Jane Hamill | Podcast

When I first met my guest today, Jackie Ayres from Dyetology, she was running her business while working a full-time corporate job. All of the sales from her apparel and accessories line "side hustle" were coming from in-person art shows and B2C events. It was fun - but exhausting.

Her main objectives in working together were:

1. ditch the day job, and
2. flip the business model to mostly online sales -- with some high end direct-to-consumer shows dabbled in

The first half of last year really sucked for Jackie. She had already quit her day job (yay) but she had back surgery and couldn't do all the things to grow her business.

Forget about selling at shows - she was in pain. She thought the entire year would be a wash. And then...she doubled down. She got into action with her online biz and Holy Moses she turned into Jackie the Entrepreneur 2.0:

• Her online sales are up 183% from last year
• 61% of her sales came from her online store

Can I get an AMEN? And all of this growth came from the last 6 months of 2019.

Jackie shares how she's growing her business.

She also tells us how joining a business coaching program helped her get clear on her marketing & sales plan and gave her the support & accountability she needed. Our monthly coaching program has been a life-changer for Jackie. You can check it out here:

www.janehamill.com/membership Show notes and links from this episode:

www.janehamill.com/dyetology

My guest today is Layne Booth, CEO of the Project Booth. Her goal is to "bring the data and not the drama to actually grow your business".

In this episode, Layne and I discuss how product-based business owners can get a better understanding of cash flow, inventory management, timing of deliveries, and more.

Data and numbers are swirling around in every business. This can be very overwhelming and uncomfortable if you don't understand what the numbers really mean.

When I owned my retail store, I was obsessed with cash flow. Obsessed (and anxious). My Chicago boutique often carried $500K in inventory - a huge investment I was always worried about screwing up. Layne helps business owners with all things data and numbers - online shop owners, Amazon sellers, and brick and mortar boutique owners.

Let's face it, numbers, speadsheets, and dashboards freak some people out a little. Layne just gets it. And she makes it wasier for us to understand.

Enjoy!

Show Notes and Layne's Free Masterclass back on the blog:

https://janehamill.com/projectbooth/

"Nobody wants to share the stuff that doesn't work."

Susan Bradley is the rare person who's willing to share publicly the good and the bad as she launches a Shopify store from $0 to $50K.

Honestly, I don't think I'd have the courage to do what Susan's doing - sharing step-by-step, in real time, the building of her online store.

It's fascinating and inspiring.

In this episode, she tells us about choosing a niche and then pivoting away from it, doing a proof of concept event, and the "sideways launch" that wasn't really meant to happen but happened anyway.

Susan is awesome and you're going to LOVE this episode. "My mission was to show you exactly what I did, what happened, and what I might change if I were doing it again." - Susan Bradley

Show Notes and Links: www.janehamill.com/susanb

Monthly Business Coaching with Jane: www.janehamill.com/membership

When was the last time you considered what kind of business you really want? There's a difference between the RIGHT business for you and the RIGHT NOW business that you currently have.

What if you give yourself some space to think a little bigger? To consider the end goal of what you REALLY want for your business and yourself -- not just what you think you could get, or what you think you should want.

Today's episode will expand your brain and help you make a simple PLAN for the next year of your life.

Let's talk about selling $12,000 from a B2C market. How fun would that be? Fo realz...

That's exactly what my guest did at a recent event in Philadelphia.

In today's episode, I interview Kendra from Char-Coal and she shares exactly what she did differently at this show and reveals all of her brilliant secrets.

And get this...her product's price point is under $300. That's a lot of merchandise sold. Yowza!

She cracked the code on how to get people to buy from her booth.

Walk around any direct to consumer market, craft show, or art fair and you'll notice a peculiar phenomenon. Some booths are busy with shoppers while others are dead.

Which results in some very happy vendors with money in their pockets and some who are miserable.

I want YOU to be the happy vendor - to be like Kendra and sell twelve grand.

Have a listen... www.janehamill.com/kendra

Today is Part 2 of my interview with David Peck and whoa - you guys LOVE his fascinating story so far! Thanks for all your feedback, I appreciate it! (if you missed Part 1, click here).

