Serena Ross’ Dressed Up makes every girl feel like Cinderella for a night. Her entrepreneurial spirit and determination created her unique business, which allows women to wear an expensive, timeless designer gown (and look amazing) for a fraction of the retail price! Dressed Up is Australia’s first and largest designer dress rental business. The company delivers Australia-wide, dressing women for their special events without breaking the bank. Customers can look and feel amazing for a fraction of the price tag of a designer dress. Current designers stocked include Rachel Gilbert, Camilla and Marc, Wayne Cooper, Nicola Finetti, White Suede, Jayson Brunsdon, Camilla, Shakuhachi and Alice McCall.
“I knew there had to be a better way than spending my entire pay cheque each week on a beautiful designer dress only to be worn once! I had a look around and realised that there was no company specialising in Australian Designer dress rental and I realised there was a gap in the market.”
The business was established online, but due to the high demand, Dressed Up has grown quite considerably and opened their first showroom in Sydney in June last year. This has propelled success as customers now visit the showroom to see the dresses.
“…I knew that if I didn’t come up with the concept of Dressed Up that someone else would. That was almost five years ago now, and I have never looked back.”
Serena’s favourite part of her job is genuinely doing what she loves. Her love for fashion along with dressing up and feeling amazing is intertwined in her business. “I love seeing and hearing from customers who otherwise could never afford to wear a $1,000 dress, talk about how great they felt and how it was their ‘little secret’. I love that I am helping mothers with their daughter’s formals and helping women Australia-wide feel like Cinderella for one night without the blown-out credit card bill!”
Serena Ross recommends you develop financial skills and industry knowledge prior to setting up your business.
“Reading financial statements is essential. You need to have a realistic picture on where you business is at and where it is going. You need to be able to make and execute a budget and understand why you need to stick to it. I would also recommend reading up about the industry you are entering and surround yourself with other business owners in a similar industry so you can bounce ideas off each other and learn from each others mistakes.”
Serena wishes she knew a few things before she started.
“Ask for references and TRIPLE check them when appointing someone to design your website. Don’t be afraid to contact suppliers even if you’re a small business. Everyone is here to make money so they will be happy to hear from you no matter how small you are. Surround yourself with people who encourage and push you. You are a product of your five closest friends, so make sure to motivate each other.”
Serena Ross’ advice for starting a business:
- Just do it. You will kick yourself if you see someone else living the life you dreamed of because you procrastinated too long!
- Make goals. Just make one step towards your goal TODAY and you will be one step closer tomorrow.
- Don’t be afraid to seek help. Get a mentor or a business coach to help you with the areas that you may be weak in.
