Take a look around your office, school, or the Starbucks in which you are currently sitting. You will see casually dressed people all around you. Jean Fridays are now everyday at many offices and workplaces.

There are many reasons for the increasing unbuttoning of the American workforce and general public.

For a young entrepreneur these reason are irrelevant. Fashion designer Edith Head,  said “You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.” If you want to be taken seriously as a business person in your 20s it is imperative that you dress the part. One example of this principle really stands out in my mind when I was in California, with a business partner taking meetings for his business. We are both in our mid 20s and look young. Dressed in suits and ties we went to meet the CEO of a large action sports company. When we walked into the room he immediately commented on how, “we did not have to dress up for him”. This first impression was a key first step in being taken seriously and ultimately closing a large strategic partnership. We must give our outward appearance the same attention to detail that we give our business plans and spreadsheets.