In no particular order, here are the six things I’ve learnt in the past six years.
- Millinery is only part of the story. I love making quality, stylish hats but a large part of my time is spent doing administrative and online work.
- If you want longevity in business, it’s all about the sale. Sometimes you may be tempted to invest in expensive ‘sexy’ resources but you need to be realistic. Take a long hard look at your sales before you invest all your money.
- Be authentic. I live in a regional area and it took me a while to realise that I should embrace who I am and where I live. After five years in business, I began trading under the name MidWest Hatters to reflect my location.
- Keep it fresh. Periodically, change the look of your website, your products, your Facebook page etc. None wants to enter a site and see cobwebs.
- Your competitors are not your mentors. Seems obvious I know but when I first started out, I reached out for advice in an online milliner’s site and was ridiculed for my question. Valuable lesson. It taught me to play around and experiment with fabrics and hone in on my own style.
- Beware of hackers! They are everywhere- text messages, Facebook, emails. These scams can be very convincing at times. I know you’ve heard it before but don’t click on that link!