Shownotes
What's In This Bash Party?
- Free training on the 5 Gift Biz Growth Stages plus action steps you can take for each to help you grow
- Q&A with Bash attendees
- Showcases - attendees share their upcoming events, unique collaborations, and discount promo codes! << Tune in to grab these deals!
Resources Mentioned:
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Gift biz unwrapped episode 368.
Speaker:Attention gifters bakers,
Speaker: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 give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there it's Sue.
Speaker:And today in particular,
Speaker:I am thrilled that you're here.
Speaker:This is the day that you're going to get an inside
Speaker:peek into our very first gift.
Speaker:BizBash what's bash.
Speaker:If you're new here,
Speaker:hold tight.
Speaker:You'll experience it in just a few minutes.
Speaker:But first I want to remind you that doing events like
Speaker:craft shows and farmer's markets offers great photo and posting opportunities
Speaker:for social media.
Speaker:I bring this up because you've told me you're discouraged.
Speaker:When you don't see any of the time and effort you
Speaker:put into social media,
Speaker:moving the needle on your sales,
Speaker:putting in more time posting in the same way isn't going
Speaker:to magically bring you results.
Speaker:You need to change the way you're posting and what you're
Speaker:posting. You don't need to put in more work.
Speaker:You need to put in the right work.
Speaker:That's when things will change.
Speaker:If you need some help with this,
Speaker:I've got you covered with the content for makers.
Speaker:Program content for makers will enlighten you as to why your
Speaker:social media activities aren't converting into sales.
Speaker:It will also show you how to put less time in
Speaker:and start seeing activity that will increase your sales.
Speaker:Just imagine a day where you know exactly what to post
Speaker:and to get it done in five minutes or less,
Speaker:then you can spend your time interacting with potential customers,
Speaker:deepening relationships with those you already know too.
Speaker:And it builds upon itself naturally.
Speaker:Yes, this is possible.
Speaker:Content for makers includes a step-by-step strategy to formulating your unique
Speaker:plan based on your business and your products.
Speaker:Then you'll have 375 social media prompts over a full year
Speaker:of ideas along with the 375 prompts come 375 image suggestions.
Speaker:So you're not left hanging on the creative.
Speaker:These prompts and image suggestions can be used for all platforms
Speaker:and all types of posting images,
Speaker:live streaming reels,
Speaker:even email direction.
Speaker:There's more to content for makers to,
Speaker:to see all the details.
Speaker:Just jump over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash content for makers.
Speaker:But honestly at only 27,
Speaker:it's a no brainer.
Speaker:Why carry on posting as you've been doing all along expecting
Speaker:different results.
Speaker:Sign up for content for makers now and see the transformation
Speaker:of your posting experience change before your very eyes gift biz
Speaker:on rap.com
Speaker:forward slash content for makers ready and waiting for your immediate
Speaker:access. Right now,
Speaker:Moving into today's topic.
Speaker:I'm going to share with you what may very well be
Speaker:a huge source of insight into where you are in your
Speaker:business journey and why you might be struggling right now,
Speaker:as you try and grow,
Speaker:I call this the five gift biz growth stages.
Speaker:And as I go through them,
Speaker:you'll be able to easily identify which stage you're in the
Speaker:magic here is that I'll also tell you exactly what steps
Speaker:you should take to move on to the next stage,
Speaker:no more chasing shiny objects or trying to do all the
Speaker:things at one time easy does it.
Speaker:Step-by-step from one stage to another.
Speaker:You get to take a deep breath and enjoy the process
Speaker:versus feeling like you're always behind sound good.
Speaker:Then let's get going.
Speaker:Welcome to the first gift biz bash.
Speaker:I am so excited about doing these bashes because one of
Speaker:the biggest things I'm always hearing is how do I get
Speaker:more eyes on my business?
Speaker:How do I get the word out about what I'm doing?
Speaker:And nobody,
Speaker:I don't care if you're just starting,
Speaker:or if you've been in business for a while,
Speaker:nobody feels like they have this all wrapped up.
Speaker:Everyone's looking for new ways of attracting eyeballs.
Speaker:So what we're going to do during our time together is
Speaker:I am going to talk about my five gift biz growth
Speaker:stages for about 10 minutes or so.
Speaker:And then after that,
Speaker:we're going to get into the showcases to kick it off.
Speaker:Let's dive right into the five gift biz growth stages.
Speaker:I have the evolution of a business as I teach people
Speaker:how to start and develop their businesses.
Speaker:But these stages have become very,
Speaker:very clear over time.
Speaker:Also, there are very concrete,
Speaker:specific steps that you can take to get from one stage
Speaker:to the next stage,
Speaker:to the next stage.
Speaker:The very first stage of your business growth is what I'm
Speaker:terming Visibility.
Speaker:So that's like visibility,
Speaker:but with a B biz ability At this point,
Speaker:you wouldn't have started yet,
Speaker:but you're thinking about the possibilities.
Speaker:Maybe a friend or a family member has said,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:what you make is so beautiful.
Speaker:You ought to start a business.
