What if you could freelance *and* keep your full-time fashion job—without getting burned out, breaking any rules, or making your boss mad? That’s exactly what Mia Vasquez has figured out. As a seasoned tech designer in the workwear industry, she’s also built a sustainable freelance business on the side—and she does it all with full transparency and zero burnout. In this episode, Mia shares how she sets client boundaries, juggles the workload, and navigates the tricky topic of non-compete conflicts. If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really freelance while working full-time?”—this episode will show you how it’s done.
About Mia:
Mia Vasquez is a Technical Designer specializing in workwear, with extensive experience in plus-size fitting and garment development. She currently works in the corporate fashion industry while also supporting independent clients in building their personal clothing lines. Mia is passionate about creating well-constructed, inclusive designs that combine function with exceptional fit.
About Mia:
Mia Vasquez is a Technical Designer specializing in workwear, with extensive experience in plus-size fitting and garment development. She currently works in the corporate fashion industry while also supporting independent clients in building their personal clothing lines. Mia is passionate about creating well-constructed, inclusive designs that combine function with exceptional fit.
Creators and Guests
Host
Heidi Weinberg {Sew Heidi}
Heidi (aka Sew Heidi) is a self-taught freelance fashion designer who built a six-figure business without a degree, portfolio, or industry connections. After years of burnout in the fashion industry, she went freelance—and never looked back. Now, she helps other designers ditch toxic jobs, land better clients, and build flexible careers they love. Through her podcast, courses, and resources, Heidi has helped thousands of designers take control of their fashion path and finally get paid what they’re worth.
What is Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms?
This is a show for burnt-out fashion designers (and TDs, PDs, patternmakers, textile designer and beyond) who want more flexibility in their career while still doing work they love.
You'll learn how to build a freelance fashion business, so you can do the work you love on your own terms. Freelancing in fashion is the only way to get freedom in your day (instead of being tied to a desk).
Whether you want to earn extra money on the side, fund your fashion brand, or replace your salary, the FDGP podcast will help you get there. Listen in for actionable tips and strategies to kickstart or grow your career as a freelance fashion designer, build your confidence, and create the life you want.
Hosted by $100k+ fashion freelancer Sew Heidi, the show features interviews and strategy sessions with successful freelance fashion designers from around the world who've ditched toxic fashion jobs and taken control of their own destinies. This is the only place to get REAL insights from REAL freelancers who have built REAL careers on their own terms. (Formerly the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast.)
Heidi [00:00:00]:
What if you could freelance and keep your full time fashion job without getting burned out, breaking any rules or making your boss mad? That's exactly what Mia Vasquez has figured out. As a seasoned technical designer, she's also built a sustainable freelance business on the side. And she does it all with full transparency and zero burnout. In this episode, Mia shares how she sets client boundaries, juggles the workload and navigates the tricky topic of non compete conflicts. If you've ever wondered, can I really finance on the side while working full time? This episode will show you how it's done. Let's get to it. Well, Mia, welcome to the podcast. I'm really excited.
Heidi [00:00:37]:
I want to learn any and everything you have to share about like freelancing while working full time. This is something you've done for, in one way or another, 5ish years.
Mia [00:00:51]:
Is that accurate? Yes, about five years, approximately. Yeah.
Heidi [00:00:55]:
Okay. And so I guess why don't we get started first with like what is your current freelancing on the side? I'm doing that in air quotes look like right now in relation to your full time work. And then we can kind of dig into like, you know, the logistics of how you've balanced and juggled this both time wise in your own life as well as, you know, conversations with your employer and, or your clients and like how you're kind of juggling any conflicts of interest or things like that. Or maybe, you know, you've set this up strategically. So what does your current setup look like? Freelancing on the side?
Mia [00:01:37]:
So currently I have one client. I used to have two. I, I work, I've learned to just work with this when I'm in corporate because I still want a work life balance for, because currently I do about. It can be anywhere from two to 20 hours in a month. Okay. Which is kind of perfect for me because it brings in that extra little income. And also to be honest, I really love what I do. I think if you have a corporate job, you, you have to really love being in the industry because you have to be a self starter for one if you're doing corporate and freelance because you can get burnt out really fast.
Mia [00:02:33]:
So that's why currently I have just one client. I did have two but unfortunately it was just too much for my schedule. So that's when I actually went to fast and I asked, you know, I, I asked the forum and hey, can I find somebody to come help out? You know, pretty much. I, I did one of those things and I was able to vet like five different people. And, and I did it for the client because I'm very, I'm very open with my clients and I did let them know, like, hey, it's getting a little bit too much for me, but I can find a professional. And that's what I love about FAST too, is that there's so many professionals on the, on the, you know, on the Circle app and are people that are new. Actually, they're from all over backgrounds. Right.
