Shownotes
The Village Common
Previous generations of The Village Common. [5:11] The evolution of The Village Common. [ 7:12] How they decided on candles. [9:39]Candle Flickering Moments
How to finance their dream was the most difficult. [24:06] Getting the word out about the business while staying true to their vision. [24:34]Business Building Insights
A description of how Ben and Blake made their product different. [11:38] Determining the product packaging and branding. [13:41] Why craft or trade shows are important. [16:42] Getting started and evolving with trade shows. [18:42] Booth displays and what to aim for. [20:17] The key to customer retention. Why they buy from you and how better to serve them. [26:40] All about being on the Oprah’s Favorite Things List. [29:50]Success Trait
Being a go getter, being motivated and being ambitions. [28:08]Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
Ben and Blake have found a significant advantage to planning our a full year at a time. [29:45]Recommended Reading and Listening
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
Contact Links
Website Facebook InstagramIf you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Hi there.
Speaker:You're listening to gift biz on rapt episode 104.
Speaker:So we said,
Speaker:let's do it.
Speaker:Let's create that product.
Speaker:Hi, this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to gift to biz unwrapped.
Speaker:And now it's time to light It up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift bears on wrapped your source for industry specific
Speaker:insights and advice to develop and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Before we get into the show,
Speaker:I have a question for you.
Speaker:Do you know that you should be out networking,
Speaker:but you just can't get yourself to do it because it's
Speaker:scary. Are you afraid that you might walk into the room
Speaker:and not know anybody or that you're going to freeze?
Speaker:When you get up to do that infamous elevator speech,
Speaker:where you talk about yourself and your business,
Speaker:while I'm here to tell you that it doesn't need to
Speaker:be scary.
Speaker:If you know what to do to help you with this,
Speaker:I would like to offer you a coffee chat for the
Speaker:price of buying me a cup of coffee.
Speaker:We can sit down through an online video and I'll tell
Speaker:you everything that I know about networking and how I have
Speaker:personally built two multi-six figure businesses,
Speaker:primarily through networking to learn more about this opportunity.
Speaker:Just go over to Bitly forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:That's B I T dot L Y forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:And now let's move on to the show.
Speaker:Hi, there it's Sue and welcome to the Gibbon biz unwrapped
Speaker:podcast. Whether you own a brick and mortar shop sell online
Speaker:or are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. And today I'd like to introduce you to Ben and
Speaker:Blake of the village comment in 1968 village,
Speaker:common was a dream regeneration in the making and spanning over
Speaker:40 years,
Speaker:they create handmade,
Speaker:natural hearing words,
Speaker:kindled by their family history.
Speaker:Then in play,
Speaker:bring to us this new installation of family traditions blended together
Speaker:and thereby continuing the legacy of the village comment Lake.
Speaker:Welcome to the show.
Speaker:Thank you,
Speaker:Sue. So I do understand that Ben is sitting by your
Speaker:side. You either drew the long straw or the short straw.
Speaker:I'm not sure which way you look at it,
Speaker:but you're going to be the spokesman of today,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:I went to acting school.
Speaker:So I think I,
Speaker:I was,
Speaker:I drew the short straw to Ben,
Speaker:but to me,
Speaker:I got the better straw.
Speaker:Oh, that's a great answer.
Speaker:And Ben may chime in at some point,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we've talked about that a little bit earlier,
Speaker:so, all right.
Speaker:We are going to start off as we traditionally do by
Speaker:having you describe a motivational candle and since candles are part
Speaker:of your line,
Speaker:this so fits right in.
Speaker:So it's perfect.
Speaker:But if you were to describe on behalf of both of
Speaker:you, what your ideal motivational candle would look like,
Speaker:what color is it and what would be the quote on
Speaker:your camera?
Speaker:Yeah, so it was funny whenever we got this question,
Speaker:because I was like,
Speaker:Oh, did she tell you this?
Speaker:Just for us?
Speaker:Because I thought that was perfect.
Speaker:What we came up with was I think the color for
Speaker:sure would be blue.
Speaker:And the reason is because it's always associated with depth and
Speaker:stability. It symbolizes trust and loyalty and wisdom and confidence and
Speaker:intelligence. And I think that's what we both strive for.
Speaker:And then the quote that we chose and I'll tell you
Speaker:who is after I say it,
Speaker:because I think that makes it a little bit better.
Speaker:The quote is you need to really believe in what you've
Speaker:got to offer,
Speaker:what your talent is.
Speaker:And if you believe that gives you strength.
Speaker:And that was said by Ms.
Speaker:Dolly Parton,
Speaker:who is a huge inspiration for both of us.
Speaker:And I think that ties in perfectly to what we're trying
Speaker:to do with our brand.
Speaker:And I think for us,
Speaker:it's not only about the candle,
Speaker:but also how it comes.
Speaker:So this hypothetical candle would also have a beautiful packaging and
Speaker:draw you in aesthetically as much as the color and the
Speaker:quotes. So it's the entire experience.
Speaker:It's not just about the product,
Speaker:it's the whole experience when someone gets it.
Speaker:And I love this quote from Dolly too,
Speaker:because she certainly models passion for what she does,
Speaker:but your commitment.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:when you're starting a business,
Speaker:the amount of hours and the amount of dedication and stress
Speaker:and time and thinking,
Speaker:and you know,
Speaker:all of it,
Speaker:it kind of takes over your life.
Speaker:So if you don't have that commitment,
Speaker:boy, you're not starting off on a good note.
