Round Rock Prom Dress

Claire James message on The State of Fashion

I invite you all to read Claire James' message. She delivered these comments Thursday at the Austin Fashion Week event on the south steps of the Austin Texas state capitol building.

Malissa, thank you for thinking to invite me to this event.

I am unable to copy/paste the text so here is the Claire's message.

Boutique manufacturer moving to Austin

This is a retype of an email message I just received. Since there is no phone included I encourage any of you interested to either go to the bottom of this article to the comment link and let Sharron know or email Sharron sharron@sharronleslie.com or email me GTorresCUE@gmail.com and I will forward your email to Sharron. Gil

*****

My is Sharron Aisenman and the name of my company is Sharron Leslie Designs. I'm planning a future move to Austin and was online looking for operators in the Austin area when I came across your site. Very interesting. We are boutique manufacturers of dance wear, club wear, swim wear, sexy wear and have the capability of producing lingerie. We were in sexy lingerie until it was all sent to China. I design, make and grade patterns. My factory cuts and sews garments and we ship from Sylmar CA. We have over twenty years experience and sell worldwide. Can you list me on your site? Do you have contacts in San Antonio, Austin for operators and mechanic for my new factory to be located in Austin? I emailed Tabitha and Christina and I'm going to call Lee. All sound like I can help them.
I'd appreciate hearing from you regarding these things.
Sincerely,

Sharron Aisenman
Owner, Sharron Leslie Designs
SLD Collection
p.s. I'm for real...look at my website.

Houston startup needs pattern maker & contractor

If you are interested you can reply to Tabitha at:

tabitha.grace@att.net

Hello, my name is Tabitha McKelvy out of Houston TX.

I have some sketches that I have been working on. I am interested in starting a clothing line with these sketches. I know that I will need a sample/pattern maker and contractor. Please, help me.
Thanks. Vixen by Tabitha Grace

Best regards,

Gil

Prom Dress Network Invitation

It will be here sooner than you think again! The biggest annual extravanganza among teenage girls. I am talking about Prom.

Once again, I wonder how many of the enormous talent pool of dressmaker consultants are ready to take advantage of the opportunity. I wonder how many will miss out again.

This is my invitation to all interested independent consultants and independent prom dress retailers to do something about it.

Before you reject this invitation because of the cost let me clear that up right now.

It costs you nothing.

Why is this free? Because I am more interested that people see the profit potential of the network for themselves rather than showing them charts and graphs.

I am the one extending the invitation. I am the one who will organize and communicate with the network. Your participation in the network costs you nothing. You participation is strictly on your terms and, ideally, as a professional. All fees are strictly between you and your clients. If you attract clients and turn a profit. Great! It's yours to keep.

I am the one who will incur costs. So for that reason I must limit the scope of the network to the Round Rock/Austin Texas area high schools. Anyone outside that area interested in checking out the network would certainly be welcome but my focus will be limited as I have stated.

What you need to do before February 28 is simply either:

1 Post a comment on this article expressing your interest, or
2 Email me directly to GTorresCUE@gmail.com. Subject: Prom Dress Network

KSE in a challenging economy

They are two people with whom I work. They do not know each other. They do know computer technology.

Despite neither one having traditional academic credentials they possess what I call KSE, the Knowledge, Skills and Experience people acquire and amass over their years of employment. Their KSE affords them a confidence and competence such as computer build, (and networking) diagnostics, repair and more.

Acquiring KSE

He immersed himself in every tutor and mentoring opportunity alongside engineers and technicians to acquire much of his technology know-how during his years as a Dell employee. She absorbed hers through her Electrical Englneer big brother. He, for his seeming amusement and her utter frustration, would dismantle her computer for her to reassemble and reconfigure. It was a few years before she would reflect and appreciate the gift he gave his litle sister.

Networking with buddies/working from home

It would not be difficult, he says, to connect with a couple of his tech buddies to take on some technology projects. Sound familiar? The problem, he explains, is finding the clientele to sustain their business enterprise. Sound familiar? She would love nothing better than to be able utilize her tech skills to supplement the family income from the comfort of their home with their children. Sound familiar?