Mia [00:03:23]:
So I just really love it. So right now I have my one client and he does. He's been in the industry for years and he's a friend of a friend, a past co worker of mine. So the way I find clown clients, the funny thing is it's all through word of mouth. I don't do any advertising. But because I've been in the industry for over 16 years, I have been able to work with some amazing people in the industry and some amazing brands in the industry that I've gotten to really have people trust me and trust my work. So I've never had to advertise. But my one client right now, again, is a friend of a friend.
Mia [00:04:15]:
And his pattern maker actually is retiring, which he's. He's in Palm Springs area, but his pattern makers retired. He's had this pattern maker for years. Years, like a lot of years. Okay. And it's all on manila paper, his patterns. So he was like looking for somebody to digitize it and that's kind of how we got connected.
Heidi [00:04:46]:
Okay, so you're a pattern maker.
Mia [00:04:48]:
I'm not a pattern maker.
Heidi [00:04:49]:
Oh, okay. Do you focus more on design or what?
Mia [00:04:53]:
I'm a. So I'm actually a technical designer. So that's what I. That's what I've been in the industry. So I have like 16 plus years in the industry as a pattern maker. So what I do is I do tech pack creation with construction sketches, fit and grading. When I say grading, I mean preliminary grading by the numbers, not grading as in pattern. Yeah, yeah.
Heidi [00:05:23]:
Okay.
Mia [00:05:25]:
And I actually have over 10 years experience focusing on women's plus size apparel in that 16 years. And then of course, you know, I work full time in the workwear industry now. But for my client that I'm working for right now, he does more of a lifestyle apparel brand. Okay. Yeah.
Heidi [00:05:45]:
So two totally different categories. Your employer versus your. Your current client.
Mia [00:05:51]:
Yes. So I have always. Because I've been freelancing again, I think this kind of like shot out for everybody during COVID Right. So I started a little bit before COVID I Started probably like six months prior to Covid, or maybe even like eight months prior to Covid. And what happened was during that time, I was kind of afraid too, because I was in the industry already and I was just like, I'm working for a huge company right now. I can't just, you know, work on something else. And I think that's fearful for a lot of people in the industry because they're just like, oh, I don't want to get fired or whatever. But yeah.
Mia [00:06:38]:
So what I landed up doing is I only chose a company that was strictly plus size. And at the time, my company that I was working for, they did both sizes. They did like extended sizing. So the company that reached out to me, they did strictly plus size. So I was like, okay, I could do this. And it was luxury. So my previous company wasn't luxury. So it was perfect because I wasn't competing.
Mia [00:07:10]:
It was like non competing. And then of course, I did land up signing an NDA to make sure that.
Heidi [00:07:17]:
With the client or with your employer?
Mia [00:07:19]:
With my client. With my client. Because I didn't want to. Again, I do not share between my corporate and my clients. I do not share information. I think that's very important not to cross those lines. And also software. So I have my own software, my software separate.
Mia [00:07:42]:
So like, I use clo3d and I've been probably learning clo3d since 2020. Right. I think everybody kind of was like, hey, I knew about browseware, but browseware is so expensive. And at the time when I first heard about browseware, they didn't have a subscription. And I think that's why Everybody gravitate to CLO3D. I don't know if that's kind of your experience too, but browseware was pretty expensive. But I, I use Browzwear in my corporate.
Heidi [00:08:20]:
Okay.
Mia [00:08:20]:
But for my client, I use clo3d. So.
Heidi [00:08:25]:
So, okay, I have so many questions. Did your, did your employer at that time and, or your employer currently, do they know that you're taking clients on the side?
Mia [00:08:41]:
Yes. So I let my manager know, but I also let them know that it's, it's non compete. So like right now I'm in workwear. I will not take on a client that also wants me to do workwear. That's, that's a freelance client. I just won't do it. It's. It's not.
Mia [00:08:57]:
Right. Right. So right now I have a lifestyle apparel guy that I'm working with and that's, that's as far as I go. Okay. And I know a lot of people wonder that, you know, because some people are. That's kind of what they do when they work for retail. You know, they just have to be really strategic and just kind of be honest with their employer as well. It can't get in the way of your regular workday.
Mia [00:09:29]:
So like I work a regular 40 hours a week and when I come home is when I do my, my, my extra work and on the weekends.
Heidi [00:09:40]:
Okay.
Mia [00:09:41]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:09:42]:
So like what did that conversation look like with, with your employers? Like, I am taking on this opera. Did you just tell them or did you ask for permission?
Mia [00:09:54]:
So I asked for. I just let them know, like in the beginning. Okay. So before I start a job, I let them know, hey, I still have clients on the side, like particularly the company I'm with now. So it's kind of funny. So I used to live in Los Angeles and then I moved here to Nashville in 2021 and I worked remotely for like a year and a half, flying back and forth from Nashville back to Los Angeles for my, my client, my plus size client at the time. And I had four clients actually. So I was completely freelance.