David Peck is an entrepreneur who's been on the rollercoaster of owning his own fashion and manufacturing business. He is SO HONEST in this interview about what it's really like to run a company.

He's done it all. He went fashion school in Paris, owned a high-end sustainable clothing line in New York worn by Taylor Swift, purchased a factory in Houston that he still owns and operates, sold his collection to first-class boutiques, sold millions one year only to declare bankruptcy the next. Yowza. We continue the story in this episode...

David scrapes himself off the floor and starts a new business - again. He tells us how he did it and why AND what he's doing differently this time to make it the business he wants.

Enjoy!

https://janehamill.com/david2/

Today I'm excited to have a successful entrepreneur on the show who tells us what it's really like to run fashion business. David Peck is a Houston designer who's been on the rollercoaster of owning his own business and he is SO HONEST in this interview.

David's pretty much done it all -he went to fashion school in Paris. owned a high-end sustainable clothing line in New York worn by Taylor Swift, purchased a factory in Houston that he still owns and operates, sold his collection to first-class stores including Tootsies, opened a retail store, sold millions and then went bankrupt only to rise again with his current business.

His story is FASCINATING. This is Part 1 and I'll be back next week with Part 2.

www.janehamill.com/david

Does being an entrepreneur mean you never get to take time off?

Sometimes it feels that way...

• Who's gonna do the work while I'm away?
• How would my business even run without me?
• Will everything just STOP if I'm not there?
• There's no one I trust to handle things...

Our brains can spin with all the reasons we shouldn't or can't take time away. These reasons seem logical but like so many "crazy brain" entrepreneurial thoughts, it's all B.S.

I'm so excited for this episode because what my guest teaches us today will change your life. Not kidding.

You will be a better entrepreneur if you listen and implement even half of what you learn from this episode. You'll be more focused, organized, thoughtful, and calm.

Erika Neumayer is the owner of Rare Dirndl, a Chicago-based company that designs and sells a very niche product - dirndls. A dirndl is what you wear to Oktoberfest and what the St. Pauli Girl wears - only Erika's are bad-ass versions of the traditional dress.

Today we discuss taking extended time off, whether it's due to maternity leave, the adoption of a child, a sick family member, a trek through the Himalayas, or a month on the beach in Ibiza. Erika's advice and insights in this episode on how she prepared for maternity leave are brilliant. Erika is organized and focused like no other entrepreneur I've ever worked with. I've re-listened to this episode 3 times already and I wish I could be more like her. The colored pen circling system Erika reveals is INSANELY awesome. And she gives us her full notes to download.

Don't miss this one because you will learn some serious tricks to getting your shizzle done - whether you're taking a leave or not, you need this info.

Download the Links and Notes from this episode:

https://janehamill.com/maternityleave/

The Imperfect Action monthly coaching program: https://janehamill.com/membership/

Holy Moses this is episode 100!! I'm pretty excited about it so I nixed the topic I'd planned for today in favor of something a little more personal - 10 things no one ever told me about owning my own business.

Or maybe somebody told me but I wasn't listening or just didn't get it.

Being an entrepreneur - well...it's not for wusses. It's hella easier to get a job, have a boss around to tell you what you should do each day, and be able to do things like take a (paid) sick day and a (paid) vacation.

But we are NOT like other people. We're always up for a challenge -- the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. (If you're too young to remember that, it's from an ad for the Olympics where the skiier wipes out and appears to have died). I digress.

So today I share with you what I've learned from working with hundreds of entrepreneurs in my courses and membership and from being my own boss since I was 25 years old.

#7 on this list could be an issue I'll take heat for since it smacks of "first world problems" but I'm willing to risk it.

I'd love to know what you think.

Have a listen...

www.janehamill.com/episode100

What if your weekly marketing tasks were EASY. Fast, simple, cheap, and mostly able to be delegated or outsourced? How cool would that be!!

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 and causes them stress.

It's tough to get consistent sales without consistent marketing, right? After today's episode, you have no more excuses. :) You can do this! Get started now and PLEASE let me know what you think in the comments on the blog, OK?

Show Notes and Links:

www.janehamill.com/quickandeasy