Today's episode includes a little end-of-year challenge for you.
1) A questiton that could shake things up for ya... DO IT.
2) The quick & easy way to track monthly metrics to know what marketing to focus on for the new year - and what you can stop doing.
MONTHLY METRICS TRACKING SHEET:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tracking
BRAND VIDEO BOOTCAMP w/ SUSAN (aff link): https://classroom.thesocialsalesgirls.com/a/2147750940/XP22SCtE
List Building with Product Testers (Workshop):
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tester/
Our Website:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com
The #1 thing that's working for online store owners right now is this -- a simple brand video. Whaaaaa?!? Really?
Not gonna lie, as a fan of direct response marketing, I'm very skeptical of anything that smacks of "branding" and "building awareness". Can't pay the bills with awareness...just sayin'.
But the simple video strategy that my guest Susan Bradley from The Social Sales Girls shows us today is working like crazy for her Inner Circle members and I'm now convinced it can work for my e-commerce brand too - and yours. This interview gives you the exact strategy and real-life example of how to do it.
I'M GOING TO DO IT - LIVE - in Susan's Bootcamp. Join me!
It's only $15 and she'll teach us everything.
Let's do it together.
To sign up for the brand video bootcamp, use this link (it's my affiliate link):
https://classroom.thesocialsalesgirls.com/a/2147750940/XP22SCtE
To see the example from this episode, click here:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/brandsusan/
Want to sell more gift cards ruight now? i've been testing a few things with our native gardening website, and wowza! Here's what I learned...
Your gift card conversions will go up if you do these 4 things:
This will only take about 20 minutes and it works. You can watch the vide with EXAMPLES and SCREENSHOTS AT THIS LINK: https://youtu.be/DzKoK7JpOwI?si=mJnH1s6_EMUaY6e5
LMK what happens after you try it.
xo - Jane https://fashionbrainacademy.com/
It's the most wonderful time of the year, l right? Ha!! I think 90% of my clients are already feeling DONE with the holiday season.
NOTE: There are VISUALS for this episode! Grab them at fashionbrainacademy.com/giftwrap.
Heck, many of you started planning Black Friday in August, for godssake.
You might be sick of worrying that you should doing ALL THE THINGS to get sales for This! mportant! Season! for E-Commerce! Store! Owners! You probably want to sit on the couch, decorate a bit, drink some egggnog, and have some damn fun. I totally understand.
So let me make it EASIER for you to do the rest of your holiday marketing with these 3 specific emails you can send for your online store.
Examples of the email and show notes:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/giftwrap
Our Website:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/
If you need a last-minute plan for BFCM, this is it! Keep it very simple and do what we lay out in this episode. Quick & dirty for the win. And the sales.
See the screenshot with the email cadence at this link:
www.fashionbrainacademy.com/dirty
What's it like to have a business coach? Get a BTS look as I answer 3 questions from a Canadian fashion designer, Angela Johnson from Ang Hill.
What's it like to have a business coach? Get a BTS look as I answer 3 questions from a Canadian fashion designer, Angela Johnson from Ang Hill.
We discuss:
Ang Hill: https://www.anghill.com/
The mini-course we mention, "Email List Building" for product-based business owners:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tester/
Today you'll learn how Magdalena from MNOP Jewelry uses one 60-second video to get her ideal customers' attention (for free) and gets them to happily sign up on her email list.
It's brilliant. DO NOT MISS THIS because it works and it can work for any business at any stage. I'm serious. We've been testing it -- apparel, pet products, gardening, activewear, gift items. It can work for you too.
Get the "Email List Building with Product Testers" workshop here:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tester/
Watch the video clip on our YouTube channel, Fashion Brain Academy:
https://youtu.be/_nctbJZJexo?si=5tXFlFMIyjvmpmSR
"Q4 is freaking me out. There’s so much to do and I don’t want work myself to death like I did last year at this time. Advice?”
Many of my clients are getting a little freaked out right now so I put together 3 main things to focus on for 4th quarter.
