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This is a show for burnt-out fashion designers (and TDs, PDs, patternmakers and beyond) who want more flexibility while still doing work they love. As a freelance fashion designer, you can build your fashion career 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]:
If you've been in the fashion industry for any amount of time, don't discount the value of people that you already know. There's a really good chance that you can get freelance work from them, but you have to go about it the right way. Because if all you're doing is reaching out for work, saying, hey, I'm a freelancer. Do you know anyone that needs any help? It's not going to feel very good for them to get that message. There are really simple ways to connect or reconnect with people, even if you haven't talked to them in years, even if they work at big brands and you want to work at small brands, even if they design products that aren't in your niche. People in fashion know other people in fashion, and there is a very high likelihood that someone you already know know someone who really could actually use your services. So here's a great way you can kick start conversations with people from your past and get more freelance clients without being annoying about it. We want it to feel good from the other person's side too.
Heidi [00:00:51]:
Now quick heads up on the audio. This is a recording from a strategy session with one of my fast track students, Daniella Call, and I was recording this in between my big cross country move. I didn't have my nice mic set up, but our conversation was so valuable that I still wanted to play it here on the podcast. So my audio doesn't sound as good as it normally does, but I still still think you're gonna enjoy the conversation. Let's get to it.
Heidi [00:01:12]:
You have a good network in the industry. I know they all are, like, more, like, established brands and stuff, but I think there could be something to be said for, like, just kind of updating your network on, like, what you're doing and where you're at. And I know that you've made the comment of, like I think it was you made the comment of, like, sometimes you feel a little bad because some of your friends are, like, design directors and you're, like, just starting this freelance. You know, just starting this freelancing. So, you know, that might take a little bit of, like, just swallowing your pride for a minute, but, I think some good updates to your network could be really valuable. Like, one of the students I'm working with in in turbo, she went through her whole network. She had, like, over 200 people on the list, and I was like, okay. Well, that's a lot.
Heidi [00:02:05]:
So why don't you narrow it down to the top 30 people that you think would be that you feel the most comfortable, like, with the rapport for you to reach out even if you haven't talked to them in 3 years or something. And just, hey, some quick updates and, like, just checking in and, like, how are you? Just really just pinging just for, like, just to say hello. Not even, like, hey, do you have any work for me? Right? Yeah. And of those 30, I think, like, 3 or 4 of them came back to her and was, like, hey. Doing good, but actually I could use some help with a bunch of tech packs. Like, they needed help with work. She's not gonna entertain all of it because it's not all in her niche because they're working. And I said to her, don't worry if they're not working at brands that are your niche anymore.
Heidi [00:02:49]:
Like, just go on, like, human to human rapport, follow-up because you also never know if they know someone who's working in a brand with yeah. You just it's such a small industry.
Daniella Kahle [00:03:01]:
Oh, yeah.
Heidi [00:03:02]:
I mean and so you never know what types of conversations that can start, because maybe they're like,
Heidi [00:03:09]:
oh my gosh. My friend who's a mom just started her brand and she needs some help and
Heidi [00:03:12]:
I'm too busy with work because da da da da or something. Or, hey. You know what? We have some tech packs. And, like, maybe it's not your exact niche. Maybe it's not a mom founded brand, and it's at, you know, Old Navy or Hollister or whatever. But, like, they're like, hey. You know what?
Heidi [00:03:26]:
Actually, we could use some help,
Heidi [00:03:27]:
like, busting out, like, these 20 tech packs, and you're like, great.
Daniella Kahle [00:03:29]:
I can do it for this. And maybe they're happy to let you do it remote or something.
Heidi [00:03:31]:
Like and you're like, great. I'll just do that and take the cash. I think there's, you know, I think there's something to be said for, like, going through your and she went she did a very she got really ambitious with it. She went through her entire LinkedIn and, like, looked at every single connection. She's like, god, I dug some people out of the weeds that I had forgotten about, but there was a lot of people. Right? And so there's that's something that I would entertain if I were you.
Daniella Kahle [00:04:08]:
Yeah. I started doing that a little bit, to be fair. I'm not gonna lie. I kinda forgot. Okay. Because I'm Yeah. Focusing on the pictures. But, yeah, I gosh.
