Jane Hamill

Increase revenue using content & email marketing.

Podcast

What’s the Quickest & Easiest Way to Market My Business?

How to get your marketing done quickly and cheaply for a small business

What if your weekly marketing tasks were EASY? I’m talking about something fast, simple, cheap, and…wait for it…something that’s 90% outsourced. How cool would that be!! Think of how much time and energy you could save.

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, hurts cash flow, and causes them stress.

It’s tough to get consistent sales without consistent marketing, right? And it’s tough to find time for marketing.

After today’s episode, you’ll have no more excuses. 🙂 Have a listen…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

In this episode:

  • What can I do that takes the least amount of time and will get me the most bang for my buck? (01:23)
  • I’m so busy! How can I get (cheap) help with this strategy if I don’t have a team? (04:58)
  • Where do I drive the traffic? Can I just use YouTube or Instagram instead of a blog? (08:59)
  • Do I need to put different content on different platforms? YouTube, IGTV, Instagram stories, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, my blog, me emails… (09:09)
  • How do I know this strategy will work for me? You don’t, but it’s CRUSHING it for Magdalena (jewelry designer) and some of our other members. (12:45)
  • How do I know what to offer as a Lead Magnet to build my email list? (18:11)

Mentioned in this episode

Your Homework:

I challenge you to try this strategy for the next 6 weeks.

Seriously, take the Jane Hamill 2 minute marketing challenge!! Do everything I describe in the podcast and see what happens. Use this hashtag so I can find it, OK?

#jhmarketingchallenge

You can do this!

Get started now and PLEASE let me know what you’re planning to do in the comments below. I read EVERYTHING you say and I’ll follow your progress. #jhmarketingchallenge – boom!

Jane

 

The 3 Secrets of Success from the Insider View of a Fabric Rep – with Jay Arbetman

Do you ever meet someone and right away you know you’re going to like them? That’s how I feel about my guest today, Jay Arbetman.

Jay is the owner of The Sourcing District, a sales agency that sells fabric, textile products, and garment production necessities to companies in industries like apparel, hospitality, event planning, and uniforms.

Jay’s the guy I call when I want to get the pulse of the industry and know the truth of who’s doing what and what’s working for them. He doesn’t name names  – because, duh, these are his customers and he loves them – and yet he;’s aleways able to explain p[atterns of success that he’s seeing and dig a little inside dirt and what’s coming NEXT.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – this is a GREAT interview and you will learn some real truths  from an industry insider and the 3 things Jay sees in ALL successful entrepreneurs.

I’m going to find out from Jay what people are doing NOW that’s working.

Have a listen…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

What we talk about:

  • How department stores and big box stores have abandoned innovation and the fashion part of the business and how that’s helping independent designers.
  • How designing and selling has changed over the years.
  • Many of today’s designs product differentiation eliminates price competition.
  • Great tip about NOT “going cheap” on certain fabrics.
  • What drives potential customers to pricier products instead of the $49 special.
  • The selling avenues Jay sees that he feels are successful right now

Quotes from the podcast:

  • 03:32 – “They’ve abandoned innovation (big box department stores). They have, to a great extent, abandoned a lot of the fashion part of the business. What are they doing now? They’re trying to sell you the middle slice out of a loaf of white bread. So consequently that’s left a vacuum. And that vacuum is what independent designers, have filled.”
  • 04:42  – “They’re [independent designers] not afraid to charge what their product is worth, which should include a fair and meaningful profit. Otherwise you’re not in business. So I don’t think you want to be in the $49 dress business. You can charge what your product’s worth if you show quality.”
  • 07:58 – “Our designers are part of the message…and they also work with a little bit of soul, too. Part of their message is who they are and what they believe in. A lot of the designers that I see that are successful, yeah, they own it. I don’t want to sound too corny, but they’re true to themselves and true to what their message is.“
  • 09:41 – “You know, at the end of the day, whether it was 1992 or 2019 I think that product differentiation eliminates price competition and that allows you to charge a fair price. “
  • 12:44 – “You can cheap out a bit on woven fabrics but I don’t recommend ever doing that on knits. You have to buy fine quality with knits. I have customers who wandered over to the dark side on knits and that never really works out very well.”
  • 23:57 – “So let’s look at the fashion business in general. What is it? It’s three things. There’s business, there’s a certain science to it and there’s an art to it.”
  • 14:47 – Jane: What makes a successful designer? “Everyone I work with who has a thriving business, with just a few exceptions, they’re looking for something different. They’re looking for something that they just connect with. It’s the best way for me to put it. They connect with THAT fabric.
  • 21:10 – “Sometimes I hear the words… I hear this every once in a while,  I’ve got the secret sauce that all…cause I always think, Oh no, not the secret sauce again! That’s always bad. I’ve never liked to hear that.
  • 23:57 – “Amazon is working with independent designers… Right, right. And they’ll do it well. And I still think that the indie fashion designer can put something into their product and to their marking marketing that Amazon is not going to be able to do.”
  • 32:33 – “It does take a long time. It can take some period time to really get yourself successful to where you’re really making money and doing wonderful things. And it’s very rare that somebody gets out of the box and, you know, just does fabulous right off the bat. We all encounter problems in our business. It takes time to succeed.”

