230 | You May Want to Turn Off Zip Code Protection on Faire with Genesis Duncan | Graphic Anthology

For most designers and makers, our relationships with retailers can make a major difference in our businesses. And unfortunately, the programs we use to sell to retailers don't always have our best interests in mind. In the case of Faire, one of my favorite wholesale marketplaces, their default settings can actually limit your reach and prevent retailers from reordering the products they love.

In this episode, I’m talking to designer, illustrator, and store owner Genesis Duncan about her experience being both a retailer and a wholesaler. She’s sharing the mindset shift that happened when she got to see the industry from the other side. Plus, she’s explaining how zip code protection in Faire might actually be limiting your business.

You'll learn:

Making the mindset shift from “maker” to “business owner”
How your Faire zip code settings might be limiting or excluding buyers
Why it’s so important to keep showing up, even if it doesn’t feel like you’re being heard

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

How Genesis shifted from a “maker” to a “business owner” mindset [2:42]
Balancing our own products and outside vendors in a retail space [6:00]
Figuring out where to invest your time, energy, and money for the best ROI [8:55]
How zip code protection works on Faire and how it can limit your business [11:07]
The benefits of using Faire as a manufacturer [21:15]
What it’s like seeing the industry on from the buyer’s side [22:44]
How platforms like Faire can help women- and BIPOC-owned businesses [24:29]
Why you shouldn’t be discouraged if you don’t get replies to your initial outreach emails [25:56]
Using your retail space as a marketing tool for your own products [30:19]

Download These Quotables to Save and Share

KEY TAKE AWAYS

“I try to think of my stores as part of my branding. When people come into my store, they're getting a feel for my brand.” [7:34] Genesis Duncan

“But as a buyer, one of the challenges that I've encountered with Faire is that if you're not right on that 90 day mark for re-ordering, another store in your zip code can swoop in and buy the brand, and then you are locked out through Faire.” [11:56] Genesis Duncan

“Money is being left on the table and brands are losing out and so are stores, because it's coming down to this algorithm.” [18:50] Genesis Duncan

“When reorders don't come through very quickly, we tend to think the worst… But the fact is, we don't know what's happening in the buyer's world, what prevents them from reordering. And most of the time, delays in reorders have nothing to do with us.” [19:48] Katie Hunt

“Through something like Faire, it's made my brand a lot more searchable by things that I am strong at.” [24:30] Genesis Duncan

“We never know what's going to be that one thing that pushes the buyer into action.” [26:33] Katie Hunt

“My personal thought is: head down, do the work, slow and steady. That is what makes a sustainable business.” [31:12] Genesis Duncan

”If you can focus and do something that you're really proud about, people will find you.” [33:28] Genesis Duncan

RESOURCES

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MEET GENESIS:

Genesis Duncan is a designer and illustrator based out of Portland, Oregon, where she runs a manufacturing business and a retail storefront. In 2010, she founded Graphic Anthology, a stationery & gift company that produces greeting cards and paper-related products in her signature illustrative style, a bilingual mash-up of color, whimsical illustrations and kind sentiments in English and Spanish. She has worked with companies like Urban Outfitters, TJ Maxx, Serena & Lily, and West Elm, as well as hundreds of boutique retailers across the globe. She’s also a Paper Camp alumni and LABS member!

CONNECT WITH GENESIS

Website: graphicanthology.com | Facebook: @graphicanthology | Instagram: @graphicanthology

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

Transcript for Proof to Product Episode 230

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230 | You May Want to Turn Off Zip Code Protection on Faire with Genesis Duncan | Graphic Anthology

