How Janine Duguid Is Scaling Her Handmade Brand—Without Ads, Burnout, or Constant New Releases

When I asked Janine what she wants to wake up to on January 1, 2026, she said:

“More than double my online sales from last year.”

So we got to work on a plan to get her there.

Janine runs Wheat & Wildflower, a handmade kidswear brand in Canada. She started it at the beginning of the pandemic, right after getting laid off from her job. And like a lot of makers, she did everything herself—cutting, sewing, packing, shipping.

But here’s the difference: she approached the business like a business from day one. And that mindset shift has paid off.

She’s growing fast—without running ads, without burning out, and without constantly launching new products.

Here’s how she’s doing it—and how you can too.

The shift that changed everything

Up until sometime last year, Janine was still doing it all herself. Since then, she’s:

• Hired a seamstress
  
• Started working with a cut-and-sew facility
  
• Increased her production runs to 60 units at a time
  
  

That’s a big leap from the one-by-one approach most handmade businesses rely on.

But the real shift wasn’t just in production—it was in strategy. Janine realized early on that she didn’t need to keep launching new things just to make sales. Instead, she needed to:

• Make more of what already sells
  
• Build the audience to buy it
  
• Stop chasing growth through constant novelty
  
  

That’s rare. And it’s exactly how you set yourself up to scale.

What Janine’s focused on right now

Her goal is clear: double her online sales from last year.

And she’s on track. Even though Q4 hadn’t hit yet when we spoke, her online sales were already up 60% year-to-date.

Here’s what she’s working with:

• Returning customer rate: 37.4%
  
• New customers this year: 132—all organic
  
• Repeat purchase rate: 25% of those new customers
  
• AOV (average order value): Over $100
  
  

She’s done all of this with zero ad spend.

Let that sink in.

So where are the customers coming from?

We broke it down, and here’s what Janine is doing that’s working:

1. Photography partnerships with real moms

She sends products to photographers—moms who shoot their kids wearing her clothes. She tags them, they share the photos, and they keep sharing them over time because their kids actually wear the clothes.

No influencer contracts. No gimmicks. Just honest sharing.

2. Email capture at in-person markets

She’s intentional about collecting emails from market shoppers and converting them into online buyers later.

3. Targeted posts in “Made in Canada” Facebook groups

When she posts in those groups, her site traffic jumps by 75–100 visitors. And her email popup—powered by Klaviyo—is ready to catch them.

4. Word of mouth and gifting

She includes a free gift tag and shop info with every order that’s marked as a gift. That’s turning gift recipients into future buyers.

Why she hasn’t run ads (yet)

Janine had set aside $100/month to start testing ads. But I told her: not yet.

Why?

Because what she’s doing organically is working better than what most people get with ads. And the reality is, $100/month won’t get her very far in paid traffic.

Instead of spending that, she’s now focused on amplifying what’s already working.

What we’re doing next: 3 big moves

1. Double down on list growth

Janine’s email list has grown by 270 people since starting Reliable Revenue, with about 60–70 new subscribers a month.

We set a new goal: add 100 more each month.

Not by working harder. By making a few smart changes:

• Adding a gated sales page for her “Last Chance” collection
  
• Launching a Product Tester campaign to get more emails (and sales)
  
• Promoting that gated page weekly on social media
  
  

These aren’t hard to implement—but they work.

2. Build a high-converting gated page

Right now, Janine’s “Last Chance” and “One of a Kind” products are buried in a dropdown menu.

We talked about moving one of those to the top nav and gating it with an email opt-in.

It’s a simple strategy with big upside. Submit rates are often 60–70%, because the traffic is warm and already browsing.

And for people already on her list? No gate. Just a clear way to shop.

Pro tip: Keep the language vague—say “our very best prices” or “almost sold-out styles.” Don’t promise a set percentage off unless you mean it.

3. Try a no-fluff collaboration

Janine already has a natural collaboration partner—Jen from Baron & Roo—another Inner Circle member with a complementary audience.

And here’s the timing kicker:

New Inner Circle training drops this January on how to run email-based collaborations designed to share leads, not just sales.

No dancing on TikTok. No influencer fluff. Just two high-quality brands introducing each other to their buyers. Way more effective.

We’re keeping it simple, smart, and sustainable.

Her email is doing the heavy lifting

Since switching to Klaviyo, Janine is seeing 45% of her total sales attributed to email.

• Two automation flows alone have brought in over $6,000 (30% of email revenue)
  
• The other 70% is from her regular weekly campaigns
  
  

She didn’t just install Klaviyo—she learned it. And she sends consistently.

Don’t ignore your numbers

Janine is a numbers person. She tracks her sales, her repeat customer rate, her AOV—everything.

But like most of us, she got a little off track over the summer with three kids at home. Now that school’s back, she’s bringing back her monthly review ritual.

If you want to grow like Janine, steal this move:

Schedule one morning a month with zero interruptions to check your numbers. Look at what worked. Look at what didn’t. Make a plan. Rinse and repeat.

A quick story to wrap this up

Last year, Janine launched a two-piece baby outfit priced at $89.

Friends and family told her it was a bad idea. Too expensive. Wouldn’t sell.

This year, it became her top-selling product.

She’s sold 76 sets so far—up from 16 last year. That’s a 376% increase.

They’re now stocked in the Third + Bird shop at the Winnipeg airport, being bought as gifts by travelers heading all over the world.

The takeaway?

Janine isn’t chasing trends. She’s not burning herself out. She’s not addicted to launches.

She’s:

• Making more of what works
  
• Tracking what matters
  
• Growing her email list
  
• Treating her business like a business
  
  

And because of that, she’s on track to blow past her goal of doubling online sales.

RELATED LINKS

Learn More About Janine’s Brand at: wheatandwildflower.ca
Instagram & Facebook: @wheatandwildflower.ca

Get on the Reliable Revenue waitlist: https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/reliable-revenue

Organic Sales: Don't miss these 2 strategies https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/organic-sales-dont-miss-these-2-strategies-episode-282

The free strategy that got 1600 leads and 34 new customers https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/the-free-strategy-that-got-1600-leads-and-34-new-customers-episode-281

The best strategy for Organic Growth https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/the-best-strategy-for-organic-growth-episode-119