Dress For Small Business Success
Skip the corporate suits and ties, the shift work uniforms and the generic rules for dressing written in the organization handbook. As a small business owner, you can dress in whatever you so choose. But remember; your attire is often the first aspect you are judged upon by current and potential clients. Are your clothes helping your small business become a success?
What to wear…
1. Financial Meeting at the Bank
Before selecting your day’s attire, ensure that you have a professionally written business plan prepared for your financial meeting. A business plan is the means by which successful small businesses begin. When going in for your start-up funding meeting at the bank, appearance (and a professional business plan) is key. Dress as if you want to be taken seriously in a matching suit, crisp button down shirt and coordinating tie. Women have more options in this department. A dress or skirt is also appropriate, as long as the length of the clothing article is knee length or longer. Save the jeans and sneakers for the home front; in the commerce world, looks are often the first arena for judging whether a person is worthy of doing business with.
If a potential client sees you as someone to be taken seriously, they will allow you to manage their needs, something else that must be taken seriously.
Be prepared mentally with key facts about your small business start-up, and behave confidently. A professional business plan will provide you with the comfort you need walking into your financial lending institution.
2. At your Small Business Grand Opening Party
Now is your time to shine! Ensure that you have something professional enough on; men are suggested to wear dress pants and a button down shirt, while women again have more options in this department. Women; take precautions to make certain that you can comfortably get around at your party.
If your small business has branding colours, try coordinating them into your outfit.
3. Day to Day
Depending on your small business, your daily dress will differ. If you are in retail or any sort of service providing, ensure that you take your style up a notch by wearing dress pants, skirts and dresses. Jeans are a staple in most people’s wardrobes, but they often give off a causal vibe. If you do choose to wear denim to work, why not make it your small business’s “Jeans Friday”, in which all of your employees can wear denim. And if you still choose to wear jeans more often than not at work, please see that you wear a dark wash, free of holes and distress.
“Dressing is a way of life” – Yves Saint Laurent