By Jessica Chávez
Fashion Contributor

​A new book by academic Giulia Mensitieri, laying bare the working conditions of stylists and young designers, has sparked controversy. Will it lead to improved conditions for those forced to work for clothes vouchers instead of cash?

Giulia Mensitieri takes little to no personal interest in clothes. So it is likely to have been an ugly surprise to the French fashion industry that her PhD – now a book entitled The Most Beautiful Job in the World – has opened up its secretive profession in such a dramatically public way. In France, the book’s findings – that fashion, the country’s second-biggest industry, exploits most of the creatives who work in it – were quickly picked up by the media when it was published earlier this year. The resulting headlines included: “The ruthless world of fashion”; “Fashion’s dirty underside”; and “An extremely wealthy industry founded on unpaid work”.
The reality of fashion was illustrated by Mensitieri’s chance introduction, eight years ago, to her subject matter. She met “Mia”, a successful Italian stylist who had moved to Paris: “She was wearing Chanel shoes and carrying a Prada handbag, being flown across the world in business class. I never would have imagined that she was in the situation she was in.” Mia couldn’t afford to rent a room, so she was couch surfing at a friend’s house behind a screen in the kitchen. “Sometimes she had no money for her phone bill. She was eating McDonald’s every day. She never knew when she would be paid for a job and how much she would get. For example, for a week’s work, a very big luxury brand gave her a voucher for €5,000 (£4,500) to spend in their boutique.” True, Mia could have sold it (and, among hard-up fashion workers, there is a lively market in reselling luxury goods). But Mensitieri points out that working in fashion means being seen in a constantly updated uniform of beautiful, expensive clothes and accessories – paid for by vouchers such as the one Mia received instead of a salary. “This situation is nothing exceptional. Mia is just a paradigm of what is going on.”

The book is lively from the start. Mensitieri’s analysis and case studies build up a fairly damning picture of her subject matter. One interviewee, a former fashion journalist at a glossy magazine, describes how she was dropped by her coterie of friends and colleagues one day. They just suddenly stopped taking her calls or responding to her emails. There was no explanation. “This is the violence everyone told me about,” says Mensitieri. “Once you’re out, you’re out.” There can be a trauma attached to such sudden ejection. “All your social relationships are in that world. They’re gone.” From being exceptional, now you have transgressed in some unmentionable way. Or, simply, you are not special enough any more. “Finding work in a new sector can be difficult because ‘normal’ people behave so differently from what you’re used to.” Finding a job can be difficult, coming from an industry that those on the outside tend to look down on as fluffy and lightweight.

Mensitieri, an alumnus of École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, one of France’s elite grandes écoles, is in London to talk about her book, although it has not yet been translated into English. “I was a little bit scared when it came out,” she says, “because it’s quite a strong renunciation, even though that was not my goal. I’m an anthropologist, not a journalist.” The book’s salient claim is that, “when we think of exploitation in fashion we think of sweat shops abroad or sexual harassment of models. But that’s not what I was interested in. I was looking at the creative side: stylists, makeup artists, young designers, interns, assistants. What I really want to make clear is that exploitation exists at the very heart of the powerfully symbolic and economic centre of the maisons de couture; the big luxury brands. But it is a different form of exploitation.” In some cases, also barely legal.
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From choosing your niche to developing your skills, this guide offers step-by-step instructions to help you create a business that answers the health and fitness needs of your customers. In this edited excerpt, the authors offer nine tips from other, successful personal trainers on how to run a profitable business.

1. Know what your clients know. Beyond keeping up with your own professional education, pay attention to what your clients are learning. Reading professional journals is important, but it's not enough. You also need to be reading popular publications both online and offline. They're constantly reporting on new trends in fitness, exercise and nutrition, and it’s not uncommon for their credibility to be questionable. When your clients are exposed to misinformation, they'll likely look to you to confirm or refute what they’ve learned.

