Shownotes
Business Building Insights
- Action over perfection. Go out and do what you know you want to do. Don’t wait for the perfect time.
- When starting a new business, be honest about whether you really want to do it long term. This should be a deciding factor.
- It’s important for makers to have one specific place where to send customers. In almost all cases, this should be your website.
- Not everyone will be your correct audience. Keep testing different markets and craft shows to find the ones that are right for your product.
- Add more to the experience by making your booth welcoming and inviting, one where people can get comfortable and spend time.
- Be willing to get help when the time comes. If you want to grow, you won’t be able to do it by yourself.
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Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Gift biz unwrapped episode 233 a lot of people ask me
Speaker:how I balance it and I still feel like there is
Speaker:no balancing.
Speaker:I like to say I juggled At Tintin gifters,
Speaker:bakers, crafters and makers.
Speaker:Pursuing your dream can be fun whether you have an established
Speaker:business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there,
Speaker:it's Sue and thank you for that.
Speaker:Joining me here today.
Speaker:I'm starting with an important announcement for those of you who
Speaker:are listening in live time.
Speaker:So that is the week of September 23rd,
Speaker:2019 I want to give you a heads up that the
Speaker:doors to the makers MBA program close once again this Thursday
Speaker:and they're not going to be opening again until somewhere around
Speaker:the second quarter of 2020 so if you've been thinking about
Speaker:this, teetering on the fence,
Speaker:I think that's the way you say that.
Speaker:The time to act is now a conscious decision one way
Speaker:or the other and truly when the deadline hits that it
Speaker:integrity is a really important core value of mine.
Speaker:So when I say something that's exactly what happens.
Speaker:Integrity, a really important example as a business owner,
Speaker:and if you haven't called it out for yourself,
Speaker:I encourage you to do so.
Speaker:If you don't know what maker's MBA is about real quick,
Speaker:it's an all inclusive lifetime access program that is specifically made
Speaker:for makers.
Speaker:So as I call all of you gifters,
Speaker:bakers, crafters makers,
Speaker:you'll go from feeling overwhelmed,
Speaker:confused and discouraged.
Speaker:Any of you guys feeling like that right now because you
Speaker:don't know how to start your business or not sure how
Speaker:to move forward in your existing business.
Speaker:You go from that to feeling energized and confident as your
Speaker:company gets off the ground and starts producing a steady flow
Speaker:of customers and sales.
Speaker:Not only that,
Speaker:but you'll know exactly what to do to keep the dollars
Speaker:flowing. If you want to know more,
Speaker:check out the details at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash makers MBA,
Speaker:but remember the doors shut Thursday night.
Speaker:At first I thought about saying slam shut,
Speaker:but I like the image much better saying they gently close,
Speaker:tight and those of us inside start getting to work on
Speaker:a very rewarding experience.
Speaker:Again, the link is gift biz on rapt.com
Speaker:forward slash makers MBA if you'd like to learn more.
Speaker:So let's talk a little bit now about today's episode.
Speaker:It's a great example of what can happen when you make
Speaker:online connections.
Speaker:My guest and I have been casually communicating through Instagram for
Speaker:a few years.
Speaker:I admire her products and she shares what she likes about
Speaker:the show.
Speaker:She actually left a review a while back,
Speaker:which was a gesture that I truly appreciated.
Speaker:Then about a month ago,
Speaker:she reached out wondering if she could be on the show.
Speaker:Here is why I said yes immediately.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:we already knew each other,
Speaker:albeit not in person,
Speaker:but a relationship has been established.
Speaker:Second, I've been watching her business develop over the years and
Speaker:I see that she's consistent in her communication and dedication to
Speaker:growing her business.
Speaker:So this is someone I'd be interested in talking to and
Speaker:sharing with all of you.
Speaker:And third,
Speaker:she took the initiative and not only directly asked for what
Speaker:she wanted,
Speaker:she explained to me the value that she could bring to
Speaker:you because when people want to be on the show and
Speaker:it's a hundred percent self serving,
Speaker:which believe me,
Speaker:I get all the time.
Speaker:The immediate answer is no guests always have to be providing
Speaker:information for you with no strings attached.
Speaker:If not,
Speaker:you guys aren't going to keep listening.
Speaker:So in truth,
Speaker:this was an easy and immediate decision.
Speaker:I responded yes in like a minute,
Speaker:but the entire interaction I just described happened over some time.
Speaker:This is the value of connections for you that you can
Speaker:use with prospective customers too.
Speaker:They might not buy the first time they meet you online
Speaker:or in person,
Speaker:but that doesn't mean there's no future.
Speaker:It's a work in progress.
Speaker:Okay, you guys ready?
Speaker:Let's get to know all about Annie.
Speaker:Today. I'd like to introduce you to Annie of natural Annie
Speaker:essentials. Annie was born and raised on the beautiful Island of
Speaker:Jamaica so she's no stranger to the nourishing,
Speaker:healing power of oils and herbs and it has always been
Speaker:a creative soul with an eye for all things bright and
Speaker:bold. When her first daughter Tiffany was born with spina bifida
Speaker:and hydrocephalus,
Speaker:she turned to natural remedies to help her skin because the
Speaker:prescription medication didn't work.
Speaker:After trying a variety of natural butters,
Speaker:essential oils and other natural oils,
Speaker:she finally found the remedy for Tiffany's skin issues and this
Speaker:is how natural Annie essentials was born.
Speaker:Natural anti essentials is your Island inspired one stop shop for
Speaker:uniquely scented handmade soy candles and bath and body products.
Speaker:The aim to make you and your home look,
Speaker:feel and smell.
Speaker:Good. Welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Danny, Thanks for having me today.
Speaker:So I am so excited to talk to you and we
Speaker:were just talking a little bit before I pressed record about
Speaker:how you and I have interacted for,
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:maybe three years through social media,
Speaker:but we've never had a chance to talk voice to voice,
Speaker:I can't say face to face,
Speaker:but voice to voice.
Speaker:So this is the first time.
Speaker:Yeah, so true.
Speaker:And I'm so excited.
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:It's really,
Speaker:really fun.
Speaker:I want to stay with tradition here on the podcast and
Speaker:before we get into your story and we learn more about
Speaker:you, I'd like you to share with us a little bit
Speaker:of what you're like through a motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to share with me a color and
Speaker:a quote that is a candle that speaks all you,
Speaker:Annie, what would it look like?
Speaker:My color.
Speaker:I would have a multicolored candle.
Speaker:I feel like colors just put me in a very happy
Speaker:place and make me want to do all the things and
Speaker:my quote on that candle would be action over perfection.
Speaker:That's my daily reminder to just go out and do what
Speaker:I need to do and not wait for the perfect time
Speaker:because I've realized there is no perfect time.
Speaker:So action over perfection for me.
Speaker:Did you always feel that way or did you come across
Speaker:that as you started to get your business going?
Speaker:That was while I was in business mode as I was
Speaker:getting my business going.
