Shownotes
The Kuhfs Story
A description of Kuhfs [3:32] How Amy came up with the idea [4:53] The steps Amy took to create the product [6:50] Getting genuine feedback on Kuhfs in a creative way [7:49] How Amy presented Kuhfs to the market for the first time [10:40] Winning the Push Award from Thinker Profit and how it helped grow the biz [11:36] Amy’s newsletter strategy for customer retention [24:52]Candle Flickering Moments
Manufacturing – How does this work in the fashion industry? [16:53]Business Building Insights
An honest discussion about Facebook Live [14:24] Why Amy thinks Facebook Live could be good for her business [15:43] What you should do if you don’t know the answer to something [18:58] The value in switching to the right target market [21:07]Success Trait
Creativity and Curiousity [26:58]Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
Amy relies heavily on her day planner to make sure her goals are accomplished [28:34]Recommended Reading and Listening
Dot Com Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online by Russell Brunson
Contact Links
Website Facebook Instagram Twitter PinterestIf 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:This is gift biz unwrapped episode 92.
Speaker:I can't find this product out there.
Speaker:So I'm going to try to make it myself.
Speaker:Hi, this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to gifted biz unwrapped,
Speaker:and now it's time to light it up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift bears on rapt,
Speaker:your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop and
Speaker:grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Whether you own a brick and mortar store sell online or
Speaker:are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insights to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. And today I have joining us.
Speaker:Amy Olson of cups.
Speaker:Amy is a stay at home mom who launched an accessory
Speaker:business after coming up with an awesome idea,
Speaker:she was looking for a product that would add style to
Speaker:her boots and compliment any outfit.
Speaker:And when that product couldn't be found,
Speaker:she decided to create it herself.
Speaker:Now, Amy didn't have any experience in the fashion industry and
Speaker:had no idea about how to go about getting her product
Speaker:made. She didn't even know how to sew,
Speaker:but she powered her mother's sewing machine and took it one
Speaker:step at a time.
Speaker:And now two years later here,
Speaker:she is growing a successful business.
Speaker:Welcome to the show,
Speaker:Amy. I Thank you for having me.
Speaker:I'm thrilled to be here.
Speaker:So happy that you're here.
Speaker:The first thing I like to do is start out by
Speaker:having you describe yourself in a little bit of a different
Speaker:way, and that is by sharing your vision of what your
Speaker:ideal motivational candle would look like.
Speaker:So if you were to tell us the color and the
Speaker:quote on your motivational candle,
Speaker:what would those be?
Speaker:The color would be a soft,
Speaker:warm green.
Speaker:Green is my favorite color for a lot of different reasons,
Speaker:but just a warm kind of soft,
Speaker:peaceful green color.
Speaker:And the quote on there would be doubt kills more dreams
Speaker:than failure ever.
Speaker:Well, And boy,
Speaker:as an entrepreneur,
Speaker:doubt pops up all the time.
Speaker:Doesn't it?
Speaker:Oh, it does.
Speaker:And especially with my story,
Speaker:like you had said in the introduction,
Speaker:I was a stay at home.
Speaker:Mom, I'm still a stay at home mom that came up
Speaker:with an idea that I had absolutely no idea how to
Speaker:move forward or how to,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:take this product from idea to reality.
Speaker:So I ran into a lot of doubt all the time
Speaker:and afraid to fail.
Speaker:But what I found over the last couple of years is
Speaker:you're gonna fail and it's going to happen.
Speaker:And it's just going to lead to success.
Speaker:If you decide to learn from that experience and not let
Speaker:it shut you down,
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:so many people come up with ideas for products and it
Speaker:just sits.
Speaker:There never happens.
Speaker:And I love your story because you had the idea,
Speaker:you had no idea what you were going to do,
Speaker:how it was going to come to reality.
Speaker:And we're in talk about that in a minute,
Speaker:but you decided to go forward and see what could possibly
Speaker:and give biz listeners,
Speaker:same with you.
Speaker:If you're sitting there and you have found through the course
Speaker:of just your normal day,
Speaker:that you have an idea that solves a need for something,
Speaker:listen to this story about what Amy's going to talk about.
Speaker:And one step at a time,
Speaker:what could you do to possibly make that a reality and
Speaker:build a business just like Amy's doing before we start Hoff.
Speaker:I want to make sure that everyone understands what your product
Speaker:is, so that as you're telling the story,
Speaker:they're going to,
Speaker:it's going to make sense to everybody.
Speaker:So give us a little bit of a description of what
Speaker:cuffs is.
Speaker:Sure. Cuffs is a sleek and stylish fabric cuff.
Speaker:So it's really just three pieces of fabric that are sewn
Speaker:together. That look like a,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:a cuff and you can take that product and wrap it
Speaker:around the top of your boots,
Speaker:the bottom of your jeans or your leggings to give those
Speaker:pieces, your favorite pieces in your wardrobe,
Speaker:a fresh new look,
Speaker:Perfect. And you've got lots of different styles and designs and
Speaker:they're very easy to apply,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:We have lots of different designs and it really is simply
Speaker:you just take the cuff,
Speaker:wrap it around the top of your boots.