Speaker:You've got to have that commitment right up front.
Speaker:Absolutely. Now I have to tell you,
Speaker:I've been snooping around on your site and your website and
Speaker:the, our story page is like a history book.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:And give biz listeners,
Speaker:you really should go over and read all of this.
Speaker:It's like a history of 1900 retail,
Speaker:really, really interesting.
Speaker:And for us to cover all of that,
Speaker:it will take a multi-hour podcast.
Speaker:So we're not going to totally go there,
Speaker:but let's try to talk mostly centered on village common,
Speaker:but we can't do that without going a little bit backward
Speaker:in history.
Speaker:So give us a little bit of the story.
Speaker:Yeah. So I think what's important to know is people always
Speaker:ask us in our logo,
Speaker:we have three dates and that's 1968,
Speaker:1984 and 2014.
Speaker:And what's important to know about that is that Ben's grandmother
Speaker:had a shop called the village common in 1968.
Speaker:His mother had one in 84,
Speaker:and then we began our business in 2014.
Speaker:So like you described,
Speaker:our business is rooted in history and re-imagining family traditions and
Speaker:the tradition of retail and what that means in 2014 and
Speaker:beyond. So that's where we started.
Speaker:And then on my end,
Speaker:my grandfather had a shop and it was,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:what you would call an early convenience store bodega in the
Speaker:fifties and sixties and seventies in Louisiana.
Speaker:So when you were younger growing,
Speaker:you were surrounded by retail and the business profession in that
Speaker:manner. Were you already feeling as you were young,
Speaker:that this is something you would get into because a lot
Speaker:of people repel what their parents are doing,
Speaker:and it sounds like both you and Ben leaned into it.
Speaker:Absolutely. I think both from speaking on behalf of Ben and
Speaker:myself, he was a lot more immersed in the family business
Speaker:of not only the village common,
Speaker:but his family has another huge wedding business.
Speaker:So I think both of us saw this as an opportunity
Speaker:to be who we were,
Speaker:but have this history have this backing of family,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:been there,
Speaker:done that.
Speaker:Let me help you,
Speaker:let me guide you,
Speaker:let me lift you into the next generation,
Speaker:as opposed to saying,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I'm going to go and do something else.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:we figured out a way to marry our passions with family
Speaker:history and take the benefits of having our families already have
Speaker:so much knowledge and have that lift us up.
Speaker:Right. For sure.
Speaker:And it also makes a great story for you because not
Speaker:everybody can say that.
Speaker:Absolutely. It's great stabilization under your brand,
Speaker:if you will.
Speaker:So village common then was a name that you carried forward.
Speaker:You didn't create that name yourself.
Speaker:Exactly. It was the shop that bins grandmother had in New
Speaker:Jersey in 68,
Speaker:it was a antique shop and had plants and different things.
Speaker:And then when Ben's mother had it in 84,
Speaker:it was like dried flowers and gift items,
Speaker:then reimagine to a florist shop.
Speaker:And then we asked in 2014,
Speaker:we asked both Ben's mother and grandmother reset.
Speaker:We see what YouTube did and we want to take on
Speaker:the name and,
Speaker:and the heritage and turn it into something that's ours,
Speaker:because every iteration has been something different.
Speaker:We saw it as a perfect opportunity for us to do
Speaker:that. Wonderful.
Speaker:So when did you and Ben meet?
Speaker:So we met in New York city in 2013.
Speaker:We were both working for Ralph Lauren.
Speaker:I was working for the website for the men's brands and
Speaker:Ben was actually an architect for new stores.
Speaker:So that's where we met.
Speaker:And that's kind of where this all began,
Speaker:where you guys Hanging out after work one day and decided,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:how, where did the commonality come from?
Speaker:And how'd that conversation go?
Speaker:Well, we actually,
Speaker:it sounds like there might be a story here.
Speaker:Well, the funny part about our business and it's so funny
Speaker:because people always ask,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we're not very,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:upfront about like,
Speaker:how did this all begin?
Speaker:Because we actually began dating.
Speaker:So this was totally like life partner,
Speaker:not business partner.
Speaker:And then we thought,
Speaker:well, how is this going to,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:H how are we going to make this work?
Speaker:Because we were sort of like,
Speaker:we wanted it to have a relationship personally,
Speaker:but we also wanted to have a business together.
Speaker:And so,
Speaker:yeah, I mean,
Speaker:it just started by saying,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I guess we'll learn if we can be partners in every
Speaker:sense of the word.
Speaker:And you were Doing both almost at same time.
Speaker:Yeah. Because our business started in 2014.
Speaker:So we had only been together in our personal lives for
Speaker:a year.
Speaker:And we said,
Speaker:I think that this can't wait.
Speaker:We really want to do this.
Speaker:And we only let our personal relationship enhance our business relationship.
Speaker:Not hurt it.
Speaker:Well said,
Speaker:I like that.
Speaker:So you guys decide,
Speaker:okay, we're going to do this.
Speaker:Your family agrees to the name,
Speaker:which had to be so fulfilling and honoring to them when
Speaker:you went now.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:They were so excited.
Speaker:Yeah. Just to see something that they'd spent so much time
Speaker:building, be able to carry on,
Speaker:even in a different fashion,
Speaker:I can only imagine was so great.
Speaker:Absolutely. How then do you decide and build,
Speaker:you've got the name,
Speaker:but now still,
Speaker:and you have a little bit of direction,
Speaker:but how did you decide on your product line?
