Jane Hamill | Podcast

Sustainable fabrics, social impact, living in Bangladesh, consumer awareness in fashion, hand-woven textiles, small quantities BUT with the ability to scale production yardage... wow. Just wow. My guest today is Jackie Corlett from Motif Handmade. Jackie tells us about a whole new way of sourcing fabrics, and she allows designers to actually design the very fabric you want and need from scratch wi...

The Barbie movie is taking over the world. Have you seen it yet? Back in 2006, I did an essay about Barbie for NPR's This I Believe series, titled A Grown-Up Barbie.  Like many girls, I learned to sew so I could make clothes for my Barbie. The essay is about how the blond-haired, blue eyed Malibu Barbie affected my red-haired, freckled self -- and my career as a fashion designer. An excerpt: "I co...

My guest today is SO HONEST about the struggles of his first clothing line and what he's doing differently the second time around.  Grant Janke is a former network engineer who hated his job and decided one day to quit to start a business - even though he didn't have a clue what business it would be. He's currently working on his second clothing business -- this one in the mountain bike apparel ni...

Want to make today your make BETCH?! Seriously - I've been testing out a new morning routine and I gotta tell ya… I might look the same… but I am a completely 100% it's-a-flippin'-miracle new person. This is working GREAT for me and I'm getting so much more accomplished.  I've tweaked my SIMPLE morning routine so I now have time & focus for my most important work -- and then time for meditation, e...

I have a habit of ordering books online and promptly NOT reading them. I want to read them, I plan on it, but I don't always do it.  The 5 books I recommend in this episode I have read cover to cover and I believe every clothing, fashion, or acccessories designer would benefit from. 1 that's just for fun -- for anyone who loves fashion and/or old-school NYC stories (I've given it to dozens of clie...

Today we cover what NOT to do with your clothing, accessories, or jewelry business. There's so much advice out there about starting a growing a fashion business and a lot of it is outdated and unrealistic.  We discuss:  are fashion shows a waste of time and money or good for getting exposure? designing for seasons & sticking to a fashion calendar how some fashion designers are actually planning fo...

In this episode, I share 5 things I did right with my clothing line and 5 things I did wrong.  I made so many mistakes, and yet my business was still profitable. I'm quite embarrassed about some of the things I reveal in this episode but my goal is to be really honest with you, so here goes.  In this episode:  The embarrassing mantra I posted on my fridge for all to see No safety net and no plan B...

Why do so many creative entrepreneurs struggle to sell their products? When I first started my clothing line, I really did think that people would just FIND me and my products. If the product is good, people will notice, right? Bwaaahaaaahaaaa.  Selling often FEELS hard but it doesn't have to. Today you'll learn 2 simple things you can start doing immediately to make selling ten times easier.  The...

Want some quick sales? Here are 5 things you can do right away to get some $$.  Many of us work last-minute so if you've put off planing your promotions, this is for you. I taped it with Memorial Day weekend in mind but most of these marketing & sales tactics can be used any time. LMK which one of these 5 your choose! I LOVE hearing from you. @janehamillchi brain@fashionbrainacademy.com Show Notes...

I was walking with a friend who owns her a business and she asked me... "Should I hire a business coach?" I make my living coching & teaching creative entrepreneurs how to sell more products online. You'd think my immediate answer would be an immediate yes. It wasn't.  Instead, I told her why I just hired a new business coach for myself with the hopes that my 3 reasons could help her decide if a c...

How often should I send emails to my list? I get this question ALL THE TIME. There are so many different answers that it will make your head explode. Today, I'll give you an HONEST answers to this and other questions that I've gotten about emails. Here's what I cover… How often should I send emails to my list? What's the best time to send an email?  Is buying an email list a good idea? Is there an...

You  don't   have  to  run  your  business  like  other  people  think  you  should.  You don't have to do what the gurus say.  You don't have to do it like your competition does. Today's episode tells a story about when Johnny Earl first started his business, Johnny Cupcakes. He did something completely OPPOSITE of what 99% of other entrepreneyrs would have done. It's a true story about what John...