To goal is to help you get those sales for the Holiday season WITHOUT hustling yourself into exhaustion.
We'll cover:
I will be teaching you the Super Strategy in a new workshop coming soon! It works better than anything I have ever seen & you can get notified by signing up here:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/workshopseb
Show Notes and Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/Q4
Not sure what to offer for Black Friday? If you're stressing about what to offer for BFCM, today's your lucky day.
You’ve probably tried the usual things – take 25% off site wide blah blah blah. Nothing wrong with that - especially if it's worked for you in the past. But - site wide offers usually do NOT convert as well as soecific offers.
ANd let's face it, your customers are seeing MAJOR deals from everry other company and a site wide discount is kind of a snore to them.
There's a strategy that works better.
Mystery bundles. Mystery packs, Mystery bafs - whatever you want to call it. They ate working like crazy!
Today's episode includes a video with a ton of examples of EXACTLY what I'm teaching my private clients this week. If you can, hop over to this link to see the vudeo version and see the step-by=step strategy.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE THE EXAMPLES:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/bfcm
In this episode we first do a rapid-fire Q&A answering listeners' business questions.
1) Product Drops for the holiday season: "Should I drop all the products at the same time & do one big drop? Or space them out into smaller chunks or 2 - 3 products at a time?"
2) Costing and Pricing for wholesale sales: "How do I add in my sales rep's commission without cutting into the retailler's profit margin?"
3) "How do I know if my new products will sell?" This is especially tricky for entrepreneurs who design the product and are responsible for selling it. In fact, it's a total mindf**k. I lived this for many, many years and give you some simple advice to help keep you sane. :)
Mentioned in this episode:
WORKSHOP - Costing & Pricing Your Product for Profit
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/online-workshop-costing-and-pricing-your-work/
Get on the Early Bird list for new workshops:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/workshopsEB/
"Through basketball, I learned discipline, perseverance, teamwork, failure, success. These are lessons that can be applied to any field." - Kobe Bryant
Today I share a Kobe Bryant clip that absolutely blows me away. It's like the holy grail of success mindset and it's EXACTLY the way I'd love to approach my business.
Fear of failure is part of owning a business, right? And It's not like we're spending 8 hours a day acting like "I hope I don't fail", right?
Or is it. I hope this Kobe mindset shift helps you as much as it's helping me.
Announcing!!! Brand-new business workshops are coming! Email list building, Content & Promotions planning, 10-Minute Weekly metrics system, and more... To unlock early access, go to:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/workshopsEB
The Fashion Brain Website:
Today is about what you can STOP doing. There's a some questionable marketing going on out there and I'll share what's really working for my clients and what's not. If you sell physical products - clothing, accessories, jewelry, home goods, pet products - this is for you. There's so much misinformation out there and I'd like you to know what to do and what to skip.
We cover:
Show Notes & Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/outdated-marketing/
Private Coaching with Jane - clarity, ccountability, action
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/calendar/
What products should I drop when? How much inventory will I need? What's a logical way to set sales goals? We cover all of this and more.
You'll get a deeper understanding of the top product planning and inventory mistakes I see with my clients (and I've made them all myself) plus how to fix them.
This is for fashion products, accessories, jewelry, home goods, CPG...
1: Setting Sales Goals Based on Nothing
- Pop quiz: What's the #1 predictor of sales for a DTC market, craft show, or retail store?
2: Not Understanding How Much Inventory You Will Need
- Stock to Sales ratio, sell-thru percentages, POD vs. in-stock vs. pre-order vs. made to order...
3: Dropping Seasonal Products Too Late
- your "too early" is my "way too late", seasonal vs. evergreen products
We also cover markdowns and how to actually PLAN for them and deal with markeitng things down.
xo - Jane
www.fashionbrainacademy.com
brain@fashionbrainacademy.com
What if you spent 30 minutes planning your Holiday sales and emails?
As in...right now. Today.
Without overthinking, over analyzing, or fancy planning tools.