Speaker:It's just something I picked up along the way that has
Speaker:worked and is a constant reminder for me.
Speaker:I think it's a really good quote or something to think
Speaker:about because I think,
Speaker:and I'm guessing that there are people who are listening here
Speaker:now, it's a great way to say,
Speaker:well, I'm just not ready yet and put off something that
Speaker:might seem a little scary.
Speaker:Starting a business and putting yourself out there like you've got
Speaker:a wait until it's perfect.
Speaker:And I love that you're saying that's not the case.
Speaker:Let's just get rolling here.
Speaker:Absolutely, Yeah.
Speaker:So give us a little bit more detail.
Speaker:I mean I talked in the intro some about how your
Speaker:business started,
Speaker:but give a little more detail under that and possibly a
Speaker:little bit before that.
Speaker:What's your experience before you actually started your business?
Speaker:So before I started my business,
Speaker:I was working in corporate America.
Speaker:I was a research specialist with a very large it research
Speaker:firm and I was with them for about six years until
Speaker:I had my first daughter Tiffany in 2014 and that pretty
Speaker:much changed my life completely.
Speaker:Tiffany was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus as you had
Speaker:noted earlier.
Speaker:And it was not something that was diagnosed before birth.
Speaker:So it totally caught us off guard when she was 14
Speaker:What does that mean?
Speaker:What were the symptoms and what did that do to her
Speaker:that you had to overcome?
Speaker:So when she was born,
Speaker:spinal bifida is an opening in the spine.
Speaker:So she was born with what seemed like a bulge in
Speaker:her back.
Speaker:Sir. Her spine didn't fully meet from head to toe.
Speaker:So immediately after the delivery about like two hours after or
Speaker:for between two to four hours after she had to be
Speaker:transferred to the ACU where they had to perform an emergency
Speaker:surgery to close the gap in her back.
Speaker:So that's the sense of the spinal bifida now,
Speaker:the hydrocephalus,
Speaker:while we were in the hospital about a week later after
Speaker:doing multiple tests,
Speaker:they realized that she also had hydrocephalus,
Speaker:which is caused by the spinal bifida.
Speaker:So what hydrocephalus is,
Speaker:is basically fluid building up in the brain.
Speaker:So they had to do another surgery for that,
Speaker:inserted a shunt,
Speaker:which now helps to remove the fluids from her brain to
Speaker:her stomach First,
Speaker:let me say,
Speaker:obviously super serious.
Speaker:So as a mom that had to be so challenging and
Speaker:difficult seeing your little daughter having to go through that.
Speaker:But it sounds like she came through it well,
Speaker:right? Absolutely,
Speaker:yes. So how do the natural butters and essential oils,
Speaker:because I was thinking this was more like it progressed into
Speaker:a skin issue.
Speaker:Actually it did.
Speaker:So because she was on all these medications while in the
Speaker:hospital, once we came home about roughly about a month and
Speaker:a half later,
Speaker:she was no longer on those really strong meds.
Speaker:So her skin started to break out.
Speaker:And I remember she had this really bad rash on her,
Speaker:but that would not go away.
Speaker:We were back and forth to the hospital with it and
Speaker:nothing was working.
Speaker:So I grew up in Jamaica with my grandparents.
Speaker:My grandmother was here with me at the time,
Speaker:so we kind of just tried what we were familiar with,
Speaker:which was,
Speaker:or natural cocoa butter,
Speaker:Shea butter and essential oils.
Speaker:So I started to blend these different ingredients together with caution
Speaker:of course.
Speaker:And then that's when we finally started to get some relief
Speaker:on our skin.
Speaker:It was amazing.
Speaker:So for me there was no turning back and that kind
Speaker:of led my progression into formulation and aroma therapy.
Speaker:And I actually went into school to get certified for aroma
Speaker:therapy after that.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:Okay. So are you saying that you tried some things like
Speaker:more over the counter type things that you weren't finding something
Speaker:that was helping her first and so then you just started
Speaker:doing your own thing or did you automatically start creating your
Speaker:own mixtures?
Speaker:We tried what was prescribed first and some stuff over the
Speaker:counter and then we weren't getting the results.
Speaker:So then we started to make our own mixtures at home.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:And so was your grandmother helping you too?
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:it was a head mixer.
Speaker:She's the head and mixer that had to be really forget
Speaker:the business side,
Speaker:but that had to be really exciting and rewarding to see
Speaker:that you were finally getting some relief for Tiffany.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:I mean from just her skin.
Speaker:We were starting to use oils just in the house in
Speaker:general to clean,
Speaker:to help to make her sleep.
Speaker:So it was a really fun time around here around those
Speaker:times. Well,
Speaker:you needed some fun,
Speaker:it sounded like.
Speaker:Totally. Yeah.
Speaker:I mean a newborn is a struggle,
Speaker:a challenge enough.
Speaker:But then based on your having to have surgeries and all
Speaker:that's double.
Speaker:Yeah. Well first on behalf of me and all my listeners,
Speaker:we want to reach out to Tiffany and say hello and
Speaker:we're thrilled that things sound like they're going great now.
Speaker:So that's good then certainly.
Speaker:Awesome. Thank you.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So let's talk more about the product.
Speaker:So you were continuing to make these mixtures and all that
Speaker:just for yourself,
Speaker:for your own purposes.
Speaker:Yes. And so where was that point kind of take us
Speaker:to that time when all of a sudden you're like,
Speaker:Hm, maybe this would be helpful for other people too.
Speaker:Maybe it could be a business.
Speaker:Yeah. So after I had enrolled in my aroma therapy program
Speaker:and we,
Speaker:in that particular class we did a lot of formulation.
Speaker:So it was just mixing different products together,
Speaker:how to use essential oils,
Speaker:how to safely use essential oils,
Speaker:and I really was enjoying that portion of it.
Speaker:Then I started to just use a lot of essential oils
Speaker:at home and I would share with friends and families.
Speaker:I would even have like make and take parties with essential
Speaker:oils. And a friend of mine,
Speaker:actually, she was the one who inspired me to start a
Speaker:business because she loved,
Speaker:particularly, there was a face scrub that I was making and
Speaker:she loved it.
Speaker:Her skin loved it.
Speaker:So one day she said,
Speaker:you know what,
Speaker:you should put a label on this because you have something
Speaker:going here.
Speaker:So that's kind of what I took that advice and later
Speaker:on opened my very first Etsy shop.
Speaker:But so interesting how it's usually someone besides ourself who is,
Speaker:makes the suggestion and then all of a sudden it feels
Speaker:right. Exactly.
Speaker:Yeah. Cause I was just having all the fun over here.
Speaker:I don't know what it is.
Speaker:Like we need the validation or it's okay if someone else
Speaker:has the idea instead of us.
Speaker:Sometimes, I don't know.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:But I hear that over and over again.
Speaker:So Yeah.