2. Stay flexible. We don’t mean physically flexible--although certainly that’s important, too--but flexible in terms of how you operate and relate to your clients. “This is such a personal business and you’re dealing with people one-on-one,” says trainer Jennifer Brilliant. “Things come up and you need to remain flexible.”
Lynne Wells, a personal trainer in New York City, advises that if you're bending a policy, make sure your client knows it. For example, if someone cancels with less than a 24-hour notice because they’re sick and you decide not to charge them, make it clear by saying something like, “You know I have a 24-hour cancellation policy, and technically you should have paid for this session. But I understand that you’re sick, so I’m not going to charge you this time.”

3. Assign homework. Make your sessions last longer than the actual time you’re together by giving your clients things to do between sessions. “I always give them homework,” says Wells. “Usually it’s just a little exercise or two to do on their own. It might even be simpler than that, like the [client] whose homework assignment was to practice standing with her feet underneath her more instead of having them wider than her hips, and to keep her toes straight instead of turned out--because that’s biomechanically better for her body. It might be some basic breathing exercises. I’ve had [clients] do food diaries or workout journals, then we talk through what they wrote down in a future session or by email.”

4. Invest in education. Knowledge builds confidence, so invest in education--even after you’ve obtained your initial certifications. What the professional associations offer and require varies depending on the particular certification you have. The organization that issues your certification will let you know what you need to do to keep it current. Beyond that, you need to be reading and studying to stay up to date on fitness trends and news. Studying current literature, attending classes and going to conventions and conferences are all investments in your business, not expenses.

5. You are not your client. A very minuscule percentage of your clients will think and act like you do. Don’t develop exercise programs that would be effective for you; put together programs that will work for your clients. “The majority of trainers train their clients like they train themselves, and they don’t really listen to the client,” says one trainer we consulted. “They're quite possibly not doing the best for that particular client.”

6. Maintain a client base. One of the most common reasons personal training businesses fail is simply the inability to establish and maintain a steady client base. High client turnover and low client retention rates make it hard to run a profitable business. But be aware that trying to have clients become dependent on you so they’ll stick around actually can produce the opposite result. “It sounds strange, but I noticed that the trainers who try to retain their clients by withholding instruction tend to anger clients and lose them quickly,” says trainer Annette Hudson.
Other causes of losing clients are:

• Lack of results When clients don’t see the results they want or that they believed they'd get, they lose interest and drop out. If this develops into a pattern, your business won't build the clientele necessary to sustain it.
• Failing to establish goals. It’s a huge mistake when a trainer doesn’t find out what a client’s goals are and confirm whether they're realistic and achievable. Clients with unrealistic goals are likely to drop out when they realize they aren’t going to accomplish what they want.
• Failing to maintain a sense of commitment. Certainly clients have more in their lives than their personal fitness goals, but when the trainer allows clients to miss sessions regularly, those clients won't make any progress and will eventually drop out.
  

7. Don’t throw it away. Make sure to maintain a database of contact information on former clients and prospects who went through an initial consultation and didn’t sign up. In the future, you very well may want to send them a direct-mail piece and let them know about new services or special packages you’re offering, as well as the addition to your staff of new trainers they may be interested in working with.

8. Decide how much you’re willing to work. When you own the company, you can’t bill every hour you work because you need to spend time running the operation, as well as training. To ward off burnout, decide in advance how many hours per week you want to work, then create a schedule and stick to it. You may work 12- to 14-hour days, plus weekends in the beginning, but that will get old fast, so don’t try to do that for an extended period of time.

9. Be your own advertisement. Advertise yourself as a personal trainer whenever you're in public by wearing clothing with your company name or logo, or some other indication of what you do. Turning yourself into a walking billboard is an easy, inexpensive way to identify yourself as a personal trainer to everyone you come in contact with. T-shirts are OK, but a sharp polo-style shirt is better.

By Trevor Hunnicutt

If you pay attention to the money market, you'll know that less than 18 percent of the global stock market is owned by index-tracking investors, according to a new estimate from BlackRock Inc , as it suggested that passive investing plays only a limited role in setting equity prices.

The estimate in early October 2017 showed that $11.9 trillion in stocks were owned by mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, institutional accounts and private investors that track an index. That accounts for 17.5 percent of the $67.9 trillion in global equity market capitalization, according to the data.