This episode breaks down 4 simple steps to crushing your BFCM and Holiday season sales. This is phase One of planning and I promise you, it can be done quickly.
Let me know how it goes, OK? Hit me at brain@fashionbrainacademy.com.
Show Notes:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/holiday30/
If you’ve been slogging away at your business for a while & still thinking:
Maybe it's time to consider some coaching. Check it out here:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/calendar/
"You're a Ferrari with a flat tire."
The doctor stared straight into my eyes with almost creepy iontensity as he said these exact words. This is how he let me know I was actually diagnosed with ADHD.
Hmmmmm... I'm a Ferrari.
Shiny, red, and fast,
With a flat tire. Hmmmmmm...
That explains a lot.
This episode gives you the 3 main things that help me get more done and not feel stupid.
I hope it helps.
Note: Huge shoutout to jewelry designer Trisha Flanagan who inspired this episode with her AMAZING fidget rings & morse code jewelry.
You should buy her stuff. She's amazing and so is her product.
https://www.trishaflanagan.com/
Show Notes and Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/adhd/
We hear about the magic of multiple streams of income. But how does a fashion designer actually pull this off?
Tommie Hernández is a Puerto-Rican fashion designer who has figured it out and she tells us her secrets today.
For 17 years she had a boutique-atelier where she made custom clothing and swimwear. She pivoted to owning an online fashion academy and the only Puerto-Rican sewing pattern company and sewing club: Sirena Patterns. She has over 2,000 students in her academy and sells the patterns to over 50 countries.
I learned a lot from Tommie in this episode and I think you will too.
Show notes and links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/tommie/
Our courses and business coaching programs for fashion & jewelry designers:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/programs2/
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 with zero waste yarns, zero carbon production. So you know you're launching with the most ethically sourced and eco friendly fabrics available. She's going to dive into what is possible for even small quantities, for designers to get the types of fabrics they are dreaming of. Hand woven people!!
You'll want to see the visuals that go with this episode.
Visuals, links, and show notes:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/motif/
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 consider myself a feminist and I feel like a moron admitting it, but it's true: I believe in Barbie.
For me, as a kid, Barbie was about cool clothes, a cool job, cool friends and cool accessories: the airplane, the apartment building and the camper. I learned to sew so I could make outfits for Barbie and her friends, who took turns being the airplane pilot, the doctor, the fashion designer. Barbie was never about Ken. He was always a little dusty and in the corner."
Show Notes & Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/barbie/
The original NPR essay recording:
https://www.npr.org/2006/05/22/5419659/a-grown-up-barbie
This I Believe book:
https://thisibelieve.org/store/this-i-believe-paperback/
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 niche, called El Roo Bike.
Grant shares his failures, struggles, and the ways he thought things would go.
Show Notes and Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/grant/
El Roo website:
https://elroo.bike/
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, exercise, and self-care — totally guilt free!
xo - Jane
Credit: This morning routine is something I learned from @realcraigballantyne but in all honesty, I didn’t read his book (though I bought it). I watched a few of his videos, and the "work first" part of what I’m doing is a version of what he teaches.
https://fashionbrainacademy.com
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 clients over the years)
2 for sewn product expertise, manufacturing truths & resources
1 that's an HONEST journey of a very successful designer and the BS she had to put up wit
And the last one is for every entrepreneurs on the planet. This one will save you a crapload of frustration - especially for those of us designer/maker types.
Links to all books back on the blog:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/5books1
Our best selling course: Create a profitable clothing or accessoreis line -
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/launch/
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:
**This topic was inspired by Steve Chou of "My Wife Quit Her Job" and his episode about Outdated Ecommerce Tips. Thanks, Steve!
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:
In our best-selling online class, you can learn how to set up a profitable clothing or accessories buisness:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/launch/
Show Notes & Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/why/
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 course mentioned for apparel and accessories designers:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/launch
Show Notes:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/hard/
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.
Show Notes & Links:
https://fashionbrainacademy.com/5waysweekend