Jane Hamill

Increase revenue using content & email marketing.

Podcast

What Makes a Successful Apparel Business with Mindy from The Apparel Academy

Mindy Martell from the Apparel Academy

How do you know if a startup apparel brand will succeed or not? Well, you could ask Mindy Martell because she’s helped launch thousands of small businesses.

That’s exactly what I did for today’s episode. My guest is Mindy Martell and she’s the owner of an apparel factory in Minnesota as well as the founder of The Apparel Academy which is dedicated to educating people on starting their clothing line.

She has ton of experience working in overseas factories

Today we talk go over a ton of topics from why Mindy started her own factory in the first place to why you should build a following before your product is even ready.

Here’s what we discuss in today’s episode:

  • Mindy’s unexpected “behind the curtain” basement pattern room experience with an apparel manufacturer in China where conditions for workers were terrible – and it shook her to her core
  • Why she chose to work primarily with startup fashion and apparel companies
  • Why she started a clothing factory in the US from scratch
  • How Mindy can tell if a startup will succeed and what the biggest red flag is that they won’t
  • How Covid-19 rocked her business, sent her into an isolated cabin in the woods of Minnesota, and almost put her out of business.
  • The major transformation of her business and HUGE pivot for her clothing factory during the pandemic
  • The silver lining
  • Why she continues to recommend Jane’s courses without being asked to 🙂

Listen or watch below:

You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

Will you do me a favor? Comment below and let me know what you thought about this episode. I absolutely love hearing from you!

Jane

A little bit more about Mindy:

Mindy opened a factory and design house in 2006 and has been helping individuals build their product ever since! With experience in creating over 1,000 different products- you could say she’s an expert (we do).

Questions about sourcing fabrics, picking trims, designing product, developing tech packs, and figuring out the best way to manufacture your product are what Mindy does best. 

Over the past 14 years, Mindy has found her most rewarding part of the job is helping new entrepreneurs navigate through the complicated apparel industry. She offers courses for apparel startups as well as clothing manufacturing.

Where is Your Website Traffic Coming From?

Where is your website traffic coming from?

When was the last time you really studied where the traffic to your website is coming from?

This week I have a simple assignment for you. Check your analytics and see what’s really going on.

One of our members just did it and is noticing steady traffic coming from Pinterest to her Shopify site with ZERO effort on her part.

She’s working her arse off on Instagram to get traffic – and it does work. But the Pinterest traffic is coming in with EASE.

Have a listen…


You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

BTW – This episode is quick & dirty ‘cuz I have some kid stuff goin’ on over here that involves an open flame and I’m afraid they might burn the house down.

Like you, I sometimes feel “too busy for marketing”. But I make it work and embrace “perfect is good but DONE is better”.

Also…

Do you have your Content and Promotions Calendar ready to go? It makes marketing your brand SO MUCH EASIER. Having a simple, do-able plan reduces your stress and helps you stay consistent.

So you have more time for the fun stuff – like making sure the house doesn’t burn down. 🙂

Mentioned in this episode:

Is this episode helpful for you? Let me know in the comments below. I loooooove hearing from you and, like Gary Vee says, “your comments are my oxygen”.

Jane

How to Make Them Buy NOW

Today’s episode covers 3 elements of any offer or promotion. We answer these questions I received from our members

  • What can I do to persuade someone to buy TODAY and not put it off?
  • How long should I run a promotion or sale for my online shop? site? 5 days? 3 days? I see some people running Giveaways for an entire month. Is that a good idea?
  • Is it better to do 20% off site-wide or only on a specific category of products?

Here’s the thing…

Your customers needs a reason to buy NOW rather than thinking they can put it off until they “have more time”. what we don;t want is…

“Hmmm…I’m interested in buying this. I’ll think about it and get back to it later.”

They are actually interested. Yay. That’s a huge hurdle.

And they actually think they’ll have more time later to make the purchase. That’s cute. Because we know they’re not going to get back to it. We’re all busy and distracted.

If you keep today’s 3 elements in mind when you’re putting your promotions and sales plan together, you will convert more lookers into buyers. ?

