Shownotes
Start Your Handmade Business - From Scratch!
- The easy way to market yourself when you're just starting out
- One thing you MUST do before you go all out
- How to market to the right customers - and what happens when you don't
- Why building relationships in your business is one of the most important things you can do
- The crucial thing you MUST understand about your product.
- And lots more!
Listen to this engaging conversation to hear how to start your handmade business the right way!
Resources Mentioned
- Content for Makers
- Use coupon code PODCAST at Robin's shop for 10% off your order
Robin's Contact Links
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Gift is unwrapped guest,
Speaker:episode number 410.
Speaker:She's like,
Speaker:oh, I love your necklace.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:really? I made it like you do.
Speaker:Cause I wasn't sure.
Speaker:She's like,
Speaker:you did.
Speaker:I want one Attention.
Speaker: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 Gift 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 Mohe.
Speaker:Hi there,
Speaker:it's Sue.
Speaker:And I'm so happy that you're joining me here today.
Speaker:One of the most fulfilling things I've discovered through starting Gift
Speaker:Biz Unwrapped is the warmth,
Speaker:comradery, and generosity of the community that we've formed.
Speaker:You're so giving and so talented,
Speaker:and of course I always want to give back to you
Speaker:too, to do something that can make your efforts easier and
Speaker:your results greater.
Speaker:So I asked you how,
Speaker:and you surprised me,
Speaker:it wasn't help with an email marketing strategy.
Speaker:It wasn't about selling it shows or any other number of
Speaker:topics that make up a solid growing business.
Speaker:Nope. What you're overwhelmingly asking for is help with social media
Speaker:posting. You've been telling me that you're putting in the time
Speaker:you're posting frequently and you're discouraged because you aren't seeing any
Speaker:of this.
Speaker:Move the needle for your sales message received,
Speaker:putting in more and more time,
Speaker:posting in the same way isn't going to magically bring you
Speaker:in the sales you need to change the way you're posting
Speaker:and what you're posting.
Speaker:You don't need to put in more work.
Speaker:You need to put in the right work,
Speaker:and that's when you'll see things change.
Speaker:And I've created your guide to do just that.
Speaker:It's called Content for Makers,
Speaker:and it's specially designed for handmade product makers like you.
Speaker:Content for Makers will help you understand why your current social
Speaker:media activities aren't converting into sales.
Speaker:It will also show you how to put in less time
Speaker:and start seeing activity through social that will lead to increased
Speaker:sales. Just imagine knowing exactly what to post and getting it
Speaker:done in just minutes each day.
Speaker:That frees up space for you to interact with potential clients,
Speaker:deepen relationships with those you already know.
Speaker:And all of this continues to build upon itself Naturally,
Speaker:yes, this really is possible.
Speaker:Content for Makers will accomplish this for you to see all
Speaker:the details,
Speaker:jump over to gift biz unwraps.com/content
Speaker:for Makers.
Speaker:But honestly,
Speaker:at only $27,
Speaker:it's a no-brainer.
Speaker:Plus you only have to pay for it once for use
Speaker:year after year.
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 right before your very eyes.
Speaker:Gift biz unwrapped.com/content
Speaker:for Makers.
Speaker:It's ready and waiting for your immediate access right now.
Speaker:I love today's show for so many reasons.
Speaker:I ran into Robin's booth at the Chicago one-of-a-kind show last
Speaker:December. This is a huge twice a year event at the
Speaker:Merchandise Mart with a specific focus on handmade product businesses.
Speaker:Besides the fact that I run into really interesting new twists
Speaker:unknown products,
Speaker:I love seeing so much talent and quality there.
Speaker:It continues to reinforce the value of handmade and why it's
Speaker:worth your efforts to provide us with your amazing pieces because
Speaker:this show is so big.
Speaker:Another thing I always observe is the variety of approaches used
Speaker:when vendors interact with booth guests.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:I'm looking at it from that angle,
Speaker:right? Robin caught my attention for a couple of reasons.
Speaker:First, her display drew me in.
Speaker:I was curious about her product,
Speaker:and when I asked,
Speaker:we got into a friendly and enlightening conversation.
Speaker:I got just enough information to know that I wanted her
Speaker:as a guest on the show.
Speaker:That's the way I like to do this when I'm considering
Speaker:somebody I don't already know that way.
Speaker:Our conversation here in the podcast is genuine.
Speaker:I'm asking questions I don't already have the answers to.
Speaker:So we're hearing it together.
Speaker:You and me.
Speaker:I just need enough information to ensure that they're a good
Speaker:example for you and it goes from there.
Speaker:And gosh am I so glad I met Robin because she
Speaker:has a fabulous business development story to share.
Speaker:If you're just starting out,
Speaker:you'll pick up excellent tips and ideas to incorporate into your
Speaker:plans. And for established business owners,
Speaker:there's a lot here for you too to reinforce what you're
Speaker:already doing or to serve as a reminder of best practices.
Speaker:Plus Robin's product is just so fun,
Speaker:a twist on two other products you already know combined into
Speaker:one. Here's Robin to explain it all.
Speaker:Today I'm looking forward to introducing you to Robin Lee Adams.
Speaker:Robin Lee Essentials was born out of Robin's desire to create
Speaker:her own line of handcrafted ceramic jewelry when she struggled to
Speaker:find pieces that were both functional and elegant.
Speaker:As an extension to that,
Speaker:Robin believes that people should be able to elevate their everyday
Speaker:outfits while incorporating the benefits of essential oils into their lives.
Speaker:To fill both of these goals,
Speaker:Robin Lee Essentials offers pieces that are timeless,
Speaker:intentional, and with an artfully polished aesthetic on diffuser jewelry style.
Speaker:Do you even know what infuser jewelry style is?
Speaker:You'll know after our conversation here.
Speaker:Robin, welcome to the Gift Biz Unrepped podcast.
Speaker:Hi Sue.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:I'm glad to be here.
Speaker:I am so glad that you agreed to come on the
Speaker:show too,
Speaker:and I can't wait to hear the whole story.
Speaker:But before we get into that,
Speaker:I'd like to get a little bit of a different idea
Speaker:about you through a description of a motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to close your eyes and think of
Speaker:what your most perfect motivational candle would look like that represents
Speaker:you, what would it be?
Speaker:By color and a quote.
Speaker:So for me,
Speaker:I would say the quote is,
Speaker:I got this,
Speaker:the phrase,
Speaker:I got this.
Speaker:And rather than being a color,
Speaker:I really think about the scent,
Speaker:which would be a blend of lavender and citrus essential oils,
Speaker:which is a blend that I call happy.
Speaker:And it's just the perfect combination of calming and also uplifting.
Speaker:And then for the color,
Speaker:it would be my style is very,
Speaker:I really like timeless and elegant with my jewelry as well
Speaker:as everyday style.
Speaker:So the color would be more of a neutral color,
Speaker:but that symbolizes for me a not only timeless look,
Speaker:but also sort of a blank canvas,
Speaker:metaphorically speaking.
Speaker:Just knowing that I can wake up every day with a
Speaker:fresh start on life and my business and kind of like
Speaker:a blank canvas ready to create the best way I can.
Speaker:That's one of the great things about having your own business
Speaker:is you're not tied into parameters that someone else is putting
Speaker:on you.
Speaker:You can do anything that you want and every day's a
Speaker:fresh day.
Speaker:You're right.
Speaker:New start.
Speaker:Yeah. So I'll be honest with you,
Speaker:until I saw you at the one of a kind show
Speaker:in Chicago,
Speaker:I didn't even know there was such a thing as diffuser
Speaker:jewelry. And I love essential oils.
Speaker:I have candles going all the time.
Speaker:My favorite thing in the world is candles,
Speaker:which is why we do the motivational candle.
Speaker:But I had never even run into this as a concept
Speaker:before, ever.
Speaker:How popular is it and how many people do this type
Speaker:of thing integrating sense into jewelry?
Speaker:I would say it's becoming more popular for sure.
Speaker:And when the way that my jewelry line got started,
Speaker:however, was I could not find any essential oil diffuser jewelry
Speaker:that met my style needs.
Speaker:So I saw a huge gap in the market and I
Speaker:wanted to close that gap.
Speaker:And I have a background in ceramic art and I know
Speaker:that with ceramics,
Speaker:if you can dream it,
Speaker:you literally can sculpt it,
Speaker:which is what,
Speaker:I just love that medium.
Speaker:And so I started that when I was still a classroom
Speaker:teacher. I was a kindergarten teacher and I gifted them to
Speaker:my teacher friends.
Speaker:They convinced me to do an Etsy shop and then the
Speaker:rest is history.
Speaker:Oh gosh.
Speaker:Okay. So there's a lot there and I'm excited to dive
Speaker:into all of that.
Speaker:Yeah. So you saw the need in the market.
Speaker:So then you went back and you had the skills already,
Speaker:right to do ceramics.
Speaker:And then what did you do?
Speaker:Just play around with different ideas to start creating jewelry that
Speaker:you would like and wear personally or talk about way back
Speaker:then and what was happening then?
Speaker:Yes. I have a very distinct minimalist teacher style.
Speaker:One reason because it's just so easy to have kind of
Speaker:a capsule wardrobe,
Speaker:more minimal everyday style so that I can look professional and
Speaker:chic, but also be on the ground teaching young four and
Speaker:five year olds how to read and do life basically in
Speaker:the kindergarten classroom.
Speaker:And I also was introduced to essential oils and was learning
Speaker:the benefits of lavender and other calming oils for myself.
Speaker:And I thought it would be so neat if I could
Speaker:diffuse these oils with some jewelry.
Speaker:And I started Searchie for that and I could not find
Speaker:any jewelry that didn't feel a little big and bulky so
Speaker:to speak.
Speaker:And so I knew that ceramics,
Speaker:the first base level of it after it's been kiln fired
Speaker:is very porous.
Speaker:And I know that because I've made ceramic coasters and they
Speaker:do a great job with absorbing the moisture from your drink.
Speaker:And I thought that perhaps that there could be a way
Speaker:to create something a little bit more elegant and chic with
Speaker:the jewelry aspect.
Speaker:And so it just was a lot of trial and error
Speaker:and working my way to figure out what would match with
Speaker:a lot of my outfits.
Speaker:And it really resonated with a lot of my colleagues.
Speaker:And then when I put it out into the world,
Speaker:it resonated with a lot of other people that have the
Speaker:similar interests and style likes that I have.
Speaker:So you knew ceramics,
Speaker:but you didn't necessarily know jewelry in terms of creation,
Speaker:so you had to work with that too,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and sous and all?
Speaker:Yes, definitely.
Speaker:I only knew ceramics,
Speaker:not jewelry.
Speaker:You were making your ceramic pieces and they're so beautiful and
Speaker:I agree with you,
Speaker:you call it a more of a minimalistic style.
Speaker:I mean mean they're simple and light and delicate and smaller,
Speaker:which is totally my style as well,
Speaker:which is one of the reasons I like them so much.
Speaker:So you had those,
Speaker:but what were you doing going to like Michael's or somewhere
Speaker:just to get beads initially to put your initial pieces together?
Speaker:I think that I first looked on Etsy for a little
Speaker:delicate chain and connected with some other small shops because I
Speaker:love the human side of small businesses.
Speaker:And Etsy was,
Speaker:I had an Etsy account and it was just nice to
Speaker:be able to communicate with other small shops.
Speaker:I just started out with necklaces and I got a dainty
Speaker:little chain and learned about how to properly add the jump
Speaker:rings and the attachments.
Speaker:But the shining star really was the ceramic piece.
Speaker:And so luckily I had that in my back pocket,
Speaker:so to speak.
Speaker:So are you saying that you were connecting up with other
Speaker:Etsy shop owners to then use them as a source for
Speaker:the chains and the beads and all that you were using?
Speaker:Or just to connect up with them for business partner type
Speaker:purposes? Just for learning and networking I guess I would say.
Speaker:Yeah, I was mostly on Etsy,
Speaker:connecting up with them to learn about their product and how
Speaker:to best use their product for my jewelry.
Speaker:So sourcing the chains from those small shops just to learn
Speaker:about what would work best and all of that.
Speaker:But I do think that networking is such an important piece,
Speaker:especially when you're getting started.
Speaker:And so I did a lot of networking on social media
Speaker:with other folks that seemed to be entrepreneurial either in my
Speaker:realm of aromatherapy and wellness and style.
Speaker:I found things that we had in common and then it
Speaker:was nice to be able to network and not feel so
Speaker:alone in the entrepreneurial journey.
Speaker:Right, for sure.
Speaker:So Facebook groups,
Speaker:things like that.
Speaker:On social?
Speaker:For me it was mostly Instagram.
Speaker:Okay. Yeah,
Speaker:I started,
Speaker:I went full-time with Robin Lee Essentials in 2019 and Instagram
Speaker:was just the app that I was most comfortable with.
Speaker:And so that's where I really made a lot of connections.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:And so do you still source from some of those same
Speaker:people today?
Speaker:That's a great question.
Speaker:And I don't at this time just because I've found products
Speaker:that are a little bit higher quality as I,
Speaker:from the very first years,
Speaker:which would've been in 2018.
Speaker:So there are now though,
Speaker:I definitely still have the same contacts since early 2021,
Speaker:late 2020.
Speaker:So the product has evolved.
Speaker:So you were using certain supplies as you were creating your
Speaker:prototypes per se,
Speaker:and then having people try them and getting the response and
Speaker:seeing how people liked the jewelry that you were making and
Speaker:then you advanced from there.
Speaker:You perfect your systems and your sources from there,
Speaker:it sounds like.
Speaker:Yeah, totally.
Speaker:Okay. So I'm going through all of this.
Speaker:For anyone who's listening,
Speaker:who is thinking,
Speaker:well, how would I do that?
Speaker:Like I have this idea,
Speaker:I have some skills,
Speaker:I'm making something.
Speaker:But what mostly people see is what they do.
Speaker:And then they jump in,
Speaker:they see somebody who's online who has a really popular performing
Speaker:website, they don't necessarily see all the in between.
Speaker:So that's what you're helping me pull out so that people
Speaker:understand how you can get from point A to a 0.1
Speaker:a 0.2,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:like the little steps along the way.
Speaker:Right? Totally.
Speaker:Yeah. So you showed it to your colleagues.
Speaker:So I'm thinking your fellow teachers at school and getting feedback
Speaker:from them,
Speaker:is that how that worked?
Speaker:Yes. I actually started,
Speaker:so I had the idea and then I was pretty determined.
Speaker:Once I have an idea,
Speaker:I have to just try it to get it out of
Speaker:my head.
Speaker:And so I remember having the idea,
Speaker:I have my ceramic background because my mom is an artist,
Speaker:she let me borrow some of her clay and I rolled
Speaker:it out on the kitchen table and I started to try
Speaker:and make my own pieces.
Speaker:I live in a really great arts community in Asheville,
Speaker:North Carolina.
Speaker:And there was a place in the river arts district that
Speaker:will allow you to rent time to fire your pieces in
Speaker:a kiln.
Speaker:So I didn't have my own kiln,
Speaker:I didn't have any of that.
Speaker:I just had to claim my mom let me borrow.
Speaker:I did that,
Speaker:threw it in the kiln.
Speaker:The first pieces had a lot of things wrong with them.
Speaker:They did not look good.
Speaker:I say I'm experienced,
Speaker:but I mean even making smaller beads and ceramics,
Speaker:it's a lot to learn.
Speaker:And there was a really friendly artist in residence at that
Speaker:rental service and I paid her for a little private tutorial
Speaker:and she just showed me the basics.
Speaker:And that was one of the most valuable hours of my
Speaker:business because I learned the basics.
Speaker:And then from there it was a lot of trial and
Speaker:error and I would just rent the kiln space.
Speaker:And then I finally created one that I really liked.
Speaker:It was a necklace and I wore it to work.
Speaker:And then one of my colleagues walked in my classroom at
Speaker:seven 30 in the morning and immediately she's like,
Speaker:oh, I love your necklace.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:really? I made it like you do.
Speaker:Cause I wasn't sure.
Speaker:She's like,
Speaker:you did,
Speaker:I want one.
Speaker:And that's just kind of,
Speaker:I feel like it was a little nudge from the universe
Speaker:because I was kind of testing it out and just,
Speaker:I still had a lot of self-doubt,
Speaker:I guess you could say.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:that was the first thing she said to me at seven
Speaker:30 in the morning as her and the kids were walking
Speaker:in, getting ready to start the day.
Speaker:I love that story when I'm talking with people about starting
Speaker:their business,
Speaker:one of the things that I always say is,
Speaker:you need validation that people,
Speaker:people want your product.
Speaker:So it's just like what you described,
Speaker:you weren't even promoting it.
Speaker:It's not like you were out saying,
Speaker:Hey, I make these necklaces.
Speaker:Does anyone want them?
Speaker:One of your fellow teachers saw it and is like,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:that's beautiful.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:I want one.
Speaker:These are ways of validating because people are interested in your
Speaker:product and that is kind of a message to you that,
Speaker:okay, you should take the next step.
Speaker:Cuz let's face it,
Speaker:as a maker,
Speaker:we all love what we make.
Speaker:It's whether other people love it too.
Speaker:And you've got to validate that product before you throw too
Speaker:much time or energy into it,
Speaker:because that's one way to know that you'll be successful with
Speaker:your business is you move forward.
