Shownotes
Business Building Insights
- In entrepreneurial life there are myriad of opportunities that come your way. Focus on what's going well despite the challenges.
- Explore ideas and let them unfold as you create your business.
- Never structure your business as a hobby. Take steps to make sure it will have longevity and room to grow.
- Believe in your product and identify what way(s) it's different and better than others in the same category. Then you'll always have a market for what you offer.
- At farmer's markets or trade shows, be approachable so people want to talk to you about your product.
- Taking steps to followup after product delivery allows you to confirm satisfaction and get invaluable feedback that will turn first-timers into long term customers.
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Gift biz unwrapped episode 244 I feel now more than ever
Speaker:that everything that I dreamed of plus more for this business
Speaker:as possible.
Speaker:Attention gifters,
Speaker:bakers, crafters and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one
Speaker:now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is gift 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,
Speaker:Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there,
Speaker:it's And I'm so happy that we're back together again today.
Speaker:If you're brand new to the show,
Speaker:then welcome and for my regular listeners,
Speaker:I want to tell you again how much I appreciate you
Speaker:and I'm always interested in your feedback.
Speaker:If you'd like to reach out to me,
Speaker:you can always do so at SU at gift biz,
Speaker:on ramped.com
Speaker:thoughts show ideas,
Speaker:any input is always great.
Speaker:Now onto this week's past guest spotlight today I have an
Speaker:update for you from Regina of D alchemy.
Speaker:They make organic natural products such as skincare,
Speaker:body care and dietary supplements.
Speaker:Can't believe it's been this long,
Speaker:but we first talked back in December of 2016 so that
Speaker:was episode number 87 I comment in that show that we
Speaker:have a lot to watch for with Regina and she does
Speaker:not disappoint.
Speaker:Back then,
Speaker:she was closing down her retail shop in exchange for a
Speaker:larger warehouse space.
Speaker:Now she's getting ready for another move.
Speaker:They just signed a lease for a new 9,000
Speaker:square foot facility.
Speaker:They recently launched a new CBD lotion and completed a repackaging
Speaker:relabeling project for all 300 skews.
Speaker:What an undertaking.
Speaker:That must have been RD.
Speaker:Alchemy is a perfect example of how a business grows and
Speaker:develops over time.
Speaker:A brick and mortar shop worked in the beginning.
Speaker:Then Regina decided that the focus and strategic direction of her
Speaker:company required a different physical setup and now they continue to
Speaker:grow and grow.
Speaker:I want you to think about this for your business too.
Speaker:It's an evolution and it takes turns and changes over time.
Speaker:The trick is to get started.
Speaker:Regina may or may not have had a large production and
Speaker:testing facility on her dream board when she started and she
Speaker:definitely didn't jump right into that as a brand new business.
Speaker:It's a journey and sometimes we forget about that.
Speaker:So I'm here to remind you.
Speaker:Let's talk about this week's shadowy.
Speaker:I have the feeling that Sam's business,
Speaker:although a different industry entirely is going to see the growth
Speaker:that we just talked about with Regina.
Speaker:Can I just say to meet this woman is to love
Speaker:her like immediately.
Speaker:It's a perfect interview to be bringing you during the holiday
Speaker:season. So as IQ,
Speaker:the intro,
Speaker:I want you to think about twinkling lights and everything that's
Speaker:glittery and gold that Sam Today I am so excited to
Speaker:introduce you to Sam Holmes.
Speaker:She's the owner of home sweet home,
Speaker:which is a confections company that crafts gourmet nut brittles and
Speaker:caramel sauces.
Speaker:Sam started experimenting with sugar cooking in her fifth grade science
Speaker:class enamored by how simple table sugar can be transformed into
Speaker:so many treats.
Speaker:She continued to hone her skills over the next 25 years
Speaker:after leading sales teams.
Speaker:In a fortune 1000 company.
Speaker:She combined what she learned in corporate America with lessons gleaned
Speaker:at her grandmother's hip to create a very special business.
Speaker:Today you can find home sweet home products in bakeries,
Speaker:coffee shops,
Speaker:candy stores,
Speaker:specialty gift stores,
Speaker:and coming soon wineries.
Speaker:Well, that's going to be exciting for all of us to
Speaker:find out about.
Speaker:Sam, welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Thank you so much too.
Speaker:I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker:I am thrilled that you are here and you know,
Speaker:I know that you are super fancy and we're going to
Speaker:get into a lot of that.
Speaker:But before we do,
Speaker:I'd like for you to share with our listeners about you
Speaker:in a little bit of a different way.
Speaker:And that's through a motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to describe a candle that's all you,
Speaker:what color would it be and what would be a quote
Speaker:that could go on that candle?
Speaker:Well, my candor would definitely be pink.
Speaker:I have always been attracted to it as a color.
Speaker:It's a path for me.
Speaker:I feel super confident when I wear pink clothes or have
Speaker:pink nails.
Speaker:So my candle is pink and like a peony pink,
Speaker:not just any field like hot pink or anything like that,
Speaker:but the beautiful pink that you see on peonies.
Speaker:And in terms of what it would say,
Speaker:I think my candle would say reach for the best feeling
Speaker:thought you have access to.
Speaker:For me,
Speaker:I believe that what you focus on grows,
Speaker:whether that's good or bad,
Speaker:and in entrepreneurial life there are a myriad of opportunities and
Speaker:challenges that come your way,
Speaker:sometimes moment to moment and at times there can seem to
Speaker:be more challenges or uphill battles and there are opportunities.
Speaker:So it's important to focus on what's going well,
Speaker:but to also be realistic.
Speaker:For me,
Speaker:if I just burned 10 pounds of sugar while I'm in
Speaker:the kitchen,
Speaker:it's literally impossible for me to look at that situation and
Speaker:flip directly over to joy.
Speaker:You get there.
Speaker:From there.
Speaker:I can move up the emotional scale from this feeling of
Speaker:powerlessness to maybe anger where there's a little bit more control
Speaker:of my emotions and then from there I can get to
Speaker:frustration or contentment and then hopefulness and so I focusing on
Speaker:the best feeling thought that I can grasp,
Speaker:I can do the work of pulling my focus forward.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:that is such a powerful idea and just being intentional with
Speaker:your thoughts and your feelings and taking control over them instead
Speaker:of it reversing it.
Speaker:Taking control over you.
Speaker:Exactly. You know,
Speaker:I also think we always are optimistic in that there's never
Speaker:going to be anything wrong.
Speaker:When the opposite of that is also true.
Speaker:There's always going to be something that happens that's wrong.
Speaker:It's part of business,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:whether it's with product production,
Speaker:there is something with a customer,
Speaker:delivery goes wrong.
Speaker:That's part of the gig and I think that's a great
Speaker:thing that we just kind of walked ourselves into here.
Speaker:Just the understanding that that's the way it is.
Speaker:That's part of it.
Speaker:So you have to get comfortable with that,
Speaker:but it's how you respond to it.
Speaker:To your point,
Speaker:that's the most important It is.
Speaker:And so many times in my business,
Speaker:I had a plan and I didn't account for things going
Speaker:left and when they did go left,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:okay, well what now?
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:And so I've learned over time that you can have the
Speaker:perfect plan,
Speaker:but people aren't perfect.
Speaker:So you gotta have a plan B,
Speaker:C, D,
Speaker:E and F.
Speaker:Wait, are you telling me we're not perfect.
Speaker:Okay. I just wanted to make sure I understood.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So let's talk a little bit,
Speaker:a Bit about your past and the Avenue that brought you
Speaker:to where you are here today.
Speaker:Sure. So starting this business is literally a combination of a
Speaker:lifetime of experiences.