Mentioned in this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Jane

P.S. If you’re a fan of the show, will you do me a favor? Take a moment to leave an honest review on iTunes. It really helps the show and I’d so appreciate it!

About My Guest, Jay Arbetman: 
Jay Arbetman is the owner of The Sourcing District, a sales agency that sells fabric, textile products and garment production necessities and before this he manufactured women’s outerwear and sportswear for 30 years. Jay knows his stuff when he’s talking about manufacturing, production, and what it takes to have a successful business. 

8 Things You Need to Know to Get Ready for Holiday Sales

Things are about to get BUSY and it won’t be the most wonderful time of the year if you’re not ready for action. Don’t let the Holiday season sneak up on you! It’s time to get your shizzle together to be sure you get all the sales you can.

None of the tips in this episode are hard or expensive & you can get started right away.

Listen now so you can CRUSH your Holiday sales.

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

Thanks for listening!

Jane

P.S. If you’re a fan of the show, will you do me a favor?

Take a moment to leave an honest review on iTunes. It really helps the show and I’d so appreciate it!

Quitting Your Day Job to Build the Business of Your Dreams – with Elizabeth Stiles

It’s a tricky balance to think about ditching your day job as you build the business of your dreams. When is the right time? How much money should you save? What if you’re terrified?

My guest today walks us through how to make the transition when you have one foot in your full-time day job (the one that’s paying the bills) and the other knee deep in entrepreneurship.

Girl’s got rent, sure…but the girl also deserves a chance to build the business of her dreams.

Elizabeth Stiles was working for major brands and killing it in the fashion industry in London – great job, a good work environment, really good money – but she was on auto pilot.

She was “going a hundred miles per hour” in the London fashion industry but she was completely bored.

So she decided to pivot. She made a plan to leave the safe, full-time, high paying job because something was missing.

She wanted something bigger.

She tells us how she used her 3 hour London commute to prepare to launch her own business and the specific steps you can take to prepare to ditch the day job.

Have a listen…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

What we cover:

  • Elizabeth’s favorite marketing strategies for startup fashion brands
  • Getting clients through Facebook groups
  • Facing her fears and anxieties of starting a business, investing in yourself, and having the right mindset
  • When starting out, have a contingency (3 months ideal)
  • How to crush the I CAN’T in your head.

Quotes from this episode: 

  • 07:05 – “I’ve got all the money, I’ve got all the contacts, I’ve got all the factories, I’ve got all the designers and it’s still hard. How hard would it be if you don’t have all these things?”
  • 09:20 – “I knew I wanted something else but I didn’t know what it was.”
  • 09:49 -“I’m not getting any buzz from my job anymore.”
  • 09:55 – “I was bored and I thought, I’m 30 I can’t be bored. I can’t be bored at 30. And I could see that the girls coming through the office were really young and I was like, I don’t want to be here in 10 years time, the oldest person in the business.”
  • 11:43 – “How can I help people and work in fashion? So it’s like feeding my soul and feeding my passion.”
  • 20:14 – “I think that you have to put your — the confidence that’s in you – pout it out there. You have to translate across to them and say, I’m not just throwing my notice in, you know, I’m genuinely taking this seriously. I’m taking myself seriously as a business woman.
  • “I am HUGE on investing in yourself.”
  • 34:46 – “There’s a lot in your mind that you need to work through before you can get to the practical steps of owning your own business.”

