I was a custom wedding dress and formal apparel designer in Paris.

Successes:

Funding
I received grants from Finnish Cultural Foundation and Who’s Next (biggest professional retail event in Paris).

Production
I optimized fast my supply chain management and production process.

Marketing and sales
Through social media, group shows and private sales my brand gained momentum on a shoe string.

Partnerships
I had amazing collaborations with photographers, filmmakers and artists.

Difficulties:

Business partners letting go forced me to scale down my ambitions. I lacked resources and time to build a real brand, and was stuck at manufacturing instead of growing my business.

Results and takeaways:

I had a clear understanding of what my market niche was and how I could make my enterprise viable but felt this wasn't the right fit for me. I gained insight into fulfilling my clients’ needs and how to anticipate them. I became incredibly efficient at translating my vision into tangible products with limited resources and time.