"How do I keep my business going while I deal with a life crisis?"  There are times in your life when you have SO much happening in your personal life that you just need to do the minimum at work. Just do whatever it takes to keep the business going while you handle all the other stuff. We all go through periods where the business has to take a back seat. In fact, I'm going through some personal s...

"My business looks good on paper but it's killing me." "I feel like I'm missing something important for my business that everyone else seems to know." "I've totally lost track of my ideal customer and how to speak to them." "At this stage of my business, I'm still working way too hard to be making this little money." If this sounds like you, you're probably in the "Messy Middle". You're not a newb...

Get the Costing & Pricing Template now. Use code: PODCAST to snag it for 10 bucks. https://fashionbrainacademy.com/costsheet/ In this episode, I give you my EXACT pricing formula. The exact markups I recommend. 👀 Today is part 2 of Costing & Pricing your product. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet,  click here to get it.   You'll learn  the EXACT markup & pricing formula for fashion, accessori...

We all know the importance of costing and pricing a product for profit. The question is... are you doing it right?   Pricing is one of the most important things you'll do for your business. There's a lot that goes into it and waaaaaaayyyyyy too many product entrepreneurs are making mistakes. You may be using a  cost sheet you got on Etsy  with wacky margins You could be  fudging your numbers  (lik...

Today you'll get the CURE for "I don't have enough time." There's a simple hack that's working very well for me and I tested it with 20 clients who are LOVING it. It's a life-changing, confidence-boosting, productivity-crushing hack that anyone can do starting immediately. Try it. It will take you 60 seconds.  Show Notes and Links:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/

Download the Content & Promotions template that goes with this episode at this link: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/ promotions If you're agonizing over "what to post" and falling into the popularity contest that is social media , this episode is for you. I'll give you my SIMPLE content & promos calendar and teach you exactly why creating a content and promotions calendar (that you can actually s...

You do NOT need to be on the hamster wheel of content creation. There's an easier way and it focuses on just TWO pieces of content designed to attract your ideal customers. Even better, you probably already have this content created and can use it immediately to make your life easier. Take our 4 question survey, pretty please: https://fashionbrainacademy.com/survey/ Show Notes & Links:  https://fa...

Ever wish you could be INSIDE the head of your customer? Today you'll learn a quick & dirty way to find out what they want. If you know what they want, you can serve them better, right? And serving them better means you can make more money. Evveryone's happy. Take our 30-Second Survey for Entrepreneurs:  https://bit.ly/laserFBA Show Notes & Links:  www.fashionbrainacademy.com/survey    

If you're a new designer or even someone who has experience getting their clothing line made, you need to listen to today's podcast. My guest today is Xochil Herrera Scheer, aka the Chicago Pattern Maker. I've known Xochil for a long time. She's so smart and so talented and quite frankly, she's a rockstar in the fashion world. Xochil is an incredibly experienced pattern maker and she's really hone...

My guest today is Elizabeth Stiles and she teaches is the modern way to use social media in 2023 -  because this shizzle is changing fast.  We talk about: how to stay consistent on social without spending 50 hours a week on content why posting on social isn't just about your products how to avoid outdated strategies differences between Instagram and TikTok Elizabeth's LIVE 4-week program , The Vis...

Tiffe Fermaint is the founder of Baby Teith. She's a badass in about 50 ways. I've wanted her to be a guest for the past 7 years.  She's brilliant and knows how to build a product business with a community behind it that gets consistent sales.  DO NOT MISS THIS ONE! We talk about: Tiffe's first foray into fashion and being an entrepreneur in Phoenix - when she was 14! her mission and vision for Ba...

First, you'll want to grab the worksheet that goes with this episode here:  https://fashionbrainacademy.com/ mam / If you ever struggle with a lack of focus in your marketing, you're not alone. There's always a LOT to do, especially if your company designs and manufactures the products you sell.  Let's get your plan down to one page. ONE page. Imagine the relief! Links, Show Notes, and the One Pag...

Many of you have had a certain level of success but are overwhelmed, exhausted, and not sure what to work on next. You want to go from 100K to 250K without working 80-hour weeks.  The truth is, you can't hustle your way to this kind of growth. You need a different strategy than "startuup mode" and this episode lays it out for you.  Team, product, marketing & sales. Listen now to get the path to gr...