Jane Hamill | Podcast

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/

I am excited to share with you an excerpt from a recent LIVE Session workshop hosted for my new designer program students. Each module in the program includes a special Guest "Fashion Brain" with expertise in different areas. This week’s Brain is Erika Neumayer Ehrat. Erika is the designer behind Rare Dirndl. She has an amazing talent for getting online sales and helps us find customers & nurture them pre-launch, even if you have a tiny niche. And let me tell you, she has a tiny niche. More show notes available here: www.fashionbrainacademy.com/startupstory 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/

When was the last time you fully unplugged? This weekend I challenge you to turn off your phone. Maybe for a whole day, maybe for five hours, maybe for three days.  As business owners we are tied to our phones watching for sales, customer emails, and Facebook comments. Everytime we get a notification its a small dopamine hit to the brain signaling pleasure or significance. And those dopamine hits can become very addicting. More show notes available here: www.fashionbrainacademy.com/nophone 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/

Imposter Syndrome is real and affects even the most high achieving individuals.  Do you have a little voice in your head that says... You don’t know what you’re talking about You don’t have a degree in fashion design You don’t know what you’re doing There are other people who are way more qualified than this... Listen to the episode to learn how to combat imposter syndrome thoughts. The better you are at taming the entrepreneur's crazy brain the bigger your business will grow. More show notes available here: www.fashionbrainacademy.com/imposter 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/

Attending your first fabric show doesn't need to be overwhelming. This episode gives you some industry insider secrets to getting the most out of a wholesale fabric show. You'll learn what to do before, duuring, and after the show to get the most out of it. As a startup clothing designer, I had so many questions: How will I find fabrics in small quantities that I can actually afford?  How can I get the most of my visit to my first fabric trade show?  Which fabric trade show should I attend when there are so many different options?  I’m going to help you take the mystery out of this process with some solid fashion industry insider tips to maximize your visit to a fabric show. Grab our FREE Guide to Sourcing Wholesale Fabrics in Small Quantities:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/fabric-sourcing Show Notes and Links: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tips-for-attending-your-first-fabric-trade-show

You know who you are. If you create and sell products, you probably buy too much fabric, leather, feathers, pop-poms, suede trim, gemstones, buttons, crystals, and vintage buttons you found at that amazing flea market that you couldn’t pass up and you just KNOW you’ll use “someday”.  In this episode, I give you 3 things you can do about this nasty - and expensive – habit. More show notes available here: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/fabrichoarding/ 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/

How Many Styles Should I Have On My Clothing Line? I get this question a lot. While there’s no perfect answer, this episode will give you a few guidelines. First...There’s a difference between the number of styles and the number of pieces you have to show a customer (or a retail store buyer). You can have 5 styles, each in 3 colors, which will give you 15 pieces for a buyer to choose from. That’s a nice selection... More show notes available here: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/how-many-styles-should-be-on-your-clothing-line 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/  

You can  find part 1 of this kickass interview at https://fashionbrainacademy.com/princess/ In this episode, Rebecca and Eva discuss: the differences between manufacturing in Hong Kong, the U.S., and Pakistan how they kept the business running while managing 7 kids between them -- under the age of 15 how they pared down their marketing to the absolute bare minimum and STILL grew their sales in 2020 Why their email marketing is different from 99% of the other e-commerce brands out there And... "We try to see our customers as real people with a real struggle. And the struggle is the same one we had. Where's the dress with the dinosaurs? Why didn't that exist?" Show Notes, links and a juicy discount code are all back on the blog:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/princess2/

For this week's episode, I have two BADASS entrepreneurs on the show. Rebecca Melsky and Eva St. Clair are the co-founders of Princess Awesome and Boy Wonder, an online clothing store. They carry high-quality clothing that smashes gender stereotypes. Rebecca and Eva are designing their line and they're managing their production. They also have 7 kids between them that have not been in school in a year and they're still handling everything. I'm so impressed, especially when it comes to how they got started. What is their story and what are they doing now that really brings in sales? Check it out. Show Notes & Links: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/princess/

Let's talk money! Today I'll cover the 8 ways I see my students and clients funding their product-based businesses. Next, I tell you how I found the money to start my clothing line and boutique, and finally what I consider the BEST way fund your business in 2021. I explain in detail exactly what I would do what I would to NOW if I were you, starting over again from scratch.   