Katie Hunt [00:00:03] We're taking you behind the scenes with entrepreneurs that run product based businesses. There is so much information out there tailored toward service providers, so we have carved out a space just for you, the creative entrepreneur making and selling ethical goods, whether you are just starting out or a seasoned business owner. This podcast will shed light on new strategies, inspiration and action steps to help you grow your product based business. Hey, friends, and welcome back to Proof to Product, my name is Katie Hunt. Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology is back on Proof to Product today. She was previously on Episode 138, where we talked about her startup story and shifting her mindset around her business being a hobby versus an actual company, which of course it is. Genesis is a Portland, Oregon based designer and illustrator where she runs a manufacturing business and has a retail storefront. She's also a paper camp alum and a LABS member, and she recently came back to share her experiences as a paper camp speaker. Genesis's work is a bilingual mash up of color, whimsical illustrations and kind sentiments in both English and Spanish. In 2010, she founded Graphic Anthology, a stationery gift company that produces greeting cards and paper related products in her signature illustrative style. She has worked with companies like Urban Outfitters, TJ Maxx, Serena Lilly and West Elm, as well as hundreds of boutique retailers across the globe. And you can find her work at graphic anthology Adcom. On today's episode, Genesis tells us how and why she opened a brick and mortar shop. We talked about whether or not she's planning to exhibit or attend trade shows as a buyer in 2022, and she shares an important story that all of you need to hear about zip code protection on Faire and why it may be something that you want to turn off in your shop. Before we dove in, I wanted to let you know that we recently put together a resource library that houses all of my free content in one place. This includes my delegating master class, my class about how to know wholesales right for you, my booth blueprint class, several workbooks that I've created, plus podcast roundups and more, and we have organized things based on your phase of business. So if you're starting streamlining or scaling, there is plenty here for you. We've got content in each of those categories. So to get access to this rich resource library, head to ProoftoProduct.com/resources. Now let's hear from Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology. Genesis, Welcome back to Proof to Product.

Genesis Duncan [00:02:40] Thanks, Katie, for having me again.

Katie Hunt [00:02:42] It's my pleasure. You know, the last time you were on the show was way back in 2019, and a lot has happened since then within your business. So give us an update.

Genesis Duncan [00:02:51] A while ago, way back in 2019. Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago because of the pandemic and everything else. Like, so many things have changed. Well, I think the last time I was on the podcast, we had talked about me making the shift at like this maker to business owner mindset, and I feel like that was such a huge thing for me. And yeah, it really did kind of prepare me for everything the pandemic. I panicked like everybody else thought my business was going to go under, but instead it doubled. And I, you know, I had some retail that kind of offset the wholesale losses and that kind of led to me looking for a new studio space and which led to me opening a store. So lots of lots of big changes happened.

Katie Hunt [00:03:43] That is huge, that you opened the store in the midst of the pandemic. And so was it truly that you were looking for a new space for you to have your studio in and you wanted? Did you intend to find a dual use space or was it just kind of a happy accident?

Genesis Duncan [00:04:00] No, I mean, and I don't even know if I will say a happy accident that is still, I like to be totally honest. You know, I yeah, having retail's not for everybody. It's a whole other. It's a whole other job. But what had happened was I'm a homebody, and so I had been working out of my house and basically taking over every service. And I got to the point where I'm like, This is ridiculous. I need to hire somebody to help me out instead of hiring the neighbors. And, you know, random people from Facebook at my husband's. And so I was like, OK, I need an actual employee, which means I don't want anybody coming to my house. And my husband was also like, Get your stuff out of the house. So I started looking for space and I just wanted a studio space and found this little kind of perfect space for me about a five or six minute drive from my house. And it was on the strip with lots of restaurants and bars, and I thought, Well, this would be great if I could pop and pop out. But when I went to look at the space, the landlord was like, What? What are you planning to do for retail? And I was like, Well, what do you mean? What am I going to do? I'm not planning to retail. He's like, Well, I want to. It's kind of like, MySpace is kind of like a mercantile or so. He was like, Well, I want the space activated. I just don't want it to sit empty because we have other makers and other spaces and other little shops, and it's on a tourist walkable strip. So I was thinking, OK, is this going to be a deal breaker? I really wanted the space. And I thought, well, you know, I could have it kind of like our little HQ shop and just have my cards and just keep it simple. So I agreed to do it and ended up with keys to this new studio space, and it had this nice little space that I knew would be perfect for a little shop. And so, yeah, we kind of think we signed the lease at the end of December, and I opened the store at the beginning of February, February 2021. Yep, this year.

Katie Hunt [00:06:00] Yeah, that's amazing. So tell me what percent of your products in your store are made by you because you talked about it possibly being your HQ and just your products? And what percent are from outside vendors?

