Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Janell Almodovar-Cora. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Janell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’m a self taught handbag designer. I learned to sew from my mom and grandmothers as a young child and then took more of an interest in fashion, design and sewing during my high school years. In my mid twenties I started making handbags for myself and then for family and friends. It was very part time at first and i learned through trial and error by drawing patterns and trying them out, tweaking them and trying again. Most of my sewing skills (beyond the basics i learned as a kid) were learned using diy books and searching for tutorials online. I also followed other makers on social media for inspiration and constantly studied fashion magazines. 3 years after i started making bags i was able to turn it into a full-time work from home business due to demand. I never took a leap of faith i just kept working at it. My designs were a slow progression over the years as i found my look and also listened to what my customers responded to. I’m sure if i had a formal education in design and business i could’ve skipped a lot of the learning curve, but i doubt my look would’ve ended up the same. I definitely accredit getting to where i am today to drive, focus and consistency just as much as creativity. The creativity is nothing as far as a business is concerned without the other things.

In the first 3 years of building my business i was juggling being a mom to my 2 young sons and also working a job. I wouldn’t call them obstacles, but life was crazy busy. In my mind i was forced to figure my business out in order to have a better quality of life and spend more time with my kids and my husband. 3 years later when i quit my job and went full time with JALMODOVAR i felt the pressure to succeed in order to stay self employed. I had experienced that freedom and i knew i didn’t want to go back to the regular workforce.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Janell, i’m 43, mom to 2 boys and wife to a very supportive husband. I’m a self taught designer and seamstress. I started my handbag business JALMODOVAR in 2004, went full-time with it in 2007. I got into the handbag industry unintentionally. I was always into fashion and design and dabbled in dress making and diy stuff like deconstructing and reconstructing clothing, but i always made my way back to bags. I started my handbag line before i really had a plan or a consistent look for my brand, but i truly believe you’re never really ready anyway so no regrets. i use a mixture of materials – vintage textiles, cotton fabrics, burlap, jute, trims, leather, silver hardware and colorful nylon webbing. I also love working with distressed denim and vintage camo fatigues. I make a full line of bags from coin purses to large weekenders. my current best seller is the foldover clutch with my baguette coming in as a close second. Along with my bags i offer vintage camo jackets that ive embellished with patchwork and trim. I think my use of color and combination of prints is what makes my products unique. i pride myself on excellent workmanship. I’ve developed my skills over the years and also personally use my products on a daily basis so quality is a huge deal for me. My clients become my online bffs and i love interacting with them, hearing their feedback and seeing theirs pics using and styling their JALMODOVAR pieces. This is a busy one woman show, but i absolutely love what i do and am grateful daily for the opportunity to live my dream.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

During the process of building my business it was drilled into my head to say yes to every opportunity. Just say yes and then figure it out. This may work for some, but for me as a creative person i found myself accepting design and sewing projects outside of my passion. it was so draining and eventually too time consuming to be sustainable. I had to set some hard boundaries and learn to say no to anything outside of my goals for my business. When i did this i was finally able to find my look and develop my brand. things didn’t look so scattered anymore.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I don’t have a ton of followers on social media, but the ones i do have are very active and i engage with them frequently. my best advice is to be consistent and authentic. give your followers a peek into your life and your creative process. interact with everyone and answer questions. I know we all need social media breaks at times, but don’t leave people waiting too long. consistency builds trust. Try not to strive for perfection or overthink things, it’s ok to keep it real. I decided early on that i never wanted to be salesy online. i just like to present my product and let it sell itself. i want you to buy something because you love it and have to add it to your wardrobe not because you feel pressured.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jalmodovar.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jalmodovar

Image Credits
Emil Rodriguez-Powell
Source Creative House