How Mimi G created an award-winning Brand & Business Teaching Sewing on the internet
Recently, we caught up to talk with Mimi G, an award-winning lifestyle, fashion and DIY blogger ( check out her blog here). She's also an incredibly popular social media user, with millions of followers across several platforms. Oh, and she's an online course that has been a huge success creator, too. Well done Mimi!
Read the full report below, or view our video conversation Mimi G here. Mimi G here
Making her mark with the art of fashion sewing
Since 2012 Mimi began a blog to keep her busy. She was in need of a outlet and had always been a sewer. Starting a blog gave her the opportunity to share her love of making and designing with others. Her first post was of items she was making to herself on her blog and by the end of the first year of consistently posting she noticed an increase in the number of people eager to learn how to sew. The skirt tutorial she posted on her blog towards the end of her first year that became a hit on Pinterest and on her blog. She discovered that a lot of women were excited about her interest in fashion sewing.
"There were a lot of domestic sewers, but not a lot who were focusing on fashion sewing", Mimi recalls. "Because I am a clothes and sewing, it became extremely popular due to women not just looking to purchase items - they were looking to learn how to sew it. Demand was astronomical."
Part of the demand included individuals who asked Mimi to sew skirts for their daughters. After taking a couple of requests, she realized she didn't like making clothes for others. "It is probably the most horrible moment of my experience in my life", she told us. "I hated it. I'm not one to sew for other people. I was stressed, and had a horrible experience."
But Mimi did not stop at sharing her experience and aid all those people who were interested in the viral skirt and fashion sewing as a whole. It was in that moment she said to herself 'Well, what if I show people how to create this instead of creating the skirt for them? This was my first course I ever completed."
From one-off tutorials to a thriving membership site
Mimi began her first online tutorial by filming herself making the skirt. It went viral on her blog and Pinterest. To this day, that tutorial video is one of the most viewed videos she has on her YouTube channel. Over the following years, Mimi continued to create and publish free video online, covering everything from making specific skirts, tops and dresses similar to those seen on fashion runways.
Here's an image of her highly-rated YouTube channel (now with over 150,000 subscribers! ):
Building an audience by publishing free videos online was definitely an essential step on Mimi's career to become an online course creator. Through the publishing of tutorials and videos through her website, YouTube, and social media regularly her goal was to establish a loyal fan base who likes and trusts her. Plus, she got to hone her skills as a content creator at teaching simultaneously. These crucial lessons helped her prepare for the development and launch of her online course. In the present, Mimi's Sew It Academy is one of the most active membership sites .
Creating her membership site on
The reason Mimi was able to come up with an online class was that she wanted to be able teach other people how to sew using an orderly manner. She started at the beginning. "I was hoping that they would learn sewing, not by a one-off project, but to really begin from scratch as well as to improve the level of their skills", Mimi told us. "So I decided to launch Sew It Academy online." Sew It Academy online school."
After she decided that she wanted to create an online college, she began looking into various platforms for online courses. One of the major reason she decided to go with us was because of our assistance to customers. "The support for customers is excellent" we heard her say. "I sent you an Excel sheet, you would upload it on my behalf, you made the process so easy for me to navigate because it was new to me. It was unbelievable."
Mimi also told us that has been great for her to stay in touch with her students, and to keep them updated. Additionally, she likes having the possibility of creating an affiliate program that turns her students into ambassadors for the course. "The affiliate program is really incredible", says Mimi. "If you're not participating in an affiliate program, and take a fantastic training course, then you're missing out." Thanks for your feedback, Mimi!
Sew It Academy is a membership site. Sew It Academy is a membership-based site. That implies that the students are required to sign up for a membership fee each month in order to gain access to all the training and bonuses, along with the latest trainings and bonus programs as they are developed. The reason Mimi offers a monthly subscription cost instead of a more expensive single-purchase price is due to the fact that she doesn't desire her students spend a significant amount of money to learn an exciting new skill. "I would like people to be interested to learn how to sew but to do it at a rate which was accessible to everyone" she said. "I did not want anyone to be denied the opportunity to enroll in the program simply because they could not afford it." Additionally, she desired that people be able to join whenever they want, do as much or as little as they wish and progress at their own pace.
