Ep 108 Transcript: The Confidence Shift That Turned 500 Dollars Into a Global Business with Jane Harris

This transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors in spelling or inaccuracies in the spoken words.

Shauna Lynn SImon (01:50.67)

Hello and welcome to the Real Women Real Business podcast. I am your host, Shauna Lynn Simon, and today's guest is Jane Harris. She's the co-founder of The Virgin Hair Fantasy, which is a luxury wig and beauty brand, and she is helping women reclaim confidence through hair and self-expression. Now, Jane started her business with just $500, and she grew it into a multi-million dollar global company. And this was all while being a homeschooling mom.

a mentor and a speaker. She has taught and mentored hundreds of students through her wig and beauty business trainings. And she's passionate about helping women feel empowered, not just in how they look, but in how they show up in their lives. And so we're gonna be talking about what it really takes to scale a product-based business. We're gonna talk a little bit about the confidence side of beauty and of course, some of her practical tips on how to wear your wig better. She's got a challenge for us and everything. So Jane, welcome to the show.

Jane Harris (02:45.176)

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here. It's such an honor.

Shauna Lynn SImon (02:49.774)

I can't wait to dig into your story a little bit, because it's a pretty impressive story. Like you didn't just build a wig brand, you built a confident brand and you did it on literally like a shoestring kind of budget here. So let's go back. So when you started the business, you mentioned you started this with $500. What did it look like? Where was that $500 being spent? How were you?

What did you sell first? Like, did you start off with wigs or did you start off with something that's not a wig? Like, how many wigs can you even buy for $500?

Jane Harris (03:24.562)

Exactly. That's a really good question. First of all, I want to say I love your hair. I cannot not appreciate the hair. You know, I'm in the business. I can tell you pay attention. Okay, I can see it.

Shauna Lynn SImon (03:35.278)

And I will tell you this actually small sidebar, but I've been dyeing my hair pink since before it was cool. I like to say, so I started doing this in 2007. So almost 20 years ago now, and I had a very brief period where I thought I needed to look more professional. And so I took the pink out of my hair and that lasted maybe a month.

I did not feel like myself. I felt like an imposter. And so I, of course I went put the pink back in my hair and I will say that my hair literally does give me my confidence on a regular basis. I fully respect your whole brand. I think that's probably why I think I resonate so well with like your whole messaging because I'm like, get what I can't imagine what it would, how it would impact me to not be able to express myself in the way that I do.

in a natural way. So I'd love to have an alternative. So anyway, that was a little bit off topic there.

Jane Harris (04:34.99)

Right on topic. mean, you literally, you are the product of what this is all about. You are the end result of what this is all about. And I love that you shared that. And it shows, that was the first thing I noticed when I came on camera. I'm like, Ooh, I love her hair, even before you spoke. So this is just fantastic. For me, it was a cry for help. I was working on Madison Avenue at a shoe store and my clients were

just beautiful, wealthy women. And I remember I would, you know, go and shop in the sale racks just to kind of, you know, keep up with, you know, to look professional. Cause I was on commission. I was like, I want them to look like, you know, I want to look good so they can shop with me. That was part of the sales process. Right.

The one thing that didn't quite add up was my hair. And I didn't know that until I started fixing everything else. I got better shoes, I got a better suit, I read more books, so I spoke better. So all of these things I started doing and then it got to the hair bit of it. I said, it's the hair, right? And my hair, I just didn't feel confident. And I went to go look for a wig and I remember going around the corner from my job on Madison Avenue, the wigs were, I couldn't afford them.

And I was like, you know, how hard can it be to make a wig? So I went on YouTube and I literally binge watched tutorials and I made my first wig. But the problem was I didn't know the impact it had on me until I started wearing it to work. My sales literally doubled within maybe three months. And my wig wasn't even the best wig. Like it was just like a DIY project situation. And it still gave me more confidence.

than my natural hair. So I was like, wait a minute, this is, I mean, I was so puzzled by it because commission was my jam. And I'm like, wait, so you're gonna make me more money? Of course we're gonna do a deep dive. Like, how can we get more of that? So I started really obsessing about hair. And when I was ready to start my business, really, I mean, I was making six figures in New York and I was still broke. I didn't even have the money to start the business. So at the time I had a boyfriend and

Jane Harris (06:43.95)

who's now my husband of 16 years at the time. was like, hey, I know we just kind of met, but I kind of need $500 to get a few samples to test this thing out. He was like, so did you go to hair school? I was like, no, but I think I can do really good at it. I just feel like more. I was so confident that I could do it because of what it did for me. like, I just need to share my story and we'll be fine. So.

Shauna Lynn SImon (07:06.818)

And I think, sorry to interrupt you, but I think you're touching on something that I think is really important that so many entrepreneurs run into with this, like, if I can just show people what this does, and it's such a challenge though, because to sell something, someone has to believe in it. In order to believe in it, sometimes they got to like experience it, but in order to experience it, they got to pay you. And it's just a cycle sometimes that we're like, but if you just tried it, and of course, once they've tried it, they're raving fans, but how do we get

get them to become a raving fan before they've even tried it. So I mean, just exactly what you're saying, like the fact that you, you're identifying, like, I know how they're going to feel, cause I know how I felt, but I know that's going to be a hurdle that you're going to be coming up against, I'm sure, as you're starting your business.

Jane Harris (07:49.324)

And you're so right. And for me, I think what really motivated me, because I had a lot of people around me that were like, this is ridiculous. Like, you have this job, you're making six figures, granted you broke every other paycheck, but you're still making six figures on paper. You have a decent job and you get to travel once a year. You're good. You shouldn't be looking. I was like, no, I want to do this. And everyone told me that it was a bad idea. They're you didn't even go to hair school. You have no knowledge of hair. How is this going to work?

I was so convinced about how confident the hair made me feel that I'm like, if I can just explain the feeling to another woman, I'll be fine. And I think for me, it wasn't about, I didn't know how much money I could make. I had no clue. hadn't even Googled the industry. I just knew how I felt and that it doubled my salary. I was like, this is what I need to do. I'm like.