Speaker:The other thing that I really like that you talked about,
Speaker:Robin, is that the first pieces that came out of the
Speaker:kilned weren't something that you were necessarily going to be able
Speaker:to move forward with and that you had to work to
Speaker:obtain the skill and any tips or tricks or ways that
Speaker:you make your beads and your necklaces,
Speaker:you didn't know that right in the beginning.
Speaker:And I think that's really important.
Speaker:I don't know how you feel about this and you can
Speaker:comment after I'm done saying what I was gonna say right
Speaker:here, that I think we undervalue the talent and the skills
Speaker:that we have as makers because we're thinking,
Speaker:well, we're just making them,
Speaker:everyone knows how to do these things.
Speaker:But it's not true to your demonstration of having to learn,
Speaker:hire somebody,
Speaker:probably trial and error over the course of time to get
Speaker:it exactly to where it is today.
Speaker:And all that needs to be reflected in the pricing and
Speaker:allowing yourself to accept the fact that you have skills and
Speaker:your products are superior than just someone who's trying to make
Speaker:one on the side,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:one off type thing.
Speaker:Exactly. And I do have trial and errors to this day.
Speaker:So yeah,
Speaker:when I open up the kiln in the morning,
Speaker:I always have my fingers crossed hoping that they all turned
Speaker:out right.
Speaker:And honestly,
Speaker:usually I fire a lot of jewelry pendants at one time,
Speaker:and usually there's some that don't work still to this day,
Speaker:it just happens in ceramics,
Speaker:it's a little bit because you have to wait,
Speaker:there's so many firings and it's so hot you have to
Speaker:wait like basically 24 hours.
Speaker:So it's definitely a humbling art medium and also a great
Speaker:teacher and patience.
Speaker:Interesting. Yeah.
Speaker:So you anticipate and expect that a certain percentage of what
Speaker:you fire in a day won't be something that you can
Speaker:proceed with.
Speaker:It just has to whatever you do with it afterwards,
Speaker:I don't know if you toss it or use it as
Speaker:scrap for something else or You know what,
Speaker:Yeah, occasionally I'll put together a little collection that I call
Speaker:oopsies and they'll be discounted.
Speaker:Some people really like to see a little bit of an
Speaker:imperfect item and it just depends on what stage it was
Speaker:in the firing process.
Speaker:I see.
Speaker:That makes sense.
Speaker:Okay, so you have people who are interested in your jewelry,
Speaker:but they're all people at this point who you know,
Speaker:what did you do after that?
Speaker:There are a lot of things that I definitely need to
Speaker:work on as a small business owner,
Speaker:but one thing that I really feel super confident in is
Speaker:being very confident and secure in my niche,
Speaker:my niche customer and ideal client.
Speaker:And I think that I pictured that customer avatar and then
Speaker:I marketed and targeted that one and only,
Speaker:I truly believe that if you market for one,
Speaker:you will get many sales versus marketing for many,
Speaker:you will maybe get one sale.
Speaker:And I would say that reminds me,
Speaker:I wanted to mention the fact of I had people when
Speaker:I was wearing my necklace the first day and then someone
Speaker:commented and complimented me.
Speaker:And yes,
Speaker:that was validation and that felt great.
Speaker:And also she was my ideal customer.
Speaker:Her and I have very similar style,
Speaker:and so I had something that was missing in my life.
Speaker:So I was able to kind of utilize myself at first
Speaker:as my niche customer and then go from there.
Speaker:So for anyone who may be thinking of making products and
Speaker:perhaps they wear something and don't get a compliment,
Speaker:that does not mean that it's not good.
Speaker:That just perhaps means that they have not marketed toward their
Speaker:niche customer.
Speaker:That makes sense.
Speaker:Yeah. And so I definitely don't want that little story of
Speaker:my luck to be discouraging to anyone because I happen to
Speaker:my niche customer walked into my classroom on that day,
Speaker:right? And sometimes I think who we believe is our ideal
Speaker:customer, you know,
Speaker:is when you start off and you envision,
Speaker:okay, this is my product,
Speaker:this is who I'm gonna sell to.
Speaker:Sometimes it ends up being someone totally different.
Speaker:So you have to be open-minded and be observing who's actually
Speaker:gravitate and looking at your pieces and buying your pieces.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:craft shows are great with that.
Speaker:Seeing who comes to the table,
Speaker:who stops,
Speaker:who picks things up,
Speaker:who asks questions might be different than who you initially thought
Speaker:was your customer.
Speaker:You landed it right off the bat,
Speaker:so that was perfect.
Speaker:Yeah, I would say that that's who I wanted it to
Speaker:be as well.
Speaker:And so I think that a way to prevent burnout is
Speaker:to first put those intentions of who your niche customer is
Speaker:and they will come.
Speaker:And then when you're at a craft show,
Speaker:of course it's way more open because you really can't control
Speaker:what type of people are coming in and coming out.
Speaker:However, I think that it's really beneficial and helpful for your
Speaker:business and to prevent burnout if you are remembering your target
Speaker:customer and your target audience and then being very specific when
Speaker:you market to that one person and not keeping in the
Speaker:back of your mind that,
Speaker:oh, there was somebody that definitely didn't really fall into that
Speaker:realm at the craft show I went to.
Speaker:Should I also make them my target audience?
Speaker:It really will start to confuse you and could prevent burnout
Speaker:because you're just trying to create for so many different types
Speaker:of niche customers.
Speaker:That's really good advice,
Speaker:Robin. Yeah,
Speaker:you get so scattered then.
Speaker:Yeah, and then you start to subconsciously maybe have some doubt
Speaker:about your product,
Speaker:but it's because it's not the product,
Speaker:it's the scattered mindset.
Speaker:Yeah, really good.
Speaker:I'm so glad you brought that up.
Speaker:So how did you get your first customers who weren't your
Speaker:friends or family?
Speaker:Where did you go from here?
Speaker:You validated your product,
Speaker:then what happened?
