2 Hands Made This: Recent Episodes
Christine Laureano
From the kitchen table to a 6 or 7 figures, and the marketing habits and process that grow your maker business. Copywriting, content marketing strategies and online sales methods that make a difference to your business growth.We'll talk about the sweet sweet moments of success, the ugly cries of failed campaigns, and all the marketing moments in between to move the needle toward your big, bold, and brilliant goals.
Today, we're gonna be talking about planning, based on some wisdom that my father told me years ago that I never listened to.
It was really like the eye roll when I was a kid. It wasn't until I got older, actually when I had my own business that I started listening to that bit of advice that he gave me and it was all about planning.
And my dad used to say,
You've got to make your plan. And you've got to work your plan.
It's all well and good to talk about make a plan and work your plan.
The hardest thing about that advice from my dad was I had no idea what to plan.
I was like, Okay, great. What do I do?
Why do I need to do that?
What plan am I planning?
What are we talking about?
Sure, you can say "let me make a plan."
But do you know what to plan?
Do you know not only what to plan but how to go about planning it in a way that's going to be the right plan forYOU?
There's tons of advice out there on the internet.
You've seen it.
There are gurus and planners and planning books.
For YOUR plan to work, however, they all need to work together.
And your plan needs to stop you from feeling lost or stuck. Or wondering where do your go from here?
So...your plan.
Yes, you have to make one and then you have to work it.
What are those plans?
We're going to talk about all the plans that work together?
Because really, you're not going to just have one massive plan.
For a plan to work it has to be broken down into manageable pieces.
So pull your chair up to the kitchen table...and let's get started
Resources:
Marker Marketing (e)Mail - sign up for maker marketing tips and ideas to grow your product business,
When people subscribe to your list, you’re inviting them into your community, your tribe.
But the mistake that people make (a lot) is leaving your reader to figure things out for themselves.
- What should they do first?
- Do they know why they’re there?
- What should they do next?
- What’s in it for them?
Leaving your reader without a clue will only make them frustrated, confused...and probably a little pissed off.
Many just let their email service provider do the job with the automated “welcome” and “please confirm by clicking the link.” (You know the emails.)
I was really surprised to learn that most didn’t go beyond this step.
People that decide to join you in your business adventure are your advocates in training!
When people give you their precious email address, they are saying “I give you permission to enter my life.”
That’s a big deal!
So, the best way to start the conversation and really engage each person that joins your list is to start with an email WELCOME sequence.
Resources:
Your Welcome Sequence - Nothing says “I’m glad you’re here” better than a big welcome.
With all your emails, content, and everything else that you're putting out there to the world.
What better time to talk about headlines and subject lines.
When you've read something. When something grabs your attention.
What is it that makes you continue to read it?
When the subject line or headline is generic or boring, if it's something that makes you think twice about, you don't read it.
If it doesn't interest you. You WON'T read it.
But when a subject line or a headline grabs your attention...you keep reading.
That is the job of your subject line or your headline, whether it's an email subject line, whether it's a blog post headline, whether it's a newsletter headline.
You're writing those headlines to grab your reader's attention and keep them reading down the page.
Resources
Breakthrough Advertising - Gene Schwartz
Rule of One blog post
Levels of Awareness
Justin Blackman - The Headline Project - 100 headlines in 100 days
Jay Abraham - The 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written
I hear this question a lot from people...
"How long should my marketing messages be?"
When you're writing, whether it's your copy on your website, whether it's your product descriptions, whether you are writing a sales page (both long form and short form) they come in different forms.
Same with landing pages, blog posts, social media posts, how long should you write them?
And my answer to that is...
...it needs to be long enough that your reader understands what you're talking about, and brings them to an action.
Listen to this episode as I explain how your audience's stage of awareness and the type of reader they are (do they skim or want to take a deep dive into the details?) makes a difference in the length of copy you write in your marketing messages.
Your brand is more than your colors.
It's more than your fonts.
It's more than the layout of your catalog or your product pages.
When we talk about brand, the one thing that we don't really think about is the experience we want our customers to have when they read your messages.
We want to be able to create an experience for customers, and that experience should be part of your marketing strategy.
Your brand is about the experience.
When people come to your website, what do you want to give them?
You want to give them something!
Do you want to give them just product images?
Do you want to give them just a couple of photos?
Or do you want to give them an experience?
On today's episode, I'll talk about how to find just the right words to given dimension to your messages so that you're creating an experience every time your customer reads your words.