Speaker:Well, both Ben and I are artists.
Speaker:So we were making things all the time,
Speaker:just out of inspiration.
Speaker:I love music.
Speaker:I write music.
Speaker:I love poetry.
Speaker:I love reading.
Speaker:I love making things with my hands.
Speaker:So it was painting.
Speaker:And I was making candles for friends for Christmas gifts because
Speaker:the time we were living in New York city and you
Speaker:got to get crafty because money is not always available.
Speaker:And so that's where kind of the candle started.
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:why not bring this into our business?
Speaker:And Ben was making handbags.
Speaker:So he had been giving those to people as gifts or
Speaker:selling them,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:on the side,
Speaker:just to fulfill that artists part of him.
Speaker:And so all of that coming together is how we got
Speaker:to where,
Speaker:okay, how can we make a lucrative product?
Speaker:Or how can we actually make money to continue doing our
Speaker:art? And eventually that turned into candles and we do carry
Speaker:other products,
Speaker:but that was our start.
Speaker:That was our kickoff because we know everyone can identify with
Speaker:a candle,
Speaker:but we wanted to make our candle unique.
Speaker:That was the next jump was,
Speaker:how are we going to make this?
Speaker:Not just like every other candle And a very important point
Speaker:when you're looking at establishing a business.
Speaker:Cause you would think that,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:there are a million different candle companies out there.
Speaker:So your line of thinking was perfect.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:how are we going to do something where we'll be talked
Speaker:about? Because we're different.
Speaker:I would hear people that are successful in business and on
Speaker:television talking about business or reading.
Speaker:And they would say it's really important that when you're starting
Speaker:a business or continuing a business that you are asking yourself,
Speaker:what problem are you solving?
Speaker:Not that that's always the question or always the answer,
Speaker:but I think when you're starting off,
Speaker:you don't want to just do something just because,
Speaker:or we did it.
Speaker:What we wanted to do was have a purpose,
Speaker:but also be solving a problem.
Speaker:So what are we going to bring to our clients that
Speaker:we can say,
Speaker:here's the solution on top of it being art and inspiring
Speaker:and things like that as well.
Speaker:So how did you answer the question?
Speaker:What problem are you solving?
Speaker:Well, we've found that in the market,
Speaker:there weren't candles that were exclusively scented by essential oils or,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:personal fragrances or sprays or anything like that.
Speaker:There are a few,
Speaker:but there weren't very many,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I'm saying we may have found three products that carried essential
Speaker:oils in their products,
Speaker:but it was with other things.
Speaker:So it was always dot,
Speaker:dot dot.
Speaker:We wanted to bring a product that had no dot,
Speaker:dot, dot.
Speaker:We wanted the product to be straightforward,
Speaker:to be clean,
Speaker:to be non-toxic and to be safe.
Speaker:And the client didn't have to worry about what was in
Speaker:their product.
Speaker:How do you go about creating something like that?
Speaker:Is that where the family knowledge and all came in?
Speaker:Actually, it's funny because neither of us had the knowledge of
Speaker:using essential oils or,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:how they worked and neither did our families.
Speaker:So this was something that we had to learn on our
Speaker:own. We had to really become scientists and experiment with things
Speaker:that we had not really worked with.
Speaker:This is where people and outreach and connecting with other people
Speaker:who were using essential oils and also,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:using online services and things like that.
Speaker:So you had to really resource everything and do a lot
Speaker:of testing and figure it out for yourself.
Speaker:Right. And it's taken,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:it took,
Speaker:and it's,
Speaker:I have to say to this day,
Speaker:we still evolve our product based on any new knowledge that
Speaker:we receive,
Speaker:you get the same ethos.
Speaker:So we never compromise our product,
Speaker:but we do enhance it if there is a possibility of
Speaker:doing that without compromising.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:we had to completely go out and educate ourselves.
Speaker:And this is the first thing.
Speaker:Once you've had the idea,
Speaker:it's village common,
Speaker:you've landed on the fact that it's going to be candles
Speaker:and then it's going to be essential oils.
Speaker:Right. That you're,
Speaker:this is the very first thing you did was figure out
Speaker:what the vision was.
Speaker:Right. Exactly.
Speaker:Okay. And then you're figuring out the product,
Speaker:and obviously that candle has to go into something.
Speaker:So you had to figure out what the container and what
Speaker:the whole look was going to be.
Speaker:I bet you guys had a blast.
Speaker:Oh, it was so much fun.
Speaker:And that was the other thing,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:we wanted something that you weren't going to see everywhere.
Speaker:So we started off with just a glass jar in a
Speaker:bag with our label at a very different price point than
Speaker:we are right now.
Speaker:And that turned into then being,
Speaker:we would coat the glass and plaster that we sourced from
Speaker:New Mexico.
Speaker:And then now it's turned into,
Speaker:we just completely have a concrete metal with a lid.
Speaker:And so it's funny to see the evolution,
Speaker:but we've definitely had a blast creating the look of our
Speaker:kids. And I have to say the label falls right in
Speaker:line. I mean,
Speaker:your branding is so spot on,
Speaker:describe a little bit about what the labels look like.
Speaker:So when you first see the candles,
Speaker:you see color,
Speaker:you see image,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:imagery, you see landscape,
Speaker:and that's all inspired by our candles being named after places
Speaker:that inspire us.
Speaker:So the picture that you see in the packaging is a
Speaker:picture of the place it's named after.
