Starting in the shoe business is a serious decision that will take planning, effort, discipline, and hard work. More than likely you are overwhelmed with questions about how much money you will need, where funding will come from, where to find merchandise, how to lease a retail space, and more importantly... “Where do I start?"
If your dream is to get into the shoe business and you are looking for someone to coach you through the process then sign up for Rashidah Ali's 'Sole Searching' Shoe Seminar.
The purpose of the seminar is to give you practical advise, information, and resources on everything from:
•The importance of creating a business plan.
•The importance of knowing your market.
•Finding your ideal location based on your market.
•Getting the best price.
•How to establish relationships with shoe vendors.
•Creative ways to find inexpensive display fixtures
You’ll be able to answer questions like: •Should my boutique be a sole proprietorship, or a corporation?
•How do I establish an inexpensive merchant account?
•How do I tap into the power of the Internet to boost sales?
•What is the best and easiest way to track inventory?
At some point, leveraging the time and energy of employees will be a key to freeing up your time and energy – which is better spent building your business or enjoying the rewards of entrepreneurship. But definitely not right away.
You’ll eventually want and need to know:
•Great sources for finding qualified employees.
•How to interview and hire.
•Why having employees can be crucial to reaching your goals.
•Why you may want to franchise, and how to get started.
Meet your host, Rashidah Ali.... Isn't she CUTE? :
I am the host of the seminar, My name is Rashidah Ali and without objection, most would agree that I've had my finger on the fashion pulse, forecasting trends and discovering the hottest, emerging designers of tomorrow. I've worked with and styled the fashion-forward in the latest styles in footwear, such as cult favorites like Giuseppe Zanotti, Gianmarco Lorenzi and Casadei. After years of preparation, I recently launched ENCORE, a private label shoe line. Ive also owned two shoe boutiques and more importantly, solely manage my successful private label shoe business now.
Where She Started
About 9 years ago I had a full time job working for two large companies. Initially I started at Bad Boy Entertainment before transferring to Def Jam. I had what many would call a “promising career". A decent salary, benefits, and relative “job security”. However like many corporate jobs, there was a price to pay for that. Long hours, difficult personalities, and the politics that seem to be the norm in most organizations. It was a lot of fun but it also drained me emotionally and physically. The gratification I once felt in my job was vanishing quickly.
I felt starting my own business was the only way to create real financial security, independence, and most important to me, freedom. After walking into a boutique in South Beach during vacation in Miami Florida, I realized starting my own shoe brand would be a way to combine my interests and skills while building an asset for my future. I was ready to start my own enterprise, I was ready to hand in my resignation, but then that burning question popped into my head “Where do I start?”I didn’t have a coach or a guide, I wish I would have, in fact I'd later pay someone whom I thought did have the answers just to find out she knew even less than I did.You can start as small, or as big, as you'd like.My first retail space was 1300 square feet, but the key for me was that I defined my dream and believed in it. I took it one step at a time. Whatever I didn’t know how to do, I learned by of research or by trial-and-error, often the hard and expensive way.
Essentially, it’s the "results" that count:
The result was that when I created a well presented luxury boutique, with a fabulous theme and a product selection that was truly unique, I soon discovered, people loved it.The best part was, I accomplished it in a very short time frame, but I spent far too much focusing on that "fabulosity factor". I begin production in July of 2007 and in only four months, I was sending out invitations for a grand opening scheduled for November 15th 2007. I had shopped around for a retail space, signed a lease in one of Harlem's most affluent areas. (without credit checks or financial statements by the way.)
Save yourself thousands of dollars by learning from Rashidah– Instead of learning “The Hard Way.”
My seminar course is the culmination of all my experiences. It is a step-by-step guide on how to open a shoe boutique, packed with all those difficult, hands-on lessons I learned. It is the blueprint for how to create a shoe brand. I felt compelled to create the resource I wish I had to help others like myself achieve their goals with less headache, expenditures, and time. I will show you step-by-step how to start.
No comments:
Post a Comment