Resources:Caroline Myss
Ba6 Marketing
Maker Marketing Mail
Christine Laureano - FB group
Christine Laureano - Instagram
I love interviewing product makers to hear their story and to find out the marketing tips that have worked...and the ones that haven’t. One of the things I realized is that, you don’t know my product business story.
So today on 2 Hands Made This, I’ll share with you the same things I ask my guests. And I’ll tell you about the marketing strategies that worked best for my product business (and yes, there are some ugly cries of failed campaigns too.)
Kitchen table epiphany - remembering how you started.
I’ve been a maker...it seems like forever. In the mid 90’s I had a gourmet deli. After that I had a drastic life change with my first daughter...which lead me to give up the idea of going out and working a JOB. When my second and third children were born...I was a stay at home mom. Which gave me the opportunity to fulfill my desire to do my own thing.
I always loved making...I had a line of baby clothes - called Hampton Baby...which in 1995 - 1997 there really wasn’t ecommerce so I sold to like shops. But...with a toddler, my days at the sewing machine where few and father between. Which was ok.
I got into aromatherapy in the late 90s. I ended up getting my aromatherapy certification (clinical aromatherapy) from the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy in BC. I loved making blends. It was when I read the ingredients on the baby lotion bottle that I started my own skincare line. The ingredients I read were toxic...and I was putting that on my babies skin.
That’s when I created my skincare line...first called Good Ground Botanicals.
In 2002 discovered the Indie Business Network...which then helped me source great raw materials suppliers and gave me ideas on product development and creating a handmade skincare business.
I had product on every flat surface in my house.
It was the point at which I had to decided, do I go find a small production/warehouse...which to me at that time freaked my out...because that meant I would either have to bring my kids there...or have someone watched them (and that was OUT OF THE QUESTION) and a story for another time.
So I took a time out...a decided to also get a life coaching certification and did a lot of mindset work...but I really missed making stuff.
So I also took a chocolatier class and ended up becoming a professional chocolatier. That was fun!! I made wedding favors and things like that. I wanted a shop after doing a feasibility study, realized that where I live I’d have to sell a lot of chocolate just to pay the rent…(but there’s a chocolate shop still in my future.)
So I went back to skincare. I had people asking me for products so I started back up...rebranded, renamed to Ba6 Botanicals, and jumped in.
I also took a GMP class that IBN had...because if I really wanted to scale I need a production studio that was GMP compliant and met FDA standards for production.
LOL my first website was on Web.com… it was horrible. The product photos were so bad. But...over time I learned how to take product photos and how to put together a marketing strategy that would sell product.
How did you come about your brand voice - When you first created your brand voice - because this matters when it comes to your marketing. Your brand voice is reflected in every piece of marketing.
What have been the marketing “things” you’ve tried over the years.
Events - Spark and Hustle was a big one for me...though it “looked good” I maybe got ONE sale. It was then I learned to be strategic with events… and NOT be a sponsor because that was just a way for the presenters to have other people pay for the event.
Social media...IG since 2014...didn’t post a lot...but it was back then...when everyone got seen.
Ugly cries of failed campaigns - the things that didn’t work...that you thought would.
Ugly cries for me were events and sponsors
When it comes to handmade businesses, Etta + Billie was my first maker crush!
Yep, I was like a tongue-tied, school girl when I first met Alana Rivera. I mean, Etta + Billie has a big following, has a big list of well-known stockists and was doing all the business things far and beyond what I was doing in my product business at the time.
And after hearing Alana talk about her business...I knew she was like the rest of us. Passionate about making product, courageous enough to make it a full time business and as down to earth as you can get when it came to asking for help in her business AND sharing her wisdom with those of us that asked.
A rock-star entrepreneur, Alana talks with me about her early days and her kitchen table epiphany that started Etta + Billie, the marketing things she tried that worked and the one that haven’t...and her soapy marketing secret...email. Email campaigns, referrals, reward and more. And how she uses testing and analytics to optimize her marketing (because her real nature is “let’s just do it.”)
Well, as entrepreneurs, we all have to learn from our mistakes and grow in ways we don’t expect.
So, pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us...and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Etta + Billie
Etta + Billie Instagram
Etta + Billie Facebook
Susan Miller Cavich - soapmaking
California School of Herbal Studies
Etsy
Indie Business Network
Maker Marketing Mail
Marketing expert and copywriter to some of the biggest names in internet marketing, Abbey Woodcock has written million-dollar launch campaigns that skyrocketed these online businesses.
I’ve known Abbey for a few years now, and as a matter of fact, she’s one of my mentors.
