I'm a little scared

This is a hard blog post to write for a number of reasons but I'm doing it anyway. Over the past two years my business has doubled. Now that still doesn't mean huge numbers but it does mean numbers big enough that I need to think about growth. And it means is that I need help on the business side of things. You know, the unsexy, unglamorous part of being a Fashion Designer.

So I'm inviting you along with me for the sake of transparency. The first thing I'm doing is finding a Business Mentor, someone who can help me with the numbers and percentages and the stuff I've just sort of been making up as I go along (shout out to my podcast Making It Up). I'm also doing this because, as my Therapist told me, I never learned these things! I don't have a block, I simply don't know good Business practices. I'm thinking of this as a new job. I want to invest a certain amount, give back a certain amount (I want to support a freaking scholarship, how cool would that be?!) and I want to pay myself a living wage.

Here's the part that scares the hell out of me. This most likely means that my prices will need to increase. You have seen my process videos and know what goes into each piece. I am not fast fashion. I am small batch, hand dyed, hand felted, hand everything!! I make your pieces with my full heart and you watch me do it. So I'm asking you to watch me work on the other side of things.

I'm sharing this with you because I feel like we have that relationship and because I want other Designers to consider transparency in their Business as well. The Fashion Industry is kind of a mess and I am doing my part to not add to that.

Deep breaths, here we go...