What a great concept!  When I think of clothing that’s made to measure I think of men’s tailored suits or women’s couture gowns.  I don’t typically think about a functional, beautiful item of clothing for my own personal use.  I do now, however. 

Last year, I was wandering around the West Hollywood/3^rd Street area and came across a beautiful boutique.  I walked in and was taken with all of the beautiful fabrics and designs hanging from the racks.  While there were many dresses, sweaters and tops to choose from, each item hung neatly from a rack and nothing was cramped or crowded.  The sales floor was open and spacious and the accessories were carefully chosen and displayed in tasteful, functional cases.  If you’ve ever studied retail merchandising, you’ll understand why I was so blown away by this store.  If not, let me summarize…the art of retailing is more like a science.  You need to know how best to display your products to their full advantage.  Your customers need to walk into your store and flow easily and naturally through the entire space.  They should be able to see your products in a logical way without having to dig through racks or piles of clothing.  And best of all, they need to be able to see themselves in your products and, if you’re selling accessories as well, how best to accessorize their outfits. 

I wandered through the store and the sales clerk let me take my time before asking me if I had ever been to this store before.  When I replied “No,” she said something like “let me explain our concept to you…” “OK,” I thought…”what’s your concept?”  She informed me that the tops and dresses were available in a variety of fabrics, so if I found one I liked but they didn’t have my size or the fabric I wanted, one could be made for me within a short period.  If you read this blog, you know me… I’m a fan of anyone who is producing locally, so of course I was excited by the idea.  Now I just had to find a dress or two.  I found several, tried them on and found one I really liked.  It was a bit too long, but the sales clerk mentioned that they would have it altered for me.  Great customer service, I thought, but actually the store is called “Masse Made to Measure” so it is actually part of their concept.  Needless to say, I bought the dress.

Here’s the thing, every time I’ve been out shopping for a dress, I always come back to Melissa Masse and Masse Made to Measure.  Why?  Because I’m not someone who can buy a dress off the rack and expect it to fit me perfectly.  I’m petite and find dresses in the Petite section don’t always fit the way they should and dresses in the Regular section are always too long.  Now I get a dress that’s custom fit to my body.  Better yet, I might find a silhouette I like but in a print or color that’s not my taste.  Now I can pick the fabric or color I want.  Yes, I know I’m going to pay a bit more, but I’m more than happy to do so.  I’m supporting a local business that is manufacturing locally and employing skilled workers in the garment industry.  It’s a win-win prospect, if you ask me.

The last time I was in the store, Melissa Masse was there as well.  I was happy to meet her and have a chance to find out more about her and how she came up with the concept for her store.  “When my friends complained that they couldn’t find anything in the stores that they liked, or more importantly, anything that fit them properly, I realized that they couldn’t be the only customers who felt that way.” I couldn’t agree with her more.  

Trying to figure out your next steps in the apparel industry?  Check out our upcoming seminars or come by during Textile Week September 27 – 29 for free seminars, networking and more.  Fashion Business, Inc. is located at the California Market Center 110 East 9^th Street, Suite C786, Los Angeles, CA 90079

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

Recently, FBI sent out a survey to our members and non-members alike.  We wanted your feedback on how FBI serves the fashion industry and what we can do to improve our offerings to you and the fashion community in general. You were not shy in your responses and we thank you for your input.  We’re always looking for ways to improve our services and, with this feedback, we have our jobs cut out for ourselves.

127 members and non-members responded to our membership survey.  Some of the respondents in the “Other” category included students, freelance pattern makers and people looking to get started in the fashion industry.  We received responses from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York, Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Missouri, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Washington, Michigan, Oregon and a few from Jolly old England.

 Following  are the survey responses to each question asked along with selected comments.

 “What are the biggest challenges currently facing your business?” 

Comments included:  “assisting students to secure employment,” “shortage of jobs and internships,” “understanding production and how to source locally,” “product development,” “the economy,” “sourcing fabrics” and “getting funding.”

“Which FBI services do you currently take advantage of?” 

Several respondents “would like to see classes offered in the Bay Area.”  Other comments included:  “would like more on-line training,” “would like to take the walking tour,” “would like more social events,” “want to find out more about the consultants,” “would like to participate in the fashion show.” 