Speaker:And I never really,
Speaker:I knew from a young age that I wanted to do
Speaker:something with business,
Speaker:but at that point it just never clicked that this could
Speaker:have been it.
Speaker:Right. So that push was kind of the push I guess
Speaker:I needed.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:So when you started doing the make and take parties,
Speaker:were you doing that just to get out the product or
Speaker:were you doing a little bit of research,
Speaker:seeing if you had an audience or what was your thinking
Speaker:behind the parties But the,
Speaker:they can take parties.
Speaker:I actually started with this company called doTERRA.
Speaker:There are very large essential oils company and I was just
Speaker:buying all these essential oils on a monthly basis for myself.
Speaker:And so I needed to do something else with them.
Speaker:So I just started with having friends come over.
Speaker:When they would come over we would just make stuff,
Speaker:drink wine and just have a fun little evening.
Speaker:Oh man,
Speaker:I would bet there It was so fun.
Speaker:So make and take and then they would take back whatever
Speaker:they made and use them to get a feel for what
Speaker:these type of products can do for their body.
Speaker:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:And it was just trying also to introduce them to essential
Speaker:oils and how powerful it is and how amazingly healthy it
Speaker:is for us.
Speaker:And they were having a grand time that That's awesome.
Speaker:And then from that you were seeing that friends were starting
Speaker:to buy from you or it was just the parties.
Speaker:I wasn't even selling.
Speaker:Okay. It was just a parties.
Speaker:I wasn't even selling at the time.
Speaker:Okay. So girls over having some wine,
Speaker:mixing the oils,
Speaker:them taking things home.
Speaker:So you were seeing that there was an interest in the
Speaker:product, forget about a business yet,
Speaker:cause you hadn't even started thinking about that.
Speaker:And then it was a friend of yours who said,
Speaker:Hey Annie,
Speaker:have you ever thought about a business?
Speaker:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker:Did it fit with you automatically?
Speaker:Like the second she said it,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:that's an idea.
Speaker:Or did she have to sell you on it?
Speaker:Well, no,
Speaker:I thought about it.
Speaker:And then someone that I was working with because with doTERRA
Speaker:it's an MLM type of business.
Speaker:So the person I would buy the oils from,
Speaker:it was telling me about the business side to doTERRA.
Speaker:So then I figured if I could teach my friends how
Speaker:to do this and they could see for themselves that would
Speaker:have been away from me to do business.
Speaker:But then when I talked to them about it,
Speaker:they enjoy like the make and take parties.
Speaker:They enjoy making the stuff and bringing it home.
Speaker:But it's not something they were interested in doing say every
Speaker:every week if they were supposed to re up their products.
Speaker:Right. Cause they all have their own lives and jobs and
Speaker:other things that they're doing.
Speaker:Exactly. So me making it for them,
Speaker:providing an already finished product was where I kind of saw
Speaker:that business opportunity to say okay since you don't want to
Speaker:do it I'll do it for you cause I have all
Speaker:the fun doing this anyways.
Speaker:Right. Okay.
Speaker:So I want to stop you right here for a second
Speaker:because I think we can talk to our listeners about this
Speaker:a bit.
Speaker:So many people are concerned about sharing how they make their
Speaker:product. Now,
Speaker:I'm not talking about giving away all the secrets or something,
Speaker:but what you did here in terms of the parties having
Speaker:people see and get a taste of the product,
Speaker:if you will,
Speaker:you've seen how it feels on their skin and maybe the
Speaker:certain sense that they like the best or that type of
Speaker:thing developed an interest and a desire in them to have
Speaker:the product.
Speaker:So I'm thinking for some of our listeners who make something
Speaker:similar, this could be an interesting first step to attracting an
Speaker:audience, let them participate in making the product for a while
Speaker:knowing full well,
Speaker:which is exactly what you found Annie,
Speaker:is that they're not going to be able to keep it
Speaker:up long term,
Speaker:then they'll start buying from you.
Speaker:Exactly. Yeah.
Speaker:So I think give biz listeners,
Speaker:if you have a product that fits this idea,
Speaker:consider doing this because it's a great way to attract new
Speaker:business. Yeah.
Speaker:And it's a great way to see if you really like
Speaker:to do it,
Speaker:if you would really like to do it full term too.
Speaker:Yeah, good point.
Speaker:Okay, so you've made the choice.
Speaker:You've decided that you're going to start the business,
Speaker:what were your first steps?
Speaker:So once I started the business,
Speaker:wait, let me just back up a little bit to like
Speaker:my education.
Speaker:So I went to school for business,
Speaker:but once I started the business I quickly,
Speaker:this was a whole different arena.
Speaker:In what way?
Speaker:Just because now I had to apply the things and I
Speaker:didn't feel like while I was in college I was able
Speaker:to apply it to anything really.
Speaker:But now I had to actually do the things that I
Speaker:studied. So one of the first things I did when I
Speaker:decided to start this business was to enroll in a local
Speaker:program and it wasn't a small business program that helps uprising
Speaker:entrepreneurs or even if you just have an idea to go
Speaker:through the process,
Speaker:the things you need to start your process,
Speaker:all the legal stuff that you need.
Speaker:I think most States do have this.
Speaker:So I mean this is something I would always encourage entrepreneurs
Speaker:to get involved with,
Speaker:even if they feel like they're a little bit ahead.
Speaker:It's always good to have it too.
Speaker:As a refresher,
Speaker:so I did that program and it really helped to kick
Speaker:start me with finding out the things that I needed to
Speaker:do, whether it be licensing certification fees that I need to
Speaker:get done,
Speaker:all the legal stuff,
Speaker:so that really helps me to get off the ground legally.
Speaker:Okay. You set up everything,
Speaker:the stuff that's less fun,
Speaker:but the important things that you need to do to get
Speaker:a business started?
Speaker:Yeah, actually.
Speaker:Okay. Then what happened at launched my Etsy shop and I
Speaker:just went all in.
Speaker:I was taking the photos,
Speaker:I was making the products and about a few months in
Speaker:I set up shop at a local library where they had
Speaker:a popup,
Speaker:so I was starting to do a lot of popups just
Speaker:to kind of get my name out there and to kind
Speaker:of see what it was like.
Speaker:But I feel like along the way I just learned,
Speaker:they feel like there's no one path or no secret sauce,
Speaker:as some would say.
Speaker:I really feel like I just learned as I go and
Speaker:every time I try something new.
Speaker:That was a new learning experience for me to take onto
Speaker:the next step in the business that I would head on
Speaker:to. So Annie,
Speaker:share with us a little bit of your experience of starting
Speaker:your Etsy site.
Speaker:Did you find it to be an easy platform to get
Speaker:started on or what would you say was your experience there?
Speaker:It was pretty easy for me to get started on Etsy
Speaker:because I was already shopping on Etsy,
Speaker:so it was just now being on the other side as
Speaker:to where I would be adding stuff on the platform to
Speaker:sell and it was a pretty good option for me just
Speaker:starting out because it didn't have to do my own website,
Speaker:which caused a lot of money and starting a business I
Speaker:didn't have a lot of money to start with,
Speaker:so that was a pretty good entry for me.
