“20% of your customer base generates 80% of your revenue.” - Sarah Williams Identifying your ideal customer is not something you do once. It’s something you need to tweak and get clearer about in your business on a daily basis. In this episode, I’m talking about how to figure out who the 20% of your customers are who are responsible for 80% of your revenue and why you should focus all of your efforts on them. Oh… and one other thing. Stop trying to please everyone! When you try to please everyon...
Jan 11, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 104
I’ve got some star power for you on this episode of the Launch Your Box podcast! Lauren Jacobs, a.k.a The Cheerful Baker, is a member of Launch Your Box and the creator and curator of a successful cookie decorating subscription box. She’s also one of the stars of a recent episode of The Christmas Cookie Challenge on The Food Network! There is so much to love about Lauren’s story and how she went from being a mom and art teacher who loved to bake cookies for her children’s classmates and friends ...
Jan 04, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Have you launched your subscription box but found yourself struggling to grow? Launching your subscription box is a HUGE milestone. Celebrate that! The next HUGE milestone for so many of my members is reaching 100 subscribers. Some - those with large, engaged audiences - do this during their first launch. Most don’t. I didn’t. Growing your subscription box to 100 subscribers and beyond takes time. It’s important to give yourself grace and time to get there while still staying focused and holding...
Dec 28, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Did you know the subscription box industry reached 22.7 Billion dollars in revenue at the end of 2021? And it’s expected to more than triple that number by 2027! Why am I telling you this? Because there IS room for you and your subscription box. If you’ve had your subscription idea for a while, dreaming but not yet doing, make 2023 the year you get it started. It’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines and start taking action. You CAN get your subscription box up and running this year. And in th...
Dec 21, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Welcome to the 100th episode of the Launch Your Box podcast! I talk a lot about consistency on this podcast. And inside Launch Your Box. And on my social media accounts. It’s not because I don’t have anything else to talk about. If you’ve been around at all, you know I talk about all the things. But in so many of “the things,” consistency matters. I’ve gotten to 100 episodes by showing up every week . That’s right, in 100 episodes - nearly two full years, I’ve never missed a week. And showing up...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Have you considered starting with a one-thing of the month subscription? You should. Why do I say that? Well, my one-thing of the month subscription is easier to manage and more profitable than my fully curated subscription box. And my one-thing of the month subscription has almost double the number of subscribers as my larger, more expensive box. When people start thinking about starting a subscription box, they think about a fully curated box. They dream about the experience they’ll provide th...
Dec 07, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 99
“Don’t bring that stale inventory into 2023!” - Sarah Williams Inventory is one of the biggest challenges product-based businesses face. Too much, not enough… and what happens if it doesn’t sell? Now, during this buying season, is the perfect time to liquidate any old or stale inventory you have sitting on your shelves. One of my favorite ways to move product and get old inventory off my shelves is by selling Mystery Boxes. They’re new, fresh, and fun for your customers and a GREAT way to reduce...
Nov 30, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 98
I’m so excited to have Katie Eney of The Literary Book Club back on the podcast. I invited her back so she could bring us up to date on the big things that have been happening in her subscription box businesses. Katie’s quarterly luxury box, The Literary Book Club, focuses on collectible editions of classic books and wrapped page-numbered gifts that accompany the books. She also sells one-time specialty boxes, especially for holidays like Christmas and Halloween. Katie provides a truly incredibl...
Nov 23, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 97
I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Julie Harkin of the Pilot Wives Club on the podcast! Julie is an experienced, successful subscription box owner who decided to find out if something I say all the time is true, “The riches are in the niches.” Pilot Wives Club wasn’t Julie’s first subscription box. She had a tea towel subscription and 100 subscribers. The subscription was successful - her subscribers loved their towels (they are adorable!) and it was generating recurring revenue. But,...
Nov 16, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 96
“More emails equals more sales!” - Sarah Williams We’re more than halfway through the 4th quarter. For product sellers, it’s the busiest time of the year. It’s also our best chance to make some serious revenue. You’re probably feeling tired and maybe even overwhelmed. I’m tired, too. Rest when you can and then get to work. There are some things you can do now that will give your 4th quarter sales a major boost. We create different types of email content during the first three quarters of the yea...
Nov 09, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Every year for the last five years I’ve sold a Holiday Gift Box. This year was no different. What was different was that my Holiday Gift Box sold out in only four days! And it brought $20,000 in extra revenue into my business. Should you offer a Holiday Gift Box to your audience? Yes! If you already have a subscription box, you should absolutely offer a Holiday Gift Box. And if you have an audience but haven’t launched your subscription box yet, you should also offer a Holiday Gift Box. Many mem...
Nov 02, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 94
“Record everything!” - Betsy Goodman I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Betsy Goodman of B Goods Lettering back on the podcast! Betsy was here just about a year ago when she was in the middle of launching her subscription box. A lot has changed since then and Betsy is here today to teach all of us - including me - about one simple thing she did to crush it on Instagram. Betsy started lettering in 2017. After attending a workshop and having her eyes opened to the possibilities of lette...
Oct 26, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 93
I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Jane Wild of Jane’s Agenda join me to share her subscription box journey and to talk about what she did to bust through when she hit a plateau with her subscription. Jane wasn’t always a subscription box owner or even an entrepreneur. In 2013, she found herself busier than ever with a demanding corporate job and a new baby. As Jane struggled to organize the different facets of her life, she was unable to find a planner that met her needs. She decided...
Oct 19, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 92
I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Nicola Bird of The Floral Project join me all the way from the UK for today’s episode to share her subscription box journey and the story of her recent, wildly successful live launch. An entrepreneur for more than 20 years and a lifelong lover of flowers, Nicola started The Floral Project in order to bring cheer and connection during the pandemic to people who were alone and lonely. Her big vision for The Floral Project is a million posies of flowers...
Oct 12, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 91
You’ve curated a beautiful subscription box. Your website is nearly ready. But there’s one decision holding you back from actually launching. And it’s all about shipping. Should you offer free shipping or charge for shipping? Of course, “free shipping” isn’t free. If you offer free shipping to your customers, you will adjust the prices of the items you sell to absorb those shipping costs and protect your profit margins. In this episode, I go deep on all things shipping. The truth is, there’s no ...
Oct 05, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 90
I’m so excited to have Dana Bowling of Show Up on Video join me today to talk about practical strategies to create content in a way that is doable and effective as well as ways to conquer feelings around showing up on video. Dana brings her background as a casting director and acting coach to her current business where she helps ambitious entrepreneurs learn how to own being the face of their businesses. Dana is a speaker, a coach, and a podcast host. Her podcast, Show Up on Video, helps motivat...
Sep 28, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit around a table, geeking out about your business with other people who just “get it?” Have you dreamed of digging in and talking about the parts of being an entrepreneur that are hard? And the parts that are amazing? And all the in-between parts, too? It is incredibly valuable to spend time with like-minded people in person and get real - get personal even - about what it takes to keep growing as a business and as a business owner. In this episo...
Sep 21, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 88
“Hire the help.” - Tiffany Hill I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Tiffany Hill of Queen of My Castle Designs join me for today’s episode to share her journey from Registered Nurse to successful subscription box owner. A dedicated RN, Tiffany started painting door hangers as a hobby more than a decade ago. What started as something to satisfy her crafty side grew into a business that allowed her to work less hours as a nurse and spend more time at home with her husband and their three...
Sep 14, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Launch Your Box member Amanda Stucky of Mandy Lynn Plans joined me for today’s episode to catch us up on what’s been happening since her last visit almost exactly one year ago. You might remember Amanda from episode 33 where we talked about audience building and the incredible response she had to her launch despite having a small audience of only 600 people. Amanda has gone from strength to strength over this past year and continues to grow. Amanda’s early success was due in no small part to her...
Sep 07, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 86
“If you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast, now is the perfect time.” - Sarah Heeter. My podcast editor, Sarah Heeter, joined me for today’s episode to talk about all things podcast. We talked about the benefits of podcasting and why starting a niche-specific podcast could be a valuable part of your audience-building strategy. Sarah knows a LOT about podcasts. After all, she helped me start this podcast and grow it to more than 200,000 downloads in 18 months and a ranking in the top 1.5% ...