Speaker:And when you see the candle there's writing,
Speaker:there is,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:there's color,
Speaker:it's engaging.
Speaker:And that's what we wanted.
Speaker:We wanted something that wasn't just going to be,
Speaker:Oh, a Brown box on the shelf.
Speaker:We wanted something that was going to draw people into it,
Speaker:just by looking at it and not even smelling it or
Speaker:anything like that.
Speaker:Perfect. Okay.
Speaker:And then I'm imagining that you were in charge of the
Speaker:website, right?
Speaker:Since you've been doing that before you were the pro.
Speaker:Yes. Well,
Speaker:I have to say it was about 50 50.
Speaker:I wouldn't have,
Speaker:I can't say that.
Speaker:I figured it all out,
Speaker:but a lot of it yes,
Speaker:yes. In terms of building it and actually all the mechanics
Speaker:behind it now.
Speaker:Yes. Okay.
Speaker:And what kind of,
Speaker:what platform do you have your website on?
Speaker:We use Squarespace and we love it.
Speaker:It's wonderful.
Speaker:Okay. So you're a thumbs up for Squarespace.
Speaker:Absolutely. And then what other types of activities did you have
Speaker:to go through to get the business up and running?
Speaker:So we kind of had to figure out how we were
Speaker:going to market ourselves.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:how are we going to represent ourselves online if we're doing
Speaker:shows and things like that.
Speaker:So that was something that we worked through as well in
Speaker:the beginning was,
Speaker:are we just doing candles as a,
Speaker:too much to do other things?
Speaker:Is it not enough?
Speaker:Or are we going to actually sell them,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what's going on.
Speaker:So I think that that was a big thing for us
Speaker:in the beginning and understanding who we were.
Speaker:Right. And I think this is a really important point.
Speaker:I'm glad you bring it up because I think a lot
Speaker:of people,
Speaker:if they haven't been in marketing or any type of advertising
Speaker:retail before,
Speaker:think that,
Speaker:okay, well,
Speaker:if I just put a website up online,
Speaker:then I'm good to go.
Speaker:People are going to order from me.
Speaker:I just fill the orders and everything.
Speaker:The real story is you still have to get people to
Speaker:the website.
Speaker:You have to have people know that they need to come
Speaker:there and get your name out.
Speaker:And yes,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:some of that can be done through social media,
Speaker:but a lot also still should be.
Speaker:Face-to-face like what you guys are doing.
Speaker:Absolutely. Talk to us a little bit about the shows and
Speaker:how you're deciding what shows to go to and how it's
Speaker:working for you In 2017.
Speaker:This is our first year that we are actually solely focusing
Speaker:on our business.
Speaker:And it's so important.
Speaker:Like you said,
Speaker:we have the website,
Speaker:we have the product,
Speaker:but how are people knowing to go there?
Speaker:Even with social media?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you can pay all day long to have someone work it
Speaker:and sell it,
Speaker:but still,
Speaker:how are people going to understand your product?
Speaker:How are they going to want to come to your website,
Speaker:especially when it's something that's scent.
Speaker:So doing these shows,
Speaker:we've been in LA,
Speaker:we've been in New York,
Speaker:we're looking to go to other places in the year.
Speaker:It's a way for people to see us,
Speaker:to see our brand,
Speaker:to smell the candles,
Speaker:to touch them,
Speaker:to really feel a part of our brand.
Speaker:And you don't necessarily always get that when you first just
Speaker:go on the website.
Speaker:I think people,
Speaker:although we are in this high tech,
Speaker:social media driven society,
Speaker:both been,
Speaker:and I feel that people want that human interaction with product
Speaker:with people.
Speaker:They want to feel a part of a community.
Speaker:And so I feel like that's,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:yes, we go to these shows to hopefully get new and
Speaker:to reach out to people.
Speaker:But we want people to feel a part of our community
Speaker:and feel as though our product is for them.
Speaker:Absolutely. And I think that human connection,
Speaker:then, you know,
Speaker:when, cause both of you guys were in your booth,
Speaker:I think you were busy.
Speaker:Yes, exactly.
Speaker:But you guys were both there.
Speaker:You're both talking.
Speaker:And when you have that personal interaction,
Speaker:I just want to support your business because you guys were
Speaker:so fun and so cool.
Speaker:And of course the product is great.
Speaker:You've got to start with a good product too.
Speaker:So this is a great time.
Speaker:And I think this could be really interesting for our listeners
Speaker:as well,
Speaker:because you're just now starting off with larger shows.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:let's face it.
Speaker:Some of these shows you're going to are pretty expensive.
Speaker:What types of things have you learned or advice that you
Speaker:could give someone who's looking at jumping from maybe a local
Speaker:craft show type experience to one of these larger shows?
Speaker:I would definitely start with saying that those local craft shows
Speaker:are going to be the best jumping off point.
Speaker:But when you think you're ready to move on to the
Speaker:shows that are going to be bigger,
Speaker:like the one that we saw each other at,
Speaker:or any other of the ones that are going to cost
Speaker:you thousands of dollars to be a part of what we
Speaker:learned is that not everything is going to come out as
Speaker:a profit,
Speaker:right? In the beginning.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:these shows are very important for people to learn who you
Speaker:are for people to see you.
Speaker:If I was sitting down with someone who hasn't done these
Speaker:shows before,
Speaker:but is looking into it,
Speaker:I would say don't put yourself out of business,
Speaker:but take the risk,
Speaker:take this job and believe in your product,
Speaker:believe that there is a reason that you need to be
Speaker:at the show and then how it goes after that's where
Speaker:you assess,
Speaker:what can I do differently?