Genesis Duncan [00:06:11] Yeah. So I think right now the mix is probably, I don't know, 40-60 split. So 40 percent mine and 60 percent other vendors. What kind of happened was I thought, Oh, it's just going to be my stuff. And then I put my stuff out and I was like, The lovely thing about stationery is it's very small and lightweight. But when you're trying to merchandise a store, you're like, Oh, this is a problem, there's nothing here. I need more, right? And it looks really sad. And I thought, OK, well, people buy greeting cards, which is the bulk of my business, right? So people buy greeting cards for occasions, for birthdays, for holidays, house warnings, that kind of thing. And I knew because wholesale, the main focus of my business, I knew that the store didn't have to be super profitable right away like I could play. I could figure things out. So I thought, Well, let me, even as the pandemic, let me get a few gifts in here. And so I started reaching out to people I knew who were other makers and bringing them like candles and little jewelry items. And so it kind of just feels like everything in my life just kind of snowballed. Hey, you're playing on this.

Katie Hunt [00:07:18] Strategically snowballed.

Genesis Duncan [00:07:18] Right? Yeah, I mean, it was all those things. It was like a first and it's like, I'll get three or four different brands. And then it became like 12 brands. And now, you know, I'm going to trade shows and shopping, and I feel like it's really good. It's such a good complement to the cards, you know, and I think that it makes you like it. I try to think of my stores as kind of part of my branding, like when people come into my store, they're feeling they're getting a feel for my brand. And so I feel like they complement each other. It's this full circle thing. It's like, Oh, it's happy and it's fun. I can get a card, but also a gift, and it's a one stop shop and I've done so. Yeah, it's kind of shifted a little more to products by other people.

Katie Hunt [00:07:55] Hmm. Well, and you can bring in a wider range of products that you don't have to necessarily manufacture and different price points too, right? So you can have gifts with higher price points and everything in between.

Genesis Duncan [00:08:08] Yeah. And for me, I knew the focus was going to be at least starting out. Initially I was going to be the only greeting card vendor, you know, I was going to be the only one. And then I slowly changed that and I started adding other greeting cards by folks who have their own unique story. To tell that I feel like is not my story to tell. Like, you know, one of the brands I brought in was Ashen Chests, because that's, you know, they have a very strong point of view and they're telling their story. And I love that. And so like, that's been a line that I was like, Oh, OK, I'm going to bring in their cards and I have one other card vendor, but the rest is just gifts. And the focus is really it is on my cards. You walk in, there's a big old graphic anthology sign on my card wall and it's all my cards. No. Yeah. And then just bringing it in those other brands that are a compliment.

Katie Hunt [00:08:55] That's awesome. You know, you were recently a speaker at our Paper Camp program and you came back to answer questions the week we talked about trade shows and you shared your experiences as both an exhibitor because you've done a lot of different shows as an exhibitor and you've also now attended shows as a buyer for your store. So for 2022, will you be exhibiting at any shows on the manufacturer's side of your business? And if so, which ones?

Genesis Duncan [00:09:21] No, I'm still not sure about that. I'm kind of delaying making those decisions, but I'm very interested in doing notes again. Just because it's on the West Coast is close to home and they're going to be relaunching the gift show down there. So it's going to be in conjunction. So that's very appealing to me. But I think so far, that's the only one that I'm seriously considering for 2022. I just have a lot going on and I don't know that that's with Faire and with the reps I work with, I don't know that I necessarily am ready to go back to where I need to go back.

Katie Hunt [00:09:56] Yeah, that's definitely something a lot of my clients have been weighing for themselves. Like, Where do I invest? My time, my money, my energy, all of these things to get the maximum ROI. And that's something we've done for years, right? It's something we all have to do a year over year, but I feel like COVID has definitely added new elements to that consideration and the decisions that we're making. Are you going to attend any shows as a buyer and do you have your eye on any shows there?

Genesis Duncan [00:10:22] Yeah, so that's more likely. And so what my thought is is that I'm going to attend as a buyer but doing research as an exhibitor, so. Oh, I've never been to Atlanta, so I hear pretty good things about that, especially for the winter show. So I'm thinking that I'm going to attend there as a buyer and also be doing my reconnaissance for future exhibiting opportunities. I probably will also go back to Las Vegas because as a buyer, because it's just so close to me, it's like it's easy. It's like two or three days. Yeah. So those are the ones that I think I'm probably going to shop at as a buyer this year or next year.

Katie Hunt [00:11:04] I know, what year are we in?

Genesis Duncan [00:11:05] All right. OK.