It can, and then at the time before, actually, I remember before I my boyfriend at the time, my husband, I was still dealing with like my ex because I wasn't confident. was tolerating nonsense from my ex. So when all of that stuff happened, I dumped him like a bad habit. And I moved forward with the man that I'm with now for what's we've been our anniversary, 16 years coming up in November. So I was like, wait, not only did this put more money in my pocket, it has changed me. Like I,

I set boundaries now. So I think for me, was so overwhelmed with how my life was changing just with one good hairstyle. I was like, this is too good to be quiet about.

Shauna Lynn SImon (09:22.286)

So amazing. What I love about this though too is I think a lot of people associate wigs with, you know, hair loss specifically, I think is one of the biggest things that we tend to associate wigs with. But I know that there are a lot of people who lean on wigs more because they've always had challenges with their hair or as they've aged.

their hair has changed in terms of it's not necessarily hair loss, but it's more, it's dull. It's not, you know, they've gone to the hair salon, they've tried a million different things and nothing is giving the life back to their hair that they had in their twenties. And for yourself, you know, you're saying that like you had a full head of hair, right? Like this wasn't, it wasn't a hair loss situation, but you couldn't turn your hair into the hair that you wanted it to be. Like that's not, you can just magically be like,

Okay, now I can just have, I'm gonna have this type of hair and just make it happen. I mean, like there are certain limitations to the type of hair that like we're born with what we're born with.

Jane Harris (10:22.242)

Yes, exactly, exactly. That was my thing. I felt like hair allowed me to express my full self. Because the woman that I was then, I would have looked up to this woman that's sitting in front of you now. I would have looked at her like, my gosh, she's so bold. I want to be like her. I don't know where she was in the whole process, but I just know that being able to transition myself and look different, I can be blonde. Like the other day, I think this week I've been blonde, red.

and burgundy and it's only Tuesday. I have photos to prove it like I have been blonde burgundy and red and now I'm dark and it's only Tuesday because that's how my personality is so being able to express myself is just priceless.

Shauna Lynn SImon (11:07.948)

We actually had a guest on the show last year. name is Anastacia Haye and her title is Fashion Empowerment Coach. right, because she's not, and so she's essentially to dumb it down, so to speak, it's more of a stylist. Like that's kind of her roots and her origin, but she incorporates, you know, what is having the right style do for you? And so she works with people to really identify.

who they really are, how they want to express themselves, what's really inside, and then turns that into their look and their vibe through more than just the fashion element of it. And I mean, there's just so much confidence to be found from how you look. And I think that we can downplay this all we want, but we're not trying to turn everyone into supermodels. You're not walking the runway. You're not doing the fashion shows necessarily, but...

to be able to walk down the street and feel like the best version of yourself. It's, you we often associate, well, I need to work out more, I need to lose weight. There are so many other things that contribute to how we feel on the inside, but a lot of it does come from the outside. So it's honestly about losing weight, but maybe your hairstyle is making you look plumper than you should, or, you know, it's not complimenting the shape of your face properly.

It's the clothes that you're wearing that are not really flattering for your particular style or just simply doesn't express who you are. And I think there's so much out there of like, we should be all doing this and following influencers and celebrities and everything else. And I got to tell you, I don't remember the last time I took my style trends from someone else. I go inside on those things. How do I feel best? And I don't care what the world thinks about what I'm wearing and how I'm looking. But I think that that's something that

is still a relatively new concept to so many people to hear.

Jane Harris (13:02.936)

I agree. Well said. You're absolutely right. think when I was as a young adult, I struggled with confidence. Even when I got that, I was 22 years old when I got that job. I was so excited. I was making more money than most of my friends. Everyone kept telling me how lucky I was. So I'm like, okay, I guess I'm doing good. You know what mean? I was doing okay with what I had to work with. I would always go into a room looking down. I never felt like I owned.

my place. never felt like I stood up on my shoulders back just like owned every room I walked in. I posted in my Insta story yesterday, I was at an International Women's event on Sunday. I'm like, walk into every room like I'm supposed to be there. That was my caption, because that's how I feel now. And

Shauna Lynn SImon (13:46.862)

And it's hard to believe knowing, seeing you in front of me here, like I can't even imagine that version of you that didn't feel like she belonged. Unreal.

Jane Harris (13:55.438)

always. Yes, it was really tough. what I didn't know, I wish I did know then or what I know now is confidence is a skill. Confidence is a skill that can be nurtured, that can be acquired, that needs to be acquired. I mean, if you want to go to the next level, it's not something that you just sit down and you just, my gosh, I'm confident. No, it's strategy. Like you have to strategize your system to facilitate your confidence.

And why is that so important? Because you make more money, you feel better, you're healthier, you set more boundaries, you're mental. Like so many things play a part in your confidence. It's part of your self love. It's your core.

Shauna Lynn SImon (14:36.274)

love this because it's not just about telling yourself you're confident or pretending to be confident. Don't get me wrong. On the days where you're not feeling so confident, sometimes a little fake in it can go a long way. Don't get like, yeah, we've all done it. And it's amazing how your brain can kind of shift. Like if you smile, can be, you can actually feel happier. But that's not the entire formula because you can't rely on that every single day. So you have to ensure that you are doing things that actually make you feel confident.

And again, a big part of that comes from how we're presenting ourselves. And it's not about, again, do you have the most expensive looking outfit? Do you have the flashiest hair in the room? It's just about what makes you feel good. What makes you feel authentic and real and like yourself.

Jane Harris (15:21.878)

Well said, well said. Absolutely right. You're absolutely right. I think for me, I went into this thing chasing beauty. I'm like, my gosh, if I could just feel, I just look good. And then I quickly realized from the conversations with my clients that, no, no, no, they need more than that. I'm like, okay, they buy the hair from me, then what? Right? So I was kind of pushed into, as I was on my journey of self-discovery, I brought my audience with me.

because I, and I'm not on purpose, just as I was learning about confidence and mindset and self love, I'm like, I have to share this. So they would come to get hair on my page and they'll get a whole sermon.

