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You're listening to gift biz unwrapped episode 199 I am a

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firm believer in taking action before we feel a hundred percent

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ready. Attention gifters,

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bakers, crafters and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.

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Whether you have an established business or looking to start one

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now you are in the right place.

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This is gift to biz unwrapped,

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helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.

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Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,

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resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.

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Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.

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Hi there,

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it's Sue.

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Thank you for joining me again on the gift biz on

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wrapped podcast.

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When I say secrets in the title of this show,

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boy do I mean it.

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Katie shares so much valuable information not only on how you

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get placement in your local shops but also in larger multi

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chains and potentially even the box stores.

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We get into tactics point tips,

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the value of a trade show everything.

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Make sure to stay to the end because I have an

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important message for you,

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a little secret of my own,

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but for now I want to get straight into the show.

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Today I have joining us,

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Katie hunt.

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Katie is the founder of trade show bootcamp,

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most of the proof to product podcast,

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a business strategist and mentor to creative entrepreneurs.

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She's helped more than 850 brands get their products on the

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shelves of retail stores,

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big and small.

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Her client's products can be found in target,

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Anthropologie, Nordstrom,

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the container store and independent boutiques around the world.

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Katie is a firm believer in professional development surrounding yourself with

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community and pushing go even when you might not feel 100%

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ready. I'm thinking we all can relate to that.

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Welcome to the gift biz on rep podcast.

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Katie, Thank you so much for having me.

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Sue, it's a pleasure to be here.

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I love when people put a really creative and have their

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intro in cause it's perfect.

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It already gives us a little bit of a feel For

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who you are and your personality.

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And yes,

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well, if we all waited until everything was perfect,

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we'd never get anywhere.

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Right? Oh my gosh.

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So true.

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And you know,

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we keep telling people,

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you've got to just get started,

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right? Yeah,

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absolutely. So let's start with you in a little bit of

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a different way.

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And that is by having you describe yourself through a motivational

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candle. So if you were to think of a handle and

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envision what that would be for you,

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Katie, what would the color be and what would be a

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quote that would be on your candle?

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So light blues or green colors.

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I love the ocean,

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I find it calming.

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And so some sort of Aqua Marine color is where I

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would, and the phrase actually ties into my bio a little

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bit. It would say done is better than perfect,

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and I'm sure that your listeners can relate to wanting everything

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to be perfect before they put it out in the world.

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But as my bio stated,

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I am a firm believer in taking action before we feel

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a hundred percent ready.

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And by taking that imperfect action,

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you're able to get your products and services out to market

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and then make adjustments based upon how people respond.

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And frankly,

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this phrase done is better than perfect,

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applies to my personal life as well as my business life.

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I think that's kind of a characteristic of makers because when

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you're making,

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you have control over the finished product,

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so you keep going and you keep going and you tweak.

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We could sit behind our creative products forever and never get

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them out.

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And I did.

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I looked back When I had my product based business and

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there are things that I started to create that I never

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actually put out into the world because it wasn't quite right

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yet. And I look back and I think that It's such

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a shame people would have loved that we would have needed

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it. Katie,

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I know.

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What was I doing?

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Well that was a perfect segue cause I would like to

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do a little bit of the background of you and how

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you've gotten to where you are today.

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So why don't you take it away.

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Sure. So in 2008 I was marrying my high school sweetheart

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and I did my own wedding invitations mostly as a creative

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outlet. I was working in the corporate world at the time

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doing business development and marketing for attorneys.

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And so nights and weekends I was dabbling in design basically.

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And I really enjoyed creating these wedding invitations and playing with

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pattern and texture and color and all these different things.

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And I made our invitations.

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And then I also made no cards,

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personalized note cards,

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stationary for our bridesmaids and some of the people that were

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involved in our wedding and they were hit.

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I think I started getting inquiries from friends and family that

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wanted note cards and wedding invitations and all these things.

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And so that was the end of October.

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It was October,

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2008 and I started up a little Etsy shop and just

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thought, wow,

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but what I have so far and see what happens,

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and I got started getting orders and custom requests too from

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people and my mom turned to me,

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I think it was around Christmas time and she said,

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you know,

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if you're going to do this,

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if you're really like interested in building a business here and

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not just having this be a hobby,

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maybe you should think about going to like a big trade

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show, like the stationary show or something in New York.

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And at the time,

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I don't think I had a filter for risk,

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at least not like I do now to some extent,

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but I said,

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yeah, let's do it.