Speaker:Right. What would be your suggestion in terms of how many
Speaker:products or photos or any ideas or tips you could give
Speaker:somebody who's looking at starting their own Etsy site?
Speaker:Well now at T has changed so much over the years.
Speaker:I feel like photography is top priority on Etsy these days.
Speaker:Both a mix of lifestyle photography and just product shots on
Speaker:plain white backgrounds.
Speaker:Explain lifestyle for our listeners.
Speaker:Lifestyle photography would fall into the category of say I sell
Speaker:candles. So shooting the candles and areas of your home where
Speaker:your customers could easily relate to.
Speaker:So for example,
Speaker:on a desk or in a living room setting on tables,
Speaker:so just anywhere your customers could envision them using your products.
Speaker:So a mixture of both,
Speaker:right. Lifestyle and then also product photos like flat lays or
Speaker:something? Yes,
Speaker:absolutely. Okay.
Speaker:So not just one or another would be your suggestion?
Speaker:No, because at see now when you list a product on
Speaker:Etsy, they have lots now where you could put up to
Speaker:10 photos and they've made it easier.
Speaker:Now where for each photo you upload,
Speaker:they tell you or they suggest what type of photo you
Speaker:should be uploading.
Speaker:So it's a pretty descent layout that they have.
Speaker:So you pretty much just follow the steps.
Speaker:But mix is usually required or recommended.
Speaker:Oh, got it.
Speaker:So for one particular product you might do the product shot,
Speaker:maybe then maybe a lifestyle shot and something else Free to
Speaker:paddock. Yes.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:got it.
Speaker:Any hints about photography or cameras or can you still use
Speaker:your cell phone for photos?
Speaker:Oh, totally,
Speaker:absolutely. I still use my camera phone for a lot of
Speaker:photography and it works amazing.
Speaker:I use those mostly for social media just because they wouldn't
Speaker:transfer as great on say a website,
Speaker:but I totally,
Speaker:you could still use your phone.
Speaker:It's amazing.
Speaker:My husband and I will go on vacation and he'll have
Speaker:all his big camera gear and sometimes little old me with
Speaker:my phone.
Speaker:My pictures turn out better Always.
Speaker:I have that same issues with my camera.
Speaker:Sometimes I hardly ever use it and I it Zero what
Speaker:I'm doing with a camera,
Speaker:but I know what to do with them.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Yeah. And so how long did it take,
Speaker:and I know it's been four years or so now,
Speaker:but how long did it take for your first sale to
Speaker:come through on that T?
Speaker:I think my first sale came through that very same week
Speaker:just because my friends were buying.
Speaker:Well that's good cause you get to know,
Speaker:Test it all out.
Speaker:Right. You want to make sure everything is working.
Speaker:Yes. I helped me to get my very first sale,
Speaker:but my first,
Speaker:I would say customer sale came about maybe about three weeks
Speaker:in. It didn't come very quick,
Speaker:so I was still a bit on edge because in my
Speaker:head it was still like,
Speaker:Oh people are not buying myself.
Speaker:Although a friend would have bought,
Speaker:but I didn't feel like that was enough for me to
Speaker:say, Hey,
Speaker:I have a product line because I feel like they would
Speaker:just buy it because they're supporting me and I'm their friend.
Speaker:So they're buying,
Speaker:but for say like a new customer,
Speaker:it took a few weeks.
Speaker:Okay. But you got them.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:That's the exciting thing is when you get somebody that you
Speaker:don't know for the first time,
Speaker:it's such a thrill,
Speaker:isn't it?
Speaker:It is.
Speaker:And it just makes you now want to make all the
Speaker:things and just to push forward with your business.
Speaker:Yeah. And when there's one they're going to be more,
Speaker:it seems like it just flips a switch that,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:somebody, I don't know now me go find more of Them.
Speaker:Yeah. And it motivates you to start talking about your stuff
Speaker:naturally. I'm an introvert.
Speaker:But You do not seem like an introvert.
Speaker:Oh no,
Speaker:I am.
Speaker:I know I am.
Speaker:But it excites you to a point where you now you
Speaker:want to talk to people about your product.
Speaker:Because sometimes when,
Speaker:cause I know when I first launched my Etsy shop,
Speaker:I was still kind of shy about it or didn't want
Speaker:to tell people about it,
Speaker:that I do have an Etsy shop and Hey,
Speaker:you can check out my products.
Speaker:But once you kind of see people are taking a liking
Speaker:to it,
Speaker:it kind of opens you up more to wanting to share
Speaker:what you're offering.
Speaker:I got it.
Speaker:Yeah. Because you're getting more confirmation then.
Speaker:So that builds up your confidence too.
Speaker:They kind of go hand in hand.
Speaker:Absolutely. So to finish up the discussion on Etsy,
Speaker:how has your shop evolved and where is it today?
Speaker:Well, we moved from Etsy.
Speaker:Well not totally,
Speaker:but we still have our Etsy shop but it doesn't do
Speaker:as well as it did back in the day.
Speaker:So now our main platform is actually our website and we
Speaker:host that on Shopify.
Speaker:Great platform,
Speaker:super easy to use.
Speaker:Most makers I know use it because it's just so easy.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:we do primarily all our sales currently on Shopify.
Speaker:But you do still have the Etsy site just for a
Speaker:sale here or there?
Speaker:Yes. And that's pretty much all it does now with sale
Speaker:here or there because it's very saturated now too on Etsy.
Speaker:Yeah, I mean,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it used to be the place to go for handmade.
Speaker:Anyone who is handmade was on Etsy.
Speaker:It seems like you're not the only one I've heard with
Speaker:in terms of the performance has decreased some.
Speaker:But Annie super example of the fact that you've taken it
Speaker:now and gone over to whether it's a Shopify site or
Speaker:another site,
Speaker:but your own website,
Speaker:what you control,
Speaker:what you owned.
Speaker:So I'm so glad that's part of your story.
Speaker:I had that on my little notes here that I wanted
Speaker:to walk into that and I was like keeping my fingers
Speaker:crossed. That was the case.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:I feel like it's super important for all makers to have
Speaker:that one place where they could send their customers that's,
Speaker:that belongs to them.
Speaker:Cause like a platform like Etsy,
Speaker:they could shut down or put you off the platform at
Speaker:any time for any reason.
Speaker:So having your own is the best way to go.
Speaker:And even if you can't do it right off the bat,
Speaker:it's always the perfect next step.
Speaker:Yeah. I would also suggest that Etsy is a great proving
Speaker:ground. To your point of,
Speaker:in the beginning,
Speaker:you didn't really want to say anything to be able to
Speaker:go to a place where you can get your feet wet,
Speaker:start testing your products,
Speaker:start getting a feel for it because as you said,
Speaker:it's easy to put up.
Speaker:And then once you start getting established,
Speaker:always knowing that you need to have your own platform,
Speaker:but it can be a stepping stone to that and now
Speaker:you use them both,
Speaker:so that's perfect.
Speaker:Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker:What do you see as the differences in terms of the
Speaker:two in terms of the benefits?
Speaker:Like I'm going to start it off by saying you have
Speaker:all of your customer information,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:That's one of the most powerful thing about it.
Speaker:You own this,
Speaker:you own the info that comes on there and you could
Speaker:follow up with these people as often as you like on
Speaker:your own platform.
Speaker:So someone said in an interview a while ago,
Speaker:and I just want to make sure that if that's true
Speaker:or not,
Speaker:that it used to be an Amazon's in the same way
Speaker:that you don't get to know any information about your customer
Speaker:except if you're shipping the product,
Speaker:you get the address.
Speaker:But is it still the case with Etsy that you don't
Speaker:get emails,
Speaker:you don't get them or you get them,
Speaker:but you're not supposed to use them.
Speaker:You do not get them.
Speaker:But they do offer an option where after your item has
Speaker:been shipped,
Speaker:you can reach out to the customers via a chat on
Speaker:Etsy just as a,
Speaker:Hey, did you receive your product?
Speaker:How did you like it?
Speaker:Something like that.
Speaker:But emails,
Speaker:you don't get those.
Speaker:Okay. And at that point,
Speaker:could you ask them,
Speaker:Hey, would you care to share your email with me?
Speaker:You're not supposed to.
Speaker:I think they said it somewhere in their rules where you're
Speaker:not supposed to ask for emails.
Speaker:But what I do is all my Etsy orders,
Speaker:they go out with literature about our business or platform.
Speaker:So I encourage them to go to my website in the
Speaker:future for any future purchase or stay connected with us via
Speaker:email or whether it be via social media.
Speaker:So that's not against their policy.
Speaker:So you could do it that way.
Speaker:Something around there.
Speaker:So it's a second best option because you still then have
Speaker:to rely on them to do it versus your website.
Speaker:You capture all the information.
Speaker:So still the best way to do it for sure.
Speaker:Let's move on.
Speaker:I also really,
Speaker:really like the fact that you had an online presence and
Speaker:then you are also right physical in front of the customer
Speaker:with the popups.
Speaker:So when you said you started doing that,
Speaker:just not too long after you put up the shop,
Speaker:right? The Etsy shop,
Speaker:Correct? Yes.
Speaker:And tell me how your first popups looked.
Speaker:Advice for people who should be considering it.
Speaker:Let's go through that experience.
Speaker:We'll hear all about Annie and her pop-up experience right after
Speaker:a quick word from our sponsor.
Speaker:This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of the
Speaker:ribbon print company.
Speaker:Create custom ribbons right in your store or craft studio in
Speaker:seconds. Visit the ribbon,
Speaker:print company.com
Speaker:for more information.
Speaker:Well, first of all,
Speaker:my very first popup was terrible.
Speaker:Oh good.
Speaker:Your story can't be all right.
Speaker:Great Annie.
Speaker:So give us the terrible,
Speaker:I want to know the terrible part.
Speaker:Oh my God,
Speaker:it was so bad.
Speaker:I have pictures and I look back at it and I'm
Speaker:like, Oh my God,
Speaker:what happened there?
Speaker:So our very first shop was popup.
Speaker:Was that a library?
Speaker:Sorry. I think we made one sale,
Speaker:one sale that entire day.
Speaker:So when I came home I was just crushed and or
Speaker:set up was just a table.
Speaker:They provided tables there.
Speaker:I had a tablecloth.
Speaker:I try to make it look Pretty as I could at
Speaker:the time.
Speaker:So it wasn't just you?
Speaker:There were several people who had tables.
Speaker:Yes, there were others who had tables and everybody.
Speaker:You kind of get that feeling too,
Speaker:like you're new and everybody around you is making sales and
Speaker:here you are with your new self doing absolutely nothing.
Speaker:I didn't know what to say to people.
Speaker:I didn't know how to sell my products.
Speaker:It was just a hot mess,
Speaker:but I made it through.
Speaker:Oh gosh.
Speaker:What did you learn after you made your one sale?
Speaker:So you made a sale though,
Speaker:right? You made one so there,
Speaker:but so you came home and you were discouraged and sad
Speaker:or whatever.
Speaker:What'd you tell yourself?
Speaker:What made you get back on the horse if you will
Speaker:go out again?
Speaker:I think that same night I got an Etsy order and
Speaker:I feel like that may have been one of the things
Speaker:that kept me going and making me want to try another
Speaker:pop-up and then I started to just get in contact with
Speaker:other makers.
Speaker:It was super hard at the time to find people in
Speaker:my space that was doing the same thing.
Speaker:So I had turned to Facebook and I came across some
Speaker:groups on Facebook and I just started pouring out all my
Speaker:questions cause I wanted this really to work.
Speaker:So I was just going to put everything aside and just
Speaker:ask the questions that I needed to ask and that's where
Speaker:I got a lot of suggestions,
Speaker:a lot of next steps if you will.
Speaker:Just advice on how to go about this pop up experience.
Speaker:What was the biggest or best piece of advice that you
Speaker:weren't expecting to get that really helped you?
Speaker:This lady told me and at the time when she told
Speaker:me, I said to myself,
Speaker:well she had no idea what I went through getting just
Speaker:that one sale,
Speaker:but she said just do it again.
Speaker:At the time it just sounded extremely crazy cause why would
Speaker:I want to put myself through all of this again?
Speaker:But she was absolutely right.
Speaker:There are so many markets with so many different audiences and
Speaker:not every market is going to be your market or your
Speaker:correct audience.
Speaker:So I took that,
Speaker:let it soak then for a little bit,
Speaker:and then I tried another market and it was much better
Speaker:than the first one.
Speaker:So what I learned from that is just keep trying different
Speaker:markets and kind of feel them out.
Speaker:Now we're in a time where we could feel out almost
Speaker:anything online,
Speaker:although it's not always as it seems,
Speaker:but you get a good feel for a market that's coming
Speaker:up. So just to see if the people that they photograph
Speaker:there would be your people or if the setup looks like
Speaker:the look that your brand has.
Speaker:Yeah, I think that's a good point.
Speaker:There's so many variables to the face to face,
Speaker:whether it's a craft show or a popup or whatever.
Speaker:Weather plays a part in it,
Speaker:right? Some people who just want to do something casual on
Speaker:a weekend afternoon and go to the local craft show,
Speaker:we'll go if it's great weather or decide to go to
Speaker:a movie instead if it's raining.
Speaker:Exactly. So I think your of getting back out there is
Speaker:so good and you were just talking about Facebook groups and
Speaker:for those of you who are listening who are looking for
Speaker:a group of makers if you don't know about it already,
Speaker:we have a group called gift biz breeze,
Speaker:all full of makers of all sorts so you can find
Speaker:a great community there.
