April 26, 2013
Eve Anna Liszczyk is the wildy creative founder of Lucky Dame Couture. Her latex designs are playful, provocative and selling well. Each of her beautifully made garments is a true work of art.
What made you decide to start your own business?
Like most creative people I never enjoyed following the crowd, nor did I like being told what to do. So I decided to create something of my own from scratch and be my own boss. I wanted the sky to be my only limit.
Having my own business helps me grow every day and I think, if properly executed, running a business also makes it easier to maintain family life and to arrange work around spending time with my little troublemakers.
What made you decide to enroll in School for Startups a year ago?
I consider myself a very open minded person when it comes to new creative things and unconventional approaches.
School for Startups has offered a platform that allows all their students to express views without being ignored. It’s not some pointless courses focused on book knowledge. Doug is a strong believer of no nonsense teaching and the classes are very focused on what a young entrepreneur actually needs to know in order to succeed.
What meaningful answers did you discover in working with Doug Richard and the experts he brought in to advise and mentor you?
I think Doug’s 10 questions have given everyone a lot to think about and we worked at perfecting those answers throughout our boot camps and sessions with guest speakers from different fields. It has definitely helped everyone better understand their own businesses and how to make them grow.
Doug has also helped us discover what we want to get out of running our businesses, and what kind of professional personalities we have, which is quite vital to being a successful entrepreneur.
What meaningful and useful knowledge have you acquired over the last year through School for Creative Startups?
There’s probably too much to describe in a few sentences. The most problematic ones were coming up with the right business name and a clear description of your business that becomes many variations of that description over time.
We have been introduced to hundreds of different channels and dozens of types of channels; we can sell our products through. We’ve learned how to pitch our ideas successfully be it to buyers or investors. We stepped into the forever-changing new world of social media. We learned so many things.
At S4CS it’s not just about acquiring knowledge but applying what you’ve learned. There is no point memorizing tips if you’re never going to know what situation to use them in.
Which speakers have had the biggest impact on you and your business?
Susie Hall has by far been the most influential speaker for me. As an introvert I used to find talking about my business and myself quite hard a task. I am sure most creatives are very much like myself.
Through the workshop Susie addressed many issues that even extroverts would benefit from like taking a pause when you speak to ensure you make an impact on your listeners. Susie helped bring out the confidence I needed to present myself clearly and effectively so I could better communicate my ideas.
Which School for Startups activities have been most influential in helping your business to evolve and grow?
The group classes feature sometimes very hilarious, and thus very informative, tasks that help make strategies very memorable. I think that’s vital.
Most creative people find it quite a challenge to stay focused during lectures, but the mix of different formats of the S4CS classes make it very enjoyable and fun to stay on top of things.
Overall School for Startups has a practical, interactive, attitude toward teaching that is very unconventional. I think others teaching entrepreneurs should really take a page out of S4CS’s book and adopt some of their techniques.
How has having access to business support and mentoring day in and day out helped you and your business?
Doug and the team at S4CS have got a real talent for teaching and communicating the most important business skills, tips and tricks. Medeia, Director of the School for Creative Startups program, is always available to mentor, and Nancy Fulton, Senior Business Mentor for School for Startups, is our ‘auntie‘ from across the ocean. She is always ready to spend time working with students to solve problems, address business concerns and create strategies.
It’s all so simply put together. No jargon and terms only understood by insiders, just plain hands-on knowledge that actually impacts the student’s business plans by making everything easier.
I have now got a much clearer strategy of where I want to take my business in the next couple of years. How to do it, what tools and skills I can use in order to help me on the journey to success.
Which of your products are you proudest of? Why?
The Ruffle Dress is by far one of my show off pieces, it has the “Wow!” factor. I enjoyed the creative process involved in making the dress and the colour combination makes the individual wearing it look sophisticated.
The formation of the ruffles on the bottom Lucky Dame’s signature rounded cup dress gives it three-dimensional volume and accentuates any pair of legs beautifully.
Do you feel you’ve developed relationships through this program that will help you in the months and years to come?
I feel the community aspect of the S4CS program has played a big part in its success for many of us.
Creatives from across different sectors are free to exchange experiences, ideas and crits. They can collaborate when it makes sense.
It has been really influential to be able to mingle with so many people from different walks of life and business, all likeminded and very much focused on achieving creative and professional success.
And that’s not to forget all the experienced guest speakers who have been willing to shine a light inside their successful business, and all the brilliant mentors brought on board by Doug and the S4CS team.
What are you looking forward to in the months ahead?
I am currently working on a few exciting collaborations with likeminded artists.
I’m launching a new website which will make the customer experience more enjoyable and interesting and I am working on a new collection which should be available for purchase before the end of the year.