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And I was all in and so that May,

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2019 I launched to the wholesale world in addition to having

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my retail side of the business and I learned a lot

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of hard lessons at that show.

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I got shut down by the fire Marshall before the show

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started because the materials we were using in our booth,

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I didn't have the proper documentation to show they had been

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fireproofed. My pricing was too high.

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I didn't have enough product,

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so there were some tough lessons I learned.

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However, I walked away with some orders.

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I walked away with a whole slew of contacts with people

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to follow up with and people that I'm still in contact

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with today.

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I met a whole slew friends too,

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so you know there are a lot of fits to being

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there. It just did not go as I was planning Well,

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but you knew for the next time,

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right? Of course,

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yes. I used to show at that trade show also the

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national stationery show.

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Yeah. I used to be there too.

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In fact,

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we were probably there together.

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I'm thinking,

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but Devin is pretty strict,

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that's for sure.

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That's so funny.

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I, yeah,

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I exhibited there 2009 til 2006 so 17 was my last

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show. So At that specific,

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yeah, I stopped doing that show a couple of years ago

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also. So we pretty much overlap.

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That's so funny.

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We did.

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I'm sad that we haven't met sooner than,

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I know it's a huge show though.

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I do still a lot of trade shows and so that

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just goes to the point that you evolve,

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you see what's working from past shows,

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see where you make mistakes,

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et cetera.

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And then it doesn't mean that if it was a really

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good show for you at one point it would still be.

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Absolutely. So things have to evolve.

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You have to continually analyze.

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Absolutely. I tell that to all my students as well,

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but so I came back from that show and I had

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a whole bunch of colleagues that were like,

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I'm considering doing the show too.

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Like can you share with me what you learned?

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And so I wrote a blog post with a friend of

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mine. I think it was like five things I wish I

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had known or I wish I had thought of before the

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show. And it got a lot of traction and every year

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as these types of shows started to roll around,

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I would get emails,

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tons of emails from people asking me the same types of

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questions over and over,

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how much did it really cost?

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How much product did I need,

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how do you get it all there?

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So it was a mix of logistical questions as well as

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some product questions or how to prepare your line for the

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wholesale market type of stuff.

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And I would sit there and thoughtfully write everybody back.

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Now keep in mind this,

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I was still in my day job.

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I was still growing my small business.

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I had a couple of small children at that point,

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but I really was passionate about helping others that were working

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alongside me.

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Basically my colleagues.

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I was passionate about working together to grow all of our

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businesses. I strongly felt that if we shared our resources,

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pulled our resources in terms of knowledge base and experience and

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all of that,

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we could grow faster together.

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And so I started trade show bootcamp in 2011 and at

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the beginning it was just for teleconference calls and I brought

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in some buyer,

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a sales rep,

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other manufacturers,

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and we talked about preparing for those types of shows.

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And so that was where the company name was truly around

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preparing for trade shows.

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But as we got into it,

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we realized that there people had a lot of questions before

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trade shows.

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Like their product line wasn't ready,

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their pricing wasn't ready then and how their sales tools like

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catalogs. And so we expanded our programming to include all of

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that like before a show after the show.

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And just really articulating that shows are just one step in

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a marketing plan,

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not the end all be all.

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So anyhow,

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Well I love this story Katie,

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because it's showing a really good best practice in that you're

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listening to what your audience is wanting from you.

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Cause you probably would have never thought of going this direction,

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but you listened to them and started developing it slowly over

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time and look what it is now.

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Yeah, I know.

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It's insane.

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Now we do conferences and we have larger courses that we

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do and smaller courses that we do and I do one

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on one coaching and so yeah,

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I mean it's been amazing.

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I feel very grateful that I've been allowed to play a

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small part in helping my friends and colleagues grow their businesses

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into the small empires that they are.

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Perfect. Wonderful.

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Well before we get into a couple of the topics that

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we agreed we'd talk about today,

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I would love your feedback in your opinion on building on

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the side.

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So you still had your full time job and you started

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and built it up while you still had the comfort and

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I'm going to say comfort,

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I don't know if you liked what you were doing or

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not, but it was a lot easier and a lot less

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stressful because you had an income coming in.

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Yeah, I will tell everyone that I know how difficult it

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is to have a side gig while you're also running a

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day job.

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And perhaps in my case I had two children under two

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years old at the time too,

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so it was a lot.

