7 Essential Relationships Every Fashion Entrepreneur Needs

As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” Every person needs other people to function properly and excel as relationships are the fibre that connects us all. They help us build strong bonds that keep us going. This is why relationships are important.

Being a fashion entrepreneur can sometimes get pretty tough and lonely. There are times when it would be hard to go on. In those times, you will need help with your entrepreneurial journey and the relationships you have will come in handy. Here are 7 essential relationships every fashion entrepreneur needs.

Essential Relationships Every Fashion Entrepreneur Needs

1. Family

For various fashion entrepreneurs, family can be a very touchy subject. Some have them as their biggest support system and others have them and as their biggest source of conflict when it comes to entrepreneurship. Either way, family is important.

Often times as a fashion entrepreneur, your family will play a big role in the success of your fashion brand. They turn out to be your first customers or connect you with those that will patronise your brand.

Family can mean many things to many different people. For you, it might be your immediate nuclear family. For others, it will be the huge extended family behind them, cheering them on. Still, for others, it could be those that they are not related to by blood but who have been there for them.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, family is important in building a great fashion brand. This is why a relationship with them is vital.

2. Friends

Your friends are those people you enjoy having a good time with. They are the ones that are always there to remind you to take a break and just let your hair down. Friends are those that you can count on to be there for you both in good and bad times.

As a fashion entrepreneur, your friends might not necessarily understand your entrepreneurship journey but they are in your life because they love you and want the best for you. They make up a large part of your support system – and every entrepreneur needs a support system. This support system is what you will have to fall back on when the going gets tough.

Your friends push you and challenge you to think differently. They dream with you and make you set higher goals for yourself. They scold you when you mess up and encourage you when you need it. When the time to celebrate comes they are also always there for you. Friends are definitely an important relationship every entrepreneur needs.

3. Fellow fashion entrepreneurs

Your peers are those fashion entrepreneurs that are going in the same direction as you. They could be at the same level as you or one or two steps ahead of you. They are those that you can walk the entrepreneurship journey with and learn from.

Every fashion entrepreneur needs this set of people in their life. Your peers should typically have a similar value system to yours and should have a fashion business that is similar to yours. They should also be as driven to succeed as you are.

If they’re a step or two ahead of you, they should be people you look up to and want to grow up to be like one day. They should also be people you can learn from and share hacks with.

4. Employees and Vendors

As your fashion business grows, you will begin to earn enough money to hire employees. These employees will work hand-in-hand with you to bring your dreams for your brand to life. Therefore, fashion entrepreneurs need to build good relationships with their employees to reach their goals more easily.

Since employees are an important part of running a business, the first step is to employ the right fit for your fashion brand. Next, even with the right employees, you need to constantly find ways to motivate and inspire them. Treating your employees with respect, understanding their needs, and giving them time for their personal lives are great ways to build good relationships with them.

Asides from employees, vendors are also an important part of growing a business. You need to always strive to be in the good graces of your vendors because they provide you with the essential tools you need to run your business. As a fashion entrepreneur, you need to get close to them and build trusted relationships with them so they can come through for you in case of emergencies.

5. Customers

Customers make a business. Your fashion business was established to serve them and, without them, it stands no chance of survival. To succeed with entrepreneurship in the fashion industry, you need to ensure your client’s happiness.

To do this, you have to put yourself in their shoes and find ways to connect with them. This means building relationships with them both online and offline so you can understand their needs and thoughts. By building relationships with your clients, you not only get to retain old clients, you get to gain new ones.

6. Teachers and Mentors

Without the right teachers and mentors, your entrepreneurial journey will be a pretty hard one. When building a fashion business, you will constantly face challenges you don’t know how to solve. How do I sew princess dart? How do I price my fashion items properly? What do I need to create the perfect packaging for my products? A teacher can answer all of these and more.

Mentors, on the other hand, are those that have more experience than you and who you have personal access to. They are those with who you can meet regularly to gain new insights on your entrepreneurial journey. They carry you on their shoulders and help you avoid mistakes you could have made.

Mentors are those people you go to when you have a big decision to make. They help you see your vision from a different angle and teach you ways to go about your goals. Many time, mentors can even connect you with others in their circles that might be of great help to you.

As your look around and discover mentors around you, you must remember to always show them gratitude, treat them with respect and acknowledge their insight. Mentors are priceless and every fashion entrepreneur needs them in their life.

7. Professionals

Professionals can save you and your fashion business a lot of trouble. As a fashion entrepreneur, you must build good relationships with such professionals as accountants, lawyers, and tax experts. They provide you with information your brand needs to stay out of trouble and remain on the good side of the law.

With professionals, you know your business is better managed than it would have been if you handled everything yourself. As you continue on your entrepreneurial journey, you must find trustworthy professionals to build lasting relationships with. Their importance in your fashion brand cannot be underestimated.

As a fashion entrepreneur, the people you surround yourself with can make the difference between going on and quitting. The relationships you build will inadvertently determine how well you do in business and how smooth your journey is. Pay attention to the right relationships and see your brand soar.