Speaker:As you referenced in the intro,
Speaker:I started my work with sugar when I was in fifth
Speaker:grade, but what led me to the point that I am
Speaker:today is I made a pretty major life change in 2017
Speaker:I had just left a fortune 1000 specialty technology company that
Speaker:I've worked for for 10 years and taken on a full
Speaker:time position as COO of a sports tech startup in Greenville,
Speaker:South Carolina where I live.
Speaker:And so startup life is such a departure from the rigidity
Speaker:of most corporate structures.
Speaker:And so along with being more creative in that role,
Speaker:I also sort of gave myself license to be creative at
Speaker:home and in my free time.
Speaker:And so that summer my sister and I went on a
Speaker:cross country road trip.
Speaker:I ended up writing a patent and I ultimately started what
Speaker:is now home sweet home candy company.
Speaker:Initially I named it as Ella's kitchen after my great grandmother,
Speaker:but that was a big bust because there's already a baby
Speaker:food company named Ellis kitchen.
Speaker:So my good friend and founder of the sports tech startup,
Speaker:Harold suggested,
Speaker:he said,
Speaker:you know what about home sweet home?
Speaker:And I loved it immediately.
Speaker:So thankfully I was able to register that with the patent
Speaker:and trademark office,
Speaker:which further sort of cemented the idea that that was the
Speaker:right name for the business.
Speaker:And at the time I only had one product.
Speaker:I had my sweet cream caramel sauce.
Speaker:And at this point my mom had been telling me almost
Speaker:on a weekly basis I needed to consider jarring my caramel
Speaker:sauce recipe.
Speaker:I've been making it for about seven years as a part
Speaker:of diverts and other sweet things because I love to make
Speaker:desserts and I'm kind of convinced that that's genetic because my
Speaker:great grandma,
Speaker:my grandma and my mom all have furious free tubes and
Speaker:they're who I draw a lot of my inspiration from when
Speaker:it comes to the company and flavors and things like that.
Speaker:So my caramel sauce was so special because of the depth
Speaker:of flavor really.
Speaker:And the simplicity and the recipe.
Speaker:There were only four ingredients in the recipe,
Speaker:which was a stark contrast to caramel sauces that you'll see
Speaker:in grocery stores today,
Speaker:whether it's a brand name that you know,
Speaker:or even a gourmet sauce.
Speaker:There's typically about 10 ingredients in that jar.
Speaker:It was also during this time that I was refining my
Speaker:brittle recipe in January of the same year that I sort
Speaker:of took that leap of faith and started to work for
Speaker:this startup.
Speaker:My grandmother had passed away and she was famous for her
Speaker:peanut brittle recipe and every Christmas,
Speaker:all the kids would get together and take a big picture
Speaker:with a spoon cracking the peanut brittle.
Speaker:It just so happened that I got the news about her
Speaker:passing while I was on vacation and this resort gave you
Speaker:a little jar of spiced pecans as the welcome amenities.
Speaker:And so when I got home from that trip,
Speaker:we all went to her home to sort of come together
Speaker:as a family and I thought about what I would bring
Speaker:as a food item.
Speaker:And so I decided to combine the idea of the sweet
Speaker:and spicy pecans that I love so much from that vacation,
Speaker:along with what I learned from her about making brittle and
Speaker:that began the recipe for my cinnamon sugar pecan brittle.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:So steeped in tradition and family.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Yeah. It's kind of a two part story.
Speaker:There's the caramel side and then there's the brittle side.
Speaker:Yeah, so,
Speaker:well, and I have to say I'm really glad the first
Speaker:name was taken because home sweet home,
Speaker:like really it sounds so warm and comforting and aligned with
Speaker:your product way better.
Speaker:Absolutely. Yes.
Speaker:Yes. And then to hear your story about it all leading
Speaker:from the family story,
Speaker:that also goes back to like the idea of home sweet
Speaker:home. That's right.
Speaker:So perfect.
Speaker:It was meant to be that way for sure.
Speaker:It was So on that ride that you were on with
Speaker:your sister,
Speaker:when you decided that you were going to start the business,
Speaker:were you submitting for patents for the recipes or trademarks?
Speaker:When you say patent and were you trademarking the name or
Speaker:what were you doing at that time?
Speaker:At that time I was trademarking the name home sweet home
Speaker:patent that I was writing was completely separate.
Speaker:I'd had this idea for a wide organizer as well that
Speaker:summer, and so I went through the process of what it
Speaker:would take to write a patent.
Speaker:I was inspired by Sarah Blakely because she wrote her own
Speaker:patent for Spanx and on that road trip,
Speaker:and we're listening to a lot of podcasts,
Speaker:a lot of how I built this podcast,
Speaker:and that would happen to be one of the episodes.
Speaker:And so that's sort of what inspired me to get involved
Speaker:with the us patent and trademark office from that perspective.
Speaker:But then it also educated me on how I could protect
Speaker:the name of my company with a trademark for HomeFree home.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:Okay. So you had at that point then said,
Speaker:all right,
Speaker:I'm going to do something on my own.
Speaker:And you had two different avenues then that you could go
Speaker:down. Absolutely.
Speaker:I mean I was really exploring everything that was sort of
Speaker:pent up that I had thought about over the past 10
Speaker:years working for corporate America,
Speaker:but never really given any credence or audience to,
Speaker:this was my time to kind of let all of those
Speaker:ideas unfold and then see what the picture looked like.
Speaker:But at the end of the summer,
Speaker:at the end of the day,
Speaker:and was also on this trip where I came up with
Speaker:the other flavors for the brittle with my sister,
Speaker:we said that we were in the car driving through Florida
Speaker:thinking like,
Speaker:well, what things do we like to eat with friends?
Speaker:We like banana nut bread.
Speaker:We like pineapple,
Speaker:we like cranberry almond,
Speaker:let's figure out how to make those into a brittle.
Speaker:Okay, so this is interesting.
Speaker:So at what point did you decide to go down the
Speaker:sweet route versus another product?
Speaker:It was encouragement from my mom.
Speaker:She had called me one afternoon and said,
Speaker:I'm tired of telling you to drive this caramel sauce.
Speaker:You need to do it.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:mom, I'll tell you,
Speaker:love me.
Speaker:And that's why you're saying this,
Speaker:but the world really looking for caramel sauce.
Speaker:We ended the conversation and I went to the grocery store
Speaker:that afternoon and I turned the corner and right on the
Speaker:end cap was all of these local products at eye level
Speaker:was a caramel sauce from a family owned company in North
Speaker:Carolina. So I bought their caramel,
Speaker:took it home,
Speaker:I tasted it,
Speaker:it was great.
Speaker:It had a very distinct molasses flavor that I wasn't such
Speaker:a fan of and I thought,
Speaker:well Jesus,
Speaker:these people are out here selling caramel sauce.
Speaker:Certainly I should be able to sell my recipe,
Speaker:which no shade to them I think is way,
Speaker:way better.
Speaker:So I want to say that next week that I went
Speaker:down to the tax office to register my home as a
Speaker:business, looked into what the D heck certifications that were needed
Speaker:were registering with the department of agriculture and getting water and
Speaker:pH testing for the caramel sauce done and then also finding
Speaker:a commercial kitchen.
Speaker:South Carolina is one of the States that has a cottage
Speaker:law program where you can cook from home up to a
Speaker:certain revenue amount,
Speaker:but I knew that this business was going to be way
Speaker:bigger than that from the very beginning,
Speaker:just based on the feedback that I'd gotten from sharing the
Speaker:sauce with friends.
Speaker:I had already had these grand ideas for product placement in
Speaker:terms of where the caramel sauce would be,
Speaker:even from the very beginning.