Mia [00:10:38]:
I did not work for a company. Everything was, everything was great. This was before I found. This was before I found you actually online. So I don't know, it just. I lost my clients by I think it was 2023, I believe. I'm kind of getting lost with my, my years right now. But anyways, I had lost my clients one by one.
Mia [00:11:07]:
Just started like dropping. And again, one the biggest client I had, they had an acquisition with another plus company and they got bought out. So I was like, okay, what I'm going to do, I have three clients left. Nashville doesn't have a huge clothing industry. They do. And then they don't. Like you have to be in the know. And I didn't, I wasn't in the know.
Mia [00:11:33]:
Um, so. And then of course, this is before I found you. So I was like, what am I gonna do? Um, so then I, I found the company I'm at now and I let them know ahead of time, like, hey, I do some stuff on the side. As long as it's non compete. Are you okay with that? And they said, as long as it's not interfering with the work that you do now. So I actually didn't have any clients. I wanted to focus on learning their processes first before I brought on another client. So that's when I found you.
Mia [00:12:08]:
So the same time that I started working at My current job is the same time I found and signed up for fast. Okay. And I was. When I signed up for fast, I realized, you know what, when you're freelancing, you need that connection of people, of community, and I was missing that. The thing as a technical designer, I have so many. I have so many mentors. It's been pretty amazing being in industry and working with amazing people that want to share their experience. And I've.
Mia [00:12:46]:
I've never had bad experience in the industry. I. I can honestly say I probably work with some of the best people in the industry that has also brought me up with them. And. And I think it's because I've been able to keep a good relationship with them. And to be honest, like, a lot of them that mentored me, they're actually directors now for big retail brands. So. So I've been fortunate on that side of the fashion industry because there has been bad, bad things that happen in industry, and I know which companies to stay away from, steer.
Mia [00:13:24]:
Because I have been able to speak with so many people to tell me, like, no, you don't want to go there. You know, you don't want to go to this company. You don't want to go to this company. So. So it's been. I've been pretty fortunate so that when I did. Now that I'm at the company I'm at now, they were like, open for it, but I let them know. And I.
Heidi [00:13:45]:
And during the hiring process.
Mia [00:13:46]:
Yes, during the hiring process, I let them know. But it's also you being truthful as well.
Heidi [00:13:54]:
Yeah.
Mia [00:13:55]:
Never sharing company secrets. You know, things like that. When you.
Heidi [00:14:02]:
Back in 20, you said you started like eight, six or eight months before COVID Back then, were you already working full time when you took your first client on?
Mia [00:14:12]:
Mm, yes.
Heidi [00:14:13]:
So at that point, you couldn't tell your employer in advance during the hiring process. So at that point, did you just go to your hiring or your man, direct manager and say, I'm looking at taking this freelance client on. It doesn't compete because it's luxury plus size, and that's not what we do here. And did you ask for permission in that capacity or what you do?
Mia [00:14:37]:
I didn't yet. And the reason why I didn't is because it was like one. One skew here, one skew there. So it was like, hey, we just need you for like, one design. Can you do this? Sure. You know, so I did. So it was. It.
Mia [00:14:57]:
Even though it was at eight months, it was like one skew here, one skew there. And then Covid hit in March where they were like, you're, you're going to be furloughed, right? So they furloughed me and I'm like, what am I going to do? Right? Like, I feel like nobody knew what. During that time, nobody knew what was going to happen. So by July or not July, June, they laid everybody off at the company. So luckily I didn't really have to tell them anything yet because I was like, well, I don't know what's going to happen. And now luckily that was the only job I had, that was the only income I had coming in. And so they were happy because the, the company I was working with because they're like, hey, well now you can help us with so many other things. And that's kind of how it kind of worked out for me in that sense.
Mia [00:15:58]:
And then after that I've just been like freelancing this whole time. And then I got another corporate position. And so my corporate position is when I was open with them to let them know, hey, I do do stuff on the side, but it's not going to interfere with the work that I do now.
Heidi [00:16:16]:
Okay. Both like time wise as well as like from a competition perspective.
Mia [00:16:21]:
Yes, yes. Yeah, I, that has to be, that's the one thing. Because I don't want anybody to get in trouble, you know, Because I know have been asked this quite a few times even with people that I've known in the industry, like, how do you do it, Mia? And it's like, of course, like I have a lot of knowledge, especially when it comes to plus and I think that's why people come to me that do know about that part of the knowledge. But it's just something like I learned so much. I love learning and it's never going to stop with me because it's just something that's innately in me. I think God's given it to me since. I mean it's, it's amazing because I actually, this is my second career. So I started later than, you know, most, most people start maybe in their early 20s.
Mia [00:17:16]:
I started in my late, late 20s in the industry. So it's pretty amazing. So I just love to learn. I love the industry a lot.