Stocks in actively managed hedge funds, mutual funds and institutional accounts total $17.4 trillion, 25.6 percent of the global equity market cap, according to the report. Yes, plenty of money.

The remaining 57 percent are assets held by governments, pension funds, insurers or corporations. Such holdings are not overseen by an asset manager and do not track an index.

The data comes as debate rages about the rise of funds that attempt to match the market at low cost rather than focus on beating the market.
BlackRock - the world's largest manager of ETFs, most of which are passive - released its data in a report disputing what its vice chairman, Barbara Novick, called "misinterpretations of information."
BlackRock said active managers drive prices in the stock market, with $22 dollars by active stockpickers for every $1 traded by index funds, according to the firm's data.

Bank of America Corp's research unit said earlier this year that the stocks most held by passive investors have seen wider price swings. Their report pegged passive ownership of U.S. equity funds at 37 percent, up from 19 percent in 2009, though that analysis was limited to funds and did not include an estimate of privately held assets.

A report last year by broker-dealer Sanford C. Bernstein & Co LLC described passive investing as promoting a system of capital allocation worse than both capitalism and Marxism in which shares in the biggest companies are bought blindly.

This year alone, U.S.-based equity ETFs have gathered $214 billion and index mutual funds attracted another $111 billion, while actively managed funds bled $124 billion in withdrawals, according to Thomson Reuters' Lipper research unit. More value is exchanged daily in the top ETFs like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF and iShares Russell 2000 ETF than in most stocks.

By Sandy Chang

Citibank has gotten hit hard for shady business practices. Here’s a cautionary tale of marketing gone wrong. From 2003 to 2012, perhaps longer, Citibank promoted and signed up customers for several debt-protection add-ons to its credit cards: “AccountCare,” “Balance Protector,” “Credit Protection,” “Credit Protector,” and “Payment Safeguard.” Citibank also sold various credit-monitoring and fraud-protection services. The add-ons were essentially hedges—they’d cancel or postpone a customer’s payment should certain bad things happen, like job loss, disability, or hospitalization. Or, in the case of the credit and fraud-monitoring service, help inform the relevant parties if a card was lost or compromised.

The problem is that while Citibank was offering to monitor your credit card and protect your payments, no one was watching Citibank. And some of its marketing practices were pretty iffy. For one, telemarketers could be misleading about how much these add-on products cost. In some cases, Citibank scripts mentioned a “free” 30-day trial period, even though the bank would still charge consumers during the first 30 days. In others, Citibank said its fraud alerts would, well, alert consumers to fraud, when in reality the alerts weren’t monitoring changes made at the everyday transaction level. On top of all this, Citibank claimed a fee of $14.95 per account was for “processing” (so necessary-sounding!), and not just to expedite payment, as was actually the case.

During the roughly 10-year window that this went on, an estimated 7 million consumers were affected. Eventually, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau noticed all of this, and on Tuesday the bureau ordered Citibank to pay up for “deceptive marketing,” “unfair billing,” and “other unlawful practices.” Citibank will hand over $700 million in relief to qualifying consumers, plus another $35 million in civil money penalties to the CFPB. It’s the 10th time the CFPB has fined a major financial services provider for misleading consumers, with previous targets including American Express, Bank of America, Capital One Financial, and JPMorgan Chase.

Citibank says in a statement that it began remediation for customers in 2013 and fully cooperated with the CFPB and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in resolving billing and marketing problems. Citi “has taken extensive steps to address each issue that affected consumers,” the bank says in a statement.

Reckless and Fraudulent Business Practices

Recently, from January through November 2016, Citibank and Citicard have engaged in several "mishaps". According to research by Consumer Report and several interviews with Citibank clients, Citibank and Citicard have actively coerced clients and manipulated data in 2015 and 2016 to rob executive card holders of funds, claiming a problem with bank routing numbers. Citibank is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has over 49 official complaints brought upon the company in the last six months, in addition to over 250 customer complaint reports in 2015.