We need to take advantage of putting more seminars and classes either on-line as a download or as a Webinar, if at all possible.  With so many people outside of the LA/SF area participating in this survey, the only opportunity most people have to come in to the FBI office is during market, and they’re usually too busy to attend classes or seminars. 

“Which Seminars do you most frequently take?” 

Many of the respondents have yet to take a class or a seminar, whether it’s due to location or the fact that some of them aren’t members,  approximately 30 percent  said they haven’t taken a seminar. 

 “What other types of services, seminars, classes, Fashion events, or networking opportunities would you like FBI to present?” 

Responses include:  “trend and color seminars,” “home furnishing/fashions,” “planning for business growth,” “PLEASE OFFER CLASSES IN SF, especially Photoshop and Illustrator,” “sales and marketing - for established businesses, not just startups,” “classes in NY,” “create online FBI community so members can get to know one another, even if it’s just virtual,” “sourcing and manufacturing in the US,” “developing products for plus-size/mature markets,” “sourcing, sourcing, sourcing,” “operations,” “finding sales reps,” “how to work with retail buyers, how to meet retail buyers,” “finance,” “understanding computer systems,” “online marketing,” “ecommerce - how to set up an online store,” “utilizing social media,” “mixers with famous designers and sales reps.”

“Please let us know how frequently you would like to receive our emails” 

It appears as though we’re on target with the number of emails we send.  Certain things like sign-ups for fashion shows should be sent out well in advance so people can have enough time to prepare.

 “In what ways has the Fashion Business, Inc. helped your career and/or business?” 

Comments included: “the book “Fashion for Profit” was the best investment I’ve made in my business,” and various other comments about how beneficial the book has been,  “I took the AIMS certification course,” “It’s great to know there’s an organization out there helping people like me get into the business,” “…has exposed me to areas in the business that school never did. I have a merchandising & design degree from Cal. State Northridge and I was never taught the things I have learned through FBI.”

“How would you rate your overall membership experience with us?” 

Comments from our members included:  “Computers in lab weren’t working properly when I took a class there,” “not a lot of programs or classes available in SF,” “every time I call with a question or send an email everyone is so helpful and friendly,” “thank you for your services and advice to the small business owner,” “would like more classes during weekends or evenings or webinars or on-line - I can’t attend during the work day,” “would like to see more networking events and seminars.”

Interestingly, we received the most comments from non-members.  Many people are on our email lists through workshops, events, etc.  They felt compelled to participate in the survey if only to voice that they’d like to see more workshops and classes in their local areas.  Other comments included the fact that our memberships were “too expensive” as were our seminars.  Again, these were coming from non-members.

If you have any comments, ideas, etc. please feel free to email us at info@fashionbizinc.org or stop by and see us at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, suite C786.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

The other day I had an interesting conversation with the owner of an apparel company.  The subject of budgets and plans came up.  Or, maybe I should say, I brought up the subject of budgets and plans and asked him how he was planning and budgeting.  His response was “Well, I kind of come up with my budget for the year and forget about it until next year when I have to plan it all over again.”  Talk about lost opportunities!  So I asked him what he used to create a sales plan.  His response was “Well, I kind of have a number in my head and that’s what I use.”  Then I asked him if he communicates this sales plan to his sales and merchandising team.  His response was “Not really.  The design and merchandising team builds the line and the sales team sells it.”  Oh, dear. 

I’ve known this guy for a long time and he does relatively well in his market space.  His sales volume is between 12 – 15 million, so he’s not really in the Big Leagues, but he has a great opportunity here to get much greater control and understanding of his business than I think he realizes.  No business is too small to take advantage of this relatively simple function called “Planning.”

Step one:  Start with a budget.  Be realistic about what you need for your operating costs, salaries, overhead, insurances, rent, materials, etc.  If you have never built a budget like this, take a few hours to meet with your accountant – What!?!?  No Accountant?!?!?  Seriously?  O.K. start the process by working with an accountant to build a financial plan.  You really need this, more than I can tell you in a blog.  In order to truly understand your business all the way down to the gross margin level, you need a financial plan.  You need to know your expenses in order to understand how to cost your products and how to determine your true gross margin after all is said and done. 

