Jane Hamill | Podcast

Reflecting back on the next 12 months, do you like what you see? Are you proud? Disappointed?  Today I'm sharing what's possible for you based on specific examples of what some badass entrepreneurs have achieved this year.  - going from totally frozen to taking massive action in only 8 weeks - getting your product featured on Oprah's favorite things - making money and building you audience even when you have no new inventory to sell The opportunities for e-commerce in 2022 are EXPLODING.  This episode will show you how to get in there and get some.  Show Notes and Links:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/possible1/ Join The Club to grow your sales like the badass you are:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/theclub/    

Meet Stephanie. When she first emailed me 8 weeks ago, she was very, very frustrated.  She'd been spinning her wheels for two years - two damn years - without making any real progress on the new business she wants to launch selling digital patterns to help people sew recycled leather on a home sewing machine. She was listening and learning to good advice from experts but not taking any action at all. She didn't know why. She was totally stuck and needed help. In this episode, she tells us exactly what she did to go from STUCK to massively PRODUCTIVE in only 8 weeks. Find out what she's doing... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/leather/

"There's power in a plan", I said to my client. "Sure, if only I knew if my plan was any good. And if I didn't lose it. And if I actually stuck to it without changing my mind 50 times." Sound familiar?  We love the IDEA of a plan. It's the implementation that gets us.   The Planning part goes like this: What's my Outrageous Goal for the biz? What's the "bridge version" of the biz in the next 12 months? Next, break it down into the 4Qs of the year, and to 3 specific 90-day goals. Start tracking some #'s every week to see small wins add up (motivation!!) Get help and accountability so I don't abandon my plan by January 15th.  Right now in The Club we're working on all of this together. You can join us. It's life-changing to have a plan you actually stick to.  In today's episode, I break down the planning process in detail. Show Notes: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/myplan/ The Club - our monthly membership for product entrepreneurs: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/theclub/

Blast from the past -- that's the email I received from family friend.  She asked if I could help her turn her side hustle product business into a her full-time gig.  She wants out of the corporate world and believes her product biz could replace her job but doesn't know the steps to grow it.  She wants to sell a million dollars in products.  Challenge accepted. This episode lays out the exact steps I gave her this morning. And now you can have them too. Show Notes and Links: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/millions Get LIVE Content & Email Reviews in The Club https://fashionbrainacademy.com/theclub/

If you listen to this podcast you know how big a fan I am of email marketing – it has an amazingly high ROI.  But how many emails is too many? How do you avoid "bothering" people?  In today's episode we'll cover three things:  HOW MANY emails to send for the Holidays WHEN to send them and to WHOM Plus, you'll get the honest advice from 2 of my most successful e-commerce clients about Holiday selling  via email.  Show Notes and Links:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/howmany

Today’s episode is a little different. It’s a quickie nugget episode, under six minutes. And it’s all about playing with the idea that your business can be a lot more fun. Your days can be more fun. In fact, what if you treated your business like a big, fun, sexy game?  How great would that be!?! Have a listen... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/funbiz/

I'm so excited to share this episode with you! I  Angie Chua is the owner of Bobo Design Studio in Palm Springs, CA. Angie attributes her success to her strong following and building a loyal community.    Today she tells us how she did it, what specific marketing activity accounts for HALF of her sales yay!), and what she'd do if she had an extra 5K to spend on marketing. Have a listen:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/angie/

I'm crazy excited to introduce you to another badass entrepreneur today and let her tell you her Startup Story. I found today's guest, Tionne Young of Tall HQ, on Instagram when she was doing an Instagram live. I'd seen her company before, but she did this live that just grabbed my heart. On today's podcast, she'll tell you the story and what's going on with her business.  Tionne has always wanted to be in fashion and kept telling people "I want to have my own clothing brand." She's a tall girl with a classic style and shopping was always a nightmare. She was always having problems finding clothes for that expressed her personality.  During lockdown, Tionne decided not to sit around, moping. She decided it was the time to take action and start living her dream by designing her own line for tall women. Now, she's in the middle of her launch and things are not going as planned. Let's just say she's totally kicking ass and taking names anyway.  Tionne is so brave and honest in this interview and I think you'll

Pop quiz for all the makers and fashion designers. When you get an order, does that mean you then have to take a specific action to get it shipped out?  Yes or no? Any action at all – cutting, sewing, hand stitching, dyeing… Because here's the thing... If you’re SEWING, you’re not SELLING. If you're part of the production process, you're spending time on things that do NOT get you paid.  Maybe you;re thinking, I know this. But you might still be doing it because ____________________. Insert your reason here. And I'm going to challenge you on it in this episode Because I want you to make more money. Have a listen... www.fashionbrainacademy.com/sewingnotselling

In this episode, fashion designer Sarah F=Gallagher and I sit down to discuss:  What it’s really like to go into business with your sister as your partner. The truth about being made-to-order and sewing everything herself for a long time.\ Hiring her first employee (!) and meeting payroll each month (

Today's special guest, Dondre Smith, is the designer and owner of Almvghty Clothing (with a "V" for vision), a Chicago streetwear brand with the message Live on Purpose. His goal is "to be able to advance God's kingdom through fashion and media." We talk about everything under the sun about his brand -- streetwear, pivoting to a Christian-based brand, how he found the money to launch, being self-taught in fashion design, how he attracts new customers and gets sales, surviving lockdown, and the reasons behind it all. He's had quite a journey and he's very honest in this interview, You're going to love it. Have a listen... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/dondre/  

