I have an awesome guest today, my own business coach – yup, the coach gets coached.
Meet Dave Moreno.
Dave has an incredible story and he doesn’t hold back on the details. 4 years ago, Dave’s total annual revenue was $9,000. The next year it was $12,000. This year, he’ll clear over $1.1 million.
Whaaaaa?
And GET THIS. That’s with $0 in ad spend!! WTF.
Dave Moreno is a certified coach from The Life Coach School (they recently gave him a shout out for reaching the 2 comma club).
He’s well versed in Brook Castillo’s The Model and when he combines that with his business background, I can tell you from first hand experience that it’s super effing helpful.
In this podcast episode, Dave and I talk about overthinking, comparing himself to others, the frustration of 2 years with barely any income (and 4 kids), discipline, routine, the decision he made that EXPLODED his business, and his simple 3 step process to reaching $1 million in sales.
How do you know if a startup apparel brand will succeed or not? You could ask Mindy Martell because she's help launch thousands of small apparel brands.
My guest today is Mindy Martell and she's the owner of an apparel factory in Minnesota and is the founder of The Apparel Academy, dedicated to educating people on starting their clothing line.
She has a ton of experience working in overseas factories, In fact, she tells me a heartbreaking story about working conditions in a factory in China.
Workers who lived on-site, wifi that's shut off at lunch so the employees cannot access it, incredibly low pay and long hours.
My jaw dropped as she revealed the true working conditions she witnessed. Mindy's experience was about 15 years ago and we can only hope things have changed since then.
We also discuss a ton of other topics from why Mindy started her own factory in the first place, how she chooses what products to manufacture in her factory, to why you should build a following before your product is even ready.
When was the last time you really studied where your traffic is coming from?
This week I have an assignment for you. Check your analytics and see what's poppin'.
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.
BTW - This episode is quick & dirty 'cuz I have some kid stuff goin' on over here that involves a hot stove and I'm afraid they might burn the house down...
Enjoy!
Jane
P.S. Want to work together?
www.janehamill.com/membership
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?
Show Notes and Links
www.janehamill.com/contentcalendar <<-- go here to get the infographic that goes with this episode.
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...
Everything in business starts with understanding your perfect customer. Yawn. I know...how many times have you heard this?
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.
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 entrepreneurs do. We have an itch we need to scratch so we create a business around it. We create something to sell and then we go look for people to buy it.
Which is 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.
Enjoy!
Jane
You didn't go into this thinking it would be easy. But does it have to be THIS HARD?
This episode gives you a simple exercise to manage your thoughts and thus your stress. It's been very, very useful for our members and I think it will help you too.
www.janehamill.com/thoughts
To get an invitation to List Builders, go here:
www.janehamill.com/listbuilders
www.janehamill.com/litaf. 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.
She amazes me. I have so much respect for her. Prepare to be amazed.
Show Notes and Links:
www.janehamill.com/litaf
Build an Email List That Converts to Sales:
www.janehamill.com/listbuulders
Notes and Links: www.janehamill.com/10lessons/
I got this Q in my DM the other day 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. Advice??"
https://janehamill.com/jackiedye
In this video/podcast episode, Jackie walks us through what she did to get $1791 in EXTRA sales in 14 days - without spending any money on ads.
She tells us...
Do you have a question about making videos for your brand? Let us know in the comments on the blog:
https://www.janehamill.com/jackiedye/
Also...
Get weekly actionable tips to build a bigger audience, grow your email list, and get your content marketing to convert to actual sales.
Join us: https://janehamill.com/hello
It's been a crazy week. I've been making some really big decisions for my business. We're all trying to pivot and grow our businesses in the direction we want them to go rather than doing the things that they think they're supposed to do. That's why I've been so excited about this new coaching group List Builders.
The other day in the group, we had our monthly "Mindset Session". I want to set you up for success and mindset is a big part of the equation. In that session, we talked about The 5 Pillars of Business Success" and I want to share those with you today.
Today's episode is a departure from our usual marketing & sales topics. We're diving into a topic I spent 14 years obsessing over when I owned my clothing line and boutique - apparel manufacturing.
My guest is apparel product development and manufacturing expert. Lana Hogue. I've known Lana for years and I trust her advice completely about all things manufacturing. She's the real thing.
Lana has worked in manufacturing for over 40 years and has extensive experience in sourcing, development, production, systems, and operations both in the U.S. and off-shore including Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean Basin.
She speaks Cantonese and Spanish #badass.
What we talk about (see Lana's full notes on the blog):
Have a listen:
Are you making videos for you business? I hope so.
Not gonna lie...I hate making videos. But I do it for a few reasons. The main reason...
I like YOU, my clients and listeners, and I like interacting with you.
And I know video works. It increases the KLT factor (know, like, trust) that leads to increased sales.
But actually making the videos and being on camera? Not so much.
In this episode I share with you:
If you can, I suggest you head to the blog to WATCH this content as a video.
Show Notes and Links:
Today's episode is Part 2 in a series of episodes about list building and audience building for your online store.
If you haven't listened to Part 1, I would do that first.
What is a Lead Magnet? It's premium content that you give in exchange for your customer's email address.