Shauna Lynn SImon (16:04.558)

Little extra bonus that you didn't pay for. Here you go.

Jane Harris (16:10.644)

I started a series called "Advice That You Did Not Ask For, But You're Going to Hear It Anyways Because You're Here." That was how it started. that. And it was a fun, I need to bring it back. I did it for a while and it was, she was like a nosy aunt that just gave you advice, unsolicited advice. And I would just say the craziest, I'm like, don't date him if he doesn't have good credit, kind of, you know, just like go off on things. But that was just how I was able, and then as I was doing that, I started connecting with my audience on a

whole nother level that I didn't even plan on doing. this has been a wild, fun, amazing journey.

Shauna Lynn SImon (16:44.63)

It sounds like it. Okay, so let's go back to this. You created this wig yourself and you're rocking it. And again, like, as you said, like it's, it's a DIY type of thing. It's, you know, it's not necessarily passing for top luxury brand like you are now. how did you, so you asked your boyfriend at the time who's now your husband for $500. And so what did you do with that $500?

Jane Harris (17:08.301)

That's a good question. With the $500, I got samples of hair. I looked for vendors online, literally on Google, and I had like, think three or four vendors that I was looking at. I didn't know who they were. were online. So I'm like, okay, I'm going to buy a bundle of hair, which is like, sort of like a good grip of hair. Yeah, like maybe three ounces. I bought a bundle of hair, yeah, like a tail. And I bought them from three of the different vendors. And then I'm like, well, what am I going to do with this? I think I just bought the hair and then I went on

Shauna Lynn SImon (17:26.379)

Your ponytail.

Jane Harris (17:38.228)

on YouTube to test how do know hair is good quality? And I watched all these videos of them like crazy tests that you do. So I did those tests and one of them passed my test and I decided to start working with them, but I still didn't have the money. So I took that one bundle and I texted all my friends. I'm like, Hey guys, you guys all buy bundles all the time and you buy hair extensions. What if I told you I'm going to start a hair extensions business and you, I give you 50 % discount. And I asked them, how much are you spending now? Okay. I'll, I'll give you.

for half of that. I just wanted them to try my hair. And a lot of them gave it a try and they gave me the thumbs up. And I just kept telling them to refer people to me. And that's how it kind of grew really slowly at the time.

Shauna Lynn SImon (18:22.114)

Wow. So you're like, you're actually, you know, physically creating extensions and, and are you actually like installing them into your friends?

Jane Harris (18:30.286)

There's so many extensions for them to take to silenced because remember, I don't know nothing about hair.

know, you know, but and the funny thing is a few of them laughed in my face, but I told them that I love this so much. sent pictures of myself with the hair because you know, with two bundles, you can have an install. Two bundles allows you to have, know, a full head of extensions with two bundles. So I was able, I think I got three bundles actually. So I took pictures and I sent it to my friends and a lot of them couldn't resist the discount. So they gave it a try.

Shauna Lynn SImon (19:03.038)

And you know what, as much as we talk about this on the show all the time, don't sell yourself short. Don't discount, you know, know your worth, all these things. But let's be real for a second. When you're growing your business, when you're proving concept, like you're in proof of concept mode at that point, when you're proving concept, you got to do whatever you can do to get your foot in the door. And there is a reason why you go to events and they're giving out free samples of things, because sometimes we literally just need to get things into the right people's hands. Now, of course, we can't do that.

with a $20,000 service or you like, can't say like, I'm give you a new roof for free if you can just, you know, give me a cool Yelp review or something. Like it's not, you know, there are limitations obviously to this, but there are ways that if we can get creative, that we can get our product out there, start getting those testimonials, start building up that brand, so that brand proof, so to speak, and capitalize off of that. But.

The key is that you've got to be able to capitalize off it. If you're just giving discounts for random sake of giving discounts, like you're not just trying to help your friends out at that stage. You know, at that stage that you want to build a business. Am I right?

Jane Harris (20:07.342)

Exactly. think for me, what really helped me was when I was 22, I came from commission sales. I was working for my amazing, the owner of the company. He had like 40 shoe stores throughout the U.S. I was the youngest female manager and I was managing a $4 million store because I was a beast on the sales floor. So I know how to sell.

This was a different product, but sales was not new to me. I was just a really, really good salesperson. So I remember when he hired me to be the store manager of the New York store, he goes, Jane, I know you have no experience. And quite frankly, I am scared, but I know deep down that you're the best one for the job. Just don't let me down. was like, Oh my God, why would you tell me that? But anyway, he set me up and he goes, I was like, we're a $4 million store. And my budget to schmooze concierge in New York was a hundred dollars.

I was like, Gary, how am I? He goes, I know one thing about you, Jane, you can figure it out. he was very cheap, okay? I love him, but he was very cheap. But what that did for me, it allowed me to work from a small place and come up with great results. So I would go to these concierge like knock on the say, hey guys, I need you to come to my store. We're gonna have a few hors d'oeuvres, you know? And I'm gonna give you a discount, you know, just to test it out, but I need you to recommend us to your guests. So I would come up with these.

cool events and all this stuff in my store and it worked out so good. Now, there were years when we did three million, some years four million, but overall we were the most successful store in the chain, in the entire chain. So if whoever's listening to this and if you're working for someone else, I'm so glad that I took time to learn from that environment and take from it because you just don't know what you're gonna use on your next journey. So you know what mean? Working for someone else is not always all.

bad because that allowed me to start my business on the side. I did my business working for that company for six months, both jobs until I felt comfortable leaving.