But that’s not quite why she’s here today.
Abbey is also venturing out in a new direction...as a maker (of sorts.)
While most people are going the other way when they branch out in their businesses, taking their brick & mortar online.
Abbey is going from an online business to a brick & mortar.
As she says...it's just the right time for going local, and opening a business and just really bringing people back to the community.
From journalism to corporate marketing to freelance copywriter for online businesses and course creators...to owner of Calle Farm Cheese Shop (www.Calle1945.com).
This is going to be a good one as Abbey opens up about her marketing ideas for her new shop and how she’ll use her experience as a marketer to build a new business from scratch.
Grab your chair on pull it up to the kitchen table with us...and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Liz Thorpe - Murray’s Cheese Shop NYC
Copy Chief Live event
Annie - Bagel Grove
Callee1945.com
Abbey Woodcock Inc - Facebook
Abbey Woodcock - Instagram
Freelance Coop
Maker Marketing Mail (c’mon and sign up so you get to know about cool people like Abbey)
She doesn’t sell nail polish...she sells confidence!
This is probably one of my favorite lines from an indie maker!
Why, because when it comes to indie brands and marketing, early on, makers look at what they sell...the features and the benefits of the product.
As you become more seasoned in the industry, and as you put your big marketing bloomers on, you realize that you’re doing SO much more.
Pam is a full-time nurse practitioner...and Stella Chroma is her “side gig” but don’t let that fool you.
She has created one helluva brand with almost 10k Instagram followers, almost 13k followers on Facebook and a healthy revenue to boot!
In this episode, my guest Pam Rodgers shares what she’s learned along the way to growing her nail polish brand.
Like...getting reeaallly specific about who her ideal customer avatar is. (BTW her name is Jenn. not Jennifer...Jenn.)
She talks about trends in her industry…
Being wise about where you spend your money...ahem...advertising and promotions…
The social media strategy that’s her biggest HIT so far...and helped her put Stella Chroma on autopilot in 2020.
So pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us...and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Andrea Evans - 2 Hands Made This Episode 9
Andrea Hence Evans, Esq.
Lela Barker - Brickhouse Branding
Erika Firm - Graphics Designer
Stella ChromaStella Chroma InstagramStella Chroma - Facebook
Dani Authentic - IG
Shopify
Susan Bradley - Social sales Girls
MakerMarketingMail.com
Her 2 hands make a lot of yummy things! And she’s continued to make a lot of yummy things for her clients as a personal chef.
Certified Personal Chef and Owner of Tailored Taste Monica, Thomas is a graduate of the Culinary Business Academy, a premier member of the United States Personal Chef Association, and a ServSafe© certified food manager. In 2017 she was inducted into the esteemed Les Dames d’Escoffier, a membership-by-invitation philanthropic all-professional association.
At the USPCA national conference in August 2012, Monica was named Personal Chef of the Year.
But she’s not here today to talk about making food. She’s here today to talk about marketing.
A few years ago I met Monica because she needed some help with her copy and her marketing.
She has a thriving business with many satisfied clients. Monica is also a coach and mentor to new personal chefs.
What I love about Monica and her marketing is that she is not afraid to try new things! She also will tell you...when something isn’t working...LET.IT.GO!
Monica has a lot to share today...especially one particular marketing strategy she is working on to grow her business in 2021.
Pull up a chair to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Tailored Taste Personal Chef Service
Tailored Taste Coaching
Flavors & Fun - Ireland
MakerMarketingMail.com
Recovering trial attorney, copywriter, mindset coach.
I first met Linda Perry in a mastermind. She was a stressed-out copywriter going above and beyond for her clients. And feeling it!
I remember the moment Linda had her breakthrough. That kitchen table moment when she decided to go all-in as a mindset coach for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The reason she got into copywriting was she saw how life coaches had such a hard time marketing themselves.
She knows what it’s like to bump up against those same obstacles and you just can’t bust through – no matter how hard you try.
She saw how much business owners have this head trash, those feelings that you’re not good enough, that you don’t know enough, that you’re a fraud...all that stopping them from really being able to fulfill their business vision.
She wanted to help people with real coaching designed to uncover and dismantle limiting beliefs and patterns so you can finally take real action!
In this episode, Linda is going to give you some ideas for clearing out your head trash so you can take that action in your business to move you leaps and bounds from where you are now.
