Dear fashion preneur,

I hear your complaints. I hear them everyday. It’s difficult to block them out because you go on and on . Your frustrations are valid and they are real too however they are not peculiar to you . We are all in the same ship, dealt the same hand but while you are complaining your competition is adapting.

Sade could not afford a store on the high street and was loosing business from not having a physical store, she complained for a minute then she decided to Adapt and now she has her pieces in 2 concession stores and is also offering free shipping to prospects in Lagos.

Tiwa adapted too. Her clothing line was for children, her finishing impeccable but she lived outside Lagos and business was dreadfully slow, she too complained before adapting, now she has partnered with a bigger brand and manages their children’s line.

I have so many examples of people who have turned things around by focusing their limited energy on creating solutions that totally turned what seemed like a disadvantage to a strength.

You can too. Start first by changing your circle of co complainers and begin to hang with game changers. Invest in crafting a plan and use your God given creativity to create new winning strategies. Think outside the box , innovate , collaborate , do whatever is needed but know that to survive a difficult climate Adaptation is necessary. Try it, all the cool kids are doing it.

Dear Nigerian,

I am not a patriotic person. I know I may have picked the wrong day to admit this but I’m not alone. I complain about Nigeria, it’s leaders and it’s hard hard terrain but somehow I’m still here. I am an adult now. I can choose to be anywhere else doing anything else but I CHOSE to be a fashion entrepreneur in Nigeria.

Choice is a powerful thing, it really can change your life. So today I choose to be patriotic. Maybe for the first time ever. I’m a rookie at this so forgive me if my attempt is rusty, here it goes….

We may not have a great health care system, we may have corrupt leaders and poor infrastructure. We may have no welfare system and a difficult business terrain, but anytime I look in the mirror I see one great thing that came of Nigeria.

I see myself and I am proud of who I am becoming against all odds. I dream of a country that will live up to its potential possibly in my life time, but while I wait for that to happen I will do my bit to be the best Nigerian I can be. I do what I can , my complaining does nothing but distract from solutions I can create.

This country and its imperfections are all we got. So be the best Nigerian you can be while we wait for the country to catch up.

Dear Fashion Preneur,

One of the most difficult things you will ever do in your journey to becoming the greatest creative you can be is staying true to you. It is both the most difficult and the most rewarding. It is possibly also the simplest thing but like most truths , it’s complicated because it’s so simple right? It’s difficult because you are constantly trying to balance being authentic with being relevant and you try to manage being creative with being commercial. Then there is the almighty fear of rejection which is second only to the almighty fear of “the month end payroll” 😂. What to do?

When in doubt, do you but first know who you is. It took me a while to understand my creative process and even longer to appreciate it and honor it because it’s so different from most. I think that is what I appreciate most about being a creative entrepreneur and being an observer in this community. We are all so different, no two are the same, so why are you trying to be like someone else.

Your authenticity is your money maker, your USP. Your originality is your bread and butter , your cash cow. It may not seem like it right now but that is because it’s a long term play, you have to discover it, deliver it, repackage it , refine it and then honor it consistently. That process takes time, lots of it. Don’t worry though, you’ve got time.

Resist the urge to go the quick money / short cut route. The world is resisting the cookie cutter brands and celebrating uniqueness. If this is what you want to do with your life, if you want to survive the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship. Stay true to who you are, it is the best business advice I can give. Actually it’s the best advice period. #

Dear Fashion Preneur,

How do you respond to success?

When the stars align and everything you touch turns to gold. Your collection sells out, your loan is approved, you get testimonials that make your heart sing and an alert that make your eyes pop. It’s one lucky break after another and you are fooled into thinking you have arrived…..big emphasis on the word “fooled” .

Success scares me. After 17 years in the game I now know success is not a transaction, a big break or even a fat bank account. Success is not a destination, it’s a journey….a long windy journey to become the best you can be.

You see there is a great designer in you, one that touches life with her talent and her story. The opportunities that show up, if you are sensitive enough, will bless you beyond the money they put in your pocket.

If you miss the chance to learn humility from success, to learn how to treat people with honor and respect, if you don’t get the chance to develop your talent and invest in your health and your relationships, then success is lost on you and will soon be lost for real.

So let’s ditch the idea of the stereotypical high flying designer with the larger than life ego and her nose in the air, the last two years has humbled our global industry and that should teach us to stay humble especially when we experience success.

Dear Fashion Preneur,

How do you handle rejection?

This two letter word can cause some real damage if you let it. The word can make you doubt yourself, recline into your shell and even make you second guess your talent. We’ve all been there. The difficult customer, the rejected proposal, the sample that didn’t turn out right, the unsold inventory, the unsuccessful campaign and even the post that wasn’t liked enough, it feels like the universe is finding new and more creative ways to say No. How do you handle that?