Speaker:How can I market myself differently?
Speaker:How can I differently reach out to these different people?
Speaker:Or you can just say,
Speaker:how the heck am I going to fill all these orders?
Speaker:Because I did so well.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:that was our experience.
Speaker:Our first trade show that we did that cost us a
Speaker:lot of money.
Speaker:We did exceptional,
Speaker:we got really lucky,
Speaker:but that didn't change the fact that it costs a lot
Speaker:of money.
Speaker:And then we had to have a lot of money to
Speaker:make a lot of the product that we needed.
Speaker:So With those orders come,
Speaker:some production work behind it.
Speaker:Exactly. What would you say about your booth in terms of
Speaker:putting it together and deciding what it was going to look
Speaker:like? We wanted to stay true to who we are.
Speaker:That's so important for Ben and I,
Speaker:and our brand is that we're not marketing to a specific
Speaker:person or group of people.
Speaker:We're saying this is who we are and educating,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:our community on who we are,
Speaker:but for the boots,
Speaker:that's expensive too,
Speaker:especially in New York city where we saw you,
Speaker:there's a lot of rules and regulations.
Speaker:So just be mindful of that,
Speaker:but don't compromise it for who your brand is.
Speaker:And that's the time that people are going to walk by
Speaker:and go.
Speaker:I have to see that product,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:remember that you have to have a great product,
Speaker:like you said,
Speaker:but when people are walking by,
Speaker:there's a thousand other booths,
Speaker:what are you doing to get people to walk next to
Speaker:you and to see what you're doing,
Speaker:Right. And what did you guys do?
Speaker:So I think,
Speaker:and this was a point for us was The first year
Speaker:that we did the show,
Speaker:those specific shows I'm speaking of,
Speaker:I was all white booth and our product really stood out
Speaker:because of the color and the packaging.
Speaker:And we had personal things from our home to sort of
Speaker:outfit it as if it was a room or a space
Speaker:that you could come and be a part of,
Speaker:which we did really well with the next show,
Speaker:we changed the look completely and had a complete black booth.
Speaker:Cause our packaging is partly black and we saw a completely
Speaker:change in the perception or the traffic into our booth.
Speaker:So this year we said,
Speaker:look, let's be on the corner.
Speaker:Let's change it back to Y let's make this a space
Speaker:like it's our living room.
Speaker:So people feel like they can come and sit down with
Speaker:us. It completely changed the whole attitude and the feel of
Speaker:people wanting to come into our booth,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:make it a space that people want to come into,
Speaker:not something that is like,
Speaker:we're too cool for school or we're edgy or we're not,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:or we didn't put any work into this.
Speaker:We don't really care.
Speaker:We just want to sell the product for us.
Speaker:It was really making it a space that was welcoming,
Speaker:Really great information.
Speaker:I really appreciate your talking about that.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:as I remembered your booth,
Speaker:it was very clean.
Speaker:You had the table,
Speaker:you had a lot of products.
Speaker:It was,
Speaker:I won't say it was simple because there was a lot
Speaker:to draw you in,
Speaker:but it felt comfortable to look at too,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:So it attracted you in that manner and you guys were
Speaker:there and receptive to you.
Speaker:Weren't just sitting behind a table on your phone or something.
Speaker:You were drawing people in communicating with them and all of
Speaker:that gift,
Speaker:biz listeners,
Speaker:just a couple of things.
Speaker:I just want to summarize what Blake has said here.
Speaker:When he's talking about trade shows,
Speaker:he's been saying that yes,
Speaker:probably some local fairs just to get started is a good
Speaker:way to go.
Speaker:It's also a great way to test your product,
Speaker:get some really good feedback on your product before you invest
Speaker:in some of the larger shows.
Speaker:When you get into booth setup,
Speaker:consistency and remaining on brand,
Speaker:if you will remaining exactly what you stand for and who
Speaker:you are,
Speaker:should roll over to however your displays look and the total
Speaker:booth experience overall.
Speaker:And then in terms of shows,
Speaker:you need to remember that you're there for exposure.
Speaker:Yes. Blake's talking about how they really landed at that first
Speaker:show and had tons of orders.
Speaker:But this is also about visibility.
Speaker:It's great.
Speaker:If you're able to reimburse yourself the cost of the show
Speaker:and even make some profit,
Speaker:but if you're in a situation where that doesn't necessarily happen,
Speaker:you also want to track through,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:who are some of maybe the big brands that have come,
Speaker:who are now going to call you three months from now
Speaker:and you know,
Speaker:want to buy from you so that they can have your
Speaker:product in the store.
Speaker:So don't just look at it for a one and done
Speaker:type weekend where you just analyze what happens at right after
Speaker:the show.
Speaker:And the final thing that Blake's talking about is then you
Speaker:review the show,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:is it something that you should do again next,
Speaker:go around.
Speaker:There are plenty of shows out there and some will resonate
Speaker:with you more than others because you'll have audiences that are
Speaker:more interested in your product.
Speaker:So you always want to review show.
Speaker:And I would also say,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:shows get old after a while,
Speaker:there comes a time when maybe a show that was working
Speaker:for you for a long time.
Speaker:Now isn't bringing it what it once did,
Speaker:and then you switch it up.
Speaker:Absolutely. Let's talk a little bit about that challenge that you
Speaker:guys encountered.