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But having that day job enabled me to grow my business

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so much faster.

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I was able to reinvest money from the business back into

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the business because my day job was helping to pay for

266
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:55,420
a family needs.

267
00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,040
And so when I talk about this,

268
00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:57,610
I usually say,

269
00:09:57,610 --> 00:09:57,880
you know,

270
00:09:57,880 --> 00:09:59,290
I was able to do these shows,

271
00:09:59,290 --> 00:10:02,590
these wholesale shows that cost tens of thousands of dollars sometimes

272
00:10:02,590 --> 00:10:04,930
and I was able to build a new website that I

273
00:10:04,930 --> 00:10:08,530
needed because I had the comfort of that day job to

274
00:10:08,530 --> 00:10:10,450
pay for our family expenses and things.

275
00:10:10,630 --> 00:10:12,850
Right, and your point is you actually were able to go

276
00:10:12,850 --> 00:10:16,510
faster versus slower because you were able to make bigger moves.

277
00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,530
Exactly. I don't think people think about it that way.

278
00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:19,920
They think,

279
00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:21,000
well, if it's on the side,

280
00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,760
that means it's going to go much slower and that's not

281
00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,010
necessarily the case because of what you just said.

282
00:10:26,070 --> 00:10:27,450
You've got the money to invest.

283
00:10:27,870 --> 00:10:31,440
Yeah. If I was having to use my business funds to

284
00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,440
pay for our family to eat and our housing and all

285
00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:34,980
that stuff,

286
00:10:35,010 --> 00:10:36,990
it would have taken me a lot longer to build that

287
00:10:36,990 --> 00:10:37,650
first website.

288
00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:39,570
I wouldn't have been able to do the shows I wanted

289
00:10:39,570 --> 00:10:39,810
to do,

290
00:10:39,810 --> 00:10:40,200
so yes,

291
00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:40,580
it did.

292
00:10:40,580 --> 00:10:42,360
Definitely enabled me to grow faster.

293
00:10:42,540 --> 00:10:42,870
I mean,

294
00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:43,740
it was hard.

295
00:10:43,740 --> 00:10:45,960
They splitting your time and splitting your energy.

296
00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:47,070
It's very difficult,

297
00:10:47,070 --> 00:10:48,240
but I kept telling myself,

298
00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:49,500
this is not forever.

299
00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:51,090
This is just for a short while,

300
00:10:51,330 --> 00:10:53,610
and the goal is that I'm building this business to be

301
00:10:53,610 --> 00:10:56,400
sustainable so that I can take this and make it my

302
00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:57,390
full time gig.

303
00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:58,770
And I did it took a while,

304
00:10:58,770 --> 00:10:59,770
but Yeah.

305
00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:00,790
Perfect. Well,

306
00:11:00,790 --> 00:11:03,880
I'm thinking since I know my listeners pretty well,

307
00:11:03,910 --> 00:11:07,270
that their ears probably perked up when we talked about some

308
00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:11,230
of the larger chains that you've gotten your client's products into.

309
00:11:11,430 --> 00:11:13,380
So I'd like to start there.

310
00:11:13,380 --> 00:11:15,570
You were talking about target and anthropology,

311
00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:16,340
container storage,

312
00:11:16,340 --> 00:11:17,100
et cetera.

313
00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:21,700
Let's talk a little bit about if you're thinking of someone

314
00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:23,890
who's listening right now and they're just starting out.

315
00:11:23,890 --> 00:11:25,810
I think one of the first questions would be,

316
00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,680
wow, could my product even be an option for some of

317
00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:30,850
those locations?

318
00:11:30,910 --> 00:11:31,750
What would you say?

319
00:11:32,140 --> 00:11:33,820
Well, let me back up real quick.

320
00:11:33,850 --> 00:11:35,080
I did not like,

321
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,400
I'm not their agent,

322
00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:36,880
so to speak,

323
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:38,320
to get them into the stores.

324
00:11:38,550 --> 00:11:41,430
We are their educators and we provide them with all the

325
00:11:41,430 --> 00:11:44,700
tools they need to build a strong wholesale foundation and then

326
00:11:44,730 --> 00:11:46,800
they're the ones that got themselves into those stores.

327
00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,830
But we do have a community that shares some mission guides

328
00:11:49,830 --> 00:11:50,550
and things like that.