I need you to know that the rejections will come and it is important they do. I am grateful now for all the customers that didn’t “get me” they helped me focus on those who did , they let me value my tribe more.

I am grateful for opportunities I lost , it wasn’t that I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t ready….I am now. I have survived so much rejection that I now realize they may hurt but they don’t leave scars, they don’t scare me anymore.

Embracing the possibility of rejection has made me bolder. I take more risks now. I’m open to experimenting , I don’t take your No personal because it’s not about you, it’s about my journey. Also don’t hate the Naysayers. Don’t be one of those people that stays focused on “haters” ( ain’t nobody hate you 🙄) your creative energy can be put to better use.

I would much rather get a “No” and learn from it than a “yes” that teaches me nothing and keeps me on the wrong path.

I AM BACK.

Today was my second run since I got back and somehow I feel I am truly back in mind and spirit and able to take whatever this crazy city has to throw at me.

Going off on holiday is great but readjusting back to everyday life for me is always tough. This time was particularly difficult, first it was the family emergency, then I came down with a throat infection, of course my skin had to start flaring up again and let me not even start with the drama at work.

If you can’t tell already, I take comfort in my habits. My good habits give me hope. they give me confidence. Every time I go for a run, lay my bed or record a podcast I feel a little empowered knowing that these little steps add up to something great.

I’ve kept the running going for 3years and now I’m shopping for another life changing habit to pick up before the year runs out. I’m doing this for me, I guard this habit jealously and selfishly but it is rewarding to see how it is inspiring those around me too. So what good habits are you proud of ?

Dear Fashion Preneur,

Big things will happen but they are not nearly as important as how you handle and manage the little things. How you treat your customers, every single one of them,irrespective of their celebrity status, the size of their purchase or their relationship with you. Small everyday things like how you respond to complaints, deal with your suppliers and even your team.

Great businesses and businesses men /women are not built or formed in the spotlight, they are born where nobody is watching and no recognition or rewards are given.

The finishing of your clothes, the quality of your materials, your return policies, your commitment to the welfare of your staff, your attitude to disgruntled customers will not earn you likes or followers or awards but they will earn you a reputation and a legacy that cannot be bought or ignored.

So when next you are thinking of your next big move or opportunity remember the little everyday chances that show up and use them well. #

Dear fashion preneur
How well do you plan?
Are you preparing for success or merely wishing for it. This may come to you as a surprise but you are in the business of planning more so than the business of design….you didn’t know that right?

I encourage creatives to be innovative but I find that most of us don’t need inspiration in this regard, creativity is our life line, it’s the very air we breath, it comes to us naturally and we even have a problem managing all the ideas we want to execute. Most of us fail not for the lack of creativity but lack of planning.

As we draw closer to our biggest season of the year please ask your self how you are planning to make the most of it. What are you doing now to ensure you meet your sales target, do you even have a sales target? Let’s do more planning this week, I know you’ve gotten the designing bit locked down .

Dear fashion preneur
What do you think the Moremi Kaftan, Scullotes and Labu Jumpsuit from Xclamations have in common? Apart from the fact that they are all very well made, fit like a dream and have all surpassed sales targets they all share one other common thread…. can you guess? Ok I will tell you.

All these designs were MISTAKES!!!!! Yep they didn’t come out as planned and for one of them we considered a failure even 3 months into its launch, our customers resisted her and our sales team suggested we stop making them as they were such a hard sell. The Scullotes,like me ,are stubborn though and she hung in there,showing off her quirkiness and flair and one year after her launch she was made famous by k8henshaw and even rechristened #katespants in one of our most successful campaigns . All these designs have taught me the importance of effort and possibilities as well as the importance of tenacity and courage. I have other designs that started and ended as mistakes that never saw the light of day but they too are part of the journey and of them also I am proud.

Mistakes happen in other areas of my life as well, some of them have turned out to be my greatest blessings but all them have taught me a lesson and for that reason I am open to risks, to trials to chance and even to the possibility of failures . This is how I want you to think as well. Be open to mistakes, because …..you never know.
#

Let’s talk about wealth
Health is wealth. This phrase is as true as it is cliche but truer words have never been spoken . True monetary wealth though, the kind that ensures you are comfortable well into your retirement years is built through making long term investments NOW.

As entrepreneurs we let our passions guide us focusing on transactions, collections, production and the daily grind at the expense of pensions, investments and passive income all necessary to ensure that all we are doing now truly pays off in the end. Dear entrepreneur you need to save and invest. Don’t say you can’t. Make it priority because it is that important. You alone are responsible for your future.

The same is true for your future health, it truly is your greatest investment. Health in your older years is a result of the healthy habits of your youth. So treat that with passion too. Stay off excessive sugar, incorporate physical exercise into your routine and guard your mental health jealously. Your super healthy future self will thank you later.