Speaker:You can free reign,
Speaker:whichever one you want to pick.
Speaker:I would say that our biggest challenge was figuring out how
Speaker:to fund this dream without really having guidance to start.
Speaker:So we would always hear people talking about investors or talking
Speaker:about business partners and things like that.
Speaker:And we just had no education on this.
Speaker:So figuring all of that out and how to fund that
Speaker:big order that we had from our first show was huge.
Speaker:And then,
Speaker:like I said before,
Speaker:too. And so I feel like I'm a little bit repeating
Speaker:ourselves, but it's true.
Speaker:How are we going to market ourselves without changing who we
Speaker:are as a brand?
Speaker:How are we going to roll with the changes that are
Speaker:coming into the retail realm,
Speaker:but also remain true to who we are?
Speaker:I think those two big things are challenges we deal with
Speaker:daily. And I think that other people do too.
Speaker:I don't think that these are unique problems.
Speaker:I think that everyone else can relate to this as well.
Speaker:I definitely think that the biggest challenge though,
Speaker:is definitely just that pulling your hair out moment when you're
Speaker:like, okay,
Speaker:we have to fulfill these orders for 70 stores.
Speaker:We went from zero to 70.
Speaker:What are we doing?
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:So Cassius King,
Speaker:no question about it.
Speaker:Absolutely Point because as you're starting out and building a company,
Speaker:there's always new things you want to bring on.
Speaker:Maybe it's you want someone to work with your social media
Speaker:or help you with your blog.
Speaker:Like there's all their services and then there's product extensions and
Speaker:you have to be so careful not to over-commit yourself because
Speaker:you don't know what else is going to come in.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:if you clearly found a way to manage through those 70
Speaker:stores, but what if you didn't,
Speaker:you would have lost that opportunity.
Speaker:Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker:So people have to be really careful with that.
Speaker:And I also like what you're talking about in terms of
Speaker:once again,
Speaker:staying on brand,
Speaker:you guys,
Speaker:right from the beginning,
Speaker:did something so smart,
Speaker:which is really you defined who you were and that way,
Speaker:anything that comes down the pike,
Speaker:that's an opportunity you can run through that filter and say,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:does this resonate?
Speaker:And does this align with who we are,
Speaker:problem we solve,
Speaker:why we're here.
Speaker:And it makes it a lot easier than to let some
Speaker:things go because they're not exactly right for what you're doing.
Speaker:Absolutely. Any other advice in terms of a business tip on
Speaker:how you're attracting customers or how you manage customers so that
Speaker:they keep coming back Really for us,
Speaker:because we are such a online business,
Speaker:we are driven a hundred percent right now by online.
Speaker:We are opening our first brick and mortar in a few
Speaker:months, but Whoa,
Speaker:that's so exciting.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I can't believe you're just bringing that up now.
Speaker:But I think a way to stay with your people Is
Speaker:understanding who's buying,
Speaker:where are they?
Speaker:What's going on and following up,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we've had people and I'm not talking about just stores.
Speaker:I'm talking about clients who have purchased multiple times from us,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and we better understanding who they're buying for,
Speaker:because if you're buying 12 candles,
Speaker:you're not buying them just for yourself.
Speaker:Maybe. Yeah.
Speaker:Oh, I would be Understanding how you can better serve them
Speaker:is something that is very difficult because you know,
Speaker:you don't have million hours in the day to talk to
Speaker:every client,
Speaker:but reaching out to these people who keep coming back and
Speaker:understanding why helps you better serve the client that maybe isn't
Speaker:in for stores,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:stores that maybe haven't reached out in a while,
Speaker:following up with them,
Speaker:is there more product knowledge that we can serve you with?
Speaker:Can we come to the store to do a trunk show
Speaker:or a product presentation?
Speaker:I think being committed is the biggest thing.
Speaker:And that has worked very well for us resulting in sales,
Speaker:through our clients.
Speaker:Let's move now into the reflection section.
Speaker:And this is a look at you and Ben and what
Speaker:you think has helped you to be successful.
Speaker:Is there a natural trade?
Speaker:And I guess I'm just going to stick with you Blake,
Speaker:unless Ben wants to jump into,
Speaker:we'll see,
Speaker:he's been awful silent,
Speaker:but what natural trait do you have that you've called upon
Speaker:to work through and get to the point where you are
Speaker:today? So when we were both talking about this point,
Speaker:I think the biggest three things that came up for us
Speaker:was that we're a go getters.
Speaker:We don't let what happened yesterday,
Speaker:change today or tomorrow we continue on and we're motivated,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we're motivated and we're ambitious,
Speaker:starting your business and owning a business just is not for
Speaker:the faint of heart.
Speaker:I have to say you're under scrutiny,
Speaker:24 seven.
Speaker:So calling on that sense of being go getters or,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:waking up and going,
Speaker:how am I going to change my business today for the
Speaker:better and staying ambitious.
Speaker:Those are three things that really helped us and not letting
Speaker:anything stop us from fulfilling our dream.
Speaker:You're going to hear no all the time,
Speaker:no matter what you do in life.
Speaker:If you're a business owner,
Speaker:if you're a ballerina,
Speaker:whatever you are not letting that stop us has completely catapulted
Speaker:us into success.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:we didn't speak about it in the past,
Speaker:but I just wanted to bring it up so that we
Speaker:don't leave it out was one of our biggest successes was
Speaker:being chosen as one of Oprah's favorite things now.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:How exciting is that?
