Are the tasks and projects that you have going on in your business leaving you feeling overwhelmed? In today’s episode, I’m sharing how to reduce that overwhelm by deciding where to focus your time and energy, and identify areas where we can delegate responsibilities within our business. If you’ve been nervous to hire or delegate in your business, this episode is for you!
Read MoreIs a retail store an avenue you’ve been wanting to explore in your product-based business? Lisa DiVito of Tiramisu Paperie joins us today to share her own experience in opening a retail store as an additional revenue stream to her already successful wholesale business. Listen in as she shares what she’s learned through the process and shares advice for anyone looking to open a brick-and-mortar store.
Read MoreIt’s not often that we hear from product makers and businesses that are selling 100% retail here on the podcast, but at McKinnon Collective, Danella Ruth McKinnon and her husband have done over 150 retail markets since 2019 and their experience in this space comes with so much value! In today’s episode, Danella is sharing why they don’t sell wholesale for their handmade leather bags and how she’s found success at retail markets, including her tips for standing out, merchandising, and inventory. Listen in as she highlights how they’ve also decided to incorporate an e-commerce store into their holiday sales with a limited time run over 4 days this November.
Read MoreIf you’re looking to develop a strong product line for your business, I highly encourage you to stay away from assorted products. While some brands can make them work well, I highly despise them. In today’s episode, I’m sharing exactly why assorted products can hurt your business and why you should consider discontinuing any assorted products in your product line.
Read MoreAre you building a 90-day marketing roadmap that provides results in your business? In today’s episode, LABS community leader and alum, Shea Bailey-Burkett of Planned and Proper joins us to share how her 90-day roadmap helped grow her email list to over 10,000 subscribers in one year! Listen in as Shea shares how she built and implemented her 90-day roadmap with LABS guest expert, Lyndsay Clements, and how it’s helped keep simplified and improved her business’ marketing efforts.
Inside LABS, our 12-month group coaching program, we focus on specific topics each quarter to push our businesses forward. Q1 was focused on hiring, where we shared sample job descriptions, pay structures, and even had a call with an HR compliance expert. Q2 focused on product development and talk through sourcing fulfillment and inventory management. Q3 was all about marketing and we learned how to create and implement our 90-day marketing roadmap with Lyndsay Clements. In Q4, we’re focusing on sales.
The value in this ongoing group coaching program isn’t just the education, but the opportunity to implement and get feedback. We offer this accountability and sharing through our peer mastermind, our accountability check ins, and our community coffee chats, which is where a portion of today’s episode comes from.
Read MoreIf you haven’t raised your prices in the last 6-12 months, it’s time for you to audit your product costs and pricing to see exactly what your profit margins are. It’s likely that costs have risen and your profit margins aren’t as high as they used to be. In today’s episode, I’m sharing a few approaches you can take to communicate your price changes with your customers.
The question that prompted today’s episode was from LABS member Jenny: “I need to raise my prices. How do you recommend going about a price increase specifically on the retail side? Do we announce it, explain why, or just do it? Help me not be afraid to raise my prices. Thank you.”
Read MoreHave you started preparing your business for the holidays? In today’s episode, we’re sharing a portion of Mei Pak’s holiday sales training that she shared with our LABS community. In today’s episode, Mei is walking us through 8 tips to get your product business ready for holiday sales!
Read MoreThere’s a quote that reads something along the lines of “Remember that once you dreamed of being where you are now.” Business growth and success looks a little different for everyone depending on where you are in your life and the goals you have for your business—but a past version of yourself has likely dreamt of being the exactly where you are. It’s so easy to keep grinding and moving along in our business, but today I want to encourage you to take some time to reflect on where you started in your journey and where your business is today.
In this episode, Nikki Tyler of Lovely Little Studio joins us to discuss what the last 10 years of business has looked like for her, what her journey to wholesale entailed, and what she’d do differently if she was just getting started. Listen in as she shares how wholesale went from an idea to contributing to 95% of her revenue at Lovely Little Studio!
