We recently connected with Jessica Bolton and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
I think the first suggestion is to follow your passion. If you have a particular idea and skill, work to make the best possible product or service that you can. While marketing is important and necessary for the long-term success of your business, your product will sell itself if it is unique and of good quality. Second, make yourself stand out from your competitors. There are a lot of hat designers out there, but I wanted to focus on self-sustaining fashion and up-cycling vintage and pre-owned pieces in a way that could not be replicated. That was useful because, in the face of an industry that has turned toward fast fashion, the market needed more businesses focused on waste reduction and re-purposing quality items rather than resorting to reduced quality in service of mass production and focusing on higher profit margins in favor of lesser-quality products. Third, learn tax law. Because this is my secondary income, I learned that formally creating a business would allow me to leverage my tax liability from my primary income. This meant I got to keep more money in my pocket annually while also feeding my soul through a passion project.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was originally influenced by making costumes for festival season. Initially I could not afford the high-ticket costume pieces typically sold by festival decision so I decided to make my own. Because fashion is a form of radical self-expression, I often find that clients prefer custom pieces. This allows me to develop a real relationship with my client, collaborating with them on their dream piece. Typically they provide me some general preferences and inspirations, and I translate their dream into reality! My aim is create a piece that will allow my client feel beautiful and unique, knowing they have co-created a piece with me. That relationship forever instills a sense of personal creativity that is unique to them. I also ensure that my client can always contact me if there is a problem with the quality over time and I will provide repairs if it is related to a manufacturing defect. I stand behind my products 100% because I know they are well crafted.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The relationships you create with your clientele will ultimately become your reputation in the industry, and that will ultimately lend to sales (or lack thereof). Although the fashion industry is large, there are niches within any industry. Those niches are actually quite small. It is not uncommon for clientele to bring me horror stories related to purchasing from a competitor. It only takes hearing a couple of negative stories to influence a reputation. Don’t be that business! Listen to your clients, own your mistakes, be friendly, accommodate their needs, and stand behind your products.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A major lesson is to reject the concept of the scarcity mindset. I think it is common practice to think that the success of any business similar to your own is money lost by your business. This is simply not true. There is plenty of business to go around. The more you collaborate with your competitors and other businesses similarly found in your niche, the more everyone wins. I noticed that some business can be catty toward other businesses with similar products. That scarcity mindset will ultimately hurt your business rather than help it grow. Develop an appreciation for the creativity of those who have similar passions. Learn from them. Promote them. Think in terms of abundance and see what happens.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thatdomepiece.wixsite.com/that-dome-piece
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatdomepiece/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatdomepiece/
- Twitter: @thatdomepiece
- Other: ETSY: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatDomePiece
Image Credits
First photo: Photographer: IG @adrianthephotographer Model: IG @earthy.mary Additional photos: PIC 1 (Spiked vintage swim cap) Photographer: IG @christyloflaherty.official Model: @universalmeows Pic 2 Shako band hat Photographer: lianagrigoryanphoto Stylist: @styledbyambika Hair: @hairbyansar As seen in @moevir.paris Pic 3 British police hat Photographer: @dominique_lovelynn Model @natashanauroth Pic 4 Captains hat Model: @anisett Photographer: @aphotochick As seen in @blackburnerproject