What we cover in Part 2...
Have a listen...
This week, there was an lot of confusion in the List Builders membership about Lead Magnets. This episode will help you understand the role Lead Magnets play in building your online business.
BTW...this is Part ONE in a series of episodes about email marketing and List Building.
In this episode, I’m teaching you 4 things. Grab a pen…
Show Notes and Links:
www.janehamill.com/magnet1
Check out the List Builders membership:
www.janehamill.com/listbuilders
Do you ever feel scared to do something even though you know it's not logical?
That was me this week. I launched a new membership program, List Builders.
And it was scary.
For 2 main reasons.
Enjoy!
Jane
I looooooooove email marketing.
It's easy, it's fun, and it makes money. For me and my clients - it's the BEST use of our marketing time and money.
That's why I launching a brand-new list building group program, called List Builders.
www.janehamill.com/listbuilders
Today I share my best email subject lines and exactly what the open rates were. Many of them were split tested against a second version.
The results are fascinating. Please feel free to "steal" these to use as your own.
xoxo
Jane
www.janehamill.com
If you have an email or text list and you're not using it "right", it's useless. So many entrepreneurs work hard to build a list and then we falter...
Email is the #1 ROI of any marketing activity. It converts better than anything else and most studies show that for every $1 spent on email, you get between $37 - $44 back.
Whaaaaaa????
So why aren't you crushing the email game?
In this episode I share 7 things you MUST know about sending emails to your audience.
My hope is that you will BELIEVE ME when I say these are important.
Have a listen!
https://janehamill.com/useless/
Also, I'm hosting a free LIVE webinar series for creative business owners!! You do not want to miss it - we're covering how to create a ONE PAGE MARKETING PLAN, how to turn email subscribers into paying customers, and how to stop wasting time on Instagram.:)
Registration is FREE, yo!
https://janehamill.com/series/
Instagram is NOT a marketing strategy. It's only one piece of a strategy. And yet, so many entrepreneurs obsess over it and it frustrates me.
I have a question for you and please be honest.
How much time do you spend on Instagram?
And what's the ROI of your time spent? Are you making money with Instagram? Is the effort you put in resulting in sales in a significant way -- or any way at all?
This week, I'm not exactly sure why, so many of our members came to the coaching session and were really frustrated with Instagram.
My response...guys, stop wasting so much time on Instagram!
There are a few ways to use it that are important and great. I'm not dissing on Instagram. I'm just telling you, it's not driving that much traffic for that many people.
There are 3 main ways to use IG to actually move the needle on your business growth. Do these 3 things and you will see better results.
Listen to hear what they are here: https://janehamill.com/videolist/
I'm changing things up a bit. Today's podcast is rapid fire Q & A day. I just had the most fantastic experience with the students from my Build a Following Before You Have a Product Ready to Sell and I want you to hear just a few of the great questions I got.
www.janehamill.com/rapidfire
www.janehamill.com/following
What's the difference between a good week and a bad week?
A week feels productive. You're energized and excited. A bad week feels draining, exhausting, and you feel like you worked a lot but got nothing done.
In this episode, I talk with one the the Coaches in my membership program, Stephanie Waslyk.
Stephanie runs the Monday morning "Next 3 Steps" accountability groups for us. She's an expert at helping members go from overwhelmed and frustrated to having clarity & a weekly plan for the next 3 most important steps in their business.
Like a laser beam, she can focus in on the BS work and switch it to the money making activities.
In this episode you'll get her 6 ninja productivity steps + you can download the EXACT weekly worksheet we use for our members to keep them accountable and productive.
Get the FREE worksheet (Your Next 3 Steps) at this link:
https://janehamill.com/extremeproductivity
Jane's Monthly Coaching Membership:
It's been such an emotional week. Our hearts are broken.
In this week's episode, I'm listening.
And that's all.
Jane
https://janehamill.com/
I was feeling "behind" for 3 straight days this week. Which caused me to NOT make much progress. It really sucked and I felt a low level of anxiety and deep frustration that I couldn;t quite pinpoint.
Then I realized 2 things...
1) I had set a 30 day goal and was working towards it when I UPPED the goal in the middle of working on it. I changed the rules on myself.
2) I forgot the golden rule of productivity - there's a time to THINK and make a plan. And there's a time to ACT and implement the plan.
Think vs. Act.
These two can't happen at the same time. If they do, we second-guess our plan and our decisions. We start to think there's a "better" plan and our brain spins. Then we feel behind and nothing gets accomplished.
This episode explains what to do about it so you can achieve extreme productivity.
Not to mention peace of mind - because feeling "behind" feels like crap.
Show Notes:
www.janehamill.com/feelingbehind
Build a Following online workshop:
www.janehamill.com/following
Right now is a time to think so much bigger than you have before. In this episode, we discuss...
Show Notes:
Today's guest is my mentor and business coach Cathy Wagner from RETAILMavens.
Cathy has over 30 years experience both as an owner and consultant. She is a wiz with financials and has the super power of coming up with crazy creative ways to market and create additional income streams.
Today she shares how to come up with creative marketing messages during these unprecedented times.
Check it out here:
www.janehamill.com/retailmavens