Jane Hamill | Podcast

In this episode I tell you about the power and effectiveness of SMS/Text marketing. Want 98% open rates?? Yup, get on it and start your text list ASAP!  I've collaborated with Claire Wolfson from Bean Goods to teach you all the things SMS - including her ONE text last Friday that resulted in $4,000 in sales. Crazy.  Register for the workshop here:  https://janehamill.com/SMSclass/ I also tell you how some of our members are handing their business during the Covid- 19 crisis. We all came together today and hashed out our feelings, rollercoaster emotions, and plans for the business.  Show notes and links on the blog:  https://janehamill.com/98openrate/

We're living through some strange times. If you're anxious about everything that's going on, you are not alone. Today's episode gives you strategies to help your small business amidst the coronavirus situation.  I hope this helps you.  Much love,  Jane www.janehamill.com    

https://janehamill.com/tears/ Have you ever cried at work? After all the years I've been in business and all the entrepreneurs I've worked with, there's one thing I know.  There will be tears. Tears of anger, tears of frustration, tears of sheer gratitude. And sometimes these tears that happen at the most inappropriate times.  And you feel like a total loser since you're the boss and you're supposed to have your sh*t together. This episode dives into the reality that crying happens -- and what to do about it. Because it's NOT a sign that's anything's wrong with you.  Sometimes it's quite the opposite. Have a listen... www.janehamill.com/tears Grab your FREE class! "How to turn email subscribers into actual buyers". www.janehamill.com/emailclass

The first time someone asked if they could pick your brain about business, it was pretty cool. What...me? You think I'm kinda smart? Well sure then, pick away! But it doesn't take long to realize you don't have time for all the brain picking freebie coffee dates that people want. What do you do or say to get out of it without offending people? I have the cure.

Today I have a story to tell you about a crazy lady on a cruiser bike riding in Chicago on a hot summer day.  The other day I came across a terrific quote about entrepreneurship. "Entrepreneurship is a personal growth engine disguised as a business pursuit." - James Clear Think about that. Entrepreneurship is a personal growth engine disguised as a business pursuit... So darn true. And this quote prompted me to tape a special episode today. When you're an entrepreneur and you're growing or starting or scaling a business -- it brings up all your own personal stuff. And you know what? It's not pretty in there. Is not pretty in the back corner of your brain when you're trying to do all the things and make the money and build and manage the people and keep it all together. Managing the entrepreneurial journey is flippin' hard and it takes a lot of mental jujitsu to stay focused and avoid BSOS (bright shiny object syndrome). Today's story is about a time when I was, honestly, the crazy lady on a cruiser bike on t

Do you ever find yourself saying things like... "If I raise the prices of my products I'll lose all my customers." "How can I charge more than I would personally pay for something?" "No one will pay that. My customers are really cheap." There's a lot of fear around pricing and raising prices. As entrepreneurs, we obsess on pricing and tell ourselves all kinds of things. Crazy things. Pricing & what you charge for your products triggers a whole lotta nonsense between the ears for many of my clients - and certainly for me too. Except that none of what we tell ourselves is true. I know from personal experience it's scary as heck to raise your price on something. Terrifying even. Sleepless nights level of terrifying. Most of you reading this own an online shop and my hunch is that 90% of you don't have the margins you could and should have. The truth is that you CAN raise your prices and you will NOT go out of business.  Today's episode tells you why and explains more. And if you're thinking, but Jane, MY

My guest today is Magdalena Nehm, a Swedish jewelry designer who owns MNOP Jewelry. When I first met Magdalena, she was getting about one order per month from her website. She had a great product and knew she wanted to build a bigger audience, but she wasn't sure what to do to make it happen. She didn't know what specific marketing activities would actually work to grow her business so she wasn't doing anything. She was designing and making the jewelry but didn't have enough orders coming in to make it a "real" business. A lot has changed for Magdalena. Her sales are waaaaaayyy up and in this episode, she explains what she's done to get more traffic and sales.  Show Notes and Links: www.janehamill.com/magdalena Monthly Business Coaching with Jane www.janehamill.com/membership  

