Elfriede Holtkamp - 10 Words of Wisdom

What words of wisdom would you share with entrepreneurs navigating their path? These are all things I promote and have lived by.

1. You must be your authentic self; you are totally unique in this world and doesn’t benefit your spirit pretending to be someone else or living up to someone else’s expectations or dreams.

2. Find what it is you love and are good at, and then make it work for you. That’s what will sustain you through the tough times; where you will find happiness and fulfillment. Not everyone is fortunate enough to earn a living doing what they really love but do, make it a big part of your life.

3. Stand up for what is good and right. You may not always be able to it overtly, but there are many ways to overcome adversity without being confrontational. Don’t give in to negativity, and don’t give up.

Success is not a destination but a journey. It takes a very long time to achieve success, just like becoming very old – it means you must live a very long time. Failure is valuable part of learning, don’t underestimate it. The things you learn the quickest and best are through failures, not successes. We strive to pass these values on to our students.

4. Garments are made for unique individuals, not the other way around. They must be functional as well as beautiful; genuine quality and excellent craftsmanship is the definition of true luxury.

5. Never be satisfied with ‘good enough’; always strive for excellence in all areas of your work, your reputation relies on it. A successful business can fold in an instant without reputable ethics. Not everyone will be supportive or happy with your success, live with it. Your satisfaction should come from within, not the approval of others, but your business survival depends on it.

6 Always make your client feel like a VIP. Be gracious and confident in your abilities. Don’t be afraid of admitting to a mistake, repair the damage immediately, and then learn from it and do not repeat. The takeaway is that it earns you respect.

7. Set good boundaries and be confident in declining clients who you are not comfortable working with, not everyone is a good fit for you.

8. There is no shame in working for a living, which may sound like stating the obvious, but you must do what is necessary to sustain yourself first while holding fast to your dreams. It takes courage, perseverance and dedication to follow your dreams.

9. To cultivate talent with a high success rate, we try to make sure our students are well suited and a good fit for our program. There is no point in taking someone on who is better suited to another type of educational program. Sewing and design skills we teach are useful for applications other than garments such theatre costuming, soft furnishings, adaptable to manufacturing or purely an art form.

10. Finally, you’ll never stop learning, that is what makes life and pursuing your career interesting and worthwhile.

Elfriede Holtkamp - Founder, Ecole Holt Couture (1925 - 2022) | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement