Fashion design is a creative business. Obviously. The excitement lies in the sketching and the swatching and the showing, the launch parties and press spotlights….all the fun stuff. What they don’t tell you in fashion school (usually) is all the time you will spend with the not-so-sexy stuff; the costing, the fundraising, the logistics, the invoicing….
Owning a fashion brand is a business, through and through, and if you don’t spend just as much (if not more) time making sure all the numbers work, then you’re spinning your wheels. Because you can’t run a business if you don’t make a profit. It just doesn’t work.
Sometimes, though rarely, it is possible to hire or contract out all the different experts you will need. Most of the time it’s not. Penny pinching is the name of the game. So finding ways to make your life easier in this respect, is a must.
Stitchlabs is an inventory, order, and invoicing software that is created with the fashion designer and retailer in mind. It’s based on our niche business and really takes into account everything we face in our always changing and unique industry.
In their own words:
Stitch is built for small businesses that design, make, and sell products. It’s an online tool to manage all your contacts, products, orders, expenses and files in one place, find them with ease, and never worry about losing anything again. Our online system allows multiple users to manage your business from anywhere in the world.
I had the pleasure of chatting with one of the guys behind Stitchlabs and it was really nice to hear a human (and young!) voice on the other end. This company is created by two guys and a girl who “get it”. And by that I mean not only the fashion industry but also the techie, innovative side of things.
Running a business in 2011 (umm, 2012) is so different than it was 10 years ago. Hell, 2 years ago. At the risk of sounding like a cheesy commercial, Stitchlabs saves you time, money, energy, and sanity….not to mention they are fully integrated with the Etsy and Shopify platforms; giving you more time to spend doing the fun stuff.
Check it out with a free 30 day trial and use the promo code STUF for an additional two weeks (total 45 days!) … Just to make sure you love it 😉