Innovation in a challenging economy

Business technology needs versus family economic needs are not totally unrelated, folks. Aren't you amazed by some of the innovative sales ideas which have emerged with our challenging economy? Can you recall ever hearing a car dealer encourage people to buy a new car and the dealer would make the payments for a period of time if the buyer lost their job? Or, you can bring that car right back without any problems! Lets not foolishly assume there aren't conditions with these offers, but the point to note is the innovation of business to meet their sales demands while meeting the economic needs of the family.

The independent Enterprise Network model

The Independent Enterprise Network model is the meeting point between business technology needs and family economic needs. Any skepticism could be no less foolish than those who fail to understand the car dealer's offer. Whatever skepticism you have about the IE-Network may be affecting your profitabilty and ability to recruit consultants and take on technology projects. Something else about our challenging economy. Have you noticed how business turns to the small areas it had ignored or overlooked in the past? The whitebox/whitebook market remains an ignored, overlooked area of profit potential.

A good practice

Business owners rely on their shop, floor and store managers to make the best decisions to enhance and constantly build their profit margins. Are you sure they're not ingnoring or overlooking areas of profit potential riding out the economy while riding on the security of a paycheck from you? A good inventory audit practice is check your stock and your business management.

The IE-Network model brings together independent consultants and independent retailers/resellers in areas including computer technology, apparel and more.

Best Buy Offering $197 HP Laptop on Black Friday

The Best Buy offer is a great deal.

However, even at $197 it's way over budget for much of the untapped no-brand, whitebox/whitebook computer buyer in America. Whitebox/whitebook is the industry term which refers to generic desktop/laptop computers. Still, Best Buy does show the resourcefulness of big business to market their product.

My repeat efforts to present the IE-Network model to a major computer manufacturer have been ignored. Yet, their desire and efforts to break into the whitebox market were similarly ignored by that same market.

The whitebox market requires no less resourcefulness by at-home independent consultants, resellers and retailers. Certainly, the market is no less accessible for them then it is for major retailers and manufacturers.

Now, for the past several months, my focus has centered on computer component retailers and resellers. Any other time I would, grudgingly, understand such quickness to brush-off a network idea not in their business strategies manual.

But, in this economy who can afford to continue with the same mindset and attitude of business as usual?

The same IE-Network model allows major retailers and manufacturers as well as independent consultants and small retailer/resellers to penetrate and profit in the whitebox/whitebook market. This economy has brought out some previously unheard of marketing schemes. Who ever heard of car dealers telling car buyers: "Bring it back if you lose your job"?

Of course, IE-Networks are quite capable of providing much more than desktop and laptops for small business. Furthermore, small business is able to pace their spending. There's no need to lock into extraordinary budgeting structures. Rather, they simply absorb these developmental expenditures into the daily business operations and as profits permit.

Sewing Machine sales soar

I just wonder how these sewing machine sales affect old figures. A few years ago I corresponded with a Home Sewing Association (defunct, 2007) staff member. She confirmed the HSA information on home sewing figures. Namely, that there were over 35 million people who sew in their homes.

The HSA would not make any claims as to who was doing the sewing for profit or pleasure. Their sound estimates were on the basis of overall sewing machine sales in America. Although sewing machine manufacturers were unwilling to provide specific figures so the HSA, I believe, may have compiled the data from retailer sales.

I was especially pleased to learn of this figure from the HSA. What pleased me about it was that it supported one of my own conclusions. Namely, that there are vast numbers of people who have acquired, and in some instances amassed, a great deal of Knowledge, Skills and Experience in the production of apparel. Some of these are the same talented individuals whom the government categorizes as "non to low-skilled workers". Others include people who have studied the craft (my apologies if that is not the prefered term) through school even to obtaining a higher education degree in the field of apparel. Still others to be included are those who have an inbred know-how, a knack, which seems as easy and natural as breathing to them while others need to work diligently to attain.

The IE-Network model is all about bringing together those talented individuals, as local independent consultant/contractors, with local independent apparel retailers for fulfillment of their apparel production, design and related needs . . . for profit. Other possible target areas for networkers include prom dresses, soccer team uniforms and more.

Building in the Whitebox Market

If I didn't know a mouse from a motherboard do you think you could still send me out with a short grocery list to show the folks at Goodwill Computers, Discount Electronics, Altex? An additional simple instruction: Do not take the electronic part out of its protective bag or risk damaging it by Electro -Static Discharge.