Read MoreAs if business owners hadn’t had enough of pivoting over the last two and a half years through the pandemic, now we are in the midst of a recession. Small businesses everywhere are worried about how to not only prepare, but also thrive during this time. As someone who has personally worked through three recessions now, I'm sharing my thoughts about what you can do to keep your business moving forward!
Read MoreHave you considered building a marketing strategy based on your personality type? If you’ve found that you don’t enjoy the marketing you’re doing in your business, you’re struggling to manage it, or you don’t think it is working for you, it could be that it does not fit your personality! Brit Kolo of Marketing Personalities has taken the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types and developed marketing plans that align with each. In today’s episode, she joins us to share how you can remove the pressure that comes with marketing and build a marketing strategy that matches your personality, which ultimately feels more natural and delivers more results.
Read MoreHave you dreamt about your products being on the shelves of big box stores? In today’s episode, Krishna Chavda of NANU Studio joins us to share her story of developing her brand, exploring wholesale, and landing her first purchase order from a big box store while exhibiting at New York Now.
Read MoreIs selling and managing your wholesale outreach not something your enjoy or are even good at? You have options to outsource sales in your wholesale business. In today’s episode, I’m walking you through three types of sales reps that you can hire, the differences between them, and what you should expect in working with each one.
Read MoreHow do you know you’re ready to exhibit at a trade show and begin selling wholesale? Christine Herrin of Everyday Explorers Co joins us today to give an inside look at how and why she decided to launch to the wholesale market and exhibit at her first trade show this year.
Listen in as she shares how selling direct to consumer and wholesale are different, along with a few of the lessons she learned about positioning, pricing and marketing her products to the wholesale market.
Read MoreDeciding to sell wholesale is the first step to scaling your business, but what are the next steps to being successful in it? Brittany O’Brien of Brittany Paige joins us to share the top three contributors to her wholesale success, how she overcame her fear of rejection, and a few tips she has for brands just getting started in wholesale. Plus, she’s sharing a little insight on her experience in growing the retail side of her business while having fun with TikTok!
Read MoreHave you found success in selling your products on Etsy? Despite the changes that Etsy has made over the last few years, the search engine is full of value for small businesses to take advantage of in growing their brand. In this episode, Lauren Keplinger joins us to share how you can enhance your Etsy sales through your product listing, keywords, and even mindset about Etsy!
Read MoreIf you’ve ever attended a trade show and felt disappointed in your sales, I have good news for you! The success of your trade show should not be solely measured by the volume of sales you get while you’re there. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 4 ways to measure your success at a trade show that don’t rely on your sales. Trade shows offer you the opportunity to maximize your time to seek client feedback, have meaningful conversations, enhance your brand recognition and visibility, and ultimately build new connections.
Read MoreBeing an entrepreneur is an emotional journey, oftentimes leading you to burnout. Kiwi Schloffel of Your Gal Kiwi joins me to talk about the many challenges that entrepreneurs face as they start and grow their businesses. Throughout this episode, Kiwi and I share personal stories to remind our entrepreneurial friends that you're not alone and that you should focus on building a business that fuels the life you want to lead.
Read MoreWhen burnout hits us on our entrepreneurship journey, it’s not only hard to see it coming, but is hard to manage and deal with it as well. In today’s episode, Valerie Hamaker joins us to share how you can identify the signs of burnout and if it’s happening due to underlying issues. Valerie Hamaker is a relationship and trauma therapist, who runs a membership community focused on helping individuals recover from issues of burnout. Listen in as Valerie shares two valuable and tangible ways that you can avoid burnout in your business.
Read MoreHave you weighed the pros and cons of sending your manufacturing overseas? While recently on the trade show floor, Emily Chiang of Emii Creations joined me for a quick conversation about her experiences with trade shows, but ended up diving into a rich conversation about manufacturing overseas. Listen in as her business model has evolved over the last two years and the role that her parents are playing in the manufacturing side of her business.
Read MoreAre you strategically mapping out your marketing plans, efforts, and strategy? In today’s episode, Lyndsay Clements of Ellen Grace Marketing joins us to share about the importance of a marketing roadmap! Listen in as she highlights why you need a marketing roadmap, how to utilize the data you have, and what the goals of your 90-day marketing roadmap should be!
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