So pull up your chair to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
If I do X and you do Y...I’m going to do Z...and follow through
Unstoppable
Linda Perry
Mindsetters
From a million-dollar biz to a mom & pop shop...Maker of Bagels. Direct response copywriter. And coach and mentor teaching restaurant owners how to find customers online, Annie Aaroe shares her biz brilliant and how her bagel business bounced back after the pandemic. (And what’s new on the horizon for her.)
Annie is the owner of Bagel Grove in Utica, NY. She’s been in business for 30 years...growing and building her bagel business. Then, well, 2020 hit. After completely shutting down in April, she had to come up with a new plan. A new strategy. And new marketing.
One of the things you’ll hear in this episode really struck me...what was a booming million-dollar business became a mom & pop business. Annie was creating the new normal for her business. And a new service Annie came up with to offset (help offset) the wholesale part of her business and actually brought a sense of normalcy to her customers. And...how a Youtube ad gave her a 12% return.
And how her skills as a direct response copywriter have given her the marketing edge.
There are a lot of gems in this episode so pull up your chair to the kitchen table and enjoy the show.
P.S. Annie has a little something for you too…The Maker’s Guide to Getting Inside Your Ideal Customer’s Head Remember to...Go To File → Make a Copy - save to your drive
Resources:
You’ve been at the point where things are working and everything you’re doing screams brave, bold and confident. You can tell anyone, with all the conviction in the world, that they should absolutely buy your products. The whole thing was feeling good.
But maybe you’re questioning things again. Maybe you feel the itch to do something new, expand your line or even move into something else.
Then 2020 hit...which is definitely a year for the books.
It was anything but business as usual.
Many makers have had their best year yet and are wondering how to keep it going...this NEW growth phase that took you just a little bit by surprise.
AND it has you hesitating because you have to face the inevitable...the right of passage that happens when you head into the unknown...again. That place is what Seth Godin calls The Dip.
You might be surprised to know that 78.3% of entrepreneurs are in this growth phase right alongside you.
Today my guest Carolyn Herfurth is going to talk us all through The Dip.
Carolyn is a fierce lovin’, truth-speaking, high-fiving, to-the-point, no BS, business-building force of nature.
She’s been in business for over half of her adult life and remembers what it’s like when you’re lost. When you’re confused. AND when you really need some smart, guidance. (Kinda like a big sister with some serious business skills.)
So pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us...and enjoy the show.
Show notes:
Carolyn Herfurth
Evolve Accelerator
The Grapeseed Company 2 Hands Made This - Episode 14
Brene Brown - 2 sisters going through burnout
Maker Marketing (e)Mail - sign up for Christine’s newsletter
One of the most unique makers I have the privilege of knowing...and being inspired by her when I had my product business…
Kristin Fraser of The Grapeseed Company
I have followed her journey (she started her business on a sailboat) for years and she’s the only one I know who has literally dug her hands in and made a product from what’s left over when the winemakers make wine. The wine trash as Kristin calls it.
But it’s really known as...the grapeseeds.
At Kristin’s company, they dry and press the seeds themselves to produce a rich grapeseed oil full of resveratrol that, well, no other product maker has. It’s their own. It is the basis of every product they make.
And THAT is the unique mechanism (to use a marketing term) that sets The Grapeseed Company apart from every other natural product maker.
And their marketing! Let’s me say, you’ll just have to listen to Kristin and her creativity that grew her business and the biggest ugly cry I’ve heard yet...and how she’s overcoming that.
So pull up your chair to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Show Notes
The Grapeseed Company Press
The Scent Camper
Indie Business Network
Savor the Success now Savor Life Planner
The right funnel strategies can help you drive traffic, attract new ideal buyers, and move them through the sales funnel towards that big, beautiful BUY button.
Paige Swaffer...AKA The Impact Copywriter...it a conversion copywriter and funnel strategist who specializes in helping train companies and service providers to strategically sell more of their products and services online.
Today we’re talking about what a funnel is as well as your newsletter and simple email automations to grow your list. Boost your trust factor. And turn subscribers into sales.
Grab your notebook and pen, pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
The Impact Copywriter
The Newsletter Planner
For email marketing stats Google:” Email marketing for the year”
The section where I Paige mentions about content... Starting at 24:48 - 26:27
Who is wise, is a southern gal with a lot of sass, and is purple? (Well, at least her hair is.)
Sandy Engels of The Purple Sage - that’s who!
Her brand isn’t just about soap and body care, it’s about listening to the sage inside you!
You need to slow down!
The sage inside wonders where you’ve been and why you’re not taking time for “me”.