Shauna Lynn SImon (22:04.726)

Yes. Yes. And I mean, I had a whole other career before I became an entrepreneur. I continued to draw things from the different jobs that I had, the different employers that I had. And I was so fortunate for those lessons. And even like, if you're like, well, I had a really terrible boss, it was a really crappy job. I guarantee you, learned a whole heck of lot of things, even if it's the here's what not to do. Exactly. What I really want to dig into that you were just talking about, though, is going back to the budget thing. So we're going to

tap into that a little bit more about that shoestring budget once again that you're dealing with that hundred dollars that he's giving you and we're going to tap into that a little bit more after we take this quick break. We'll be right back after this quick message. Kaivari helps interior designers at every stage build a strong strategic support network giving them ongoing clarity trusted guidance and access to the right people at the right time. Unlike directories or online groups Kaivari uses a personalized matching process.

combining detailed data, a deep dive clarity call, and a thoughtful review process to connect members with vetted coaches, trusted service providers, and aligned peer communities. With exclusive monthly education, targeted small group support, and annual rematching sessions, Kaivari becomes your affordable evergreen layer of strategic guidance until you're ready to confidently hire deeper support. If you're ready to stop guessing,

and start making smarter business decisions with the right network behind you, visit kaivari.com to learn more. That's Kaivari.com and use promo code KOACHFRIEND that's KOACHFRIEND to save. And welcome back to the Real Women Real Business Podcast. All right, welcome back to the Real Women Real Business Podcast where I'm speaking with Jane Harris.

And she's been telling us about how she started this multimillion dollar wake company off of $500. And I mean, obviously it's more than just a wig company at this point, but this is kind of how she was starting out. And one thing that we're talking about though is just making, just stretching the dollar. And I think as you grow, it's really easy to spend money without really paying attention to how you're spending the money. And I've often said this to my clients, if you had to go back to day one in your business,

Jane Harris (24:15.138)

My.

Shauna Lynn SImon (24:22.946)

where you had like next to no money, you've got to be really careful where you're spending it. If you only had like a hundred dollars, how would you spend it? And it's amazing how creative we can get about things. And if I have one more client tell me, well, I'm just gonna, I was gonna throw a hundred dollars at doing like some Facebook ads and see how that does. And don't get me wrong, like I had a guest on a couple of months ago, all about Meta ads and she's phenomenal, gave some really great tips. And Meta ads definitely do work for certain

industries for certain companies in a certain way. But she's also the first one to say, if you've only got a hundred bucks to spend, this is not where to spend it because you're not going to get your ROI on it. Whereas if I took that hundred dollars and I identified say the top four companies that I really want to get business from, and I created a special custom type of, don't want to use the word gift, but it's kind of a gift usually like some sort of something I'm going to put in their hands that

is going to tell them they want to work with me. I'm going to spend $25 on each one of these. And I'm going to send it to just four companies, but I'm going to make sure that it's going to hit home. I'm going spend more time on the messaging for those four gifts than I'm ever going to spend on an ad that's going to go up for a couple of seconds that people are going to scroll past.

Jane Harris (25:40.33)

Exactly. I love that you said that because I've been in business 15 years and I will say of the 15 years we've been in business, probably used relied on ads for a year. And I don't, I love when people talk about ads and I share them on, but ads cannot be your only strategy.

Shauna Lynn SImon (26:01.11)

Absolutely, and they can have value. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying don't do ads. I'm saying that if that is your only strategy, exactly.

Jane Harris (26:08.206)

It can't be your only strategy. mean, I started, you know, with organic and just like doing the work and the code calling or just sending emails, going in your phone list. mean, those things still work. mean, we went through a time where ads were a problem. mean, that we, you know, your, it was a problem and now it's getting back to normal. I feel like now when I talk to some of my students, when I coach people, I'm like, do a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there, you know, and, then.

organic content with it, do a few code calls. You have to do all of the things because you don't know what's gonna, I feel like all of the things add up to a successful business. But I know a lot of my students that came to me, they were like, we'll just do ads. I'm like, what happened to you just organically figuring it out to test the market a little bit? You don't have to depend on ads 100%.

Shauna Lynn SImon (26:58.634)

yeah, like I work with clients where they'll say, I created this lead magnet and then I created like this email sales funnel for it. And then I also did this ad for a little while. And then I've been doing a lot of things on social media and I've been doing tons of reels on social. I, I'm making sure I post a story every day. They're telling me all these things like, cool. So, who have you contacted directly? Like, did you email someone? You pick up the phone. Did you go to a networking thing in person? did you have a conversation with? Well, no one. I'm like, wow.

Jane Harris (27:23.372)

Thank you!

Shauna Lynn SImon (27:27.688)

Don't get me wrong. I do all the lead Jen stuff. it's, I shouldn't say I do all of it. I do very intentional lead generation. And some of it is coming in from social media. mean, like, let's face it, this podcast, hello, lead gen. Like, you know, yes, I'm, that's not the entire purpose of it, but it is a welcome side effect of having this podcast. But if this was all I was relying on to get my message out there to meet people,

No one's actually hiring me. I gotta tell you, the number of actual calls that I book from the podcast are pretty slim, but they might find me on the podcast and they find me somewhere else and then we're at an event together and we're connecting. And it's connection that people are looking for.

Jane Harris (28:11.038)

Exactly. totally agree. And the podcast is confirmation of the connection because then they will look you up. Because I watch like three of your videos. I was like, I know what she's about. She's kind of my kind of girl, you know. So it's a social proof of what you are, what you're about. So even if it doesn't lead to a sale, it also confirms what you've done and your accomplishments. So yeah, I totally agree.

Shauna Lynn SImon (28:36.652)

And sometimes you need some no's in order to get some yeses too. So it's just practice at getting some of those no's. Now, so we're talking about this shoestring budget at the same time, you've built a luxury brand. So in order to position yourself in that premium way, like how did you go about doing that? How did you earn the trust? Like this is a whole, just what we're talking about here is like, you've got to earn trust to be able to be premium for people to pay you real money for things. They've got to really trust in what you're offering. How did you work to build that trust?