Speaker:So I never structured the business to be sort of a
Speaker:hobby. I always took steps to make sure that the business
Speaker:would have longevity,
Speaker:if that makes sense,
Speaker:and had the room and the space to grow.
Speaker:I didn't want to be hindered by not being able to
Speaker:participate in an opportunity or work with someone because I didn't
Speaker:have the right certifications.
Speaker:So I did all of those things upfront and so they
Speaker:took about eight months to get everything sort of under control
Speaker:from the tax perspective,
Speaker:the product testing back from Clemson university,
Speaker:the RVC license from the department of agriculture and getting set
Speaker:up in a commercial kitchen.
Speaker:Okay. I have one minor question and one major question here
Speaker:before we go on.
Speaker:The minor question is while you were doing all of this,
Speaker:were you also still working for that sports tech startup?
Speaker:Yes. Yes I was.
Speaker:I got multiple projects at one time.
Speaker:Okay. You know,
Speaker:I was just curious if you were ramping that up and
Speaker:still had something on the side.
Speaker:I was just curious about that,
Speaker:but my major question is this,
Speaker:and you are such a rock star Sam,
Speaker:because I know for a fact that a lot of people,
Speaker:after you got off the phone with your mom and you
Speaker:went into the store and you saw another local caramel company,
Speaker:I know for a fact a lot of people would say,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:it's already being done and let the idea just fade away
Speaker:because they feel like there's no room in the market for
Speaker:them because someone else is already doing it.
Speaker:Not just making caramel but is a local caramel maker.
Speaker:Right. Why did your mind not go that way and why
Speaker:were you so confident and saw very optimistically that there was
Speaker:space for you,
Speaker:even with a very direct competitor if you will right there
Speaker:in the market?
Speaker:What was your thinking?
Speaker:Because I tasted their product and I knew that I had
Speaker:a better product and again that is not a slight to
Speaker:the other company.
Speaker:My grandmother,
Speaker:great grandmother and mother all cooked from scratch so I know
Speaker:what real food tastes like.
Speaker:I know what chemicals in food taste like.
Speaker:I know what artificial flavors in food tastes like and so
Speaker:when I had those other products in my mind it wasn't
Speaker:even a competition.
Speaker:It was hands down.
Speaker:This is the best caramel thought I have ever had and
Speaker:I know based on whatever else is out there in the
Speaker:market, this is going to be the best caramel sauce that
Speaker:anyone else has had.
Speaker:And the basis of that really is holing gradients.
Speaker:A lot of people like to use corn syrup or inverted
Speaker:cane syrup in their caramel sauces because it's cheaper than sugar,
Speaker:but it also doesn't taste good.
Speaker:Corn syrup doesn't lose its sweetness the longer that you cook
Speaker:it. So you then have to account for that by adding
Speaker:artificial flavors to get that robust caramelization that you do.
Speaker:A sugar in.
Speaker:Very cane syrup has a very strong molasses flavor and that's
Speaker:great if you like molasses.
Speaker:But I only like molasses and Jude or snaps than anything
Speaker:else. And so when I tasted their caramel sauce,
Speaker:it didn't taste like caramel to me.
Speaker:It tasted like molasses candy.
Speaker:And so from that moment I was just sort of very
Speaker:sure and confident in my own recipe in that I know
Speaker:that for me my product is better and I have to
Speaker:believe that there's a certain percentage of America that also has
Speaker:that belief.
Speaker:Right. Well,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you already said that there's wasn't bad.
Speaker:It's just a different take on caramel,
Speaker:I guess I would say.
Speaker:Right. That's great.
Speaker:Absolutely. You saw an opportunity to bring in your product that
Speaker:is different and too many people it is going to be
Speaker:better because of all that you just said.
Speaker:Right. And so there wasn't an opening.
Speaker:And I think this is such an important point and give
Speaker:his listeners,
Speaker:please hear this if you have in your heart a product
Speaker:that you want to start cupcakes,
Speaker:jewelry, but whatever,
Speaker:there is going to be someone else out in that category.
Speaker:I mean there are very few products that are totally reinvented
Speaker:and nothing like it ever,
Speaker:right? Right.
Speaker:But it's the difference that you bring to the table in
Speaker:the product,
Speaker:whether it's ingredients,
Speaker:styling, any of that,
Speaker:that will make the difference.
Speaker:So just like Sam did where she found an opportunity because
Speaker:her product was different and I'm sure that you talk about
Speaker:your product in that way too,
Speaker:right? I mean four ingredients versus 10 the sugar versus other
Speaker:ingredients, all of that.
Speaker:So it's all part of your big story and that's the
Speaker:important thing for everybody to remember is that's what you have
Speaker:to find.
Speaker:You don't want to repeat and do what everyone else is
Speaker:doing and just put your name on it because then you're
Speaker:in a head to head competition,
Speaker:then you are a competitor.
Speaker:But when you can make a tweak and it's something a
Speaker:little bit different,
Speaker:that's when you can win in your category and guess what
Speaker:they can win too.
Speaker:You're attracting different people.
Speaker:Absolutely. And to that point,
Speaker:the department of agriculture in South Carolina requires you to write
Speaker:a business plan and explain what differentiates your product from every
Speaker:other product that exists in your same category.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:from the very beginning,
Speaker:I had to be cognizant of who were my competitors in
Speaker:this space and why was my product different and why should
Speaker:they allow me this license to enter into this category in
Speaker:the food space.
Speaker:Perfect. Okay.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:This is all such great information,
Speaker:Sam. Okay,
Speaker:so you have your products now figured out,
Speaker:love the stories behind how both of those came to be.
Speaker:You got all your ducks in a row in terms of
Speaker:the trademarks,
Speaker:the patents,
Speaker:making sure that you're in alignment with the cottage food laws.
Speaker:How then did you start getting customers or bringing your product
Speaker:to market?
Speaker:In the very beginning,
Speaker:I'm wanting to direct this conversation to someone who's thinking of
Speaker:starting out themselves.
Speaker:So the very beginning steps.
Speaker:I actually got connected with the local farmer's market from the
Speaker:owners of my commercial kitchen.
Speaker:They are a great team and they actually,
Speaker:when someone signs up new and they're in their kitchen,
Speaker:they give you a list of local farmer's markets and a
Speaker:list of local specialty food stores that you can then go
Speaker:and approach if you want to sell retail or sign up
Speaker:for these different farmer's markets if you want to go direct
Speaker:to consumer.
Speaker:So I signed up for my very first market that was
Speaker:hosted indoors,
Speaker:which was great because it was the winter at a brewery
Speaker:in South Carolina and I brought out my jars and caramel
Speaker:sauce. I had little plastic spoons and a giant squeeze bottle
Speaker:of the caramel so that I could sample with folks and
Speaker:the reaction was phenomenal.
Speaker:I sold out of caramel that day.
Speaker:And so I've walked into that space with a certain amount
Speaker:of confidence in my product,
Speaker:but I also had in the back of my head like
Speaker:who wakes up in the morning thinking I need to go
Speaker:to the farmer's market and get care of bill?
Speaker:Probably not many people,
Speaker:but what I realized very quickly was that someone doesn't have
Speaker:to wake up in the morning wanting your product.
Speaker:You have to be approachable enough for them to want to
Speaker:talk to you about your product and to try it.
Speaker:And from there,
Speaker:if the product is good to them,
Speaker:they will buy it.
Speaker:Right? So I had to sort of let that self limiting
Speaker:thought of who's going to come.
Speaker:I had to let that go away.
Speaker:The people were already going to come because it was the
Speaker:farmer's market.
Speaker:It was my job to then be warm and friendly and
Speaker:inviting enough to interest them in my table and then also
Speaker:in my product.
Speaker:Okay. Well we're just going to jump right to that now.
Speaker:Share with us what your first display looked like.
Speaker:Oh goodness.
Speaker:Okay. Was it kind of bare bones or like what was
Speaker:it, the very first one,
Speaker:where are you sold out of product?
Speaker:I might want to remind everybody.
Speaker:Yes. I practiced my display on my coffee table at home
Speaker:first. And so I actually got just a white tablecloth along
Speaker:white rectangular table cost.
Speaker:I got a runner that was made out of burlap and
Speaker:then I got apples,
Speaker:brownies, croissants,
Speaker:a little cup of coffee.
Speaker:Just different things that you would use the caramel sauce on
Speaker:or in to sort of inspire people's ideas about where they,
Speaker:to use it.
Speaker:Because the first thing I would imagine someone saying,
Speaker:Oh, you just put this on ice cream,
Speaker:right? And it's like,
Speaker:well, sure you could put it on ice cream,
Speaker:but you could also put it in a barbecue sauce recipe
Speaker:to sweeten that up.
Speaker:You could put it on croissants for brunch.
Speaker:You can add it to coffee.
Speaker:So the tablescape was very reminiscent of,
Speaker:uh, Sandra Lee from semi-homemade where she has all these different
Speaker:knickknacks or things that sort of tie into the recipe itself.
Speaker:So that felt like you were walking up to someone's Thanksgiving
Speaker:table and the caramel sauce was the highlight.
Speaker:It was stacked up in these beautiful glass jars with gold
Speaker:lids, some of them and pyramid style one jar ahead know
Speaker:opened and have a big spoon in the jar that was
Speaker:kind of spilling over so that people could see the consistency
Speaker:of the product as well.
Speaker:So I tried my best to make the table look like
Speaker:the place that you wanted to be in the market And
Speaker:note that it wasn't expensive,
Speaker:elaborate signage or anything like that.
Speaker:I guess that's my point is a lot of people will
Speaker:hesitate to do it because they don't have everything buttoned down
Speaker:or the display.
Speaker:But quite honestly,
Speaker:Sam, from what you described,
Speaker:that's a good display for moving forward too,
Speaker:because to your point it's a tablescape and for all the
Speaker:reasons you just said,
Speaker:I don't have to repeat it.
Speaker:It's perfect.
Speaker:Okay, so that's part of a show is just the display.
Speaker:And this was a farmer's market.
Speaker:So people were buying right then and there?
Speaker:Correct. What types of systems did you have for checkout?
Speaker:Did everything run smoothly at the show in that manner or
Speaker:talk us through that a little bit.
Speaker:Sure. Interestingly enough,
Speaker:the industry I come from is the point of sale industry,
Speaker:so I was already prepared with my square reader,
Speaker:you know that you attach to your cell phone and then
Speaker:I also had a cash box because most of the folks
Speaker:at the farmer's market didn't accept credit card and I thought,
Speaker:man, that's wild.
Speaker:Like who has cash these days?
Speaker:Only my dad has cash.
Speaker:So I decided to bring a cash box.
Speaker:But then I also had the square reader attached to my
Speaker:cell phone so that I could accept credit and debit payments
Speaker:at the show.
Speaker:And I still use that same methodology today except that it's
Speaker:got my cell phone.
Speaker:I now use an iPad mini so that tons of people
Speaker:aren't touching my phone that I put on my face Point.
Speaker:That is a good point there.
Speaker:And did you have enough product for that show or once
Speaker:you were sold out,
Speaker:were there people still wanting the product?
Speaker:There were still people wanting the product.
Speaker:I did not have enough for the show.
Speaker:And that was again because I didn't really have an idea
Speaker:of how many people were going to be at this show.
Speaker:There were a lot of things I learned at the end
Speaker:about what kinds of questions I should ask the show organizer,
Speaker:like how many people tend to come out to the show.
Speaker:Is it sort of a front end or back end heavy
Speaker:audience that shows up in terms of attendance.
Speaker:So I did not have enough product,
Speaker:but that was also sort of very inspiring because what I
Speaker:did is the folks that came to the table tasted the
Speaker:product, liked it,
Speaker:but weren't able to purchase.
Speaker:I actually got their contact information and I sent them a
Speaker:sample jars for free.
Speaker:So they were smaller,
Speaker:right? They weren't the full sized jar,
Speaker:but it was enough to sort of keep them interested so
Speaker:that when they came back out to the market the next
Speaker:week, then they would purchase.
Speaker:Well that's brilliant.
Speaker:And it's also a thank you for being here and being
Speaker:interested. And I'm sorry that I didn't have it for you
Speaker:almost. Right.
Speaker:And so how did that first season,
Speaker:it sounds like you did several of the farmer's markets,
Speaker:maybe weekly,
Speaker:and you can share that with us,
Speaker:but how did you feel overall about your experience then at
Speaker:the farmer's market for that first season?
Speaker:Well, Here's Sam's response to this question right after a quick
Speaker: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:You know,
Speaker:I actually only did that one farmer's market that season.
Speaker:I didn't realize that there were multiple farmer's markets happening throughout
Speaker:the week.
Speaker:I've never been to a farmer's market first of all,
Speaker:before I went to this one.
Speaker:So I fought all of the markets happened on Saturday morning
Speaker:in this window and it was at the seasons end.
Speaker:In speaking with some of the other vendors that I realized
Speaker:we committed,
Speaker:there's a market on Wednesday,
Speaker:Thursday and Tuesday.
Speaker:And so that first sort of winter and spring I had
Speaker:only done one market and I thought that I was like
Speaker:on a roll and it was at the end of that
Speaker:that I realized,
Speaker:man, there's a much greater opportunity for getting my product in
Speaker:front of folks at other markets.
Speaker:And so it was in that late spring,
Speaker:early summer when I actually signed up for my first vegan
Speaker:festival, which completely transformed where the business was going and did
Speaker:several other markets and realized there's a much better way to
Speaker:sort of capitalize on the opportunity in front of me as
Speaker:well as use these markets as a litmus test for,
Speaker:or what recipes worked really well,
Speaker:which recipes people are like,
Speaker:no, this is gross.
Speaker:Don't ever make it again.
Speaker:And things like that.
Speaker:What do you mean that there was a much better way?
Speaker:What does that mean?
Speaker:Well, again,
Speaker:I thought that there was only one channel to get my
Speaker:product out to focus up that I could only do one
Speaker:market at the time.
Speaker:I see,
Speaker:okay. So I didn't realize that I could be at a
Speaker:market on Tuesday,
Speaker:Thursday and Saturday getting feedback and making sales versus just the
Speaker:one day on Saturday.
Speaker:Right. I'm a big advocate of using the person to person,
Speaker:whether it's farmer's markets,
Speaker:craft shows,
Speaker:more formal trade shows for not just selling,
Speaker:which is obviously what people go there to do primarily,
Speaker:but getting that feedback,
Speaker:seeing the response to not just all the products that are
Speaker:selling, but the sizes in your case that jars,
Speaker:all different types of things like that.
Speaker:Do you have a formal system of documenting what you're hearing
Speaker:and what you're seeing or you just keep it in the
Speaker:back of your mind?
Speaker:I actually am very old school and I still have an
Speaker:agenda planner that I carry around with me.
Speaker:Good. I love that.
Speaker:And so even when someone comes up to the table and
Speaker:they say,
Speaker:Oh no,
Speaker:I don't like caramel,
Speaker:or I don't like pecans,
Speaker:or I don't like cashews,
Speaker:I still ask them to try it to say,
Speaker:okay, you're going to be my most critical case tester.
Speaker:So I would appreciate it if you don't have a food
Speaker:allergy. Don't make me use my business insurance.