The sage inside even wonders why you’re running around worried about your empty nest?
The sage inside is not going to bully you and say let me out.
Nor will the sage guilt you.
As soon as you quit yourself…the sage shows up.
The ritual of bathing…going behind closed doors with no interruptions has allowed me to slow down and let the sage inside, come out – and I know it can for you too!
Sandy’s brand is about the woman inside of you. That Sage. And she’s created a helluva soap and body care brand caring about YOU.
After a major brand revamp and then going ALL IN on her marketing, well...the numbers speak for themselves.
Her sales are up 195% from December 2019 and 2020
She’s already up 67% for the quarter (that’s Q1 of 2021)
In today’s episode, Sandy tells us how’s she’s done it, even after almost throwing in the towel, she rebranded, went all in and now her sales are exploding.
Pull up your chair to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Show notes:
The Purple Sage
The Purple Sage on Facebook
Coffee with the Sage - Coming soon...FB lives and the intimate stuff in private group
Official Purple Sage Instagram
Verbhouse
Michaels - melt and pour
Indie Business Network
The Social Sales Girls
Shopify
Christine Laureano and Ba6 Marketing
There is no one more FUN or more skilled when it comes to content strategy, planning and writing than my friend Karine Bengualid of Brought to You By The Letter K! (even her business name is fun.)
Boring marketing doesn’t attract attention
Boring marketing doesn’t go viral
Boring marketing doesn’t turn your ideal customers into raving fans
Boring marketing is … boring
Don’t lose business to competitors that, on the surface, appear to be more innovative, you know you’ve got to switch it up.
Karine, since I’ve known here, is all about making marketing FUNNER. About switching it up and doing more of what works for you...and less of what doesn’t.
Today, she’s giving us all a lesson in making content marketing more funner.
After working with brands like Rakuten, Shopify, The Toronto Maple Leafs, The Toronto Raptors, Thinx, Silversea, Whistler Blackcomb, Mediaplanet, and Media Bistro to name a few...she knows a thing or two about making content marketing work for your business.
Grab your chair and pull it up to the kitchen table with us...and enjoy the show!
Show notes
Brought to You By The Letter K
P is for Planner
Brought to You By The Letter K - Facebook
Brought to You By The Letter K - Twitter
Brought to You By The Letter K - Instagram
Brought to You By The Letter K - Linkedin
Angela’s daily FB livesSandra Boynton
Asking for help, pivoting, and a “do it anyway” attitude to grow your business.
If you ever doubt yourself or think you can’t promote yourself, or create videos in order to make your brands known to the world…
Then today’s episode is for you!
My guest today is La Shinda Tyree of Nyah Beauty.
I first met LaShonda many years ago as a member of the Indie Business Network.
She is mild-mannered, kind, and knows an absolute ton about making soap and skincare. As a matter of fact, she’s been teaching it for many years. People pour into her classes like the Bath Fizzy class, Inner Soap Chemist - The Chemistry of Soapmaking, Vegan candle making and her Soap Making Intensive
As well as her popular event Sip & Soap.
She’s been growing her business Nyah Beauty because of her expertise and amazing products.
When you hear things like…
“I am addicted to Nyah's sugar scrubs. I pack them with me wherever I go .”
And
"I don't think I will ever use Dove soap or Jergens lotion ever again. The Indianwood Rose is my favorite. OMG."
You know La Shonda is on the right track with her business and her marketing.
And then there are the pivots.
From email marketing to social media to getting found in a google search...how many podcast should I be on...do I need to be at events...do I need to do video...we all have those questions.
I remember the thought of going LIVE on video made LaShonda almost freeze in her tracks.
She knew it had to be part of her marketing and was apprehensive...but she did it anyway.
So she made the pivot...she got on FB Lives...and then did other videos and now there’s no stopping her.
In this episode, we talk about pivots and finding the resources and being an “asker”, which means asking for help to make it so much easier to take those pivots in stride.
So pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Nyah Beauty - you can get all the dirt on Nyah Beauty by signing up for the newsletter.
Rising Tide Capital - La Shonda Tyree CBA Educator
Indie Business Network
Google Review
Groupon - Handmade Soap Coach offer
Shopify
Kit app Kit will recommend the marketing activities most likely to drive sales
Gary V (Vaynerchuk) Jab Jab Right Hook
Where would our businesses be without a professional like Andrea?
You’ve come this far...are you willing to go a little farther?
To invest in your idea and your business so no one can take it.
There’s nothing worse than finding out someone took your idea or your business name and are is making a ton more money than you.