329
00:11:50,550 --> 00:11:52,530
So we do have a lot of support in helping them

330
00:11:52,530 --> 00:11:54,430
get their pitches and getting their products in front of those

331
00:11:54,430 --> 00:11:56,290
stores. But I want to be clear that they got themselves

332
00:11:56,290 --> 00:11:56,980
into those stores.

333
00:11:57,020 --> 00:11:59,320
Sure. I wasn't their agent there or anything.

334
00:11:59,580 --> 00:12:02,040
The first thing I would tell your audience is focus on

335
00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:03,330
your product first.

336
00:12:03,510 --> 00:12:07,170
So one of the things that I'm seeing is that people,

337
00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,270
some of the 12 backs aren't,

338
00:12:08,270 --> 00:12:10,500
they don't have a large enough product line or they don't

339
00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:14,400
have a product line that has a unique aesthetic or style

340
00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:14,730
to it.

341
00:12:14,750 --> 00:12:16,860
It doesn't have an original point of view,

342
00:12:16,860 --> 00:12:18,420
I guess is what I'm trying to say.

343
00:12:18,450 --> 00:12:20,130
And so focusing on your product,

344
00:12:20,130 --> 00:12:21,810
meaning making sure that you have enough of it,

345
00:12:22,030 --> 00:12:24,430
making sure that your production costs are as low as possible

346
00:12:24,430 --> 00:12:26,890
so that you can afford to give or sell your products

347
00:12:26,890 --> 00:12:27,940
at the wholesale pricing,

348
00:12:28,140 --> 00:12:30,690
making sure that your profit margins are where you want them

349
00:12:30,690 --> 00:12:31,110
to be.

350
00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:33,490
Making sure you've got all that stuff in the background,

351
00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:34,510
really dialed in,

352
00:12:34,510 --> 00:12:36,820
that you know you can create your products at a higher

353
00:12:36,820 --> 00:12:37,840
volume too.

354
00:12:37,870 --> 00:12:39,460
Because if your products are handmade,

355
00:12:39,460 --> 00:12:40,150
for example,

356
00:12:40,380 --> 00:12:41,580
and somebody comes to you and says,

357
00:12:41,580 --> 00:12:43,650
I need a thousand by next week,

358
00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:45,000
are you able to do that?

359
00:12:45,210 --> 00:12:45,780
And if you can't,

360
00:12:45,780 --> 00:12:46,680
that's okay too.

361
00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,740
But knowing where your strengths are and knowing where you don't

362
00:12:49,740 --> 00:12:51,840
have the capacity to fill that kind of thing,

363
00:12:51,900 --> 00:12:54,720
it's really important that you know those things because then in

364
00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:55,080
that case,

365
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,060
you'd either need to say no to the project at that

366
00:12:57,060 --> 00:12:59,310
moment or you need to find a way around to deal

367
00:12:59,310 --> 00:12:59,730
with that,

368
00:12:59,910 --> 00:13:03,350
right? But really making sure you have a strong product line

369
00:13:03,410 --> 00:13:04,730
that your pricing is in line.

370
00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:05,630
Because here's the thing too.

371
00:13:05,630 --> 00:13:07,340
I'm seeing a lot of people that don't really have the

372
00:13:07,340 --> 00:13:09,950
margin to wholesale to some of these bigger chains and they

373
00:13:09,950 --> 00:13:12,590
want to do anyhow just because they want to be in

374
00:13:12,740 --> 00:13:13,730
target or whatever.

375
00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:14,930
Cause it's an ego thing.

376
00:13:15,050 --> 00:13:17,000
Exactly. Because it's an exciting thing.

377
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:17,630
It's an ego thing,

378
00:13:17,630 --> 00:13:17,960
but it's,

379
00:13:17,990 --> 00:13:19,040
they get to say they're in target,

380
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:19,700
which is awesome,

381
00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,100
but the reality is if you're not making money on the

382
00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:24,960
deal, you shouldn't be doing it.

383
00:13:25,050 --> 00:13:27,270
And I don't mean to sound materialistic or anything,

384
00:13:27,270 --> 00:13:29,880
but you're running a business and your business is there to

385
00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:31,810
make a profit and if your product,

386
00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:33,370
your pricing and your production costs,

387
00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:34,870
if the numbers don't make sense,

388
00:13:34,990 --> 00:13:37,270
you shouldn't be trying to do that type of sales.