Speaker:Hadn't even been on the radar,
Speaker:but all of a sudden,
Speaker:one little sentence,
Speaker:you're like,
Speaker:Ooh, maybe,
Speaker:but then when you start thinking,
Speaker:it gets kind of scary.
Speaker:You have no clue what to do.
Speaker:When people are invited into gift biz breeze,
Speaker:I asked,
Speaker:what's your biggest challenge right now,
Speaker:people who are beginners are like,
Speaker:well, I don't know what to do to start.
Speaker:I don't want to start wrong.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:all of these fears come up.
Speaker:Lots of times in this very first stage,
Speaker:people are concerned because how could I possibly start a business
Speaker:if I don't have any business education,
Speaker:but that contrasts with looking out into the world and seeing
Speaker:that other people are doing it.
Speaker:So there's an element of hope there to action steps.
Speaker:If you're in this stage,
Speaker:visibility is first to really think through what a business would
Speaker:look like that you think would feel good to you.
Speaker:It's the dreaming stage still,
Speaker:but to solidify and clarify the dream a little bit,
Speaker:then make a Commitment to yourself that you're going to start
Speaker:Because you can go on for years and say,
Speaker:yeah, I'm thinking about starting a business and never,
Speaker:ever start.
Speaker:So put a date on the calendar or just commit to
Speaker:yourself that yes,
Speaker:I'm getting started.
Speaker:And here's my very first step.
Speaker:This is what I'm going to do.
Speaker:And to help you along with that,
Speaker:the other thing I say to do in this stage is
Speaker:permit by telling three people.
Speaker:I don't care if it's a friend,
Speaker:family, member,
Speaker:your coworker,
Speaker:say it out loud to somebody they'll hold you a little
Speaker:bit accountable.
Speaker:And the hardest thing like we know with anything,
Speaker:weight loss,
Speaker:anything same applies to business.
Speaker:The very hardest thing is just to start.
Speaker:Then I want you to define two products because with makers,
Speaker:lots of us make a million things,
Speaker:right? So what are two products that could be something that
Speaker:you would sell and then gift this to two people.
Speaker:Okay. So I'm saying you can give it for free.
Speaker:Or if someone has said to you,
Speaker:Hey, would you make me one of your scarves?
Speaker:I'll buy it from you.
Speaker:Then let them pay for it.
Speaker:Through that transaction gifting or selling with two people starts to
Speaker:build the momentum.
Speaker:You start to get the feel,
Speaker:okay. That's stage number one,
Speaker:stage number two,
Speaker:I'm calling validation.
Speaker:I would say of everybody I work with probably only two
Speaker:to 5% of people ever even do this step.
Speaker:This is time of testing and discovery narrowing in on what
Speaker:products will actually sell.
Speaker:So you're actually finding your market.
Speaker:You're perfecting your product.
Speaker:I've had a lot of people who'd go into maker's MBA.
Speaker:Take a lot of time in the beginning of refining production.
Speaker:So the end product is exactly right.
Speaker:The candles burn clean or all the different things that into
Speaker:the production of your product.
Speaker:This is also the stage under validation.
Speaker:When you will introduce your product for the very first time
Speaker:to an audience,
Speaker:and this can be exciting,
Speaker:but it can also be really anxiety provoking because now all
Speaker:of a sudden you're going to put yourself out there.
Speaker:The action steps that you're taking during this stage is to
Speaker:sign up and attend one or two shows in person shows
Speaker:could be a farmer's market craft fair.
Speaker:It could even be just a show you put on in
Speaker:your house because you're really not establishing your business yet.
Speaker:What you're doing is testing and seeing who likes your product,
Speaker:which products sell better than others.
Speaker:If something's not selling,
Speaker:what do you need to do to tweak it so that
Speaker:it will sell?
Speaker:You're validating that the product that you're going to put out
Speaker:into the world has a market where people will actually open
Speaker:their wallets,
Speaker:push the button on the computer to say,
Speaker:buy the people will actually give their money for your product
Speaker:because you know how it is people all day long,
Speaker:they'll say,
Speaker:oh, that's beautiful.
Speaker:That looks great,
Speaker:but they won't pay money for it.
Speaker:So it's really important to validate your product before you really
Speaker:truly get started.
Speaker:This is why so many people will say I went to
Speaker:the craft show and no one bought any of my products.
Speaker:We have to be realistic about whether we have a market.
Speaker:This is the second step.
Speaker:It's also where you get to know who your customer is,
Speaker:who is attracted to your product.
Speaker:And Amy great that you're here because you revised who your
Speaker:customer was over time.
Speaker:That's a perfect example.
Speaker:All of this is validation in the beginning,
Speaker:surprisingly, before you should even really start your business.
Speaker:And again,
Speaker:as I said before,
Speaker:I'd say two to 5% ever do this validation stage,
Speaker:which is why we have such a high close rate on
Speaker:businesses. They just think you can put everything out there and
Speaker:people will buy,
Speaker:particularly in handmade.
Speaker:You may need to make sure you validate the market.
Speaker:Okay? Moving on to the third stage,
Speaker:I call this making it real.
Speaker:This is where you officially start your business.