Speaker:I did a little craft show in,
Speaker:it was the beginning of summer end of May in downtown
Speaker:Asheville. And I remember this moment because it's a really great
Speaker:teaching moment.
Speaker:I was there with my tent and my friend let me
Speaker:borrow her tent and it was not waterproof and so it
Speaker:started raining.
Speaker:It was so such an eyesore because you've seen my products
Speaker:in my setup.
Speaker:It's very elegant and clean.
Speaker:That's how I wanted my booth to be,
Speaker:but it didn't work out that way.
Speaker:So my friend brought a blue old blue tarp that we
Speaker:threw over the nice pretty white tint that was like breaking
Speaker:as we Oh no,
Speaker:I mean it was fine because it's comical.
Speaker:The storm passed and there was,
Speaker:it was a great turnout and everything.
Speaker:It's just funny.
Speaker:It wasn't aesthetically at all Robin Lee essentials,
Speaker:but that's fine.
Speaker:But I remember I had a customer come to my booth
Speaker:and I was really excited that someone came up there to
Speaker:see my booth and I started explaining how I make the
Speaker:jewelry and then the customer smiled and walked away and my
Speaker:partner, he's amazing.
Speaker:He said,
Speaker:Robin, three sentences or less,
Speaker:I'm like,
Speaker:what? What?
Speaker:Just you gotta make it.
Speaker:He's like,
Speaker:just like in your classroom,
Speaker:it's not about you,
Speaker:it's about the students,
Speaker:it's about your customers.
Speaker:And that was a huge light bulb.
Speaker:And so then I naturally just on the spot had my
Speaker:elevator pitch when someone approached,
Speaker:I had engagement with them,
Speaker:I was showing interest with them.
Speaker:I told them how it works,
Speaker:but that's it.
Speaker:Allow them to answer questions if they are still interested and
Speaker:so on.
Speaker:Then we had just an amazing turnout to where it gave
Speaker:me the confidence to think,
Speaker:okay, maybe I can really do this.
Speaker:I'll start an Etsy shop and we'll see where it goes.
Speaker:Okay, perfect.
Speaker:And you then switched on the fly at the show,
Speaker:right? Like you stopped talking about everything and how could you,
Speaker:if you think of a show,
Speaker:all these people coming up,
Speaker:you know to repeat something longer time after time after time.
Speaker:Shows are exhausting anyway,
Speaker:less saying all of that.
Speaker:So that's really good advice too,
Speaker:is just trimming it down to just a couple of things.
Speaker:They don't need to know everything right away.
Speaker:Right. And so then you started doing that and saw that
Speaker:that was working better,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:I learned how to sell my product in person that day
Speaker:Right away.
Speaker:Yes. And it's okay that you make mistakes as you're getting
Speaker:started. You probably will,
Speaker:right? That's what you learn too.
Speaker:Like you do what naturally comes to you and then you
Speaker:revise it based on feedback you're getting from people,
Speaker:that kind of thing.
Speaker:Yes. And so I am not sure if your customer audience
Speaker:is a big base that does in-person shows,
Speaker:but I would,
Speaker:the advice I would give for in-person shows is to wear
Speaker:comfortable clothes and shoes and layers,
Speaker:snacks, water,
Speaker:bring stuff so that you are comfortable and ready to be
Speaker:engaging with your audience.
Speaker:Standing up,
Speaker:talking to them,
Speaker:making conversation with them and making the experience about your customer
Speaker:who took the time to walk over to your booth and
Speaker:chatting with them,
Speaker:make it about them.
Speaker:It's nothing personal that they're not really interested in learning your
Speaker:whole process honestly,
Speaker:because it could confuse them and confused people do not buy
Speaker:at all.
Speaker:So I would say that remember to make it about the
Speaker:customer. Love that.
Speaker:Perfect. Yes,
Speaker:yes, yes.
Speaker:Okay, so now you're gonna start an Etsy shop.
Speaker:Talk to us about that experience.
Speaker:Hear how Robin entered the world of e-commerce right after this
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Speaker:Yeah, I was on a public school teacher salary and budget.
Speaker:And so Etsy I think is 20 cents or something to
Speaker:start a listing.
Speaker:And so I think that I probably did a lot of
Speaker:Googling and read some blogs about how to have a successful
Speaker:Etsy shop.
Speaker:And I created my listings and did that.
Speaker:And then I immediately made a social media Instagram for my
Speaker:business and I did a lot of organic marketing on Instagram.
Speaker:I treated that marketing the same way that I would treat
Speaker:an in-person marketing.
Speaker:So that means truly striking up conversations with people and engaging
Speaker:and commenting back and remembering that these are all people behind
Speaker:the telephone sc or cellphone screen.
Speaker:And I think that building those relationships was really the foundation
Speaker:to a successful online shop.
Speaker:And that also trickles down to,
Speaker:again, what I was saying about engaging with your customers in
Speaker:person, building that relationship is the foundation to your successful in-person
Speaker:event. Agreed.
Speaker:So you did not take the approach.
Speaker:And there are a lot of people who are gonna cringe
Speaker:when I say this because this is what happens.
Speaker:They put an Etsy shop up and then they wait and
Speaker:they expect someone to be coming.
Speaker:They've put the descriptions of their product so that there's keywords
Speaker:in there,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:in the title and in the description.
Speaker:And then they sit and they wait and this is not
Speaker:what you did,
Speaker:right? So you had the Etsy shop up so that there's
Speaker:somewhere online where they can go and conduct the transaction if
Speaker:you will.
Speaker:But then you used Instagram to communicate one-on-one with people.
Speaker:Was this through direct messaging or how were you doing that
Speaker:on Instagram?
Speaker:It Was through,
Speaker:if I didn't do a direct message,
Speaker:I was,
Speaker:it would've been a person,
Speaker:a friend that I had been following along and knew them
Speaker:and was commenting.
