Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
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thanks guys <3
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
anouk, IMHO you should run with it solo if she has those issues. In fact, if you are at the point that you are asking the question, then I think that you already know the right answer.
In small partnerships, a non-producing partner becomes an anchor around the neck of the business. She clearly isn't as focused as you and there is really nothing that you can do to change that. Motivation comes from within. It sounds to me like she's just not ready to make the sacrifices and commit the time necessary to get this thing rolling.
I know that it will be hard to cut your friend out, but if you don't then you may ultimately come to regret it. Now many small businesses fail - it is just a fact of life - but if she is your partner, in her current state of mind, then it is a certainty. And if yours does indeed fall short (and I certainly hope otherwise), then at least it won't be because you were trying to carry deadweight.
In any event, good luck!
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
man. She just took your shoes and wore them without asking? Honestly I'd likely be making arrangements to move ASAP.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
I have a feeling if you go into business with this girl, she will drag you down and you will majorly regret it. From what I gather, she's an unmotivated coke addict/alcoholic who takes your shit without asking and can't have a constructive conversation about anything.
Steer clear.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
It sounds like you want to give her the benefit of the doubt because you both have some common interests or moments where you bonded (I am the same way). There's nothing wrong with that. BUT...I would advise to look at it like this;
1) If you both cannot effective communicate and squash issues you both may have with one another...how would you professionally? And if you couldn't, how would it effect your business?
2) The lack of "drive" or action from her from what you describe, sounds scary.
3) I would ask myself this question if I were in your shoes; would I wanna be in business with this person in 2 years? 5 years? 10? 15? If you can't say yes to a longer length of time...I probably wouldn't say yes to a shorter amount of time either.
If this is your dream and you have the knowledge, drive and passion to pursue it, then do it by yourself. I wouldn't risk someone potentially ruining my real world company/career. Even if I did consider that person my friend. This all probably sounds really harsh, but I don't mean for it to sound that way. Just evaluate everything, be logical, then act on your decision. :) Best of luck to you hun.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lovelydancer
3) I would ask myself this question if I were in your shoes; would I wanna be in business with this person in 2 years? 5 years? 10? 15? If you can't say yes to a longer length of time...I probably wouldn't say yes to a shorter amount of time either.
If this is your dream and you have the knowledge, drive and passion to pursue it, then do it by yourself. I wouldn't risk someone potentially ruining my real world company/career. Even if I did consider that person my friend. This all probably sounds really harsh, but I don't mean for it to sound that way. Just evaluate everything, be logical, then act on your decision. :)
youre right i havent thought about that at all. weve known each other for over a year and if i think in the long term who knows if we can continue to run this business together for up to 5+ years. maybe if we both did college till the very end and worked together well, thats still 3 years under our belt... but i want this to be my career for the rest of my life, to run my own fashion business and just know if we do get together to do this the stakes will rise the longer we are in it together and who knows how expensive breakup settlements we have to do to divide an already running business [if we get to that point] equally and fairly only to start from scratch again. plus she was a law major before she became a fashion major so i dont guarantee she wont try to majorly screw me with some clever legal jargon here n there. i know nothing of that stuff. maybe the sneaky bitch will cover her ass the whole way and when she leaves will somehow screw me out of everything we've built.
i dont know how to bring it up
maybe i should just tel her heres the thing im not entering a partnership with you and im keeping the name coz i came up with it. see how she reacts to that and if shit begins to hit the fan ill just write her an email explaining how i feel and why i think this is a bad idea. coz i have a feeling she wont let me talk, just try to manipulate me and make me feel like shit.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
anouk.oui
ok so i dont know how to multi quote so here we go
i have a feeling thats sarcasm and like i said above the problem wasnt about her borrowing my shoes and me getting upset over it...... it was just another example that fell into the pattern of our disagreements and the fact that i cant tell her about a small and simple issue like do not borrow my fave expensive shoes without asking will lead me to believe we wont be able to make bigger decisions together because it will resort in arguements that could break the business, and im not just going to let everything slide and let her have her way if i disagree because it is a partnership we are supposed to be equals.
No it really wasn't sarcasm.
I have never had a roommate who would take my clothes or shoes and actually wear them without asking. I would be worried every time I left her alone with my belongings.
With that type of disrespect the next thing I'd expect would be her stealing money from me.
I just can't imagine taking someone else's belongings and wearing them without asking. Definitely would not want to be partnering with someone like that.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
thanks for clearing that up. it sounds to me that im overreacting fighting over her wearing my shoes....
my other friend who knows us both suggested we get like a business consultation from someone who made a partnership work but im over it. if were having so many problems early on that can and will evolve into disasters over time and scale, i think itll be safer for me to stand alone like rickdugan said and just manage all the stuff by myself. i dont want to get greedy and jump into a doomed partnership for extra ideas and pair of hands.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
I didnt have time to read the whole thread but wanted to chime in since I'm in fashion too and have dealt with living with friends/dancers like your potential partner. I think you already know the answer but just want confirmation: you said you tried to broach the subject of the drugs and drinking at work and it did not go well. If you can't talk about personal problems with your partner it is going to be no easier to discuss business problems that will be affecting your career, not to mention potential public image if you are to become sucessful. Because you know success in the fashion industry is highly tied to how you present yourself to the press once you grow your business enough to have those oppourtunities, even if the press is just blogs and local newspapers to start. To win over the press and be able to get promotion for your business through them...you cannot have these drug problems in the picture, or it will do the exact opposite of what you want and could drive your business reputation into the ground. And if your friend can't keep her shit in check at work, I can only imagine the nightmare situations she could get herself into at industry parties where it's really business under the guise of partying...read: getting wasted/out of control=very very bad for business. Stripping and fashion are similar in that way that you need to know how to manage your boundaries but still appear upbeat, fun, and charismatic. If she can't handle one, I doubt she can handle the other.