Heidi [00:17:27]:
Okay. I want to touch on that if we have time about starting later in life. But I also, there's so many other questions I still have.
Mia [00:17:34]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:17:37]:
How do you communicate with your clients that you work full time so you're not necessarily available during the normal nine to five, et cetera.
Mia [00:17:48]:
You Know what? I'm usually open and honest with them. In the beginning, I'm letting them know, like, hey, I do have another job. So when we do have to do fittings or things like that, it has to be like after hours so they know right away, so they'll know if they want to work with me or not, or I can give them a referral to someone else that I know. And I've been making some. Some fun connections on the Circle app. So if I do come across somebody, I. I've already referred some people to some of the product developers that I know myself because they're always asking, hey, Mia, do you know somebody on lingerie? Hey, Mia, do you know? They're always something. So if I don't know anybody or none of my friends are available at the time, then I will go on the Circle app and say, like, hey, is somebody interested in this? Let me know.
Heidi [00:18:47]:
Gotcha.
Mia [00:18:48]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:18:49]:
So sounds like that. Communication and just setting those expectations upfront, both with your client and now with your employer, as long as you're starting pre getting hired, that has solved any conflict that potentially could arrive.
Mia [00:19:05]:
Yes.
Heidi [00:19:06]:
Yeah. That's amazing.
Mia [00:19:07]:
Yeah, yeah. You just want to be honest in the beginning.
Heidi [00:19:10]:
Yeah, yeah. And it sounds like with your first employer where you were freelancing on the side, it was just like you said, a skew here, a skew there. But at a certain point, had it maybe begun to grow, you would have just gone to them and had a conversation and brought it up. In real time.
Mia [00:19:28]:
Yes, in real time. Plus, this is. I mean, everybody knows it's really hard times right now for everybody. And then of course, just say you're an assistant, assistant level. You know, you're. You're not making as much as somebody higher that's been in the industry for a long time. And if you have to make ends meet somehow, you know, this is where you can probably go to your employer and just maybe even ask for a raise or just say, well, if not, like, I need to take some extra work on the side. This is what I'm doing.
Mia [00:20:01]:
And just to be honest, you know, I think for everybody, it's. It's tough right now, you know, especially the clothing industry. I've seen it to where it's done this. You know, what I love about tech design is they're always looking for tech designers. I think that's one thing that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. When I went to school, that's the one thing my teacher, she told me, you know, everybody Wants to be a designer. Right. They raise their hand when they're in school or whatever.
Mia [00:20:40]:
I was a designer. I was the only one that at the time I wanted to be a pattern maker. I didn't know what tech design was and I was like, I guess that, you know, pattern maker. But it's pretty amazing that I love tech design. I love that I can work with the designers, the merchandisers, the models. It's, it's a lot of fun. It's different what I do in corporate right now, but what I love about my clients is that I'm back to fitting. So I do do virtual fits with my client and it's great.
Mia [00:21:14]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:21:15]:
Okay, so I want to talk about the virtual fittings thing because a lot of people have questions about how to do technical design remotely. But first, can we talk about. You said you do anywhere between, let's say two to 20 hours a month. So let's say roughly one to five hours a week. And you fit this in after hours and or on the weekends, do you just come home from work and you're like, I have an hour, I need to get done for my client. I'm gonna punch it out. Or like, I know for some people that a day job in fashion can be really draining on a lot of levels.
Mia [00:21:55]:
Yes.
Heidi [00:21:55]:
Not only the workload can be really heavy and often more than 40 hours a week, it can also have a really large mental toll. It sounds like you've been in really healthy work environments, which is amazing. But I'm still curious if you could speak to time wise and just the mental space of juggling those extra clients on top of your day job. And it sounds like there was a point where you had the two and you're like, this is too much. And you're like, I'm reaching my tipping point. So you found another freelancer for your client. But just talk us through, like how you fit that into your life and find the energy for that.
Mia [00:22:41]:
Yeah, so I, I do, I'm very organized when it comes to my work, my home. Sometimes not always. Right. It just happens. I'm like, I have to cook dinner. Know I find myself because I get home between s. Maybe five and six o' clock every night.
Heidi [00:23:04]:
You physically go to an office every day?
Mia [00:23:06]:
Yes, I do. And it takes me an hour to commute.
Heidi [00:23:10]:
Oh, wow. Okay.
Mia [00:23:12]:
Yeah, it takes me an hour to commute. Luckily, my lovely husband, he, we right here together. You know, we, we, we, we go together. So we share, we share it together. But I do come home and I'll be honest, I'm, I am exhausted. There's plenty of times you, I mean, you said it, you know, especially in tech design. I'm, I'm looking at my screen all day. I do 3D, I do Bill of materials and it's a lot, you know, it's just a lot numbers and I'm like exhausted.
