We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Thompson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
At the very beginning of my journey as a freelance seamstress, an older client hired me to teach her sewing. She was my first regular client, and we were together about 6 hours a week for a year. She had an interesting background story. Her mother was a professional seamstress who made custom clothing. As talented as her mother was, she was not a teacher – quite the opposite. She was impatient, negative, and highly critical. Her daughter developed anxiety and struggled with confidence into her adulthood. She still had the desire to learn how to sew her own clothing, and I was happy to help! Session after session, I watched her confidence grow. By the end of the year, she had completed more projects than I could count. She started out making simple cotton dresses and worked her way up to fully lined formal wear. I now live in a different state and so sadly our lessons came to an end, but we are still good friends! We still share our triumphs with each other and cheer each other on. Sometimes we don’t understand the impact our gifts could have on the world if we shared them. I wouldn’t have thought something like sewing could be a tool to serve others, but I was wrong! No matter what gift you have, God can use it for his purpose.
Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Jennifer and I was raised in small town Missouri. When I was around 6 to 7 years old, my mom taught me how to thread a needle and knot the thread. She let me have a couple of my dad’s thin, ratty work t-shirts and I started creating. I remember many afternoons where my mom would drop me off in the fabric section of Walmart, and I would scour the shelves until I found the perfect fabrics for my barbie’s next outfits. When high school prom approached, you know I was making my prom dress! I was a diligent student, but I let one important final year project suffer because I was staying up late, determined to finish the dress on time. Looking back, that was a major sign that sewing had a hold on me like no other occupation.
After college, I went into the biology field. I had some success, but came to a tough conclusion after several years of bouncing around different jobs, trying to find a good fit. Although I enjoy nature as a hobby, I don’t enjoy it as a job. I did not feel motivated. I felt trapped! In 2021, I became a freelance seamstress full time. I offered private sewing lessons, alterations, and custom designs to the Houston area. Sharing my skills with people of all ages and backgrounds through the lessons was the most fulfilling part of my work. One client had a lot of anxiety around learning sewing. Given a peaceful, encouraging atmosphere, I saw her tackle projects with joy and confidence! I moved to St. Louis in 2023, and we still keep in contact, cheering each other on through life’s ups and downs. My biggest goal in teaching others is to make them feel encouraged and supported, no matter what skill level they are at, or how slow or fast they progress. We all have to start at square one when we learn something new, and we should all have the right to be below average at it for a while!
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I started offering my sewing skills to my neighbors. I made a very homemade sign complete with tear off tabs of my contact information, and stuck it to my apartment door. The tabs slowly started disappearing and I was elated! Then I used the freelance finding app, Thumbtack, to reach the entire Houston area. With the clients gained from Thumbtack, I was blessed work as a freelancer full time for a little over a year. Some of the milestones of this journey included creating an Edwardian inspired fashion line for a runway show and selling a line through the major fast fashion brand Shein. Jennty Designs had many highs, but also some major challenges. I don’t have an entrepreneurial background, and so learning the business side was a lot of trial and error. Paying rent was a struggle every month. With the rise of social media, people only see the highlight reel of small business owners. They usually do not see how hard it actually is. I learned so much through those challenges, however. Today I am not running Jennty Designs full time. Returning to a 9 to 5 has not discouraged me though. The financial stability has given me the extra time and resources to continue building my skills as a seamstress and build a social media presence through platforms like Instagram and Youtube. I am now teaching private sewing lessons in the St. Louis area. I look forward to what Jennty Designs is going to become!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I think having good character is the most sure way to grow clientele. And not only grow clientele, but keep clientele coming back. Be honest and consistent in your communication. Be kind and considerate. Call back clients in a timely manner. Let them know what to expect when working with you. Gain respect through establishing and enforcing policies and boundaries. People will want to invest in you if they trust you, and feel like you have their best interest at heart.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jenntydesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jenntydesigns662
- Other: https://www.thumbtack.com/mo/saint-louis/sewing-instruction/sewing-lessons-by-jennty-designs/service/397286314791796737
Image Credits
@pisces310photographyhou