With no prior fashion experience or business knowledge, 25-year-old designer Jordan Jones is now at the helm of an £8m fashion label with an international presence.
The company has gone from strength to strength since its founding, expanding far beyond its original scope in just three short years. This is a remarkable achievement for any business, but for one run by a young entrepreneur, it is a particularly striking accomplishment.
Jordan started MAUVAIS three years ago from his parents’ spare bedroom, processing and shipping orders by himself. All company orders were packaged by Jordan and send from his local Post Office, causing quite a commotion thanks to the queues! In these early days, Jordan always believed that his business would become a huge success. He now has a fantastic team of staff to help run things smoothly and orders are now dispatched from a dedicated fulfilment centre.
Today, he has an annual turnover of over £8m, which would value his company at £30m, alongside dedicated office, and warehouse space.
MAUVAIS is the culmination of lots of hard work, grit and focus. Jordan is now happy to share his top tips for succeeding with a start-up fashion business, in the hope it will help other aspiring entrepreneurs to reach their goals.
“Firstly, you have to be willing to take clever risks,” says Jordan. “But it’s just as important the risks you take are carefully thought out and calculated. You don’t know what you don’t know, and that can either work to your advantage, or against you.”
Jordan emptied his bank account on several occasions to help maintain stock, focusing all his attention on growing the business. This was a move only made possible due to his belief in the company he had founded. Without it, he’d never have been able to take the company as far as he has.
Despite this willingness to take risks, Jordan also accepts that it comes with some key caveats. He recommends taking calculated risks and having faith in your own decision-making. After all, nobody knows your business as you do.
However, Jordan also recommends that business owners keep their money within the business for the first 12 months. “Everything I did was devoted to the company,” says Jordan. “When you’re still establishing a presence, it is absolutely critical that everything you do within the company is in pursuit of that goal.”
Jordan also made sure that he wasn’t solely focused on product development, investing considerable time in marketing, and seeking expert guidance when needed. He thought about how each action would impact the brand, taking a long-term focus that is already paying off in both reputation and ongoing clothing sales. Without the ability to multi-task and designate to his trusted staff, Jordan knows that his business would not have been half as successful as it is right now.
In the next five years, Jordan plans to have expanded MAUVAIS to revenue of £50m turnovers. With the help of his fantastic team, they are on track to reaching this goal.
Find out more at the official website https://mauvais.co.uk.