Mia [00:23:46]:
There's, there's times where I'm like, I can't do this. So what I land up doing is sometimes I take a nap when I get home.
Heidi [00:23:54]:
I like five or six o'. Clock.
Mia [00:23:56]:
Yeah, I will take a 30 minute nap because if I sleep past that girl, I'm done. I can't get up. So I'll take like a power nap.
Heidi [00:24:05]:
Okay.
Mia [00:24:06]:
I'll do some, I'll do dinner, get dinner ready. And by the time I actually start working, it's usually around 9:00'. Clock. Wow.
Heidi [00:24:15]:
Okay.
Mia [00:24:15]:
Yeah. And then I try to give myself I want, I don't want to stay up to midnight. And I'm not gonna lie, there's times when I stay up past midnight to do my extra work. But if I stagger it and I'm like, I'm gonna do an hour here, I'm gonna do an hour here. Let me get to bed by 10:30 or you know, whatever. Try to stagger it during the week, it's a little bit better. Or I'll let my client know like, and I'll be honest, like, hey, I can't get this done. I'll work on it Friday.
Mia [00:24:47]:
I'll work on it on, over the weekend if, especially the holidays. It, you know, for everybody gets really busy. For every, everybody gets really busy or like Black Friday, I'm probably going to be working, but I don't need to go shopping, you know, because honestly I'm working to make extra hours. Even though I love it, I want to get paid too, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's, it's kind of like I'm making this extra too because I started. I really, really love freelancing in a sense where I love helping people. I think it's just part of it, but you can get burnt out. That's why I have the one client.
Mia [00:25:35]:
That's why I have the one client. But I would say I really try to organize my timeline. Like for instance, right now I'm on the first fit of a PJ pant that I'm doing and I actually have a seamstress here in Nashville that I've been using. And so once I do the pattern, because I Do, do. Okay, so I know earlier I was like, I just tech design the great, the great thing about clo3d is you could do the pattern in there. So, so I do work on the patterns and I do the corrections and then I, I print it out and then I give it to my seamstress to sew up the sample and then I mail it back. But I let my client know, like if I'm running out of time, if I need extra time, I will let him know. But I'm, I think again, I'm just being open with him and I think I can.
Mia [00:26:39]:
This one client I can do. You know, if you're like juggling three clients and you have a 40 hour work week or even more, that might be kind of difficult. And it might, it might be where they're not going to want to work with you and you don't want to put a bad name for yourself out there. I know, I've heard some of your stories on maybe people not calling you.
Heidi [00:27:06]:
Back or like the flaky freelancer. It's such a real thing.
Mia [00:27:11]:
Yeah. And I mean, I know last time we were supposed to talk and then my electricity went out. I was like, I'm not a flaky freelancer.
Heidi [00:27:20]:
But you communicated with me promptly. Yeah, it's all about communication.
Mia [00:27:25]:
Yes.
Heidi [00:27:28]:
Okay, so currently one client feels like a good juggle for you. Talk about the remote fittings and all of this.
Mia [00:27:40]:
Yeah, so. Remote fittings. So I really got to understand remote fittings during COVID because we had to do that, you know, for corporate. And luckily I love working with professional fit models. I love them because they really know how to call out the fit and they really know to call out what's too high in armhole, what, you know, crotch step, all that stuff. And I've worked from work with some amazing fit models that are very vocal and they've been in the industry for many, many years, both male and female. My clients, they don't have professional. My clients don't have professional fit malls.
Mia [00:28:26]:
And honestly, most small brands don't. They just, they just don't. They don't have the money for it. And that's okay, you know, that's okay. They could still make some amazing things. So what my virtual, how my virtual works is I set up an appointment with my client and I'll let him know, like, hey, I have. This is my availability. What's your availability? And luckily I actually have like a unicorn client.
Mia [00:28:56]:
He is the best. I've had a total of probably 10 different clients. And he's probably my favorite client. He really is great. He really knows what he wants. And I'd have to say that he's very flexible with me, and I am with him as well. So we were usually, like, on teams or Zoom, whatever he decided, or Google. Google Meets.
Mia [00:29:29]:
And he puts. He puts the style on. I actually have a list. So what happens is I always get the garment first. I don't know how everybody else does it. Everybody does it a little bit different. But I was always taught, always measure the garment first, no matter what. Do not let anybody try it on until it is measured.
Mia [00:29:52]:
Because again, with stretch or. Or whatever, it'll change it. It'll change the specs and stuff like that. So I always tell every client, please have the vendor send it to me. I'll measure it, and then I'll send it back to you. So that's how I work with my clients, and they know that. So that's what I do. I evaluate the sample first so that when they try it on and maybe it's not to their liking, they're not freaked out because I can't tell if it was.
Mia [00:30:19]:
Something was wrong with it, but now I can't.
Heidi [00:30:21]:
Massively out of tolerance or something.
