Are there voices in your head?

I’ve spoken to one too many designers caught in a web of self-doubt, comparison, depression and burn out.

Just this week I had a one-on-one with yet another designer on the verge of quitting their brand. Not because they were not talented or because there was no demand for their pieces, but because of the voices whispering in their ears. In this life there are voices everywhere ready to drop seeds of doubt in our minds. And if you’re pursuing a creative field like fashion the voices will be MANY. Voices from colleagues, voices from friends, voices from family and voices in your own head. Running a business is hard enough without the distraction of voices. So how about we silence the noise and start looking at the facts?

Fact 1: It is just about impossible to create, analyse or strategise when you are over-burdened, feeling lost and burnt out. Why won’t your business be hanging on for dear life by a thirsty strand of hair? Before we begin to fix the problem let’s start on a clean slate. So take my advice and get a life. Live a little. Take a break and do something that gives you joy or at least something that will keep your mind off business for some time. I believe creativity comes from lived experiences. And so if you’re not living, how are you creating or strategising?

Fact 2: For a brand to succeed it must be solving a problem. You may not have started your brand with the initial mindset of solving a problem (Many people start purely out of passion, as hobby, or as a side hustle to make some extra cash) but since you launched, what gaps in the market have you noticed? What white space could your brand possibly fill? If your fashion business has stagnated then you might need to re-assess the problem you are solving.

You might be thinking, oh but I just make clothes, how am I solving a problem? Well my question to you is, “how can you afford to not solve a problem?”

Silence the doubts in your mind by figuring out how your brand can solve a problem. One brand I’ve noticed over the past year or so is Kai Collective. From observing them, the problem they are solving is clear to me - they are providing clothes and a platform for bold and unconventional women. They encourage women to live outside of societal expectations. The message is clear not only in the types of colours and prints and silhouettes they use but in the conversations they have on their platform. For instance, last month they had a sit-down with a woman who was speaking about her poly-amorous relationship. The conversation had a lot of hateful comments from viewers but did that shake the brand? No. Because they have always set out to be a space for the unconventional woman and they are adamant about doing just that. And so, women looking for that solution are drawn to them and they have built community around that.

Figure out what gap your brand is filling in the market and you’ll realise you’re a step closer to untangling yourself from the web of burn out and a step closer to building a strong business.

Fact 3: You must do the work. One thing that always helps me through moments of imposter syndrome is work. I remember the first time I handled operations for a client that was onboarding with 3 major department stores (Nordstrom, ShopBop and Rent The Runway) At. The. Same. Time. They were launching in all 3 stores in the same month. The entire project was in my hands and I was NERVOUS. But that led me to over-prepare. You can do the same with any new project for your brand. Cover all your bases, even the ones you’re probably not interested in like logistics and finance. Read the blogs, watch the videos, take the courses, hire that assistant. Do what you must to give yourself the confidence and then trust that you’ve got this.

Finally, Fact 4: No one is you and that is literally your power. Before you give up on your brand, ask yourself if you ran it in a way that was authentic to yourself. Many times the thing that sets us apart is the flavour we bring to what we do. If you’re a brand that copies and pastes other work you see online and promotes it as yours, or a brand that hops on every trend, then sit down and re-assess. Customers can usually tell when something is not authentic. But when they feel like they can identify and relate to your aesthetic, your message and the way you run your brand, they begin to feel connected to you. So ask yourself: Are you running this in a way that is authentic to yourself and also resonates with someone out there?

The voices in our heads only win when we are playing this game as a hobby. But when we’re playing to win we give the voices a run for their money. So act like a winner. Do the work. Ask the questions. Gather the data. Make the connections and run your brand like what it actually is - a business.

You’ve got this!

Love,