Speaker:Oh seriously.
Speaker:And give me some feedback.
Speaker:And so on each Saturday day,
Speaker:I have a running list of notes on that day and
Speaker:my agenda planner,
Speaker:sort of what people said,
Speaker:how willing people to buy the half pound bag versus the
Speaker:quarter pound bag of brittle,
Speaker:how responsive or receptive they were to X amount of dollars
Speaker:for a caramel sauce jar versus another.
Speaker:So it was really,
Speaker:really a good opportunity too that my own ideas about the
Speaker:business, the flavors,
Speaker:the price points without the pressure of it being sort of
Speaker:this, you know,
Speaker:large retailer.
Speaker:These were my neighbors essentially.
Speaker:Oh right.
Speaker:And did you see a different show by show?
Speaker:So audience by audience?
Speaker:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker:So in the shows where there's a lot greater attendance,
Speaker:there's a lot less price sensitivity and then the smaller markets
Speaker:there's a greater price sensitivity.
Speaker:So that was what sort of encouraged me to create the
Speaker:quarter pound brittle bag versus the half pound because I was
Speaker:at a market and I noticed that a lot of the
Speaker:folks were actually coming in with buy vouchers.
Speaker:And so the voucher system allows you to buy fruits and
Speaker:vegetables and things at the farmer's market without using cash.
Speaker:And so a lot of times that can be indicative of
Speaker:expecting a lower price point,
Speaker:right? If somebody is getting something for free and then you
Speaker:have something on your table for $10 there's a disparity there.
Speaker:Right. And so at the markets with vouchers,
Speaker:we also bring out quarter pound bags and eventually we just
Speaker:decided that any market with vouchers,
Speaker:we're going to do the quarter pound bag and we actually
Speaker:sell more when we do that.
Speaker:Because again,
Speaker:that barrier to entry is not so high.
Speaker:Yeah. I'm also thinking those smaller bags,
Speaker:there's potential that people want to buy it to consume it
Speaker:there and they see how much they like it so they
Speaker:come back to buy a bigger bag to take home.
Speaker:Exactly. That's happened several times.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:I'm just staying on the craft show really heavily here because
Speaker:it's a great way for people who are just starting out
Speaker:to really understand the receptivity of their product.
Speaker:Now there's another thing that you do so well and none
Speaker:of us can see you,
Speaker:but I might make you blush here.
Speaker:Sam, I'm not sure,
Speaker:but I met you at the Philadelphia candy show just a
Speaker:couple of months ago and you were in the first aisle
Speaker:there, but I just have to say this was the first
Speaker:time you were a vendor at that show,
Speaker:right? First time you're exhibiting there,
Speaker:there was like stars coming from your booth because of the
Speaker:energy and you were there with your mom.
Speaker:Right? You are both such jovial,
Speaker:happy, engaging women that I swear to God it was like
Speaker:there were stars coming through and everybody else in the aisle
Speaker:except for Amy who had the very first booth,
Speaker:so outside,
Speaker:cause she's kind of goofy,
Speaker:crazy like that too.
Speaker:But like there was almost nobody else in the aisle.
Speaker:But you because of the energy that you brought to the
Speaker:show and coming up to you guys.
Speaker:I mean it just seems so natural for you guys,
Speaker:you and your mom.
Speaker:Is that just how you are?
Speaker:It is,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:my mom is such a cornerstone of for my whole entire
Speaker:life now that I'm 35 and I don't have children.
Speaker:I think about the fact that I was 10 she was
Speaker:35 I'm like,
Speaker:how did she do this?
Speaker:She went to job,
Speaker:her work all day.
Speaker:She came home and made sure I did my homework.
Speaker:She had a husband,
Speaker:which you know,
Speaker:I hear it's tough.
Speaker:She's like a superstar.
Speaker:She literally pretty super woman to me and she's always such
Speaker:a great supporter.
Speaker:She's my number one fan and again was the person who
Speaker:was encouraging me weekly about making this a real business and
Speaker:she also loves sweets and so we were both like kids
Speaker:in the candy store at this silly candy show and I'd
Speaker:never done any trade show before.
Speaker:So not only was this my first Philly candy show,
Speaker:it was my first candy show of any kind and I
Speaker:was beyond excited to be there.
Speaker:I wrote myself a giant focus wheel earlier that morning about
Speaker:all the good things that were going to happen and so
Speaker:we were just there in complete gratitude and appreciation and thankful
Speaker:for every person that came by the booth or try our
Speaker:product. It was so gratifying to hear people in the candy
Speaker:industry give feedback because up to that point again,
Speaker:everyone that was telling us that it was so yummy and
Speaker:so amazing.
Speaker:These were our neighbors.
Speaker:These were people that were not necessarily experts in this field.
Speaker:It was an amazing experience and so we had nothing but
Speaker:goodbyes to give you.
Speaker:It's not going to be any drama.
Speaker:We had a great time.
Speaker:We did a nine hour road trip up to her sheet
Speaker:from South Carolina.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:it was a great time.
Speaker:It was a ball.
Speaker:Yes. I speak to this because of the point that you
Speaker:have to bring your personality and who you are to your
Speaker:book because it really does separate you from other people and
Speaker:not everyone.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you can't fake being you like I don't know many people
Speaker:who could be you and your mom,
Speaker:Sam. It's just the way it is.
Speaker:Right? It would look silly if you tried because for you
Speaker:guys it's just who you are.
Speaker:But I bring it up again because people who are doing
Speaker:craft shows and trade shows,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:whatever level of show,
Speaker:face to face,
Speaker:you need to show your personality and who you are and
Speaker:engage with everybody.
Speaker:Not just offer samples and say nothing,
Speaker:but chat with them.
Speaker:Get into conversations,
Speaker:share things,
Speaker:ask questions,
Speaker:observe. All of that.
Speaker:Makes your brand stand out just because of who you are
Speaker:as the maker and the owner behind the business.
Speaker:Yes, and I learned those skills from my mom when I
Speaker:was really little.
Speaker:I remember that she would decorate these dolls and she would
Speaker:fill the clothes for the dogs and sell them at the
Speaker:local farmer's market and she was so engaging.
Speaker:She would ask people,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:well, are you from here?
Speaker:What brought you out to the market today?
Speaker:Oh, I really liked your blouse or your earring.
Speaker:So finding a way to genuinely connect with someone that's going
Speaker:to share their time with you was always something that she
Speaker:focused on.
Speaker:And I learned that from her.
Speaker:And that's exactly what happened with the show.
Speaker:We were so excited to be there and to meet everyone,
Speaker:but we also wanted to know about them as much as
Speaker:we wanted them to know about us.
Speaker:Yeah, give and take for sure.
Speaker:And so this was your first trade show.
Speaker:So give his listeners what we're talking about here is initially
Speaker:when you're at craft shows or farmer's markets,
Speaker:most of the time you're selling to a consumer direct to
Speaker:consumer. There are also trade shows that sell direct to consumer.
Speaker:This was a business to business show.
Speaker:So the people who were walking the aisles are people who
Speaker:own shops possibly make candy.
Speaker:So they're looking for different elements to include new flavors,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So you're selling business to business now.
Speaker:And so I just wanted to preface that,
Speaker:Sam, what types of learnings did you have?
Speaker:How is that type of a show different from the shows
Speaker:you were doing already and what type of advice would you
Speaker:have for people who are listening who are thinking of getting
Speaker:into a trade show and doing that in addition to craft
Speaker:shows or farmer's markets?
Speaker:I think that the trade show is really the way to
Speaker:elevate your business,
Speaker:right? You're getting less purchase orders,
Speaker:but they're larger.
