Well September 24th came and went and here we are looking back on a wonderful day had by all in London. FIPI’s Conference is the pinnacle of the year and although it is hard for everyone to make it we were so delighted at our wonderful turnout and thank you all so much for making the day as great as it was.

We are delighted to report we had members (and new faces) in the crowd all the way from Canada (so delighted you were able to come Carol!), South Korea, India (soon to be member), Italy and Holland.

We want to thank Oriflame for our wonderful goodie bags. Before the day even began we all smelt wonderful after testing out Oriflame’s new Eco range!

However, at the heart of the day we wanted all those who were there to walk away feeling inspired, supported and with an armful of new knowledge and support to help you in your businesses. After a successful AGM and address by all our Directors on the strides FIPI has been making this year, we started the day with a fabulous workshop by FIPI member, Daisy Schubert from The Wardrobe Workshop on Sustainable Fashion. Not only did Daisy deliver an enlightening and thought provoking session but we also got to meet three amazing business who live and breathe sustainable fashion – Madia & Matilda, Kitty Ferreira UK and Bourgeois Boheme. Daisy’s talk inspired us all to consider sustainable fashion, which is now more accessible than ever and well worth exploring with clients in 2017.

Daisy’s talk was followed by a very interesting and educational talk by Jan Morton from The Style Architect. I learnt more about fabric in one hour than I did in the last 10 years! Plus Jan gave a great handout on the pros and cons of sustainable, organic alternative fabrics.

We also want to thank Dan Winters from Winters Web who opened all our eyes to just how important our web presence is. It’s not just about having a website but how are we being found, how are we being rated and how do we improve our online presence? Dan is the man behind our great new website and FIPI will be working closely with Dan in 2017 to build our own profile and rankings with Mr. Google so the public can easily find you, our wonderful members.

Finally, who knew cashflow could be made fun! Well I tried my best to share my insights into the lessons I have learnt (Stylefish.ie) in growing my own business and how understanding my numbers and managing my cash every month has changed my business and my approach to decisions I make in my business. FIPI Members can download the cashflow template shared in your members area that we discussed at conference.

A special mention to you all for taking part in the final part of our day ‘FIPI Voices’. This is an idea which came from the wonderful lady who organised our conference this year, Elena, our Events Director. Just like many of us Elena runs her own business and also just like many of us, likes to talk about the good, the bad and the fun which comes from running your own business. FIPI Voices was a session where we all shared moments and inspiration from our business and of course the things we have all done that we regret! It was a really inspiring and insightful session led by FIPI ATP Jane Chapman. Here are just a little few insights shared on both sides of the coin!

A special mention to Elena Daniilidou our Events Director who did an AMAZING job at organising such an inspiring day. We already have next years date booked!

For your diary – Saturday September 23rd 2017!

Your FIPI Team