Daniella Kahle [00:04:19]:
It's probably ages ago now. I did, like, start doing the, oh, hey. How are you doing? Thought of you the other day. Blah blah blah. And, actually, I've got a couple of replies just this past week. You know, like, people don't necessarily go on LinkedIn all the time or check their messages or, like you said, people
Heidi [00:04:36]:
It doesn't have to be on LinkedIn, though.
Daniella Kahle [00:04:38]:
Oh, okay. Just in general?
Heidi [00:04:41]:
I would reach out to them in whatever, like, medium feels appropriate. If they're active on Instagram and then you can reach out there, you could send them an email. If you used to text and you still have their phone number, like, you could send a text or WhatsApp. It does not have to be linked in. That's just where she, like, kind of refreshed herself on who all these people were. A lot of people are not on LinkedIn even if, you know, you're connected.
Daniella Kahle [00:05:09]:
Yeah. Okay. And Didn't think about again.
Heidi [00:05:12]:
And then I would
Heidi [00:05:14]:
I would reach out on the
Heidi [00:05:15]:
platform that feels the best for you for them that you think is gonna feel the best for them.
Daniella Kahle [00:05:21]:
Mhmm. Okay. So however
Heidi [00:05:26]:
whatever it takes. The thing is you wanna, like, meet them where they're at.
Daniella Kahle [00:05:30]:
Yeah.
Heidi [00:05:31]:
Like, whenever you're looking at, like, a customer or a client, you wanna meet them where they're at. Like, you wanna go to where they're already hanging out. Yeah. Make their life easier. Make their life make it feel more organic and natural. And so that could be, you know, even text based on the relationship.
Daniella Kahle [00:05:49]:
Oh, yeah. For sure. I think I mentioned this in one of my long updates. Couple of weeks ago, I reached out to to a couple of people I used to work with that are, like, CAD pattern designers and graphic designs and that sort of thing. Yeah. So, it's just as a kind of oh, maybe if it's a smaller brand, they want more than what I can give them if they want prints or something. I've got someone that I can reach out to. Yeah.
Daniella Kahle [00:06:18]:
But maybe I just need to a lot of those people as well just say hello because I've worked with them a lot. Say hi. Print and graphic.
Heidi [00:06:27]:
I know. You I mean, it can even you can offer some little bit of value. You can even just say, like, hey. I know we haven't talked for 2 or 3 years, but I was randomly thinking about you the other day, and I wanted to just say hi and see how you're doing. It could be as simple as that. It could be, hey. I saw this print on this dress the other day, and it reminded like, you almost wanna think about it as, like, randomly texting a friend that you haven't talked to in a while, but you, like, saw this thing and you're, like, oh my god. I took a picture of and I saw this thing and it reminded me of that time we did the thing and, you know, something like that kind of feeling.
Heidi [00:07:16]:
You it's a great one. If there if something happened or if you have something that reminded you, otherwise, you can just be like, I randomly thought of you. Yeah. It can be as simple as that. You don't have to have, like, a specific thing.
Daniella Kahle [00:07:30]:
Mhmm. Yeah. That's fair. Okay. I'll add that in my list of things to do.
Heidi [00:07:38]:
Yeah. Which
Daniella Kahle [00:07:38]:
I wanna do. So that's good.
Heidi [00:07:41]:
I mean I mean, these things are all gonna take time. Like, it probably is gonna take you, you know, maybe a few hours to, like, figure out, okay, who are all your network contacts? I mean, she got hers onto a spreadsheet and then she, like, sorted them by priority or something, you know, so, maybe I should maybe my,
Daniella Kahle [00:08:02]:
my Friday schedule. What? Because on the Friday
Heidi [00:08:05]:
You're just do yeah. Okay.
Daniella Kahle [00:08:09]:
Even if it's, like, poke, ping, whatever you wanna call it, 10 people, contacts, say hello.
Heidi [00:08:18]:
Yeah. I think that's a great idea. Sort through your network concerts contacts and ping 10 people. I think that's it.
Daniella Kahle [00:08:25]:
Having it there on that list, like I said, I kind of started doing it, but then I forgot. Okay. Prepared
Heidi [00:08:30]:
it. That's your weekly list. Perfect. Add that to to Friday.
Daniella Kahle [00:08:34]:
Yeah. Okay.
Heidi [00:08:42]:
And then just kind of, like, keep those conversations going. You know?
Daniella Kahle [00:08:47]:
Mhmm. Yeah. That's fine.