So you want to start a clothing or accessories line. That's great! But why? There a lot of reasons to start a fashion business... You're tired of your job and think it would be better working for yourself. You have a lot of creativity and you want to use it. You have a fantastic idea that you know everyone will love. You have a need for a product that's not available and you think others will want it too. Some reasons to launch a business are good and some are, well... not so good.  In today's episode, we cover the 6 questions you should ask yourself BEFORE you start a fashion business. I wish someone would have made me listen to this BEFORE I started. :) Have a listen... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/6questions/

Today jewelry designer Gwen Beloti is my special guest and we're going to talk about subscription boxes.  What we talk about today... How Gwen came up with the idea of doing jewelry subscription boxes The surveys she sends her customers and the surprising results What has better margins, the apparel or jewelry? The lead time to designing and planning her subscription boxes The results of her first launch and how she handled it Gwen's specific answers to questions submitted by our members in The Club The struggle to decide if she needed 2 different websites What Gwen does do increase retention of members and reduce churn  Have a listen... https://fashionbrainacademy.com/gwen/

Let's talk about the 6 different types of customers and why they matter to you. Now. I'm basing this on my own personal experience. If you know me, you know that I was 25 years old when I opened up a retail store in Chicago, I designed all of the clothing in the store. And when I opened that up, I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, no idea. I didn't know how to run a business. I opened up a boutique without a back room, without a place for backstock without a place for my team to have lunch.  Total newbie.  But I quickly learned how to read the people who came into my shop and understand how to sell to them.  This episode covers the different types of shoppers - for ANY product - and how to deal with them.  Enjoy! www.fashionbrainacademy.com/customers  

This week's podcast is the second half of last week's episode, The 4 Elements of an Effective Marketing Strategy. If you haven't listened to that one yet, I suggest you listen to that one first.  You'll find it at janehamill.com/4elements, This week's topic is 5 Content Marketing Tips For Your Product-Based Business in 2021. Why do I love content marketing so much? Why am I teaching you this? Because it is the breadcrumbs that you put out into the world. You give people value pertaining to the lifestyle of what you sell and they find you through that content. They get lured in through the breadcrumbs. They follow you into your blog, your website, your email list eventually become a customer. Now, let’s get down to specifics. https://janehamill.com/5tips/

Before you dive into creating content for your business, let's think about Why you're even doing it. Content can be the most powerful piece in your marketing arsenal, if you know how to use it well. This episode covers 4 things to nail down before you get into action with your content so you're actually productive with your efforts - instead of just being busy. Show Notes and Links: https://janehamill.com/4elements

Don't shoot the messenger.  But the truth is that consumers care way less that we think they should if their apparel is sustainable.  In fact, on average they're only willing to pay 10% extra for sustainable fashion over normal fashion. It's "nice to have" but being eco-friendly isn't the reason they will buy from you.  Learn more... www.janehamill.com/sustainable  

Today we're talking about Kickstarter campaigns and why it's good to build your following with a special guest Joanne Jarett and she'll give us her insight on Kickstarter campaigns. Joanne is a former family physician, is on her 17th year of maternity leave and has now an entrepreneur. She started Shelfie Shoppe, a line of loungewear that looks like streetwear. She also has a blog called Cozy Clothes Blog and is the host of the Fancy Free Podcast.  Have a listen... www.janehamill.com/joanne 

Let’s talk about getting more free traffic to your site. And it's worth noting that not all website traffic is created equal.  There's traffic and then there's traffic that actual buys stuff. One could argue that organic traffic – free search traffic - is better than paid traffic via FB/IG ads. Higher quality traffic. Let me prove it to you. Recently, I was looking at the backend of Google Analytics of The Sock Doggo Shopify store account with Susan Bradley.  Paid Instagram and Facebook ad traffic showed conversions of 2.4% – 2.5% Organic search (Google) traffic converted at 6% Amazing, right? One could also argue that organic traffic is better that PPC (pay per click) traffic (like Google ads, banner ads on another website, an ad on someone else’s blog, etc). In a survey conducted by Databox… 70% of respondents said that SEO is better than PPC for generating sales. Once again...amazing.  As a refresher, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is "the practice of increasing the quantity and quali