In fact you may want to plan on losing some.

That said…you as well as the rep you choose must be willing to be patient and prepared to deal with a bit of uncertainty as you climb the proverbial success ladder together.

To find a showroom/sales rep in Los Angeles I recommend looking up brands you’d like to share a showroom with on the LA fashion district website directory. This directory contains all of the lines showing in “The Intersection,” which includes (The LA Mart, The New Mart and the Gerry and Cooper Buildings.)

When you search this directory look for lines you may be compatible with not competitive with. You want to find a showroom that does not house direct competitors but that the same stores that buy the lines they carry may also be interested in your products as well.

Once you find some leads…walk by…take a peek in and see if it suits your company. If it does ask if they are accepting new lines…and if they would take a meeting with you.

If you get to the meeting stage it’s time to put your best foot forward. If you even think you want them…sell yourself and your new company like nobody’s business…get them to really want you.

Start the meeting by showing the the rep completed sales samples, marketing materials and sharing the long term vision of your company. Reps love to see that you have a long term vision and a plan to get there. Your communication skills will be key. You want to vividly display the passion and commitment you have for making your business grow.

You also should highlight stores you’ve gotten into without a showroom (yes..you should be trying to get yourself in at least a few brand building stores before taking on a showroom), press coverage you may have received, mention investors so they understand your business is secure and don’t forget to bring up your past work experience to give them insight into your competency as a businessperson.

Once you have them where you want them….It’s time to start negotiating things like commission percentage, rent fees and the term of your agreement.

The better you present yourself the more flexible the showroom will become. Give them the reason to believe they have much more to gain…than to lose by taking you under their sales umbrella. Even though showrooms tend to have a bit of a chi-chi…boo-boo snob appeal at the end of the day they are in the sales business and need you as much as you need them.

Present a great product…a great strategy and a strong business acumen and carrying your line can quickly go from getting a straight “NO,” to becoming a “NO-brainer.”

So don't be scared...Find the showroom you want and go after them with everything you've got...

Out of Our Minds....

The book I'm reading this week is called "Out of our Minds...Learning to Be Creative," by Ken Robinson. Although Ken is a little verbose and has an affinity for words most people have to look up in the dictionary, this book brings up a lot of interesting points regarding the art of creativity.

One point I particularity like, explains how a common yet faulty assumption is that being creative should in some way be isolated to the arts. His rationalization includes the thought that wherever you find great success stores whether in business, medicine, sports or rocket science creativity is usually one of the most active ingredients.

So if you're a designer and consider yourself a “creative,” instead of an “analytical,” type don't shy away from practical seemingly less interesting business matters because you don't consider it your "territory," or "expertise." I encourage you to extend your creative juices into some of what you may feel are less glamorous matters of your organization.

Step away from the sketch pad and take some time to work "on," your business....not necessarily "in," your business.

Carve out a day to brainstorm on new business initiatives...or think about how you may be able to creatively increase your profit margin by using new materials or create ways to boost morale amongst your employees and outside contractors.

If you're creative in any way which most all of us are...expand that creativity to more areas within your business. Running a healthier more profitable company should be all the inspiration you need.....