Mia [00:30:22]:
Yeah, yeah. I'm able to talk them through it. So with my client, I will measure everything. I will do the shrinkage, and then he gives me all the fabric to get made over here with my seamstress. And then, yeah, like, we just talk it through the fitting. I always go from bottom, from. From top to bottom. Like I was going to say for bottoms, from top to bottom through the fitting.
Mia [00:30:49]:
We talk through every point. I would say it takes about an hour to do a fitting when it comes to proto stage. And again, just talking through. I'm thinking of PJs right now because I'm doing a PJ. So we talk through the waist, the hip, the inseam, you know, all that. How do you like it? And then I take front, back, side views while we're on the, you know, on the computer. And I have him stay there, and that's kind of. And I just write my notes and we.
Mia [00:31:28]:
And then we reiterate the notes. Actually, recently he did an AI thing when he goes, look, Mia like, they did the notes for me, it was so cute. I was like, all right, cool. So we do the notes together. And then that's pretty much. That's how I do my virtual fittings. I do ask him lots of questions. And even he also has somebody else that he Gets made overseas, he gets others.
Mia [00:31:57]:
He gets made stuff here domestically and he gets made stuff overseas. And the things that he gets made overseas, they also sometimes need help. So then I'll even jump in on those fittings as well.
Heidi [00:32:11]:
Okay.
Mia [00:32:13]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:32:14]:
So in this case it sounds like he himself is the fit model.
Mia [00:32:18]:
He is, yeah.
Heidi [00:32:19]:
Okay. And then have you had scenarios where the client is not the fit model for whatever list of reasons and you need to have somebody else, either yourself or a friend or something like that?
Mia [00:32:32]:
Yes. So I. Okay, so what I normally do is I will hire a fit model myself if the client is, is agreeing to that. And, and that's also through my proposal. So when I talk with the client, I first let them know like what do they want made and things like that. And then we also talk through. Okay, when it comes to fitting, do you have a fit model if not, or do you have somebody in office or at home or whichever. But it's constant, it has to be constant.
Mia [00:33:09]:
I don't want to be changing between people. Right. It happens all the time. So you know what I'm talking about. So, so what I do is I'll hire a fit model, which is. I've been having a hard time, especially here in Nashville. It's been very.
Heidi [00:33:26]:
You're finding people in Nashville, Tennessee?
Mia [00:33:29]:
I have found a few, but it's very, very difficult, especially when it comes to plus size. It's very difficult. But right now, luckily I don't have to because my current client is. He's a fit model. He's been doing it for years, you know, and he, his people, it's the same fit for him. But usually I will hire outside and clients can range from anywhere. Well, fit models are very pricey. They can be anywhere it.
Mia [00:34:06]:
So in Nashville I found that their rate is 75 to about 150 right now. So give or take our fitting an hour and then of course two hour minimum if you go through an agency. What I found through the agencies though, unfortunately here is there's not that many professional ones. They're professional models, right. And they look beautiful and they can do the stance. But fit modeling is different. You know, fit modeling, you don't have to, you have to be, you know, a certain range, spec, spec, range. But you also have to know what to call out, you know, and understand that you're not, you're not fitting for yourself and your own preference.
Mia [00:34:55]:
You're fitting for the masses and the base size. What we're calling for the size guide. Right. Whatever our company says, this is Our base size. I've also found working with clients that they don't even know, they don't even know who their customer, what their customer size is. It's all over the place. So I love working with clients that we're able to kind of hone in on. Hey, do you have a size chart? Let's make one for you.
Mia [00:35:26]:
Let's get it consistent so that your size medium person or your size large person is always going to be consistent or whatever they buy from you. So that's what I love to do. I love to be consistent and, and really help new brands kind of, you know, understand that not, not many people understand. Understand that.
Heidi [00:35:50]:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. All right.
Mia [00:35:54]:
So.
Heidi [00:35:56]:
The fit process fluctuates depending on whether the client's model or not. But you said you always have the sample come to you first, measure it before it gets on any body, which is super smart. And I'm curious to know, sort of separate from that as a whole, it sounds like you have inbound opportunities. You've never done any marketing or advertising. Everything's kind of fallen into your lap through your network. What is. Why aren't you. I'm trying to phrase this the right way.
Heidi [00:36:36]:
Do you think about building your finance business and leaving corporate and having a full time freelance business?
Mia [00:36:45]:
I'll be honest, I really thought I was going to try to do that when I had my clients a few years ago, almost over three years ago when I was freelancing. And I'll be honest, I think it, I think a lot of it has to do with. One. I. Okay, so there's pros and cons, right, to freelancing. I think the one thing for me that really is, it's the taxes. I'm like, ah. You know, I think the cons for me were the taxes and then the cons for me were also just having to chase payment.