Katie Hunt [00:11:07] I want to talk a little bit more about Faire with you specifically because I want to get your take as both a vendor that sells through Faire and then a buyer who purchases from Faire. You know, after our paper can't call you, Rachel and I were kind of just having a side chat and all the students had signed off and everything. And you told me something fascinating about Faire's zip code protection that I wasn't aware of. So can you share with our audience, like how zip code protection is somewhat problematic for buyers?

Genesis Duncan [00:11:35] OK, so basically on Faire when you buy from a brand, they lock that zip code. They protect that zip code for 90 days. So in theory, you know, it's a great idea for me as a vendor simply because I'm like, I don't have to think about it, you know, Faire is kind of managing who is seeing my brand and who can buy for a short amount of time. But as a buyer, one of the challenges that I've encountered is that if you're not right on that 90 day mark, re-ordering somebody another store in your zip code can swoop in and buy the brand, and then you are locked out through Faire. So I had this happen to me. So we opened in February and I picked up a hair asset straight line, and it's been a strong seller for us. And I knew that. So in the back of my mind, I was like, Oh, I got to place this order 90 days and days, 90 days to keep that protection. But at the same time, I thought, you know, there's so many brands on Faire who's going to swoop in and take this. Yeah, your accessory company for me. So I went to place my order. This would be my third. This had been my three third reorder with them, and I was locked out and I thought, What is happening? It's like day 90. Somebody like that was possible. And no another, I guess another retailer down the street had been eyeing this brand, and I know that it happens because, you know, I will follow a brand that I can't get, but I'm interested in getting if it opens up. And so I suspect that, you know, they got an email when I passed my 90 day mark and they were like, Hey, it's available.

Katie Hunt [00:13:05] But this presents so many issues to stores. I mean, at this point, you had reordered three times you were looking to do another order. What did you do in that instance? Did you contact them directly or did you just wait for their 90 days to expire and hopefully jump back in? What was your process?

Genesis Duncan [00:13:20] Yeah. Well, first I panicked because like, I mean, it's like now in the grand scheme. It's not a big deal, but I'm like, This has been a good seller for us and I'm on a busy street with lots of shops. So there's also that whole like, I don't wanna step on toes. I don't know. I'm kind of the new kid on the block. I had all these things, but then I thought, You know what? No, it's just a hair. There's the hairbrush. It's like, This is not. This is not a big thing. So I ended up reaching out to the store or to the company directly, and I said, Hey, this is what happens. You know, I, you know, I placed a few orders from you and this is a good seller for us. I would like to continue this relationship, but also I understand, you know, if I can't, but obviously I'll be disappointed. And one of the co-owners got back to me and they were like, This is so frustrating. We've been talking a Faire about this. We don't want to lock out existing stores. And so luckily, in our case, they were like, we'll just go on the website and tell us what you want and we'll we'll fill an order that way. And so for me, it was a little stressful because, you know, I guess in that case, it's nice that I reached out to the store and let them talk to the brand and let them know. But it was also very frustrating because now I'm like, Well, I have this whole relationship with you and your Faire where I get terms and all these things, and now I'm having to do this whole separate kind of ordering thing. And so in the future, what does that mean? Where do I order from you? I just order direct. Yeah, it definitely makes very clunky experience. It may start clunky experience. And yeah, it was. It was one of those like a wake up call for me, as from kind of going back to the vendor and where I'm selling to other stores is like I know about Faire's retailer zip code production, but I guess I never thought about what that actually looks like. Yeah, in actuality.

Katie Hunt [00:15:07] When you told me this story, I was blown away because I immediately went to, OK, there are so many manufacturers that send follow-up emails that like to do their marketing and that, like, are really trying hard to build strong relationships with the stores they sell to. And yet the Faire algorithm and the zip code protection are preventing some stores from ordering. And the brands, the manufacturers may have no idea about this, they may have no idea that they're losing out on sales, that they have a store that wants to place an order from them but cannot technically because of the technology. And to your point that, we discussed, is not a good customer experience if a customer wants to get your product and they can't get it. And so when you were telling me this story, I kept thinking, Oh my gosh, there's so much money being left on the table. And there's so much like this that this could be hurting relationships between stores and manufacturers. This could be causing manufacturers to lose out on sales that they don't even realize they're missing. And so did you then go in and turn off zip code protection for your shop? On Faire, your Faire store.