Aug 31, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 85
“Listen to your people.” - Damon Oates Damon Oates of DecoExchange joined me for today’s episode. Damon serves people who make and sell decorative wreaths, so his customers are themselves businesspeople. Damon started a subscription box several years ago and hated it. He found it to be incredibly stressful and had difficulty planning the boxes and getting the needed supplies each month. That was before he met me! LOL Damon’s first subscription had as many as 900 subscribers, but he had let it dw...
Aug 24, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 84
“Social media is a place to find our people, gather them up, and then focus only on them.” - Susan Bradley. My biz bestie Susan Bradley of The Social Sales Girls joined me for today’s episode to talk all things video view ads. Susan shared how using video and supplementing the organic reach you get with video with some ad dollars is the fastest, most effective way to grow a great big, warm audience of people without spending a lot of money. Facebook and Instagram ads don’t work like they used to...
Aug 17, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 83
“Lean into what your people are loving and asking for. And if there’s a digital option, go for it!” - Stacey Collins Subscriptions aren’t always physical items showing up on your doorstep. Think Netflix, Disney +, or an online newspaper. After today’s episode, you’ll also think about Stacey Collins and her Printable Club. Stacey is a member of Launch Your Box and a self-proclaimed lover of all things decorating, crafting, and shopping. She has spent years building a wildly loyal audience through...
Aug 10, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Audience building should always be on your to-do list. Whether you already have a subscription box or you’re just getting started, consistently work to reach and engage new people. One audience building strategy I teach inside Launch Your Box is to run a giveaway on social media. I use a free, easy-to-use software called Kingsumo to run my giveaways a couple of times a year. My last giveaway added 1500 people to my email list! When you run a giveaway, follow four simple steps Determine your goal...
Aug 03, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 81
What if you were launching your subscription box in 30 days? Maybe you’re launching for the first time or you could be operating under a closed model and you’re launching to new subscribers. In order to be ready to launch - and for your audience to be ready for you to launch - there are five things you need to be doing or start doing right now. Before I go through those five things, I do want to say I’m recommending you launch in 30 days only if you’ve already spent time building an audience and...
Jul 27, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 80
What would an extra $1000 every month mean to you and your family? Inflation. Waiting for a raise that might not happen. So many people are looking for ways to earn extra income right now. Today I’m talking about how a subscription box side hustle could bring an extra $1000 a month to your family - with only 50 subscribers. A subscription box business can be a full-time business. But it doesn’t have to be. Many members of Launch Your Box have full-time, 9-5 style jobs and successful subscription...
Jul 20, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 79
In today’s episode, I’m talking about things you can do to make your subscription box business recession ready. While it’s not possible to “recession-proof” your business, it is possible to be recession ready. Now is not a time to panic. If we made it through a pandemic, we can make it through economic uncertainty. There are practical, actionable steps you can take to make managing this time less stressful. I walk you through seven of them in today’s episode. Get control of your inventory. It’s ...
Jul 13, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 78
On today’s episode, I’m joined by Launch Your Box member and dog mom times eight, Rhonda Conces. Yes, I said eight! A true, dedicated lover of all things dog, Rhonda has eight pups of her own who help inspire her subscription box every month. Rhonda is the CEO and Founder of Monogramme No. 29. Her business was not initially focused on dogs. In fact, her first career was as a labor and delivery nurse. When an injury sidelined Rhonda, she turned to her love of crafting and soon found herself selli...
Jul 06, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 77
On today’s episode, I’m joined by Tamara Bennett, one of my biz besties who also happens to be a member of Launch Your Box! Tamara is the founder and CEO of Southern A-Door-nments Decor where she teaches women how to paint door hangers. Her business has grown over the years thanks in no small part to Tamara’s dedication to creating connections with her audience. Tamara and I met at Stu McLaren’s Mastermind more than four years ago and hit it off right away. We talk all the time about all the thi...
Jun 29, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 76
“When people are part of the process, they buy in.” - Britney Brown I’m so excited to introduce you to Britney Brown, Launch Your Box member and founder, CEO, and all the things of Imperfect Inspiration. Britney’s story and the incredible growth she’s seen in her company and her subscription box are actually perfectly inspirational! In 2020, Britney was a full-time photographer and mom of five. When the pandemic hit, the photography industry shut down. Britney turned to Tik Tok to document her l...
Jun 22, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 75
