Some years ago, I ran a fashion boutique focused on women’s apparel. The competition in my area was intense. I tried product differentiation and branding, but it didn’t move the needle much.

To be fair, my competitors were just as innovative, and we all offered premium quality. The switching cost for customers was minimal, and slashing prices further would’ve destroyed my already thin margins.

Eventually, I had to shut down and restrategize. I counted my losses and started thinking about my next move.

I still had about 70 yards of fabric left. A designer friend saw them and asked where I sourced them because of the quality. I helped her get some. Then another designer reached out. And another.

Before long, I realized I was spending more time helping other designers find quality fabric than I ever did managing my store.

Fast forward to now, I’m no longer in retail. Instead, I act as a sourcing liaison for over 10 loyal local designers. I rarely touch a sewing machine these days, but I make more monthly than I ever did running the boutique.

What this taught me: 👉 If you’re struggling on the front end of your business, take a closer look at the back end, you might be sitting on untapped value. 👉 And if you’ve done a great job finding reliable suppliers (mine are mostly from Alibaba), others will gladly pay you to skip the headache.