Becoming a Fashion Designer – Part II
Before you venture into the fashion biz, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with industry terms and fashion seasons.Here are some fashion terms you may find useful in planning your fashion career:Haute Couture: This fashion term is French for “high sewing” or “high dressmaking” and refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. While the term is very loosely used, it’s actually a “protected name” in France, so it can only be officially used by designers that meet certain well-defined standards.Lookbook: A lookbook is used by designers and retailers to show the range of a collection. You can use these to send to buyers, editors, journalists or on your website for the viewing public.Off-the-rack: This refers to apparel made in standard sizes and available from in-stock merchandise. Also referred to as “ready-made” and “ready-to-wear”.Fashion SeasonsJust as the weather changes, so do fashion seasons. We’ve all walked into a store in early March and seen summer tops and wondered what they hey? The reason is that the fashion seasons change before the grass turns green or the first snow falls. Knowing the fashion seasons is critical if you’re going to become a fashion designer. You’ll also want to work with a fashion forecaster to predict the trends, so that when you present your collections to buyers-or to the public directly-they’ll buy it!Trend forecasts are based on the fashion seasons, taking into account color and fabric variations for different times of year. For example, earth tones are generally more popular in the fall, jeweled colors for the holidays, pastels and floral prints for spring and white and bright colors for summer. Of course, there are always surprises! But for the most part, designers and manufacturers include some of these standard colors in there collection planning.If you’re working on your first line, plan to work six months before any given selling season. Successful designers produce four or five seasonal lines a year. Targeting delivery a month ahead gives consumers a continual supply of fresh merchandise each season.Fall markets take place between February and April. The fall selling season is the biggest season of the year, so it lasts longer than the other seasons, which usually only last two months with some overlapping. “Fall II” starts in mid-April and goes through mid-June.Holiday is June-July; with the occasional show in August.Resort/Cruise is August through early September. Spring fashion is from October to November, with some shows in early December. Summer is shown in December-January with a late show in February.Since the buying shows happen in well in advance of upcoming seasons, you better have good insight into what buyers are looking for. For example, if you wait until February to show your spring collection, many buyers will already have placed their orders in the fall. They’ll be looking for some summer, but mostly fall and winter samples for the following year. Even if they like what you’re showing, they may have already exhausted the budget. Also, you will need to have your product ready in time for the promised ship dates.Stay tuned for more on How to Become a Fashion Designer
Start-Up Home Business Ideas
Start-up home business ideas are essentially unlimited right now. What was at one time feasible for individuals specifically considering multi-level marketing or envelope stuffing, has at this point, converted into an enormous industry employing thousands of opportunities. These days, many people are not merely surviving from working a start-up home business, but they are flourishing! The reason behind this really is mainly due to the existence of the internet. It has opened up the gates to a lot of possibilities, in several ways. A home based business can very well be established greater and faster because of the world wide web and it’s abilities.For those who have a computer and an unused part of a room, you have got the possibility for your own professional office at home and a location to operate your own work from home business. But exactly what are you going to do? When you’re finished with researching the numerous and many different start-up home business ideas out there, it typically will come down to the following: exactly what do you get pleasure from doing? Precisely what products are you knowledgeable about and might you promote with excitement? exactly what services will you be capable of presenting with a great degree of expertise? Many people have turned their particular hobbies directly to significant online mail order success. This can include things like nutritional products, craft businesses, or marketing products and services that you simply love and understand perfectly.Additionally, there are individuals that might not have a professional ability or craft to choose. But, these people get pleasure from working with others. Perhaps a direct sales start-up home business would work for you. You will find hundreds, if not thousands, of these to consider. So, decide on one that includes a product or service that you absolutely enjoy. Utilizing the internet as your assistant, you have the ability to deal with business partners all over the world.Provided that you are most likely seeking a start-up home business for income motives, you certainly need to take into consideration the expenses required to begin and the financial commitments after you get it running. What’s the financial risk / investment? The more you need to invest the greater the opportunity you might have for achieving wealth. On the other hand, a few of the minimum investment options, by means of working hard and team building, may also turn out to be gold mines.Another resourceful thought may be this. In the event you presently have got a career with an offline business, have you seriously considered talking over with your employer, the notion of working your present job at home? A lot of companies are now doing this to be able to reduce expenses, in a number of ways. You may be surprised to discover the answer you get. Working from home, at your present position can save you on gasoline as well as the related hassles of traveling and commuting.No matter what your current goals and desires are, for a start-up home business or opportunity working from home, they more than likely can be a reality now, on the internet. Seek out information, consult with people that have experience, and get moving right now. It is an outstanding time for you to start!
Where to Search For Online Businesses For Sale
For some business people, buying a business is a more feasible plan of action. Especially if a certain business is at the peak of its business operations and has an exceptional track record, buying it or getting a franchise for the same business is a good option. But, the next question would be where to get a list of businesses for sale and pertinent information about their current market share. The answer to this question is a couple of clicks away, literally. There are websites with lists of online business for sale.There are specialized search engines specially dedicated to compiling information about businesses that are open for sale. These search engines allow users to find businesses that fit the categories they specify. Search for businesses in certain states, cities, or counties. If there is no particular place that the searcher specifies, he can simply choose what type of business-computer repair shops, groceries, restaurants-he likes to buy.On the part of the seller, availing the services of online business for sale websites is a fast and reliable way of selling their business in shorter time. Aside from the magnitude of people who go online each day to look for businesses, it is also more cost effective compared to other means of advertising. Less people are reading the newspaper while TV ads, despite its high advertising rates, come in passing. Advertising businesses for sale in the internet will only cost the seller $20.99 per month for a period of 12 months. If they want a shorter period of advertisement, they may opt to pay $35.99 /month for a period of 3 months.If these rates are quite steep, there are other alternatives to internet advertising. Business sellers may launch their own advertising campaign using websites with huge traffic. They can start with social networking sites. Facebook and Twitter are hot websites used purposefully for keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances. But it now has evolved into a website with a variety of uses-including business advertising. Post a tweet about online business for sale, have it “retweeted” by your followers. Do the same with Facebook, using your status update to spread the word about the business being sold.Whichever website utilized to sell a business, the important thing in selling a business is to convince buyers that their business is worth buying. Some businesses even show its cash flow in order to convince buyers that they are not buying bankrupted ventures. Give them a tour around the business premises. If the business is still in operation, show them how the business is currently being handled and let buyers observe the customer count per day. Explain why it is being sold, if applicable.At the end of the day, it boils down to persuading the buyer about the saleablity of the business. Give them the assurance that their initial investment in the business will soon be back in the form of monthly revenue. And also, offer constant assistance to the buyers. Remember the old adage about not burning bridges.