Modern fashion by design-short back and sides in a world of the “undercut”

Like most people who are self employed, I’ve worked hard to craft, to build and to nurture my business, since it began five years ago.

It has been an epic ride and perhaps the most challenging creation that I have dreamed into reality.

Against the odds, in a world awash with photos, accessible technology and aspiring photographers who seem to feel that fast tracking is the key to their success, I have carved out a niche with some protection against the masses.

I have worked with my clients to ensure quality, build their brands and develop strategies to enhance and grow their businesses for mutual reward.

Until now.

I am acutely aware of the trends and thought I was on top of my game in that area, but failed to anticipate the ferocity in the world of diminishing returns and like a bolt from the clear blue, have lost a substantial portion of my business to the world of the undercut.

It is perhaps the most insidious form of business self mutilation, eroding goodwill and loyalty with the idealistic promise of a cheaper job.

I understand the message of cost effectiveness and in an example to further streamline my workflow and offset other rising costs such as fuel and insurance, I have recently purchased a small device which saves on average around eight minutes of double handing in post production per project.

It may seem trivial, but the cumulative effects are substantial.

This is not about reduction of quality, but running my business as lean as possible to maintain value for my clients, while enabling me to run a viable and sustainable business into the future.

It is always good to know where the competition is coming from and a large part of that is knowing how your clients are travelling in their marketplace.

Here is my failure.

I misread the messages and values from my client, that their key point of difference was quality, when it was really their belief that if they could reduce their prices, they would gain more market share.

Thinking and knowing are two different things.

In a world where the competitive edge is crucial, the misguided perception is that dropping the price is the godsend that business requires to stay on top.

People will quote the example in Australia of our “super” markets, who seem to run successful campaigns and deliver cheap goods to the consumers, although we ignore at our peril, the suppliers who are in constant battle to stay on the shelves, with their margins on a knife edge and so iconic brands are gradually replaced by generic versions.

I don’t blame my clients, as it is easy to get caught up in this frenzied discounting race, but like any undifferentiated commodity, who really wants to win the race of being the cheapest?

Sure, I could cut my rate thirty-five to fifty-five percent like those modern day fashionistas, but I would soon be broke or meanwhile have some newbie chop another ten or twenty percent off my short greyed locks?

All I ask is to think a little next time you are consuming.

Hopefully fashion will come full circle and short back and sides will once again replace the undercut.

• Meanwhile, next time you are buying some woollen product, consider the Tasmanian icon, Waverley Woollen Mills. ( http://bit.ly/1ghZQ2b )

In a country where it seems all we do now is dig up rocks, here is a place where they do something very rare….they actually make things.

They have just clocked 140 years in business against the odds and know the savage undercut as well as any.