The other issue is her clear lack of drive and passion. You know how competitive this industry is: working 24hrs a day is sometimes still not enough. This bitch can't even put in a few hours a day? No. Next. You deserve soooooo much better. Actions speak louder than words, and that is why I am still as of now without a business partner. Been looking for about a year now, I understand how tough it is, but you are putting YOUR NAME on this label. You want it to be the best it can possibly be right? Hold out for someone who is just as much, if not MORE passionate than you are. Really the perfect partners should compliment eachother in a way so that they have eachother's weaknesses covered by eachother's strengths. Clearly you are stuck overcompensating for your partner and it is a one-way street. I would suggest taking a look at what your are bad at design and business wise and then try to find a partner from there. Someone you didn't know beforehand could be good as then your relationship will be based solely on business, no personal shit to get in the way. You can always go it alone too, but progress will be slower.
On another note i'd really be interested in seeing your work if you wanted to PM me!!! It's so nice to see another driven designer-dancer :)
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
I gave the short answer yesterday, but I wanted to add something. I’m all for going it alone most of the time, no matter what the venture. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about people working together, it’s this: Everyone thinks that their time and effort is worth fucking gold. Guy A could bend down and tie his shoes and he’d still be making a fuss about how he works harder than “lazy” Guy B who simply slipped his sandals on. And then Guy B would shoot back that he had to walk to the closet to get his shoes while Guy A was too lazy to put his away and just left them by the door, so therefore, he is the harder worker… :D You get what I mean.
Everyone has their own definition of busy, lazy, productive, working hard… And every bit of effort we put in, we consider monumental, but rarely give the same credit to things other people are doing. I worked a job once where literally every person, every day, would bitch and moan about how they were the only ones around there who did anything… So if they were all apparently working so hard, why did everyone feel like nobody but them did anything? (Btw, I also felt like I did more work than everyone else, sooo...)
It’s all about perspective and priorities. I’m not saying that you’re exaggerating her laziness or that you’re not productive, but it’s difficult for 2 different people to equally match their motivations and productivity. In her mind, she probably considers herself a hard worker for all the ideas she comes up with and feels annoyed that you don’t appreciate her “hard work.” In your mind, she hasn’t done anything worth appreciating. Her addictive habits and temper-tantrums aside, if you’re not on the same page with this stuff, a partnership is a bad idea. A business needs a clear vision and purpose to succeed. Your visions (for the business aspects, not just the designs) are clearly not the same, and they will clash and cancel each other out and cause a failure. Maybe you could both be successful on different scales individually - but not together. I think this is something you need to do on your own to ensure success for yourself and your own vision.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
Oh fuck that. Don't partner with that person. No way. OK?
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
sounds like there is an end to your friendship on the horizon. Before reading your whole post I was gonna say definitely partner to do a label, because a team is always better than just one person. After reading this, definitely don't! At least not with her.
She is probably gonna develop a serious coke habit and spiral downwards. She sounds like that kind of person. I'd definitely suggest moving out of there, too.
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
ahhh yeyyyy things are finally well!
so i was having tea in my room with her having a nice chat thinking oh fuck i have to bring this shit up and shits about to take a turn for the worst and hit the fan.... so i thought ill just come right out and say it, see how she react and then elaborate. so i was like i dont think we should do the label together anymore...
and thank fuck she agreed she was saying shes been thinking the same thing for a week or so now but didnt know how to bring it up coz she felt like a bad friend coz she thought she convinced me to quit school so we could do this together.
but in the end im glad we could respectfully part ways in business ventures without anyones feelings getting hurt. so im keeping the label name coz i came up with it and we agreed we will still help each other out here n there to help THEM fulfil their vision but being equals in a business is a bad idea. so im glad i didnt actually have to explain to her why i didnt want to partner [her lack of motivation/passion/communication skillz] coz im sure that wouda made things a bit sour between us.
so its good, now i can actually start taking leaps towards getting it off the ground without having to check in with someone and wait for them to be on the same page and get their shit together. phew!
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
phew, dodged a bullet there. im doing fantastic on my own and receive new orders from work girls every week!
she is also moving out of my house coz she 'cant stand me, my mood swings and rudeness'??
over an arguement where i refused to lend her my phone to configure her sim because everything she touches she breaks n she can borrow things when she learns to look after them. living together and being friends doesnt mean she can use my shit whenever she pleases. so i told her that and SHIT. HIT. THE. FAN.
why do i always get the crazy housemates?
when i first moved in i thought my concern would be sharing the house with this guy i was seeing/slept with the whole first half of year but we get along fine! obviously some people are smart enough to put the past behind them in the interest of living together peacefully. but i told her if she hates me so much then its better if she goes
Re: Should I launch my fashion label on my own instead of partnering with a friend?
phew, dodged a bullet there. im doing fantastic on my own and receive new orders from work girls every week!
she is also moving out of my house coz she 'cant stand me, my mood swings and rudeness'??
over an arguement where i refused to lend her my phone to configure her sim because everything she touches she breaks n she can borrow things when she learns to look after them. living together and being friends doesnt mean she can use my shit whenever she pleases. so i told her that and SHIT. HIT. THE. FAN.
why do i always get the crazy housemates?
when i first moved in i thought my concern would be sharing the house with this guy i was seeing/slept with the whole first half of year but we get along fine! obviously some people are smart enough to put the past behind them in the interest of living together peacefully. but i told her if she hates me so much then its better if she goes