According to Vice President Mary Osthus, the company has "done nothing wrong" in manipulating data systems and client data over the past 3 years, specifically in the last 6 months. "We have worked with clients and have done nothing wrong...we are a business and need to act like one."

Like Wells Fargo's business faux pas this past season, the facts are that Citibank created 1 million unauthorized credit accounts and 345,000 unauthorized credit applications. To put it bluntly, bank employees faked applications to open accounts that customers didn't ask for, and then they billed those customers for the bank fees. According to reports, Osthus has received numerous complaints against her persona and against Stacey Moon, a member of the company's executive response unit in South Dakota.

Both Osthus and Moon have manipulated documents against clients in California, Illinois, Florida, and New York to rob customers of funds and crafting documentation stating faulty bank accounts with insufficient funds.

Many commentators have criticized Citibank in the past for for lax internal controls, negligent company promotions of unqualified staff, or its excessively steep incentive system or a bad corporate culture. But all that is to imply that Citibank and Citicard relating specifically to their manipulation of executive card holders somehow messed up and didn't run its operations correctly. In fact, the system worked perfectly from the standpoint of a Citibank senior exec or investor.

Furthermore, documentation exists, provided by clients and internal reps of the company, that puts Citibank and Citicard, with the help of Mary Osthus and Stacey Moon, directly responsible for over 12.9 million dollars in fraudulent activity. Osthus and Moon cooperated in specific cases in Illinois to rob customers of funds and then directly impact clienteles' credit scores and account activity.

To create firewalls of deniability, Citibank, like Wells Fargo, has established an evidence trail that it warned employees repeatedly not to create fake bank accounts. Yet like the Wells Fargo case, many reports are now surfacing which show that while the bank warned employees, it applied such intense performance pressure that many employees had to break the law or risk being fired. At least 90 Citibank employees have reached out to media agencies and the feds to testify against the company for recklessness and coercive business practices deemed as fraud by the legal community.

The complete story can be found in the November issue of Allez Magazine.

This is a developing story.

By Jorge Zavala | Creative Director

It's 2016 and, yes, we all have an opinion on every matter. There is much more to writing an op-ed than simply sharing your opinion. In comparison to other non-fiction writing, op-ed pieces demand a structure, length, and voice that are all their own. Knowing how to immerse your opinion with factual information is an important part of writing op-ed pieces, and attracting readers to your story is a skill that takes time and practice to master.

Write a clear headline, but don’t expect it to make the final cut.
Writers almost never choose their own headlines. In fact, the editor won’t even consult you about the headline most of the time. This is an ancient writer/editor practice. Headlines are chosen based on space as much as anything else, and positioning.  Still, you need to have a headline on your piece when you submit it. That helps the editor know what you’re up to, especially if your piece is a “click-bait” piece.

Hook the reader in right away with an anecdote.
Humorous ones work best. Then try to “show” how the story connects to an issue in the news, or of note. Wrap up it up by circling back to the joke in a new way. In my experience within the industry, the ideal length for op-eds is 800-900 words. If I’m pitching an original piece, I go as long as 1,200 words with a note to the editor saying, “This is long; I can cut.” Having a relationship with the editor is an advantage because I know she will read my work. Sunday columns are a bit longer as well because there is more space in the Sunday Review.

Tell a story that also advocates a position backed up by fact and research. 
Op-ed pieces differ from other nonfiction in that it really is about opinion – you can’t just tell the story and leave it at that. The story generally comes first, along with your own charming voice, then the research.

Be aware that your opinions will be public and associated with you. 
I’m the on the board of the National Autism Association, and I have to be careful. People will think that my opinions are NAA’s opinions if I write about issues pertaining to special needs' children.
As a writer, I don’t draw lines — I want to write about everything! As a public figure, I have to be careful not to damage the brand of the organization. Bottom line is, I try to be very careful, and don’t write when I’ll jeopardize the organization or my work life.

Be true to your personal writing style. 
Each writer has his or her own style, of course. It might be cliché, but your best bet is to be yourself.
People can tell if you’re faking it. I bet you could read a “typical” column by one of the Times’ dozen or so regulars and know within a graph who wrote it.

