Are you serious about your business but worried about having the skills to make it a success?

It might be time for apparel bootcamp!

Apparel Bootcamp is the FBI’s 10 week course to teach you how to strategically make money–save time and prevent mistakes. Taught by instructor Robin Cornwall its where our very own Randa Allen learned to write the business plan for her now multi million dollar company “Notice.”

Class Begins April 22nd at 6pm

Log on to http://fashionbizinc.org to sign up.

For the best classroom atmosphere class size is limited to 20. So sign up today!

Want to learn how to do your own flats…spec sheets…and line sheets in Adobe Illustrator? Knowing how to do these things yourself can save you time and money as well as bail you out when you’re in a crunch.

Join us at the FBI seminar “Adobe Illustrator for the Fashion Industry: Beginning Basic Drawing.”

Classes begin Thursday April 17th at the FBI Resource Center in the New Mart.

See our class schedule at http://www.fashionbizinc.org for more information

In the fashion business forming a partnership is often a very appealing idea. You have the opportunity to share the financial responsibility…the workload as well as the ups and downs of starting a fashion company.

When you think about choosing or looking for a partner…start by thinking about your weaknesses.

Are you good at design but couldn’t stand the thought of looking at a balance sheet? Are you a great technical designer but don’t really keep up with the trends? Think about what you can do…and like to do…then find someone that helps you to fill in your voids.

Looking for a partner means sharpening your networking skills…they may end up being a referral from someone you meet or even an old classmate or colleague. You never know…

Conventional wisdom is that you work up from your actual costs then build in your margins.

However, In pricing your goods my recommendation is to always work backwards.

You want your garments to sell— so look at them from a consumer point of view. Then think about what the item looks/feels like it is worth. Does it look like it’s $100?? $200??? $5??? What do comparable items sell for?? What stores do you want to sell it to?

You have to fit your product into the marketplace. So, think about these variables and price your product accordingly…then go back and see how you can build in your margin.

Just my view….but since there are many different schools of thought on this topic…comments are welcome!

Your line sheet doesn’t necessarily have to look like a Spigel catalog…its purpose is to be a true “buyers tool.”

It should have all of the information required for a buyer to write out an order form. So it may look a lot more technical than flashy.

Don’t get me wrong…people are visual in general but you may want to separate your buyer line sheet with all it’s tedious details from a lookbook that could be used for consumers as well.

We’ve gotten quite a few questions this week on working with what we in the fashion industry refer to as “The Majors”. Just in case you’re new to the biz this term refers to larger stores such as Nordstrom, Macys and Bloomingdales.

Since there are so many different views on this topic….I’d like to open this question up to our consultants, members and all of our readers. Remember give a little….get a little. We’ve all had our own experiences that may be able to help someone else….

My two cents…. Although majors can be great accounts it can be extremely dangerous to make a major store too large a part of your business. You certainly don’t want to have your own company just to have another company own you.

Any other advice???

Here are the types of major related questions we’ve received requests for……

–can you negotiate with majors?

–what should I watch out for in working with majors?

–are majors open to buying from new companies….how can you get in touch with them?

PR is more important than ever in the fashion world, yet still so mysterious.

So, how in the world do you get good PR?

Is it really all about connections? If so how do you make them?

Join Debra Stevenson at the FBI next week for the seminar “Do Your Own PR Like the Pro’s”

When: March 24th, 2008, 6:00pm through 8:30 pm

Contact: 213.892.1669 or info@fashionbizinc.org

Cost: $45 Members $75 Non Members

A resale license or a sellers permit is obtained from the State Board of Equalization.

The application is simple and most often you can walk into a local branch and get your resale number on the spot. Really…it’s pretty easy.

For more information and to print out a resale license application online visit the Board of Equalization at www.boe.ca.gov.

A trademark is a symbol, word, phrase or design of some kind used to identify a company.

The logo your graphic designer whipped up or even the signature way your company name is written…if it identifies your brand in a unique way it can be trademarked.

For more information on trademarks and federal trademark registration go to www.uspto.gov.

There’s a quote that says soon as you think you’ve finished everything….you know you’re at the beginning. Well here we are! The LA shows are over….so what’s next? The all important FOLLOW UP…..

Here are some things you can do to reach out to your prospects the week after the show:

1. Send a postcard with a handwritten thank you note.

2. Send a copy of your line sheet highlighting some of the styles where they showed interest.

3. Send an email reminding customers of delivery dates and immediates.

Or combine all three…..
You were able to use the show to establish the relationship. Now is the time to turn your appearance into an order…and an order…and more orders.

You want that huge investment you put in your show to pay relationship dividends for seasons to come. Use this follow up stage as an opportunity to get the ball rolling.