Speaker:You start adding that professional structure underneath the structure.
Speaker:You need to create a solid foundation thinking about what is
Speaker:my brand going to stand for?
Speaker:Notice we're already at stage three fear sets in here that
Speaker:resurfaces up again,
Speaker:because now it's time to make investment personally and financially into
Speaker:the business is also a time when you start questioning your
Speaker:current ways,
Speaker:because now I'm really truly going to do this.
Speaker:I am making it real.
Speaker:You're rethinking a lot of the manual systems that you have
Speaker:in place.
Speaker:So the action steps when someone is in this stage is
Speaker:to formalize your business name.
Speaker:Now this might sound way late in the game,
Speaker:right? Because a lot of people,
Speaker:right in the beginning,
Speaker:I'm going to start a business.
Speaker:What am I going to name it?
Speaker:Well, what if you see that the product that you thought
Speaker:you were going to sell,
Speaker:isn't really the one that people will pay for.
Speaker:And so you want to change your product along the way.
Speaker:And then you're stuck with a name for your business that
Speaker:doesn't match the product that you're selling,
Speaker:right? So it's better to test the market.
Speaker:Like I said,
Speaker:in stage two and then finalize it in stage three.
Speaker:Here's where you formalize your business.
Speaker:You actually register it with the government sole proprietor,
Speaker:LLC, which is of course always my call.
Speaker:You open a business bank account because now you have your
Speaker:company name really important to keep your finances a hundred percent
Speaker:separate from personal finances.
Speaker:You also get to do your logos and your colors at
Speaker:this point.
Speaker:Not that they might not change over time,
Speaker:but how are you going to start off?
Speaker:You add in some type of an accounting system,
Speaker:not just an Excel spreadsheet.
Speaker:And then right here is where I want to start building
Speaker:up to two sales channels at minimum two sales channels.
Speaker:So you may open an Etsy shop and also do face-to-face
Speaker:online. Or you might do networking because you're trying to get
Speaker:into a small businesses in the area like state farm agents
Speaker:or realtors,
Speaker:or, you know,
Speaker:who knows what it depends on the product,
Speaker:but two different ways that you can sell your product because
Speaker:each channel has its own audience.
Speaker:Even online sales platforms like Etsy has a different audience than
Speaker:Amazon handmade.
Speaker:Then of course,
Speaker:people who just come directly to a website,
Speaker:if you were starting that way.
Speaker:So having more than one way to attract sales is going
Speaker:to help you get in business faster,
Speaker:because this is all in the making it real stage three
Speaker:here is when you start buying wholesale.
Speaker:So things that you're making and including in your product or
Speaker:packaging, instead of buying a retail prices,
Speaker:if you're baking,
Speaker:going to the grocery store for flour and sugar and eggs,
Speaker:you're starting to buy in bulk,
Speaker:maybe not everything right away,
Speaker:but it's starting to,
Speaker:these are the steps in stage three.
Speaker:Now we're going to jump over to stage four,
Speaker:which is upping the game.
Speaker:This is where you start developing consistency with the business.
Speaker:You're starting to see it.
Speaker:Sales steadily coming in.
Speaker:You know who your customer is.
Speaker:You've buttoned down your processes.
Speaker:And you're understanding the sales cycles probably for all of us,
Speaker:handmade products,
Speaker:Christmas, huge time of the year for selling.
Speaker:But other times to specific industries,
Speaker:I'll just say,
Speaker:gift baskets,
Speaker:some gift basket people will do great at Easter and mother's
Speaker:day some don't.
Speaker:So you have to see for your own individual audience,
Speaker:what the sales cycles are.
Speaker:You get a real handle on them here.
Speaker:And your desire in this fourth stage is to grow.
Speaker:You want more sales,
Speaker:you want to get bigger.
Speaker:This is where you want to reach that revenue number that
Speaker:you've been thinking about in your head,
Speaker:but it starts to get overwhelming.
Speaker:And you're juggling everything because if you're making and you're selling
Speaker:and you're doing your accounting,
Speaker:all of a sudden,
Speaker:you've got a lot of plates in the air.
Speaker:So you're starting to feel some anxiety.
Speaker:And you're juggling.
Speaker:You might also in this stage,
Speaker:be tempted to diversify.
Speaker:And I am going to say,
Speaker:for sure,
Speaker:you want to resist that?
Speaker:Meaning let's say you sell candles.
Speaker:And now you're like,
Speaker:okay, well,
Speaker:this is great,
Speaker:but I'm also going to sell some other product that doesn't
Speaker:even relate.
Speaker:I don't mean not extending the line of what you sell,
Speaker:but I don't want you to get out of what you're
Speaker:getting known for what you are becoming the expert in.
Speaker:There's the temptation here to do that because you think,
Speaker:well, I can make more money because I will have different
Speaker:products to offer.
Speaker:You want to stay tight and stay solid with the products
Speaker:that you currently are doing.
Speaker:Steps that you're taking as you're working through this,
Speaker:getting your own website,
Speaker:even if you're on Etsy,
Speaker:these other sites that are online,
Speaker:you don't own those sites.
