Jane Hamill | Podcast

Will my business succeed? SHOW NOTES AND LINKS: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/nicole/ I was looking for a fresh perspective on "the state of the independent fashion design business" so I reached out to Nicole Giordano from Startup Fashion. Nicole is always game to help, we hopped on an interview. and then she SPILLED IT - the true, fresh perspective of startup fashion designers right now.  Here's what we cover: Starting your clothing line with a signature product, not a full collection The traditional fashion calendar is broken - the internet happened What designers are doing NOW in Nicole's community and what's working A new approach to selling wholesale to boutiques Running your business like a business The monthly framework for assessing your business As a business owner, excitement and fear are the SAME feeling One brand's brilliant strategy to get started with sales Content marketing - is it worth your time?

Today's episode shows you how you can raise money for your fashion startup in the next 6 months - without investors or taking out a loan.  My guest, Shannon Lohr, is an expert on crowdfunding fashion companies. In fact, when she and her partner launched their own Kickstarter campaign, it became the highest-funded fashion project in Kickstarter history, raising enough money to quadruple their first production order. Bam. SHannon breaks down the dos and don'ts of launching a crowdfunding. This interview is PACKED with actionable edvice. Thanks, Shannon! >>>SHOW NOTES AND LINKS:  http://fashionbrainacademy.com/shannon/  What we cover in this episode: What to do in the first 7 seconds of your crowdfunding video How to tell your story to get people to back you The power of guest posting and what it did for Shannon's Kickstarter campaign The 3V's of a successful crowdfunding campaign Slick video or old school? Flat lay images and look book photos Crowdfunding rewards for backers Pricepoints that work best for a su

Today you're going to meet San Francisco clothing designer, Sarah Liller. What I love about Sarah is that she's SO HONEST and willing to share her struggles, her wins, and the behind-the-scenes reality of running her apparel business. Sarah is one of my "Sell More Products Online" students and someone who takes real ACTION on what she learns. In this interview, Sarah breaks down the exact steps she took in the last 9 months to make her online shop actually convert to money in the bank. Sarah always had confidence in her product and she knew it sold well in retail stores. But getting online sales was proving to be a big challenge for her. SO... In the last 9 months, she started doing things differently in her business. She switched from Squarespace to Shopify (huge win), she did her first NYC Trade Show, she got a rep, opened new wholesale accounts (and is getting re-orders) and she went from "I have no idea who my customer is and no idea what I'm doing online" to "it's working!" and getting consistent sales.

Is it realistic for me to sell 100K per month from my online store? That's the question I got last night from a student and VIP client. In this episode, I break down the traffic she'll need to drive those kinds of sales, conversions, and the actual math behind it.  DOWNLOAD THE NOTES from this episode and get a visual on the numbers we discuss at this link:  http://fashionbrainacademy.com/whats-a-realistic-amount-to-sell-from-my-online-store

A while back, I was on a road trip with miles and miles to go, when I had an epiphany. It struck me that there's something I KNOW is true for creative business owners and yet I was “afraid” to share with you. It's a topic I was sort of dancing around but not addressing properly. And honestly, I’ve been afraid to scare you off by being 100% honest with you about what you need to believe - and do -  to make a successful business with money in your pocket. Listen to the episode and let me know what you think, OK? Links and notes for this episode are on the blog: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/believe/

Are you making money in your business? I mean, cash in your pocket type money. I'm not asking if you're making SALES, I want to know what's left over for you, what's the profit?  In today's podcast episode, I walk you through a simple exercise to lay out your best-selling products by sales volume, and then again by margins. When you look at these reports side by side, the picture often looks a lot different than you think it will. And it's so important for online stores to know. Understanding exactly where the true money (the profit) comes from in your product-based business will help you make confident decisions on how to grow and what to work on next. DOWNLOAD THE EXAMPLE FOR THIS EPISODE HERE: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/how-to-find-the-profit-in-your-business/

What are you working on today? Will you focus on money making activities or "safe" work for your creative business? Today's episode walks you through 5 simple statements - a quick process to determine what REALLY makes you a profit. The idea is to know WHAT to do and what NOT to do so you can DO LESS so you can get more sale and make more money. In all fairness, it's an easy thing to do IF you're willing to be honest with yourself and tweak the way you work and how you spend your time. You can download the 5 STATEMENT process (yo, it's free) at this link: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/makemoney/ Do it!! It works. -Jane