389
00:13:37,510 --> 00:13:40,450
Well, and I would even suggest that getting into the whole

390
00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,170
wholesale realm in the first place is a whole different strategy

391
00:13:44,590 --> 00:13:47,080
versus just selling directly and give biz listeners.

392
00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,740
We talked about this in depth in an episode a little

393
00:13:50,740 --> 00:13:51,220
bit back.

394
00:13:51,250 --> 00:13:52,750
I'll connect it in the show notes.

395
00:13:52,930 --> 00:13:55,900
It was with Bob Hurley and we got into all of

396
00:13:55,900 --> 00:13:57,400
the wholesale details.

397
00:13:57,430 --> 00:13:59,950
Some of the things that we don't need to repeat here,

398
00:13:59,950 --> 00:14:02,920
Katie, because I know there's so much more information to share,

399
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,280
so you guys referenced back to that show and then let's

400
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:07,870
continue talking about this too.

401
00:14:07,870 --> 00:14:11,260
So clearly the product needs to be unique because they're not

402
00:14:11,260 --> 00:14:12,490
looking for more of the same,

403
00:14:12,490 --> 00:14:13,460
right? No,

404
00:14:13,460 --> 00:14:14,060
they're not.

405
00:14:14,290 --> 00:14:15,230
These big chains too.

406
00:14:15,230 --> 00:14:16,250
They're looking at numbers.

407
00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:17,600
They're looking at profit margin as well.

408
00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,110
Many of them will ask for discounts below what your wholesale

409
00:14:21,110 --> 00:14:21,980
pricing is.

410
00:14:21,980 --> 00:14:24,950
So you need to stand firm in knowing your numbers and

411
00:14:24,950 --> 00:14:27,230
knowing what you'll say yes to and being okay with saying

412
00:14:27,230 --> 00:14:28,460
no if something doesn't work.

413
00:14:28,460 --> 00:14:29,570
As I mentioned earlier,

414
00:14:29,790 --> 00:14:32,220
the other thing is that fulfillment process,

415
00:14:32,250 --> 00:14:35,100
just knowing whether or not you can get an order out

416
00:14:35,100 --> 00:14:37,860
in a timely fashion with the demands of what these stores

417
00:14:37,860 --> 00:14:38,790
are looking for.

418
00:14:39,090 --> 00:14:40,290
I don't want people to think,

419
00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,210
Oh, they came to me on Friday and they want something

420
00:14:42,210 --> 00:14:42,540
on Monday.

421
00:14:42,540 --> 00:14:43,470
That's not the case.

422
00:14:43,470 --> 00:14:45,930
And typically there's a longer lead time for the big box

423
00:14:45,930 --> 00:14:49,500
stores. They have a submission process in which everything is due

424
00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:50,310
by a certain date.

425
00:14:50,340 --> 00:14:50,970
They review it,

426
00:14:51,110 --> 00:14:51,710
a group,

427
00:14:51,740 --> 00:14:54,860
they'd make their buying decisions and then they have longer lead

428
00:14:54,860 --> 00:14:55,760
buying cycles,

429
00:14:55,970 --> 00:14:58,010
but some of them are placing orders year round.

430
00:14:58,010 --> 00:14:58,850
It just kinda depends.

431
00:14:58,850 --> 00:14:59,720
Everything's different,

432
00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:02,670
but it is a different animal than the smaller wholesale accounts

433
00:15:02,670 --> 00:15:03,150
for sure.

434
00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,270
What do you think about someone who's interested in doing both?

435
00:15:06,590 --> 00:15:08,150
Oh, I think you absolutely should.

436
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:09,800
Yeah, I think you absolutely should.

437
00:15:10,020 --> 00:15:10,590
In fact,

438
00:15:10,620 --> 00:15:12,780
I've seen some people that put all their time and effort

439
00:15:12,780 --> 00:15:13,830
into the big box stores,

440
00:15:13,860 --> 00:15:16,290
but that's risky too because what if they stop ordering?

441
00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:19,050
Then your business is totally hinging on those stores.

442
00:15:19,270 --> 00:15:22,270
I think you need to diversify and I think frankly sometimes

443
00:15:22,270 --> 00:15:24,190
the smaller stores are better customers.

444
00:15:24,190 --> 00:15:25,570
They order more regularly,

445
00:15:25,570 --> 00:15:26,440
more steadily,

446
00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:28,250
but they may be smaller orders,

447
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,560
but I think you should absolutely be looking at both the

448
00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:32,630
independent shops as well as big box stores.

