Starting a Business
Starting an Accessories Business
This advice is perfect for aspiring entrepreneurs who hope to start an accessories business. Make sure you consider this advice before you begin your venture.
We've assembled some valuable ideas on how to go about opening an accessories business.
Industry Overview
Accessories businesses are ideal business opportunities for fashionistas with an entrepreneurial bent. For many women, the accessories make the outfit. Handbags, hats, scarves, jewelry, belts and more -- they are all part of operating a successful fashion accessories shop.
One of the nice things about accessory businesses is that they are generally less vulnerable to economic influences than other fashion-based enterprises. When family budget suffer setbacks, shoppers focus on buying accessories to spruce up their existing wardrobes rather than replacing their wardrobes with costlier new clothing purchases.
Accessories: Inventory Management
Fads drive accessory businesses. The merchandise that is popular today won't be nearly as popular six months from now when seasonal and design influences move on to a new style and color palette. So the ability to predict trends is a fundamental skill set for accessory business owners.
More importantly, you'll need to gauge your inventory to accommodate fashion trends and fads. Although you can always order more inventory if you run low, trying to unload an overstock of last season's merchandise isn't easily done, at least not if you hope to maintain a decent profit margin.
Wholesale or Original Merchandise?
Two business models dominate the fashion accessories retail industry. The first is a typical retail setup where owners develop relationships with wholesalers, establish supply chains and order inventory on an as-needed basis.
The other business model is one in which the owner is also an accessories designer. Everything the store sells is designed internally. Manufacturing can be handled in-house for a small shop or outsourced for a larger retail operation. In this business model, the entrepreneur's primary passion is design; the retail operation is simply an outlet for getting their creations in the hands of consumers. If you have design interests, the best approach is often to sell a combination of unique and wholesale merchandise.
Best Accessories Company Business Plans
As a startup accessories business owner, writing a quality business plan is one of the first tasks you need to address.
To help you navigate the process, there are a number of business plan software solutions on the market. A reliable software solution will increase the accuracy and consistency of your business plan, dramatically improving its value to your accessories business.
Properly utilized, business plan software has the potential to transform your business plan from a throwaway business requirement to an integral strategic resource.
Look Over the Competition
Long before you open an accessories business within your community, it's a good idea to determine how many competitors you have. We've provided the link below to help you find competitors in your city. Just enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of accessories businesses in your community.
Prior to opening your doors for business, be sure you fully understand the competitive landscape and where your new business will fit in.
Turning Competitors Into Collaborators
If you want to open an accessories business be sure to have a conversation with someone who is in the business. If you think your local competitors will give you advice, you're being overoptimistic. Why would they want to educate a future competitor?
However, a fellow entrepreneur who has started an accessories business in a different city may be more than happy to give you a few tips, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs In my experience, you may have to call ten business owners in order to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.
What's the process for finding an accessories business founder who is willing to advise you because you live in different cities?
It's easy. Here's a link you can use to find a mentor outside of your area.
Acquired Accessories Businesses: Competitive Advantages
Pursuing an accessories business acquisition can be an effective route to profitability for emerging entrepreneurs.
But there are also several competitive benefits to buying an accessories business, starting with the presence of a recognized brand identity. The notion of buying a business to get an established brand can be a savvy business strategy for new accessories business owners.
In a competitive market, the right acquisition can be leveraged to catapult your business into a market leadership position, even if you personally lack industry credentials.
Consider Buying a Franchise
The odds of achieving your primary goal of doing well with your venture are greatly increased when you join the ranks of franchisees and leverage their successful brand and track record.
Prior to starting an accessories business, you would be wise to investigate whether franchising might help you avoid common entrepreneurial mistakes.
The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.
Entrepreneur Interviews
These interviews should be of interest to you.
- Interview with Barbara Hranilovich, Founder of BARBCO and Hranilovich Illustration
- Interview with Maddie Bradshaw, President and Head Designer for m3 girl designs.
Related Articles on Starting a Company
These additional resources regarding getting started as an entrepreneur may be of interest to you.
Recurring Revenue Business Models
Consideration Before Buying a Franchise
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs