When we started our business, we were young, we looked even younger, and our clients made sure we knew it. To earn their trust, we schooled them on every mill, dye, and fabric detail we knew. In this episode, we talk about why that over-education worked for the clientele we had back then, and why it became a bad habit once we started serving luxury buyers. We break down the difference between educating and convincing, how pre-qualification builds trust before the appointment ever happens, and how showing up with confidence lets you spend less time proving yourself and more time with clients who are ready to buy.

Highlights

03:15 - Why educating your clients shouldn’t be your sales foundation.

04:42 - Why the highest-end clients want to skip the fabric lesson and simply trust the expert they hired.

09:35 - The trust gap we faced as young clothiers serving lower-end clients and how it pushed us to prove our expertise.

14:38 - Why trust is the most important thing in the custom clothier industry.

17:31 - The simplest reason clients trust us: we’re actually trustworthy.

22:55 - Some clients love the mill story and some just want what they want, so how do you tell the difference?

24:45 - Your client is already sold, so why are you still pitching?

29:37 - Clients aren't paying you for your time, they're paying you because you're the expert.

33:16 - What happens when you start using your expertise as a source of confidence.

37:03 - The simple truth: over-selling and trying to earn trust are habits built for lower-end clients.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

Should you stay mobile, rent an office, or open a storefront? In this episode, we walk you through every space we’ve operated from driving around Minnesota meeting clients in their homes and offices, sharing a studio space, and moving into the shop we’re in today, our fourth location in a dozen years. We break down the real pros and cons of each option, why every move cost more than three times the last, and why we’ve never once wished we could go back. We also talk about what a physical location does for your credibility, your client experience, and your ability to attract the luxury clients who give you more money and more time. There’s no magic checklist for signing a lease, but once you know what you want your business and your life to look like, the decision gets a lot clearer.

Highlights

03:01 - Why your margin was never meant to stay where you first set it.

04:54 - Why mobile is the easiest way to start in this industry, and that’s exactly why it comes with the most cons.

09:57 - What house calls taught us about how little we were valuing our time.

14:51 - The simple question we ask to decide whether any expense, including rent, is worth it.

20:20 - How showing up on Google made us realize just how many clients we’d been missing as mobile clothiers.

25:07 - Why you don’t need to be located in the best part of town to attract high-end clients.

36:06 - Why moving locations is the best excuse there is to land organic press.

44:22 - The “suit speakeasy” compliment that told us our space no longer matched the luxury business we were building.

47:07 - The order minimum you need, and what you should never pack when a client asks you to come to them.

49:43 - Why there’s no magic checklist for signing a lease, and why the decision starts with the life you want your business to give you.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

In this episode, we’re talking about priorities: what they cost and why they determine the kind of business and life you ultimately build. We reflect on our years of marathon training, nearly seven years of sobriety, and the evolution of our custom clothing business to show why meaningful change usually requires giving something up. We also dig into what this means for clothiers who say they want a high-end luxury business but are still holding onto consultations, rush orders, broad clientele, and other habits that work against their goal.

Highlights

02:48 - What marathon training taught us about committing to a priority other people may never understand.

05:09 - How getting sober forced us to confront which priorities could and couldn’t coexist in our lives.

06:45 - Why you can’t be the inexpensive, fast wedding-suit guy and the high-end luxury clothier at the same time.

10:44 - Why pursuing what matters most often feels uncomfortable long before it feels rewarding.

13:10 - Why the first time you do anything is usually the hardest, but doing it once proves you can do it again.

18:40 - The client boundaries you think you could “never” enforce are likely exactly the ones your business needs.

24:36 - Why time affluence starts with protecting your time and working with clients who value theirs.

26:40 - You want the end result, but are you willing to do what it actually takes to achieve it?

33:16 - Why free consultations and a calendar full of shoppers directly conflict with the goal of working with luxury buyers.

38:42 - If you’re serious about building a luxury business, your daily decisions need to change now.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
Watch on Youtube

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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

Getting paid shouldn’t mean chasing invoices, sending reminders, or hoping a client follows through after the appointment. In this episode, we’re talking about how we completely changed the way we collect payments and how it gave us more control over our business. We break down why we stopped automatically splitting payments 50/50, the danger of letting clients leave without paying, and how setting expectations before the appointment makes collecting money easier. We also share what we’ve learned from our own mistakes and the situations inside Luxury Clothier Collective, including when we still make exceptions to our payment process.

Highlights:

02:19 - Why we spent a decade taking 50% upfront and 50% at delivery and why we eventually had to rethink it.

04:42 - Stop making excuses for what you think your clients will or won’t do.

06:33 - Why splitting payments can put you in the position of chasing money you’ve already earned.

09:39 - How nearly going out of business forced us to completely rethink the way we get paid.

15:40 - Why the fear of what your clients “might say” shouldn’t deter you from changing your payment process.

20:47 - Why getting paid during the appointment protects the sale you just made.

24:11 - Why sticking to your process is crucial for staying in control of the money you earn.

28:26 - How we utilize split payments as strategic exceptions, not as our standard process.

33:03 - Why getting paid in the moment starts with setting clear expectations before the appointment ever happens.

