We are delighted to have Cassie Oswald sharing her smartness on creating intrigue.

The way we do business is transforming.

We are knee-deep in the Digital Age. Anyone with a computer and a dream can tap into the supercharged current of global business. It's a world of unbridled digital velocity. We're beaming up, Scotty.

Selling has never been so easy, and that's precisely the problem. A global market has emerged, and the floodgates have opened wider than we can fathom. How does a dressmaker get noticed in a seemingly eternal sea of seamstress up-and-comers?

You've got to intrigue us. Make us curious. Tempt our senses. Feed our need for fresh ideas and one-of-a-kind personalities. Conjure an unmistakable air about you. Intrigue us, and give us all you've got.

Here's how:

1. Revel in your brand aesthetic.

Define your style. Make lists upon lists of personal adjectives. These should match your ideal brand image. Photograph your wardrobe. Keep a color file. Collect totems. Sketch out your ideal workplace and don't skimp on the little details.

Show up. In your disco boots. Celebrate your human intricacies. Lovers swing into your orbit on the pull of your charming particulars. Bliss out on the realization that it's okay to be awesome. Self confidence means respecting yourself/your vision/your taste in to-paint-by music. Confidence in your own spirit is magnetic. Become unapologetically attractive.

Step into this community market, ready to exchange creative energy, make new things, and moon walk in those boots. With the lights on.

2. Know who you're batting lashes for.

You've got the goods. Boy-oh-boy do people want them.

Do you know the people most likely to fall under your designed & crafted spell? There's usually a certain type of guy or gal eager to approach us at the bar on our night out and offer up a drink. They've got a certain attitude, a certain look, and a certain need to sit in the glow of our intriguing presence. They're people who want a piece of what you got goin' on.

Define your ideal customer: the folks who'll rave about your products because YES, this is exactly what they've been looking for. Sketch out their character in all the ways that count: their age, spending habits, favorite dressing silhouette, textures, films, hobbies, outlook on life. Know who you're batting lashes for, and get specific to their wants & needs. Your customers will receive the products of their styling dreams, and your retailers will receive a clear-as-crystal pitch for best-fit business harmony. Be cravingly collectible in your brand confidence.

3. Play curator & measure up your intrigue factor.

Even if you don't plan on opening a boutique any time soon, it's more than helpful to create a virtual, visual inventory of style & design. This will help you determine how your style fits in a larger collection. Make use of elegant visual bookmarking services like Pinterest & Tumblr.

Include your own design pieces among a larger collection of products which nestle beautifully with your brand aesthetic.

How do your products measure up? Think in terms of quality, trends, craftsmanship, and the "Oooooh, pretty!" primary impulse.

Is your product photography up-to-snuff?

Do your products stand out from the pack?

Does your virtual collection resemble any current retailer's repertoire? Find them. Get in touch. Reach out and show some leg.

Do you notice an absence of product that might make your collection more complete or well-rounded? Can you provide these items as a designer?
 
 
So, entrepreneur...

Will you sink in the seamstress sea, or float up on your own rainbow-anchored cloud? We want to see you. In technicolor.

Cassie Oswald is an owl-eyed artist, camera-wielding magic specialist & collector of intriguing things. She roosts at HouseofOwls.com, a digital treehouse for imagery and a studio for her many creative adventures. Say hello @cassoswald.
 

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