Genesis Duncan [00:16:16] So I have had so I have kind of an interesting thing. So I do have it turned off and I just have certain zip codes and territories blocked for reps and also for particularly big accounts that I protect the order volume. But overall, it's very few like a small percentage of zip codes that I need to even do that for. And so, yeah, I think it's one of those things where it just was. I mean, I ran into this problem from the manufacturer a while ago, and that's what prompted me to kind of shut things off. So I had them shut off for a while. But it's a default setting. So it's like one of those things where you have to go in and you have to request study gets turned off. Yeah. And I think, yeah, a lot of manufacturers, I would guess probably, you know, get on board on Faire. There's a lot of stuff to do. You're excited. You're getting these orders. You're not thinking about how this is going to play out and who's benefiting from a license. And don't get me wrong, I love Faire. I think it's been really great. But yeah, it's not necessarily built with your benefit in mind. It's a company. They're there to make money, right? And so, yeah, I just I while in theory, I like the zip code protection. In practice, it's a little murky. And I do think like, you know, like I was mentioning to you before, it's kind of like if it had been a brand that was just an OK seller or something like that it might be interesting to have in my shop, but not necessarily one of my strong sellers. I don't know that I would have reached out at all. And I mean, there's other brands that I want to bring into my store and that zip code protection thing comes up and I'm like, OK, never mind. I won't. And it's I'm not even having I'm not even going to the point where I'm having the conversation with the brand, like, Hey, I'm also in a zip code, but we're two different, walkable shoppable neighborhoods. We are curating to a completely different audience because I think that's one of the ways as a manufacturer, I can provide excellent customer service as I can say, Hey, how do I help you build a unique selection that is not stepping on the doors of this other retailer? Or I know maybe who carries the stuff around here and where there's shoppable neighborhoods and where there's not so and a zip code could have many of those, you know, it's like, it's not. It's very, yeah, it's very challenging. So I'm pretty sure, yeah, money is being left on the table and brands are losing out and so are stores, you know, because it's coming down to this algorithm. That's like this one zip code that isn't really a real world example of how we shop and how we buy and all kinds of stuff. So, yeah.

Katie Hunt [00:19:07] You know, I appreciate your take on this and I appreciate you sharing your perspective from both sides of the table. I think Faire has been an excellent tool for our community at large, especially during the pandemic. It's given a lot of people a lot of different opportunities to sell their products in ways that they may not have otherwise been able to do so. But we need to remember, too, that fear is a tool and that we need to leverage it in ways that are going to benefit our business. But we also need to have our eyes wide open about maybe some of these default settings that aren't serving us. So one thing that kept coming through my mind and I started to talk about it earlier but wasn't really as eloquent, is when reorders don't come through very quickly. Manufacturers and I felt this too when I had my brand. We tend to think the worst. We worry if our products sold through, we worry whether or not the stores liked it, whether their customers like this. But the fact is, we don't know what's happening in the buyer's world, what prevents them from reordering. And most of the time, delays in re orders have nothing to do with us, right? Like you get busy, you're trying new products. Maybe you have personal things going on that are holding you up from placing a reorder. But now we can add to this list, too, that, you know, the technology is preventing some people from reordering. And to what you said earlier, if it's a brand, you feel very strongly about having an. Your story, you'll find a workaround and you'll go through that clunky experience to make it work, but you're not always going to do that, and I would I would think that a lot of buyers aren't going to do that extra outreach that you did because it's not as simple, it's not as easy. So I just want to appreciate you for coming on and sharing the story and also highlighting both the pros and cons of it, because I think it's important for everyone on both the buyer side and the manufacturers side to understand some of these nuances of these tools we're using and how we can best leverage them. And I do think anyone listening, if you're on Faire, you may want to rethink the zip code protection having that turned on. It is something that you have to ask them to turn off. But Genesis, thank you for sharing your thoughts on that. Has there been a good platform for you on the manufacturing side, though? Have you had a lot of good sales?