Jane Harris (29:04.428)

I did it in two ways. The first way I did it was by default. I was working at the shoe store making $120,000 a year. So my head, I'm like, okay, I know my dollar worth. I know what I'm worth per hour. If I'm gonna lead this job, this is what I need to make. So for me, was just, there was no question, because I knew I could sell. So I'm like, okay, understanding what you're worth per hour is important, what you need to feel accomplished in whatever business you're in. So for me, that meant only sourcing the best hair.

because I'm not going to sell cheap hair. I will only source the best because I'm going to charge money for people who want the best because I was making 120 a year. I'm used to a certain level. You know, I'm used to a certain money in my bank. So that was the beginning for me. The only problem was everyone was looking at my prices, like, who does she, I literally had a client. She was like, you just started your business three months ago. Like, who do you think you are charging these? I literally had someone tell me that. And I remember saying, you know what? That's right.

Allow me to reintroduce myself to you. You don't me. My name is Jane Harris. I have worked at this shoe store, $4 million shoe store for about 13. Like I literally brought my experience that I didn't, at the time I didn't realize that it was relevant to hair, but what it did for people, it taught them that I'm not the one to mess with. Like I know my stuff. Even if I didn't do hair, I have done all this other stuff. So that gave me some kind of credibility in terms of, she,

she's a boss. I like her. People don't care about the product. They care about you. I tapped into the me because I had nothing else. I didn't go to hair school. I was like, this is it for me, honey. We're going to make this work. I said, maybe they know about my past. And then I started talking about what I did at the shoe store, how I was such a good manager, how I was a good salesperson. These were conversations that led them to buy hair, right? Which is the craziest thing. So

I think being transparent and being open about your experiences in life, regardless of what you are selling. I don't care if you're a doctor selling, I don't know, community or maybe you're an influencer. It doesn't matter what you're selling. It's never about what you're selling. It's about building trust. And one way to build trust is by letting people into who they're about to pay. Because when they like you,

Jane Harris (31:27.532)

They will buy water from you. They'll buy snow. They'll buy a pencil. It doesn't matter.

Shauna Lynn SImon (31:33.914)

I love that you said that. what I want to talk a little bit further about those, just how you're talking about your, value of your worth. But, what you were just saying there, I actually did a social media posting was last year because I was driving behind a manure truck one day. And I had this thought to me, I'm like, I have clients who are struggling to sell their worth, struggling to sell whatever product or service it is that they're selling. And here someone was like, I'm going to sell poop.

Like someone one day was like, I am going to monetize the literal crap that comes out of these animals. And they made a whole business out of it. And it is a massive business. have no desire to work on a manure farm by any means, but like it is big business. And so you've got to believe in what it is that you're selling and believe in the value of it. But what I love that you said though is the fact that you're like, I was already making this much money.

Jane Harris (32:28.364)

Yes.

Shauna Lynn SImon (32:32.77)

So like that's setting a bar right there. Why is it that so many people assume when we go into entrepreneurship that that's, we have to pay our dues, be broke for a while. And don't get me wrong, like, yes, sometimes we're working those two jobs and the business isn't exactly paying for itself yet. But why are we starting from this? I don't have much experience. I'm not worth that much. When, like you said, we're drawing on other experience. Like you might not have spent a lot of time in that area, but where have you spent a lot of time? I mean, like I know,

I have jumped headfirst into numerous things over the years that at the time that I was jumping, I felt completely inadequate and unqualified to be doing. But let me tell you, I drew on all the strength that I could. I would have little talks with myself like, well, you did this, you did this, you did this, you can do this. And it's amazing what ends up happening when you can have those little inner dialogues with yourself.

I was actually just talking with a friend of this earlier this week. We were talking about how, talking about your future self and how one of the things I've started doing, for example, for my future self is when I get back from my runs in the morning, the first thing I always do is I take off my shirt because it's sweaty and I get cold really quickly because of all that. So I take off the shirt. But what I do when I take it off is I turn it inside out. And so what I've started doing is fixing it. So it's the right side. that future me when she does laundry and she's putting those clothes away,

I don't have to turn every one of my shirts back to the right way. I'm doing them one at a time, right? I'm saying, know, if I could treat my future self as though she's an actual person that I care about, because I'm pretty sure she is, imagine what she can do. And the same goes for how we speak to ourselves. If we ever listen to your inner dialogue sometimes, like, would you ever say that to someone you care about? Would you even say that to a stranger?

Jane Harris (34:23.327)

Exactly.

Shauna Lynn SImon (34:26.338)

How are we speaking to ourselves that way? So we started having the inner dialogue instead. We could be our own hype girl, right?

Jane Harris (34:32.27)

I Yes. You're speaking my language. I agree. I mean, the truth, I mean, you just said, you said some great things about picturing your future self. I think you have an amazing mindset around it. And that's why you can start something tomorrow that you have no clue about and you'll be successful at it because you already believe that you are successful. Just because I don't know much about this doesn't mean I don't know much at all. I know much. And then you said something pretty powerful about the self, the

the inner dialogue, a lot of people don't even know that exists. Like telling yourself, telling yourself how strong you are, the things that you've already accomplished, that boosts your self-confidence. Like you're like, wait a minute, I did that. I did that. You go girl to yourself in the mirror is powerful.

Shauna Lynn SImon (35:21.346)

Yes. mean, you're, you know, you're talking about earlier, you mentioned how you had so many naysayers and I think so many of us as entrepreneurs run up against this, like, listen, the people in your life who love you, they want you to be successful. And what they want to do is prevent you from making crazy mistakes that are going to send you into absolute bankruptcy or make you upset or miserable. Like they want to protect you. This is, this is what we do for the people that we care about is we want to protect them. But.

Thank goodness you didn't listen to them. And sometimes, you know what? I'm gonna be real. I have taken some jumps in my life that didn't always pan out for me. And maybe I should have listened to all those naysayers, but I feel like the naysayers are there regardless of whether or not it's good idea. Do you think Jeff Bezos was listening to the naysayers who were like this Amazon thing? I don't think it's really gonna be a big deal when he's in his garage packing boxes. Probably not, you know? Like we've got to start.

