Episode Overview
How do you grow from your first few clients to a thriving, fully booked freelance biz? After four years as a Successful Fashion Freelancer, Alison Hoenes is earning 75% more than her old full-time salary, booked out months in advance, and still growing. And she’s doing it all without working insane 60-hour weeks (like most traditional fashion jobs).
If you’ve established some steady clients and are ready to grow your freelance business, this episode is full of strategies to get you there. And if you’re just getting started, you’ll be inspired by how far Alison has come in just four short years.
This episode is a follow up from Alison’s interview two years ago: Episode 103: How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a Full Time Job)!
Episode Highlights
Introduction and Background
- Alison Hoenes joins the podcast to discuss her growth as a freelancer, her experience with Heidi’s Freelance Accelerator program, and achievements over the past four years.
Alison’s Achievements (4 Years Freelancing)
- Alison is making 70% more than her previous full-time salary. She’s very selective with her clients, booking two to three months in advance, and continually raising her rates.
Evolution of Alison’s Freelance Business
- Initially, Alison started as a general technical designer. She narrowed her focus over time and now specializes as a freelance pattern maker for women’s slow fashion brands.
Content Marketing and Organic Growth
- Alison emphasizes her growth through content marketing, including blogging and podcasting, which has significantly contributed to organic client referrals.
LinkedIn and Instagram Strategy
- While Alison is active on Instagram and finds it useful for client acquisition, she’s less active on LinkedIn but still posts there.
Challenges and Justification of Content Marketing
- Despite the slow return on investment from her blog and podcast, Alison continued content marketing because it builds trust over time and helps her connect with her niche audience.
Jonathan Stark’s Pricing Seminar
- Alison took Jonathan Stark’s pricing seminar, which helped her understand the importance of a customer journey and product ladder in her freelance business.
Launching How Fitting Podcast
- Alison started her podcast, How Fitting, to interview slow fashion brand owners, which helps her understand their needs and build deeper client relationships.
Balancing Work and Customer Research
- Alison shares how continual client conversations and customer research have been integral to refining her services and expanding her business opportunities.
Advanced Strategies and New Services
- Alison introduces her beta service, Pattern Making Work Room, catering to small brand owners who make their patterns but need expert guidance, filling a significant market gap.
Alison’s Income Growth and Work-Life Balance
- Alison achieved substantial income growth, earning 75% more than her previous full-time job. Despite her busy schedule, she maintains a healthy work-life balance and is exploring ways to manage further business growth.
Outro and Next Steps
- The conversation will continue in the next episode with a focus on strategies for managing growth without an increase in work hours and the introduction of the second part of Alison’s interview.
Key Questions and Responses
1. How have you grown your freelance business in the past 2 years?
- Alison focused on narrowing down her niche, specifically targeting women’s slow fashion brands. By refining her services and target market, she found that more business came to her organically. She also invested time in the business side of her freelance work, including content marketing through blogging and podcasting.
2. What role has content marketing played in your business growth?
- Alison emphasized that content marketing has been crucial for her. She started a blog and later a podcast called “How Fitting,” which features interviews with brands in her niche. This approach not only built her credibility but also helped her understand her clients’ needs better. Content marketing proved to be a long-term strategy that required consistent effort but has resulted in sustainable growth.
3. What did you learn about targeting a specific niche, and how has it affected your business?
- Initially apprehensive about narrowing her focus, Alison discovered that by clearly defining her niche, she attracted more clients aligned with her expertise and values. She specifically targets small, mission-driven women’s fashion brands, which has helped her better serve her clients and stand out in the market.
4. How did you manage to justify and stay motivated in creating content when there was no immediate return?
- Alison worked through this by understanding the importance of content marketing as a long-term strategy. She kept the momentum by recognizing the secondary benefits of the content, such as establishing her authority and providing valuable resources to her clients, which eventually led to organic growth.
5. How did your business evolve in terms of structure and service offerings?
- Over the years, Alison realized that while she was attracting clients willing to pay for premium services, there was a need to offer different levels of service to bring clients through a journey. This insight led to the creation of the “Pattern Making Work Room,” a subscription-based service offering group calls and a forum for smaller brands to seek guidance without full-service costs.
6. What advice would you give to freelancers who are just starting out?
- Alison’s advice for beginners is to start simple, like she did with just a basic portfolio website and some initial pitching. She stressed the importance of knowing your client and focusing on a specific niche, rather than spreading oneself too thin by trying to do everything.
7. How has dedicating time and resources to understanding the customer affected your business?
- It has been deeply beneficial for Alison. Regular conversations with clients through her podcast have provided invaluable insights into their challenges and mindset. This ongoing research has allowed her to tailor her services and content even more precisely to meet her clients’ needs.
About Alison
Alison Hoenes is a freelance patternmaker who helps women’s slow fashion brands overcome technical unknowns and get designs to production with confidence. She writes a newsletter on apparel product development for fashion entrepreneurs, serves as the Regional Director for Fashion Group International of Saint Louis, and is the host of the How Fitting podcast.
Have you listened to Alison’s first interview? Check out Episode 103: How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a Full Time Job)!
Loved these episodes? Don’t miss Episode 124: How This Pattern Drafter Grew Her Freelance Business With Generosity
Resources & People Mentioned
- Free resources for SFF Podcast listeners!
- AlisonHoenes.com
- Connect with Alison on LinkedIn
- Follow Alison on Instagram
- Listen to the How Fitting Podcast
- Fashion Group International