Links:

Thanks for listening!

Jane

P.S. P.S. If you’re a fan of the show, will you do me a favor?

Take a moment to leave an honest review on iTunes. It really helps and I’d appreciate it more than you know.

How Can I Improve Email Open Rates for My Online Boutique?

How to improve email open rates

“My email open rates are really low for my online shop. What am I doing wrong?” 

Would you like to improve your e-commerce email open rates?

My client wants his email open rates to improve and I’m assuming it’s because he feels it will lead to more sales (he and his partner own an online clothing & jewelry boutique hosted on Shopify).

Why are my email open rates so low? Let’s start with the basics…

1. Is your list fresh? Scrub it! Newer subscribers are more highly engaged
2. Where did the names come from? JH client story – LINKEDIN. Nooooooo!!!
3. Consistency matters!
4. “Occasional” emails actually lower your open rates, unsubscribes, spam reports
5. Best time to send – not as important as you think
6. Too sales-y or gasp!! BORING.

If you want increase open rates and ultimately make more money, think about it. The big picture. We want the CUSTOMER. Not the one-off sale.

If you want to sell, stop trying to sell. Do the opposite.

In this episode, I’ll explain what to do. You can watch the video version or listen to it as a podcast.

Prefer to listen? Get this info as a podcast…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

If you want to learn MORE about email marketing to sell physical products? I have a free class for you.

How to turn email subscribers into paying customers – FREE class:
https://janehamill.com/emailclass/

In this episode: 

  • 01:11 – The three things that you really want to think about to be successful with email and getting good open rates
  • 02:29 -“An email list of 1,000 people will outperform a Facebook following of 20,000 people.” – Jeff Walker. BTW, same goes for Instagram.
  • 05:27 – If you have an e-commerce store or online shop, email should account for at least 30% of your sales.
  • 07:33 – The the fresher the people are on your list, the more engaged they’re going to be.
  • 09:52 – How often should I email my list?
  • 17:03 – How can you help them (subscribers) look or feel better or improve their day in some little small way, right? And build that relationship.
  • 17:03 – You can always have a soft offer wrapped in your content. And then contrast that with a straight offer. What’s the ratio? Content versus pitch?
  • 24:07 – Really think about how email marketing is going to be for the future. Segmentation, personalization, I recommend Klaviyo for all my e-commerce clients and they LOVE it. (Full disclosure – I’m an affiliate and this is my affiliate link).

You Could Be Doubling Your Online Sales: How Claire’s Doing It with Bean Goods

Claire and Chris, co-founders of Bean Goods
Claire and Chris, co-founders of Bean Goods

I’m so excited to share this episode with you today!! In today’s show,  I interview Claire Wolfson, the co-owner of Bean Goods, a dachshund-centric online store devoted to “radical people who love their wiener dogs”,

Claire’s an entrepreneur whose business is breaking through. In fact, it’s exploding.

Claire has DOUBLED her sales and in this episode, she’s going to tell you EXACTLY what she’s doing differently this year. What’s different about how she’s running the business AND how she shows up entrepreneur and a boss.

And not just things like, oh, you’re doing Facebook ads this way or that way, but the specific list of what Claire’s doing differently that’s allowed her to double her sales without working any harder.

Her sales are up 100%, she’s not working any harder, she feels less overwhelmed, and she and Chris enjoy their business more. 

Whaaaaaa??? How is this happening?

Have a listen…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

In this Episode…

Choosing a Niche (05:27): “We tapped into this highly focused niche that we personally are obsessed with and have discovered that it’s just like this wild following of doxie lovers.”

A $70,000 Season but Exhausted (05:30): “We had this great holiday season in sales, but we had nothing to show for it. A $70,000 great season, but you’re exhausted. And I was like, what the F is going on, something is broken.”

Understanding Margins (07:24): “I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit, but for all these years we’ve been in business. I really was not paying attention to our margins.”