Jane Harris (35:57.048)

Same!

Shauna Lynn SImon (36:17.612)

believing in ourselves, taking those leaps and not being afraid at what the outcome's going to be, but just believing that we can do it and pivoting as we need to. So I love this. I mean, and I would imagine you've probably made some decisions along the way as well that maybe looked a little risky.

Jane Harris (36:34.558)

my God. mean, quitting my job. think after I had shown success within six months, it was quitting the job. I remember telling my family, my gosh, this is a lot. I can't do both anymore. I need to be able to run my business that's growing. I see a lot of potential. My dad was like, okay, it was cute when you did this thing, but now you're acting crazy. I need you to calm down.

You've had this job for 13 years. Don't get over yourself. I remember my manager, the owner of the company, his son came to visit, you know, cause they visit the stores just to check. And he was like, Jane, hear that you're, just putting your notice to leave us. gave him a month's notice because you know, till this day, we're just really good friends.

Shauna Lynn SImon (37:17.558)

So much respect for them. I recommend everyone if you can, yeah, a month notice.

Jane Harris (37:22.126)

notice because I wanted to train the new manager. There was a lot of things going on at that store. know, so I gave him until this day, you know, they're just really good friends of mine. I gave him a month notice and he came to visit. goes, Jane, I had to come see you eyeball to eyeball before you leave. What did this fail? And I remember thinking, you know what? That's a really good question. I was like, even if it fails, I will figure it out. And I said that with my, was shaking in my boots when I answered that, because I really didn't know.

And there were times years later within, I would say within five years when the business kind of changed, I would dream of going back to the shoe store and working in the shoe. Cause you know, I just have good memory of just working. This is when, and I told my husband, I'm like, sales need to pick up. Cause I stopped dreaming of when I went back to the shoe store.

Shauna Lynn SImon (38:13.912)

We've all had those dreams. I come from a hospitality background and I have those dreams where I'm working at the restaurant and in the weeds and trying to make all the martinis and I just can't possibly move fast enough. like, yeah, I know something is going on in my own business when I, and it's rare that I have those dreams now. That was 15 years ago, but every once in a while though, yeah, those dreams pop up. like, well, that's trying to tell me something. Yes.

Jane Harris (38:35.374)

It's your subconscious. And then I'm like, what is the doubt that I feel? I need to eradicate that doubt, know? Because the truth is, as an entrepreneur, you're to have good years, bad years. That's just what it is. But you try your best to build that resilience so you can be creative, so you can pivot. And I love what you said about starting on a shoestring. In the beginning, I would learn how to be conservative. And then I got

I got a little excited within three years and things were like, this influencer mentioned our brand and we blew up. Like everyone wanted to wear our hair extensions. We had done my yearly salary in 30 days. was like, my my God, what is this? This is come forever. I was excited. And I started, I didn't manage my money properly.

Shauna Lynn SImon (39:26.786)

I think you're making it rain. Yeah.

Jane Harris (39:29.038)

I didn't know how I was like, what I said, I was like, this is a lot of money. Maybe we can spend here, spend there. And I think it was, I remember my husband saying, Jane, we have a money problem now. We have to figure out our money issues. And I remember someone asking at some conference, like, how do you feel about your finances? Do you feel like it's organized or do you feel like you're just falling by the wayside? And I was like, Oh my God, honey, that's me. I don't feel, I feel like I'm just falling with the wind. You know,

So my husband was like, we got to figure this out. So we researched books that could help us. Cause we're really into reading and just, you know, self improvement and all of that. So we found this book called Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

Shauna Lynn SImon (40:08.93)

Mike Michalowicz.

Jane Harris (40:12.052)

When I tell you that business, I mean, that book saved my business. We read the book and in the book, it has recommendations for their coaches, but they're accounting CPAs that kind of with you on, know, putting those processes into place. Honey, it's been what, seven years? I have never looked back. My life got better. My money got better. am regardless of what the economy wants to do.

I shrink when it shrinks, expand when it, like everything is done the right way. My taxes are put away before tax time. Like it is the most, for anyone listening who is an entrepreneur, it doesn't matter how small you are, implement profit first system. It is the most amazing system. It just makes sense. puts you, it makes you profitable even in a very, very unstable economy. It has saved my business and my life. So I just have to say that.

Shauna Lynn SImon (41:10.284)

And what I love about you saying that though, too, is that so many people think of the profit first strategy when they're building, when they're growing, when money's tight and how it helps them to, because profit first can help you to manage that money so that you can grow it. But you're talking about like it's raining money on you. And it kind goes back to the old saying like more money, more problems, right? Like, literally, so many people think, well, if I just make more money, all these issues go away. But no, they're just compounded.

So you're saying like, you've got all this money, but now what do you do with all of it? So it doesn't matter how much money you're making. And we just had a conversation which says, Zahra on our show a couple of weeks ago, and she was talking all about the three different things that we need to be paying attention to in our finances. And she really broke it down in a nice and easy digestible way, but we gotta be paying more attention to our money. And one of the things that we should be doing every single day is looking at our money.

Jane Harris (42:04.194)

gosh, stop it. Are you reading my to do list? Every single day. It's every my board. Same. Look, you'll be surprised what you what it does for your mental when you look at your bank account. You're spending differently. You're you're you're catching things that like, wait a minute, who was this person that we drew this? Like it is such an amazing discipline to have. Well,

Shauna Lynn SImon (42:23.502)

You've got to look at your money every day. when talking about there are days where I've looked at my money like, oh, that hurt a little bit. But to your point, I was like, okay, well, what do I need to tighten here? Like you, shift in the moment, you shift in real time. And I have a setup where I have actually a spreadsheet that I created myself that I use that's forward looking. So I can see based on the revenue that I know for sure is coming in.

how much money I have from month to month and when I'm gonna start seeing a deficit. So I can see like, okay, great, I've got the next three months covered, but that's when things start to dip down. But if I start creeping up and like I'm bridging that gap between the where I see that deficit and there isn't enough money coming in, okay, well, what can I scale back at this time? Like you can react in real time, but if you wait until you're in crisis mode, I mean, I've made my fair share of money mistakes. I am definitely.

a more of a do it as I say, not as I do sometimes, because I've definitely made my fair share of money mistakes and spending mistakes, but I can identify them and I've learned so much from those mistakes, which is why I do the things that I do now.