Target pitches to the most relevant publications for your story. 
If your story has a strong connection to a place, go to the paper in that town. You can also build a portfolio of clips starting small and going more national. If it’s your first story, it’s good way to establish your credentials.

Pitch stories tied to seasonal events a month ahead of time.
Timing is everything in pitching, as is a hook. Editors aren’t interested in your random genius.
So know that the Monday before Father’s Day, editors will be flooded with pieces about daddies. If you’re going to write a Father’s Day piece, write it in May and send it in early.

Be considerate to your editor and continue to build upon your relationship. 
Be respectful and don’t be too annoying. If they encourage you, keep conversing. Be pleasant on email, but brief; keep in mind that editors are usually overworked. If they say no, accept that no means no. But if they pass on your story in a nice way, send them something else, although not right away.

The moral of the story is: you never know when the publication of your dreams will need you, so don’t lose heart. If your time is not today, it may very well be tomorrow, so keep trying. Always be polite, confident, but humble: nobody likes a know-it-all. Remember, keep things fresh and fun. Most importantly, be yourself.


About Jorge
Jorge is a Chicago-based public relations and brand management guru with 7 years of experience in the realms of branding, public relations, cross-cultural communication and advertising, and media relations. A lover of food, business, and travel, this young entrepreneur has lived in over 19 countries and visited more than 47 for both work and pleasure. Jorge spent a significant amount of time living and working in Southeast Asia where he helped victims of human trafficking establish 1 and 5 year plans to empower themselves and their communities.

In addition to his work in human rights and business development, this young man is also the lead creative director and editorial photographer for #PdMModels, a Chicago-based global scouting and fashion model management agency.

Connect with him on Instagram and Twitter.

By Jorge Zavala | Creative Director

Let's face it, we love to work.

Just kidding.

But seriously, I love my job. Not to brag, but I think I've developed a pretty darn cool niche in my life, during my late 20s. Granted, I'm not rolling in a Rolls-Royce quite yet or have a penthouse overlooking the ocean in Arroyo Drive (if you know where this is, then you're so LA, baby), but I have a very strong outlook on business and how my business experience with start-ups has shaped the way I work and make magic happen.

Now, for someone in my industry, it is a mortal sin to give out the kinds of tips I am going to share with you just now. However, I believe in all of you this much that I am going to sacrifice a few consulting sessions (look at it as a PdM Media gift to you for spring) so that you can do wonders for your business, and hire one of my interns as your top consultant in 5 years. For those of you with start-ups, the following are bible rules for making ish happen over the next few years. Tread lightly, or very heavily, entrepreneur.

1) Don't start a business unless you eat, breath, and sleep this aforementioned wonder.
You need to LOVE what you're about to get into, and if it's something like opening up a restaurant, it's going to require a pretty penny and you'll be working over 75 hours per week, so listen to me when I tell you that you have to LOVE what you do.

2) No exit strategies, please.
If you need one this early on in the game, then honey: you're just not that into...you, or your business in-fact.

3) Hire people who will ADORE working there.
If you are hiring, make sure to hire people who will love what you love.

4) Sales cure all.
'nuff said.

5) Know your strengths.
You need to be an awesome leader and worker. By knowing your strengths in business, you will save yourself tons of time figuring things out and you can outsource the skills you're not so hot in.

6) Eat.
Sometimes, we love what we do so much we forget to eat. Doesn't happen to me, but I know plenty of folks who skip lunch. Make sure you do you, and grab a bowl of soup at least.

7) Hire a public relations agency.
I'm saying this as someone who is coming from both the inside and out: you need someone to handle your image. Whether you're a food truck vendor or the next Korean pop star, you are going to need someone to make sure your image is business-ready but also ready to make a splash in the marketplace.

8) Technology is relative.
Go with what you know.

9) Respect the golden rule.
Recess during kindergarten, lunchtime in high school, networking during a fashion event: life does not change. No matter what your parents or teachers told you: people will never change and most will never grow up. However, I've always felt the golden rule to be true: treat others the way you'd want to be treated. If one of your co-workers is being a butt-head smile the first time, be direct the second time, and say adios the 3rd time. Simple.