449
00:15:32,830 --> 00:15:36,310
And I would also encourage people start with the independence because

450
00:15:36,430 --> 00:15:40,300
business is built on relationships and you will have a much

451
00:15:40,330 --> 00:15:43,660
easier time building relationships with the smaller independent shops.

452
00:15:43,690 --> 00:15:46,150
And the small independent shops are the bread and butter for

453
00:15:46,150 --> 00:15:47,050
most of my clients.

454
00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,040
And then the big box stores are kind of an added

455
00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,920
layer that they start to pursue after they've been wholesaling for

456
00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:52,370
a little bit.

457
00:15:52,530 --> 00:15:54,570
Right. So you kind of step it up then.

458
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:55,590
Yeah. Okay.

459
00:15:55,590 --> 00:15:57,840
So if someone has covered all of this,

460
00:15:57,840 --> 00:15:59,640
they have something that's very unique.

461
00:15:59,810 --> 00:16:00,890
They have several lines.

462
00:16:00,890 --> 00:16:03,170
So there's some depth to what they can offer.

463
00:16:03,350 --> 00:16:07,040
They feel like their pricing is in place and they're now

464
00:16:07,070 --> 00:16:08,600
not producing it just themselves,

465
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,260
but their manufacturing or some combination thereof where they feel that

466
00:16:12,260 --> 00:16:14,570
they would be able to fulfill those large orders.

467
00:16:14,750 --> 00:16:15,560
So they're all set,

468
00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:16,640
they're all ready.

469
00:16:16,730 --> 00:16:18,030
And I agree with you.

470
00:16:18,090 --> 00:16:21,250
Let's more talk about getting into the boutiques then.

471
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:23,180
Bigger box locations,

472
00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,180
but, so how would they approach somebody?

473
00:16:26,370 --> 00:16:28,230
Yeah, so when I work with my clients,

474
00:16:28,230 --> 00:16:29,700
we talk about things from two directions.

475
00:16:29,730 --> 00:16:32,190
We talk about when retailers approach them,

476
00:16:32,190 --> 00:16:33,930
maybe they find them on Instagram or something,

477
00:16:33,930 --> 00:16:36,630
they find the maker on Instagram or Facebook or wherever it

478
00:16:36,630 --> 00:16:37,050
might be.

479
00:16:37,050 --> 00:16:40,200
And then there's a strategy if you're reaching out cold these

480
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:41,220
different stores.

481
00:16:41,220 --> 00:16:43,680
And so if you're reaching out cool to these different stores,

482
00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,760
I definitely recommend you send an email to start.

483
00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:48,060
I recommend it tiered approach.

484
00:16:48,060 --> 00:16:49,860
So let me walk you through what that tiered approach looks

485
00:16:49,860 --> 00:16:52,630
like. I recommend you start with an email that is very

486
00:16:52,630 --> 00:16:54,610
brief and to the point and you have a link to

487
00:16:54,610 --> 00:16:56,770
your catalog in there and it has a little bit of

488
00:16:56,770 --> 00:16:58,780
a description about what your company does,

489
00:16:58,780 --> 00:17:01,680
what you sell and why their store would benefit from selling

490
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:02,340
your products.

491
00:17:02,530 --> 00:17:04,510
Now one thing I like to help people,

492
00:17:04,530 --> 00:17:06,400
don't say my stuff would be a great fit for your

493
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,020
store and leave it at that.

494
00:17:08,050 --> 00:17:09,100
Be more specific.

495
00:17:09,130 --> 00:17:11,590
Do your homework on the store and find out what other

496
00:17:11,590 --> 00:17:12,790
brands they're carrying,

497
00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:14,460
what other products they're carrying,

498
00:17:14,490 --> 00:17:17,010
and explain why you think that would be a good fit.

499
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,680
Talk about the type of customer that purchases your products and

500
00:17:19,710 --> 00:17:22,680
find out who their customers are as best you can through

501
00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:23,640
online searching,

502
00:17:23,850 --> 00:17:25,080
but start with an email.

503
00:17:25,110 --> 00:17:26,460
So let them know who you are,

504
00:17:26,460 --> 00:17:29,250
include a link to your catalog and maybe even include a

505
00:17:29,250 --> 00:17:32,240
couple of images in that email from there.

506
00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,000
And I would also ask a question in that first email

507
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:36,820
ask if that you could send them a sample packet.

