One place new fashion freelancers get stuck all the time is figuring out what services to offer. If you’ve been spinning your wheels thinking you need to learn flats, repeats, tech packs, patterns, sourcing, and maybe graphic design? before you can start freelancing, there’s good news: You don’t have to offer every service under the sun in order to present yourself as a freelancer. In fact, the secret you’ll learn in this short solo episode will make every aspect of freelancing easier, and make you MORE marketable at the same time.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

The Successful Fashion Designer

SFF142: How to figure out your services as a fashion freelancer

Ever wondered what your clients & potential clients are thinking? What makes them decide to hire a freelancer from a cold pitch? What are they thinking while you’re working together? And how do they decide whether to lose your info, or hire you again (and again, and again)? In this interview with freelance graphic designer Atara, you’ll hear a client’s perspective on what makes a freelancer irresistible.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF141: Why I Hired This Freelancer (and then hired her again, and again, and again!)

Ah, puberty. That fun phase we all go through. When surprises pop up that NO ONE prepared you for, everything is awkward AF, and you’re just trying to figure yourself out.   Puberty may suck, but it’s a mandatory phase--there’s no getting around it.   But I’m not talking about middle school, body hair, and braces. I’m talking about the cringeworthy, painful, but absolutely necessary phase of Freelance Puberty.     If you’re… Breaking into a sweat before every potential client call…  Putting off sending that cold pitch for weeks (because you don’t want potential clients to laugh at you!)... Or just feeling the freelance growing pains...  … then this episode is for you!  For the complete show notes and to register for the free training on finding freelance clients, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF140: Fashion Freelancer Puberty

Even if you’ve been in the fashion industry for years (or decades!), transitioning to a freelance career presents a unique set of questions and challenges. Today’s guest has a decade of experience, but she still has tons of questions about how to turn that knowledge into a thriving freelance business. And we cover it all, from pricing to portfolios and so much more.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF139 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: CLO3d as a service? Project pricing? And what about portfolios?

“It’s practically impossible to break into fashion.” If you’ve ever believed this myth, you’re not alone. And that’s how today’s guest, Brittany, felt after she graduated from fashion school. For 15 years, Brittany couldn’t get her break. But within two months of launching her freelance career, Brittany has already landed her first client and completed two projects--her first paid work in the fashion industry. And this is just the beginning.    For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF138 How She Did It: A Fashion Freelancer with No Industry Experience

If you’ve ever felt rusty or worried that you’re losing your edge in your fashion career, this episode is for you. Tina is a freelancer in Germany. Coming from the activewear category, she now exclusively designs workwear, and loves it! But will her workwear clients notice that she’s “lost” her activewear skills? And how can she get them back?   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF137 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: I feel like I'm losing my skills and confidence...

You shouldn’t have to choose between your fashion career and your family. That “9 to 5” (more like 7 AM to 10 PM!) corporate job might feel stable and safe, but sometimes sticking with what you know isn’t worth the trade off. As a freelancer, you CAN build a stable, fulfilling career in fashion--and still have time to spend with your family (and live your life!).  I’m not here to judge--if you’re a parent who loves your demanding job and crazy long hours, then you do you! But if you’re craving more balance, you’re not alone. Listen to hear how designer Lori Paradis changed her life through freelancing… and how you can do it, too.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF136 Creating Stability and Fulfillment as a Fashion Freelancer

As a freelancer in fashion, should you offer the skills you already know how to do well, or learn new skills so you can do what you really love? Some aspiring freelancers get so stuck on this question that they end up doing neither (and putting off their freelance goals yet another year... or two... or ten!).   In this Fashion Freelancer Q&A, we tackle the services you should offer, how to offer a service you haven’t perfected yet, and why doing what you love is a recipe for freelance success.   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF135 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: What should my services be? (The skills I have or what I LOVE?)

Freelance patternmaker Alexandra doesn’t have a fashion degree, and she doesn’t live in a fashion hub. Yet with only a couple years of experience, she is now making more in one day as a freelancer than she made in two weeks at her old full-time job. Better yet, she loves the freedom to make her own schedule, choose the best projects for her goals, and actually have a life--all while still working in fashion.   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer! 

SFF134 How to Be a Remote Freelance Patternmaker

If you’ve never considered freelancing as an option for your fashion career, you’re not alone. Today’s guest, Amy, liked working in-house and was never interested in becoming a freelancer. But when she became a mom and needed just a little more work-life balance, she came face to face with how inflexible this industry can be. She started freelancing as a temporary fix while her son was young, and always intended to go back to in-house. But once she experienced the flexibility, freedom of choice, and better hourly wage she now has, she fell in love with freelancing.    For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF133 The Fashion Freelancer Who Never Wanted to Be a Freelancer

In this Fashion Freelancer Q&A you’ll hear from Mari, a freelance knitwear designer who’s working on perfecting her pricing strategy. She’s built a successful freelance business, and she loves her work and the “limitless opportunities” that freelancing provides. But like most new freelancers, she still has questions about charging for her services. From undercharging to retainers, listen for tons of tips to help you navigate freelance pricing. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF132 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: Pricing and retainers, WTF to do!?

One of the most common myths about freelancing in fashion is that brands won’t pay a fair hourly wage. Today’s guest blows that myth out of the water--sharing how she’s been charging up to $85 an hour over the past year (yes, during the pandemic!). From tips on finding clients, to pricing, retainers, and contracts, this interview is packed with the kind of freelance advice no one else in the industry is talking about.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF131 How this fashion freelancer is charging $85/hr (during the pandemic!)

Sometimes the thing you *think* you’re stuck on is just a distraction from what’s really holding you back. In this Fashion Freelancer Q&A, technical designer Jaylene asks where to find freelance clients. But over the course of the conversation, she realizes that it’s not finding the brands that’s most challenging, but putting herself out there to pitch her services. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF130 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: What if brands think I'm an idiot?

Launching a fashion brand is expensive. And many designers who dream of having their own brand find themselves stuck in this dilemma: You need to work to support yourself while you’re starting your brand. But a full time job hardly leaves any time to work on your line! In this interview, Atlanta-based sustainable designer Christina Yother shares how she launched and funded her fashion brand while working full time, freelancing, and navigating the effects of the pandemic on the fashion industry! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFF129 How this designer freelanced while starting her fashion brand

This is a very special episode--and the last episode of the Successful Fashion Designer Podcast. But don’t worry. Better things are coming, and we hope you’ll be along for the ride! In this episode, Heidi & Tara chat about the future of Successful Fashion Designer, and what this huge change means to you.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

SFD128 Saying Goodbye to the Successful Fashion Designer Podcast

The fashion industry is brutally competitive...and we're all trying to get ahead. The problem is that everyone's so tight lipped with their strategies and resources. The Successful Fashion Designer is an "all secrets revealed" show by industry expert designer and educator Sew Heidi to help you gain the confidence, skills and insights to make it in a cutthroat market. The show covers topics such as breaking into the industry, getting promotions and raises, launching your own label and becoming a successful freelancer. Every episode is packed full of actionable steps you can implement right away to get ahead. Now.

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The Successful Fashion Designer

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