Step two:  Build a financial plan based on what you think your company will be able to sell and be realistic!  If you’re a 5 million dollar company this year, don’t expect to hit 20 million next year.  Analyze this year’s sales versus last year’s sales.  Have you added customers or lost customers?  Have you added market share or lost market share?  Now think about what next year’s realistic goal should be.  Are you looking to add product categories?  Will that open new doors for you?  Or are you expecting to do about the same as last year.  Neither of these is the wrong answer, by the way,  you just need to know how to plan.

Step three:  Work with your sales team to create a sales plan.  How can they plan to meet your sales goals?  What do they need to do?  Continue business as usual? Open 10 new accounts each at a dollar volume of 20,000 per account?  Let them know what you’d LIKE to see and have them come back to you with what they see.  Oh, and perhaps you can tie some of their compensation to meeting the sales goals you both establish?  This way, they’re just as invested in the business as you are.

Step four:  Work with the design and merchandising team to develop a merchandising plan that meets the needs of the sales team.  If sales thinks they can sell the heck out of dresses but pants and skirts are trending down and your designers are only designing pants and skirts, maybe you need to stop and review everything before moving forward.  The goal of a merchandising plan is to give the design team an understanding of what types of product, categories and price points they should be building to meet the needs of the customers. 

By tying the merchandising plan to the sales plan and the sales plan to the financial plan, you start to see how the business works toward a common goal – profitability.  Everyone likes to be profitable, no?  Now, when it comes to planning for the next year, you’ll know what your expenses are, you’ll know what your gross margins are and you can start thinking about what the next steps for your business should be.  Raises, anyone?  New office space?  Better computer systems?  At least now you’ll know if you can afford any or all of that. 

Looking for accounting or financial planning help?  Check out the FBI’s list of consultants and financial services. 

With friends and family in from out of town this past week, it’s been a bit challenging to keep up on the weekly blog.  My apologies for being a few days late.  Along with the friends and family have been many opportunities for dinner table conversations on a wide range of topics - in my family, baseball is chief among them.  However, this is a fashion blog, not a sports blog, so I’ll steer clear of the Dodgers and their chances for World Series greatness this year.  (Go Dodgers!) 

An interesting discussion came up last night.  One which never fails to irk me, as a fashion industry professional - counterfeit products.   I’m not talking about “knockoffs” or products “inspired by” a designer original.  I’m talking about actual trademark-infringing, counterfeit products.  Check out these blogs: Fashion Law by Staci Riordan and Fashionista’s Adventures in Copyright on the “knockoff” debate for further discussion. 

I generally like to enjoy my holiday meals without delving into controversial topics - you know, politics, religion, health care reform, etc.  I had even decided to politely hold my tongue when the topic of buying a “knockoff purse” came up.  All I did was make a correction to the statement - “That’s not a knockoff purse, it’s a counterfeit purse.”  And the floodgates opened!  If you have to ask me what the difference is, I’m going to give you an earful.  Or, a pageful, as evidenced by this blog.  If the product you purchased has the same brand name label as the original from which is was copied, that’s a counterfeit product.  Even if the product you purchased has a slightly altered name -”Prado” versus “Prada”- but the exact same design details, it can be considered counterfeit. 

This quote from Tim Trainer, president of the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition in Washington, D.C.  says it all “Counterfeiters trade off the backs of legitimate brands. They let the real brands pay for the marketing, advertising, develop the designs, and then they profit off of it.” Think about all of the time, money, effort and energy it takes to develop a new style for your brand-name label.  Think about how excited you are when your style takes off and is seen in magazines and on the arms or legs of a celebrity.  Now think about how upset you’d be to realize your style has been copied by one or more counterfeiters and is being sold through back door retailers and illegal channels.  What happens to your sales?  Your profits? What money do you use to develop your next great design?  Many people don’t realize when they’re buying a fake product they’re putting legitimate designers out of business.  They’re looking for a bargain; they want the latest and greatest styles but don’t want to have to pay retail prices. 

Even worse, in my opinion, is the fact that many counterfeit products can actually cause damage or injury to the person buying them.  Maybe your new “Prado” purse isn’t going to be the source of many injuries, but has it been tested for lead content?  Was formaldehyde used in the manufacturing process?  What about those “Channel” sunglasses you just bought?  Do you think the manufacturer thoughtfully used UV filtering or polarized lenses?  I sincerely doubt it.  What about those new “Reebook” trainers you took for a run?  Do you really think they’re using the same technology and support as a real pair of Reeboks?  There’s no way to hold anyone accountable for counterfeit products. 

