MENTORING, BUSINESS SUPPORT AND ACCESS TO FUNDING FOR THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Business mentoring

Starting a fashion business isn’t easy
But we’re here to help

Business Mentoring

Starting a fashion business isn’t easy
But we’re here to help

Turbo charge your fashion business with a start up business
mentor to give you the best chance of success

Working with a start up business mentor is your opportunity to access industry expertise to support your business development & strategy. We offer fashion business start up mentoring and also help established fashion businesses grow and prepare for investment.

Our team of fashion business start up advisors and mentors are all fashion industry experts. They understand the challenges of a small business and collectively have expertise across clothing, accessories, shoes, textiles and fashion jewellery.

Over the past 10 years since we launched, we’ve helped 1000s of designers and fashion brands create successful & sustainable fashion businesses.

  • Business plan development
  • Sourcing, sampling and production guidance
  • Costing and pricing architecture
  • Routes to market
  • Marketing & PR
  • Operations and logistics
  • Financial forecasting
  • Understanding finance options and how to access funding

Key benefits

Business mentoring options

We want to be able to help as many fashion entrepreneurs as possible so offer a number of options

Fashion business mentoring session

Individual session with one of our fashion business mentors on a Pay as You Go basis. This is a great way to access feedback on your business concept or get guidance on a specific issue.

£110 + VAT p/h
Fashion business start up mentoring programme

Perfect if you want start a fashion business or have been trading for less than 2 years. This will help you develop your strategy, keep you motivated and speed up business development.

£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)
Fashion business scale up mentoring programme

Ideal for fashion businesses that have been established for two years or more, this will help you take your business to the next level and manage your growth.

£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)
Preparation for investment mentoring

If you’re looking for funding or investment to grow, we’ll help you get your business ‘investment ready’ for a better chance of success.

£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)
Business plan review

One of our experienced business advisors will review your existing business plan, provide you with a report and give you feedback in a follow up session on areas that may need strengthening.

£220 + VAT INC
Get in touch if you have any questions

Testimonials

Fashion Angel mentoring has enabled 1000s of fashion to start and then scale their businesses 

Testimonials

Fashion Angel mentoring has enabled 1000s of fashion to start and then scale their businesses 

FAQs

Fashion Angel offers fashion industry business mentoring to pre-start & new businesses starting as well as more established fashion business’s looking to grow. Our team of small business mentors have all run their own fashion enterprises so understand the needs of a small business and have a wide range of expertise across the fashion and creative industries.

The fashion industry is a complex sector with a high failure rate. We believe to get the best support you have to work with a mentor that understands the industry – generic advice will only get you so far! We’re the only business support agency in the UK to just specialiSe in supporting fashion designers, brands and entrepreneurs, from all segments of the market.

We work with graduates, pre-start, start-up and established fashion businesses including clothing, footwear, textiles, fashion, jewellery and accessory brands

It can be easy for business owners to get caught up in the whirlwind of day-to-day tasks involved in running their business, but putting aside time for regular mentoring sessions with someone that can look at your business objectively, can prove invaluable for personal development and business growth.

Aside from the many positive testimonials we have from our clients, 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs. Small businesses that receive mentoring are 20% more likely to experience growth than those that don’t (source: the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative).

Our team of mentors are all fashion industry experts with a wealth of expertise in the sector

As often as you need to and will depend on your individual requirements. Meetings are currently via Zoom and can be scheduled to fit in with your diary. Outside of the regular meetings we are available on the phone/email during working hours (we have to sleep!) .

Not necessarily. If you have booked a package, you will have a lead mentor, but they may assess that at you would benefit from seeing one of the team with a specific area of specialism that can help you.

The first meeting is usually 2 hours, and subsequent sessions 1.5 – 2 hours, but we are flexible with this.

If you have booked a programme the hours need to be used within 12 months.

Yes we have many national and international clients and conduct sessions via Zoom.

This will depend on what stage you are at in your business journey.

We offer Fashion Business Start Up packages for those needing support with their pre-start or early stage business planning and strategy and Fashion Business Scale Up packages for more established businesses that may have got ‘stuck’ and need to review their strategy or are looking to scale.

If you are looking for finance, the Preparation for Investment package may be the best option.

In any case the sessions are tailored round your requirements no matter which you book.

We also offer a Pay as You Go option which is ideal for dealing with specific issues or to test if it’s for you.

Prior to the first session we ask you to complete a pre-session form to gather some background information for the mentor. If you have existing business plans, you can bring with you, and examples of product are always good to see.