I'm really excited about today's podcast because I'm talking to one of my heroes of entrepreneurship, Riche Holmes Grant. Riche is the founder of BambiniWare - baby and Mom products that are useful and cute at the same time. Riche shares how she prioritizes her day-to-day, the importance of giving before asking in your business, and how she keeps it all together. Oh, and then there's the working with Ariana Huffington, Martha Stewart, and that time she got an email with a special request from the Oprah folks. Join the conversation over on the blog here: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/podcast-riche-holmes-grant-mompreneur

In today's podcast I get very honest. I share why I started my company and even more important, why I get up every morning to help other entrepreneurs. I also cover entrepreneurship, divorce, fear, men, making your own money, creativity, babies, being a boss, and more. I also discuss what makes people creative and the need to be a BUSINESS person first and a CREATIVE person second. Show Notes at this link: http://fashionbrainacademy.com/podcast-heavy-mental-detox/  

Today I'm sharing with you what you need to have in place to DOUBLE your online sales this year. You can download the checklist that goes along with this Podcast at this link: http://bit.ly/checkMpod 

In this episode, I have a conversation with Frances Harder of Fashion Business Inc.  Frances is a season pro when it comes to working with companies trying to break into the American market.  She shares her straightforward and effective steps to doing trade shows, finding a distributor, and getting a foothold in the US. Additionally Frances talks about the ONE country U.S. companies should consider breaking into.    Show notes and discussion are at this link:   http://fashionbrainacademy.com/how-to-enter-the-us-market-with-frances-harder/  

In today's podcast I interview Boaz David, founder of Human B, in New York. Boaz is a total BOSS at helping designers get apparel products made. He shares his insights into the pros and cons of domestic vs. overseas manufacturing, what types of products "should" be made WHERE, what newbie entrepreneurs should be doing before they get products made, and so much more.    I ran my own production for my clothing line for over 14 years and I'll tell ya, even I learned new things from this episode!     You can check out Show Notes and join the discussion over on my blog:   http://fashionbrainacademy.com/overseas-vs-domestic-apparel-manufacturing

Today's podcast is about a a creative entrepreneur client who I met with the other day. She was stuck in PLANNING mode instead of DOING mode. She had to step out of her comfort zone (product creation) and keep marketing for Holiday sales. She didn't think she could get any more sales and didn't want to "bother" people. With a little push (and acceptance f fear of rejection) she made 3 more sales from just one email. Bam. The Christmas season is so crucial and people want to spend, you just have to make it easy for them. Listen to the Podcast and if you're so inclined, I'd appreciate it if you left an honest review. - Jane

Today's guest, Erika Neumayer, went from working in her parents' living room with no sales and a crappy website to completely supporting herself with her online business in her own studio -- making a real profit. The coolest part is that Erika's niche is so tiny and unusual that it proves ANYONE can be successful in ANY niche.  

This podcast covers my checklist of what you need to have ready BEFORE you approach a retail buyer. What YOU, the creator, are thinking is not even close to the way THEY, the buyers, are thinking. When you get a chance to show your line to a retail buyer, you want to be prepared. They will NOT be patient with you if you don’t have professional looking line sheets and selling tools. If you don’t know your delivery dates, terms, pricing, and sizing info, buyers will be frustrated you may lose a chance at an order. 

Today's podcast is personal but something I really want to share with all of you. It’s about why I sold my successful, money making business when everyone thought I was crazy and what happened next. 

In today’s episode, I interview Ericka Engelman from Ericka Engelman Couture, in Carmel, CA. Ericka is SO HONEST – she even talks numbers. She tells us how much she grossed in her couture business and how much she was able to take home. She’s not shy about her struggles or her successes and she doesn’t mince words. She is a tremendous, sharing entrepreneur and I think you’re going to love her as much as I do!

This week we have a very special guest joining us. Holly is a designer and a retailer and her charming bridal shop is in Evanston, IL. Today she spills the beans about what works, what doesn't work, and what bridal designers should do to get bridal buyers interested. Holly also dishes about how she gets customers, bridal trunk shoes, who gets her orders, and much more. 

In this podcast episode we celebrate a fashion designer’s product launch. You’ll meet Monica-Lee, founder and host of Smart Creative Women, a podcast show designed to help women learn, grow, and get inspired. And now she has her own collection of clutches, accessories, and T-shirts. 

In this episode of the Jane Hamill podcast, I talk about the WRONG way to start a fashion brand. The 5 mistakes I list today are all ones I’ve made myself with my retail store and womenswear line. I really hope today’s podcast saves you some trouble – and money.