Speaker:The golden nugget is always to have your very own website.
Speaker:At some point,
Speaker:this is the stage where you really want to start thinking
Speaker:about this.
Speaker:You're making sure that not only have you been collecting email
Speaker:addresses, but you have an email marketing strategy in place that
Speaker:you're using regularly.
Speaker:You're also solid on social media.
Speaker:You have a structure and a plan.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:which platforms are the best for you.
Speaker:Those types of things all happen.
Speaker:In this fourth stage,
Speaker:you build a team now,
Speaker:or you become a boss of people because you just can't
Speaker:handle all the juggling.
Speaker:So if you start building a team because you simply can't
Speaker:do it all yourself,
Speaker:and maybe you're starting to think about brick and mortar,
Speaker:or you're putting your pieces on consignment or wholesale.
Speaker:All those types of things are ideas that are coming up.
Speaker:That again,
Speaker:depending on your business are things that you would be putting
Speaker:in place here.
Speaker:I would say between 60 and 70% of all businesses are
Speaker:in these two stages and many stay stuck in these two
Speaker:stages permanently.
Speaker:And that's where your business starts to grind because you don't
Speaker:have everything in place.
Speaker:So it gets hard.
Speaker:Then you try to make changes.
Speaker:And sometimes you make changes that don't fit with what you
Speaker:were doing before.
Speaker:So you start confusing your audience.
Speaker:As I was talking about diversifying before,
Speaker:and sometimes you flip back and forth between these two stages
Speaker:too. Okay?
Speaker:Then the final stage I'm calling,
Speaker:keeping it coming.
Speaker:This is all about sustainability.
Speaker:I'm talking about the sustainability of your business.
Speaker:You're getting consistent sales in.
Speaker:You've probably been in business now for a number of years,
Speaker:and you've seen your role change.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you've always been a visionary,
Speaker:but now you're a visionary,
Speaker:leading a team.
Speaker:Your role has changed from being the maker to now being
Speaker:a manager of the people who are the makers,
Speaker:things that can happen during this stage,
Speaker:burnout boredom.
Speaker:You've done this for so long,
Speaker:right? I saw Amy,
Speaker:okay. Those who are listening on the podcast,
Speaker:Amy like throws her head back in the chair like,
Speaker:oh yeah,
Speaker:you're thinking about the future.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:what is the future gonna look like?
Speaker:Is this going to just be more of the same?
Speaker:And do I like this anymore?
Speaker:Because you've just been in for awhile on the good side,
Speaker:you've got reliable systems in place.
Speaker:You've got reliable sales coming in.
Speaker:And the other thing that you see as a characteristic of
Speaker:this stage is you become the problem solver for others who
Speaker:run the business.
Speaker:They're coming to you to ask the answers to things that
Speaker:they're actually having to put in place.
Speaker:Your role has changed.
Speaker:Action steps to take during this stage,
Speaker:watching the market to make sure that your product is still
Speaker:relevant. Think of face masks in a couple of years,
Speaker:hopefully next month,
Speaker:people who all they did was face maps or their business.
Speaker:If they aren't looking at the market,
Speaker:that's not going to be a thing.
Speaker:Knock on wood,
Speaker:hopefully, right?
Speaker:Same things happened for other businesses and products.
Speaker:Think of blockbuster and VHS tapes.
Speaker:You're not watching what's going on in the market very easily.
Speaker:Your product can become irrelevant.
Speaker:As you got to be careful of that.
Speaker:Cause you're the visionary in this stage,
Speaker:you want to find new and exciting opportunities to sell to
Speaker:re-energize yourself and your business.
Speaker:Because just as you can start getting tired of your business,
Speaker:your customers can get tired.
Speaker:If you're not continually bringing new things on the table,
Speaker:this is the place where you can extend your product line
Speaker:because now you are solidly entrenched and people know you for
Speaker:something. So you're able to take that really loyal following.
Speaker:And a portion of them will be interested and move into
Speaker:another product with you,
Speaker:but not right away.
Speaker:Like I said,
Speaker:that doesn't happen until stage five.
Speaker:And then another thing you might do here is start thinking,
Speaker:well, if I were to decide not to keep going in
Speaker:the business,
Speaker:who would take over someone in the family,
Speaker:do I want to sell?
Speaker:Not that you're doing tomorrow,
Speaker:but you start thinking about what would the future look like
Speaker:for the business and making sure that you have things in
Speaker:place for that to happen.
Speaker:Okay. And I'd say in the evolution of handmade businesses,
Speaker:about 10% of all businesses get to this stage where they're
Speaker:really thinking about the future and keeping excitement going in the
Speaker:business, et cetera,
Speaker:to summarize the five stages we've got visibility,
Speaker:which is starting with the idea and the what could be
Speaker:validation, testing,
Speaker:and discovering what the market wants in relation to your products
Speaker:and tweaking them accordingly.
Speaker:So you have someone to buy third,
Speaker:making it real,
Speaker:everything under getting your business out there to the public in
Speaker:a legal way,
Speaker:official way.
Speaker:I guess there's a better word to say it.
