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This question was posted to the Dobizo Answers page and you can also get ANY question you want answered by posting it to the page and I will answer it in an article so that every reader can learn from our mistakes or questions.

The question below was posted by T:

“I am a aspiring fashion designer. I have a degree in fashion merchandising and I am getting my masters right now so I know how to handle the business aspect of the industry. I have $100,000 to invest into beginning my clothing line. I am moving to California in February and I want to design womens clothes. Everything from dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, etc. What should I do first when I get settled in there?“

Usually with this type of question I would just direct them toward an article that covers where to get started or the work in progress Get Started Guide page. But the fact that this designer-entrepreneur has $100,000 to invest interest me and I definitely think this is where many make mistakes because they have so much capital to invest and usually don’t spend their money carefully and when you have little money you automatically think more money would solve all your problems.

No matter how much money you have to invest I think you should always work as if you were on a shoestring budget that way you want over spend on services, products, or businesses that are just there to cut the work out for you, because they’re usually not worth their pricey service fees (Shady Pr, Marketing, Sales Rep companies)

Most services that you would most likely allocate money to in the beginning stages can easily be done by yourself and a few workers without investing much money in a high-end company promising you substantial returns on your investment.

So I would suggest that when you touch down that you prepare a thorough Business Plan. Make sure that you pay close attention to where you are putting your money, because with such a large amount of capital it is easily to get happy and spend carelessly without budgeting and keeping accurate finance books on where you are allocating your capital.

Even though you do have a degree in Fashion Merchandising I do think it would be beneficial to work directly for a womens clothing company maybe in the design department and with you being out in California their should be numerous opportunities for open internship positions that could give you the other side of the business that can’t be learned in any classroom. With the college learning and real-world experience you could gain from an internship and mapping out your goals and expectations realistically in a business plan could make for a great first year in business and the launching pad of a future successful fashion company.

You can also check our Fashion Internship category regularly for daily updates of open internship opportunities.

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