011 Joanna Kinsman's Fashion Entrepreneurship Journey: From Internet Marketing to Pandemic Pivot and Beyond
Podcast | Posted On 28 June 2023 | Posted By AJ Roberts
Joanna started her career by finding a job on Craigslist in internet marketing, working for various online entrepreneurs. She learned different skill sets from each of them and eventually figured out how to start her own business with low overhead. Her passion for fashion led her to start Kinsman Kini Bands, which sells hair accessories.
Kinsman Kini Bands quickly gained a loyal customer base due to the quality of their products. Sarah Jenkins, a customer of Kinsman Kini Bands, attests to the effectiveness of the hair accessories, saying, "I've used tons of products that people give me or say, hey, try this. And I'll buy things from wherever. I just continue to buy your Kinney bands because they work so well in my hair."
Breaking into Retail Stores
Joanna's obsession with getting her product into retail locations led her to send out an email blast to cold leads and call the warm and hot leads, anyone who asked for more information. She would then tally every day of what stores she could get into. Joanna's ability to adapt to change is what sets her apart from others. When COVID-19 hit, Joanna's business took a hit. However, she saw an opportunity to pivot her business to make masks using extra fabric and strings from Kini Bands.
Joanna's pivot to making masks led to her helping other brands with merchandising and building additional revenue streams. Her passion for fashion and her experience in internet marketing allowed her to create unique and effective merchandise for other brands. She worked with fitness franchises and other brands to create custom masks and other merchandise. Joanna's work with other brands during COVID-19 shows that it's possible to use your skills and resources to help others during difficult times.
Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic
One thing that sets Joanna apart is her ability to flow with change. When she first started her retail business, she was selling bikinis. However, she saw an opportunity to create hair accessories from the extra material and eventually pivoted to making masks during COVID-19. She was able to adapt to the changing market and help other brands do the same.
Joanna's journey and her work with other brands have several implications and potential impacts.
First, it shows that it's possible to pivot during difficult times and find new opportunities.
Second, it shows the importance of having a passion for what you do. Joanna's passion for fashion led her to start her own business and pivot during COVID-19.
Third, it shows the importance of learning new skills and being adaptable. Joanna learned different skill sets from working with various online entrepreneurs, which helped her start her own business and pivot during COVID-19.
Finally, it shows the importance of helping others. Joanna's work with other brands during COVID-19 shows that it's possible to use your skills and resources to help others during difficult times.
Joanna's future outlook is to continue helping other brands and growing her own businesses. She is still learning from others, including AJ Roberts and Sarah Jenkins, and is excited about the future possibilities.
AJ Roberts, who has worked with Joanna, praises her for her ability to navigate the ups and downs of owning a business, saying, "I think one of the beauties, knowing you, I have an advantage. Right. But one of the beautiful things about it is there's a lot you don't know. So you kind of go in blind. If you knew everything you know now, I would imagine you might not have gone forward with it. Right?"
Joanna's success story is an inspiring one, and it shows that with hard work, adaptability, and a willingness to help others, anything is possible. As Joanna says, "what you need will show up and just trust the whole process and the universe."
Adding Merchandise to Your Business
One of the key takeaways from Joanna's journey is the importance of adding merchandise to your business. When asked about the value of adding merch, Joanna says, "I'm happy to just focus on the small orders and help these new, smaller brands and everything." She also notes that it's important to start small and test the market, saying, "make one hat. Let's just make one and see if it sells."
Joanna's experience with adding merchandise to her own business and helping other brands do the same shows that it's a valuable way to generate additional revenue and increase brand awareness.
As AJ Roberts notes, "people buy walking advertisements" in the form of branded merchandise like hats and t-shirts. Even businesses that may not initially think they have a market for merchandise, like hairdressers, can benefit from adding branded items to their offerings.
Joanna's success in getting her product into retail locations was due to her ability to remove risk for retailers.
As AJ Roberts notes, "it's that in the beginning, removing the risk. Removing the risk. In their mind. They've never heard of Kini bands before. Probably. No offense, but we can be famous in our world. But then you walk outside, nobody has a clue who you are." Joanna's risk reversal strategy made it a no-brainer for retailers to take a chance on her product.
Adapting to Change
Another key theme in Joanna's journey is the importance of being adaptable and willing to pivot when necessary. When COVID-19 hit and her business took a hit, Joanna saw an opportunity to pivot to making masks and helping other brands do the same.
Moving forward, you start to realize, okay, what you need will show up and trust the whole process.
Joanna Kinsman's journey from internet marketing to fashion entrepreneurship provides invaluable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in to the Paid To Create podcast to learn more about her resilience, innovative strategies, and her unique journey in the world of fashion.
You can learn more about Joanna at JoannaKinsman.com
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