With her company “Rosengarn”, Karin Plum adds an impressive splash of color to the tranquil town of Geilenkirchen-Prummern.
“As a consultant in the start-up region, you really get to know a colorful variety of industries and companies. But Rosengarn really sticks in your mind and is a very special company,” says Mona Wiezoreck, business coach and trainer, about the Fashion Deluxe company. The chemistry between the consultant and the innovative, committed entrepreneur from the Geilenkirchen district was right from the start. “Mona Wiezoreck has made a major contribution to the fact that I have learned a lot both in terms of business development and in my personal development,” says Karin Plum, looking back very positively on the cooperation with the start-up region to date.
When the trained gardener and florist decided to “do her own thing” 16 years ago, she was initially met with incomprehension and rejection by many of her fellow citizens in the idyllic town of Geilenkirchen-Prummern. This is because most people immediately pigeonhole the material latex, from which she exclusively produces her fashion, into a certain category. In fact, there is quite a large fetish scene, which Karin Plum deliberately targets as potential customers. “But certainly not exclusively and, above all, never in any way disreputable. On the contrary, in my store you will find unique fashion items such as high-quality jackets that you can wear at any time in everyday life as real eye-catchers with special color and texture highlights,” emphasizes Karin Plum.
And as is the case with many manufactories and craft businesses, day-to-day business usually keeps you so busy that you are rarely able to take a closer look at your own business and think about growth, increasing efficiency or marketing.
Karin Plum became aware of the start-up region and the AC2 growth initiative through network partners. She contacted the organization and consultant Mona Wiezoreck, who assured her of free support in developing and implementing a sustainable growth strategy as part of the AC2 competition: “We used three full days of consulting to analyze my initial situation, identify current growth opportunities and develop viable solutions. These then had to be incorporated into a concrete growth plan with a catalog of measures,” says Karin Plum, explaining the approach in cooperation with the start-up region.
From fall 2019 to spring 2020, the entrepreneur experienced an exciting six months. In addition to the impressive visits to the Digital Church in Aachen and the Technology Centre at Europaplatz, the fashion entrepreneur took part in six seminars on very interesting business management topics such as marketing, data protection, patent law and company organization, which were organized by the Gründerregion. “The seminars had close practical relevance and you could ask individual questions relating to your own company at any time. The answers provided by the speakers and consultants also helped us to make immediate progress with certain problems,” reports Karin Plum.
Together with consultant Mona Wiezoreck, she defined a strategy for acquiring new customers in order to further boost sales of the innovative, unique products. “In line with the principle ‘act local, think global’, we have already succeeded in opening up new markets throughout Germany, Europe and other continents,” says Karin Plum. She is also working on increasing her turnover through targeted after-sales strategies and referral marketing. Together with the founding region, she has also set her sights on establishing and expanding her sales network throughout Germany, Europe and internationally.
Especially in terms of marketing, public relations and networking, the cooperation with consultant Mona Wiezoreck and the Gründerregion has been extremely beneficial for the Geilenkirchen native. There were several reports about her company Rosengarn in the local media and suddenly even the “Prince of Pompöös”, the well-known fashion designer Harald Glööckler, contacted her.
In retrospect, Karin Plum sees this as an adulation, because Glööckler said: “What would a world be without visions and visionaries? My vision has always been to create a more pompous, magnificent world. A lifestyle that enchants every woman into a princess, queen, empress. So I offer the right stage for every dreamer, and for those who are no longer able to dream, I make them dream again.” This is exactly what the entrepreneur from Geilenkirchen likes, which is why she initiated and implemented a close cooperation with Glööckler – exclusively with the label: POMPÖÖS by ROSENGARN.
The result of the good cooperation between the start-up region and Karin Plum as part of the ac2 growth initiative is certainly that the entrepreneur is now in a much better position to identify and analyze growth-promoting processes in her business. “As a tradeswoman, you often get caught up in the day-to-day business and don’t spend much time on business management issues. This is where the consultant Mona Wiezoreck and the Gründerregion have significantly broadened my horizons and helped me and my company make great progress.”