508
00:17:37,030 --> 00:17:38,530
No, it depends on what your products are.

509
00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:40,240
Obviously if you're making huge chandelier's,

510
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,700
you can't say a sample of that.

511
00:17:42,730 --> 00:17:44,860
But if you are making something where you could send a

512
00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:46,360
sample, if they respond and say,

513
00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:48,820
yes, I'd love to see this in person and then drop

514
00:17:48,820 --> 00:17:49,690
a in the mail.

515
00:17:49,690 --> 00:17:51,250
And it doesn't have to be a big package.

516
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,400
It could simply be a sample or to a printed catalog.

517
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:57,360
And then a handwritten note from you that just says you're

518
00:17:57,450 --> 00:18:00,360
excited about the possibilities of working with them and give them

519
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:01,680
details as to how to order.

520
00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:03,540
Say, you know the information's in the catalog.

521
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:04,920
If you'd like to place an order,

522
00:18:05,010 --> 00:18:05,850
here's how to do it.

523
00:18:06,130 --> 00:18:08,560
And so you definitely want to have a call to action

524
00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:09,670
in each of your outreaches.

525
00:18:09,670 --> 00:18:11,980
You want to be adding value every time you reach out

526
00:18:11,980 --> 00:18:12,660
to a shop owner.

527
00:18:12,670 --> 00:18:14,560
They're very busy people like all of us.

528
00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,690
So you want to make it very simple and easy for

529
00:18:16,690 --> 00:18:18,460
them to place an order with you.

530
00:18:18,730 --> 00:18:22,450
So you're sending these emails to the shop owner or in

531
00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:24,850
multiple locations they might have buyers.

532
00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:26,010
Yeah. Most of the time though,

533
00:18:26,010 --> 00:18:26,970
in the independent boutiques,

534
00:18:26,970 --> 00:18:27,720
the shop owners,

535
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:28,620
the one that's buying,

536
00:18:28,620 --> 00:18:31,110
so you'll want to find the buyer or the shop owner

537
00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:32,610
because those are the people that are going to make the

538
00:18:32,610 --> 00:18:33,480
buying decisions.

539
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,630
And usually you can kind of track down some of that

540
00:18:35,630 --> 00:18:37,190
information online.

541
00:18:37,310 --> 00:18:39,500
LinkedIn is a really good place to find out who buyers

542
00:18:39,500 --> 00:18:40,820
are for different stores too.

543
00:18:41,010 --> 00:18:42,390
But you could also call the store.

544
00:18:42,390 --> 00:18:43,830
I mean you could call and say,

545
00:18:43,860 --> 00:18:45,960
Hey, I'm a brand that's interested in working with you guys.

546
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:47,970
Is there somebody I could direct this email to?

547
00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:49,540
And most of the time they'll give you the email,

548
00:18:49,540 --> 00:18:50,800
the person you need to contact.

549
00:18:51,070 --> 00:18:54,640
Perfect. And just to set expectations properly.

550
00:18:54,700 --> 00:18:58,360
Is it usually a multi back and forth relationship like you,

551
00:18:58,360 --> 00:18:59,890
you make your introduction,

552
00:18:59,890 --> 00:19:02,260
you give them information and then you talk back and forth

553
00:19:02,260 --> 00:19:04,390
a few times before something actually happens.

554
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:05,850
It's different for everybody.

555
00:19:05,850 --> 00:19:07,890
I mean sometimes you'll hear a cricket so you'll send that

556
00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:09,450
email and you won't hear back at all.

557
00:19:09,630 --> 00:19:12,120
But I would encourage people not to give up and to

558
00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,910
continue unless you get a hard no from people and they

559
00:19:14,910 --> 00:19:15,900
think it's not a good fit,

560
00:19:15,900 --> 00:19:17,220
continue to follow up with them.

561
00:19:17,390 --> 00:19:18,530
So after you send the package,

562
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:19,810
I would send a follow up email,

563
00:19:19,870 --> 00:19:20,900
there will be back and forth.

564
00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:21,680
So to your point,

565
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:23,810
yes and you want the back and forth because the back

566
00:19:23,810 --> 00:19:25,700
and forth is how you're going to create a relationship with

567
00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:27,410
this person and get to know them better and know what

568
00:19:27,410 --> 00:19:29,570
their needs are so that you can help to fulfill those

569
00:19:29,570 --> 00:19:31,340
needs. But after you send that package,

570
00:19:31,340 --> 00:19:33,890
send a followup email and then you start to engage with

571
00:19:33,890 --> 00:19:36,950
them on social media and start to build a relationship elsewhere.

