Breaking Into and Succeeding as Boutique Owner
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Boutique Owner
Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Boutique Owner
Starting a Boutique
Starting a Fashion Retail Business
Pursue your dream as a boutique owner and sell beautiful clothes to women, men, children and teenagers!
Many entrepreneurs started small as neighborhood boutique owners, which turned into today’s giant players in the fashion world. Nordstrom, Inc. is one of such classic success stories, which started in 1901 as a humble specialty boutique selling shoes in Seattle, Washington.
Today, owning a boutique is probably one of the easiest moves to become a part of the lucrative growing fashion industry. Both online and offline boutiques are popping up everyday. Even though only a select few grow into large fashion retail stores like Nordstrom, most successful boutique owners earn decent income to lead a fulfilling lifestyle.
What is a “boutique” exactly? Do you need to open an upscale store that sells Louis Vuitton bags and Escada suits to be called a “boutique”? The answer is an absolute no.
There are all sorts of fashion boutiques, ranging from selling everyday items to haute couture evening gowns fit for queens, princesses and Academy Award winners. However, if you are like me, most likely you’re more interested in selling high-profit, low-cost items with high turnaround.
Here are some highly sellable everyday items to consider:
Sportswear
Beachwear
Novelty items
Baseball caps
T-shirts
Lingerie
Shoes and sandals
Handbags
Nurse uniforms
Tuxedo rentals
Prom and evening dress rentals
Accessories
Watches
If budget is limited, you don’t even need to lease an expensive space at the downtown mall. Here are some ideas of a modern “boutique” that can be started with a shoestring budget:
Consignment store (suppliers ask you to sell their products for commissions, so there is no capital involved)
Mall kiosk
At-home party
Home boutique (turn one room into a boutique)
Tiny space at neighborhood strip mall
Space within a large department store
You can be a boutique owner wherever you live regardless of your past experiences and educational background, which is the beauty of this business. If you want to live and work in a small town, simply open a neighborhood mom-and-pop store. If you want to live and work in a big city like Los Angeles and New York, this lucrative business can be yours too.
A boutique owner has the privilege to decide the items and the level of services they want to offer and there will always be customers to buy them.
For those with entrepreneurial spirit, becoming a boutique owner is most likely a great fit. Oftentimes you can start a boutique with only very little investment, even if you don’t have any prior business experience. There are also opportunities for those who prefer to start a franchised boutique.
Whenever you’re ready, income can be increased exponentially by offering an unlimited array of new services as follows:
Alteration services
Gift reminder services
Auxiliary items can also be considered to “piggyback” your boutique items. These are basically non-competing items that will complement your products.
Quilts
Fancy fabrics
Arts and crafts
Greeting cards
Accessories and belts
Watches and sunglasses
Hats and scarves
Party items
Lingerie
This eGuide provides insightful formation, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to open a boutique. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information, businesses and consultants that will help you achieve your success in this highly lucrative and competitive business.
One of the myths in starting a boutique is “opening a boutique requires a lot of capital.” Well, in many cases, this is simply not true.
Do you know how much capital needed to open a small handbag kiosk at a neighborhood strip mall? Only a few thousands of dollars for the beginning, which are needed to purchase initial stocking and the first month’s lease. If you buy from the supplier by credit, this can be significantly reduced even further.
Depending on your credit type, you might be able to open a boutique with only a few hundreds of dollars at hand.
There are several business specialties in this field that you can choose based on your strengths and interests. You’re not restricted to open a “typical” boutique in a mall, if that’s not your interest.
Some of the business specialties to choose from:
“Couture” or celebrity boutique
“One price” boutique (all items are sold in one price)
“Curious” boutique (selling novelties and niche-specific items, such as “Gothic,” “Harley Davidson,” and “Glamour” boutiques)
Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev and co-author Debbie Cook have talked to many fashion professionals, including successful boutique owners, fashion experts, boutique managers and a franchise expert to provide you with the best and the most comprehensive self-study guidebook filled with insider information, tips and advice for breaking into and succeeding as a boutique owner.
Among them are:
A franchise expert in choosing and selling boutique concepts as a franchise business
A former boutique owner, author of a best-selling book on how to care for clothing who is also a talk show host who has appeared in The View morning TV show
A boutique owner that sells quilts
A kiosk owner that sells handbags
A professional boutique manager
Jennie S. Bev, StyleCareer.com CEO, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief has been featured and cited worldwide for her unique take on fashion, image, beauty, entertainment, art, and fun careers and start-ups and for her humanitarian works and activisms. She is known as an authority in these fields of business. Since 2003, StyleCareer.com has literally helped thousands of new entrepreneurs starting their businesses with confidence.