How about this for a bit of advice?  If you don’t buy counterfeit products, the market for these goods will start to dry up.  Legitimate designers will be able to sell their products to consumers willing to pay legitimate prices and maybe we’ll all start making a profit? If you have questions regarding copyrights or trademarks, contact one our legal experts at Fashion Business, Inc. for legal advice.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology expert working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

Wow!  It’s been a busy, busy week and it’s only Wednesday (as I write this).  FBI is in the middle of a week full of seminars and networking events for Textile Week and, if that wasn’t enough, we’re doing a fashion show with the California Market Center in conjunction with the Focus Apparel and Accessory show on Saturday, March 20 at 4:30 p.m. in the CMC penthouse.   

I walked the Textile show twice, once on Monday and then again on Tuesday.  One of my clients is looking to source some fabrics and trims and I was happy to help her out.  I know, I’m a sucker for fabrics…last GlobalTex show I was blabbering on about Modal© and how soft and drapey it is.  Now I’ll blabber on about Tencel© and how wonderfully absorbent it is. 

I had the good fortune to chat with textile industry expert Walter Meck of Fessler, U. S. A. He took the time to show me some of the latest fabrications and discussed some of the different properties of the fibers they’re using.  I’m a huge fan of their products, especially after having visited their facilities in Orwigsburg, PA.  You know how some people like to know where their food comes from?  I like to know where my clothes come from - watching fibers spin into yarns, yarns knit into fabrics and fabrics turned into garments truly makes me smile.

I’ve also had the opportunity to sit through some of the seminars this week and had a great time meeting some new FBI members at the networking event Monday evening.  Our series of seminars during Textile Week are free for members and everyone is welcome to attend.   I’m looking forward to attending Frances Harder and Dana Fried’s Apparel Business Workshop on Thursday, March 18^th.  I know a lot about the business of fashion, but I’m always eager to learn more and I know I’ll pick up a ton of useful information tomorrow.  This workshop is not a part of the Textile Week seminars, so there is a fee, but it’s one of the best investments you’ll ever make if you want to be successful in the apparel industry. 

Speaking of being successful in the apparel industry, I came in at the tail end of Staci Riordan’s “Legal Strategies for a Profitable Fashion Business” seminar yesterday and was reminded of a number of important things.  Check out her blog to find out about the legal side of the apparel industry. The detail that stuck with me was how important it is for businesses to build a great team of industry experts to rely upon.  If you’re dealing with a copyright infringement on one of your designs or international trademark issues with your apparel brand, seek the counsel of an apparel industry lawyer.  If you need capital for your business, find a factor who deals specifically with the apparel industry and understands your retail environment.  Want to know more about how to make your apparel business profitable?  Talk to the experts.  I wanted to know more about fabrics, so I went to one of my experts. 

The FBI has so many resources available for products, services and consulting, it never ceases to amaze me.  Membership starts at $250 per year and with the membership, you get one hour of free consulting with one of our experts along with a whole host of benefits including free seminars, discounts on many services, great networking opportunities and the chance to participate in our fashion shows at a greatly discounted rate.  Hey, if I wasn’t already a member, I’d have joined a long time ago.  Just because I’m considered an industry expert doesn’t mean I won’t jump at the chance to learn from another industry expert.  How do you think we become experts in the first place?

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology expert working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

Let’s hope that what happens at MAGIC doesn’t just stay in Las Vegas. Let’s hope that the excitement, energy and dare I say it, enthusiasm I felt at last week’s MAGIC show is carried forward throughout the year. It was nice to see a lot of foot traffic, new faces, new brands and even orders being written. I know this isn’t a barometer for the economy, but it was encouraging none-the-less.

It’s a lot to see and do with all of the shows happening at the same time: POOLTradeshow, PROJECT, MAGIC, S. L. A. T. E., WWDMAGIC, STREET and more, it’s hard to keep track of everything and impossible to see everything unless you have a pair of rollerblades with you. I was excited to be a part of the SOURCING at MAGIC marketplace and seminars. FBI presented a number of seminars and panels on a variety of topics. Frances Harder and the FBI team presented seminars on “No Risk = No Sales: How to Plan, Merchandise and Brand your Product in a Global Market,” “Turning a Bad Economy Into a Profitable Business Opportunity” and “Retailing for Profit in a New Economy.” I’m not sure how Frances had any vocal chords left after four seminars, but she was still raring to go at the FBI cocktail event Wednesday night at the Hard Rock.