And you not having any legal recourse because you didn’t do this ONE very important thing in your business.
TRADEMARK.
Can you do it on your own?
Sure. You can read a book. And If you have time to spend hours pouring through the USPTO searches to see if any other business is using your name and trying to figure out the legal-ease on your application so you don’t get screwed.
OR…
You can talk to someone like Andrea who knows all the ins and outs of trademark and IP law.
Trademarking a new business is a step that is often skipped over by entrepreneurs while rushing to launch their new startups. Not only can early-stage trademark research and registration help protect your brand, but it can also help avoid infringing on another mark down the road, after pouring countless amounts of time and money into the business.
Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. launched the intellectual property law practice, The Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans, LLC . She worked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for 5 years as both a patent examiner and a trademark examining attorney after graduating from law school.
She has many many accolades, her most recent being 2020 National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division (WLD) Outstanding Woman Lawyer in a Solo/Small Firm
Andrea is a GEM and over the years has helped entrepreneurs and indie businesses protect their ideas and themselves with trademarks.
Pull up your chair to the kitchen table and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Andrea Hence Evans Esq.
Andrea’s newsletter
Andrea on Facebook
Andrea on Twitter
Andrea on Instagram
Indie Business Network
How can you make an impact in your corner of the world?
By building your authority!
A glossy, curated Instagram-worthy project is not what you will get out of Patti Haus and The Authority Project. It’s an honest, real account of building a business. Including the good, the bad, and the really, embarrassingly awful.
Instead, you’ll hear about mindset issues, struggle with imposter syndrome, and how she almost threw up the first time she spoke on stage. And every subsequent time. She mentions this every time because that’s how scary it was. And is.
Building your authority in your business is a key piece to your business success. After all, if nobody knows you, you’ll stay the best-known secret forever.
You have to be willing to get out there. To be the face of your brand. To share your knowledge, give your audience a piece of your mind (from time-to-time) blaze your trail with your personality (because no one on the planet is like you and knows what you know the way you know it.)
Patti and I met in a mastermind a few years ago and is not only my copywriting partner in crime and business-building BFF she’s the person I turn to when I need a kick in the ass when it comes to “saying yes” to building my authority. (hey we all need that friend that’ll give us the boot in the butt we need.)
The Authority Project turned into more of a movement than just this experiment. In this episode, Patti shares what it takes to say YES to pretty much whatever comes along to build your authority, getting over the mindset issues that WILL show up, and feel good about being the expert in your field that you are.
Join us at the kitchen table and enjoy the show.
I have known Kayla off for many years. first as the owner of Essential Wholesale that supplied raw materials to cosmetic product makers and was listed as an INC. Magazine 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America for three years in a row, to Book author and book writing coach to now the owner of Ology Essentials.
Kayla was one of the people I could always sit down with and talk about aromatherapy and the good manufacturing practices that go along with using essential oils.
And Kayla is just an all-around great at helping people with her wisdom and information.
Kayla is an excellent businesswoman and the most down to earth women I know. As she grew essential Wholesales and eventually sold it it was a multi-million dollar business. with her skills and knowledge of running that business, Kayla can pretty much start from scratch and build a business, get it out into the world and make a difference.
From starting a blog... Because Donna Maria said so... to her weekly newsletter and then on to events and becoming a teacher and speaker across the industry. Kayla has marketed herself in ways that are traditional and unique in themselves.
Talking face-to-face and handing potential customers samples was one of Kayla's biggest marketing tools that move her forward... Which still works today.
“Help people in your industry without it really being competition, you know, everyone's got their own voice and their own product. And I think it's just priceless to help each other out.”
Oh don't worry Kayla has had her share of failed campaigns, one that was a good ugly cry and almost stopped her in her tracks
Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Ology Essentials
Ology Essentials on Instagram
Ology Essentials on Facebook
Donna Maria
Indie Business Network
Michelle’s story starts out like many of ours...fulfilling a need that she didn’t see in the marketplace.
It all began when Michelle wanted to use cloth diapers on her babies (you know...it’s more environmentally friendly.) With her first baby, she used disposables - holy crap there’s so many diapers and they don’t disintegrate!
And that opened Pandora's box.
With cloth diapers, there’s a certain type of laundry detergent you have to use. You have to buy something that doesn't have any scent doesn't have any dye doesn't have any oxygen whiteners. And it can't leave anything behind which 99% of laundry detergents leave something behind.
When she was researching laundry detergent, she started researching soap. And realized she wasn't even washing her family’s clothes with real soap.
