Ariane May values the importance of appearance and the impact a certain look or style can have on a person’s perceived credibility. However, finding products that she could customise to ensure the perfect fit, hide figure flaws and accentuate the positive features was quite difficult and gave her a good reason to start up her own business.
Ariane decided to embark on the crazy challenge of establishing her own online company, By Ariane.
Her goal was to create the products she sought, but couldn’t find. Her new born son with “two smiling little eyes” and the “chubbiest of cheeks” became her catalyst and need to seek out her passion to finally follow her dream of going out into business for herself.
“I partnered with several designers and launched a line of women’s bespoke shirting, corporate high fashion, leather laptop bags, powerful magnetic jewellery, business accessories plus quintessential e-style programs,” Ariane said.
By Ariane is an online store that launched to serve the needs of businesswomen seeking luxurious goods designed for function and beauty. The mission is to help women in business create powerful first impressions and command respect through clever style choices and timeless design.
As a businesswoman, achieving the mission of the business proved very difficult and Ariane was faced with a challenging start.
The greatest difficulty was time. Ariane needed to maintain her corporate job until By Ariane was turning a steady profit. This was particularly challenging with a newborn. In a desperate attempt to make headway, she took shortcuts and made a few bad decisions, which cost in money spent and time wasted.
“It had a devastating impact on my confidence as a new business owner,” she said.
The MentorNet program assisted enormously in helping overcome the challenges that Ariane had with her online business.
She learned that new business start-ups take time, and that many and varied obstacles would come in her path. Ariane welcomed the opportunity to share stories with other women and found that she was not alone in her journey.
“The MentorNet program encouraged me to slow down, reassess my strategies, fine tune my vision, and take smaller steps … this time in the right direction. I now know names of people and companies I can turn to for advice and assistance when required and tap into the network of talented women and supporting men that are the ABN community.”
After participating in the MentorNet program, Ariane’s business plan and goals have changed in an outstanding way.
The program narrowed the focus of the business to concentrate on the core values. This meant making hard decisions to drop product lines and brands that she had already spent a considerable amount of time working on. Although Ariane may have felt she was taking two steps backward to take one step forward, it was a price to pay to finally have complete clarity. The most valuable thing she has gained was clarity of corporate vision and strategic direction, and clarity of the fundamental steps required for the success of her online business.
“The MentorNet program kept me on track and moving forward, sometimes in areas I had previously avoided through fear. It encouraged me to just get them done. Now, my pencilled mind maps are detailed plans penned in ink and complete with in-depth analysis of competitors, target markets, financial budgets and more.”