Speaker:I definitely don't ever recommend this is,
Speaker:I think so just not a good tactic to try and
Speaker:send cold dms to people on social media and you're not
Speaker:even following them and you don't even really pay attention to
Speaker:their life or what they're doing yet.
Speaker:You just kinda want something from them that's just No,
Speaker:no, no.
Speaker:That's like the opposite of what I'm saying.
Speaker:And I say that because that people do that to me
Speaker:and I know they do that to a lot of people.
Speaker:So it's just probably not good practice.
Speaker:I hate that so much.
Speaker:Yeah. Or if someone,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the automatic replies people can do,
Speaker:like when you follow somebody then all of a sudden you
Speaker:get an automatic message and it's all about selling.
Speaker:So you're saying no,
Speaker:don't do that.
Speaker:You would reply to comments that came into you and then
Speaker:you'd reach out to people through a direct message.
Speaker:If there was some type of relationship that had already been
Speaker:established, you wouldn't just cold direct message Somebody?
Speaker:No, because I am a very genuine person,
Speaker:so any of my messages are genuine and my customers are
Speaker:like my friends.
Speaker:I mean I have so many repeat buyers and they message
Speaker:me and tell me why they bought this.
Speaker:And it's such an honor to have them choosing one of
Speaker:my pieces to re represent such a special part of their
Speaker:life or a loved one's life.
Speaker:And I think that that's because of the relationship.
Speaker:So for example,
Speaker:on social media,
Speaker:I'm interested in aroma therapy and so I follow a lot
Speaker:of women who we have the same style and interest and
Speaker:I have a lot of customers that are really good at
Speaker:creating essential oil d i y recipes for having a clean
Speaker:low talks environment in their home.
Speaker:And I'm really interested in that,
Speaker:in those tips.
Speaker:And so I follow along and learn from them and communicate
Speaker:with them and engage with them in their post and their
Speaker:account. And then if I see that,
Speaker:oh, maybe this jewelry would be a good fit,
Speaker:I wonder if they would like to do a,
Speaker:some sort of collaboration like co-creating a design or something like
Speaker:that, I might reach out and ask about that.
Speaker:Or just building friendships.
Speaker:And after the relationship and the friendship is there,
Speaker:there usually is a sale at some point later on down
Speaker:the road whether somebody is gifting something or if they're on
Speaker:my subscriber list and then they see that there happens to
Speaker:be a surprise flash sale for the subscribers.
Speaker:It doesn't necessarily happen overnight,
Speaker:but it's just building that good foundation.
Speaker:Yeah. So it does take work.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:the Etsy shop,
Speaker:I wouldn't have been successful on Etsy if it weren't for
Speaker:the marketing piece as well and I knew that I soon
Speaker:wanted to migrate to my own website where I could have
Speaker:my own SEO and have more freedom.
Speaker:But that just took time and saving from my profits and
Speaker:just whenever I was ready to hire a website designer and
Speaker:an SEO specialist,
Speaker:I did.
Speaker:And then that's what my website is today.
Speaker:Well your website's beautiful.
Speaker:Oh thank you.
Speaker:I'll let them know I was telling you earlier,
Speaker:I was looking at it and I love your website and
Speaker:I wanna get to that in a second.
Speaker:Let me just stay with Etsy for just a minute cuz
Speaker:whenever I'm talking with someone,
Speaker:I'm trying to get in the mind of the people who
Speaker:are listening so that I can ask you the questions they
Speaker:would want to be asking you.
Speaker:Okay. So you've done a great job describing how social media
Speaker:integrated and how you led people over and yes,
Speaker:it takes time,
Speaker:you establish a relationship and then as any relationship would do,
Speaker:it builds from there.
Speaker:Right. Did you do any paid ATS for Etsy at all?
Speaker:I did not.
Speaker:I don't think I hesitate because I'm trying to remember.
Speaker:It was so,
Speaker:so much has happened since I might have done a very,
Speaker:very small little paid ad and I don't think that it
Speaker:really got anywhere because I honestly don't remember it.
Speaker:Okay. So it was definitely organic marketing,
Speaker:primarily online.
Speaker:And then getting started,
Speaker:I definitely did go to a lot of in-person shows in
Speaker:the beginning because I was marketing myself and I always had
Speaker:a flyer and a business card with a link to be
Speaker:able to stay connected with me online.
Speaker:Whenever I go to an in-person show,
Speaker:I treat a new subscriber and a new follower as a
Speaker:sale that's just as good as a sale because now I've
Speaker:got them and we can continue to build that relationship no
Speaker:matter where we both are in the world.
Speaker:So at your shows you have a way to capture email
Speaker:addresses from people even who are just looking who come up
Speaker:to your table or your booth and are just looking.
Speaker:Yes. Currently the easiest way is a QR code so they
Speaker:can do a QR code and then be there on their
Speaker:phone. And I have the same for following on social media.
Speaker:Yeah, Something you just said I really liked and I'd like
Speaker:to go deeper in and that is that you said when
Speaker:you were initially starting,
Speaker:you were really marketing yourself,
Speaker:not your product,
Speaker:but yourself.
Speaker:Talk a little bit more about that.
Speaker:That's a great question and I didn't really even notice that
Speaker:I said myself and not my product.
Speaker:And I would say that I,
Speaker:in marketing myself,
Speaker:just being networking and really caring about the other people that
Speaker:I am marketing to and with,
Speaker:and that's a big part of Robin Lee Essentials is the
Speaker:brand is relationships.
Speaker:And so when I was marketing myself,
Speaker:I would be at the craft shows,
Speaker:but I guess just getting to know the customers.
Speaker:So I guess I was woven together of marketing myself and
Speaker:the product,
Speaker:but I wouldn't say I was selling as much straightforward because
Speaker:it's really about building that relationship probably sound like a broken
Speaker:record now with the relationship piece,
Speaker:it's very important.
Speaker:I think it's really important because why are people gonna buy
Speaker:from you versus going to another table that sells jewelry.