The name brand stuff that you always use on your babies. That's, not even real soap.
Down the google rabbit hole she went.
She found a castile soap product that checked all the boxes...so she bought it.
While she was sitting there, pregnant bathing her oldest, she read the bottle, and it said that you can clean things with it.
“And I was like, Oh, so I'm sitting next to the toilets, like clean the toilet. I clean the floor. And I'm like, and then I'm cleaning her with it. I'm like, wow, this is pretty cool.”
It was love at first swipe (of the toilet, the floor, bathing her kids)
One soap many uses! From diapers to babies, to toilets and floors.
And like the rest of us product makers...she found a simple recipe to make it herself! (que dream sequence music) and Mama Suds was born.
When it came to marketing…
Her first big thing was growing her email list...but she had to find that juicy carrot to dangle in front of her audience because people need a GOOD reason to sign up.
Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Mama Suds
Lucky Break Consulting
Melanie Duncan
Amy Porterfield
Verb House Creative
Social Sales Girls
What do you get when you cross 2 creative minds and a love for Leather, gunpowder, sandalwood, and sagebrush…
You get OUTLAW
Danielle was working at the Oprah Winfrey Network making more than six figures...but she and her husband (and co-founder) Russ wanted to move out ...leave their converted brewery/concrete artist loft with 6 roommates to somewhere that was beautiful that maybe had wild animals and stuff.
Today, Outlaw soaps is 8 years old with projected revenue of 3.5 million (yes...million, made by making soap, not robbing the stagecoach.)
On today’s episode, Danielle tells us how they started, what marketing strategies work and what didn’t.
From watching a lot of internet goat videos. They started thinking, “what would happen if we did something?” And so they started opening their minds to the opportunity of what would that look like. AND...How their drunken roommate Paul sped up the process of launching their business and finding their own place.
So that you understand the journey that this has been. So we started with like $17.50 in 2013, buying ingredients from Whole Foods, and we and also Lowe's, because at that time, you could buy sodium hydroxide at Lowe's. And we kind of grew like 10 to 20%, every year until 2018, when we made a whopping $290,000, in 2018. And then in 2019, we had a real breakthrough. And last year, we made $1.23 million. And this year, we're on track for 3.5 million. So I just I just wanted to give a little bit of context, because we did start this in our living room. We started this using YouTube videos teaching us how to make soap. And we bought the ingredients retail. And now we are buying barrels of oil. And we have 23 employees and and we just closed our first round of investment. And I truly believe this is not bragging This is just saying you if I could do this coming from corporate, I had no entrepreneurial experience to speak of. If I could do this, you can do this. Anybody could do this.
Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.
Resources:
Outlaw Soaps Facebook page
Outlaw Soaps
David Sanghera
Launch.co
Faire.com
Indie Business Network
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing...and this week’s guest will show you how her non-traditional marketing has made her stand out in a crowd.
I have known Roberta for years. Roberta Perry started Scrubz Body back in 2006 with her late sister Michelle. They tested products on each other’s dry itchy skin and found THE ONE that worked head-to-toe.
We met through the Indie Business Network (finally a local person that made products like I did) and have grown our friendship ever since. Having a like-minded business friend definitely helps grow your business and we’ve tossed around many many ideas over the years.
Roberta created Scrubz because she couldn’t find a product she liked in the stores. Most were too greasy for her. So...she made her own scrub formula.
And started an eCommerce store. But, she didn’t want to be a retail business...she wanted to be a big wholesale business. Then life and business lead her down new roads (and a thriving brick and mortar store and eCommerce shop.)
And the one piece of advice stood out for her...which became her brand voice.
Never apologize for having passion about what you’re selling.
Pull a chair up to our kitchen table and hang with us a while…
Marketing strategies that have worked for Roberta:
- Charity work and giving back. WTFC - Women Together Fighting Cancer
- Free Publicity
- Superior Customer Service - Show customer gratitude - what is the problem and help them solve it.
- The pivot to make her online business great
Ugly Cry:
Ads - a smaller brand that tried to be a big brand...and didn’t work (15-20 times didn’t work.)
Sweet Success:
Emails - email marketing and weekly newsletter
Free publicity using HARO
The 3 top marketing tips for rising starts…
Newsletters! And build an email list (GOLDEN NUGGET) one customer at a time.
Hands-on demos and give away samples (in customer orders, raffles, donate to a good cause.)