Can’t See the Big Picture: “Not being able to see certain issues, like opportunities that you have going on within your business when you are heads down doing all the things every day working IN your business and not ON your business. Yeah.

Investing in Business Coaching (16:38):  “So working with a coach really just helps you see the bigger picture and helps you identify those opportunities, problems, and helps you with decision making. Big time.”

Investing in Better Marketing Tools (22:08) “We started investing in new marketing tools and strategies and switched from Mailchimp to Klaviyo.  (26:19) 30% of our sales come from our email marketing efforts.”

Offering Discounts (36:01): “A lot of people, including myself…thinking that I had to provide a discount to get sales. Ugh. And not just a small discount, I had to offer these bonkers discounts that were like 25 to 30% off. But it’s just not true. It’s scary when you have this blockage and belief in your head and you just have to…go for it and just change. It’s just not a good practice for your business (to offer constant discounts) so that had to change.”

$4,000 Sold Before 9 am – Best Sales Day This Year (49:52) : “We launched it on August 28th, which was I think just about 12 days ago or something like that. And it went crazy. It was nuts. I think we made over $4,000 in sales before nine o’clock in the morning. Yep. And our conversion rate was at like 25%.”

Jane’s Note: It was actually $4134.08 sold before 8:56 AM. Holyshitballs indeed. This episode explains more.

Show Notes and Links:

Your Turn:

I truly believe YOU can double your sales without working any harder. LMK in the comments below…Do you think that’s true? Are you willing to make the hard decisions and changes that Claire’s making?

I can’t wait to read what you say!

Jane

P.S. If this episode inspires you, share it with a friend! I’d also really appreciate if you took a moment to leave an honest review on iTunes.

My Biggest Mistake in Business: How I Screwed Up and Lost $25K

Mistakes to Look Out For as a Fashion Business Owner

I should really call this episode…

“My Big Dumb Newbie Mistake and How I Lost $25,000 Selling to a Big Box Store”.

No, it’s not a joke. My biggest mistake in business was when I screwed up an order with a major department store and it cost me waaaaaay too much money. And confidence. And shame.

It’s never fun when you screw up, and I’ve made a gazillion business mistakes during my gazillion years as  a business owner, but the mistake I’m sharing today is particularly epic.

This one hurts because it was avoidable. The mistake happened because I didn’t trust my gut, my instinct.

And not trusting my gut lost me $25,000. Here’s what happened…

Listen here – or you can scroll down to read the full story below.

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

After you listen (or read below) to this episode, tell me this…

Have you experienced something like this?

Can you give me a specific example (in the comments below) of a business mistake and what you learned from it? I can’t wait to read your comments!

Thanks for listening (and reading),

Jane

—————————————-

If you prefer to READ the story of my biggest mistake, here it is in written form. 🙂

This article is adapted from the one originally printed in the Chicago Tribune.

I could title this story…

“My Big Dumb Newbie Mistake and How I Lost $25,000 Selling to a Big Box Store”.

No, it’s not a joke. My biggest mistake in business was when I screwed up an order with a major department store and it cost me way too much money.

One thing I talk about repeatedly is the importance of being a business person first, and a creative person second. That’s assuming you want a business that makes money. As a brand new fashion designer, I made tons of mistakes. One of the epic ones was when I didn’t trust my gut, and it ended up costing me $25,000 in sales. Here’s what happened…

I get my first big order

I was 25 and barely out of fashion design school when I started my own clothing line and began selling my designs out of my own women’s clothing boutique in Chicago. Just two months after I opened, a buyer from a major department store (Marshall Field’s/Dayton Hudson, now acquired by Macy’s) walked in, and soon I shipped my first order to four of their stores. I was thrilled!

Things went well and I remember the buyer saying my pieces had a better sell-thru than one of Oscar de la Renta’s lines. Sweeeeeeet.

The iconic Marshall Field’s Clock on State Street (now Macy’s). Image from Brittanica.

I ran into trouble with the second delivery. I had ordered the fabric with plenty of lead time, but when it was two weeks late I finally heard from the fabric supplier. The black fabric I ordered was out of stock, and could they replace it with a “charming forest green”?? I had promised the store outfits in two colors — red and black — and I was afraid I’d lose the whole order if I only delivered the red colorway. Since there was no time to order this exact fabric in black, I sent a swatch of the green to the department store buyer and to my surprise, she approved it.