It’s exciting to be a part of these seminars. We met a lot of interesting people with great stories to tell and great products to bring to market. We even signed up a number of new members, excited to take advantage of a discounted FBI membership rate for the MAGIC seminars. I know how excited and eager people are when they have a great idea or design to develop and sell. The challenge becomes how to bring that product to market. MAGIC and all of the related tradeshows are a shining example of people and companies who were able to successfully launch their ideas and sell them to targeted consumers. FBI seminars, classes, consulting and training are all designed to support fashion businesses from inception to profitable multi-million dollar brands. I speak from personal experience when I say that it’s thrilling to see our members “fly the nest” and become the next great brand. It’s not without a lot of hard work and long hours, but by taking advantage of the FBI membership, our members benefit from our expertise, knowledge and know-how to help them navigate the pitfalls of this industry.

I’m looking forward to MAGIC in August, 2010. I hope to see more FBI members showing their lines and doing great business. I know if they take advantage of their memberships, they’ll be well on their way.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org

I had lunch with a friend recently. I mentioned FBI was presenting a number of seminars on Sourcing at MAGIC, February 16 – 18, 2010. When she asked me what sourcing was, I had to think long and hard about how to describe sourcing in general. It seems easy enough to describe: the supply of resources as required by a business process. I’m sure that’s not what she wanted to hear, so I thought about it for a while. She is a screenwriter with no experience in any sort of manufacturing or service industry. I realized, however, that sourcing can be applied to almost any business process. In her case I related it to her wedding, I asked her to think of her wedding planning as sourcing. Think of the logistics, planning, purchasing, deliveries, setup, payments and tastings as sourcing.

Unless you’re doing everything yourself, including sewing your own dress, baking your own cake, growing your own flowers and playing all of the instruments in the band, you’re sourcing. Many brides hire a wedding planner – let’s call that the agent. The agent’s job is to facilitate the sourcing process. They smooth out the bumps, they help ensure shipments are on time, they deal with customs and suppliers and manufacturers to make sure everyone has what they need to get the merchandise manufactured and delivered on time. In the case of a bride, however, late shipments, extensions, customs holdups and shortages aren’t acceptable at all, so the wedding planner has his or her hands full just as much as an agent. Throughout the wedding planning or sourcing process there are a number of vendors supplying goods and services. A bride might have a caterer supplying food, a photographer, a DJ or band, florist, clergyperson, venue and more. A manufacturer might have fabric or trim suppliers, cutting and sewing services, shippers or freight forwarders and more. Retailers can be as demanding as a bride, so keep in mind your retailers requirements throughout the sourcing process.

That’s not the half of it, however. You don’t just start sourcing, just like you don’t just start planning a wedding. First, you need to think of your budget. How much do you have to spend to bring your products to market or to get yourself and your spouse-to-be to “I do?” Second, what should the end result look like? Third, what is the timeframe to get to the deliverable? How long do you have to plan this? In the wedding world, it may be months or years, in the retail world weeks are better than months and rarely can anyone get away with years. Fourth, how do you find a reliable, high quality agent or wedding planner that fits your requirements - budget, personality, location, contacts, etc.? Do you work off of recommendations, advertising, Angie’s List? How do you know that the person you entrust with your business will provide the services you need? Fifth, how do you begin to execute your plan? Where do you find your suppliers? How do you know the designs and fabric swatches you sent months ago will be delivered to your specifications and quantities? Can you get TOP samples? A bride can’t. But she can have her gown custom altered and chances are good, you can’t do that with your production run. Sixth, what about logistics? What are you doing to track your purchase orders, customs clearing, quota numbers and containers? Let’s hope you have a good system in place to provide visibility to all of that information. If the bride is savvy, she’s tracking her information in an organizer or spreadsheet. Last, but not least, how are you tracking your finances? Letters of credit? Payments to your agent or vendors? Due dates and payment terms? Hopefully the bride is tracking her deposits and payments by check or credit card.

