Why Entrepreneurs Should Unleash Their Inner Artist

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Before we even start this bog post, let’s banish that voice in your head that tells you you’re no good at art.  I will remind you that you were good at making art when you were little therefore, you still are. Your artistic abilities are still there. Let’s quickly get past this negative assumption by considering what some may deem one of the least “artistic” lines of work–an accountant. As business owners, we rely on accountants to use a rigid set of rules and expectations to monitor, enumerate, and quantify. Creativity with the numbers is discouraged as is experimenting. But, all accountants will eventually run across an anomaly that must be explained then rectified. How could they deal with that? They might apply the same thinking processes that artists, including me, use to create a drawing, a piece of pottery, a weaving or sculpture, the thinking processes that you can easily apply to building then growing your business and effectively solving snags along the way that prevent success. Let’s discover how!

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Truly Satisfying Your Customer

Industry Clothing Construction Methods

In today’s business climate, every advantage counts.  To truly understand what your customer wants, you have to listen to them. This short excerpt from the introduction to my book, Industry Clothing Construction Methods, highlights the essential concept of product benefits and the features that create them. Although the example is apparel, the design of any product could be made more attractive to customers by understanding these simple concepts and making them the core of your process.

“Designers hear the consumer say that apparel should offer benefits. Consumers believe that apparel benefits should help them achieve their goals as individuals, such as feeling more self-confident, gaining respect, saving time and money, attaining comfort during physical activity, attracting a lover, fitting into a social group or expressing them selves. The task for a fashion professional then is to determine what features should be included in the garments to achieve those apparel benefits. The core of the designer’s, merchandiser’s or buyer’s craft in the ready-to-wear industry is to find the right combination of features–silhouette, fit, shape, color, laundering method, fabric, texture, price, and so on–that entice customers to look, try-on, and feel satisfied  with their apparel purchase.”

For more on this topic, additional insight into the apparel merchandising process, and a wealth of concrete information on the construction of retail apparel, add Industry Clothing Construction Methods to your toolkit for manufacturing success.

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Sewn Products Created Sustainably

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Renewable Resources = Sustainable Business

On the tropical island of Kosrae, Micronesia, hidden in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a theory with world wide impact is being proven. The theory maintains that it is possible, actually desirable, to sustainably manufacture well designed, fashionable products that last from renewable materials in a way that leaves no lasting mark on the environment, employs a previously untrained workforce and, of course, makes a profit.

Green Banana Paper, founded and guided by American social entrepreneur Matt Simpson, is proving that theory. Green Banana recycles waste from banana harvesting into weaving materials and paper which are then made into personal accessories and more. Matt’s company creates employment for residents of Kosrae that was previously unavailable to them offering income at home instead of having to go abroad to find work, away from homes and families.

No tech investment bubbles, inflated CEO parachutes, ponzi schemes, or robots taking over jobs here in Kosrae; just sustainable business growth, happy employees and a passionate, socially conscious business owner.

Will that Next Big Design Innovation Come From Connecticut?

makerspace logo

STEAM Learning Finds a New Home in CT

“Yankee Ingenuity” is alive and well in Connecticut! As I wrote in my book, Naugatuck Valley Textile Industry,  “The creative spark that inventors and investors shared formed the foundation upon which factories flourished and railroads were built.” The same ingenuity that historically fueled the textile industry in our state will find a home at MakerspaceCT  a “springboard for innovation, and a new way to boost careers and interest in traditional and advanced manufacturing, technology, and hardware development.”

MakerspaceCT is part of the “Maker” movement which is creating “renewed interest for both students and adults in critical STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics)” and application. “MakerspaceCT is currently developing a 15,000sf commercial space in the Historic Colt Building that will be the headquarters for making and innovation in Connecticut.

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