Ragtrader magazine recently reported on successful applicants to the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Small Business Program 2011. Here Nevenka founder Rosemary Masic reveals what she will do with her $50,000 grant.
Nevenka produces two collections for the wholesale business. It drops every two weeks for the retail business and growing. Three off spring collections are produced for net-a-porter.com, which is exclusive to them. We have one retail store in Melbourne CBD.
Nevenka employs three workers in head office, four retail staff and three sub contractors (book keeping, pattern makers etc).
I was introduced to [government grant specialist] TCF services and industry assistance by a business colleague. TCF Services have been instrumental in the success of this application. I selected an Enterprise Management System (EMS) grant because I believed this was the most important area of my business to focus on right now. Getting organised cleans space for other things to develop and come into that space. If you clog the space with mess – then you cannot grow. Implementation started from July 2011 and completion is from March 2012.
Operating without an EMS means mistakes can happen. You are double handling lots of processes. Designers are time poor and an EMS saves time. I was impressed with the Indigo 8 Clear Stream because it all starts with the product. So I can input all the details of my design and trust that the end result will be exactly as I designed it. There is no room for any human error.
It will save us time, increase productivity and efficiency. Time is money. I never have enough time to work on the areas that matter most – creating product and increasing quality and workmanship. These things take time and you can't rush them. Any paper work and administrative work must be completed within a certain time frame so that you don’t get caught up in this process of the business. It’s an important part of any business however it must be managed only once not five times. If you don’t have a EMS – you are cross referencing your work way too many times.
As a designer I am not finding my designs the problem nor the fit. It is the running of the business that has its challenges during these tough times. Cash flow is always our biggest concern. You never seem to have enough money to grow the business and seize opportunities. Banks have made it hard for the SME to borrow. So we have been forced to look at where we are making the most profit and then focus solely on that.
You overcome this by working very hard. Going back to basics and keeping it simple. Editing each collection and keeping it tight. Making sure that when we sign off on each design, it has commercial value as well as point of difference. I am lucky, I have been working in my shop to engage and connect with my customer. This has given me the competitive edge. I know exact what they want to buy. I am listening to them and turning it over as quick as I can for them in store. We have a loyal database that is growing rapidly every day. My team is very customer focused and we manage this area of the business with care. Our online store to be launched within two months, along with expansion of retail in other states and countries.