My guest today is a member of my coaching program, Killian Hagen from Bruce & Olive. He's so honest about the first 6 months of his apparel business. "I felt very stressed out. There are so many levers you can pull at any time with marketing. I was feeling really overwhelmed. I think I had analysis paralysis, which led to decision fatigue, which led to nothing. Too much time was going by with me doing nothing. " And yet, Killian has been able to work through all of these frustrations and get the support he needs to take action. He's doing all the things that get results. And it's working. Their email list has grown by 200% 3x the number of reviews Launched their blog Profits are up 35% Learned to delegate and outsource stuff Letting go of everything needing to be picture perfect Killian lays it all out for us and it's awesome.  Show Notes and Links: https://janehamill.com/killianstory/ The program where Killian is a members:  https://janehamill.com/membership/

Jolie Dennison is an artist in the UK who sells her art and bible journals online. She's had a pretty crazy year - from closing her brick & mortar shop after 6 years to health issues to cresting snd selling a "replenishable" product (bible journals) in addition to her art. It hasn't always been easy - not even close. But in the episode, Jolie tells how she perseveres, gets support, and DOES THE WORK. "When I do the things I learn in the coaching program, I make more money." The key for Jolie is working around her health issues and staying focused on her goals - no BSOS (bright shiny object syndrome).  Listen to her story and LMK what you think back on the blog! www.janehamill.com/jolieart

When I first met my guest today, Jackie Ayres from Dyetology, she was running her business while working a full-time corporate job. All of the sales from her apparel and accessories line "side hustle" were coming from in-person art shows and B2C events. It was fun - but exhausting. Her main objectives in working together were: ditch the day job, and flip the business model to mostly online sales -- with some high end direct-to-consumer shows dabbled in The first half of last year really sucked for Jackie. She had already quit her day job (yay) but she had back surgery and couldn't do all the things to grow her business. Forget about selling at shows - she was in pain. She thought the entire year would be a wash. And then...she doubled down. She got into action with her online biz and Holy Moses she turned into Jackie the Entrepreneur 2.0: Her online sales are up 183% from last year  61% of her sales came from her online store Can I get an AMEN? And all of this growth came from the last 6 months of 2019.

My guest today is Layne Booth, CEO of the Project Booth. Her goal is to "bring the data and not the drama to actually grow your business". In this episode, Layne and I discuss how product-based business owners can get a better understanding of cash flow, inventory management, timing of deliveries, and more. Data and numbers are swirling around in every business. This can be very overwhelming and uncomfortable if you don't understand what the numbers really mean.  When I owned my retail store, I was obsessed with cash flow. Obsessed (and anxious). My Chicago boutique often carried $500K in inventory - a huge investment I was always worried about screwing up. Layne helps business owners with all things data and numbers - online shop owners, Amazon sellers, and brick and mortar boutique owners.  Let's face it, numbers, speadsheets, and dashboards freak some people out a little. Layne just gets it. And she makes it wasier for us to understand.  Enjoy! Show Notes and Layne's Free Masterclass back on the blog: htt

"Nobody wants to share the stuff that doesn’t work." Susan Bradley is the rare person who's willing to share publicly the good and the bad as she launches a Shopify store from $0 to $50K. Honestly, I don't think I'd have the courage to do what Susan's doing - sharing step-by-step, in real time, the building of her online store.  It's fascinating and inspiring. In this episode, she tells us about choosing a niche and then pivoting away from it, doing a proof of concept event, and the "sideways launch" that wasn't really meant to happen but happened anyway.  Susan is awesome and you're going to LOVE this episode.  "My mission was to show you exactly what I did, what happened, and what I might change if I were doing it again." - Susan Bradley Show Notes and Links: www.janehamill.com/susanb Monthly Business Coaching with Jane: www.janehamill.com/membership  

When was the last time you considered what kind of business you really want? There's a difference between the RIGHT business for you and the RIGHT NOW business that you currently have. What if you give yourself some space to think a little bigger? To consider the end goal of what you REALLY want for your business and yourself -- not just what you think you could get, or what you think you should want.  Today's episode will expand your brain and help you make a simple PLAN for the next year of your life.   