Mia [00:37:33]:
That was a tough one. I do know that I still have a lot of growth to do. I think I should say when it comes to, I don't know, just being, I don't know, I would say maybe confidence. I think that's where everybody. The fear. Fear crushes people, which it does me. It does me too. But also the confidence part.
Mia [00:38:09]:
I think corporate can make you feel safe, right? But I know I lost my job through corporate before too, so it's not always safe. I know I should, but I really love where I'm at right now. I love my corporate job right now and I love the people I work with and I'm actually doing Something a little different that I wouldn't normally do in my other tech design roles. I'm technically a tech designer, but it's a different type of role that I'm doing and I'm really loving it and I love like the people. I think if I do have to go back. So again, like, I'm originally from Los Angeles, my family. I'm eventually going to go back to Los Angeles to be with my family. Like, I still have my daughters, I have two other daughters there, my parents, my whole family actually.
Mia [00:39:08]:
And I want to go back for them and to be with them, you know, as they're getting older in their age. And I think I will probably start looking into that once I move back and. And kind of preparing for that right now. I'm trying to set it up, but I have to also not make excuses. I think for me, it's just a lot of. Ideally would be great, but I'm also not good with the back. Like I told you, the back stuff that also has to be part of when you freelance. You know, maybe if I'm more comfortable building a team, I might be better.
Mia [00:39:56]:
I mean, there. It's some amazing things that I get to hear on this program and your podcast about so many people making it happen. And I'm just like, they're making it happen. You know, maybe one day I'll get the confidence to do it as well, get back to do it again. I think I was really kind of jaded for a moment when I was just like, I don't have a job. I was scared, you know, And I hate being in that feeling of, of when's the next paycheck gonna come in? That type of thing. But we'll see, we'll see. We'll see what their future holds.
Mia [00:40:42]:
I don't know.
Heidi [00:40:43]:
Listen, I'm not here to make you feel like one choice is right versus the other. I was genuinely curious because I see that you have the network built up. You already have clients coming to you organically, and I think with certain action and mindset, which does take time and practice to build, and you have the support network and the strategy inside of fast. I'm like, we teach you how to do all these things, you know, like charge enough to deal with the taxes and get those steady clients and become booked out and all the things. But at the same time, you said you're really happy where you are in your day job and you're enjoying the people and that real life experience of it. So enjoy that. Like there's. There was no pressure.
Heidi [00:41:31]:
And that's why I was trying to word it very carefully the question, because there was no pressure. I was genuinely just curious. And so, you know, maybe it comes in time, maybe it doesn't. But it sounds like you have a really, really good balance right now and you're really pleased with how things are going.
Mia [00:41:48]:
Yes. Yes, I am.
Heidi [00:41:50]:
Which is amazing. Yeah.
Mia [00:41:52]:
Yeah, I am.
Heidi [00:41:53]:
Really quickly, could we touch on your backstory in the. Into the industry? You mentioned that it's almost a second career for you. How did. How did all that pan out in your 20s?
Mia [00:42:05]:
Yeah, so pretty much my late 20s. I found myself a single mom, divorced, and, you know, getting ready to get divorced. And I had two children at the time. And I was like, what am I gonna do with my. To help, you know, have a career for my. My children, you know, to. To provide for them. Luckily, at the time, so I was living in Florida, then I moved back to California, and I was always sewing.
Mia [00:42:48]:
I've been sewing. I started sewing probably. I started loving fashion at a young age. My first design, I was, like, 15 years old when I made my first design, but I started sewing probably when I was, like, 22, 23. And I just always loved it. And I was like, this is great. You know, I want to. I want to sell.
Mia [00:43:13]:
This is wonderful. So I tell myself how to sew, you know, like, do the. You know, do the patterns, you know, the paper patterns that they have, like, at Joann's and things like that. And sewing actually is kind of like. It runs in my family with, like, my aunts and my grandmother, my great grandmother. It's just part of what's in us, right? And I remember, like, moving back to Los Angeles, find myself in this crossroads of change. And I was like, okay, I need to make a difference. I need to do something.
Mia [00:43:48]:
I might as well jump in and try this fashion thing. But I wanted to just learn how to sew at the time. And so I joined, or not joined, but I started going to school at Los Angeles Trade Tech College in Los Angeles, which they actually are the oldest fashion design program in Los Angeles. And I was like, all right, let's do this. And I remember joining a tailoring class at night, and I was told by one of the instructors that they had a program like, you can make something happen. You can actually get a degree in this. And. And I was just going to go just try to, like, learn how to sew, you know, basic.
Mia [00:44:35]:
Get, like, professional sewing, right? And when they told me that, and I found, like, my Myself in the crossroads where now I was a single mom. I was like, okay, I'm going to make this happen. And I. Luckily, at the time, I was on assistance, and they were able to pay for my schooling to get my AA degree. And I was able to bring my son with me. At the time, he was. He was a little kid. You know, he was two at the time.
