If you haven’t yet heard of the Craft and Design Institute, you have two major problems in your life. The first is that you’re not spending enough time around me, because I talk constantly about how awesome they are! And the second is that you’re still reading this blog instead of going immediately to:
Based in Cape Town, and operating for over 20 years, the CDI does untold wonders for local artisanal businesses. I don’t think their education wheel, coupled with regular webinars, all free to access, can be beaten for quality business education. Period.
They also have an insightful monthly newsletter, which is your window into the happenings of the craft and design sector in South Africa. In addition to sharing invaluable information about funding opportunities, they facilitate a number of programs, including the SCALE program, in which I took part last year.
Supporting Creatives and Accelerating Local Enterprises
With the guidance of a fantastic mentor, I invested my grant funding in things that have really impacted my business for the better. Initially I had planned to focus on equipment, as I obviously thought buying assets the smartest thing to do.
‘Not so fast’, said my wise mentor, ‘consider this: all the solar electricity in the world (where the largest portion of my budget was focussed) will not automatically generate more income. But more income can buy you all the solar you want’. This has been a real change in my business strategy (as I outlined in the Lessons I’ve learned from 11 years as a tailor).
I did keep some budget to expand my solar installation with another Gel Battery. This has moved my Studio about 50% off the grid, as the additional battery power has allowed me to connect an industrial sewing machine, a small iron, all four my domestic sewing machines, and the majority of our lights.
The tablet that I’m now using to write this blog, and do a ton of other things such as run my point of sale and store text books, was another generous gift from the CDI.
A big focus of our monthly mentorship sessions was talking about image; making things more fabulous, more desirable, and more pleasing for the customer. I’d been coveting a new carpet for the fitting room for ages, and finally used my grant to upgrade the fashionability of the studio.
Adjustable mannequins are somewhat of slur in the custom design world. Not only are they notoriously rickety, but can’t give an accurate facsimile to the human form, no matter how ‘regular’ the person, or how many adjustable parts there are to the mannequin. None-the-less it’s been a desire of mine for many years, and has been a huge help in the studio to give me confidence during the construction process between in-person fittings.
Returning to our conversation about focusing on increasing revenue, I really never put much effort into marketing, focusing instead on building the team and preparing us for more work, before searching for more work. Again the advice from my mentor changed my approach here: Bring in the business, and it’ll be easier to afford a good team. Our decision to spend some funding on marketing allowed me to kill two birds with one stone.
First I’ve been dying to have a photoshoot with the phenomenal Liezel from ‘Figure of Eight’. Second, I know that my shyness holds me back in many areas of my life, and stepping out in front of the camera, and actively putting my face all over the internet, was a way of pushing myself beyond my comfort zone.
Not only did I really enjoy working with Liezel, but the images she took are phenomenal, and the results of increased Ad spend have been great for the business.
I really looked forward to chatting every month with my mentor. Running a business can be isolating, and feeling like no one understands you can get you down. Having a dedicated business conversation with someone who’s been in the industry themselves was really a fantastic experience! So much so that I’ve started having regular business meetings with a few successful business people I know.
Having an external point of view, and someone who’ll follow up on that thing you said you’d do, cannot be underestimated for impact. I really can’t thank the CDI enough for this awesome opportunity, and for being such a great force for good in the craft and design sector.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to know more about my business, you can head over to the About Page.
For more information on our sustainability goals you can head over to our Patreon page where we document the various projects. You can also up your fashion game with our Style Guide, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can always get in touch via email (benjaminsaccaggi@gmail.com) or phone (+27 73 345 1779).
The Green Tailor 
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