10) Be professional.
This is relative by industry, but make sure you always do your work and over-deliver.

11) Travel as often as possible.
Going to new cities or making new friends in favorite places always bring new perspectives to your work. Sometimes, you'll find yourself networking without even trying: that's how awesome you are.

12) Have fun!
Yes, it's a cliche, but a good one. When you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. Granted, the money is always going to be an issue when you're a start-up, but don't make life or work expensive. Know yourself and your spending habits and make changes accordingly. Downsize if you must, or get smaller office-space. Travel economy versus business class, or even walk when you can instead of taking the bus.

It's always the little things that make a difference, but you're an awesome entrepreneur, so you'll develop your own nook in this game called business.

By Jorge Zavala | Creative Director

Habits form our lives and they provide a framework on which we build professional success and personal happiness. In life, there isn't a formula that fits everyone's lifestyle or career choice, but there are certain skills that make or break a new entrepreneur. In my experience as an entrepreneur, there are certain life habits that are not only perfect for day-to-day decision making, but also for business on small and large scales.

1) "NO" is not an option, dude.
Most start-ups and entrepreneurs will fail (yes, with full certainty) if they allow the nay-sayers to take control of his/her idea. Bringing a new, exciting idea to the world often means listening to plenty of friends, family, and co-workers smile, maybe even laugh, at the idea of changing something so pragmatic, so commonplace. However, be a badass and smile back knowing that you're queen bee and have the recipe for a successful business venture, even if nobody else knows it yet. Successful individuals, such as Steve Jobs, were known to have never accepted "no" for an answer: they simply found a route, strategically planned the journey, and made it work for them.

2) Run the extra mile (literally if you can)
As someone who ran track and field, cross country, and the like, I can assure you that there is no better time for clarity then when you're smelling freshly-cut grass in the summer during a jog, or focusing on taking in that cold Chicago wind-chill in the winter during your final 1/4 mile. As entrepreneurs, we have to mentally and physically go that extra mile and prep for whatever happens. Yes, I am a firm believer in providing a relaxed and comfortable approach to life whenever possible, but the business world requires a certain ferocity that makes former competitors, athletes, and the like successful in this field. Why? Because we're goal-driven. Start jogging in the mornings/evenings/nighttime and plan to run a certain amount: that'll be your first goal. Your next goal will be to slowly but surely think about how you're going to create that next billion dollar idea (and how you've planned for today, tomorrow, and the next day).

3) Your client is numero uno.
Whether you're in finance, model management, or health administration, you have to prioritize the people you were hired to help. As the creative director for one of the most exciting lifestyle platforms, I multitask quite regularly and wear multiple hats (fashionable ones, of course). However, you must always remember to treat your clients with respect and deliver what you promised (in writing preferably) in a timely fashion. Communication is key and honestly is truly one of the make-or-break traits that challenges entrepreneurs. Yes, in Chicago we're all beautiful A-listers but that doesn't mean we don't work. Treat your client(s) to coffee, a cocktail at one of your favorite whiskey bars, or to a trip to the coast to network. After all, they are supporting your business endeavors.

4) Learn to play with your life
Many companies and individuals fail: that’s a reality. However, persistent entrepreneurs who are willing to try something different end up being the ones that ultimately succeed. Many incredible businesses and services are the second, third or even fourth attempt of an entrepreneur who just flat out refused to give up and instead decided to try something different. When I lived in Bangkok, I worked with the children of some of that nation's start-up trailblazers. These were the offspring of Thailand, and Southeast Asia's, nouveau riche: stock brokers, financiers, media gurus, business insiders, etc. In addition to having some of Asia's best noodle dishes, Thailand also has some of the best start-up stories ever. Many of these super rich, such as the the founders of TRUE Corporation, started off selling noodles on the street, working their way up to running their mom and pop's noodle and rice shop, to selling 120 noodle stalls in the course of 6 years to fund the first media conglomerate in the nation's history. It's possible, people: sometimes you just need to play around with your industry and have big dreams.