Speaker:Fourth is upping the game building on those sales.
Speaker:So you're kicking out consistency and reliability and then the fifth
Speaker:is keeping it coming.
Speaker:You've got all your systems in place.
Speaker:Your role has changed.
Speaker:How do you continue to stay relevant?
Speaker:Keep excitement,
Speaker:being drawn to your business and going forward from there.
Speaker:Okay. Any questions?
Speaker:Does anybody want to unmute and tell me where you are,
Speaker:where you see yourself.
Speaker:Go ahead,
Speaker:Ellen. Nice to meet you by the way.
Speaker:Thank you for the invitation Of course that you showed up.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:We're keeping it real.
Speaker:Definitely for sure.
Speaker:I have a couple of different ways that I sell a
Speaker:couple of income streams.
Speaker:I have one helper who comes over to help me clean,
Speaker:like tumblers and package them.
Speaker:And all of that fits that sales are pretty consistent.
Speaker:And of course I would love to have more definitely growth,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:always yearning for that growth.
Speaker:But I feel like I have a great seed planted and
Speaker:now I'm starting to see the fruits of the growth,
Speaker:but it is bringing a tad of anxiety.
Speaker:Cause I am kind of doing all of the things.
Speaker:Perfect. Well then,
Speaker:yeah. And so that falls within what I talk about there.
Speaker:That thinking of ways that you can get some of that
Speaker:off of you,
Speaker:because you know,
Speaker:I think we all feel like we're super women and we
Speaker:can just carry on forever,
Speaker:but that's going to lead us to either getting sick hurt
Speaker:or discouraged,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:So it's such a relief.
Speaker:I know anyone can vouch,
Speaker:if anyone's brought on help,
Speaker:such a big obstacle,
Speaker:it's a big fence to jump.
Speaker:It feels like,
Speaker:but once you do,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:why didn't I do this sooner?
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:And it can be even something a little,
Speaker:you Know,
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Yeah. I have been watching your products and seen,
Speaker:so I like that you're putting yourself in that spot.
Speaker:That makes sense to me,
Speaker:Cassie, where you going to say something?
Speaker:Definitely for me as well,
Speaker:I feel like I'm grinding my wheels all the time because
Speaker:I do have a full-time job outside of the business.
Speaker:And so it's hard to grow it.
Speaker:I'm just in that middle point where it's,
Speaker:I either need to take the leap and grow big or
Speaker:just keep grinding away with my evenings and weekends.
Speaker:So that's where I'm at.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:I think I also am in for,
Speaker:I have multiple places where I'm selling things.
Speaker:I do the events around the holidays.
Speaker:I'm online,
Speaker:I'm selling in marketplaces,
Speaker:but I think I don't have certain things that are lined
Speaker:up that need to support that kind of growth.
Speaker:I've got an email marketing system going.
Speaker:I don't have a formalized counting system.
Speaker:I am still on spreadsheets,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:So I think there's all these little bits and pieces of
Speaker:things that need to get put into place to help me
Speaker:kind of get through to those next stages.
Speaker:Yeah. And that's where I say that stage three and stage
Speaker:four sometimes overlap.
Speaker:And especially now,
Speaker:because I'm introducing these stages that this can be a guideline
Speaker:for people who are starting.
Speaker:So Wendy,
Speaker:this could have been you like a year or two ago
Speaker:maybe, but you know,
Speaker:they do go over each other because it's usually when you
Speaker:start the business,
Speaker:you think,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:I need an email list.
Speaker:And oh my gosh,
Speaker:what about my logo?
Speaker:Like you think of all the things right in the beginning
Speaker:this way,
Speaker:it gives some clarity to which stage are you in.
Speaker:Here's what you should do now that helps you move to
Speaker:the next stage.
Speaker:Here's what you do now.
Speaker:But it's a more orderly way of doing things,
Speaker:which makes everything a lot calmer than all of these things
Speaker:that you think you need to do right out of a
Speaker:shoot, you know,
Speaker:all right,
Speaker:let's see how we're doing on time.
Speaker:I think the best thing for us to do right now
Speaker:would be to move into this showcases here is how this
Speaker:is going to go down.
Speaker:Everyone gets a chance to talk.
Speaker:I'm suggesting that we take about a minute and a half
Speaker:based on who's here up to two minutes,
Speaker:potentially. I'm trying to keep these somewhere around 45 minutes or
Speaker:so, which is why spots are limited to even join the
Speaker:bash. And so here's what I want you to do.
Speaker:Tell me your name and your business.
Speaker:And if it's not automatically obvious what your product is and
Speaker:then tell us something you have going on.
Speaker:If you have a special promotion coming up,
Speaker:even locally,
Speaker:like if you're at a craft show in a local area,
Speaker:go ahead and share it because we have listeners from everywhere
Speaker:across the country.
Speaker:So you're going to be able to expose them to that.
Speaker:They may not even know that there's a show right in
Speaker:their area.
Speaker:And then you tell them to come and see you.
Speaker:Of course.
Speaker:So you can do anything like that.