Speaker:There's some silicone on the inside of the cuff that gives
Speaker:it some grip.
Speaker:So it holds on to your boots or your jeans.
Speaker:And then it's really kind of a big Bobby pin that
Speaker:you slip over the top of your boots and into the
Speaker:cuff that holds it in place.
Speaker:So it's such a simple idea,
Speaker:but it makes such a difference in,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:if you're putting it on your boots or your jeans,
Speaker:it's a totally different look.
Speaker:Absolutely. And later in the show,
Speaker:we're going to talk about how people can go to your
Speaker:website and take a look at these,
Speaker:but for now I want to go back now.
Speaker:So it's not too far back two years.
Speaker:Right? Right.
Speaker:And so you had this idea and if there's more to
Speaker:the idea story,
Speaker:let us know,
Speaker:but I want to start going through the next steps of
Speaker:what did you do after you had the idea?
Speaker:Where did you go from there?
Speaker:Okay. So I had the idea because you know,
Speaker:like most women,
Speaker:I have a closet full of clothes and at times nothing
Speaker:to wear,
Speaker:and I had a pair of boots and they were expensive
Speaker:for me.
Speaker:I had spent a lot of money on these boots and
Speaker:I'd been wearing them for the last three seasons.
Speaker:And I was just tired of them.
Speaker:I was tired of styling with them.
Speaker:I didn't know what to do with them anymore,
Speaker:but I was not in a position where I could buy
Speaker:another pair of expensive boots.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:this is silly.
Speaker:There's gotta be a way that you can kind of transform
Speaker:the look of the boots and the clothes that you already
Speaker:own without spending a fortune,
Speaker:just buying more clothes.
Speaker:And like you had said,
Speaker:when that couldn't be found,
Speaker:I was walking by my closet one day and you know,
Speaker:I was thinking,
Speaker:I just couldn't get this idea out of my head.
Speaker:So walking by my closet and I grabbed one of my
Speaker:scarves and I wrapped it around the top of my boot
Speaker:and I thought,
Speaker:Oh, that's it.
Speaker:That totally changed the look of I boots.
Speaker:So then it was rifling through my closet,
Speaker:taking all my scarfs out and wrapping them around all my
Speaker:boots and thinking,
Speaker:this is it.
Speaker:And I was so excited about the idea.
Speaker:Then I sat on it for a little bit,
Speaker:a little bit longer,
Speaker:cause I was not sure what I was going to do
Speaker:or how to move forward.
Speaker:And so I just,
Speaker:like you said,
Speaker:took it kind of one step at a time.
Speaker:And I decided I can't find this product out there.
Speaker:So I'm going to try to make it myself.
Speaker:And so,
Speaker:like you said,
Speaker:I had borrowed my mom's sewing machine and I had to
Speaker:actually teach myself how to sell.
Speaker:I started at an accessory company and I didn't even know
Speaker:how to sell.
Speaker:So I was just really passionate about the idea,
Speaker:which led me to the decision to move forward.
Speaker:And in the beginning I thought I have no idea if
Speaker:this is going to go anywhere.
Speaker:Maybe I'll just,
Speaker:if I can even figure out the design,
Speaker:that was really the first thing.
Speaker:Can I figure out how to make this work First?
Speaker:You had to learn how to sew.
Speaker:So let's,
Speaker:we'll get past that.
Speaker:We'll, we'll already say that you know how to use the
Speaker:sewing machine.
Speaker:So then you started doing prototypes for yourself probably,
Speaker:right? Correct.
Speaker:So it took me about eight months.
Speaker:It was a long process and I just kept coming up
Speaker:with designs and doing more research.
Speaker:Originally, the idea was just on boots.
Speaker:So I was researching boots and how,
Speaker:why they weren't,
Speaker:what was the common width and how am I going to
Speaker:attach this?
Speaker:How is it going to stay in place?
Speaker:So I'd make one prototype and then tweak it a little
Speaker:bit and pass it out to my friends.
Speaker:And then they'd come back to me and say,
Speaker:Oh, it's falling off or it doesn't fit.
Speaker:It doesn't look right.
Speaker:And then I tweak it again.
Speaker:So I spent about eight months just tweaking the design and
Speaker:improving it along the way until finally I had something that
Speaker:worked and it was universal.
Speaker:It could work on any boot.
Speaker:So that's really how it started.
Speaker:I just kind of worked on the prototype.
Speaker:And then when I finally hit something that worked,
Speaker:I pass those out to my friends and they came back
Speaker:to me telling me they loved it.
Speaker:It was great.
Speaker:And just the fact of getting outside input too,
Speaker:is so important.
Speaker:Cause I think we all are the biggest fans of our
Speaker:product, but everyone else has to be a fan of the
Speaker:product too.
Speaker:Right. Well,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:that's an interesting story too,
Speaker:because like you said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:your friends and family will tell you all day long that
Speaker:they love the idea,
Speaker:but I really wanted to get some genuine feedback.
Speaker:So like I said,
Speaker:I made about five or six pairs and I passed them
Speaker:out to my friends and I asked them,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:just aware of around town,
Speaker:but please don't tell anybody that I made them.
