170 | Running a Business Remotely with Christine Herrin, Everyday Explorers Co.

Hey friends! Ever considered what it might be like to run a business remotely? Or even in a completely different country? That’s exactly what today’s guest, Christine Herrin did when she moved to the Philippines for a year while continuing to run her business in the United States.

Christine has such a cool story and was actually chosen to participate in the Adobe Creative Residency Program in 2016 which is where she initially began building her product-based business, Everyday Explorers Co.

Christine and I covered a lot in this episode around what that residency program was like and how she got started in her business. She shares what processes and systems she put in place to run her business while living overseas. She talks about how she leveraged her strong relationship with her manufacturer and outsourced fulfillment while she was abroad.

Christine is a member of our PTP LABS community and a Paper Camp alumni. It’s been so amazing to watch her business grow and evolve. There’s a lot to learn in this episode -- systems, processes as well as how she created a monthly release cycle for her direct to consumer sales channel Listen in for all her tips!

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

Christine’s experience of being chosen to be in the Adobe Creative Residency program
How she started working on her business during the residency program
What types of products and how many SKUs she has within her business
How she merged her scrapbooking and travel interests with the business needs
Her process of managing new product releases
How she keeps up with discontinuing products with frequent launches
How she’s used assets from past stamp kits for new product development
What systems and processes she put in place when moving from the U.S. to the Philippines
What it was like working with a fulfillment center and how she decided which one to use
How she set up a production schedule for herself
Her marketing strategy for the one-month release cycle of products
Why she feels like product makers shouldn’t be afraid to innovate and push beyond “industry standards”
What’s coming next with Christine and Everyday Explorers Co.

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KEY TAKE AWAYS

“I oftentimes see small business owners in this product space, they're anxious and excited to try other things. And so they spread themselves across multiple product categories either too quickly or before they really refined one and driven deep enough into a product category.” - Katie Hunt

“I rarely do super specific seasonal stuff.” - Christine Herrin

“Just because you discontinue a SKU doesn't mean you can't bring it back again in the future.” - Christine Herrin

“You can repurpose illustrations for stickers.” - Christine Herrin

“It's still your work. You're pulling from your own elements that you've created.” - Katie Hunt

“A lot of my launch system is inspired by the scrapbooking world, scrapbooking monthly kit clubs, and how they do it.” - Christine Herrin

"Let's just create this system once that we can then rinse and repeat." - Katie Hunt

“You have to know that if you drop the ball now, everything else, it's like dominoes.” - Christine Herrin

“If your products aren't suited for a specific revenue stream, you don't have to offer them there.” - Katie Hunt

“But those that really see success are the ones that dive deep into something and make it as simplified and streamlined as possible and then build upon that.” - Katie Hunt

RESOURCES:

159 | How & When to Discontinue Product with Katie Hunt
ShipBob

MEET CHRISTINE:

Christine is a graphic designer and owner of Everyday Explorers Co., a line of clear stamps and journals that encourage people to document their lives in creative ways. She started her brand as a way to combine her love for graphic design and scrapbooking, realizing her unique aesthetic and love for travel was easy to translate into scrapbooking and craft supplies. In 2016, she was chosen to be a part of the Adobe Creative Residency program, where she worked on building her product-based business centered on design and documenting. Originally from Manila, Philippines and with a background in publishing, Christine now lives in Berkeley, CA with her husband.

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE

Website: everydayexplorers.co | Instagram: @everydayexplorersco

Facebook: @everydayexplorersco | Twitter: @_ch21

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