26/04/2023
IF YOU ARE A TAILOR AND WANT TO BECOME A FASHION ENTREPRENEUR, YOU NEED TO READ THIS.
We all know well, you may not know that tailors who passed through apprenticeship system are train to cut, join and measure as workers only. Read it again, workers only. It may be low, mid or high level worker but they are all trained to work under fashion entrepreneurs with ideas.
Becoming an entrepreneur is never a switch, it is a process that hundreds of millions of people do start but a few tens continue. Unfortunately, there is no end point.
WHAT IS FASHION DESIGNS?
Fashion is a word that encompasses different aspects of our lives, fashion do not only mean clothing we wear, but also include the perfume we use, wristwatch we wear, un**es, shoes, earrings, caps, veils, creams, jewelleries and so on. Anything we put on is categorized under fashion. That’s why you see most big fashion brands are selling almost all what I mentioned above.
You too can be like themselves , you just need to have a shift of mindset.
WHO IS AN ENTREPRENEUR?
An entrepreneur is one who provides sellable solution at a price people are willing to pay.
WHO IS THEN A FASHION ENTREPRENEUR?
A fashion entrepreneur is one who provide fashion items as a form of value and solution to people at a price they are willing to pay
If we go back to business study or economics back in secondary schools, we were told the basic necessities for the survival of human being which are; Food, shelter and clothing!
Clothing is where we tailors come in, which means as the world continues to exist people will still need us. Unfortunately, if you don’t develop yourself, people may no longer need you or your service. And you become poor like your boss and his/her bosses. That’s the fact!
Before you call yourself a clothing entrepreneur you have 3 important tasks to do;
1. Unlearn all the myth(wrong beliefs) you have about fashion. It includes How tailoring is handwork, how no one can become rich with tailoring, how no one can afford luxury items with tailoring and so on.
2. Learn the forms of value of fashion business (discus later) if you know and apply it, you will be rich even with your village people following you.
3. Relearn new information: this is inform of personal development (it include business books, YouTube videos on “how to”, mentoring from those who are bigger than you and so on.
Once you can do all these, You would gradually start having the mindset of an entrepreneur and business man.
If you learn handwork and want to become an entrepreneur you need to understand how economy work, how value turn to money and how money become more money. Understand these, you must have knowledge of two things which are:
1. Forms of Value
2. Business processes.
Value are what entrepreneurs create that they get paid for. Look at anything around you, you bought it because you need the value of that thing. From mobile phone, television, power bank, tape rule, chalk, scissors, biro, machines and so on. We bought all these things because we needed its values.
As a tailor transiting to fashion entrepreneur, Understanding these forms of value will give you an edge to identify several hundred of other businesses in fashion industry different from sitting behind your machines every time.
According to JOSH KAUFMAN, there are 12 forms of value and few of it are;
a. Product
b. Service
c. Lease
d. Resale
E. Agency
f. Audience aggregate
g. Loan and so on.
As I said earlier, it’ll be a long journey and only the strong can continue.
Let’s stop here today till tomorrow