Speaker:So selling one bag of brittle or one jar of caramel
Speaker:sauce at a time is exhausting.
Speaker:You're giving up every weekend to be at the farmer's markets
Speaker:a lot of nights during the week and it's you,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you have to be on.
Speaker:People are buying the product as much as they are buying
Speaker:the experiences,
Speaker:speaking with you.
Speaker:And so at the trade show you can do that,
Speaker:but then you also gain a repeat customer,
Speaker:you be a lifelong customer and that order is going to
Speaker:be 10 15 X would,
Speaker:it would have been at a farmer's market.
Speaker:And so for me,
Speaker:I knew that having the direct to consumer sales was important.
Speaker:It was a great way to sort of,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:litmus test the recipes,
Speaker:the consistency and all of those things.
Speaker:But ultimately my goal was to get more B2B opportunities in
Speaker:front of me because that would allow us to scale the
Speaker:business a lot faster than selling one bag at a time.
Speaker:And so I was actually at a trade show for receipt
Speaker:printers and I was kinda gamed off into the calls.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:man, if I'm at a trade show for repeat renters,
Speaker:there's got to be a trade show for candy.
Speaker:And so I Googled candy trade show September and the Philly
Speaker:candy show popped up.
Speaker:It was about four weeks away.
Speaker:And so I said,
Speaker:this is it.
Speaker:This is the moment I was supposed to think about this
Speaker:this day and Google this.
Speaker:And I found it and it was a great opportunity to
Speaker:get in front of business owners because cold calling on a
Speaker:candy store is really difficult.
Speaker:10 times out of 10 the owner's not in the store,
Speaker:they've got someone else working the registers for them and dipping
Speaker:and things like that.
Speaker:And so these events are where the business decision makers are
Speaker:and they are buying candy for the next maybe fiscal year
Speaker:or making relationships for the next fiscal year.
Speaker:And so this industry B to B event was something that
Speaker:really sort of elevated our business in a different way.
Speaker:People were talking about us in the industry in a way
Speaker:that would have been really to come by if we had
Speaker:not attended the show.
Speaker:Yeah. And you know,
Speaker:you're putting yourself in front of people who are in the
Speaker:mindset differently because if you're walking into someone's store,
Speaker:the owner,
Speaker:even if they're there,
Speaker:their mindset is selling product,
Speaker:managing the floor,
Speaker:helping employees,
Speaker:you know that kind of mindset versus when people are coming
Speaker:to a trade show,
Speaker:they are walking into exactly what you're wanting.
Speaker:Right. Identifying new products,
Speaker:speaking with owners,
Speaker:making deals,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So that's different.
Speaker:So at the consumer shows you're pricing your product one way,
Speaker:now you go to a trade show.
Speaker:How did the presentation and offering of your products change?
Speaker:What did you need to do in a short time?
Speaker:You said four weeks.
Speaker:So what did you have to do within just a few
Speaker:weeks to re present your product so that it could be
Speaker:for a trade show?
Speaker:Sure. So I had already worked out what my wholesale pricing
Speaker:would be.
Speaker:So I was selling at full retail at my local shows,
Speaker:which was say goodness that I did that because I run
Speaker:into so many small business owners who are selling at wholesale
Speaker:at their markets and then they go to an industry event
Speaker:and they don't feel confident in their pricing And there's nowhere
Speaker:to go then either.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:Exactly. You can't go anywhere.
Speaker:And so I had already worked out my wholesale pricing,
Speaker:but one thing that I did learn at the show was
Speaker:about Keystone pricing.
Speaker:I had literally never been,
Speaker:I've heard of them Before in my life.
Speaker:Even though in first grade I was a Keystone cop for
Speaker:Halloween, My mom,
Speaker:I went in the contest.
Speaker:Yeah. So Keystone pricing is essentially,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:whatever their wholesale cost is,
Speaker:you double that and that's what they would resell it for
Speaker:in their store.
Speaker:And they like to see that as a listed MSRP.
Speaker:And so I learned that at the show.
Speaker:The other thing I learned was that retail pricing varies drastically
Speaker:depending on where you live in the United States.
Speaker:So I live in a fairly small town in South Carolina,
Speaker:so someone's,
Speaker:what they're willing to pay for candy is different than say
Speaker:in New York city or Los Angeles or Philadelphia.
Speaker:And so a lot of the folks that were coming up,
Speaker:because this was the Philadelphia candy show,
Speaker:were from these parts of the country where things just cost
Speaker:more in general.
Speaker:So they were less price sensitive when it came to retail
Speaker:pricing. And so I learned that depending on where I'm selling
Speaker:into, the business owner may have a preference for a higher
Speaker:or lower retail price.
Speaker:But that should not impact my wholesale price,
Speaker:right? My wholesale price should remain constant based on what our
Speaker:profit margins need to be and what our business goals are.
Speaker:But the business can change.
Speaker:It's just a suggested retail price,
Speaker:right? It's like a car sticker suggested retail price.
Speaker:So those were two pretty big pricing takeaways that I learned
Speaker:from Michelle.
Speaker:You had information prepared for how many pieces would be in
Speaker:a case and what the price of a case was.
Speaker:Did you have minimum order there?
Speaker:I did not have minimum order quantities per se,
Speaker:a minimum order quantity with one case.
Speaker:And I actually got advice on how to build a case
Speaker:and price a case from another business owner,
Speaker:a lady named Mimi who owns Mimi's mountain mixes.
Speaker:She suggested having smaller case quantities because as a business that's
Speaker:trying out your product for the first time,
Speaker:they're not really sure how it's going to sell.
Speaker:So rather than having a case of 50 bags of bread
Speaker:in one,
Speaker:maybe doing an introductory case of five bags,
Speaker:right? So they could try it out,
Speaker:they could buy a bag for samples to test them,
Speaker:their store.
Speaker:And then based on how well those smaller cases go by
Speaker:flavor, then they could jump to a larger case quantity.
Speaker:So that was something that we did at the show.
Speaker:It was one of our show specials that we considered for
Speaker:the scattered case of brittle is 30 bags for all of
Speaker:the show attendees we did a case is five bags.
Speaker:And so that was a really good way to get people
Speaker:at least interested enough to make that first purchase and have
Speaker:it in their stores and then see how those five bags
Speaker:sold. And so we've had a couple of customers that have
Speaker:already filled out and it's placed three orders.
Speaker:So it was really smart idea that we got from TB.
Speaker:That's perfect.
Speaker:Okay. And so how did auto fulfillment go after the show?
Speaker:Cause this is the first time you're doing it.
Speaker:So you come back then with all these orders?
Speaker:Well I was so excited and then I realized,
Speaker:Oh my goodness,
Speaker:where am I going to get all the bags and the
Speaker:jars? Everything because I don't know,
Speaker:a small part of me didn't really click in that people
Speaker:would be ordering at the show because every other trade show
Speaker:that I had attended,
Speaker:people just came up and saw where you had,
Speaker:they weren't really buying things right now,
Speaker:this is also technology,
Speaker:so it just didn't Dawn on me that people would actually
Speaker:want to place orders at the show.
Speaker:So my mom actually had to run down to the concierge
Speaker:lounge and print off order forms because I forgot about that
Speaker:part. But then I also got myself into a bit of
Speaker:a tough position because I kept saying,
Speaker:okay, I agree your order will ship Monday,
Speaker:Oops. But you're like,
Speaker:wait a minute,
Speaker:we get home on Wednesday.
Speaker:I have a department of ag review on Thursday,
Speaker:Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the commercial kitchen to make all
Speaker:of this.
Speaker:And Oh,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:you don't have any more half pound bags or you only
Speaker:have half the number of glass jars that you need.
Speaker:So thankfully,
Speaker:thanks fully aligned.