40:31 - The attitude shift that only you can make: you’re a custom clothier, not a debt collector.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

The reality is, there are going to be slow seasons in business and when you’re building something luxury, those ebbs and flows can feel even more extreme. In this episode, we get candid about a discouraging stretch in our own business, from promising leads backing out to longtime clients telling us they’re “all set.” We talk about why slow periods don’t mean your strategy isn’t working and why lowering your standards or prices is the wrong response. This episode will give you the motivation to trust the business you’ve built, recognize when you’ve done everything you can, and stop running “garbage miles” just because waiting feels uncomfortable.

Highlights:

01:56 - We get candid about feeling discouraged during a slow stretch in our business.

04:28 - Fatigue from hearing “no”: when leads keep coming in but the right clients aren’t booking.

06:10 - Why we’d rather have an uncommitted prospect cancel early than waste time in a fitting.

08:14 - Why a premium business naturally experiences bigger peaks and valleys than a lower-end, high-volume business.

14:11 - The myth of a “bad market” and why understanding your market matters more than blaming it.

16:37 - Why obsessing over weekly numbers triggers your scarcity and signs you up for an unnecessary emotional rollercoaster.

21:26 - Why doing the same thing repeatedly and hoping business improves will keep you stuck.

26:29 - Why slow periods aren’t the time to panic, lower prices, or run sales just to fill the calendar.

29:40 - “Garbage miles”: why sometimes the smartest move in business is to stop pushing and wait.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
Watch on Youtube

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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

In this episode, we share multiple client experiences that perfectly illustrate why your business shouldn't be built for everyone. We talk about staying committed to your standards when things don’t go your way, building your processes and messaging around the clients you actually want, and refusing to let a bad experience push you back into scarcity. Ultimately, if your aim is to build a business that supports the life you want, you can’t and shouldn’t serve everyone.

Highlights:

04:26 - Why sticking to your standards will always reward you for a job well done, even if it takes time to see those rewards.

08:26 - Two clients, two completely different experiences, and a reminder of who our business is built for.

12:21 - Why marketing one “versatile” piece can unintentionally teach clients to buy less.

14:06 - Why your messaging should speak directly to the ideal client you want more of, not simply anyone willing to buy something.

19:29 - A seemingly perfect Friday prospect that went very wrong.

27:04 - Why not every bad appointment means your process is broken.

32:43 - The record-breaking order we received shortly after our nightmare Friday prospect and how it reinforced the importance of building around clients who trust and value what we do.

38:50 - Why your best clients should reset your expectations for what’s possible in your business.

43:24 - Why your customers’ buying habits should determine who your business is unapologetically built for.

48:18 - Staying true to your standards means reserving your energy for clients who truly value what you do, even when you’re tempted to fall back into a scarcity mindset.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
Watch on Youtube

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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

Your client might walk in telling you exactly what they need, but that doesn’t mean they actually know what they need. In this episode, we break down why being a great custom clothier means going beyond taking orders and instead, learning how to anticipate what will make your client’s life easier. We talk about how we uncover needs clients haven’t considered and turn something as simple as a blue suit into a much bigger solution. We also get into why projecting your own financial situation onto your clients costs you money and why the best sales process leaves clients feeling like they received more value, not like they were sold more stuff.

Highlights:

04:25 - Why we don’t take separate consultation appointments and how we get the information we need while actually moving the client toward a decision.

08:48 - Your job isn’t just to sell clients what they ask for, but to anticipate needs they may not even realize they have yet.

12:00 - What a client is really communicating when they say they want “one suit for everything”.

16:16 - Why versatility is one of the most important words we listen for and how it opens the door to a better wardrobe strategy.

19:38 - How talking about wear disbursement helps clients understand why having more options is about practicality, not just spending more money.

24:49 - The questions that reveal what your client actually needs beyond what they came in asking for.

26:22 - How your scarcity mindset causes you to massively undersell yourself.

33:21 - Why recommending more doesn’t have to feel salesy when your recommendations genuinely serve the client’s best interests.

37:07 - Why being the expert means thinking ahead for your clients instead of simply fulfilling today’s request.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
Watch on Youtube

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Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod

We’ve said before that we’d never dedicate an episode to consultations because we thought our stance was obvious: we don’t do them. But after hearing from countless custom clothiers who hate consultations yet feel trapped into offering them, we realized this conversation was overdue. In this episode, we talk about why we refuse to spend our time convincing prospects to buy, how we create trust and pre-qualify clients before they ever walk through the door, and why losing an appointment can actually be a win. If you’re tired of showing up, giving away your expertise, and wondering whether you’ll get paid at the end, this episode is your permission slip to change the way you do business.

Highlights

01:54 - Why we refuse to believe consultations are necessary to sell custom clothing.

05:17 - Building a relationship vs. being the expert who meets people's needs.

07:50 - Why our best client relationships start with established trust, not an in-depth consultation.

09:00 - How consultations can trap you into selling your lowest-priced option to people who are still shopping around.

13:42 - How we pre-qualify clients before the appointment without ever sitting down for a consultation.

17:33 - What to do when a tire-kicker slips through your pre-qualification process.

20:02 - Why a canceled appointment can be far better than spending hours with someone who was never ready to buy.

23:04 - Would you go to work if your boss told you there was a chance you wouldn’t get paid?

26:43 - What a “free” consultation actually costs you once you count your time, expenses, and expertise.

31:24 - Why requiring commitment before the appointment leads to predictability, less stress, and clients who are willing to buy more.

Resources + Links
Apply for Luxury Clothier Collective Mastermind HERE
More resources for custom clothiers HERE
Watch on Youtube

Follow
Appointment Only in IG: @appointmentonlypod