June 4, 2013
Deborah Henning is an ambitious fashion designer who started Shoreditch Muse after seeing a lack of fashion companies in the Middle East. She collaborates with a number of designers across the globe in addition to introducing her own unique products.
What’s the name of your business and what promise does it make to customers?
My business is Shoreditch Muse. We work with international emerging designers to promote and sell their products in the Middle East.
What made you decide to start your business?
I moved to Dubai 3 years ago and I started Shoreditch Muse because I saw a need for niche brands. There are high street stores and luxury brands everywhere, but the unique finds you’ll get in Shoreditch or Brick Lane just don’t exist here. To fill that gap, I brought a little piece of London to Dubai with me. I have expanded now and have brands niche brands from all over the UK, New York, and Asia.
What made you decide to enroll in School for Startups a year ago?
I saw an opportunity to be coached by some of the best in the business! When I was accepted for the course I had to make a big commitment to be there every month for the sessions. It was a long commute from Dubai, but was worth it every time. The course gives you incremental information each session, starting from the very basics of business. This gives you time to go away and put what you’ve learned into practice. So for someone who is focused, you really can get a lot out of it.
What meaningful answers did you discover in working with Doug Richard and the experts he’s brought in to advise and mentor you?
Keeping it simple is really important. When I first arrived I had so many extra ideas surrounding the original idea that I had to pare it back a bit. If you promise many things to customers it’s too complicated for them to understand. I also realized the importance of networking. Some of my most vital business deals and opportunities have come out of having a chat and meeting for coffee. My most recent partnership was with someone who I almost didn’t go over and speak to!
What meaningful and useful knowledge have you acquired over the last year through School for Creative Startups?
I have gotten more confident in business throughout the year and I have seen small successes run alongside the course. More networking, meeting the right people, and being in the right place at the right time has helped us take off, which is a great feeling. I am having meetings with some big names in both the UK and Dubai which is flattering and motivating at the same time. Putting effort in alongside the course pays off, as Doug’s 10 questions helps concrete your business idea, which you further develop as the months go on. I had an important meeting last week and they asked me what I had in terms of a business plan and the 10 questions were my first point of call. You can use everything you have learnt in every opportunity you come across in business.
Which speakers have had the biggest impact on you and your business?
Doug is an inspiration, I love the way his mind works. He is a problem solver in the most creative way and has a great method of teaching what he knows. To be entrepreneurial you have to think differently and have a logical and clever approach to new things happening and challenges you will face. It’s a hard task to master, but Doug re-inforced this way of thinking for me at every session. Susie Hall was also a great help. She talked about pitching which was not something I loved doing. She pointed out obvious things that you may not have noticed and techniques that are very useful. Most of all she showed us the importance of being the face of your product and having the confidence to talk about it. If you don’t believe in it, no one will buy it!
Which School for Startups activities have been most influential in helping your business to evolve and grow?
I loved the pitching and negotiating sessions with Doug and Susie. Doing a physical activity to make business choices really set in my mind what negotiating is and how to do it effectively. When I have gone away and put it into practice, it has really worked! I have left meetings where they begin by telling me there are no current opportunities to work together, only to walk away with a contract in my hand. It’s a great feeling.
How has having access to business support and mentoring day in and day out helped you and your business?
It’s hard to manage all the things you are being taught and put them into practice, but having support on hand when you have a question really helps. The team at S4CS have been as great in support as the course itself. The final showcase also gives you a deadline to work towards which is essential to the course. The support which lead up to that time was excellent and the event was a great success for us.
Which of your products are you proudest of? Why?
I am proud of all the designers I work with and all of them are chosen by me so I know each product inside and out which helps me when selling. I am launching my own clothing label alongside my current brands this month, which is special to me as designing is where I started out and is what I love to do.
Do you feel you’ve developed relationships through this program that will help you in the months and years to come?
All the team at S4CS have been great and I have met some awesome people on the course and made great friends along the way. I look forward to seeing them every time I go back to London. It’s great to be around like-minded creative people. I have also met titans who have had an impact on me and hopefully I can keep in touch with them. At the showcase I was fortunate enough to meet a few very important people in my industry and we are discussing working together in the near future, which is very exciting and is an opportunity I never thought would present itself.
What are you looking forward to in the months ahead?
I am looking forward to taking on some more designers and launching my own brand and pushing it further, gaining momentum in the region. The fashion industry is on the tip of booming out here, and it’s very exciting to be a part of it and to bring British and international designers with me. It can be tough being an emerging designer and to have access to a whole new region will be a great help to them. I am very hopeful for the future and am very grateful for all the experience and opportunities S4CS has given me. It has been my most successful year yet!