By the time I finished explaining the sourcing process with my bridal analogy, my friend actually understood sourcing better than many of my clients. Then I hit her with “Hopefully, this is the only wedding you’ll ever have to plan. Apparel manufacturers source year round for millions of products to be delivered to thousands of retailers. It’s like planning hundreds of wedding a year, without the cake tasting or big parties at the end.” And, if you do it right, make your deliveries and even make your margins, you’ll keep on doing it year after year.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org

Well, not really, but when implemented properly, software should certainly simplify a business, not complicate it. The idea behind software is to do just that, simplify processes. Especially repetitive processes such as data entry, report generation, purchase order creation, bookkeeping and more. When a business starts getting weighed down by their systems, whether they’re bypassing the system to export their data into a spreadsheet or database, they have to jump through too many hoops (screens) to get the data they need, or more likely, the systems don’t have all of the features or functions the business requires, that’s the time to re-evaluate business processes, systems and required functionality.

Recently I found myself trying to explain ERP software (Enterprise Resource Planning) to a client and why it might not be the right investment for her business at the moment. I’m not saying ERP software isn’t a good investment for many businesses, because it definitely is. What I was trying to convey to her is that it wasn’t necessarily right for her business at this point in time. She’s a small apparel manufacturer, with 5 million in sales last year, who needs to track sales orders, purchase orders, raw materials, finished goods and have some sort of integration to a general ledger. She and two other people in her office are handling everything manually right now, with the exception of her bookkeeping, which is on Quickbooks. Finding a solution for her will not be a problem. There are many affordable options for her to choose from which will allow her business to keep growing.

Software is an ever-changing commodity, or at least it should be. Much like the automobile industry, software is constantly being updated. New features are added all the time. New cars arrive every year and even your old favorite cars (Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Explorer) are re-designed every few years. System updates, or patches to fix bugs or problems, are constantly being released. Once you buy or lease software, you should expect to stay current with your support contracts in order to receive new updates and system support. You don’t buy a car and never have it serviced, do you? The same can be said for your software. At some point your business may change or outgrow your existing systems and it’s time to buy something new. Remember those carefree days driving a two seat convertible? Now you’re driving along in a seven passenger SUV or minivan. Times change, so should your software, or it should have the ability to change with you (not as easily done with a car!)

As businesses grow, so do their requirements. As it grows, the owners and employees will need a more fully integrated suite of software solutions – Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Warehouse Management (WMS), possibly pattern making and grading software, maybe Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or ecommerce and point of sale retail management, forecasting and planning, and most definitely integrated accounting. The thing is, a growing business needs tools to help manage all of the existing pieces, and if done properly, allow the business to keep growing by integrating additional software or migrate to more robust solutions. Without the people-power to enter data, run reports, analyze information, etc. however, the systems create more work than can be handled by the business, leading to frustration and complications.

Different types of businesses may have different system requirements as well. Privately held businesses have different needs than publicly held businesses reporting to shareholders, board of directors and the ever-present Sarbanes-Oxley accounting and reporting requirements. Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any publicly held company and, as such, have much more stringent accounting requirements. ERP solutions are designed to meet Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines and truly do simplify business processes, at least from an accountant’s standpoint. Business owners may not like having such stringent reporting and accounting requirements, but the government demands it and these systems provide the tools to manage it.

The key to simplifying business software is to understand the business – customers, services, products, reporting and accounting needs, then finding the right solution to support it. There’s no one single solution that’s right for all businesses, which is why there are so many software companies out there. It’s the same with automobiles. There are so many different types of cars out there to meet so many different needs. Figuring out the right solutions for a business takes time. Understanding what the business looks like today and what it may look like three years from now is an important exercise when trying to plan out the system architecture and how it will support the needs of the business now and into the future.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org

Recently, Fashion Business, Inc. conducted a seminar on selling goods to foreign markets. We were fortunate to have Julia Son from Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist, from U. S. Department of Customs as our guest speakers. It was a fascinating discussion, not easily summarized in a few paragraphs, but I’ll do my best.