Speaker:If you're looking for a collaboration with another maker,
Speaker:perhaps you do jewelry and you were thinking for mother's day
Speaker:would be really fine to pair jewelry with another product where
Speaker:you guys actually bring two products together and sell to both
Speaker:your audiences,
Speaker:collaborations like that,
Speaker:or going on lives or whatever it is that you're searching
Speaker:for. You can call that out too.
Speaker:And then finally tell us where online people can connect with
Speaker:you further,
Speaker:whether it's your website,
Speaker:whether it's an email,
Speaker:a social media platform,
Speaker:whatever it is.
Speaker:Okay. So three things,
Speaker:what your company is,
Speaker:anything you have special going on right now,
Speaker:and then where people can go to find out more and
Speaker:cam, I'm going to make you the star of the show
Speaker:to kick off the whole bash,
Speaker:like everything.
Speaker:How about that?
Speaker:Perfect. I wish I had confetti.
Speaker:Yay. If I was on my other app right now,
Speaker:I would be able to do that,
Speaker:but not here,
Speaker:take it away.
Speaker:Okay. So I it's so weird to see my background,
Speaker:not my kitchen,
Speaker:I'm in my living room,
Speaker:but I'm Kim from Kim's cottage confections.
Speaker:I have a brick and mortar big shop located in a
Speaker:tiny little town in Middlefield,
Speaker:Connecticut. And right now we are focused on Easter because that
Speaker:is going to be within two weeks.
Speaker:So we have clients everyday coming in for Easter products simultaneously
Speaker:kicking off a very busy wedding season.
Speaker:So when,
Speaker:when this goes live,
Speaker:Easter will be over.
Speaker:Okay. Right.
Speaker:So Mother's day,
Speaker:then we'll be moving into mother's day promotion pro promotions,
Speaker:but really kicking off a very,
Speaker:very busy wedding season.
Speaker:It seems like everything that was scaled down or postponed from
Speaker:2020 and 2021 is really coming to fruition in 2022.
Speaker:So we are ready to kick off a big,
Speaker:big year.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:you can find me Instagram,
Speaker:Kim's cottage confections.
Speaker:We post try to post every day Facebook similar.
Speaker:And my email is Kemet Kim's cottage,
Speaker:confections.com. Perfect.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:Anita, why don't you go next?
Speaker:Oh, hi everybody.
Speaker:My name's Anita Houseman and I am from the Hershey gifting
Speaker:company, formerly treasured touch promotions and gifts.
Speaker:We have just transitioned over to our new name as of
Speaker:January 1st and we are a gifting and specialty company specializing
Speaker:in custom printed ribbon.
Speaker:So for the next couple of months,
Speaker:we are really focusing on working with other businesses to get
Speaker:them branded,
Speaker:whether they're want to brand their product or offer.
Speaker:We're moving into the like Kim,
Speaker:the mother's day graduation prom season,
Speaker:which is very busy for me with ribbons.
Speaker:But also this is great time for me to work with
Speaker:small businesses and even companies that want to brand themselves in
Speaker:an affordable way.
Speaker:So using ribbon and other things we do t-shirts apparel or
Speaker:beyond the pens and promotional items that are out there that
Speaker:you often see at trade shows.
Speaker:We are transitioning over to our new website today.
Speaker:Actually it moved over to a new platform and you can
Speaker:find me at the Hershey gifting co on the website,
Speaker:Facebook, or you can email me directly@anitaatthehersheygiftingco.com.
Speaker:Wonderful. Okay.
Speaker:Let's see.
Speaker:Cassie. I can unmute myself.
Speaker:My name is Cassie Mecho for of Cassie's country cupboard and
Speaker:I create better for you meal helpers,
Speaker:such as soup mixes,
Speaker:baking mixes,
Speaker:spice, blends,
Speaker:that sort of thing.
Speaker:To help you get dinner on the table without losing your
Speaker:sanity. And I am looking for referrals to all of your
Speaker:friends who might be also trying to start a business like
Speaker:that, any sort of dry mix goods.
Speaker:And I do have capacity where I can co-pack for them
Speaker:at very low minimum quantities.
Speaker:And you can find me online at www dot Cassie's country,
Speaker:cupboard.com. Perfect.
Speaker:Wonderful Cassie,
Speaker:Wendy. You're up.
Speaker:Hi, I am Wendy.
Speaker:I am the owner and creator of mystic moon.
Speaker:So works and I hand craft soaps and lotions and all
Speaker:kinds of bath and body products in my home here in
Speaker:Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
Speaker:I'm including a men's line of beard care and beard washes
Speaker:and lotions.
Speaker:I am gearing up for some special collaborations.
Speaker:I'm going to be doing with the LGBTQ community for pride
Speaker:month. So I'm going to have a special line of soaps
Speaker:and there will be a contribution that we're working on to
Speaker:help support homeless LGBTQ population.
Speaker:So I'm really excited about that collaboration and that we'll be
Speaker:launching in June and you can find me on Instagram and
Speaker:Facebook, but my website is mystic moon soap works.com.
Speaker:Wonderful Joyce.
Speaker:Hi, I am joyous of Joyce's baskets.