Speaker:When we wore them to book club,
Speaker:we warm to Bunco girls nights out.
Speaker:And it really started a little buzz within my small town
Speaker:of Mount prospect here.
Speaker:And I really got genuine feedback because nobody knew it was
Speaker:me. So when we were at bunko,
Speaker:someone would walk in with them and they'd say,
Speaker:Oh, your boots are so cute.
Speaker:Where did you get those?
Speaker:And they'd take the cuff off and say,
Speaker:Oh, well I can't tell you where I got them,
Speaker:but this is the product.
Speaker:And so I really got some genuine feedback in those first
Speaker:few months.
Speaker:That is great input.
Speaker:You are right.
Speaker:Because you really know that they're being honest because they can
Speaker:say anything.
Speaker:Right, right.
Speaker:Yeah. To your face,
Speaker:if you love the idea or you don't like it,
Speaker:you're not sure if you're getting true feedback because someone doesn't
Speaker:want to tell you,
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:no, not for me.
Speaker:They're just not going to do that.
Speaker:Right. So if they didn't know who created it,
Speaker:then they will talk openly and honestly,
Speaker:right. For sure.
Speaker:And they did some of them,
Speaker:I did get some feedback that wasn't a hundred percent positive,
Speaker:which helped me kind of tweak a few things.
Speaker:So it was really a great first market research.
Speaker:Sure. And you want that feedback because you want to see
Speaker:how you can make improvements.
Speaker:And especially even the very first product,
Speaker:bring it out to the market as complete as it can
Speaker:be because you want people to really see it and love
Speaker:it right away.
Speaker:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:But don't be afraid.
Speaker:It's going to change.
Speaker:The design is going to change your customers.
Speaker:What I have found we'll think of things that you didn't
Speaker:think of or see flaws or ways of improvement that you
Speaker:didn't think of.
Speaker:So you really have to be open to taking in that
Speaker:feedback. It's hard when it's your product and it's your baby
Speaker:and you don't want to hear anything negative.
Speaker:And sometimes you take it personally,
Speaker:but you can't,
Speaker:you have to say,
Speaker:Oh, I didn't think of that.
Speaker:Well, she's got a great idea.
Speaker:I agree with you there.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So you've got the product and where you making it all
Speaker:out of your house at this time?
Speaker:Yes. Are you still making it all out of the house?
Speaker:I'm not.
Speaker:I finished the product.
Speaker:It would take me an hour to make one pair.
Speaker:I thought you weren't a seamstress Before.
Speaker:Exactly. So this isn't going to work.
Speaker:So now the project is made locally right here in Chicago
Speaker:and then it comes back to me almost finished.
Speaker:So I put the silicone strips on it and cert the
Speaker:pins and then package it up.
Speaker:Yeah. Got it.
Speaker:Okay. So that's nice.
Speaker:So you're getting a little bit of help in production,
Speaker:which is perfect.
Speaker:I'm going to back it up again and we'll talk about
Speaker:the product some more in a second.
Speaker:So you have your prototype.
Speaker:What did you do and you,
Speaker:and you had the testing done,
Speaker:right? What was the first step in terms of getting eyes
Speaker:on the product on more of a global basis?
Speaker:It started small for me cause I really wanted this to
Speaker:grow organically.
Speaker:I didn't want to put the cart in front of the
Speaker:horse. My friends encouraged me to enter a small craft bear,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the type that would be in a church basement or at
Speaker:the local elementary school.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:okay, I'll make a hundred pairs and see how it goes
Speaker:and see if people will actually open their wallet.
Speaker:And they did.
Speaker:I sold out of those and I thought,
Speaker:okay, so then my next step was a little bit bigger.
Speaker:Prayeth fair.
Speaker:And then,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:create the website.
Speaker:And so I just took baby steps from a small audience,
Speaker:growing that audience and exposure to out just last weekend,
Speaker:I was at the one of a kind show here in
Speaker:Chicago and I got exposure.
Speaker:65,000 people came through the show in four days.
Speaker:How did that show perform for you?
Speaker:Oh, wonderful.
Speaker:It was great.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So that's the product devolution,
Speaker:let's go jump back over to the company side.
Speaker:What's the story behind the name,
Speaker:The name I actually had helped with.
Speaker:So I started as off the cuff accents and I think
Speaker:maybe a year into it,
Speaker:I won an entrepreneurial contest.
Speaker:So it was a company out of Rockford,
Speaker:Illinois here called finger profit.
Speaker:And they were running what they call push award.
Speaker:So they scoured the country looking for new products that they
Speaker:could help launch.
Speaker:And I want my product,
Speaker:not sure if I hear anything and I actually won.
Speaker:So what you got was $5,000
Speaker:worth of their services to help give you a push in
Speaker:the right direction.
Speaker:So we sat down,
Speaker:we talked about the name,
Speaker:what it should be.
Speaker:It needed to represent the product because this was a whole
Speaker:new accessory concept.
Speaker:So they actually presented me with costs and I fell in
Speaker:love with it right away.
Speaker:It's perfect.
Speaker:And your logo is So beautiful.
Speaker:They did that as well.
Speaker:Really? I have to give them credit for that.
