Fashion Business Owner Musings: When You Don’t Have Time To Do Everything

Dear Designers,

Something that I hear constantly is “I don’t have time to do everything.”  It’s a common plight of a startup fashion business. When you wear all the hats, it can feel overwhelming and impossible to get to the things that you need to in order to grow.

I understand. I’ve been there, and it’s really difficult. But I want to tell you a few things.

First, of course you don’t have time to do everything. No one does. Stop putting the pressure on yourself to “do it all,” “be it all,” “have it all.” This pressure is debilitating and usually leads to no progress at all, rather than progress made in stages.

You can’t do everything at once. It’s not possible. So you do what needs to be done, which honestly, is not “everything,” even though it often feels that way. Learn to prioritize and get done what is reasonable for one (driven, determined, and goal-oriented) person.

You have to be OK with that. You can’t make yourself feel bad about what didn’t get done. Instead, you have to congratulate yourself on what did get done. And then use that enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment to move onto the next thing.

And second…

If you want something badly enough, you will make the time.

It’s true. And deep down, you know it.

This was a lesson it took me a little while to learn. As someone who has always put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and not be “lazy,” I was great at all the busy work. That said, I also gave myself the crutch of not having the “time” to do something, when in reality I was nervous or fearful or disinterested. Those were the real reasons something didn’t get done.

And I began to realize that those things that were truly important to me, the ones I knew would have a major impact on my business . . . well, those were the things that I had to make time for, not find time for.

Excuses were allowing me to say I couldn’t find the time, when in reality I simply had to make the time.

And if I didn’t make the time, I was forced to ask myself, “How important is this to you? You say you want to be successful, then MAKE time for what needs to get done to reach your goals.”

It’s not always fun to challenge yourself like this, but I promise you it is effective.

Nothing gives you clarity like calling yourself out on your own b.s.

Try it.

Hope you find this bit of tough love helpful. 😉

Lots of love and encouragement,

 

Nicole Giordano

Nicole is the founder of StartUp FASHION, an online resource and community supporting for independent designers around the world with building their businesses. A deep love for the craft of fashion paired with an adamant belief that success is defined by the individual, led her to found StartUp FASHION, where she helps independent designers and makers screw the traditional fashion business rules, create their own paths, and build businesses they truly love. More than anything else, she’s in the business of encouragement and works every day to remind makers and designers that they have something special to offer the world and that they can, in fact, do this thing!

2 comments
  1. shay Santos

    Hi! my name is Shay
    and i am so happy that i came across your site!
    im finally fed up with my 9-5 sitting at a desk and doing the same thing everyday.
    Now that i finally got it through my head that i dont want to do this for the rest of my life and want to actually peruse something that makes me excited to wake everyday. and thats textiles. I recently moved to Arizona went through the bad break up and here alone, But so ready to find myself in my art again in a new place.
    Basically what im getting at is how did you go out and find people to help you get where you are? i want to find a mentor or someone to help me guide myself in that right direction ( i think that i found the first steps by finding your page). I am definitely saving it and reading and buying the books to get started! im sorry if im all over the place. i am just really excited i came across this and finally ready to get started!!!

    • Nicole Giordano

      Hi Shay! Congratulations, that’s so exciting!Here are my best tips: (1) start a blog (2)attend events in the industry to meet people (3)find an online community — either paid or free– that will help you connect with the industry at large (4) learn, learn, learn! take online classes, read books, etc.

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