We have been cited and profiled in Entrepreneur, Teen People, San Francisco Chronicle, Radio Singapore International, Home Business, Canadian Business, The Independent, The Arizona Republic, The Daily Southtown, The Record, Tracy Press, Audrey, FabSugar.com, About.com, Choice Explorer, Dong, Fit, Femina, Dewi, Intisari, Tempo, Fit, Chic, Kartini, Nyata, Bisnis Kita, and many other US and international publications since 2003. We were also nominated for EPPIE Award for excellence in electronic publishing for non-fiction how-to category.
Among StyleCareer.com readers and our consulting clients include A-list celebrities and professionals.
In a meeting at The W Hotel in Manhattan, NYC
during The Fashion Week in Fall 2005,
John Casablancas said, “Jennie is the queen of research.”In a phone call, Laila Ali McClain praised our ebook,
“Your ebook is well-researched, very useful.”
Interview with Entrepreneur in an article “Putting on the Glitz: Dreaming of Starting a Glamorous Business?”
Interview with Canadian Business in an article “Mad Money: Five Ways to Have Some Real Fun with Your Disposable Income”
Review by FabSugar.com in “Fab Site: StyleCareer.com”
This 117-page instantly downloadable StyleCareer.com eGuide Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Boutique Owner brings you valuable insider tips, advice and suggestions not available elsewhere to help you embark on this highly lucrative career path.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Myths, the Realities and the Basics
Myth: You Need a Lot of Money to Open a Boutique
Basic Startup Expenses
Brick-and-Mortar Versus Virtual
Reality: Money Helps but Talent can Win Out
Reality: Investors Might Take a Chance on You
Myth: Boutiques Never Make that Much Money
Reality: the First Couple of Years May Be Lean
What If I Have Never Run My Own Business?
Hire A Manager
Get a Partner
Study the Business
Getting Ready for the Big Break
Earning Potentials (it’s six figure!)
Retailer Profile
Advantages of Boutiques Over Larger Businesses
Market is More Defined
Inventory is More Specialized
Your Vision
The Boutique of Your Dreams
Make a Living Doing What You Love
Location, Location, Location
Freestanding Structures
Malls And Kiosks
Within a Larger Store
Storage Units
Web
eBay Auctions
Managing Space
Make Every Footage Of Space Count
Display Placement Versus Customer Flow
Storage For Inventory
Product Range And Concept
Classifications
Specialty Shops
Resale
Consignment
Jewelry
Accessories
Specialized Products
Sourcing Products
Deciding On Type Of Product Or Market Niche
New Concept Product
Tried And True Product
Demographic Market Research
Buy What You Love
Test Your Market Before Buying Too Much
Ways To Locate And Buy Stock
Fashion Markets
Web
Local Talent
Self
Ordering Product
How Much To Buy
Budgets and Cash Flow
Buying Terminology and Lingo
Buying From Fashion Marts
Buying From Catalogs
Buying From Unexpected Sources Like Garage Sales
Product Classifications to Order
Clothing
Accessories
Unique Product And Designs
High-End or Budget Products
Personality Traits Of A Successful Boutique Owner
Creativity
Active Listening
Public Relations
Patience
Sincerity
A Positive Attitude
Endless Motivation
Publicity and Promotion
Press Kits
Displays
Packaging
Hang Tags, Romance Cards and Labels
Stationery and Business Cards
Shows And Events
Sample Sales
Nuts and Bolts: Store Operations
Computerized Cash Registers and Inventory System
Policies On Returns and Exchanges
Hold and Layaway
Space and Record-Keeping Considerations
Payment Methods
Career Game Plan
Education
Formal Versus Informal
Business College Versus Fashion School
How Much You Can Expect To Earn
Markup And Profit Margin
Pricing
Customer Base Purchasing Habits
Financing Your Business
Developing a Business Plan
Approaching Lenders
Business Development Grants
Business Legal Structure
Sole Proprietorship, Partnership or Corporation
Franchises
Staff
Recruiting, Interviewing, Hiring, And Training
Labor Laws
Contests And Bonuses
Commission Sales
Paperwork
Receiving Inventory
Packing Slips
Accounting Paper Trail
Reconciling Purchase Orders, Packing Lists, And Invoices
Being Successful
Your Business is Your Creation
Success Traits
Integrity
Perseverance
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Customer Service
80/20 Rule
Keeping Versus Attracting New Customers
Promoting Your Business
Grand Opening
Press Coverage
Community Events
Charities
Word-Of-Mouth
Advertising
Web
Community Business Associations
Keeping on Top of the Market
Industry Associations
Industry Reporting Services
Success Stories
This eGuide literally saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent on professional workshops and training and hundreds of hours of research. It will help you break into the career of your dream faster without having to repeat the same mistakes that most newcomers do.
We have also included online resources on where you can purchase the products to buy on wholesale price. This information alone will cost you hundreds of dollars elsewhere.
Act Now!
You can have this exclusive ebook for just $24.99, which you will earn many times over with your first sale.
Price Only $24.99
This price is reserved for today Thursday, May 17th, 2012
