Back at the beginning of the fashion business my sister and I started, we were accepting custom work from clients. We had a particular client who had asked us to make her a flowing dress with chiffon that we had in stock. We went ahead and made the dress for her. When she came in for her fitting, she was quite upset. The execution of the style was wrong. She did not want to pay us. We were both upset but I looked at the dress. At first I saw a whole lot of wasted fabric that no-one would pay for and then I called the tailor. I told him to cut the dress into a high-waisted maxi-skirt for me.
When we opened our shop, I wore the skirt to work. Some clients walked in and saw the skirt and fell in love with it. They asked if we had that style in stock. We said it was a custom order, so they asked for one to be made for them. Every time I wear that skirt out, I always manage to get an order for it. For a skirt that was created to minimise waste, it has certainly helped the business generate a lot of income.
Another product that came to be out of mistakes was when our tailor messed up simple pouches that he was suppose to make. By the time he was done, the pouches were too big and too flat for the purpose which they were intended. We threw it into the black hole that was our sample closet. Then one of my curious cousins came to the office, spotted them and decided they were the right size for her ipad. Soon enough we were getting orders for ipad cases.
The point I am trying to make here is that it is important to evaluate your mistake. Sometimes, that one thing you did wrong could lead you to discover something that is very right. A lot of innovative products are created not out of intent but because something went wrong and the business owner was able to spot an opportunity.
Take time out to reflect on your mistakes and missteps, does anyone of them strike you as a disguised opportunity you maybe missing?
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