Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Jenna:

It sounds like you and your cousin are super-ambitious, and that’s a good thing! I’ll try and help you gain a little knowledge about what you’re aiming for. First, let’s take a realistic look at the elements of a successful chain store. To be a big clothing store, it takes quite a bit of start-up money. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent to lease prime real estate, renovate, design fixtures, do interior design, set up a buying office, have a warehouse, hire specialized employees who need salaries and benefits packages, and stock the stores. And weathering the early years of the business is a crucial aspect of any good plan, because stores sometimes lose money until they catch on. Some businesses take quite a while to turn a profit.

So that's why stores start small and grow. A bank might give a small business loan to a boutique with a good business plan, but it would be a lot harder to borrow the money from the bank for a huge chain of stores unless you had a proven track record. Yours is a great dream, and with hard work it can come true, but starting small is good. After all, all the big stores started somewhere.

Wondering where to begin? Get some knowledge of the fashion business by getting a degree at a good fashion college such as FIDM. Work in the retail industry to get experience. Keep your eye on your goal, and soon your little business might be the next Abercrombie!

Sincerely,