Speaker:It was their creativity.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So you've got your logo.
Speaker:And what was the name of this company in Rockford?
Speaker:It was called the push award and the name of the
Speaker:company is thinker profit.
Speaker:And I still work with them today.
Speaker:So they're helping guide you as you go along?
Speaker:Yes. All right.
Speaker:Super. So you've got your logo.
Speaker:How about your website and social media and what were you
Speaker:doing with all of that again?
Speaker:Right when you were getting started?
Speaker:Right. When I was getting started,
Speaker:they helped me with the website and they also helped me
Speaker:with some branding.
Speaker:So I had the website developed and social media,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I struggled with social media.
Speaker:You remember that commercial?
Speaker:Like, does anybody know how to post videos to Facebook?
Speaker:That was me.
Speaker:I really had no idea how to tackle social media or
Speaker:what to do.
Speaker:So I just read and read and learned as much as
Speaker:I could.
Speaker:I created a Facebook page and how to get authentic fans.
Speaker:And I really just started posting once a week and then
Speaker:twice a week and seeing what people liked,
Speaker:what they didn't like.
Speaker:And so social media was a beast in its own that
Speaker:I had to learn and tackle and figure out because each
Speaker:platform is so different.
Speaker:Right? Yeah.
Speaker:So I started,
Speaker:they helped me think her profit with the website,
Speaker:got that.
Speaker:Going, had to learn that entire process and then got my
Speaker:social media up and running my Instagram account,
Speaker:Pinterest Facebook.
Speaker:And it's slowly grown over time and I continue to learn
Speaker:what works and what doesn't work and what messaging my customers
Speaker:want to see and what I can help them with Social
Speaker:media in and of itself keeps growing too.
Speaker:So just because you land it and you feel like,
Speaker:okay, I've got this platform,
Speaker:it makes sense.
Speaker:It's performing.
Speaker:You always have to stay on top of it because things
Speaker:keep changing live is the big thing now.
Speaker:So are you doing any live?
Speaker:I'm not.
Speaker:And to tell you the truth,
Speaker:I was just talking with my friend about it yesterday.
Speaker:I'm afraid.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:I don't know it.
Speaker:I don't understand it.
Speaker:I'm not sure what I would talk about.
Speaker:So I'm really trying to tackle that fear right now and
Speaker:just jump in.
Speaker:I think you just kind of have to do it the
Speaker:first time and not be afraid that you're going to look
Speaker:silly. I was talking to her.
Speaker:He said,
Speaker:well, no,
Speaker:what if nobody shows up and I'm talking to myself,
Speaker:Talk about this a little bit afterwards if you want,
Speaker:but it really doesn't matter.
Speaker:And I know a lot of listeners are doing live too,
Speaker:and it is scary.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I've been doing live for a long time and I still
Speaker:get a little bit anxious before I press that button.
Speaker:But the nice thing is,
Speaker:especially on Facebook is even if no one shows up that
Speaker:can stay in your feed so that people can go back
Speaker:and look at it later.
Speaker:And lots of times,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I am so impressed when people do show up live because
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:okay, you dropped everything in your life,
Speaker:right this very minute to be spending some time with me
Speaker:while I'm on right now.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:how awesome and what a compliment is that,
Speaker:and not everyone can do that all the time.
Speaker:So I wouldn't even worry about that.
Speaker:But I think totally you should get on because you can
Speaker:also show how now you can,
Speaker:so you can show,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:just little behind the scenes things,
Speaker:which could be super fun and your shows,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:when you're out at the shows And for me live like
Speaker:my product needs to be demonstrated.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like at the beginning we talked about what the product is,
Speaker:but I really hope your listeners go and take a look
Speaker:so you can see the power of cuffs.
Speaker:So for me,
Speaker:video and Facebook live is really the perfect platforms because I
Speaker:can show them the product.
Speaker:I can show it on and off.
Speaker:I can talk about how to incorporate it into your wardrobe
Speaker:and the customers can get to see me sometimes behind a
Speaker:fashion brand.
Speaker:You think it's this Uber trendy person.
Speaker:It's not,
Speaker:it's me.
Speaker:I'm a stay at home.
Speaker:Mom, just like many of you.
Speaker:And I have everyday style advice that I can give you.
Speaker:And so Facebook live is really the right platform for me.
Speaker:I just have to kind of get over my fears and
Speaker:jump in Sweat.
Speaker:Now you've told the world that we're all going to be
Speaker:watching you and you go,
Speaker:you made the commitment and you're a self-learner clearly.
Speaker:So we'll be waiting,
Speaker:Amy. All right.
Speaker:So let's talk and still,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I'm so impressed because you've come a long way in just
Speaker:two years.
Speaker:Can you tell us a time when that doubt crept in
Speaker:and you were like,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:why am I even doing this?
Speaker:Maybe this isn't for me or something that happened that you
Speaker:had to overcome to keep going?
Speaker:I think in the beginning it was probably the manufacturing.
Speaker:So I spent,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:about eight months creating the design.
Speaker:And then I said,
Speaker:well, now what now?
Speaker:What do I do?
