When I was a graduate trainee at M&S I had a tongue piercing, sported a huge quiff in my hair which rivalled Elvis, wore bright pink shoes and ties. Immediately I was marked out as ‘creative’ but I still had to adhere to the company dress code and wear a suit. I had three suits from Next and I hated wearing them. Hated it. And I have never worn a full suit since; the thought literally brings me out in a cold sweat. So when I wrote my Dress Code Policy for The Wardrobe Angel I was very careful to include the words, “I will never wear a suit” because it is not reflective of who I am or what I do. I also wrote a Dress Code Policy for Lisa and her team at Raynes Architecture Ltd and she invited me to blog about it! So here we go…
The book, The E Myth Revisited, offers a revolutionary approach to business centred on standardizing each component – how your business will act, how it will deliver, what your business will look like. You have sorted your marketing plan, logo, twitter name but what about the way you look? What about your Dress Code?
“Is it any wonder that McDonalds, Federal Express, Disney …and many more extraordinary companies spend so much time and money on determining how they look? It pays!” (E Myth Revisited)
Clothes offer a unique way of communicating our personality, our power and our brand. Whatever the size of your company it is really important to think about how it looks – about how you – look. Start thinking about how your business looks – everything has to fit with your brand. Start thinking about clothes as part of your business not an afterthought.
1. Brand consistency – your clients and customers know what to expect each time they see you.
2. Sets the standard for your business and your brand. No more thinking “that’ll do” as you pull your top from the dirty clothes basket and Febreeze it!
3. You are prepared for growth – if you decide to take on employees you already have a written document you can refer them to when they ask what they should be wearing for work.
4. Shopping with a purpose – take my Dress Code for example: I shop for dresses, not suits. This will also save you time.
5. Always have something to wear – when you know what to wear for work and you have written it down as your company policy, you should never be stuck for things to wear again.
“As you pointed out we are an award nominated business and my attire should reflect the thought, quality and style that I put into the showroom and put the same consideration into my wardrobe. This was a bit of a light bulb moment for me and I cannot thank you enough for opening my eyes to it.”
Creating a business image which is just as much as part of your business plan as your logo can help to build your brand: everything has to fit.
The Wardrobe Angel
Stephanie Roper
Time saved, money made ...always something to wear with The Wardrobe Angel
Phone me: 07542825740
Email me: info@wardrobeangel.co.uk
Visit me: www.wardrobeangel.co.uk
Twitter me up: @wardrobe_angel