Speaker:It's a great company for one of my vendors and they
Speaker:have something called we'll call pickup.
Speaker:And so I was able to drive to browse in Georgia,
Speaker:which is about an hour and a half away,
Speaker:not very far,
Speaker:and pick up everything that I needed to actually pack and
Speaker:fulfill the orders.
Speaker:I was able to get my boxes there.
Speaker:Um, and so it was probably the most frantic three days
Speaker:of my life because I didn't even think about what I
Speaker:was saying.
Speaker:I just was like,
Speaker:Oh, your order will ship Monday.
Speaker:And I kept saying it and probably around the second day
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:man, that's a lot of things
Yeah. I don't think I slept more than four or five
Speaker:hours over that weekend,
Speaker:but I did get every single order packed and shipped and
Speaker:out of the door.
Speaker:Good for you.
Speaker:That's fabulous,
Speaker:Sam. Yeah.
Speaker:Now we did run into some issues with,
Speaker:one of the things was I was also shipping gallons of
Speaker:caramel sauce and so you know,
Speaker:that's a liquid.
Speaker:I was really concerned about how that would make it to
Speaker:the destination.
Speaker:Would it explode in the box?
Speaker:What would happen?
Speaker:I had one customer that bought seven gallons of caramel,
Speaker:which was really heavy and so we did have some issues
Speaker:around product arriving damaged with one of our customers,
Speaker:and this is sort of where all those years of customer
Speaker:service kicked in because we had decided that we would call
Speaker:everyone the day after delivery to make sure that the delivery
Speaker:was successful.
Speaker:And in those conversations we found out so many things.
Speaker:We found out one partner preferred ups because FedEx delivered too
Speaker:early, so we were able to add that to their account.
Speaker:We found out that one of the gallons of caramel had
Speaker:burst open and the partner was gracious enough to send us
Speaker:pictures so that we actually determined,
Speaker:well, why did this happen?
Speaker:How do we need to pack it differently?
Speaker:And she says,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I was going to call you and I thought to myself,
Speaker:well sure you were going to call me,
Speaker:but were you going to call me today?
Speaker:And everything that you didn't call,
Speaker:that dissatisfaction with our business would just kind of grow larger
Speaker:and larger.
Speaker:Right, Right.
Speaker:Or the alternative is that you don't call and we never
Speaker:hear from you again.
Speaker:So it was really a good idea for us to make
Speaker:those followup calls.
Speaker:And so from that point on we were just like,
Speaker:well it doesn't matter if it's a sample box or a
Speaker:full on order,
Speaker:everyone gets a call the day after delivery to make sure
Speaker:it was successful and ask them what could we have done
Speaker:better differently,
Speaker:things like that.
Speaker:I love the fact that you were too to your word
Speaker:and you got it out,
Speaker:although I bet you after that last one shipped out,
Speaker:you were home in bed trying to recover either that or
Speaker:toasting with a glass of wine.
Speaker:I'm not sure.
Speaker:For sure.
Speaker:Totally works for me.
Speaker:So what's your stand now on farmer's markets versus trade shows?
Speaker:Are you now out of the direct to consumer or where
Speaker:do you think you're headed with that now?
Speaker:Well, the holiday season is really,
Speaker:really busy for us,
Speaker:so we're definitely not out of the wind in terms of
Speaker:farmer's markets in that regard from about October until January,
Speaker:I think we'll always have a presence at farmer's markets because
Speaker:our products are very seasonal in that regard.
Speaker:People are always looking caramel for apples this time of year
Speaker:and brittle is a great gift for folks,
Speaker:so I think we'll maintain our presence at the markets in
Speaker:that time of year.
Speaker:But specifically in the spring,
Speaker:the summer,
Speaker:the early fall,
Speaker:our focus will only be on trade shows or festivals,
Speaker:things that sort of scale that business up in a much
Speaker:greater way.
Speaker:And then we're also launching this fall,
Speaker:our 10 raising program,
Speaker:which I'm really excited about because then I can have 20
Speaker:to 30 kids out there selling on our behalf and then
Speaker:we get to focus our attention elsewhere while they're out.
Speaker:Also making the sale.
Speaker:Give us a little more detail on that program.
Speaker:What are you doing?
Speaker:Sure, so I was inspired by the girl Scouts.
Speaker:One of my coworkers,
Speaker:her daughter was a girl scout and I never bought the
Speaker:cookies for myself,
Speaker:but I always bought them for the truth.
Speaker:And so in the beginning of this business I also thought
Speaker:about, well,
Speaker:who's going to acquire a home sweet home with today?
Speaker:What are the major candy players that are out there?
Speaker:And in that research I found out that world fund chocolate
Speaker:is churning like a hundred plus million in revenue per year.
Speaker:It would be $1 candy bars.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:gosh, they have got something here.
Speaker:So I really need to consider having a fundraising program as
Speaker:another stream of revenue.
Speaker:And so I worked with the boy Scouts in the upstate
Speaker:of South Carolina to get more information about what they look
Speaker:for in a fundraising partner,
Speaker:how long they typically run their fundraisers for.
Speaker:And so this fall we're actually launching a fundraising program with
Speaker:one of the attendees that we met at the Philly candy
Speaker:show and they were attending specifically looking for candy companies that
Speaker:had fund raising programs.
Speaker:Interesting. I might have to have you circle back and talk
Speaker:to us about that after you've gone through one.
Speaker:Okay, sure.
Speaker:Fundraising isn't something that is a complete structure versus donating a
Speaker:portion of a sale.
Speaker:Fundraising isn't something we've ever talked about.
Speaker:Okay. Absolutely.
Speaker:Once you've got that button down and have gone through it,
Speaker:I think that would be very interesting to share if you're
Speaker:willing to share on the show.
Speaker:Absolutely. So GIF is listeners,
Speaker:stay tuned for that.
Speaker:I see that our time is starting to wind down,
Speaker:but I wanted to touch very briefly on your website.
Speaker:Do you have ordering capabilities for people also through your website?
Speaker:I do.
Speaker:We actually relaunching ordering capabilities on our website today for folks
Speaker:for a little while.
Speaker:We actually took that function down and we took it down
Speaker:because we were investigating better freight options.
Speaker:As a small business,
Speaker:it can be difficult because you don't have the luxury of
Speaker:large amounts of freight going out the door,
Speaker:so your rates are way higher than say Amazon,
Speaker:right? You can sit for free or very close to free.
Speaker:And so ultimately what it came down to is we just
Speaker:had to say,
Speaker:you know what guys?
Speaker:Our rates are what they are and we will either have
Speaker:those sales online or we'll just have to put more effort
Speaker:into growing our business so that people won't have to ask.
Speaker:Someone says,
Speaker:Oh, well,
Speaker:where can I get your product?
Speaker:I won't have to ask them where they live or direct
Speaker:them to a specific state.
Speaker:Soon we'll have distribution across the United States.
Speaker:But for right now our,
Speaker:at the time we were kind of hesitant about those online
Speaker:sales that we said,
Speaker:do you know what?
Speaker:If people really want our product,
Speaker:then freight will have to be a part of the equation
Speaker:for now.
Speaker:And then we always list where we traveled to for our
Speaker:different festivals and markets and things like that.
Speaker:So hopefully we'll be in an area where they can come
Speaker:and pick up a bag without having to pay for it.
Speaker:Beautiful. Okay,
Speaker:perfect. And what is the name of your website?
Speaker:It is homes suites.
Speaker:Two S's in the middle.com
Speaker:Give his listeners,
Speaker:as you know,
Speaker:everything will be over on the show notes page so you
Speaker:can always go in and access there,
Speaker:see what she's up to,
Speaker:see the shows that she's at,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So that's perfect.
