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8 Things You Need to Become a Successful Fashion Entrepreneur You must believe your business has a shot, but not that it will be a definite success

By Pooja Shroff

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Starting, running and growing a business takes a lot of hard work. Along with long hours, compromise, sacrifice, and a lot of stress, each day brings new obstacles to overcome. Simply put, entrepreneurship isn't for everyone.

But many people, especially women, are not ready to give up yet.

Although there isn't a secret formula for success, there are common traits that successful entrepreneurs share. And when it comes to the unique business of fashion, some of these traits are downright necessities.

Determination

Success doesn't happen overnight. A business takes time to start and grow. And even more time to be successful. There should not be any rush. There will be difficult times. Things will look impossible. You will want to give up and throw in the towel. But you can't. You need to fight off those urges and press forward. Persevere. Determination is the difference between those who quit on their dream and those who turn their dream into a great success.

Passion

The work will be hard, the hours will be long, and the pay will be low. And to top it all off, there is no guarantee of success. Your passion will motivate you through the tough times and it needs to come from inside of you. Don't count on money to be your motivating factor. Your passion comes from a deeper, more meaningful place. Your passion is something which makes you different from others. Be passionate about your work and no one can stop you from being successful in life.

Optimistic

Successful fashion entrepreneurs are not afraid of failure. Things don't always go to plan. And sometimes things completely fail. Get comfortable with the idea of failure. It will happen to you. But do not feel defeated. Successful entrepreneurs see failure as an opportunity – a chance to learn from their mistakes. So when, you get knocked down, you must get up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward.

Confidence

Any entrepreneur needs a healthy reserve of self-belief. After all, if you don't have faith in your own brand, how can you expect others to buy into it? Confidence is part of any entrepreneur's success. You must be confident in yourself – that you can manage what might come your way.

But too much confidence can be a bad thing. You must believe that your business has a shot, but not that it will be a definite success.

The balance lies in having no doubt that you are competent to run and grow your business but not being overly confident that you know everything or that you can do anything.

It's when we are certain of success that we are most likely to fail.

Vision

As the creator of a brand, one must possess a clear vision of what you want your brand to be. Your vision defines who you are, what you want to do and where you want to go. Your vision cannot be unclear. It needs to be developed, detailed and definite. It needs to be clear. Your vision has got lot to do with how your journey is going to be in future.

Flexibility

Fashion is a fast-paced industry, constantly changing. As an entrepreneur, you need to be flexible and able to adapt to the changing demands of your business. Learn to act quickly before new ideas and opportunities lose their spark.

Effective communication

Your ability to communicate will affect your ability to influence others, your ability to develop relationships, and ultimately, your ability to produce results. So the success of your business will depend on your ability to communicate your ideas and vision to get people to buy into your brand.

Risk tolerance

As an entrepreneur, you must be comfortable with risk. Entrepreneurs take risks, and they take action. Smart entrepreneurs are able to identify and mitigate business risk. But when the time comes, they step out of their comfort zone and engage risk by taking action.

Pooja Shroff

Fashion designer

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