The creation of a sense community among her students
Mimi has also spoken to us about the incredibly amount of involvement she's experiencing in her group, as well as the bonds formed between students . "They become sisters, they are called'sew-sisters' and they rely on each other" Mimi told us. "Because every person who joins The Sew It Academy starts at a different level They can assist fellow students along the way. If somebody has a question they can ask someone else to help to get there."
Students of Mimi's have utilized the Facebook group for a way to communicate with fellow users from the same geographical region. "If they're from the same city, or even in the identical state, they can create tiny groups that can meet and talk and sew and fabric shop", said Mimi. "That sense of community is essential to have an effective membership website. This helps members stay engaged each month."
Mimi is also the host of a annual conference held in Los Angeles where all her fans, students, and others in Mimi G Style's community Mimi G Style Community will be able to meet and share knowledge and talk with one another. (We love this concept!). "We organize a fashion show that allows them to showcase everything they've learned", Mimi told us. "On Day Two we hold day-long workshops. On Day Three we go on a fabric field trip. That was the first moment I noticed I was really developing a network."
The format used in her online courses
Mimi teaches everything through video; she's a very visual person and that's how she was always a lover of learning. "I had a horrible time in high school. I can sit in a room and listen to people talk for hours, but when I'm done, the room, it's gone" She explained. "But if you can show me how to perform something, I will remember it all the time. That's why I teach. All of the classes are taught on video, every step of the way, right from the beginning to the very end after you finish your work".
When it comes to creating amazing content Mimi had some great suggestions. "I was sitting down as I first started creating The Sew It Academy, and thought of every way I would have liked to learn how to sew. I was able to learn how to sew at my own pace with trial and error. I did not go to school and I'm a complete self-taught", she told us. "I think I'm able to impart knowledge in a really easy to understand way without a whole lot of technique talk. This is why I came up with the idea of listing each course in a way that made sense."
Mimi's suggestions are great. Before you start making an online course about something you're an expert on, try to remember the experience it took for you to learn this skill in the beginning. Which tools did you employ that you found especially helpful? What resources weren't available to you that you wish you were? Did you find a style or format that you wanted to learn in which would have made retaining your learning easier? You can use all this data to design a more effective online class for your pupils.
Strategies for creating your personal brand that is strong and developing your community
Mimi has more than followers She also has Mimi G Style brand ambassadors that travel all across the United States and the world to come to her annual gathering. We were curious to learn how Mimi managed to build such an impressive and loyal group of followers. Here are some tips she shared with us:
1. Post great content and post consistently
"What I think launched this part of my life as well as my professional career was the fact the fact that I offered something that nobody other person was offering in the moment. There was a lot of DIYers, and a ton of craft sites however, there was no one making fashion-sewing and helping other people learn how to make it" Mimi recalls. "Having amazing content you can share and sharing it consistently was what really helped me and my followers increase."
2. Create trust with your viewers by offering content for no cost
Mimi also told us she believes that among the major reasons that her followers trust her and believe in her is that she has spent all of her time distributing her material for free and not needing anything in return. "For the initial year and half, I gave everything I did away for free" Mimi explained. "I consider that most of the time content creators think'sell or sell'. But the real reason to grow the number of people who read your content is when they feel like you're not trying to market, make them sell. My followers have come to know that it's not about the amount of money I earn, but rather all about providing useful content."
Evidently, Mimi's method of giving first, then sell later has worked out great for her. "You must create good and valuable material, consistently in order to give lots of the information away for free because then when it comes time to market something, people don't do it since they aren't sure that they're sold all the time however, they really do it as a way to help you."
