When I was a little girl one thing I knew that I did not want to do was start my own business. I just was never one of those people who wanted to build from scratch. I thought that it would be just enough to work my way up the corporate ladder in 3 inch stilettos.

But there are some of you who know that you want a business of your own in the fashion industry and if so I suggest you make
The Business of Fashion a bookmark now. They have a wonderful series Setting Up Your Own Fashion Business and it is a must read BEFORE you take your first step towards entrepreneurship.

Part 1 in an 8 part series, author Imran Amed takes his pupils through an extensive questioning that boarders existentialism. Geared more towards a designer than another profession in the industry, Amed is honest about the hardships one faces when starting and failing the first business building efforts. Part 1 also discusses:

• Building a team to "Fill in the gaps"

• Truly understanding your customer and what your brand brings to the industry that is not currently made available by other brands

• Thinking of yourself as "a CEO first"
  

All of which appeal to those who are looking to work in any industry. I personally started to think about whether or not I am a "Forward Planner" and how sharp are my "Troubleshooting Skills?"


Also for the self starters out there check out The Fashion Business, Inc. They provide great resources and seminars for start up companies that want to succeed in the industry.

Membership fees vary depending on your status in the business (students $35 annual fee up to 2 years after graduation), but the site boasts great exposure for your label and website as well as discounts on classes and seminars. Once again this is more geared towards designers, and in this case manufactures, but I think that it's worth a click.

One of the things that I have learned especially from starting this blog is that You Never Know What Information is Out There Until You Hit the Road and Put Yourself Out There. (yes the caps were necessary) Email them, (whoever) and ask questions. Be willing to fail. When you're okay with failing at something you love you will ultimately succeed.

Pretty late in the post the reason why I call this a Construction Zone is because when starting anything from scratch there is a lot of mapping out, tearing down. breaking, building, starting over, and waiting, all the while causing a traffic jam. Sometimes what can look like a whole lot of mess in the beginning can turn into something really amazing when it's completed.

Here's to the amazing...