Speaker:And the reason I bring it up Annie is just because
Speaker:you were bringing up groups but also there was a conversation
Speaker:in there just this past week.
Speaker:I believe time goes fast.
Speaker:Maybe it's a little longer,
Speaker:but recently where someone was saying I did a craft show,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:it was so much work.
Speaker:She didn't say whether she got sales or not,
Speaker:but she was saying,
Speaker:I don't know that I want to do them anymore because
Speaker:they're just so much work.
Speaker:Did you feel that way and did it get easier over
Speaker:time as you continued to do popups?
Speaker:It did feel that way and it still feels that way.
Speaker:Okay, so you do feel that it's a lot of work.
Speaker:Okay. It is a ton of work because you have to
Speaker:prepare for the show,
Speaker:then you have to pack for the show.
Speaker:You get there,
Speaker:you have to set up,
Speaker:you have to unpack,
Speaker:you have to go through the entire day of working with
Speaker:customer meeting and greeting and all that fun stuff.
Speaker:And then the show ends and you have to pull it
Speaker:all down,
Speaker:pack up and come back home.
Speaker:And in my case,
Speaker:I had to unpack those again and put them back on
Speaker:the shelves.
Speaker:So it is a lot and I commend anyone who keeps
Speaker:on doing it because it's not easy,
Speaker:but it can still be so much fun.
Speaker:And it's a great way to get your brand out there,
Speaker:Right? Because a lot of people who will run into your
Speaker:product for the first time at a popup could then end
Speaker:up being an online customer down the road.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:And that's usually the case.
Speaker:Are you still doing popups today?
Speaker:Oh yes.
Speaker:I still do a lot of popups and I feel like
Speaker:it got harder because if you remember what I sent my
Speaker:first show,
Speaker:I had that one table.
Speaker:But now for every show,
Speaker:if you try to add a little more to the experience
Speaker:to make your booth look better and to give the customer
Speaker:that whole feel of your brand and I feel like we've
Speaker:added so much more to our display and it just makes
Speaker:it so much harder.
Speaker:But it's totally worth it.
Speaker:I think so.
Speaker:I mean I go out and do trade shows a lot
Speaker:and I totally agree with everything that you said in terms
Speaker:of the setup and the tear down and it's long days
Speaker:because you're interacting with people but they're your customers and you
Speaker:get to learn so much face to face.
Speaker:Not only do you deepen relationships if you have repeat people
Speaker:coming back to you all the time,
Speaker:but you get a chance to see what sense they gravitate
Speaker:to. You get to ask them questions.
Speaker:If you're introducing a new product,
Speaker:there are so much value to the craft shows and even
Speaker:you, I still question about this shyness part of you,
Speaker:but just getting out and being able to talk to people
Speaker:even if it's a little anxiety provoking is such a great
Speaker:thing to do.
Speaker:It is.
Speaker:And for a lot of us it's not easy to sell
Speaker:our products online cause I sell for one,
Speaker:I do candles.
Speaker:So it's hard to just buy a candle online cause you
Speaker:can't smell a thing.
Speaker:So I get to go to these shows and my customers,
Speaker:they can interact with it with the product and I can
Speaker:learn what's really going to kick off our with sense.
Speaker:I probably may need to pull up,
Speaker:pull back on cause it's just by the feedback that you
Speaker:get from the customers aren't,
Speaker:they're not even always customers,
Speaker:but you have people just walk shows and you learn a
Speaker:lot from them also.
Speaker:Okay. So tell me about the product that you had to
Speaker:discontinue. So,
Speaker:so that candle,
Speaker:when I would go to the shows,
Speaker:I would have customers just,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they won't always say it from time to time,
Speaker:you'll have that one person who goes,
Speaker:Oh my God,
Speaker:this is terrible.
Speaker:But sometimes you'll just know from their expressions like yeah,
Speaker:this one is not sticking at all.
Speaker:We eventually just pulled it And you would never have known.
Speaker:You could have just been pushing it and pushing it online
Speaker:forever and making more and making more.
Speaker:And so that's a great example of the type of thing
Speaker:that you can learn when you're face to face.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Cause in my head it was amazing.
Speaker:Right, right.
Speaker:Well of course you wouldn't have put it out there unless
Speaker:it was amazing.
Speaker:Yeah, I'm quite sure.
Speaker:I think there's something else that we discount about the face
Speaker:to face interactions and that is people get to know you,
Speaker:Annie. Like they get to meet you in person,
Speaker:they get to see what you're like just as a person
Speaker:and then they fall in love with you and then they
Speaker:want to support you.
Speaker:That is so true.
Speaker:So, even though it still has to do with the product,
Speaker:they're going to buy your candles over anybody else's because they
Speaker:know you now.
Speaker:Right. And they got to meet you and pictures or whatever
Speaker:it is.
Speaker:That is so true.
Speaker:And they say they have a saying that people don't buy
Speaker:products they buy you.
Speaker:And I never fully understood that until I started doing these
Speaker:markets. Like it has really nothing to do with these things
Speaker:that I'm selling because sometimes you'd go to a show and
Speaker:I'm not the only one there selling candles or bath and
Speaker:body products,
Speaker:but people would come back to my station to buy and
Speaker:I would ask,
Speaker:why did you come back?
Speaker:Or it's just saying thanks for coming back.
Speaker:And they will say,
Speaker:yeah, I love either your setup,
Speaker:I love your story,
Speaker:I love what you're about.
Speaker:And I took that and that for me also helps to
Speaker:push me to do these shows as tiring as it may
Speaker:be, just to get out there and let the people see
Speaker:who's really behind this and why I do it.
Speaker:Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker:Totally. So good.
Speaker:That's really good inspiration for people to keep going with the
Speaker:face to face actions,
Speaker:whether it's craft shows,
Speaker:farmer's markets,
Speaker:popups, whatever it is getting in front of your customer is
Speaker:golden for sure.
Speaker:Oh yes it is.
Speaker:Anything you would suggest or that you've learned,
Speaker:if someone's just starting to go out to shows in terms
Speaker:of booth setup,
Speaker:maybe something that you forgot to bring along with you.
Speaker:Any just quick last minute tips on that.
Speaker:I would encourage anyone who's either just starting to do popups
Speaker:to just do it as I had in the beginning.
Speaker:Action over perfection.
Speaker:Just do it and it's easier to say it but don't
Speaker:look at someone else's booth and just think because you can't
Speaker:make your booth look like this at this time that you're
Speaker:not going to do it.
Speaker:Cause we all fall into that trap where we compare ourselves
Speaker:to people from time to time.
Speaker:But if this is gonna be your first pop-up,
Speaker:your booth is not going to look like the person who's
Speaker:been doing popups for 10 years.
Speaker:I feel like we still are not even where I envisioned
Speaker:my booth,
Speaker:but we've been growing from one table and that's all you
Speaker:need. Like you grow for each show,
Speaker:you get better and you get better and you all just
Speaker:forget something.