Speaker:It was amazing.
Speaker:I have to tell you.
Speaker:And it was something like you spoke about in the last
Speaker:segment was the trade shows.
Speaker:That's where we met the contacted that got us into giving
Speaker:over our candles,
Speaker:but that didn't come directly from the show persistence and staying
Speaker:a go getter and being motivated and ambitious and not just
Speaker:hearing no and turning around and saying,
Speaker:okay, well by,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:remaining professional and persistent really helped us.
Speaker:And so that's,
Speaker:that's an actual concrete success that we've gotten from these traits
Speaker:that have helped us get where we are today.
Speaker:That is a perfect example of how those types of traits
Speaker:in doing that leads to something that was perfect.
Speaker:Quick question for you on that.
Speaker:How did you handle the sales that being on Oprah's list
Speaker:drove into your business?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's one of those things where you just,
Speaker:I don't believe that we are ever given more than we
Speaker:can handle.
Speaker:And if we are,
Speaker:there's a reason we shouldn't be doing it,
Speaker:but I believe that what helped us get through that?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:really, and it's funny because we were both working still nine
Speaker:to five jobs.
Speaker:So it was insane.
Speaker:It was,
Speaker:it was very hectic,
Speaker:but we got through it by understanding that this was our
Speaker:next jumping off point.
Speaker:This was such a huge accomplishment for us.
Speaker:We never thought that in 10 years we would get here.
Speaker:We got here in three years.
Speaker:So the way we handled it was just understanding that and
Speaker:the weight of having Oprah's favorite things on your list of
Speaker:accomplishments that remained our motivation at like midnight.
Speaker:And we were burning the oil,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:midnight oil and just saying,
Speaker:keep going,
Speaker:keep going.
Speaker:These are one of those moments where you have realized it's
Speaker:a worth it to work those extra hours.
Speaker:This is not one of those times that you want to
Speaker:rest. Do you want to take it and go full force
Speaker:ahead? Cause it isn't going to stay that way forever.
Speaker:So take advantage of the opportunity,
Speaker:right? When it's there exactly.
Speaker:Is there a tool that you two use regularly to keep
Speaker:you productive or to keep balance in your life Would definitely
Speaker:be a kind of a movement off of my last answer.
Speaker:I would think what we've started to do is plan our
Speaker:whole year.
Speaker:Now this is something I have never done in my entire
Speaker:life. But when you talk about trade shows,
Speaker:when you talk about retail shows like these markets and things
Speaker:like that,
Speaker:where people are interacting with your product.
Speaker:When you talk about wanting to see your nephew or niece
Speaker:on their birthday,
Speaker:when you talk about Christmas or Hanukkah,
Speaker:all these things are going on in your life.
Speaker:While you have to also run your business and you want
Speaker:to have a successful business.
Speaker:So I think a big tool for us has just been
Speaker:planning, something that I think a lot of people take for
Speaker:granted, or you don't think about.
Speaker:We plan for the year.
Speaker:We plan out business goals and things like that,
Speaker:but what's actually going on in your life.
Speaker:How can you say I'm going to work extra hard here.
Speaker:Maybe we have Oprah's favorite things here,
Speaker:and then I'm able to rest here.
Speaker:I think it's so important to have a balance so that
Speaker:you don't burn out or you don't just completely wear yourself
Speaker:then because you won't have a business after that.
Speaker:Yeah. If you're in it for the long haul,
Speaker:you need to be able to have some of those breaks.
Speaker:You need to be able to get away.
Speaker:Absolutely. Any advice you have or how you guys managing your
Speaker:relationship and then also the business.
Speaker:Do you guys sometimes just say,
Speaker:you know what,
Speaker:timeout, no talk about the business or does it naturally happen?
Speaker:It naturally happens.
Speaker:The great thing about our company and what we do is
Speaker:that we love it.
Speaker:We're not in the place right now where it's a,
Speaker:I guess like a workaholic kind of thing.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's not taking over our lives,
Speaker:but we see it as an opportunity to express ourselves and
Speaker:to become closer with the community and our families and people
Speaker:all around us.
Speaker:So sometimes we'll say,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:okay, let's just go to sleep.
Speaker:We got us.
Speaker:It's two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker:Let's turn off our brains,
Speaker:but it's always working and always thinking of the next thing.
Speaker:But understanding that you do need to take time to rest.
Speaker:You gotta take a load off.
Speaker:Sometimes we just go,
Speaker:okay, just go watch TV,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker:And when you're traveling into these great places,
Speaker:there's always time to take a break,
Speaker:go to dinner,
Speaker:enjoy the sights.
Speaker:Something just,
Speaker:just to get away for a little while.
Speaker:Yeah. Right.
Speaker:Is there a book that you've read lately that you think
Speaker:our listeners could find valuable?
Speaker:Yes. And actually this was Blake.
Speaker:I read the book.
Speaker:Ben hasn't read it yet,
Speaker:but I'm pushing it on him.
Speaker:Cause I really want him to read it.
Speaker:But the latest book from Gloria Steinem my life on the
Speaker:road, I mean,
Speaker:ha we are probably getting inspired by travel.
Speaker:But what I love about Gloria Steinem's book,
Speaker:my life on the road is it's very personal.
Speaker:And it's about how her travels around the world impacted her
Speaker:life and her view of the world.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I don't think you have to necessarily agree with her points
Speaker:of view to receive something from her story.