Speaker:Okay, so we'll,
Speaker:you've already talked about what some of the future holds,
Speaker:you know the fundraising going to more trade shows is still
Speaker:doing craft shows,
Speaker:farmer's markets specifically,
Speaker:I guess it is for you.
Speaker:Where do you see the business going in like five years?
Speaker:Oh goodness.
Speaker:In five years we'll have national distribution.
Speaker:We'll have,
Speaker:in my mind,
Speaker:I envision sort of a multilevel marketing platform form.
Speaker:Oh, nice.
Speaker:Yeah, I think it's interesting what Mary Kay has done in
Speaker:that regard and I think about the idea of candies,
Speaker:gourmet foods and things like that in a catalog where someone
Speaker:can host a party and have people come out.
Speaker:Maybe someone is getting married and they want to talk about
Speaker:wedding favors.
Speaker:Maybe someone's having a baby shower and they're looking for favorites
Speaker:for that,
Speaker:or it's just holiday season.
Speaker:That was actually inspired by a friend of my mom's.
Speaker:My mom sent her a bag of brittle,
Speaker:she had her girlfriends come over for a sewing club and
Speaker:they all loved it and wanted to buy it and ms
Speaker:Shirley wanted to know if she could then also be a
Speaker:part of a revenue stream on that.
Speaker:And I thought well why not,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:how difficult would it be to investigate having a 10 99
Speaker:employee and then creating the structure where when you're available or
Speaker:when you want to,
Speaker:you can host this party and share these candies with friends
Speaker:and then make some money from that.
Speaker:So I think that's something that we'll have sort of the
Speaker:lights turned on in that office for definitely the fundraising will
Speaker:be a major revenue stream for us by that point and
Speaker:I'm sure that at that point we'll also have some regional
Speaker:distribution in retail stores.
Speaker:Beautiful. I want to make note for everyone listening.
Speaker:How old is your business right now?
Speaker:Two years old.
Speaker:I just had to ground everybody with that.
Speaker:But this is the exciting thing,
Speaker:Sam, is you are taking a lot of knowledge and experience
Speaker:that you've had unrelated fields,
Speaker:right? Completely.
Speaker:Yes. But what you were learning does overlap in what you're
Speaker:doing now and the ability to take something from the star
Speaker:if you're committed and if you're willing to take the moves.
Speaker:And if you're not afraid of someone who's making a similar
Speaker:product to,
Speaker:albeit not as good to your point and you're ready to
Speaker:take action.
Speaker:These are the types of things that can happen.
Speaker:So it's so exciting.
Speaker:It's so inspiring.
Speaker:And plus,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I love you and your mom so much.
Speaker:I wish I was your next door neighbor or maybe not.
Speaker:It would be crazy.
Speaker:It might be a little bit crazy.
Speaker:My neighbor loves me because she's my official taste tester and
Speaker:so every new flavor of anything,
Speaker:I'm like,
Speaker:Hey Sherry,
Speaker:can you come over and try this out and see if
Speaker:it's good?
Speaker:Okay, well I might just have to come and claim a
Speaker:bed for a night or two when you're sampling.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:In any case.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:Sam, this has been a wonderful demonstration of how you can
Speaker:take a concept and a thought and so quickly develop it,
Speaker:but the thing that I keep hearing from you is how
Speaker:intentional it is,
Speaker:how you have a plan and you're thinking forward already and
Speaker:that's why you've made so much progress.
Speaker:You haven't been just all over the place.
Speaker:You're very intentional.
Speaker:You're listening in a direct contact with your customers so they
Speaker:help guide you to what the next steps should be.
Speaker:You're always open to learning and testing and trying and look
Speaker:at the results you've had already.
Speaker:I'm so excited to watch.
Speaker:As you continue on,
Speaker:it's just you get chills and excitement when you think of
Speaker:how far you've progressed.
Speaker:I do.
Speaker:I just had a conversation with my mom yesterday about that
Speaker:because it's like I said,
Speaker:it's a combination of a lot of different things really falling
Speaker:into place.
Speaker:There were decisions that I made very early on in the
Speaker:business that from the outside looking in,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:well, why are you investing your time there?
Speaker:That doesn't make sense here.
Speaker:But now as I see things really sort of clicking in,
Speaker:it does give me chills and I feel now more than
Speaker:ever that everything that I dreamed of plus more for this
Speaker:business as possible,
Speaker:I believe it with every fiber of my being.
Speaker:And I think that the only way that it will happen
Speaker:is if I stop.
Speaker:So as long as I'm still here,
Speaker:I know that it's going to unfold in this amazing and
Speaker:magnificent way and I just cannot wait to see how everything
Speaker:continues to fall into place.
Speaker:I cannot wait to watch it either.
Speaker:It is amazing.
Speaker:And I don't think for one second you'll get in your
Speaker:own way because you haven't to this point.
Speaker:So I don't see that happening.
Speaker:Well, continued success to you.
Speaker:We've already laid the groundwork that you're going to have to
Speaker:come back and talk about fundraising with us later,
Speaker:sometime in the next year.
Speaker:So much success this holiday season.
Speaker:Maybe I'll see you at a show you just never know
Speaker:before the year's out.
Speaker:Maybe the ultimate secret show.
Speaker:Yeah. Are you going?
Speaker:Oh yes,
Speaker:absolutely. Absolutely.
Speaker:Okay. So I think that will have come and passed by
Speaker:the time this show airs,
Speaker:but great cause I'm going to see you there.
Speaker:So yay to that.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:well then I will see you soon.
Speaker:Say hi to your mom for me and once again,
Speaker:thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Speaker:Thank you so much too.
Speaker:Isn't it exciting to hear the progress Sam's made so far
Speaker:and I want to talk to those of you who are
Speaker:just starting out like Sam was just a year ago.
Speaker:Take notice of the fact that she's not the only one
Speaker:in her industry who makes brittle and Carmel,
Speaker:but she's rocking it.
Speaker:Please don't ever feel like there's not room for you with
Speaker:whatever your handmade product is.
Speaker:There is a space for you and it's up to you
Speaker:to go and claim it.
Speaker:Now, I didn't really time it this way,
Speaker:but it worked out perfectly.
Speaker:If you're just starting out in business or you're considering right
Speaker:now turning your handmade product into a business,
Speaker:but you just aren't sure yet,
Speaker:you can see that everybody else is doing it.
Speaker:But for yourself and your product,
Speaker:you just have some questions yet.
Speaker:Well, I've recently released a brand new program called start with
Speaker:confidence. Now this is a pre business program that helps you
Speaker:ensure that your product has a market and that your product
Speaker:will sell at a price where you can make money and
Speaker:you can build a business.
Speaker:If you want to check that out.
Speaker:Go to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash start are you curious about what's going on
Speaker:next week?
Speaker:Well, we're going to be talking about happiness and gratitude and
Speaker:how that applies as a woman business owner.
Speaker:I'm going to kick it off right now by encouraging you
Speaker:to take a few minutes each day between all the hecticness
Speaker:of the holidays.
Speaker:Breathe deep and take in and experience the beauty of the
Speaker:season, even if it's just for a short time.
Speaker:And with that,
Speaker:I look forward to all of us being together again next
Speaker:week. Bye for now.
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is free.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:We've got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week,
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing,
Speaker:to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show them what you're working on for the week,
Speaker:to get reaction from other people and just for fun because
Speaker:we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody in
Speaker:the community is making.
Speaker:My favorite post every single week without doubt,
Speaker:wait, what aren't you part of the group already?
Speaker:If not,
Speaker:make sure to jump over to Facebook and search for the
Speaker:group gift biz breeze.
Speaker:Don't delay.
