There are a lot of emotions that fashion business owners deal with on a regular basis. Some are great, some are not.
The great:
- excitement to see your product come to life
- relief when that first sale is made
- the thrill of hiring new team members
- joy when you see customers truly loving the product you’ve designed
The not so great:
- fear of taking risks
- worry when things (like making money) take longer that you anticipated
- confusion or overwhelm when you face new obstacles.
And there’s one more that is really challenging to deal with.
Disappointment.
You’re probably thinking that what I’m saying is pretty obvious. Of course we experience disappointment as business owners. Anyone can see that coming.
But we rarely think too much about the impact it will have on us when it hits.
The thing is, what we tend to do when we’re disappointed is focus on the thing that didn’t happen, rather than accepting the situation and figuring out how we will keep going.
It’s really common for business owners, especially new ones, to sit in that disappointment for a little longer than is necessary.
We sometimes zero in on it and feel crushed.
When in reality, running a business means run-ins with disappointment on a regular basis and we need to learn how to better accept it and move past it.
It’s so easy to dwell.
You’re much better off acknowledging that disappointment is all part of the journey and then say to yourself:
- This didn’t work, what control do I have over the situation (assuming that you do) and what am I going to do about it?
This may seem easier said than done.
And I completely acknowledge that it takes practice to build this habit.
But when you do, you start to use these “failures” as data.
Data that you can analyze and use as fuel to keep moving.
This is why I talk so much about mindset. Learning how our emotions can sometimes get in the way of our ability to see things clearly is an important part of business ownership.
Lots of love and encouragement,
Gustavia
Hi Nicole,
At Staavias we provide womens footwear in sizes 10 – 14. I know most of your advice and blogs is targeted to those with clothing I still find a lot of value in your content. In fact, I’m always reading all of your emails so well done. Keep them coming!
Nicole Giordano
Hi Gustavia,
Thank you so much for the kind words! You’re right, I do tend to use words and phrases that are specific to clothing (and handbag) designers, but overall the advice and guidance is applicable to any of you who are growing your businesses. I’m thrilled to hear that you find the articles and the emails helpful.