Speaker:I have a,
Speaker:I would say corporate gifting boutique.
Speaker:I've changed the name to corporate gifting,
Speaker:duke boutique,
Speaker:and got a lot of exciting things going on and having
Speaker:growing pains and all that other stuff.
Speaker:But then the next couple of months,
Speaker:I have a major undertaking that I am revamping redoing and
Speaker:restructuring the entire website designs and all.
Speaker:So that is a major continuing ed continuing project for like
Speaker:forever and a day.
Speaker:So what do you offer?
Speaker:What do you offer?
Speaker:So everyone who's listening to this podcast,
Speaker:what could they come to you to get?
Speaker:What do you offer?
Speaker:I offer custom gifting for any special occasions.
Speaker:If you're having our events,
Speaker:we do events.
Speaker:We do print a ribbon as well.
Speaker:We do personalize gifts and tax my business basically circles around
Speaker:local handled very well we ship.
Speaker:And so we're getting into a brand new baby line,
Speaker:which I'm excited about that I have brand new baby vendors
Speaker:coming up.
Speaker:So I'm excited to put something together.
Speaker:I think if Amy,
Speaker:Sally, do you say sometime after a while in business,
Speaker:after being in business for quite a while,
Speaker:you kind of get titled seeing the same old things and
Speaker:you want to just like throwing the towel.
Speaker:So I'm trying to refresh and revamped,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:myself here.
Speaker:Okay. And where can people find you?
Speaker:Joyce You'll find your I'm really on Instagram,
Speaker:more than anything else was at Joyce's baskets on Instagram.
Speaker:But my Facebook page is still the same Joyce's baskets.
Speaker:You can find me there,
Speaker:or if you want to hit me up and pick my
Speaker:brain for whatever reason,
Speaker:or you may have something that you think that will go
Speaker:good with my products that have already picked me up,
Speaker:send me an email@joyceandjoyceisbaskets.com.
Speaker:And where are you in the country since you deliver mostly
Speaker:local? Where are you?
Speaker:Sunshine state of south Florida.
Speaker:Miami, Florida.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:let's Sean.
Speaker:You're off.
Speaker:Hello. I am the Sean Barnes and I am the owner
Speaker:of forever.
Speaker:Mona Lisa forever.
Speaker:Mona Lisa is an eclectic brand of handmade jewelry,
Speaker:necklaces, earrings,
Speaker:bracelets, and made a various semi-precious stones,
Speaker:metals and wood and bone.
Speaker:And I am located in Charlotte,
Speaker:North Carolina.
Speaker:I have a website which is for everyone.
Speaker:Lisa I'm also on Instagram forever,
Speaker:Mona Lisa.
Speaker:And if you're listening to this podcast,
Speaker:it'll be around mother's day or whenever you hear it,
Speaker:you can use promo code bash B a S H for
Speaker:a 10% discount off your purchase at the website at forever
Speaker:Mona Lisa Leshaun.
Speaker:You've upped the game with a promo code.
Speaker:I'm so proud of you.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:I never even thought of that.
Speaker:Ellen what'd you got for us.
Speaker:Hi guys.
Speaker:Okay. So I'm Ellen Montoya.
Speaker:I'm in the sunshine state to joy.
Speaker:So I'm the owner of angry tumblers.
Speaker:I make these gorgeous,
Speaker:glitter tumblers.
Speaker:I also make laser and graves,
Speaker:tumblers and sublimation tumblers.
Speaker:And I also have another part-time business where I teach other
Speaker:women how to make them both through private and online instruction.
Speaker:So I can help you with custom orders.
Speaker:We have mother's day coming up end of the year,
Speaker:give lots of coaching gifts,
Speaker:everything for the end of the coming up.
Speaker:And if you're looking to learn to make tumblers,
Speaker:I can teach you right in my workshop here,
Speaker:I'm in the Lithia Florida area,
Speaker:or I have an online coaching community as well.
Speaker:Coming up,
Speaker:I have a couple of local events May 1st I'll be
Speaker:in the shop,
Speaker:which is Lithia Florida,
Speaker:May 8th.
Speaker:I will be over in brand.
Speaker:I'm sorry,
Speaker:why don't cut it,
Speaker:which is in Lithia,
Speaker:Florida. And I have another show June 4th,
Speaker:back in fish shock and Leshaun bash 15.
Speaker:If you mentioned this at the podcast,
Speaker:come out and see me and I'd be happy to send
Speaker:50% off a tumbler for you.
Speaker:And I have a website where you can find me and
Speaker:I'm going to offer that on my website as well.
Speaker:B a S H 15.
Speaker:So you can use that@emorytumblers.com.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Okay, Amy,
Speaker:take us home girlfriend.
Speaker:Okay. I'm Amy Hughes.
Speaker:I'm the owner and managing partner of marshmallow MBA.
Speaker:We are a gourmet marshmallow company based in your county,
Speaker:Pennsylvania, and we're manufacturing marshmallows for the retail and wholesale customers.
Speaker:Trying to think how to frame this.
Speaker:I have no special events coming up,
Speaker:however, and it's only because we have reduced the number of
Speaker:events that we're doing in person.