Free publicity - word of mouth
“Ya gotta just love on your people.” Roberta Perry
Resources:
Free Publicity with Jeff Crilley
The Indie Business Network
Marie Forleo
HARO
The Power of Free Publicity by Roberta Perry
Klaviyo
Scrubz Body and Skincare
Have you ever had a problem that you can’t find a solution to? Not only is it annoying, it’s frustrating as hell because of the hopeless feeling that starts to set in.
Laura grew up with some seriously sensitive skin…the kind of sensitive where ALL of the commercial products irritated her and really wreaked havoc on her skin.
So Laura and her sister ditched the idea of using any kind of cool advertised products (You know how that is when you’re a teenager) and started making stuff using olive oil (it was the only thing her skin liked). SO Laura made stuff. At first it was because she came from a crafty family. In college, it was because she was poor and made gifts for her friends and family. When someone told Laura her stuff was wonderful and she should start selling it, that’s all it took.
Here first Christmas show at the firehouse she told $300 of product…Olive my Skin was born. But…it wasn’t until he lost her corporate J.O.B. that he became a full time business.
From a corporate IT position to booming skincare and lifestyle product business….Laura’s problem with her sensitive skin turned into a business.
So many product makers start because they needed something that they couldn’t buy in a store…so they made it.
Laura had a idea, a need, and 2 hands…so she made it.
Come join us at the kitchen table to hear Laura’s marketing tips and ideas that got her to where she is today (and BTW…her marketing gave her a 258% increase in Black Friday sales over last year.)
Learn the BIG ugly lesson Laura learned with magazine ads.
And the sweet wins with email (it's a biggie for Laura), postcards, unboxing experiences and her VIP treatment.
Resources:
IBN - The Indie Business Network - resource and community for makers
Ba6 Marketing - Christine Laureano - product descriptions and email marketing
Vistaprint - for postcards, etc.
In this episode, I’m talking to my friend Tamera Pence of Bella THe Corner Gourmet. We met several years ago in a collaboration, A circle, of women and I was so impressed by Tamera’s mild manner and kick-ass business sense.
From creating a personalized experience for customers in her B&M store to launching an online store (in case everything goes sideways) Bella The Corner Gourmet has become a destination business. In Lewisburg WV.
Pull up a chair and join us at the kitchen table...
2020 is different...it’s about working to spread the crowds out, keep everyone safe...and keep the customers flowing.
Bella The Corner Gourmet - Hometown feel with a big brand voice.
A contemporary brand in an old historic West Virginia town is now known as a West Virginia brand.
Marketing strategies that work for Tamera:
- Being a big listener (to everything) is key…
- Listening to employees…
- Listening to trends…
- Getting educated on social media and
- Becoming part of a like-minded buying group that collaborates and supports each other.
Marketing/Advertising Co-op: The Lewisburg - downtown business assoc. As president of her local group, they work with local convention and visitors bureau to make this a destination place with a variety of festivals throughout the year.
Find your niche group! Joining a membership group out of Atlanta has changed her business and her life and gives power to small businesses.
Hard parts…
...becoming the face of her business. And wanting to “hide” and have someone else be that face of the brand...but ya gotta own it!
...having staff that’s a perfect fit...it takes time to find those people that are an extension of ‘you.’
Sweet successes…
...social media
...local “members only” VIP days In the store
...and the Bella Cooks Club that supports breast cancer patients.
The 3 top marketing tips…
- Don’t be afraid to delegate
- Meet your market...it’s not about you
- Gratitude and joy (you have to hear how Tamera says this.)
Check out Tamera and Bella The Corner Gourmet
Lewisburg Downtown Business Association
Gourmet Catalog Buying Group
What an episode to kick off 2 Hands Made This podcast.
From Organic Siren to Celtic Complexion - words matter with your brand...so does the way you market your products.
Don’t be a me-too...you need to create a marketing strategy that works for you and the vision and goals of your business...that’s a gem shared in our episode today.
You can blend in generically or you can stand out in your niche.
Today I’m talking with my friend Jennifer Waller of Celtic Complexion.
Years ago she had a vision of a brand that would lift women up and set them free of the ingredients that irritated and agitated their sensitive skin.
She took her in-depth knowledge of the beauty industry, her expertise as an esthetician and her skill as a direct response copywriter to create a marketing strategy that makes her the talk of rosy-cheeked and ruddy skinned women from San Francisco to North Carolina.
Little did she envision that her business would be the luxury artisan brand it is today and a sponsor for the Rose of Tralee Irish festival.
Has Jennifer got some great tips for you.
Enjoy the episode