Speaker:And in the fashion industry or apparel industry,
Speaker:it was very difficult for me to get number one,
Speaker:anyone to take me seriously,
Speaker:because I had no experience.
Speaker:I didn't understand the language or the logo.
Speaker:I didn't,
Speaker:I, I didn't understand any of it.
Speaker:So getting a manufacturer to take me seriously when I only
Speaker:wanted like 150 or 200 pairs made at a time was
Speaker:very difficult.
Speaker:There's not a lot of manufacturers out there that do small
Speaker:runs. So it really took me a long time to finally
Speaker:find someone who would take a chance on me.
Speaker:And I struggled for a long time thinking,
Speaker:well, I have this great idea,
Speaker:but I can't find anyone to make it.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I went across the country.
Speaker:I wanted to stay local.
Speaker:If I could definitely made in the USA was very important
Speaker:to me,
Speaker:but I couldn't even get people to call me back.
Speaker:Oh, wow.
Speaker:How did you resolve that?
Speaker:I ended Up here in Chicago taking what they call a
Speaker:manufacturing tour.
Speaker:There's a company fashion brain Academy right here in Chicago.
Speaker:And she's offers a tour of all the manufacturing plants that
Speaker:are here in Chicago.
Speaker:So I went on that tour and it was fantastic.
Speaker:They changed everything for me because I met the manufacturer that,
Speaker:that continue to use today.
Speaker:So you've got to go into the plant.
Speaker:It wasn't as intimidating or scary anymore.
Speaker:And you could talk to them and say,
Speaker:this is my story.
Speaker:This is what I'm doing.
Speaker:What do you think?
Speaker:I didn't have a pattern.
Speaker:I didn't have a tech pack.
Speaker:I didn't even know what any of that meant.
Speaker:So that was really the jumping off point for me.
Speaker:And I found this manufacturer and Cicero here,
Speaker:she kind of took me under her wing and I would
Speaker:show up with what I thought was my tech pack or
Speaker:the instructions,
Speaker:the pattern she's like,
Speaker:okay, we need to get you a new pattern.
Speaker:Here's someone that can do it for you.
Speaker:I'm going to show you what the tech pack should look
Speaker:like. And she really changed my business.
Speaker:You found her from the tour that you did.
Speaker:Yes. So getting yourself out there,
Speaker:you knowing that you needed someone and then accessing help of
Speaker:professionals. Yes,
Speaker:exactly. And you have to get over being afraid to ask
Speaker:questions or being afraid to look like you don't know what
Speaker:you're doing.
Speaker:And for me,
Speaker:sometimes in the fashion industry,
Speaker:it can be very intimidating.
Speaker:It moves very fast.
Speaker:Everyone seems to know what they're doing.
Speaker:And I had no idea.
Speaker:So I just had to swallow that fear and say,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:I don't know what a tech pack is.
Speaker:Can you explain that to me?
Speaker:Or I don't know how to get a pattern made,
Speaker:where should I go for that?
Speaker:And it took me a little while to kind of get
Speaker:over that once you do,
Speaker:you're not afraid to ask anything anymore.
Speaker:If I don't understand something I ask because you waste so
Speaker:much time trying to figure it out yourself.
Speaker:Well, and I think you dig a hole for yourself too,
Speaker:because if you were to have gone on that tour and
Speaker:then not said anything like,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:what does that mean?
Speaker:I'm not going to say anything.
Speaker:Cause then it's gonna,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's going to show that I don't know,
Speaker:you walk away not knowing anymore.
Speaker:And how would you ever go back with those same people
Speaker:and admit then that you didn't know,
Speaker:right. Exactly.
Speaker:Gotta to do it right in that time,
Speaker:that moment.
Speaker:And you can't be afraid to ask questions or to feel
Speaker:like, Oh,
Speaker:this is going to be a stupid question.
Speaker:I'm going to look silly or they're going to know I'm
Speaker:I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker:You don't know what you're doing so hot.
Speaker:Okay. Right.
Speaker:And the what's the worst they're going to do is say,
Speaker:I'm seriously,
Speaker:you don't know,
Speaker:you ought to go find out.
Speaker:Right. But more than likely,
Speaker:they're going to share with you at least a little bit
Speaker:of information,
Speaker:and then you can go and add onto it.
Speaker:Right. Exactly.
Speaker:And so that's how I found my manufacturer.
Speaker:And like I said,
Speaker:I still work with them today.
Speaker:It's it's been a wonderful relationship.
Speaker:Great information.
Speaker:I really appreciate that last point was really,
Speaker:really potent.
Speaker:So mostly right now you've got your website up,
Speaker:but you're doing a lot of shows.
Speaker:I did a lot in the past.
Speaker:I do the bigger shows,
Speaker:the one of a kind show TV shows like that.
Speaker:I've kind of graduated from the smaller craft fairs.
Speaker:And what I'm really trying to focus on now is internet
Speaker:sales. And then also developing trunk shows,
Speaker:going out and visiting the boat cheeks and having their customers
Speaker:come in and see the product and introduce it to them
Speaker:that way.
Speaker:And what was the deciding factor with the smaller shows that
Speaker:where you decided you weren't going to do that anymore?