3. Be authentic online
Mimi spoke about how most teachers and course creators aren't necessarily public people, but that in order to create a highly successful online course, they must be willing to become the brand's spokesperson. It doesn't necessarily mean putting together a persona that isn't authentic. Being authentic is about being real, making use of platforms like YouTube as well as social media platforms to show your true self and let people get to know you on a personal level.
"People aren't connected to my online courses. They connect to my personal profile", Mimi explained. "With social media people want to get to know they can connect with you. They want to know the person behind what they're cheering for. The more personal you can be, the more you share your personal information, and more openly you invite people know about you, the more likelihood you are of interacting and building an audience who is committed and is really going to increase sales at the end of the day."
Marketing strategies for launching your courses
1. Send out feelers to your neighbors and ask them whether they would like to know
Mimi said one of her first actions in establishing her program was to send feelers to her audience. "I was in my group and I said, 'Hey I'm considering taking this course or this academy. What would you like see? What would you like to know? What would you prefer to learn? learn the subject?", she recalls. "I believe that's among the things that most people don't do. Put out invites! Ask the people what it is they'd like to see."
2. It's more about the build-up rather than the launch date itself.
Following the distribution of her feelers and developed content according to what her audience wanted to be aware of, Mimi did a 'soft launch' of her course, where registration was open for a week, and after which she closed it. In advance of the soft launch Mimi made sure she promoted the date of launch on all of her social media platforms and through email marketing campaigns and other ways to create interest and enthusiasm.
"Every day I posted every day something. We posted countdowns, conducted live Periscopes and we answered any questions", she remembers. "And then by the time the course launched, we'd done almost every day prior to that launch date that was a riot." After the course's main launch, Mimi claimed she teased her followers again by sending out an email with discounts on the course and through opening enrollments for one month and then shutting them down once more. "It's mostly about the build-up than it is about the launch date itself as well as being able to spread the word to the maximum number of people possible and then focusing on the fanbase that exists."
3. It doesn't matter how big (or smaller) your customer base is the issue is the way you interact with them.
"I see a lot of people who have large followings but don't have the engagement which is why numbers really don't have any significance" Mimi said. Mimi. "So when you're able to count five followers who are supportive of your posts and are clearly visible, those are the people whom you must cater to. They are the ones that you share to."
It's been almost 5 years since Mimi began her blog. Although she claims it's not a long time however, she's been able grow a really loyal audience from the small number of readers based on the way she's interacting personally with them. "It isn't important the number of people you've got It's all about the way you communicate and interact with them and then get the help of them to promote as well as market and promote your work."
Advice for first time course creators
1. Keep at it and expand your followers first.
Even if you think you have a wonderful concept for an effective course, it's worth putting your time and effort into creating a loyal and engaged public before all else. "You have to put the work in beforehand" Mimi says. Mimi. "Really are able to expand your audience and to promote it to promo the course. It's so much more beneficial rather than thinking"Oh, I've got this great course and the people will love it and they're going to visit. The first thing to consider is what is their way to locate the course? How will they know?" Build an audience before you design your course. Great suggestion, Mimi.
2. Beware of people who might discourage you.
Mimi shared with us that if she has an idea, she hides it from herself for a time and works it into a well thought out plan before she divulges it to others. "Keep it to yourself, do your best to work on it. Don't let other people deter you from doing something that you truly want to do or something you truly are convinced of. The majority of the accomplished people on the planet, other people thought they were crazy, yet they believed that they had done the right thing and they could discern the end of the road."
3. Stop planning and just get it done
"Just take it on", says Mimi. "People make plans and plan every aspect. They fill their time with thinking about ways to do it, filling out a bunch of things and working themselves to death thinking that, 'as while I'm constantly considering, and chatting about it, I'm performing something. But they're doing nothing. They're not actually doing anything whatsoever. It's all planning and preparation however, you must apply that planning and preparation into action."
We appreciate you giving us your insight Mimi!
For more details regarding Mimi G or her sewing academy, visit MimiGStyle.com