Those two short simple steps are essential to 1) you tapping into the whitebox/whitebook market, and 2) enabling low-income and other consumers to acquire their own custom-made computer. Reality check here: The computer industry giants would love to, but lack the creativity to reach this vast, multi-billion dollar market.

While it is possible to buy a new low-cost computer for as little as $500 the reality is that is way out of reach for many Americans. How do you enable them to buy it and creative a source of revenue for yourself?

The next time your co-worker or neighbor has $10 to spare send him with grocery list in hand for a mouse and keyboard. Then, you guide him through this process every month or as often as he has discretionary funds adding every purchase to his parts list. Leave the pricier items for the last. He stores all parts until at the end of 8 months or so he has all the parts and is ready for you to assemble it.

Perhaps you may no longer be in the frame of mind to build computers or you're going on vacation. What does he do? He takes his parts inventory list to another network tech or computer hobbyist who is willing to build it maybe for even more than your fee. You both agree on a fee and your neighbor has his new computer.

After all numbers are tallied your neighbor sees he paid $750 for a computer he saw at the corner reseller for $500. Did you rip him off? No. The only thing he paid directly to the tech was the agreed upon assembly fee.

Here's the leverage dynamic of the IE-Network over all manufacturers, retailers, resellers, credit, down payment and layaway plans. The manner in which he has purchased his components might total more than the store unit, but he was able to absorb the cost into his daily living expenses. He's not going to find that plan anywhere else.

The question for you to answer: How much of a clientele among friends, neighbors, co-workers or business clients you are able to assist and generate income with their piecemeal computer component purchase? Your clients may come through word-of-mouth or the IC-TechNetwork.

As is true of individuals so too of small businesses. If small businesses have someone who is able to send them with grocery list in hand to acquire their new computer systems, networking components and servers piecemeal, that is, one component at a time without it being an economic burden they would be among those who mange their business the smart way.

The problem for individuals and small business is not that they are unable to purchase components. Their unanswered question, up to now is, why bother with component purchase if I don't have the time or know-how to build it? Clearly, and particularly for small business, there might be bigger things of interest and need beyond desktops and laptops. Having a local independent consultant network which individuals and small businesses can tap for their technology products and services needs is no small matter.

How small of a piece of the multi-billion dollar whitebox market would be big enough for you?

Prom . . . Every Year

Every year I meet people with their story of great, exceptional talent without the means or the know-how to convert that talent into revenue.

Every year Prom comes around at the local high school.

Every year girls scramble to find the perfect prom dress. Most likely they end up settling for something less than perfect either in terms of fabric, style, color, size, fit or cost.

Every year, at least for the past three years, I have called the same talented people to come together as a independent network of designers to provide a needed service for these seasonal clients, and _ create income for themselves and their families.

Every year the apparel industry offers these young ladies the standard one-size-fits-none off-the-rack dresses.

Every year, for the past several years, the industry has continued to its doors on the creative talent of apparel makers who are now employed at McDonald's, Walmart or 7Eleven.

Every year there are young ladies who opt for the $100 Prom Dress specials who then spend an additional $60 for alterations.

Lets suppose mom and daughter shop for and buy fabric and pattern. Lets say they spent $40. They contact you through word-of-mouth or the IE-Network and retain your services. You settle for the agreed service fee of $10, 30, 60 or $80? Your fee is yours and nobody else's business.

If mom and daughter spent $120 dollars for a dress to their personal satisfaction in terms of fabric, style, color, size, fit and cost with your personal service I would say that is a mutually satisfying and profitable relationship for all.

Now, the only question is how many clients are you willing to take on to deliver total customer satisfaction. Although school district adiministrations and individual campuses are not likely to (Yes, I have tried) allow the exposure of students to a community member nonetheless there are eager, willing entreprenuers on campus who would not miss out on the opportunity to collect Prom Dress orders on campus and deliver to you for a fee.

Every year is now. This is your call to get ready. Will you do it or miss out again?

Consider this Prom pre-season. The Prom door will open soon. Will you be ready? You as an individual or a network member can easily deliver orders on-demand for specialty and other apparel retailers in Round Rock and Austin. Folks! The IE-Network model goes from its local Round Rock origins to regional, to state to nationwide. Why are you still waiting to call on me to come speak to your group?

You need to get your name and information on the PROM-DRESS NETWORK. Make it happen . . . every year.