Speaker:It wasn't the right target market.
Speaker:So I would do some of these shows and actually not
Speaker:make my booth fee back.
Speaker:And it's very hard to investigate a show and get a
Speaker:true sense of who's attending the show.
Speaker:Are they there to buy?
Speaker:Are they there just to shop?
Speaker:So I would spend a lot of weekends,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's a,
Speaker:it's a tremendous amount of work to set up for these
Speaker:shows and then stand there for four days and sell and
Speaker:then to walk away,
Speaker:not making a profit because it wasn't the right target market.
Speaker:Or my product was too expensive for that market or everyone
Speaker:was there looking for something else.
Speaker:So what I thought to myself is I can get a
Speaker:captive audience with Facebook and Facebook ads.
Speaker:And instead of spending $400 on a show that I might
Speaker:not turn a profit from and gaining exposure to 200 people,
Speaker:I could take that $400 and target ads on Facebook and
Speaker:reach thousands of people targeted customers.
Speaker:One of your options could have been,
Speaker:Oh, people aren't buying my product.
Speaker:I need to reduce the price,
Speaker:which is obviously breaking into your profit,
Speaker:right? So that's not the way you looked at it.
Speaker:You really looked at this and said,
Speaker:this is not my target market,
Speaker:which I think is also really,
Speaker:really kind of an advanced level of thinking because some people
Speaker:would think,
Speaker:well, Oh,
Speaker:it's just the price.
Speaker:And everyone is so ready to go to price all the
Speaker:time, offering two for one,
Speaker:or reducing the price or something like that,
Speaker:where you,
Speaker:I think,
Speaker:took the wiser approach and analyze the whole situation and decided,
Speaker:okay, you know what?
Speaker:There may be a better way for me to do this.
Speaker:Right? Cause I had had a few shows that were fantastic.
Speaker:Like this one of a kind show,
Speaker:I sold 400 pairs in a weekend,
Speaker:More of a more to me,
Speaker:It's just,
Speaker:it's the right target market.
Speaker:I bet I've got them at the right time.
Speaker:It's, you know,
Speaker:they're looking for my product.
Speaker:They're looking for a gift there.
Speaker:They're there to spend after finding a couple of different shows
Speaker:that produce a profit for me,
Speaker:that was great.
Speaker:I thought,
Speaker:okay. But then again,
Speaker:spending an entire weekend and not making a profit or sometimes
Speaker:losing money,
Speaker:not even making my booth feedback,
Speaker:I thought this is kind of silly.
Speaker:It's this is just not my market.
Speaker:I know they're out there because like I said,
Speaker:I would have shows where we'd get fantastic responses.
Speaker:So I thought,
Speaker:okay, I gotta,
Speaker:I gotta switch something up here.
Speaker:So two things that you really did well and give biz
Speaker:listeners, I want to underline this for you.
Speaker:Is number one,
Speaker:we just talked about price.
Speaker:Number two is Amy just didn't keep doing more shows.
Speaker:No, she didn't keep doing something that wasn't working more.
Speaker:Sometimes we think if we just put more effort in,
Speaker:do more,
Speaker:somehow a magic button is going to flip and that's not
Speaker:necessarily right.
Speaker:You have to do something different.
Speaker:If you're not getting the results you need,
Speaker:you have to do something different.
Speaker:And so for you now it's internet sales and trunk shows,
Speaker:which clearly with your product makes so much sense,
Speaker:right? Because with the trunk shows,
Speaker:it's a benefit to the botique.
Speaker:So I'll use your clothes,
Speaker:your line to showcase my products.
Speaker:So it's a win-win for both of us.
Speaker:So if someone sees me with your jeans on with my
Speaker:cuffs, they're more likely to buy the cuffs and the jeans.
Speaker:Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker:So it's profitable for them to host the trunk show as
Speaker:well, which sometimes as opposed to other trunk shows,
Speaker:if it's jewelry or whatever,
Speaker:beautiful craft you're doing,
Speaker:it's really,
Speaker:you're just selling that.
Speaker:I have a kind of an advantage where I can say
Speaker:I could sell those boots all day long with my cuffs
Speaker:in your store.
Speaker:If you get the people here,
Speaker:we can do it.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now you've gotten your customers and There they've come from
Speaker:one of the shows or they've come online.
Speaker:How do you stay in touch with them?
Speaker:How do you encourage repeat sales?
Speaker:I have a newsletter.
Speaker:I really encourage people to sign up for the newsletter.
Speaker:You're a cuffs insider.
Speaker:That's where I'll give you access to my blog.
Speaker:Any special coupon codes that are going on the cuss insiders,
Speaker:get first access to new designs as they roll out.
Speaker:That's a way for me to communicate with them.
Speaker:I send it out maybe once a week,
Speaker:once every two weeks,
Speaker:I don't bombard them with,
Speaker:Oh, we're having a sale sale sale or whatever it is.
Speaker:It's more about just communicating with them.
Speaker:Like this is going on with cuffs.
Speaker:Now here's a blog post I wrote about how to pack
Speaker:less for your next vacation or how to transition your wardrobe
Speaker:from summer to fall.