Speaker:Now it might not be ceramic and diffused in jewelry,
Speaker:but if they're talking with you,
Speaker:they're enjoying the conversation,
Speaker:one thing leads to another.
Speaker:Like you do your first little couple sentences in the beginning,
Speaker:they look,
Speaker:they ask other questions,
Speaker:you start talking,
Speaker:which is what builds a relationship that brings up the desire
Speaker:that people would want to buy from you versus walking onto
Speaker:another table.
Speaker:So you're selling yourself but you're not selling,
Speaker:you're just being personable.
Speaker:And I can hear it comes across in our conversation right
Speaker:now how genuine you are and just by talking,
Speaker:I know people really start to love you cuz of the
Speaker:person you are.
Speaker:You're very genuine and authentic.
Speaker:So I'm quite sure in person chose do really well for
Speaker:you for that reason.
Speaker:And also social media as you're developing relationships.
Speaker:And I think it's just something kind of to emphasize to
Speaker:everybody listening that it's not just about your product when you're
Speaker:a maker of the product,
Speaker:it's also about you.
Speaker:Yeah, I appreciate those words.
Speaker:And another little thing I wanna mention is that sometimes I've
Speaker:been to shows when I was just getting started and learning
Speaker:which shows work and which don't,
Speaker:there have definitely been shows where they were not as successful
Speaker:for me and that is just nothing I ever take personal
Speaker:because that just means that my ideal clients aren't really that
Speaker:customer base that that craft show brings in.
Speaker:Isn't my customer base,
Speaker:they're just not my customer and there's someone else out there,
Speaker:my true niche customer that is waiting for me and remembering
Speaker:that to not take it personal when you're building that relationship
Speaker:talking to someone,
Speaker:but then they walk away and they just honestly weren't that
Speaker:interested because that's definitely gonna happen.
Speaker:Like your product is not for everyone and that's okay because
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:if you think honestly with yourself,
Speaker:I mean you don't really like every single thing that's out
Speaker:there either,
Speaker:right? So there's always something special for everyone and it's important
Speaker:to remember that to not take it personal when you are
Speaker:out there in person marketing and it's really just everything is
Speaker:just a learning experience and a data point.
Speaker:You're collecting that information and learning,
Speaker:oh okay,
Speaker:that's working or that's not working.
Speaker:This is just information that I can take and move forward
Speaker:to succeed forward.
Speaker:Such good advice because so many people do take it to
Speaker:heart and they feel it's personal.
Speaker:So that message is really,
Speaker:really important.
Speaker:And the people who are might be interested,
Speaker:some people might be interested when they come to your booth,
Speaker:but they're just not in the market for what you're offering
Speaker:right away.
Speaker:So that's where the scanning is.
Speaker:Great. Cuz then they might forget,
Speaker:they think in the moment they're gonna remember everything you know
Speaker:about you,
Speaker:the name of your company,
Speaker:they take a card or whatever literature you have,
Speaker:but then over time they might forget,
Speaker:but this way you're not leaving it in their hands.
Speaker:You have control over it cuz you can send them emails.
Speaker:Yeah. Works perfectly.
Speaker:Okay. So at what point did you decide you were ready
Speaker:for your own website?
Speaker:Besides cost?
Speaker:What were the factors that said,
Speaker:okay, now's the time for me to make the jump.
Speaker:I want to have my own site.
Speaker:That was in 2019 in the summer.
Speaker:And I think that I had really started to develop a
Speaker:really loyal customer base and following.
Speaker:And I wanted to be able to expand some of the
Speaker:types of my products and offer a more friendly customer experience
Speaker:on my own website.
Speaker:And then I definitely had the funds saved and ready to
Speaker:make that investment.
Speaker:And so I did it.
Speaker:I reached out to my friend who I really respect as
Speaker:an SEO specialist and website designer and I knew I wanted
Speaker:to work with her since the beginning of Robin Lee Essentials.
Speaker:I just wasn't ready for it yet.
Speaker:And then as soon as I was,
Speaker:I reached out to her.
Speaker:So you were super lucky that you had a contact who
Speaker:was already a friend who could help you out.
Speaker:That's amazing.
Speaker:Yes. Many people don't have that,
Speaker:but if you don't,
Speaker:there's ways to find people to help you if necessary.
Speaker:And a lot of people will try and work on their
Speaker:own website as well.
Speaker:And you saw the advantages of having your own website be
Speaker:what you mentioned seo?
Speaker:Yes. She's also my friend,
Speaker:but that is her business.
Speaker:She's an SEO website designer.
Speaker:And so a lot of,
Speaker:if you are looking or curious for a website designer,
Speaker:if you google it in your area,
Speaker:if they're good because they know how to do seo,
Speaker:then they will pop up because that's their job.
Speaker:So I hired her because I was at a place where
Speaker:I had all of my time really maxed out with creating
Speaker:the product and marketing the product and I didn't wanna learn
Speaker:something new,
Speaker:which would've been creating a nice website and good s e
Speaker:o. And I think that something I continue to learn,
Speaker:and it was hard for me as someone who is a
Speaker:maker and I love do-it-yourself projects,
Speaker:but to learn that really my time is so priceless.
Speaker:And I am trying to remember that even to this day,
Speaker:there are tasks that I think to myself,
Speaker:oh, I can just do it myself.
Speaker:But really,
Speaker:yeah, you could,
Speaker:but also you could hire someone and just have a better,
Speaker:a less stressful day because my time is something that I
Speaker:can never gain back.
Speaker:Money ebbs and flows and comes back,
Speaker:but the time is gone and trying to remember that.
Speaker:Right. And they can probably do it in a fifth of
Speaker:the time that you would get the result you're really looking
Speaker:for versus you ending up with kind of a haphazard website
Speaker:that might perform,
Speaker:might not cause it's just not your area of expertise,
Speaker:right? Yes.
Speaker:Versus taking the time,
Speaker:making more product,
Speaker:attending another show and making the money to be able to
Speaker:pay her.