Have a listen…


You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

Also…

Earlier this week, I taught a live class to help you get your Content and Promotions Calendar actually completed.

It starts with WHAT you want to sell and WHEN. Match that with WHO you want to buy it — and then create content from that point. The content leads them down the path to a purchase.

The only issue is this… You gotta DO IT. Not just think about it and plan to “get back to it when you have time”. See what I did there? Very clever…

Tie your sales & promotions together with your content (blog, email, social media) so it’s less work and a cohesive effort.

CONTENT = FREE TRAFFIC. Create a plan, implement the plan, don’t overthink.

Content & Promotions Calendar Online Class Only $27 

You get the complete recording, content calendar template, and workbook – with access for 2 full years – all for only $27 for  a limited time. ?

Mentioned in this episode:

Did you like this episode? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

Jane

P.S. Remember….Perfect is good but done is better.

How Content Works to Get You Traffic & Sales

Today’s podcast explains the FLOW of what to do after you create a piece of content.

Content marketing is awesome for getting traffic but a lot of entrepreneurs are confused about what to do with a blog article or a video after they create it.

  • Does the same info on the blog go in an email?
  • What do I post on social media?
  • Do I put ALL the info in the email or just tease it?
  • After I post it once, what do I do next?
  • Once I post content on my blog, how do I get people to see it?

Let’s  dive in…

You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

Download the “FLOW of Creating and Distributing Content” Cheatsheet

Also…

On Wednesday, I’m teaching a LIVE class to help you get your Content and Promotions Calendar completed.

You’ll learn how to tie your sales & promotions together with your content (blog, email, social media) so it’s less work and a cohesive effort.

CONTENT = FREE TRAFFIC. Get organized NOW for the Holiday Season.

LIVE Class: Create Your Content & Promotions Calendar ($27)

Wednesday, November 18th, at 2:30 pm CDT (Chicago time)

Includes the live event, full recording, content calendar template, and workbook.

Thanks for listening! Let me know in the comments if this helped you.

Jane

Who is My Customer? (Part 1)

Who is My Justomer? www.janehamill.com

Everything in business starts with understanding your perfect customer. Yawn…how many times have you heard this? Many times, I know. Because it’s THAT important.

And it’s hella frustrating as a business owner because as soon as you think you figured it out – oh that’s right, it’s HER I’m going after – it changes.

And you have to start over understanding a NEW ideal customer. I swear my team and I do a new Buyer Persona exercise every 3 months.

But here’s the thing – you lose track of your ideal customer and you risk losing your business.

Most entrepreneurs get excited about and want to talk incessantly about how cool their product is.

Look what the product can do! Look how cool and useful it is! Check out this amazing thing I created. Who wants to buy it?

That’s typically what we do – especially creatives. (And really, aren’t all entrepreneurs creatives) We have an itch we need to scratch so we create a business around it.

We 1) create something to sell,  and 2)  go look for people to buy it.

Totally backwards.

This episode walks you through deciding who you actually want to serve (yes, you get to choose) and creating a product around THEM and their wants & desires.

Everything in business starts with the WHO. Who is your ideal customer and how do you attract them?

The WHO is more important than the What, the Why, the How, the When — all the other stuff.

Have a listen…


You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode: 

What it Takes to Be a Successful Creative Entrepreneur with Paul Klein

Paul Klein

Ever wonder why some creative entrepreneurs succeed and others struggle?

Today I’m re-posting one of my favorite – and most downloaded – episodes. It was the 10th podcast I ever taped. 🙂

My friend, mentor, and colleague, Paul Klein, passed away from cancer the other day. I attended his virtual funeral last night and it was epic. Paul was epic. This interview with him is even pretty epic.

Below you’ll see the original post and can listen to Paul’s great advice for how to make it in a creative world. 

Enjoy, 

JH

The Original Post

Paul Klein is an art mentor and he runs a terrific program online for artists to help de-mystify the art world. My sister (an artist) took Paul’s program and LOVED it. She introduced me to Paul and that was my lucky day.

Paul Klein also works with TED Fellows, writes for Huffington Post and ArtLetter and ran his own cutting edge Chicago gallery for 30 years. Basically, he’s the go-to guy in Chicago when it comes to the art world.