Genesis Duncan [00:21:21] Yeah, it's been excellent. I mean, for me, I so I onboarded to Faire, I think, in 2000. 17, 2018, so a while ago, and I was kind of at this place where I was starting to do trade shows, and I really wanted to work with reps and I was having a hard time finding reps. And it kind of came in at the right time and I think I was on Faire before I got really. I mean, I feel like it feels really saturated now. So I think the timing is great. But yeah, it's been a huge game changer for me as far as growing my business. And I've it's funny because when you start out and I am sure a lot of your listeners will see their district can relate to this, you know, you're emailing everybody, you're like, I think my product would be a great fit for your shop and you're hearing nothing. And there has been one of those things where it's allowed those brands who I was noise. I was part of the noise before, right? But they were, you know, they go in there, they're looking for something specific. And so in that way, I feel like it's been easier for me to be noticed than, say, going to a trade show or emailing directly to two stores. So that's been great because I've picked up a lot of like those wish list dream stores that I thought I would be a good fit in, but that, you know, I was emailing and being like, they don't want my stuff when I didn't hear back. So I mean, in that way Faire has been there has been great just exposing people to my line, for sure.

Katie Hunt [00:22:44] That's awesome. How has your mindset shifted now that you're on the buying side, too? Because you did outreach for so long and you wouldn't hear back from some people? And I know that that takes a hit on our mindset and our ego a little bit. Like has your perspective on any of that changed now that you're also on the buyer side?

Genesis Duncan [00:23:01] Oh my gosh. So when I first opened the store, I was thinking, Oh, I wonder how long it's going to take to get emails? You know, four people are like, Yeah, you're right. And you know, they came in and I in the beginning, I made the point. I was like, I'm going to respond to all these emails and just basically give them feedback because I know what it's like if you don't hear anything. And sadly, like I was so missing out, I'm just like, there's very few people I respond to. So I get it. And I, you know, I could say any encouragement is like those emails, you know, people asking those emails, but in people's inboxes are full and in all the things, all the fires that helped you put out all the just normal To-Do list things. Me trying to sit down and make a thoughtful response. It's just it gets it goes by the wayside. And it's not that I don't want you. It's not that I don't want to. I'm not interested in somebody lying. It's just I don't have the time, but I do make a mental note of the like I usually do click on. I will look at pictures, I will look at a catalog, I will go to somebody Fairely. I just might not respond. And so for me, it has given me this interesting perspective. I'm like, OK, so how many of those people who did buy on Faire eventually, maybe they did see my work and something sparked, oh, some interest, but life just got in the way and it took maybe me coming up on a platform like Faire to see that. And also, I think, you know, through something like Faire, it's made my brand a lot more searchable by things that I am strong at or that things that people, you know, as people are looking to diversify their their vendor profiles and have, you know, makers of color and women and that kind of stuff. And Made in America brands are something like Faire’s really great for retailers to hone down on that and be like, I'm looking for a black woman owned business that is made in the USA BEM, or I'm looking for a woman owned greeting card company as best cards in Spanish. It's like you can filter down, whereas if I go to a trade show, you know, nobody knows if I'm the actual owner or, you know, it's kind of. So in that way, I think Faire's been great for that and I can see how there is that benefit from being a buyer, right? Because that's how I shop. That's how I search for the store. I'm like, our focus is on women owned companies. And so it's nice I can search for that. I can search, you know, I want stuff that's made in the USA because, you know, now they're supply chain issues. So I don't really want to wait for something to come over on a container. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it has changed the way I think about things from the whole wholesale perspective. And also when people reach out to me, I'm also thinking about like, OK, I'm seeing their work now, and they have no idea what I'm thinking about it. But I might place an order in a month and a year, but you're planting that seed.

Katie Hunt [00:25:56] I love that you shared this because, you know, one of the things we talk about at Paper Camp a lot is the multiple touchpoints in our marketing outreach, right? Like, we've got that initial phase where we are reaching out to people and introducing our line. We've got the ongoing wholesale emails that I want people sending at least once a month. I don't want you saturating people. I don't want you, you know, flooding people's inboxes, but at least once a month, you're going to see that you're going to open it. You may not respond. You may not place an order right then, but keep it. It's that multiple touchpoints is keeping people fresh in your mind, right? And to. Then you layer in social and maybe a postcard mailer or some sort of direct mail piece here and there. And I think that we never know what's going to be that one thing that pushes the buyer into action, whether it's a new product, whether it's just another touch point, whether it's a, you know, market that's happening with discounts or whatever it is. So I think the fact that you shared that you do see stuff, you do open it, you may not respond and you may not buy right away, but you are seeing this and they're staying on your radar. I think that's really empowering, and I know that's hard to hear from a manufacturer's side. I've been there, you've been there, Genesis. Like, we want some sort of acknowledgment to the effort we're putting out, but it's important for people to hear that buyers are just busy and and their lack of acknowledgment, oftentimes most of the time doesn't have anything to do with us or our product or our brand at all.