Mia [00:45:12]:
And I was able to finish my degree, and he would come with me. I drop him off at the daycare at Los Angeles, traded college, and then I would go to school, and I was able to finish my degree in two and a half years, and I was able to get some amazing internships. And it's kind of amazing how God really orchestrated that for me in my life, where I thought that I was never going to be able to follow, you know, a dream of mine, because I came from. I came from a time where I didn't have the money. I didn't have the funds to go to college, But I found myself in my late 20s. Like, I'm gonna make this happen. I don't care what. I don't care what happens.
Mia [00:46:06]:
I don't care. Like, if God's putting this on my heart, I'm gonna do it. And. And I did. And believe it or not, like, I remember when I graduated, and I was so happy. You know, my kids were, like, still little, and I'm like, okay, I graduated. Do I want to finish my bachelor's? But again, I was a single mom, so I had to make a decision. Either get in.
Mia [00:46:38]:
At the time, I was either get into debt because I have to pay for my bachelor's for two more years, or figure out a way to get in the industry and let people know that I'm really serious. And I did that instead. Yeah. I interned for a whole year, different companies. I actually got to intern at alo, which they're a huge company now.
Heidi [00:47:04]:
Yeah.
Mia [00:47:04]:
And. And I found them through. I think it was Craigslist at the time. Yeah. And I was just like, hey, if I could do this, like, sky's the limit for me. I just got to keep trying. And so luckily, I was able to. As soon as I graduated, I was able to land a job.
Mia [00:47:32]:
And I could say them. I'm not working with them anymore, but I land a job with Hot Topic, and they're in the city of industry. And I was just like. And at the time, I lived 15 minutes away. And I was like, I'm going to make this happen. This is amazing. And they gave me a shot as an assistant technical designer.
Heidi [00:47:53]:
Yeah.
Mia [00:47:53]:
Yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty amazing how my life has spanned from there to now. It kind of chokes me up sometimes because I was able to follow my dreams in, in the fashion industry at a later date when there's, there's people right now that think they can't make it happen. And you can. You just gotta keep going for it and keep learning. And there's so many. There's so much stuff out there now, especially with like YouTube and like your platform, you know, giving people encouragement and giving people hope that they can do it too.
Heidi [00:48:34]:
Yeah. Well, good for you, Mia. You've made big things happen for yourself in life and it's been a joy to hear about your journey and what you have going on right now, juggling the freelance and the full time life, which is just amazing. Thank you for sharing everything with us and all the tips and strategies you've learned along the way to make this happen. I'd love to wrap up with the question ask everybody at the end, which is what is one thing people never ask you about being a fashion freelancer that you wish they would?
Mia [00:49:09]:
I think when it comes to, when it comes to that, nobody really actually knows what I do. Nobody. Really. Nobody. They just know I'm in the fashion industry and they. Everybody thinks I sew. Yes, everybody. And I'm sure that happens with everybody.
Mia [00:49:28]:
Everybody thinks I. So I think, I think it's just. I don't know. That's. That's a, that's a tough one. I apologize for not having a good answer to that one.
Heidi [00:49:41]:
You're good.
Mia [00:49:42]:
I just know that the type of person that I am. I think one thing is that if I can go back in time, I want to always be able to allow people to know if they know anybody in their family that wants to be a designer or whatever the case may be. I'm very passionate about sharing my knowledge with the next generation of designers. There's times that I will come across people and I'll hear people get so excited about. They want to be a designer, they want to do this. Like, I want people to be like, hey, that's what I do. Like, I don't mind mentoring you, you know?
Heidi [00:50:25]:
Yeah.
Mia [00:50:26]:
You know, so I guess that's one thing. You know, like, people know what I do, but it's not like it's never really a, a question like, hey, tell me what you do, you do it. I don't know. I apologize.
Heidi [00:50:43]:
You're good. You're good. That was a great answer. Well, where can everybody connect with you and find you online? Mia.
Mia [00:50:50]:
So I would say my LinkedIn. You can connect with me on my LinkedIn. I'm definitely one of these days when I start freelancing, I will start making a page, but for right now it'll be on my LinkedIn. Okay.
Heidi [00:51:05]:
Amazing. When you start freelancing full time.
Mia [00:51:08]:
Yes.
Heidi [00:51:09]:
You're already freelancing.
Mia [00:51:11]:
Yes, I'm already freelancing. When I start freelancing full time. Say that. Well, we'll say that. We'll see what comes, right? We'll see what 2026 begins.
Heidi [00:51:20]:
Yeah.
Mia [00:51:20]:
Yes.
Heidi [00:51:21]:
When it's the right time for you. You're in a good place right now. So follow that, that journey of life. How it feels good.
Mia [00:51:29]:
Thank you. Thank you. It's been a pleasure talking with you. You're just so easy to talk to. I was so nervous, but thank you for making it really simple and easy to talk to.