Running a small fashion business is demanding and at some point you'll need support. Fortunately, there's so much available to you. Learn where to find it.

How business support helps fashion brands stay on trend

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Starting and running a small fashion business is demanding, but really rewarding. And as with every business, there will come a time when you need some support to move things along.

Fortunately, there's so much help and guidance available to you. You can find financial support, mentorship from experienced professionals, and advice on marketing and branding.

There are experts out there who can help you establish a presence in the competitive fashion market. They'll also direct you to networking opportunities and potential investors and buyers.

In this video, Khanh Brice Nguyen, owner of 

, encourages all fashion business owners to take advantage of the great support available to them.

My name is Khanh Brice Nguyen. I'm the owner of KBN Knitwear, a knitwear studio based in East London.

To run a small business in fashion is hard – it's expensive, it's very unstable. I just received a newsletter about contacting Wayfinder [now Grow London Local] to get some additional business support.

It could be for marketing, it could be for finance. And in my case I needed a bit of help with both. Because I'm not trained in management or business, it's essential and important to have access to this kind of training and support.

Having all these external professionals who are more experienced, who give me motivation and give me an outlook that "oh, you're not the only one".

If a small business owner asks me for advice, I would tell them: "be okay with your weaknesses and seek help. And there's a lot of help available."

Grow London Local: Support for London's small businesses

No matter where you're based in London, you'll find relevant support and guidance on business planning, sales and marketing and much more, as well as opportunities to connect with like-minded business owners. 

Two young female fashion designers discuss a collection of clothes that are hanging on a clothes rack in their office

Fashion forward: how business support helps fashion brands stay on trend

Why all fashion business owners should take advantage of the wide range of business support available to them.

Enterprise Nation has helped thousands of people start and grow their businesses. Led by founder, Emma Jones CBE, Enterprise Nation connects you to the resources and expertise to help you succeed.

StartUp Buckinghamshire: Helping Bucks entrepreneurs flourish in 2024

A full programme of support and investment to help Buckinghamshire entrepreneurs succeed in 2024.

Hello! I am a Programme Manager at Enterprise Nation, with a passion for providing support for small business owners through digital campaigns with our partners. I have a particular love for all things marketing, online and in-person events and strategy!&nbsp;

Programme Manager

Next Generation: Market and access customers for your service

A group for all Next Generation participants. Join other likeminded entrepreneurs and trainers to learn how to stick to weekly goals and be held accountable for your business! If you’re not part of the Next Generation Bootcamp but would like to connect with like-minded business owners, don’t worry, there’s a group for you too!

I’m an independent consultant, trainer and mentor helping business leaders – and their teams – find new ways to solve problems, embrace change and make it happen.
I have broad experience built on a career that started in the late 90s in advertising and moved quickly into the fast-growing world of digital and technology.
I’ve held leadership roles at global networks and consultancies, working with British Airways, BT, McLaren Automotive, Mars, P&amp;G and RBS, and boutique creative agencies working with Budweiser, Drambuie and Peroni. I’ve also co-founded a marketing agency and worked for an industry association, prior to setting up my own consulting business in 2016. This has enabled me to work with a vast range of businesses, all with different challenges to overcome and opportunities to grab hold of. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and the relationships we’ve built together.
I get my energy and fulfilment from bringing people together and creating an inclusive space where they feel they can be themselves. My approach is always people-first, starting with a conversation to understand what’s working and what might need to change, before diving into the detail.
You might have a one-off problem that needs solving, a bigger challenge requiring skills and experience not currently in your team, or need someone to talk to for an external perspective.
Some of the problems I help solve:
<ul>
<li>We have a disjointed business strategy with no clear vision &amp; values, focus areas or team buy-in.</li>
<li>We’re stuck in a rut as our founders and company directors are lacking alignment on our path forwards.</li>
<li>We have regular disagreements and difficult conversations with clients, leading to lost business or bad reviews.</li>
<li>Our new business approach is stop-start and we only focus on it when the pipeline is looking empty.</li>
<li>We have a watered-down proposition that tries to be everything to everyone, but doesn’t truly resonate with anyone.</li>
<li>We lack diversity, creativity or innovation, driven by hiring people with similar backgrounds and lived experiences.</li>
<li>Our inconsistent approach to pricing and uncontrolled discounting is affecting profitability and team motivation.</li>
<li>We don’t have the confidence to delegate responsibility so finding purpose and a work/life balance remains a dream.</li>
</ul>
Strategy &amp; Consulting services provided:
<ul>
<li>Business strategy development support</li>
<li>Ongoing business mentoring</li>
<li>Mission, vision and values development</li>
<li>Goal setting, prioritisation and action plan development</li>
<li>Workshop design &amp; facilitation</li>
<li>Behavioural profiling and team effectiveness /performance support</li>
<li>People development and culture strategy</li>
<li>DE&amp;I consulting</li>
</ul>
Training offering (in-house and for individuals to book onto):
<ul>
<li>Managing people - effective delegation, setting and reviewing goals, adopting a coaching mindset</li>
<li>Personal development - giving and receiving feedback, managing conflict and difficult conversations, proactivity and problem-solving skills, time management and productivity</li>
<li>Professional development - negotiation for beginners, presentation skills, pricing, new business, workshop design &amp; facilitation</li>
<li>DE&amp;I - The business case for DE&amp;I, making space for inclusion, embedding DE&amp;I into your culture, an introduction to microaggressions, designing for DE&amp;I</li>
</ul>

Founder

Diversity Equity and Inclusion consulting

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is a much talked about topic.  But many companies don’t know how to start the conversation, where to focus their efforts or what to prioritise. I’ll help you understand where you’re at, and what you can be doing to build a more inclusive workplace culture that values and celebrates diversity.

I also provide DE&I training across a number of topics including:
- The business case for DE&I
- Making space for DE&I
- How to embed inclusion into your mission, values and c

I&apos;m Lucy Heskins, a startup growth advisor who works with organisations to create, build and scale b2b products and services. My work has been featured in TechCrunch, Business of Software, Sifted, and Barclays Eagle Labs.&nbsp;
I run Oh Blimey, where we support organisations to go to market, build repeatable marketing processes, and develop the confidence they’re pursuing the right activities. Think of it as a combination of marketing, growth and sales, helping the small business owner to take on their competitors.&nbsp;
I’ve been involved in 10 startups, from idea validation through to exit. My most recent in-house rodeo was with Careercake - a video-learning platform that was acquired by the world’s leading e-learning platform. During my time there, we saw 400x growth, and supported 10 million learners, from over forty countries.

I work with businesses, mainly in B2B, SaaS, tech, membership and marketplaces, helping founders and their teams navigate the (sometimes) messy process of growing their small businesses. I am based in Cardiff, Wales, but work with lovely teams in the US, London, and Wales.

Director

Lucy Heskins

I&apos;m Lucy Heskins, a startup growth advisor who works with organisations to create, build and scale b2b products and services. My work has been featured in TechCrunch, Business of Software, Sifted, and Barclays Eagle Labs.&nbsp;
I run Oh Blimey, where we support organisations to go to market, build repeatable marketing processes, and develop the confidence they’re pursuing the right activities. Think of it as a combination of marketing, growth and sales, helping the small business

Fashion forward: how business support helps fashion brands stay on trend

Transcript

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