Genesis Duncan [00:27:17] Yeah, I mean, and that's I think, one of the very refreshing things about getting a glimpse behind the curtain about how stores and I mean, like I was seeing for my store is small. You know, if I had multiple stores or my store were huge and I had, you know, a huge staff and was doing tons of revenue, it would be so much worse. And I'm I'm overwhelmed, you know, and I have four people working for me and I'm still like, I can't, I can't, you know, like I, I want to look at this. I want to respond because I know, I remember. I mean, I just I don't really reach, you're still in it. But yeah, well, you know what I'm like. I know how that I know that that email probably took you a really long time to draft because you were making sure you hit the right tone and you wanted to acknowledge like something about their stores. So you did your research. But you know, it's just it's one of those things where you know your your email is coming in in between bills, notifications I have to pay and between everybody else trying to, you know, get me to pick up their line and, you know, my vet, my appointment reminders, you know, like my grocery delivery. It's like, there's so much going on and it's just it's hard work. It's all the personal. And like you said, you know, you don't know what's going on, you don't know what's going to prevent somebody from responding. And I think we as a society with culture, really have this whole thing we get so fixated on, Oh, you know, it must be me, right? And it's like, it's yeah, it's very human to think about ourselves all the time, but it's like, Yeah, we're like, What did I say wrong? Would I pick the right pictures? You know, it's like, No, it's probably has nothing to do with you at all. It's yeah, that's a very refreshing point to it's like, OK, you know what? Like, it might. You know, it might never happen. That's OK. It probably isn't a good fad. It might happen, but it might be. A year might not be on my timeline. So I think, yeah, there is the important like, do your best, put your best foot forward, but it's going to take time. It's going to take time. And I feel like every marketing thing you hear is like what you have to people have to interact with your brand, like what is it like seven or eight times or something like that? And maybe it's even more.

Katie Hunt [00:29:28] It's more now. Somebody was on the podcast recently and they said, like, thirty two and I, my mouth dropped open. I'm like, Thirty two is a lot. But then I was thinking about it, and this was years ago. I shared this on Instagram recently. Like, I had a buyer come by my trade show booth for four years straight before they placed an order. And you know, they'd walk through, they'd look at everything. They asked thoughtful questions. We had good conversations. There were no weird, awkward things that happened. It's just they weren't ready. Like they didn't see what they needed to see or whatever it was, you know, it didn't fit with what they were doing. And so I think that follow up piece in the patient's piece and to your point, to like all the marketing everyone's doing now, like it's all a long game, you know, it's all things that we need to put into play for that long game and building their relationship. I don't know. Nothing's a quick fix. Nothing's like a, you know, golden ticket.

Genesis Duncan [00:30:19] Nothing is. And you know, I think a lot about how so about the perception of things, right? So like the perception that, you know, you're super big and you're super successful and or the perception that you know this, if I buy this thing, it's going to be like a hot seller overnight. Or, you know, it's just one of those things where you think we're so inundated with things all the time with visuals, with commentary, with people who claim to be experts. And it's like, Well, you know, you gotta take that with a grain of salt because, yeah, we're one person, it's not going to work for anybody else and everybody's trying to do. Everybody's trying to make some money, and it's very easy to get sucked into things that there are. People are going to promise you, you're going to do this, and it's like, Yeah, but you know, or, you know, just the whole thing. It took me a long time to get traction in my business, you know, and for me, my personal thought is head down, do the work slow and steady, and that is what makes a sustainable business. That's what's made a sustainable business for me. You know, and if I went back to my 2017 self and I was getting on Faire and I was. Doing my first trade shows, and I was super nervous and trying to prove things and convince people, and now I'm kind of like, I'm at this place where I'm like, You know what? The right people will find my brand if I talk about it, if I put a good foot forward. And so that's been like going back to kind of the story that's going on. Things I've been thinking a lot about is the story, you know, I'm not going to get rich in the store. I'm not. But I look at it almost more like a marketing piece of my brand because there are a lot of tourists on my street who are going to come into my shop and they're going to experience my brand. My brand is very colorful. It's joyful, and I think that that's the experience I want people to have when they come into my store. I also want to be very transparent about how we do things so you can look from my store. You can see I'm in the store, look over the counter and see our operation. And that leads to really great conversations with people. So I think for me, it's like, you know, I know that this works for me, but that might not work for somebody else. But that's my authenticity. That's my brand. And I think that's something as people shift and change in their business and pick up sales channels and maybe open stores or go on Faire. It's like, these are things that differentiate yourself, right? So it's like, how do you do that? And I think going back to the whole thing is like a store owner being willing to reach out if they're being excluded? Right? For me, a lot of that was about the product and about that story. And so if you can differentiate yourself to where somebody is excited about your brand. But I was excited about the brand and it sold well for me so I could sell it in my store because I wanted to talk about it and they were cute and they fit in with our overall vibe of the shop. So, yeah, losing that brand was a big deal that was like, I need to reach out. This is important for me not only because it was selling, but because it was a good complement to what we had going on here already. So that's a long winded way to say you don't know who's listening, you don't know who's looking. But I think it's like if you can focus and do something that you're really proud about and people will find you, people will find you and they will open those emails and they will look at your pictures. And even if they don't respond right away, it's going to plant a seed.

