Why being ambitious isn’t enough
Women may not have populated the industry as much as their male counterparts owing to several structural constraints, but just pause for a moment and take a look at the recent standing of women who are actually joining the online business alliances. It's not solely driven by an indomitable desire to open an apparel store just because they want to prove to spiteful people that they're actually doing something worthwhile. Neither is it borne out of bulletproof certainty regarding style and the need to share that style with the community. It makes more sense to presume that they have an acute business sense, a sincere interest in the clothing business and more than a little cash in the bank.
Paving the way towards growth
Last year an analysis by We are Social & Hootsuite published that around 18 per cent of Bangladesh's people are active social media users, which makes 28 million active social media users out of 166 million people. A number that big surpasses the population of many first world countries.
Because of this huge online presence, you can reach a much wider audience than you would with any other form of marketing. So, I maintained a calendar to help me plan on how to make schedules for my business throughout the year. You need to have a good network of people to get things done or get yourself introduced to a new skill set. The digital platform helped me outline and create marketing campaigns for occasions and cultural events. As people shop more online today, it's easier to study and target the potential customers. So, in that case it's essential to keep yourself updated with the current digital tools and applications.
Assessing capital requirements
You don't really need a big capital pool to create a startup; you need to have a concrete idea about what you really want to work on. You need to create a perfect business model which demands heavy planning and consideration of the implications for its sustainability and development. But at first, it starts with word of mouth around your network. Personally, I started with only 15 dresses for my online store 'Gracefully Yours'.
Building a successful customer base
The quality you provide in terms of every aspect of handling your customer is a game-changer. You have to ensure consistent quality, appropriate customer handling and unswerving communication to make it in the long run. Multinational brands ensure customer satisfaction at every touchpoint throughout their service. Make sure you serve your customers well and meet all their demands.
Marketing your business
Bloggers and social media influencers are quite helpful for getting target-oriented customers as they can be reliable channels to convey your products to the most relevant customers. Photo shoots and thorough branding are quintessential in this case.
Cracking work hours
Working for yourself can be more time-consuming than working full-time for someone else; you have to be very committed in terms of the time and dedication you invest into your operations. You have to research rigorously, set clear goals and craft a plan of action. You also have to allot yourself some free time to balance stress levels and stay rejuvenated.
Facing fears
As women, we are deeply affected by our surroundings and the society. The society looks down on many activities women take part in and they end up trying to tell us what to do. Hence, it's really difficult to go past that and focus on our own ambitions, especially since we live in a society that firmly believes women solely belong in the kitchen.
Finding inspiration
Even though I have worked previously in the media and as a lawyer, I always wished to pursue a venture of my own to make sure I don't always have to work for someone else and can instead own a brand that I can call my own. I wanted to do something I am passionate about and that is how I created my own clothing line.
Ideating the business
Born out of my passion for fashion, we go with the tagline "Let's redefine your closet". Besides, I am intrigued by the opportunity of being able to share that with my community. My fashion line enables women to feel good about and comfortable with themselves. At the end of the day, I derive fulfillment from being able to play a role in that.
Overcoming challenges
One of the many challenges is finding the right customers for your brand. There are countless fake profiles online. In that case, demographics play a huge role as Facebook keeps changing its algorithms. Keeping yourself up-to-date with new strategies and marketing models is the only way to create the right customer base. Maintaining delivery schedule is another difficult task as commuting is very hard.
Being an optimist isn't going to suffice if you aren't a realist. You need to compose yourself and walk through each phase, consistently establishing your goals while thriving through the learning curve. Make your business the center of your system and sprint towards your dream.
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