Speaker:I communicate with them not only about my product,
Speaker:but the needs that they're looking for,
Speaker:that the struggles they have with their style or their wardrobe.
Speaker:So it's not just always about,
Speaker:I feel like I'm building a relationship with them,
Speaker:not just selling it.
Speaker:Right. You're getting them to a mindset where if they open
Speaker:this email or newsletter,
Speaker:there's going to be value.
Speaker:It's not just in your face selling again.
Speaker:Right. And there's value when you do present a new product
Speaker:because, or a new pattern or whatever it is because they're
Speaker:the first ones who get to see it.
Speaker:Right. And a lot of times,
Speaker:sometimes it'll a new product will go and it'll sell out.
Speaker:So I want to make sure that they feel special,
Speaker:that they have first access right before anybody else.
Speaker:These are my VIP's before I'm going to show anybody else
Speaker:this new design and I'll give them sneak,
Speaker:peeks. I'll communicate with them.
Speaker:Sometimes when I'm at the fabric store,
Speaker:I'll take a couple pictures.
Speaker:Hey guys,
Speaker:I'm thinking about this,
Speaker:this and this.
Speaker:What do you think?
Speaker:What do you like?
Speaker:So I really want them to be involved in the process
Speaker:of developing the product and picking patterns that they like.
Speaker:They're already Kind of buying in at that point.
Speaker:Right? So it's important to build that relationship with them.
Speaker:And the newsletter for me is the best way to do
Speaker:that. All right,
Speaker:Amy, we're going To swing now into our reflection section.
Speaker:And this is another look at you and other things that
Speaker:you do that have helped you to be successful.
Speaker:Is there one natural trait that you call upon that you
Speaker:see you continually are using that keeps propelling you forward?
Speaker:Yes, definitely.
Speaker:I think it's my creativity and my curiosity.
Speaker:So like I said,
Speaker:I've had to learn everything in this business and a lot
Speaker:of people would find that daunting and I did,
Speaker:but my curiosity drives a lot.
Speaker:So I would see reports on,
Speaker:Oh, let's just say Facebook ads can do this for your
Speaker:business. I wouldn't think,
Speaker:well, I don't know anything about Facebook ads.
Speaker:So I'm going to move on.
Speaker:My curiosity would say,
Speaker:well, how,
Speaker:how are they doing that?
Speaker:What are they doing?
Speaker:So I,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I read,
Speaker:I can't get enough.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I read anything.
Speaker:I can get my hands on and then I'll take that
Speaker:information. And I think my creativity comes into play and spin
Speaker:it in a way that'll work for me or use it
Speaker:in a creative way that benefits either my customers or my
Speaker:product. So I'm always learning.
Speaker:I'm curious,
Speaker:curious about everything.
Speaker:I love the fact that you say,
Speaker:you're curious,
Speaker:you learn it and then you put your own spin on
Speaker:it as to how it will relate for you.
Speaker:Right? And I think that's also a challenge for a lot
Speaker:of people,
Speaker:new things are coming out all the time,
Speaker:new social media platforms,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:new, new everything.
Speaker:And if you always are going to every single thing,
Speaker:that's new,
Speaker:then there's just too much.
Speaker:So you're doing a lot of a lot,
Speaker:but a little bit of a lot versus taking what you
Speaker:need adjusting it.
Speaker:And I'm sure you've seen some things and said,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:I can take a pass on that right now.
Speaker:That's really not moving the ball forward for me.
Speaker:So you're analyzing it against your situation,
Speaker:which I think is really important.
Speaker:Definitely. Is there a tool that you use during your day
Speaker:to keep you productive or to help create some type of
Speaker:Balance? Definitely.
Speaker:I have a day planner and it's an old fashion paper.
Speaker:One calendar that you open up and you write in,
Speaker:I need to write everything down.
Speaker:Everything is so digital and I need to touch and feel.
Speaker:So this day planner,
Speaker:I open it up on Sunday of that week.
Speaker:I write down my goals.
Speaker:What do you want to accomplish this week?
Speaker:If it's calling five boutiques or creating a new Facebook ad
Speaker:sourcing new fabric,
Speaker:I'll write those goals down on Sunday and then spread them
Speaker:out throughout the week.
Speaker:And that really helps me stay focused.
Speaker:One of my other favorite quotes is plan your work and
Speaker:work. Your plan is an entrepreneur.
Speaker:You can get sucked down so many different rabbit holes and
Speaker:spin your wheels.
Speaker:And before you know it you've accomplished nothing,
Speaker:right? So for me,
Speaker:it was setting those little goals every week and then organizing
Speaker:myself to accomplish those goals.
Speaker:Because you know,
Speaker:you'll be on Facebook or writing a post or whatever.
Speaker:And before you know it,
Speaker:you put here,
Speaker:here, here,
Speaker:and you're down this rabbit hole and an hour goes by.
Speaker:You're like,
Speaker:what am I doing?
Speaker:Right. I,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and if I don't use that planner for a couple of
Speaker:weeks, I don't accomplish as much as I could.
Speaker:I'm more efficient.
Speaker:I get more things done helps me stay focused.
Speaker:Right. And it makes you feel productive because you're able to
Speaker:check off once you've done something that you said was one
Speaker:of your goals for the week.