Let's talk about selling $12,000 from a B2C market. How fun would that be? Fo realz... That’s exactly what my guest did at a recent event in Philadelphia. In today’s episode, I interview Kendra from Char-Coal and she shares exactly what she did differently at this show and reveals all of her brilliant secrets. And get this...her  product's price point is under $300. That’s a lot of merchandise sold. Yowza! She cracked the code on how to get people to buy from her booth. Walk around any direct to consumer market, craft show, or art fair and you’ll notice a peculiar phenomenon. Some booths are busy with shoppers while others are dead. Which results in some very happy vendors with money in their pockets and some who are miserable. I want YOU to be the happy vendor - to be like Kendra and sell twelve grand. Have a listen... www.janehamill.com/kendra

Today is Part 2 of my interview with David Peck and whoa - you guys LOVE his fascinating story so far! Thanks for all your feedback, I appreciate it! (if you missed Part 1, click here). David Peck is an entrepreneur who's been on the rollercoaster of owning his own fashion and manufacturing business. He is SO HONEST in this interview about what it's really like to run a company. He's done it all. He went fashion school in Paris, owned a high-end sustainable clothing line in New York worn by Taylor Swift, purchased a factory in Houston that he still owns and operates, sold his collection to first-class boutiques, sold millions one year only to declare bankruptcy the next. Yowza. We continue the story in this episode... David scrapes himself off the floor and starts a new business - again. He tells us how he did it and why AND what he's doing differently this time to make it the business he wants. Enjoy! https://janehamill.com/david2/

Today I’m excited to have a successful entrepreneur on the show who tells us what it's really like to run fashion business.  David Peck is a Houston designer who's been on the rollercoaster of owning his own business and he is SO HONEST in this interview. David's pretty much done it all -he went to fashion school in Paris. owned a high-end sustainable clothing line in New York worn by Taylor Swift, purchased a factory in Houston that he still owns and operates, sold his collection to first-class stores including Tootsies, opened a retail store, sold millions and then went bankrupt only to rise again with his current business. His story is FASCINATING. This is Part 1 and I'll be back next week with Part 2. www.janehamill.com/david

Does being an entrepreneur mean you never get to take time off? Sometimes it feels that way... Who's gonna do the work while I'm away? How would my business  even run without me? Will everything just STOP if I'm not there? There's no one I trust to handle things... Our brains can spin with all the reasons we shouldn't or can't take time away. These reasons seem logical but like so many "crazy brain" entrepreneurial thoughts, it's all B.S. I'm so excited for this episode because what my guest teaches us today will change your life. Not kidding. You will be a better entrepreneur if you listen and implement even half of what you learn from this episode. You'll be more focused, organized, thoughtful, and calm. Erika Neumayer is the owner of Rare Dirndl, a Chicago-based company that designs and sells a very niche product - dirndls. A dirndl is what you wear to Oktoberfest and what the St. Pauli Girl wears - only Erika's are bad-ass versions of the traditional dress. Today we discuss taking extended time off, wh

Holy Moses this is episode 100!! I'm pretty excited about it so I nixed the topic I'd planned for today in favor of something a little more personal - 10 things no one ever told me about owning my own business. Or maybe somebody told me but I wasn't listening or just didn't get it. Being an entrepreneur - well...it's not for wusses. It's hella easier to get a job, have a boss around to tell you what you should do each day, and be able to do things like take a (paid) sick day and a (paid) vacation. But we are NOT like other people. We're always up for a challenge -- the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. (If you're too young to remember that, it's from an ad for the Olympics where the skiier wipes out and appears to have died). I digress. So today I share with you what I've learned from working with hundreds of entrepreneurs in my courses and membership and from being my own boss since I was 25 years old. #7 on this list could be an issue I'll take heat for since it smacks of "first world problems" bu

What if your weekly marketing tasks were EASY. Fast, simple, cheap, and mostly able to be delegated or outsourced? How cool would that be!! In this episode, I lay out a simple weekly strategy to stay consistent with your marketing. There is NOTHING as easy as this strategy.  One of the biggest struggles my members face - and all entrepreneurs, really - is how to stay consistent. They have great ideas and bursts of activity, but the lack of consistency hurts their sales and causes them stress.  It's tough to get consistent sales without consistent marketing, right? After today's episode, you have no more excuses. :) You can do this! Get started now and PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments on the blog, OK?  Show Notes and Links:  www.janehamill.com/quickandeasy  

We're doing something cool today. We're getting an insiders look from a fabric rep. My guest today is Jay Arbetman.  We'll hear about the patterns and secrets of entrepreneurs that succeed and those that have troubles succeeding. Jay is the owner of The Sourcing District which is a sales agency that sells fabric, textile products and garment production necessities and before this manufactured women's outerwear and sportswear for 30 years so Jay knows what he's talking about when it comes to production. I'm going to find out from Jay what people are doing NOW that's working.  janehamill.com/jay