We recently connected with Rachel Natali and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Change of a Dress was actually not the first name I came up with. Before my partner and I moved to Colorado, we lived in our camper in GA for 8 months to save up some money, and during that time I started to build my business model. When it came time to create a name and a logo, I started with something more literal. “Alter to Altar”. Slight play on words, but quickly I realized it is a mouthful to say. I wanted something wittier and more memorable. And then one day my partner said to me “hey babe, what about Change of A Dress?” and I replied with “If you ask me to fill out change of address forms one more time, I will lose it.” HA. Then it clicked what he had actually said, and the name was born! I get tons of compliments from my clients, and I take pride in being different and standing out in my city :)

Rachel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those who don’t know, I am Rachel Natali and the owner of Change of A Dress Alterations in the heart of Fort Collins, Colorado. My journey began at a very young age, when I began sewing costumes and small projects for friends. I would make purses and tops and dresses all the time. That followed me into high school where I made my homecoming and prom dresses and eventually decided to get my fashion degree at SCAD in Atlanta GA. While bartending and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I met a woman who mentored me in the bridal alterations’ world. Fast forward many years, and my partner and I decided to make the move to Colorado, and I started my own bridal alterations business. I service clients all over Colorado, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. I focus on bridal gowns, bridesmaids, mother of the bride/groom and flower girl dresses. I also do heirloom reinventions and re-designs of vintage gowns or gowns worn by your mother or grandmother. I really love what I do and have the expertise to ensure a perfect fit every time! I try to educate my social media followers and future brides about the importance of finding the proper person to alter their wedding gowns. It takes a very specific set of skills and knowledge to make sure things are done right and I pride myself in delivering exceptional quality results. I work closely with 3 bridal shops in Fort Collins as well as a few in Denver and I hope to be able to service brides all over the front range!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I started developing my business, I was living in a camper and still bartending to make ends meet. When we finally got to Colorado the main thing was finding a house I could work out of and have a studio so that I didn’t have to pay rent on a store front. Once we found our house, I sat down and laid out the space I was going to use with what equipment I had. I didn’t have much, so I made a giant list of what needed to be done. Graciously, my parents purchased my industrial machine for me so that was a huge cost that I didn’t need to account for. I decided to get a bartending job here in town to compensate for not having any clients yet and to give me time to build a name for myself. I made and printed all of my own flyers and handouts and business cards to hand out to all of the local shops as well as references from previous employers and clients and once I started getting clients in, I was able to set aside money to improve my space and my business. Four years later, and I have a thriving business and no debt on it! I own it 100% and plan to pay back my parents for the industrial machine. If it weren’t for that machine, I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am :)

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I read a book in my sewing group membership called Profit First. It illustrates the value of your earrings and teaches you how to allocate monies properly to have a successful business. As a sole business owner and self-employed, it is very important to know exactly what money is coming in and what is going out. It is also important to know how to calculate taxes and what you will owe. This book breaks down your monthly earrings into 3-4 categories; making sure that you are paying yourself, saving, have a tax account, and expenses. Seeing your finances laid out in this way has allowed me to be more profitable, save more, and cut back on my spending expenses to ensure I have a future for this business and can support it should something happen and I cant work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.changeofadressalterations.com
• Instagram: @changeofadressalterations
• Other: google reviews / Change of A Dress Alterations

Image Credits
Leah Van Note