309 | Business Contentment Over Business Growth with Brigida Swanson, Yardia

Choosing business contentment over business growth can be a great reminder to all of us that there are seasons in business, and sometimes what we have is all that we really need or want. 

On this episode, we have Brigida Swanson of Yardia, which is a nature-inspired gift and stationery company. 

Bridiga shares the journey of starting her business, while still pursuing her teaching career. She dives into what it was like venturing into wholesale, how she has experienced rapid growth, and describes what happened after deciding to leave social media. 

She shares some of her incredible wins with us and also discusses how, despite her business's expansion, she began questioning the need for more, realizing that she already had enough and desired a simpler more content life. 

Consequently, Brigida made intentional shifts in her business and personal life to align with her desire and found that true fulfillment came from what brings happiness.

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From Hobby to Wholesale 

Like many other entrepreneurs who start a hobby that soon turns into a business, Brigida's journey into entrepreneurship began when she started creating her family's Christmas cards in first grade. 

In 2008, she discovered Etsy and decided to open an Etsy shop called Yardia while working as an art teacher. 

Initially, she focused on selling on Etsy and participating in local craft shows. However, in 2016, Brigida ventured into wholesale, and her business started to expand rapidly. By the time her first major trade show arrived in February 2020, she had built a strong foundation for her business and was ready to exhibit.

Trade Show Success 

As Brigida attended various trade shows, she learned the importance of choosing events that align with her target audience. 

*Noted, held in San Francisco, was particularly favorable for Yardia due to the West Coast location and the immediate understanding of her nature-inspired products by buyers. 

At the most recent *Noted show, Brigida achieved remarkable success, with her booth paying for itself through orders made on the floor.

Additionally, 80% of her orders came from new accounts, surpassing her expectations.

Follow Up After Trade Shows

Trade shows offer a unique opportunity for makers and brands to connect with buyers face-to-face. 

For Brigida, this personal interaction was invaluable, allowing her to strengthen relationships with her current buyers and meet new prospects. 

Brigida emphasized the benefits of telling her brand story and showcasing her products in person to the buyers at the show. 

After the trade show, Brigida implemented a systematic follow-up process to nurture the connections she made on the floor. Her approach involved creating a comprehensive list of contacts and sending personalized follow-up emails within a few weeks. 

 
text overlay: "I always follow up after tradeshows by creating a list and sending a personal email as soon as I can to each of the stores I met and got contact info for. Then, I continue to follow up with people with further emails from time to time"
 

If you are a LABS member, be sure to check out our templates for the wholesale follow up emails!

This process allowed her to express her gratitude, provide any additional information requested, and continue building relationships. 

By maintaining regular email communication, Brigida ensured that Yardia stayed top of mind for potential buyers who may not have placed an order immediately.

Taking Breaks from Social Media

Recently inside of LABS, Brigida mentioned that she took a break from social media for a period due to burnout and the need to focus on other aspects of her business. 

In our conversation she went into more detail on the reason behind her break from social media and the importance of self-care. She talked about recognizing when it's necessary to step back to avoid overwhelm and maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Taking breaks from social media can provide valuable time and mental space to strategize and prioritize essential business tasks, leading to increased productivity and clarity.

 
text overlay: "I think Instagram and TikTok can do great things for businesses, but they weren't serving me in the way I wanted them to."
 

Business Contentment vs. Business Growth

Brigida shared her perspective on business contentment versus business growth, emphasizing that it's crucial to find the right balance. 

While Yardia experienced substantial growth, Brigida recognized the value of staying true to her vision and not succumbing to external pressures or comparing herself to other businesses. 

She highlighted the significance of finding contentment in relationships, creativity, and the overall business journey while still pursuing growth opportunities aligned with her values.

Check out a past episode of Proof to Product on Knowing Your Enough with Kelly Higdon. 

Hiring the Right Team Members

With business growth comes the pressure to hire new team members. Brigida acknowledged the positive impact of hiring employees to support the growth of Yardia. However, she realized that hiring isn’t always the best choice. 

In fact, for Brigida, she found that hiring someone to come in and help her fulfill orders actually took away from one of her goals with her business- freedom in the time in which she was working. Knowing someone was coming to her house at a certain time prevented her from the flexibility she wanted when starting her business in the first place. 

Instead, she shifted her strategy to outsource more team members that can do work remotely, like:

  • A bookkeeper 

  • Print on demand for more difficult to package items

  • An accountant

Focusing on Contentment in Business

Brigida Swanson's journey with Yardia serves as an inspiring example of business growth and success in the stationery and gift industry. 

 
"I want to spend time in my garden, paint, and take care of my chickens. I found myself thinking 'why am I trying to push mself to have all these sales reps, employees, or build a big business when what I am already doing is what i've always wanted?"
 
 

If you have ever wanted to pick my brain, or get my eyes and ears on your business, Proof to Product LABS is the place to do it. We cover many of the strategies Brigida talked about in her episode & you can get access to those same trainings!

We have monthly group coaching calls and a wide range of On Demand training specifically for product-based business owners. We open up the doors a few times a year so be sure to sign up to learn more!

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meet Brigida

Brigida Swanson is a multiracial CHamoru watercolor artist from Seattle, and the one woman show behind her company, Yardia. She creates watercolor-driven and Pacific Northwest-inspired art, stationery and home goods that help folks to express their intersectional identities and love the place they live.

CONNECT WITH BRIGIDA

WEBSITE: yardia.co/| INSTAGRAM: @yardia | TIKTOK: @yardia.co

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com  |   Instagram: @prooftoproduct

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