Jane Harris (43:27.288)

Yeah.

Shauna Lynn SImon (43:28.248)

So, okay, so for, I want to get back to the business. So you're, are you still making wigs? Yes.

Jane Harris (43:36.91)

But I do it personal. Now that's a good question. I have a team now. Hey, I have a team. Because after years of not, like in the beginning, I didn't know how to make wigs, but then I got really obsessed and then I got really good because I taught myself how to make wigs and I became the only one making all the wigs. And then I had a baby. She's now 15, but at the time she was like two years old. I was like, you know what? I don't want to do this by myself anymore. So I hired other wig makers, trained them and.

Now I have a team of, I think about six wig makers that help me. And I do some of the work sometimes, but I have a team and we all work together. So yeah.

Shauna Lynn SImon (44:11.966)

Amazing. And okay, so I do want to touch on something you just mentioned though about being a mom and you homeschool your daughter as well. Yes. While running a company. Yes. While being a wife as well. Yes. Like you've got a lot of things. mean, am I missing anything? I mean, I'm sure you've got other commitments, other personal commitments. I think that's the other thing that is just such a misconception sometimes is that you have to sacrifice all of these things in order to be successful.

So what is your secret to that success? How did you manage to, is it balance? Is it boundaries? Is it systems? Is it all of the above? Like what allowed you to be able to do what you've done and grown the business the way that you have and sustain it that way without like, I mean, you had the fact that you have time to come on my show. You done this.

Jane Harris (45:00.824)

So I will say this, you forgot that I'm a second degree black belt.

Shauna Lynn SImon (45:05.486)

I'm so sorry. my bad. Clearly. Yes. Let's let's talk about that. mean, my goodness.

Jane Harris (45:12.024)

every black belt baby though. I think for me, my husband is a strong believer of living your best life. Like he was the type that people, you he loved to hang out. was a New York chef. So he just loved to hang out, stay out late. And when he got married, when we got married, people were like, chef, I guess you're gonna take me now. He goes, never. And I think he kept his word with that. So I think going into the relationship with him, it's always like, Jane, how can we keep having fun? So I think just putting that as,

being with someone who, you're married with someone who understands that this doesn't have to be the end of you. And it is all of the above, having systems. I read the book, Four Hour Work Week a long time ago. is an encyclopedia. If any entrepreneur, if you have not read that book, it taught me, I'm like, wait, I can hire someone for this, someone for this and pay them this? my goodness. So I was introduced to virtual assistants.

very early, which really allowed me to scale without that heavy or hefty payroll bill. You know what I mean? And then also I am huge on scheduling. Like for example, with the black belt situation, my husband was supposed to be the one with the black belt. He's like, look, you just come watch me train. And I'm like, okay, I'll just watch you train for support. Next thing you know, I'm a black belt because we pay him every month and he makes us show up. And if we don't show up, we have to pay the price.

So knowing that I am not a workout girly, I will make excuses not to do it. I have already spoken to him to not allow me to make excuses. Just like you would a trainer. Like the things that are important to you, making sure they're on the schedule, just like that meeting with Bob about the new supplies. Dance class with Joanne at three o'clock needs to be on that same list and you can't cancel it. So.

Prioritizing the things that mean a lot to you and understanding that it allows you to run the business even better because your mental health is in right place. That's how, you know, it just, it just helps. And in terms of homeschooling for me, when I found virtual assistants and I started opening up to what they could do for me, not just from a business perspective, cause that's the obvious. I brought them into my life from a personal perspective. I'm like, I want you to manage me.

Jane Harris (47:26.37)

I want you to remind me of my dentist appointment. I want you to remind me to have lunch with my girlfriend every three weeks because I never call her first. She calls me first and I feel bad. I want you to help me send flowers to my sister every third week because you know, the littlest things that when it happens and I get those thank yous that make me feel good, I put them on her table. And when this girl started managing my life, her name is Loella and my life, I started like, I would walk around like this. Like so happy.

So happy because I knew my life was taken care of. And then I saw that I'm like, wait a minute, I have all this free time. I said, we're gonna homeschool now. And then we started homeschooling. understanding that you can't do it yourself, prioritizing yourself and getting the right people in place that's affordable to help you.

Shauna Lynn SImon (48:13.406)

love this because what are the things that only Jane can do? Well, only Jane can go out and get the black belt. Only Jane can do her own workouts. Only Jane can eat her own food. Only Jane can spend quality time with her kids as a mom. There's certain things that literally you are the only person who can do it.

But we get ourselves so caught up in our head that there's so many other things that only we can do. And I mean, I've talked about it already on this podcast and I've talked about it most podcasts. Anyone who's listened to a couple of episodes knows I am an avid runner. This is a part of my life, minimum five times a week, usually close to six times. When I travel, like I will go to weddings and at the end of the night we're all going to bed and everyone's like, I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it to breakfast. Like I'm pretty tired, I'm gonna sleep in, all this stuff.

They'll look at me like, oh, like, what about you? Like, what time are you getting up? And I'm like, oh, well, I'm going to be up at like six o'clock because I'm to go for a run first. that's like, it doesn't matter what I'm doing. I'm not sacrificing it to the point where like my, when my mom plans her trips, if she needs me to take her to the airport, she schedules her flight at a time that doesn't disrupt my run. So when people are saying to me, well, I don't have time to run. I run at 5 AM My alarm goes off at 4:15AM every morning.

regardless of what time my run is at. Sometimes my runs at five, sometimes it's at six. The alarm goes off at the same time because otherwise I need to get things done before or after the run. But my priorities stay the same. I'm not shifting my schedule on a daily basis. And so I go to bed at the same time every night. Like these are things that I have chosen to prioritize for me. I understand that may not be everyone's schedule. What I'm saying though is find what works for you, but stop with the excuses of I don't have time for this. There are plenty of things that I think I should be doing that I'm not doing.

