5 Things I learnt from Running a Start Up Business

We recently worked with Sarah from The Sparkk, and discussed all things start up Business. Here’s what we found out:

From Sarah:

I could talk endlessly about the ups and downs, pits and peaks of starting and running a business, but truly it is a journey that everyone experiences in different ways. But if there are any words of wisdom i wish i'd known when i started, these would have been them: 

1) YOU'RE GOING TO FAIL

Too harsh? A better way to say that - you are going to make mistakes. But my god will you learn from them. Starting a business is not for the faint hearted. Its not for those wanting perfection straight away or for those who expect to achieve without heartache. Our first collection of Active wear i designed for Kamuka was 2cm too big around the ankles. 230 garments. 230 pairs of tights that couldn't be sold because the ankle measurement wasn't to spec. Now at the time, this was the end for me and i honestly almost gave it all up. But you fail and you learn. I learnt the very important lesson of "checking and triple checking" that day. 

2) SURROUND YOURSELF WITH INCREDIBLE HUMANS

Its your idea, your baby - so its natural that you want to just jump in, call all the shots and focus.. but the best advice i ever got when i was starting out was to surround myself with incredible humans who inspire me to succeed. I set about surrounding myself with mentors from all different aspects of the business. Find people who's opinion you value highly, ask questions, write things down, soak it all up. Find your humans. 

3) LOOK AFTER YOURSELF! 

This point deserves its own post, heck its own website! You C A N N O T bring your best work to your business, if you are not your best. Burn out, exhaustion, no sleep, hair loss, anxiety attacks - you may experience it all, like i did. What i wish i'd listened to earlier on is to put myself first, and look after myself. Please take time to breathe, take a day off to re-charge if you need too, focus on down time and mental clarity. Find out what it takes to make you relax, what "me time" means to you and add it into your every day. Your business will thank you for it. 

4) CELEBRATE ALL OF THE WINS

This is really important. What is success? Is it having 10,000 customers? Or is it having 1 customer? Is it opening 5 stores or opening 20? There is no limit. I remember when i hit 5K followers on Instagram, my first thought was "okay now the goal is 10K" or "okay now the goal is 20 orders per week". There is no end and no limit to your success, so constantly pushing yourself and your goals can be counter-active. Celebrate EVERY SINGLE little win. Really celebrate it. Write it down. Give yourself a pat on the back. All of the 'little' every day things add up, and its important to count them. 

5) DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY

Im still learning this. Life, and business does not have to be so serious. You can have a laugh when you make a mistake, you can be vulnerable on social media and you can be honest with your customers. Starting a business and a brand is hard work, and if you don't take a minute to enjoy the sunshine and laugh about the little ins and outs of your day, its going to get really ugly. 

Of course, there is more i could say, but i am still learning myself, every single day. I think we all are. These are just the 5 top 'please remember me!' tips that i live by every day (or at least try too)

Trend Update: SS22 Colour Trend Report

Our incredible friend Maddie of The Digital Weaver talks all things colour with her latest Trend Update for SS22:

“We’ve been immersed in the gorgeous SS22 catwalk colours, here at The Digital Weaver Studio. Welcome to part one of our deep dive into next seasons hottest colours. This week we feature out two fave ‘popping’ palettes “Sun-bleached' Vibrants’ and ‘Blazing Vibrants’.

Must have colours for the season are Blazing Orange, Tangelo, Carmine Rose, soft Purple Rose, African Violet and Aspen Gold. Key highlight shades includes Blazing Yellow, Sharp Green Lime, pretty Pink Cosmo’s and Aquarius.

For a more sophisticated take, try fresh Mint, Summer Green, Ultramarine or Dazzling Blue.

For prints featuring these on trend colours you can book-in to see our new collection.

The Digital Weaver team knows all you need to know about colour - get in touch with them for more!

Client Feature: Lily Brazel of Stature

We caught up with Lily Brazel from the awesome Hockeyroos last week. We asked Lily to tell us about her journey, from starting her ethical performance apparel brand ‘Stature Australia’ to launching it this September. She very kindly gave us a little look behind the scenes... #nofilter - just real focus and determination.

Contacting The Fashion Society was a turning point for my journey. I really don't think I would be where I am if I hadn't of reached out to them

Australian textile industry to benefit from US/China trade war?

As you may have seen in the news, the Trump government is moving forward on threats to impose a 25% tariff on nearly all Chinese exports to the United States. From what we have explored, this adds a big “cost” to the manufacturing process, which results in detrimental losses to profit margins. In our understanding, this will positively impact the Australian textile industry as we can now compete on pricing to encourage on shore manufacturing.

In an article written by Sidney Leng and He Huefeng from the South China Morning Post, they state that “The average retail price of clothing manufactured in China has more than double since the start of the trade war”. At Sublitech, and in talks with our local supply chain friends, we are noticing an increase in interest from big brands for onshore manufacturing. As has always been, Australia has higher quality, smaller minimums, better working conditions and the marketing benefit of “Australian Made” on their side, but always in competition with the cheaper prices of manufacturing in China. We’re seeing this as a game changer in competing with China and are encouraging brands to jump on board with onshore manufacturing.

In an article by McKinsey & Company, they stated “Some fashion companies have begun to reconsider their presence in, and exposure to, countries where tariff barriers could further increase the cost of doing business. Puma, Steve Madden, and Wolverine World Wide are among companies that stated they would consider moving production out of China. Many companies had begun this process before the trade tensions mounted, but they cite the recent developments as a tipping point.”

Owner of Sublitech, a local Australian sublimation company, Peter Faill states he is “looking forward to seeing an increase in production within Australia. We offer fast turn-around, high quality, local manufacturing avoiding headaches, no minimums, and now can compete on a cost front as well – it’s a very exciting time for us”.

If exporting from China to the US hits you with a 25% tariff, which impacts your profit margins, maybe it’s time to think about the extensive benefits of manufacturing on shore. Who doesn’t love an Australian Grown, Owned and Made business?

Stay tuned for more!