Revamping Your Wardrobe as an Entrepreneur

Amanda Campau

I’m going to paint a picture of a moment that we’ve all experienced at least one point in our lives. It’s 6 am, and you’re still rubbing sleep from your eyes as you drudge through the infinite distance between your bed and your closet. Before you’re even fully awake, you start going over your to do list for the day; reviewing your notes for upcoming meetings and running numbers of your most recent quarterly report in your head. You stop at the closet door, squinting as you flip on the light. And then it happens. There you stand, staring at the abyss that is your wardrobe. In a split second, your careful planning is forgotten as the stress rises in your throat and an all-consuming thought bursts into the forefront of your mind: “I don’t have anything to wear.”

Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but it’s annoying just the same.

Entrepreneurs are good planners – we have to be, in order to get anything done for our business. And while we may have mastered the art of budgeting and quarterly projections, there can be areas that we tend to overlook. For some, it’s clothes. I mean, I get it – you’re running a business, who cares what you wear? The answer, surprisingly, is a lot of people.

As an entrepreneur, you are an extension of our brand. Whether we like it or not, the way we present ourselves should be a reflection of our business, and this includes our clothing choices. For some people in the business world, this is a no brainer. If you work in an office setting, you go with business casual. If you work for a corporation, you wear some sort of uniform. But, as creators of our own companies and therefore, our own rules, what is our dress code?

I have run into this issue a few times in my different roles as my career changes, and I decided the best solution was a wardrobe revamp. This doesn’t mean replacing all of your clothes, but rather finding essentials that best fit your personal and professional life. If you find yourself struggling on a weekly basis to put together a look that is as cohesive as your business model, then this article is for you.

Step 1: Evaluate your Needs

Not all wardrobes all created equal, so you need to figure out what works best for yourself and your business. For example, someone who works in a kitchen most days to run their bakery would have vastly different needs than someone who meets with clients throughout most of the week. The most important step of this process will be identifying the articles of clothing you need to succeed.

To do this, go through the schedule of your basic work week. Make note of things like where you spend most of your day, how many meetings you have set up and any networking events that you usually attend. Now, figure out what you usually do during your down time, whether it’s going to the gym or relaxing with a good book. Once you have a good idea of your basic weekly activities, make a list of what clothing you need for each day.

Step 2: Inventory

Find out what you have and what you still need. The list you just made should include every article of clothing you would wear for a full week of work and activities. Now, go through your closet and check off what’s already there. If you have clothes that don’t have a place on the list, then toss them into one of three buckets: donate, trash, or store (for sentimental items only). Sometimes, having too many options is worse than not having enough and this is an exercise in organization and discipline. (This applies to more than just clothing, by the way!)

For the clothing items that made the cut, put them away in a system that makes sense. For example, group like items together or by color.

Step 3: Budget

Now that you have an idea of what you need to complete your wardrobe, take a look at the individual pieces of clothing and figure out what you’d like to spend on each one. You don’t have to go out and buy them all at once, but having an idea of what you can afford will allow you to better plan around sales and get much higher quality items for a fraction of the cost. For a reference on when clothing goes on sale, check out this nifty guide.

Step 4: Execute

Or, in other words, shop! This is supposed to be the fun part, so grab a friend and check out the sales for pieces that fit your lifestyle and are unique to your brand.

Have any other advice for entrepreneurs looking to revamp their wardrobe? What rules do you follow (or break) when finding clothes that best fit your personal brand? Leave a reply and let us know!

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Amanda has a B.A. in Public Relations, along with many years experience in marketing and sales. She currently works as an Onboarding Specialist for a California-based gaming company and as a part-time freelance writer. Amanda grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, where she currently lives with her husband and their 4 incredibly spoiled, rescue pets.