And I would, like to say that, I don't have time for that. No, no, that's not actually the truth. I have not prioritized it to make the time for it.

Jane Harris (50:12.11)

That's absolutely right. Well said. No more excuses.

Shauna Lynn SImon (50:19.566)

No excuses. No excuses. Okay, so we could probably talk for hours, but I do feel like we got to start closing off this episode a little bit here because people need to be able go out and start implementing all the things that we're talking about. what is, why don't you give me kind of your top three like instant confidence tips, whether it's specifically for people who are wearing wigs or just in general, like what are your top three like you want confidence today before you leave the house? are the three things you're going to do.

Jane Harris (50:48.686)

gosh, my number one confidence tip is stop breaking promises to yourself because no one's really holding you accountable. Like you tell yourself you're going to work out. You don't. You tell yourself you're going to stop being in that toxic environment via chat or whatever the case may be, you're still there as they ask you to lunch and you still go because you don't want to be, you know, mean or whatever. It's stop breaking those promises that you make to yourself. Even if no one sees it, your subconscious calls you a fraud.

You know, so when you step into a room, you're like, you know what? I'm a woman of my word. And you're subconsciously like, no, you're not. I just lied yesterday. You know what mean? So stop breaking those promises to yourself. I think the number two thing is find a routine. You literally just said it. Find a routine. You wake up in the morning. For me, the first thing I want to do is say my prayer and lay my bed. Like my bed needs to be laid. I need to look at it and go, Oh, it looks so neat. That makes me happy. You know, and um,

I think number three is move. I love movement. I dance, I do martial arts and I work out. Whenever, of course, naturally happy juice gets released when you work out. It's also a great way to say thank you to yourself. It's a way to say, this is my time. This is my selfish time. That's why you run because it makes you feel good. So those three things really boost my confidence every single day.

Shauna Lynn SImon (51:58.242)

Yes!

Shauna Lynn SImon (52:13.518)

They're so simple. Simple. They're so simple. And to your point, they're going to look a little different for each person. You've got to figure it out. And I like that you kept them generic enough, specific enough, while also being generic enough that anyone can apply this to however this looks for you. I always say, if anyone who said you can't stop time was not a runner. Because legit, when I am running, time just doesn't even exist. That is my.

Jane Harris (52:15.011)

This is

Shauna Lynn SImon (52:42.252)

my sugar high, that is my dopamine, that is my drug. Go find your drug.

Jane Harris (52:49.432)

Yes, exactly, well said, I love that.

Shauna Lynn SImon (52:52.492)

I mean, try not to do an actual drug. my gosh. I can turn anyone into a runner. can talk about it all day. Okay. So you also have a free challenge, the wear your wig better challenge. What are they going to walk away with? What does this look like?

Jane Harris (52:55.318)

You me want to run now.

Jane Harris (53:09.326)

I do it every every month just to and it's free because I want everyone to come in and I want people to learn because a lot of times in the industry people wear the wig but It doesn't look good. They don't know how to wear it. They have no clue So I teach how to wear your wig better and then in the class, of course I give them an injection of confidence So they don't know it but at the end of the class I teach them I say, okay Well now that you have the wig then what then I talk about mindset

and self-confidence and all that good stuff. So it's a great class for anyone who's thinking about wearing a wig or just wants to feel better about themselves. So it's a feel good class. I love it.

Shauna Lynn SImon (53:44.192)

And I'd be willing to bet there's some people listening to this episode who either are already wearing wigs and definitely want to be wearing them better. But I'm sure there's probably someone listening to this episode as well who's saying.

A wig might be the answer to my problems. I'm tired of fighting with my hair. I'm tired of not feeling like myself. And so they can also get a wig on your website. They can use the code, THEREAL at checkout. And you're going to give them a special offer. So the website is thevirginhairfantasy.com. We will of course make sure that all of these things are in the show notes. Uh, but that's incredibly generous of you. And I so appreciate everything that you've been sharing today. If we're going to leave people with just one takeaway from today's episode, there's just one thing.

that they're going to go out and implement after listening to this today. What do you hope that one thing is?

Jane Harris (54:31.874)

I hope they know that you're one chapter away from your best self.

Shauna Lynn SImon (54:36.462)

I love that.

Jane Harris (54:37.602)

The woman I am today, it was okay. I knew I had a problem, but I found the book and I read the book and I implemented. So you're just one chapter away from the best version of yourself. And it was because of a book. I'm even on this podcast. I read that you just have to find audiences that facilitate what you're doing and spread the word. And here I am. I sent you an email and here I am. So you're one chapter away from the best version of yourself. And I want to thank you for having me. This has been so amazing.

Shauna Lynn SImon (55:06.35)

Jane, this has been my honor and my pleasure, truly. Thank you for everything that you've shared today. And I think that so many people, you if you're listening to this, like, yeah, like you're, who do you need to contact? Who has your audience? How are you going to get in touch with them? Get real with them, reach out to them. Don't just try to sit behind the computer screen, hoping that they're going to find you, go to find them.

Thank you. So listen, if you're listening to this podcast, of course, and what we're saying here today is resonating with you. I truly hope that you will continue to join us each and every week. We drop new episodes every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. Eastern time. And please allow us to continue to be a part of your incredible journey. Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Jane, I so appreciate you.

Jane Harris (55:51.63)

Thank you. You just got me wanting to run. I've got to go get my outfit.

Shauna Lynn SImon (55:56.206)

One more converted, just a few more to go. Thank you so much. Until next time, everyone keep thriving.