Last month, my business partners and I met someone who seemed to be interested in working with up and coming fashion designers, like myself, to take their businesses to the next level. I'm talking about linking us to a major distributor/licensor that would get our product into stores on a national level, like JC Penney or Urban Outfitters. I'd already envi
sioned our concept for the tops for young girls flying off the racks. And the line would include colorful jersey dresses, skirts, and tote bags using the same concept as the tops. It would mushroom into a real lifestyle brand just as I had always dreamed. And that income would, in turn, bankroll my more sophisticated line of dresses. I would be able to gain my freedom from the plantation once and for all and do what I love 100% of the time. My dreams are vivid and bold, but accessible just like my fashions. But dreams rarely unfold like they do in your head. And when someone promises you a rose garden, there are usually thorns included. And most times you have to do the planting and tilling and watering before that garden comes to full bloom. But in this case, the rose garden turned out to be just a plot full of dirt populated with dandelions. This woman who had initially sounded so promising made us jump through hoops to set up a meeting. Because she splits her time between the west coast and New York, her time is very limited. One of the business partners could not make it because of obligations to his 9 to 5 and the other partner had to take off early from work. And the woman full of promises pulled a no show because she had overbooked herself. After apologizing profusely, she rescheduled a conference call for the next day. It was at the beginning of this phone conversation that she apologized again before explaining that her business model was changing and she would no longer be offering the services that we were interested in. After she disclosed that she knew before coming to New York that her plan had changed, I began to admonish her for her unprofessionalism and the time she wasted. Sometimes my mouth gets the best of me. One of my colleagues steered the conversation back to civility and quickly ended the call. But I don't think that we will ever hear from her again. She'd already played us for the fool. But life continues and, despite the setbacks that sometimes seem to plague us, we are making progress. I guess sometimes you have to be punked in order to learn and grow.
Peace & Fashion!
sioned our concept for the tops for young girls flying off the racks. And the line would include colorful jersey dresses, skirts, and tote bags using the same concept as the tops. It would mushroom into a real lifestyle brand just as I had always dreamed. And that income would, in turn, bankroll my more sophisticated line of dresses. I would be able to gain my freedom from the plantation once and for all and do what I love 100% of the time. My dreams are vivid and bold, but accessible just like my fashions. But dreams rarely unfold like they do in your head. And when someone promises you a rose garden, there are usually thorns included. And most times you have to do the planting and tilling and watering before that garden comes to full bloom. But in this case, the rose garden turned out to be just a plot full of dirt populated with dandelions. This woman who had initially sounded so promising made us jump through hoops to set up a meeting. Because she splits her time between the west coast and New York, her time is very limited. One of the business partners could not make it because of obligations to his 9 to 5 and the other partner had to take off early from work. And the woman full of promises pulled a no show because she had overbooked herself. After apologizing profusely, she rescheduled a conference call for the next day. It was at the beginning of this phone conversation that she apologized again before explaining that her business model was changing and she would no longer be offering the services that we were interested in. After she disclosed that she knew before coming to New York that her plan had changed, I began to admonish her for her unprofessionalism and the time she wasted. Sometimes my mouth gets the best of me. One of my colleagues steered the conversation back to civility and quickly ended the call. But I don't think that we will ever hear from her again. She'd already played us for the fool. But life continues and, despite the setbacks that sometimes seem to plague us, we are making progress. I guess sometimes you have to be punked in order to learn and grow.Peace & Fashion!
I'm so sorry that things fell through. You were right to stick up for yourself and question her professionalism.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take much time to make a phone call or drop someone an email.
Hold your head high. The man above always has a plan, even when it's not easy for us to figure out what that plan is.
You have never given up, and I have no doubt that your dreams will come to pass, this was just a learning lesson. Keep your eye on the Prize, God will see it through.
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