For as long as you need it – some clients are looking to deal with specific issues, but others see the benefit of having a mentor to refer to on an ongoing basis.

Absolutely. We are happy to also sign NDA’s if you wish.

One off PAYG sessions are £110 + VAT per hour). The most cost effective option is to book one of the programmes of 6 hours in advance, as the costs are reduced to £85 p/h. One of the benefits of joining the Business Club is you can pay the discounted rate of £85 p/h without pre-booking a block of sessions.

Once you have scheduled your session and decided which option you are booking, you will be sent an invoice. Payment can be arranged via bank transfer or credit/debit card. Your booking is only secured once payment has to been received. Bookings are non-refundable and if you need to re-schedule a meeting, we ask for 48 hours’ notice

Just call us on 020 8216 3411, fill in the contact us form or email us we’ll get back to you to discuss the schedule

Fashion business mentoring session

You can see one of our fashion mentors on a Pay as You Go basis. This is a great way to access guidance and feedback on a specific issue. We’ll schedule a session with a fashion mentor at a time that suits you, either virtually or in London. The sessions can cover any element of the mentoring packages we offer.

 

Each topic is specifically tailored to the needs of the fashion industry, and can help you:

 

  • Develop your fashion business plan
  • Develop your products
  • Plan your fashion range
  • Evaluate your sales and routes to market
  • Understand sample and production management
  • Promote your fashion business through PR
  • Prepare for trade shows
  • Access finance through start up loans and our other partners

 

Many clients go on to booking a block of regular sessions giving them the benefit of our on-going support at discounted rates.

£110 + VAT p/h

To book your small business fashion mentoring session, call us for a chat on 0208 216 3411, fill in the contact form below or email us

Fashion business start up mentoring programme

Perfect if you want start a fashion business or have been trading for less than 2 years.

We believe that regular mentoring speeds up the development of your fashion business. Typically you’ll receive 1-2 hours of one to one business mentoring a month with a lead fashion mentor. You may also see other members of the team depending on the specific areas of support your business needs. Just pick dates and times to suit you.

We can help you:

  • Develop or review your fashion business plan
  • Product development & range planning
  • Capture relevant market research
  • Evaluate sourcing and production options
  • Create branding, marketing and PR
  • Sales strategy
  • Get to grips with business finance
£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)

To find out more about our fashion business start up mentoring programme, call us for a chat on 0208 216 3411, fill in the contact form below or email us.

Fashion business scale up mentoring programme

Ideal for fashion businesses that have been established for two years or more.

You’ve started to build your fashion business brand and established demand for your product. Now you need to get to the next stage, manage your growth, and avoid typical pitfalls like over trading. Our lead mentor will tailor a mentoring package to suit your specific needs.

We can help you:

  • Map your original business plan and financial projections against actual turnover/profit margins to date
  • Identify the profitable areas of your fashion business
  • Establish key milestones for growth
  • Review and improve the effectiveness marketing/PR strategy
  • Assess what internal and external resources you are likely to need for growth
  • Review your funding requirements and options to access
  • Establish an action plan and move it forward
£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)

To find out more about our fashion business scale up mentoring programme, call us for a chat on 0208 216 3411, fill in the contact form below or email us

Preparation for investment mentoring

Are you looking for funding to get your business off the ground, or external investment to grow?

Investors think lending to the fashion sector is high risk, often because of a lack of business skills in the business and unconvincing pitches from the designers.

This mentoring programme is focused on preparing you for external investment.

We can show you how to:

  • Refine your business plan so is attractive to potential investors
  • Ensure your financial forecasts make sense
  • Assess your funding requirements
  • Establish a realistic exit strategy for the investor
  • Prepare your pitch and sell your fashion business proposition to investors

 

In some cases we may be available for Non-Executive Directorships or a place on your board, helping to increase investor confidence in your management team.

Check out our FREE business planning tool and pitch deck design services.

£85 + VAT p/h (minimum 6 hours pre-paid)

To find out more about our preparation for investment support, call us for a chat on 0208 216 3411, fill in the contact form below or email us

Business plan review

If you have an existing business plan, we can review this for you, and one of our experienced business advisors will provide you with a report, & give you feedback in a follow up session on areas that may need strengthening.

Check out our FREE business planning tool and pitch deck design services.

£220 + VAT INC

To book your business plan review, call us on 0208 216 3411, filling in the contact form below or you can email us

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