Speaker:What I learned was that the value of being in contact
Speaker:with someone who isn't like me or who doesn't share the
Speaker:same culture that I do and how that can help open
Speaker:my world,
Speaker:my business,
Speaker:my personal life,
Speaker:everything to a whole new realm that I may have not
Speaker:thought of when I listened to other people,
Speaker:I'm a lot better off.
Speaker:I find in my experience and the book taught me to
Speaker:listen, to understand rather than to respond,
Speaker:to really understand people.
Speaker:And that can translate into your business.
Speaker:How are you understanding your client?
Speaker:So I really,
Speaker:really enjoyed the book and I really hope everyone out there
Speaker:listening can find some time to read it.
Speaker:It's a beautiful book.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Listen to understand not to respond.
Speaker:It wasn't said by me,
Speaker:I don't know who said it,
Speaker:but I heard it and I have not let go of
Speaker:it. It is so awesome.
Speaker:Yeah. You're right.
Speaker:And give his listeners just as you're listening to the podcast
Speaker:here today,
Speaker:you can also listen to audio books with ease.
Speaker:I've teamed up with audible for you to be able to
Speaker:get an audio book,
Speaker:possibly my life on the road.
Speaker:Not sure,
Speaker:but a book of your choice for free.
Speaker:All you need to do is go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com. Okay.
Speaker:Blake, it's now your time to dare to dream.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:This is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable Heights
Speaker:that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:So inside our box is,
Speaker:as you know,
Speaker:as we've talked about this whole podcast is that our company
Speaker:is completely inspired by family and travel.
Speaker:So I think for both of us,
Speaker:our dream beyond measure would be to just be able to
Speaker:go wherever we wanted whenever we wanted.
Speaker:However we wanted with no limitation.
Speaker:Part of that is just to be able to share that
Speaker:with everyone and to have our business be able to support
Speaker:us and our families,
Speaker:I think is a big,
Speaker:big dream for us.
Speaker:And then to share our experience with the world,
Speaker:we want to become a global company.
Speaker:So I think our biggest dream that we opened was just
Speaker:being able to travel and share it.
Speaker:Perfect. All right.
Speaker:So let's pretend I'm handing you an envelope with ticket somewhere.
Speaker:Where are you going?
Speaker:Oh, it's so hard.
Speaker:You got to pick one right now.
Speaker:I'm putting you on the spot.
Speaker:I would probably go back to Italy.
Speaker:We went last year.
Speaker:There's so many other places I want to go,
Speaker:but that place is so special to us.
Speaker:We went to the Mafi CO's and it was one of
Speaker:our first times that we took a break from our life
Speaker:in three years and we talk about it every day.
Speaker:It's constantly inspiring us.
Speaker:So we want to go back and get more inspiration.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:well you've just put it out there.
Speaker:So it's going to happen.
Speaker:That's all there is to that.
Speaker:Okay. The secret.
Speaker:Exactly. All right.
Speaker:So if some of our listeners can not wait,
Speaker:they want to go to your website or go somewhere to
Speaker:see more about your business.
Speaker:What single online space would you direct somebody to?
Speaker:I would definitely say our website is the first place,
Speaker:the village,
Speaker:common.com or our Instagram page.
Speaker:It's a little bit more personal and it's at the village
Speaker:common. All right.
Speaker:Perfect. And give biz listeners,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:in the show notes page,
Speaker:I'll have those two links repeated as well as other ways
Speaker:that you can get in touch with them and pictures and
Speaker:all this fun stuff sitting over there.
Speaker:Blake, and I'm going to say Ben,
Speaker:cause I know he's sitting right there.
Speaker:Just say,
Speaker:hi, Ben,
Speaker:will you just say hi Ben,
Speaker:say hi.
Speaker:I All right.
Speaker:I want to thank you guys so much for agreeing to
Speaker:be on the show I had walked by your booth,
Speaker:turned around,
Speaker:got more information about your business,
Speaker:saw the product,
Speaker:smelled, everything I'm like,
Speaker:Oh, I so hope that they'll agree to be on the
Speaker:show. So thank you so much for doing that.
Speaker:Such an interesting story.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you're still a new company,
Speaker:but you've done so many things well that you're catapulting already
Speaker:in terms of your business growth.
Speaker:Oprah's favorite thing.
Speaker:And now you're opening your new retail shop.
Speaker:Super exciting.
Speaker:And may your candle always burn bright?
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:It's really truly been such an honor to be on your
Speaker:podcast. Seriously.
Speaker:We are so grateful for the time that you'll watered us
Speaker:here. Thank you.
Speaker:Where are you in your business building journey,
Speaker:whether you're just starting out or already running a business and
Speaker:you want to know your setup for success.
Speaker:Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,
Speaker:access the quiz from your computer at bit dot L Y
Speaker:slash gift biz quiz or from your phone by texting gift
Speaker:biz quiz to four four two,
Speaker:two, two.
Speaker:Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for the
Speaker:next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company.
Speaker:Looking for a new income source for your business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever brand your products of
Speaker:your logo or print a happy birthday,
Speaker:Jessica Griffin,
Speaker:to add to a gift right at checkout,
Speaker:it's almost done right in your shop or craft studio in
Speaker:seconds. Check out the ribbon print company.com
Speaker:for more information after you listen to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:iTunes. That way you'll automatically they get the newest episodes when
Speaker:they go live.
Speaker:Thank you to those who have already left a rating and
Speaker:review by subscribing rating and reviewing help to increase the stability
Speaker:of gift is unwrapped.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward,