Speaker:Yeah. A funny story,
Speaker:my website designer is on maternity leave and so I thought
Speaker:that I could just quickly fix one little photo on the
Speaker:bottom of my website and I literally just messed that up.
Speaker:And so I had to find another reference and she was
Speaker:really great and really quick because it was a quick fix
Speaker:and it was funny.
Speaker:She was like,
Speaker:I'm not sure how this happened or what happened.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:oh, that was definitely me.
Speaker:I just thought I could do it myself.
Speaker:Obviously I can't,
Speaker:so I gotta pay you to fix it and do it
Speaker:better. And yeah,
Speaker:so it was just a funny little that literally happened this
Speaker:past week.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:that is funny.
Speaker:Yes. So I'm still learning too.
Speaker:Like lots of times if you think you can do it
Speaker:yourself, you might accidentally mess it up and then have to
Speaker:pay somebody and then it even takes up more time.
Speaker:Right. Well I have one coaching client actually,
Speaker:who doesn't market at all.
Speaker:She's been in business for,
Speaker:gosh, 25,
Speaker:28 years,
Speaker:something like that.
Speaker:But her seo,
Speaker:her domain name and her SEO is so on point.
Speaker:Yeah. She does nothing else other than rely on her seo
Speaker:and she gets orders all the time.
Speaker:Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker:So it just shows how important SEO can be if you
Speaker:do it right.
Speaker:And so what percentage of your business today comes in online
Speaker:versus shows?
Speaker:I would say that is 85 to 90% online.
Speaker:And that's intentional with you?
Speaker:Yes, it is.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And everyone,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:that's the nice thing about us owning our own businesses.
Speaker:We can decide what we like.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:there are a lot of people who just get energized with
Speaker:going out to shows and you know,
Speaker:there are those makers who go every weekend show after show
Speaker:after show and travel the world and set up the booth
Speaker:and take it down and that's what they love.
Speaker:And you are looking at the other side of it,
Speaker:which is yes,
Speaker:you like that human interaction face-to-face,
Speaker:but you also like the stability and less travel being able
Speaker:to still get orders online.
Speaker:So and you've set your up,
Speaker:your business up accordingly.
Speaker:Yes, that's always been the intention.
Speaker:It's just more sustainable for my lifestyle.
Speaker:What advice do you have for someone who is thinking about
Speaker:starting and they've just listened to our conversation and they're like,
Speaker:yeah, that was so great,
Speaker:but it worked for Robin,
Speaker:but could it work for me?
Speaker:What would you say to someone who's thinking those thoughts?
Speaker:I would say that yes,
Speaker:it definitely can work for you.
Speaker:And to just start and remember that I have had so
Speaker:many ups and downs and I put in quotes,
Speaker:failures, and it's really about just to continue to learn from
Speaker:those failures and mistakes and keep going.
Speaker:But you're never gonna know unless you just start and try
Speaker:it and you will evolve along the way.
Speaker:So start and let go of that fear of failure because
Speaker:every successful person fails,
Speaker:they just try again.
Speaker:They just learn from that and then they try again and
Speaker:keep going.
Speaker:And we don't see all those failures,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:unless you're on a podcast where you talk about things that
Speaker:happened, right?
Speaker:Yeah. Like that's not what you see.
Speaker:You only see what's been successful and what's working for them.
Speaker:You don't see all the background parts.
Speaker:So very motivating,
Speaker:Robin, like you've had some great,
Speaker:great just overall concepts that we need to remember.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:in terms of not taking it personally,
Speaker:what to do at the booth,
Speaker:comments about looking at your customer one-on-one,
Speaker:not as this big group of people.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:all of those are super value as well as a lot
Speaker:of the other comments that you've given us along the way.
Speaker:So if people wanna go and see your gorgeous jewelry,
Speaker:where would you lead them to?
Speaker:They can check out my shop,
Speaker:that's robin lee essentials.com.
Speaker:And I would love to connect on Instagram.
Speaker:That's at Robin Lee Essentials.
Speaker:And I'm also on TikTok at Robin Lee Essentials and I
Speaker:have a little gift for you and your followers.
Speaker:You can enter the code podcast and you'll get a 10%
Speaker:off coupon off the entire shop.
Speaker:And given that the podcast will be available for people for
Speaker:years to come,
Speaker:do you wanna put a deadline on the 10% or just
Speaker:leave it open?
Speaker:I currently am leaving it open.
Speaker:And if there comes a time where you try it and
Speaker:there's something going on,
Speaker:there's a contact information spot on the website,
Speaker:you can email me and ask me and we'll get that
Speaker:sorted out.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:wonderful. Robin,
Speaker:thank you so much.
Speaker:I am,
Speaker:like I said in the beginning,
Speaker:so happy that you agreed to come on the show today,
Speaker:tell your story.
Speaker:I had no idea about all of the great tips and
Speaker:words of advice that you'd bring.
Speaker:But on behalf of all the listeners and myself,
Speaker:thank you so much for sharing your story today.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:It's an honor to be here.
Speaker:Yes, one very special granddaughter got one of Robin's necklaces for
Speaker:Valentine's Day this year.
Speaker:I love her simple designs that although she calls them minimalist,
Speaker:provide bright sparks of emotion and meaning,
Speaker:as did her story.
Speaker:A wonderful example of going from an idea to experimentation to
Speaker:business. And don't forget about her discount offer.
Speaker:Type in the word podcast at checkout for that extra gift
Speaker:from Robin.
Speaker:I wanna make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook group
Speaker:called Gift Biz Breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and are a community
Speaker:to support each other.
Speaker:I got a really fun post in there that's my favorite
Speaker:of the week,
Speaker:I have to say,
Speaker:where I invite all of you to share what you're doing
Speaker:to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week,
Speaker:to get reaction from other people.
Speaker:And just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making.
Speaker:My favorite post every single week.
Speaker:Without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what?
Speaker: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.