Speaker:Like I feel like I forget something at every show that
Speaker:I go to,
Speaker:but thankfully I've been able to work alongside some amazing fellow
Speaker:makers who always kind of catch me up on that end.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:just start where you have to start over.
Speaker:You feel is best for you to start.
Speaker:I wouldn't break the bank to do my very first pop-up
Speaker:just because you don't even know what it's going to be
Speaker:like. So just start where you feel is best for you.
Speaker:Right. And I think you can be really creative with your
Speaker:booth displays too.
Speaker:They don't have to cost hundreds of dollars or thousands of
Speaker:dollars. You'll just add a little bit of creativity and let
Speaker:your product be the focal point obviously.
Speaker:Exactly. You want to put things together that are going to
Speaker:show off your product.
Speaker:So you already have the main star of the booth,
Speaker:which is you and your product,
Speaker:and then you just work around that.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:You just make it work and I'm pretty sure all it
Speaker:makers listening,
Speaker:they're all creative and can make the both work as best
Speaker:as they can because that's what we do.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:And you want the colors to represent your brand,
Speaker:right. So as long as you have already determined what your
Speaker:logo is or your brand colors are,
Speaker:so you've got your product,
Speaker:you've got you,
Speaker:you've got your colors,
Speaker:then you work around that.
Speaker:Exactly. Just make sure you're both as welcoming,
Speaker:inviting somewhere that people would feel comfortable stepping into.
Speaker:And from that,
Speaker:it's pretty much you just see how the show goes.
Speaker:You work it as it comes,
Speaker:Work it.
Speaker:Adjust. Perfect.
Speaker:Do another one.
Speaker:Yup. As it comes out,
Speaker:Rinse and repeat.
Speaker:As they say,
Speaker:Get better each time.
Speaker:Trust me,
Speaker:it gets better each time.
Speaker:Perfect. Let's talk a little bit about social media.
Speaker:How are you using social media as an overlay to everything
Speaker:else you're doing?
Speaker:We use a lot of social media,
Speaker:particularly Instagram is a big one for us.
Speaker:I just started to really amp up Facebook and we do
Speaker:a good amount on Pinterest too,
Speaker:but not a lot of focus on it.
Speaker:Instagram is where I kind of get to share the products,
Speaker:the behind the scene stuff.
Speaker:My kids,
Speaker:cause they're here all the time with me when I'm working
Speaker:it, we'll see them pop in on our stories,
Speaker:on our feed.
Speaker:It just makes it personable.
Speaker:Instagram for us,
Speaker:It's kind of like what we were just talking about in
Speaker:the popups.
Speaker:They get to see you in real life.
Speaker:That's the closest you can online to people who shop from
Speaker:your Etsy shop or your website to be able to really
Speaker:see who you are to Oh yeah.
Speaker:Live and in person through the phone or the computer.
Speaker:Yeah. So how much time do you spend then either planning
Speaker:or videoing and posting and all that.
Speaker:What's a day like of social media for you?
Speaker:Cause I think that's a challenge for everybody.
Speaker:They know they should be doing it,
Speaker:but how do you incorporate that into your day?
Speaker:It is a challenge and some weeks are better than some.
Speaker:I'll be honest and saying I don't always have my social
Speaker:media planned out.
Speaker:It's said that you're supposed to have it at least a
Speaker:week or a couple of weeks out,
Speaker:but I don't always have got done just because of timing.
Speaker:But when I do,
Speaker:on the rare occasions that I do get to plan it,
Speaker:I like to plan at least my feet two weeks ahead
Speaker:and sometimes I will random post or post that feels right
Speaker:for a particular day or if it's a particular event that
Speaker:we're doing that we'll add it in there.
Speaker:But I try to not make my feed stress me out
Speaker:too much cause it usually do a lot and I'm really
Speaker:getting much better at it and just going back to having
Speaker:fun on social media other than make it another job to
Speaker:do That feels so good to hear you say that.
Speaker:You're talking right.
Speaker:A lot of work.
Speaker:It's a lot of work.
Speaker:It is a lot of work.
Speaker:Do you see when you do social media?
Speaker:Okay, so do is such a common word,
Speaker:right? But when you're posting or you have put up some
Speaker:stories, I'm guessing that you're interacting in the direct messages and
Speaker:connecting with people back and forth?
Speaker:Yes, I do.
Speaker:Okay. Are you seeing results from it?
Speaker:Social media,
Speaker:Yes, and a lot of or website traffic and sales comes
Speaker:from Instagram.
Speaker:Recently since we started doing a little more work on Facebook,
Speaker:we've been getting some traction there too.
Speaker:But most I would say at least 70% of our business
Speaker:comes through Instagram.
Speaker:Okay. And how are you tracking to know where they're coming
Speaker:from? We do Google analytics and Shopify has a great analytics
Speaker:tool that shows us where our traffic is coming from too.
Speaker:Perfect. Okay.
Speaker:So you're using Google analytics to understand where they're coming from
Speaker:right before they land on your site.
Speaker:So that's how you're able to know those things?
Speaker:Yes, and I know Google analytics,
Speaker:it's a lot to look at.
Speaker:So I would encourage anyone to just use the analytics tool
Speaker:in Shopify.
Speaker:If you use Shopify,
Speaker:that analytics tool really breaks it down.
Speaker:Great for me.
Speaker:Perfect. Yes.
Speaker:Google analytics is a beast.
Speaker:Oh geez.
Speaker:Yeah. If you just start with thinking,
Speaker:what is it that I want to know before looking at
Speaker:all the information and trying to say,
Speaker:okay, what does this mean?
Speaker:What does this mean?
Speaker:What does this mean?
Speaker:Just go with a question and then get your answer.
Speaker:Yes. Yeah.
Speaker:Wonderful. Okay.
Speaker:How do you capture repeat sales?
Speaker:Did we really stepped up or email marketing?
Speaker:So emailing customers,
Speaker:we also periodically send out mailers,
Speaker:so that may be a postcard to or repeat customers,
Speaker:but primarily it has been a lot of our repeat customers
Speaker:comes through email and also pop up shops because we're located
Speaker:in Connecticut and we do a lot of shops down in
Speaker:New York,
Speaker:so we find a lot of customers who probably only if
Speaker:ever shopped on our website,
Speaker:they'll come out to a popup shop or just new people
Speaker:coming to meet us and see us.
Speaker:So we get a lot of,
Speaker:or it's that way.
Speaker:Perfect. Yeah,
Speaker:constant communication.
Speaker:And then that's just the emphasis on the fact that you
Speaker:want to be able to have the emails so that you
Speaker:can email them and then also be in person and see
Speaker:them. When you break it down like that,
Speaker:it's really not so hard.
Speaker:It's just doing the things right because everything we've talked about.
Speaker:Yeah, I mean it's hard to go to a craft show
Speaker:and put everything together.