Speaker:You can cross that off and you can see your advancement
Speaker:also. It's right there in the book.
Speaker:Yeah, it's right there.
Speaker:I did it.
Speaker:Okay. What's next?
Speaker:So what's the next step in that goal?
Speaker:Yep. And that'll be for next week.
Speaker:For me,
Speaker:it would be overwhelming to think my line is going to
Speaker:be at Nordstrom's.
Speaker:How do I do that?
Speaker:You would shut down.
Speaker:It's it's impossible.
Speaker:So that in yourself little goals to get towards that is
Speaker:how I am successful.
Speaker:If it's too overwhelming.
Speaker:I think you have a tendency to just shut down and
Speaker:say, that's impossible.
Speaker:That's never going to happen.
Speaker:Little steps are achievable.
Speaker:Big leaps are much more difficult to even conceptualize,
Speaker:much less do.
Speaker:Right? Exactly.
Speaker:Big, huge house still starts with the first brick.
Speaker:Exactly. What book have you read lately that you think our
Speaker:listeners could find value in?
Speaker:Since I'm focused on the internet world,
Speaker:I'm reading.com
Speaker:secrets. It talks all about the.com
Speaker:world, how it works,
Speaker:and really it's all about sales funnels.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you can spend a lot of money on Facebook ads,
Speaker:Google ad words,
Speaker:promoted Pinterest pins.
Speaker:But if you don't have a sales funnel and you don't
Speaker:know where your customers are coming from,
Speaker:where they're leaving your website,
Speaker:why they're leaving that page,
Speaker:you're not really going to get anywhere.
Speaker:And so this book talks exactly about how to,
Speaker:what is a sales funnel,
Speaker:how to break it down,
Speaker:how to create one,
Speaker:how to see where your sales funnel is failing you or
Speaker:falling apart and how to fix that.
Speaker:So that I have found very interesting and very useful.
Speaker:Perfect. And give biz listeners just as you're listening to the
Speaker:podcast today,
Speaker:you can also listen to audio books with ease and I
Speaker:believe.com secrets might be on audio.
Speaker:I'm not quite sure,
Speaker:but I've teamed up with audible for you to be able
Speaker:to get an audio book just like this for free on
Speaker:me. All you need to do is go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com and make a selection.
Speaker:That's gift biz book.com.
Speaker:Okay, Amy.
Speaker:Now I would like to invite you 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:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:When I open that box,
Speaker:what I see is me standing on stage at either QVC
Speaker:or HSN,
Speaker:selling my product,
Speaker:introducing it to millions of people and selling out that is
Speaker:really the goal that I am attaining and working towards.
Speaker:I thought you were gonna say Nordstrom's now,
Speaker:is this a step on the way to Nordstrom,
Speaker:sir? So I think Nordstrom's would be after that cuffs needs
Speaker:to a little more mainstream and it's still a,
Speaker:it's a new accessory concept.
Speaker:So it needs to be shown.
Speaker:I'm really focusing on,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:the videos so I can show the product and QVC or
Speaker:HSN would be the perfect platform to be in front of
Speaker:millions of people and really show them the power of cups.
Speaker:So you better get your manufacturers all ready to go.
Speaker:Exactly. So when I dream big,
Speaker:I'm standing on that stage,
Speaker:introducing the product to millions of people.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Perfect. Well for our listeners who are listening while they're out
Speaker:jogging or in a shop straightening stock or something like that,
Speaker:and they don't have a chance right now to jump over,
Speaker:to show notes,
Speaker:where would the best place be for them to look at
Speaker:your product and learn more about you?
Speaker:And it would be on my website,
Speaker:cuffs.com and that's K U H F s.com.
Speaker:All the products are there.
Speaker:There's an about me section style,
Speaker:inspiration pages,
Speaker:instructions on cuffs.
Speaker:It's really the best place to see the power of coughs
Speaker:and get an understanding of what the product is.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:Amy, I saw you at the one of a kind show
Speaker:and I also could see you on the stages because you're
Speaker:such a good presence for your product.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you're so personable.
Speaker:You're demonstrating your product all the time,
Speaker:which of course is super important.
Speaker:You just fit right in there.
Speaker:So there is not a doubt in my mind that that's
Speaker:going to happen for you.
Speaker:I'm sure on behalf of my listeners and me,
Speaker:I wish you much success.
Speaker:And may your candle always burn bright,
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:A pleasure to be here.
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 set up 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 like texting gift
Speaker:biz quiz to four four,
Speaker:two, two,
Speaker:two. Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for
Speaker:the next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,
Speaker:looking for a new income source for your gift business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever Grande your product with
Speaker:your logo or print a happy birthday,
Speaker:Jessica bourbon,
Speaker:to add to a gift,
Speaker:right at checkout,
Speaker:all done right in your shop or across video and second
Speaker:check print company.com
Speaker:for more information after you listened to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:iTunes. That way you'll automatically get the newest episodes when they
Speaker:go by and thank you to those.
Speaker:Who've already left a rating by subscribing rating and reviewing help
Speaker:to increase the visibility on ground.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward,