Katie Hunt [00:33:41] They're paying attention. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I love this, and I also have to say that my head was like nodding yes the entire time you were talking about slow growth and just being very intentional in what we're creating and being intentional about how we're talking about our brand and all of these things, I couldn't agree more with what you said there. So thank you for sharing that with us as we wrap this up. What's coming up next for you? Is there anything you want to share with all of us?

Genesis Duncan [00:34:08] Well, I mean, I'm heading. We're heading into the holiday season, so it's a bit Nadia. It'll be my first holiday season with the store. We're going back to in-person events for the holidays, which I'm just really stressed about. Honestly, I'm just really stressed about it all, but I feel like that's always a big thing with wholesale. Now there's the retail component, you know, the online and off the in going back to in-person. And then, you know, also with wholesale, you always have to have something new. So we're working on our new collection for January 2022. Oh my gosh, I know well, that will be released then. And we have some fun collaborations in the works with other brands. So yeah, there's a lot, there's a lot going on, but that's exciting. It's exciting.

Katie Hunt [00:34:54] Yeah, we'll tell people where they can find you online if they want to check out your website or follow you on social.

Genesis Duncan [00:34:59] So we're online at GraphicAnthology.com and mainly over on Instagram @GraphicAnthology.

Katie Hunt [00:35:07] Awesome. Well, Genesis, thank you for this amazing chat. I really enjoyed catching up with you again and thank you to you for sharing, you know, kind of behind the scenes of what you've experienced as both a buyer and a manufacturer or selling on. I think there's a lot of nuances there that maybe we all don't realize. And so kind of sharing these types of things can help everyone benefit. So thank you for that.

Genesis Duncan [00:35:28] Of course, I was happy to chat with you, Katie. Thanks for having me on.

Katie Hunt [00:35:31] Of course, isn't Genesis amazing? She and I ended up chatting for another like ten or fifteen minutes after the episode, and because she's just so wonderful and I couldn't agree more with everything she said about slow, steady growth and how one person's business is not the same as someone else's. So I really want you to think through what she said, and hopefully that resonated with you. Also, let's circle back to this Faire zip code protection situation. You may be alienating or excluding customers without realizing it, without intending to do so because your zip code protection is turned on. Now, on the surface, ZIP code protection makes sense. A store needs to continue to place orders with you if they don't want you selling to other stores in their close proximity, right? However, we don't want to make this a bad experience for our buyers. You may have stores that want to reorder from you, but the Faire algorithm and their tech settings are preventing those shops from ordering. You may be losing out on. Sales and again, it's not a good customer experience if they need or want more of your product and cannot get it. Now not all business owners, not all shop owners will reach out directly to you. Like Genesis did. So all this to say definitely look into the settings of the different technology pieces that you're using, whether it's Faire or something else, and make sure that those settings are working in a way that you want it to work, that they're benefiting you and also helping you create an easy and streamlined experience for your buyers. All right. That's all we got for you today. If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a minute to subscribe to the podcast Proof to Product on whatever podcast feed you're listening to. Also, if you could take one minute of your time to head to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five star rating and write a review, I would greatly appreciate it. These reviews not only help us build our audience and continue to bring new high quality content, but I also love reading them, so I appreciate you doing that. Thank you for listening, and I'll be back soon with a new episode.