Speaker:But what we do have is collaborations ongoing with two breeze
Speaker:members. One for mother's day,
Speaker:we're collaborating with Lydia Cox.
Speaker:She makes a handmade jewelry for us.
Speaker:We have a honey based marshmallow that has no corn syrup
Speaker:in it.
Speaker:And we're partnered with Lydia for mother's day.
Speaker:We're doing a be kind and be sweet marshmallow box.
Speaker:So you'll be able to see that gift box up online
Speaker:within the next two weeks.
Speaker:And we're also ongoing with our collaborations with Anita over with
Speaker:the Hershey gifting company,
Speaker:because we're basically neighbors,
Speaker:Wendy. I think we're a neighbor to you as well,
Speaker:which is exciting to know.
Speaker:And we will be at Lancaster pride this year.
Speaker:Anita is helping us with a number of custom printed ribbons,
Speaker:not only for the gift boxes,
Speaker:but also for the Harrisburg desert festival,
Speaker:which is coming up on July 16th in Harrisburg,
Speaker:Pennsylvania, you can find more information about marshmallow mba@marshmallowmbadotcomandyoucanreachusatinfoatmarshmallowmba.com
Speaker:and we're available at marshmallow MBA across all social media because
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we're only so creative.
Speaker:Perfect. I think that's a best practice is a single name.
Speaker:Everywhere makes things so much easier and you just rebranded.
Speaker:And we just did a podcast it's about Four Weeks back
Speaker:now, but you can find it Amy with marshmallow MBA,
Speaker:all about the rebranding and pivoting of her customers.
Speaker:She found that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it was a different customer than what she thought when she
Speaker:started out.
Speaker:So it's a great example of what we talk about,
Speaker:just the evolution through the stages and great examples of collaborations
Speaker:to taking advantage of this opportunity with discount codes,
Speaker:all of those types of things.
Speaker:So also not only are you listening to the people who
Speaker:are talking and what they have going on,
Speaker:but think of some of these ideas for yourself too,
Speaker:like some of the collaborations that Amy's doing,
Speaker:does that spark an idea for you not copying exactly what
Speaker:other people here are doing,
Speaker:but what other ideas get ignited to you because of things
Speaker:that you're hearing through these showcases,
Speaker:that's another way that you can use this.
Speaker:And as long as you're a maker of a handmade product,
Speaker:you are welcome to come on as a participant in this
Speaker:batch. This is the very first one that we've done.
Speaker:I'm planning on doing them twice a month.
Speaker:The platform is going to be just like we talked about
Speaker:10 minutes.
Speaker:I'm going to be talking about some type of a point
Speaker:more in a training mode,
Speaker:a little bit of Q and a on the topic that
Speaker:I talked about.
Speaker:And then we're doing showcases.
Speaker:The showcases are limited because if I have too many people
Speaker:in, as you can imagine,
Speaker:it could just go on and on and on and on
Speaker:and on.
Speaker:So I have to limit how many people.
Speaker:So if you're interested,
Speaker:make sure to sign up right away,
Speaker:you can do so at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash,
Speaker:you can sign up for one,
Speaker:you can sign up for all,
Speaker:if you want to guarantee your spot.
Speaker:And I think Amy you've already signed up for several,
Speaker:right? Yeah,
Speaker:because really it is limited when I get to that limit
Speaker:point, you can't get in anymore.
Speaker:So if you're interested,
Speaker:I would love to have other people join us.
Speaker:And again,
Speaker:I just gave you the link gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:you guys thank you so,
Speaker:so much for joining in those of you who are here,
Speaker:live, just hold tight.
Speaker:I'm going to end the recording and then we'll chat for
Speaker:just one more minute to take care and I will catch
Speaker:hopefully many of you at the next bash Before you move
Speaker:on to your next activity today,
Speaker:make sure to get your name on the list for at
Speaker:least one gift biz bash.
Speaker:You can see the dates and times for upcoming sessions and
Speaker:get signed up over@giftbizonwrapped.com
Speaker:forward slash bash.
Speaker:And if you're enjoying the podcast and would like to show
Speaker:support a rating and review would be wonderful.
Speaker:It helps spread the word about the show too.
Speaker:There's also another way for you to get something tangible in
Speaker:return for your support.
Speaker:Visit my merch shop for a wide variety of inspirational items
Speaker:like mugs,
Speaker:journals, water bottles,
Speaker:and more featuring logos images,
Speaker:and also quotes to inspire you throughout your day makes a
Speaker:great gift to,
Speaker:and we just added some new products for the season turnaround
Speaker:as quick,
Speaker:and the quality is top notch,
Speaker:nothing but the best for you.
Speaker:Take a look at all the options at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash shop I'll proceeds from these purchases helps me
Speaker:offset the costs of producing this show and now be safe
Speaker:and well.
Speaker:And I'll see you again.
Speaker:Next time for the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker: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 to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week to get
Speaker:reaction from other people and just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making my favorite posts every single week,
Speaker:without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what aren't you part of the group already,
Speaker:if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search
Speaker:for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.