Speaker:It's physical hard work,
Speaker:but actually doing all of these tasks is not insurmountable and
Speaker:I think that's an important message to get to some of
Speaker:the people who are just starting out is all these things
Speaker:aren't hard onto themselves.
Speaker:Would you agree,
Speaker:Annie, That is so true.
Speaker:Yes, totally agree.
Speaker:What would you say to somebody who is just starting out
Speaker:besides the perfection,
Speaker:and you've already said before,
Speaker:just do a craft show,
Speaker:whatever, but what would be another piece of advice as someone
Speaker:who has started a business,
Speaker:you've got kids at home on the side.
Speaker:Not that they're the aside of your life,
Speaker:but right.
Speaker:Like bus side you,
Speaker:right? Literally.
Speaker:Yeah. Like you aren't making any excuses to say,
Speaker:I'll do this later.
Speaker:You just decided this is what you wanted to do and
Speaker:you've started your business and it's going wonderfully and you've got
Speaker:lots of avenues of revenue coming in.
Speaker:What would you say to someone who's just starting but is
Speaker:hesitant to get started because they've got these other significant things
Speaker:going on in their life?
Speaker:Yeah, I would say just start.
Speaker:It is not easy,
Speaker:but once you find something that you love doing,
Speaker:you'll just end up doing it anyways.
Speaker:I mean I have my two children here,
Speaker:I still work from home and I work around their schedule.
Speaker:You make it work whatever way you can and things will
Speaker:fall into place.
Speaker:A lot of people ask me how I balance it and
Speaker:I still feel like there is no balancing.
Speaker:I like to say I juggle like I do what needs
Speaker:to be done right now and everything else kind of falls
Speaker:into place.
Speaker:Yeah, I like that.
Speaker:You're a juggler.
Speaker:Who knew?
Speaker:Yeah. And I think also with little kids,
Speaker:every week is going to be different.
Speaker:And then when they get to be school age,
Speaker:your schedule adjust.
Speaker:So it's going to change over time.
Speaker:When you have children at home,
Speaker:It's constantly changing and it goes way too fast.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:And this summer is actually my first summer working with both
Speaker:kids at home.
Speaker:And that has been a challenge Because I'm used to having
Speaker:one in school,
Speaker:one in daycare,
Speaker:but now they're both here and I'm home.
Speaker:So you've just got to figure it out.
Speaker:What's going to come first?
Speaker:What time am I going to work?
Speaker:But we make it work.
Speaker:We make it work one way or the other and get
Speaker:help when you need to because if you're going to grow,
Speaker:you will never be able to do it by yourself.
Speaker:So always try to get help as soon as possible and
Speaker:whenever you can.
Speaker:Yeah, I agree with you there.
Speaker:And you know what?
Speaker:The kids aren't going to wait until you're ready.
Speaker:So the priority has to be the children when you're home.
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:absolutely. Annie,
Speaker:this has been fabulous.
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:I've loved getting to know you better hearing your story.
Speaker:And it's always exciting when I get to hear exactly the
Speaker:way I like to teach people how to build a business.
Speaker:To hear you saying that,
Speaker:don't just rely on Etsy,
Speaker:have your own website and don't hide force through your shyness
Speaker:or your uncertainty and go out and meet your customer.
Speaker:I love hearing all of that.
Speaker:I'm smiling over here because I'm so excited to find yet
Speaker:another person who is doing a fabulous job with something that
Speaker:they make you know you.
Speaker:So thank you so much.
Speaker:I really appreciate your sharing your story.
Speaker:And now I'd like to give you a virtual gift.
Speaker:So this is a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for what's
Speaker:next for you.
Speaker:It could be your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you'd wish to obtain.
Speaker:So please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What's inside your box Inside my box,
Speaker:I feel like it's not unreachable,
Speaker:but it's a goal that I have.
Speaker:A very big one is to have my business streamlined to
Speaker:a T where I don't have to be here all the
Speaker:time, or I don't have to be a hundred percent a
Speaker:part of the day to day activities so I could spend
Speaker:much more time with my family.
Speaker:So that's what I'm currently working towards.
Speaker:How far away it is?
Speaker:Not sure,
Speaker:but it's the goal.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:If you don't know where you're going,
Speaker:you can't get there.
Speaker:That is true.
Speaker:Yep. I totally see that happening for you easily.
Speaker:But you're right.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you've got to figure out when the right time is and
Speaker:how you're going to do it,
Speaker:but it's going to happen.
Speaker:Yes, I know that.
Speaker:Oh, you feel it.
Speaker:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So how can our listeners get in touch with you and
Speaker:see your wonderful products?
Speaker:What's the best place for them to go?
Speaker:Our website is natural,
Speaker:Annie central.com
Speaker:easiest way to probably contact us via Instagram.
Speaker:I'm in my DMS a lot and I utilize that record
Speaker:feature a lot so people can ask me questions if they
Speaker:needed to.
Speaker:But we're big on Instagram or Instagram handle is at natural
Speaker:and essentials.
Speaker:It's a very long one.
Speaker:Totally. Sorry.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:You're making them work for it because your product is worth
Speaker:it. There you go.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Wonderful. And give his listeners,
Speaker:you know there's a show notes page connected with this episode
Speaker:so it will have the links Also just in case you're
Speaker:out and about and you weren't able to capture it right
Speaker:now. So Annie,
Speaker:again, for all the reasons I've already mentioned,
Speaker:you are a perfect example of a successful business owner and
Speaker:I am so proud and thank you so much for being
Speaker:on the show today.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:So have a great day.
Speaker:Isn't Annie inspiring those of you who have other important things
Speaker:going on in your life?
Speaker:So pretty much I think that's all of us remember this
Speaker:example of how it's possible to integrate your business into a
Speaker:life that also includes raising children or working another full time
Speaker:job and if that's what's been holding you back from starting
Speaker:your business,
Speaker:I challenge you to relook at this.
Speaker:Is that really it or is this a good excuse to
Speaker:procrastinate? Once again on your dream,
Speaker:Annie's proof that it's possible and if you get that but
Speaker:you're not sure how to move forward,
Speaker:then definitely check out maker's MBA.
Speaker:I'll tell you exactly what to do to get your business
Speaker:up and rocking.
Speaker:Again, the link to look@theprogramisgiftbizonrapt.com
Speaker:forward slash makers MBA coming your way.
Speaker:Next week we'll be hearing from a business owner who's got
Speaker:a keen eye for current market trends and has aligned her
Speaker:company accordingly.
Speaker:Make sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already,
Speaker:so the show will automatically download and be set and ready
Speaker:for listening next Monday.
Speaker:Until then,
Speaker:make it a great week and bye for now.
Speaker:After you listened to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:Apple podcasts.
Speaker:That way you'll automatically get the newest episodes when they go
Speaker:live and thank you to those of you who have already
Speaker:left a rating and review.
Speaker:By subscribing,
Speaker:rating, and reviewing,
Speaker:you help to increase the visibility of gift biz on wrapped.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward to help others
