‘Don’t rush into starting a business’

Three young entrepreneurs in the fashion industry have advised upcoming fashion designers to desist from rushing into starting their own businesses right after school.

They explained that that move prevented them from developing their skills and properly establishing themselves in the industry, thus the need for them to focus on apprenticeship to develop their skills in order to survive in the industry.

At a career seminar dubbed: “CareerDotFashion” organised in Accra, the President of Dreams College of Creative Arts, Mr Clement Asemnyra, further advised them to build strong competitive brands to succeed in the industry.

According to him, having a good business acumen and the ability to work in a team are equal assets that young entrepeneurs must acquire as part of their apprenticeship to help them succeed on their own.

Attributes needed

“Young entrepreneurs should not be afraid to start small; as long as you are committed to developing yourself, you will succeed in the industry.

“You, however, have to be highly creative and artistic, have excellent communication skills and be knowledgeable in current fashion trends,” Mr Asemnyra added.

Purpose

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Simba Business Solutions, Mr Elom Hiagbe, said the seminar was aimed at building the capacity of fashion students for the challenging industry.

He said it was also to provide a platform for them to interact with professionals in the industry.

Create a niche

The CEO of Enaj Bijou Couture, Mrs Jane Sackey, speaking at the seminar, stressed the importance of creating a niche and focusing on succeeding in the area.

She explained that the industry was broad; therefore, a move would help the individual to stay focused to evaluate his work.

For his part, the Project Manager at Wineloya Digital Advertising, Mr Precious Babanawo, took participants through ways of selling their fashion works on the internet.

He mentioned that one could adopt an internet tool known as “My business listing”, that allowed for easy identification of one’s business location.

He also stressed the need for them to create and be part of managing the website.