As I’ve talked about in previous blogs, if you’re looking to expand your customer base, perhaps you should look outside the U. S. borders. The U. S. government has a number of programs in place to help your business sell to foreign markets if, and it’s a big IF, the products you’re looking to sell are made primarily in the U. S. I won’t try to explain the details of this – go to the Office of Textile and Apparel website for more information on what types of products qualify. All products will need a certificate of origin in order to be considered for export. For mixed origin materials or manufacturing, you’ll want to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel to see if your products will qualify. NAFTA or CAFTA goods have a different set of rules and regulations, so be sure to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel regarding these qualifications.

Enough of that, The U. S. government is very happy to encourage businesses to sell internationally. Exporting goods to foreign consumers helps strengthen our economy and who doesn’t want that? The Department of Commerce has offices in over 170 countries. Some of the many purposes of these offices are to help to identify markets for your company’s products, determine the best methods to handle financial transactions, orders, shipments and more. Plus, help you make connections in the countries your looking to develop your business contacts. Looking to find out the basics of exporting? Go to http://www.export.gov/ for essential information. Want to know more? Consider purchasing A Basic Guide to Exporting available at the U. S. Government bookstore.

When I talk about exporting with some of my clients, I usually hear about all of the barriers they’ve encountered trying to create an international business. Well, that may be true. Not all countries have the same type of trade relationship with the U. S. Some of those barriers may be with a specific country, or perhaps with the type of product a company is trying to export. Your best bet is to look for countries with Free Trade agreements with the U. S. Currently, we don’t have a Free Trade agreement with India, which makes trying to export products there very difficult. You’ll have a better chance trying to sell to Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Peru, Oman, or Singapore each of which has a Free Trade agreement with the U. S. Free trade isn’t limited to these countries – remember NAFTA or CAFTA? There are plenty of trade agreements with more than 150 countries, so do some homework to find countries and markets that are right for your products.

Looking to sell your product to China? Your first stop should be Hong Kong. Why? Prospects are bright, despite the global economic downturn. The U. S. government expects Hong Kong and China to bounce back faster than the rest of the world and Asian markets are hungry for U. S. products. Hong Kong is an easy entre to Mainland Chinese markets. It has a separate legal system, currency and customs system from that of Mainland China. And, did you know, English is the official language in Hong Kong? Hong Kong has an open financial banking system. There are no foreign exchange controls. It may be easier for you to get paid through a Hong Kong company rather than a Mainland Chinese company. If that’s not enough to entice you, Hong Kong is a free port with virtually no duties or tariffs; perfect for small to medium sized firms looking to do business in Hong Kong or Mainland China. Hong Kong is the perfect stepping stone into Mainland China and the rest of Asia. Want to find out more, go to Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for information.

One more thing, the U. S. is one of the last countries in the world still using the Imperial measurement system. Almost every other country uses the Metric system. If you plan to sell products to foreign markets, make sure you sell them in the correct unit of measure for each country. A 32″ waistband won’t get you very far in many countries.

Some important websites to visit for anyone looking to export U. S. goods:

http://www.export.gov

http://www.buyusa.gov

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

Cal Poly Pomona Students Receive Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Scholarships

Students from the Apparel Merchandising and Management (AMM) department at Cal Poly Pomona won six of the eight Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Entrepreneurial Scholarships awarded annually through the Fashion Business Inc (FBI).

Sophomores Nicole Palumbo, Lynette Salgado, Samantha Gagne and Renee Roberts split an award of $1,000, awarded to students from a four year college who can present the best written business plan, and/ or the best thought through design concept for a line of apparel or accessories.  The Cal Poly team had developed a case analysis of Target’s women’s wear business, proposing a new business plan that would enhance bottom line profitability through improved merchandising and visual display strategies, centered on the concept of ‘My Brand’.

In addition, two other AMM seniors, Trish leBarge and Allie Poon, were honored with Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer scholarships for their outstanding work.  Each received associate membership of the FBI for one year plus $600.00 credit for any of the 80 plus seminars and classes presented at the FBI.  The awards were presented by Ethan Eller, Building Manager of the New Mart.

Other Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer scholarships were awarded to Diana Cha and Sara Caterinicchia.

The Apparel Merchandising & Management department at Cal Poly Pomona is a leading provider of Bachelor of Science graduates for the apparel industry in California, with specializations in apparel production and fashion retailing.  Fashion Business Inc. provides the industry with a range of training, education, consulting and other business services to support its growth and profitability