Paul and I don’t always agree and it makes for a lively interview.

I had a blast with this episode and I hope you love it as much as I do. You will learn a lot.


You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

In this episode, we’ll cover:

  • How the internet changed things for artists in a big way
  • Why it’s hard to put yourself out there
  • How some creatives get it all wrong when they approach a gallery
  • Ways to get over your fear of “selling”
  • The difference between vision and strategy
  • How to sell a LOT of your work without “selling out”
  • What people see in your art compared to what you THINK they see
  • Simple ways to start getting your own network and building relationships in the art world
  • When you need to “get over it”

UPDATE: You can check out Paul’s website and get access to a huge array of expert videos from Paul’s courses for FREE on the site: http://kleinartistworks.com . You’ll see one with me, Jane Hamill, in the BUSINESS section.

Now it’s your turn…

Did you like this episode? If you did, kindly share it with your friends.

I want to hear from you! Paul and I lay out 2 challenges at the end of the episode. Which one will you do? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for listening and reading.

She Quit Her Day Job, Closed Her Business, Quit Smoking, Quit Drinking, and Then This Happened…(with Sarah Cohan)

If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of re-inventing yourself, this episode is for you.

Imagine this…9 months ago you’re working full-time in San Francisco making great money albeit working 80 hour weeks for a large company.

Then you decide to go part-time to devote more energy to your side hustle, making kick-ass capes for the cool kids to wear to festivals.

As soon as you leave your day job, Covid happens. Like, weeks later. 🙁 Festivals are canceled.

Life as we know it is canceled. No one wants to wear capes for Zoom meetings.

So you use this as an opportunity to quit smoking AND drinking.

Then you close your cape business and start the next big thing.

Whaaa?? What kind of a badass does THAT during a pandemic? 

Sarah Cohan, that’s who. My guest today tells us her story – the good, the bad, the ugly, and most importantly – the honest.

Sarah gets deep & dirty with me on how she did all the things to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur and as a human.

And through all the immense change and disruption, she didn’t crumble. I have so much respect for her.

Prepare to be amazed.

You can also listen on iTunes. Spotify, and Stitcher Radio

Quotes:

  • “You don’t have to put yourself in an environment that you’re not comfortable with to do what you love.” (16:56)
  • “I was so resentful towards the capes because I had put so much work into it. So that was dangerous.” (18:22)
  • “I had these fantasies of like, okay, I’ll sell capes to celebrities and they will be so charmed by my personality that they’ll ask me to be on their show. Like talk about backdoor dreams to fulfill a career in entertainment.” (18:47)
  • “I was just talking to my friend who also lives in San Francisco and also quit drinking. And she was like, ‘do you remember when we used to go out and we would have $100 each bar tab for three cocktails?‘”(27:38)
  • “Yeah. And then we wake up, hungover. I would have to pound the coffee. And then be jittery trying to deal with the capes.”
  • “If I respect this new business, I’m going to give it the time it needs to fully develop. And, and nobody, I don’t care who you are, is going to be having a business that’s built in a year.” (34:10)

Mentioned in this podcast: 

LMK in the comments this ONE little thing.

On a scale of 1 – 10. How cool is Sarah Cohan?? Don’t you wish she was your bff?

Thanks for listening,

Jane

P.S. Sarah had me on her podcast too! All about doing LESS in your business and your life. Listen here.

10 Lessons from 10 Years Selling Products Online

I received this question on Instagram in my DM and decided to answer it for all of you.

“Hi Jane! I was given your name from a close friend of a close friend! I am a new online boutique with no marketing experience. I wanted to reach out and get your advice on what you would recommend! I have done a few in-person shopping events but not getting much traffic to my site. What should I do?”

Have a listen…

Here is the my affiliate link to join Susan’s Bradley’s Inner Circle Membership <<– DON’T MISS IT. She is the yin to my yang.

https://classroom.thesocialsalesgirls.com/a/23863/XP22SCtE

If you are a List Builders member, I suggest you also join the Inner Circle. There’s not too much overlap and between the 2 programs your will truly learn you everything you need to build a profitable online store.

xoxo,

Jane

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