Want to CRUSH your online sales for the holidays? Today I'll break down a specific, do-able 3 step plan to get you ready for a fantastic holiday selling season.     Whether you've been in business 20 years, two years, two months, or haven't even launched yet, you're still going to learn something today that you can implement today. Simple, actionable steps.   Check it out here: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/holidays/  

Have you ever said to yourself... Why don't I have more online sales? Is there something wrong with my products? Do people just not like what I do? Why are other business posting photos of tons of orders being shipped out - but not me? What am I doing wrong? It can be sooooo frustrating when you know you have a great product and you feel like you're doing ALL THE THINGS but you're not getting the amount of online sales you think you could, or should, be getting. Today I'm bringing on Susan Bradley from The Social Sales Girl to to talk about the "why don't I have more online sales?" issue we both hear from our clients & members all the time.  We're going to get you some answers. You will LOVE this episode.  Jane Show Notes & Links: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/podcastsusan/ Register for Susan's Growth Plan Workshop (it's free): https://bit.ly/growplanJH  

Today's episode is a LIVE coaching session with Stephanie of Stephanie Davis Designs. She sent me a really good question and I thought it would help all of you who are trying to start a business After listening to the "6 Things New Clothing Designers Need to Know Before They Start a Business" and hearing the mistake "if you're sewing, you're not selling", Stephanie was feeling a bit worried and she send us a DM on Instagram. After hearing Stephanie's call for help, I had to talk to her one-on-one in an #AskJane LIVE coaching episode. Today I talk to Stephanie about... What her DREAM business would look like Determining Stephanie's highest margin items Determining her best sellers in terms of dollar value (not units) Outsourcing more so she can spend more time on sales - plus keep her body healthy What 3 tweaks she's going to make this month to start making more money Have a listen... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/stephanie

"THIS could put me out of business." That's what I said every time each of the 5 things I share today happened in my business. Sometimes I really, really wanted to quit.  Like the time my store was burglarized and half the merchandise was stolen. I almost quit.  I cried like a baby.  It totally sucked.  Crazy things happen, and your business can still thrive. I think this episode will help you learn some things that will save you a CRAPTON of trouble! BTW, this is the first in a new series called "Her Startup Story".  Do you have a great story of how you started? Reach out and let us know! brain@fashionbrainacademy.com, @janehamillchi in IG. Show Notes and you can watch this content in VIDEO format at this link:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/5fails/    

I could fill a book with all the mistakes I made with my fashion business. A War and Peace sized book. In today's podcast (plus video option), I've narrowed it down to the top 6 startup mistakes to avoid. I'm pretty sure I've made them all. I've also gathered some honest advice from other designers about what they wish they knew when they started & I'm including screenshots back on the blog. https://fashionbrainacademy.com/6mistakes/  

Today's podcast is going to be a little different. I'll talk about a few different things including Mansplaining, I'll also talk about Chad, Meghan Markle's 40th birthday initiative, bait and switch marketing (sorta) I'm going to warn you, this is going to be a bit of a rant. If you have little kids around, use your headphones. I've had multiple experiences of men "mansplaining" this week. Show Notes: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/mansplaining/

Last week I talked about whether or not you need a blog for your business. If you haven't listened yet, I suggest you listen to that one first. You'll find it at https://fashionbrainacademy.com/needablog/. This week, I'm going to talk about 3 strategies that you can use for your e-commerce site that will drive traffic.  There's a lot to tell you. I thought I’d keep it simple though. Instead of giving a list of 27 things to write about and risk confusing you even more, I’m going to give you specific examples of strategies you can use ASAP.   3 strategies I suggest…  One Pillar post per month surrounded by supporting bite-sized posts. Buckets of content 3) The simplest formulaic approach EVER...Weekly Q&A, Have a listen... www.fashionbrainacademy.com/talkabout   

I get this question ALL THE TIME... Do I need a blog for my online store? Yes and no. Usually, I'd say YES. But here's the thing. I know there are so many entrepreneurs out there that are successful without a blog. The issue is, if you become reliant from certain avenues of traffic - usually paid traffic like Facebook or Instagram - and something goes haywire (such as your Facebook page gets shut down - ask me how I know), you've got all your traffic eggs in one basket. It gets extremely risky. On today's podcast, I'm going to help you decide if you think you need a blog. I talk about 9 things to consider with your decision on whether to have a blog or not. Have a listen... www.fashionbrainacademy.com/needablog 

Chances are as a fashion entrepreneur that you are a right brained person. You are creative, have meticulous attention to detail when it comes to your art but not the cleanliness of your desk, and you drop everything when inspiration strikes. Working from the right brain makes us the creatives we are but it can also hinder us when we’re coming up with both the ideas for our company and the action to carry them out. As entrepreneurs we have to do both.  Have a listen here: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/sticktotheplan/ Follow Jane on Instagram: @janehamillchi Follow Jane on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janehamillbusiness Download my free fabric guide to find wholesale fabrics in small quantities: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/fabric-sourcing/