I get a sinking feeling in my gut

I was surprised. Because I had a sinking feeling in my gut.  There’s a reason why black is so popular. It’s slimming, hides dirt and goes with everything.  Women know this, I know this. I should have listened to my gut then, but I really knew things were wrong when I was packing the boxes of red and green — it looked so Christmasy — but after all, the buyer had approved the switch, so it had to be OK, right?

Well, my gut was right. The green did not sell. It was a disaster. The department store buyer told me I had two options —  I could take the green outfits back or I could give “markdown money.”

What is markdown money?

I was a new fashion designer and had never heard of markdown money, which is when the designer gives a credit to the store when the designer’s merchandise has to be marked down. I was horrified, but I agreed to it because I was afraid of losing future business.  I agreed to give a credit on a future order to the tune of $25,000. My business would take a major hit, and I was scared.

Learning to trust my instincts as a business owner

I was mad at the buyer — why should I give the markdown money when she approved the green fabric swatch?  She should have taken it out of her own check. Angry sigh…

But then I realized I was equally to blame, and I was just as frustrated with myself.  I KNEW that green color was wrong. I literally got a sick feeling in my stomach when I saw it. It just wasn’t right. But I was too excited and I wanted the order so badly.

The good news

This mistake didn’t put me out of business. I learned from it and now I don’t ignore that feeling in the pit of my stomach. Ever.

The Jane Hamill boutique on Armitage Avenue in Chicago (my 3rd location)

My mistake was costly and embarrassing, but I was – and still am – determined to learn from it. My wholesale line and my brick and mortar store both survived.

It’s not fun to lose $25K but it wasn’t a dream killer.

So tell me this… Have you experienced something like this?

Can you give me a specific example (in the comments below) of a business mistake and what you learned from it? I can’t wait to read your comments!

Client Story: Claire’s Best Sales Day of the Year from Her Online Shop

Case study of successful Shopify store
Claire from Bean Goods

I’m so excited!! One of my clients had her BEST single sales day of the year this week and in today’s episode I’m sharing her story. Claire Wolfson is the c0-owner of Bean Goods, an online store devoted to “radical people who love their wiener dogs” selling dachshund themed tees, hats, sweatshirts dog apparel, and other great stuff.

This purpose of this episode is to show you what’s possible. 

On Wednesday, I received a Slack message from Claire that looked like this…

$4134.08 in sales before 8:56 am Los Angeles time from her Shopify store.

By 10:38 am sales were up to $5,599.00. Boom.

(In the episode I tell you how sales ended up at the end of the day.)

I shared Claire’s success story on my weekly session with my Imperfect Action members and it inspired the group so I hope it will inspire you. In fact, I got this feedback…

I hope Claire’s story inspires you too.

Claire isn’t different from you. You can do this. You just need a strategy.

Have a listen…

You can also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

Claire did not get here by accident. It’s all about mindset, focus, becoming a student of marketing, and planning your content with intention to sell. Claire and I have worked on things in many areas…

  • Honed in on her customer
  • Stopped offering so many discounts
  • Improved her margins
  • Reduced the number of product launches
  • Went deep with products, rather than wide
  • Consistency

Make no mistake, Claire is responsible for her own success. I’m the guide, yes, and that is an honor. But I’m not attributing her success to me.  She’s the one doing the work, executing on the plan, spending the money, running the ads, and feeling the fear but doing it anyway.

You can do the same thing. You could be the next featured member. 🙂

Also…

In case you missed my Content Calendar class last week, I’m doing it again LIVE.

Friday, September 6th at 1:00pm CST (Chicago time).

You’ll learn how to use your content to get consistent, predictable online product sales.

Don’t miss it, it’s FREE!

Click here to register for the content calendar class and get my content calendar template as a bonus.

*All registrants will get my content calendar template to download and use for your business. 🙂

how to create a content calendar that actually leads to sales

Mentioned in this episode:

Do you find these episodes helpful?

      • If you do, tell a friend!  I’d really appreciate if you took a moment to leave an honest review on iTunes.

Jane

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