572
00:19:36,950 --> 00:19:38,390
You can also at some point ask them,

573
00:19:38,390 --> 00:19:39,890
can I add you to our email list?

574
00:19:39,890 --> 00:19:41,090
And if they say yes to that,

575
00:19:41,150 --> 00:19:43,790
you can send them your new release emails,

576
00:19:43,790 --> 00:19:44,870
your bestseller emails.

577
00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:47,450
There's lots of different emails that you can do to engage

578
00:19:47,450 --> 00:19:48,950
with them and still add value.

579
00:19:49,210 --> 00:19:50,140
Perfect. Okay,

580
00:19:50,140 --> 00:19:52,420
wonderful. So let's say all has gone well.

581
00:19:52,420 --> 00:19:54,040
They've placed their first order.

582
00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:55,990
So your product is now in their shop.

583
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:57,580
And I would imagine,

584
00:19:57,610 --> 00:20:00,610
you know all this work to getting product placement.

585
00:20:00,610 --> 00:20:02,710
You don't just want a one time order.

586
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,890
So what would you do to follow up and ensure that

587
00:20:05,890 --> 00:20:07,780
you're going to get subsequent orders?

588
00:20:08,060 --> 00:20:08,900
That's a great question.

589
00:20:08,900 --> 00:20:12,440
So that's where nurturing them is a big part of this.

590
00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,890
So I usually recommend that we set up a nurture sequence.

591
00:20:15,890 --> 00:20:17,810
So when somebody places an order from you,

592
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,550
you send them a set of emails.

593
00:20:19,550 --> 00:20:20,750
That kind of explains,

594
00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:22,850
again, if you haven't already introduced yourself,

595
00:20:22,850 --> 00:20:23,810
like who we are,

596
00:20:23,810 --> 00:20:24,620
what we do,

597
00:20:24,620 --> 00:20:26,450
how often we're releasing new products.

598
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:28,720
It's a chance to tell what you're going to do.

599
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,630
Wholesale shows or craft shows or anything like that where people

600
00:20:31,630 --> 00:20:33,130
can see your products in real life,

601
00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:34,450
or if you work with sales reps,

602
00:20:34,450 --> 00:20:36,160
that's a good time for you to explain who they can

603
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:36,940
work with there.

604
00:20:37,110 --> 00:20:40,770
But it's basically an onboarding series of emails where you're just

605
00:20:40,770 --> 00:20:42,870
kind of letting them know the lay of the land and

606
00:20:42,870 --> 00:20:45,240
you're kind of warming them up and building that relationship.

607
00:20:45,270 --> 00:20:46,500
Now they've already purchased from you,

608
00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:49,120
but you want them to know you and trust you so

609
00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:50,230
that they purchase again from you.

610
00:20:50,230 --> 00:20:51,250
So part of it's marketing,

611
00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:53,830
but part of it's just connecting with them.

612
00:20:54,060 --> 00:20:56,640
The other thing I would tell you too is be professional

613
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:57,420
at all levels.

614
00:20:57,420 --> 00:20:58,530
So if they place that order,

615
00:20:58,530 --> 00:21:01,170
make sure that you're getting it out the door on time,

616
00:21:01,230 --> 00:21:02,820
that there's no errors in your order.

617
00:21:02,820 --> 00:21:04,710
So on the fulfillment side of things,

618
00:21:04,710 --> 00:21:07,830
make sure you're putting your best foot forward there as well.

619
00:21:08,070 --> 00:21:11,610
I think it's just about continuing to build that relationship in

620
00:21:11,610 --> 00:21:13,560
ways that feel organic and authentic to you,

621
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:14,550
which I know sounds,

622
00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,110
it's not concrete advice,

623
00:21:16,110 --> 00:21:18,210
but really it's connecting with them on social media.

624
00:21:18,210 --> 00:21:20,340
It's emailing them when you have something to say,

625
00:21:20,430 --> 00:21:21,420
not just because,

626
00:21:21,620 --> 00:21:23,480
and making sure that you're filling their order in the best

627
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:24,050
way possible.

628
00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:27,300
Yeah, and I think having that type of contact and multiple

629
00:21:27,300 --> 00:21:28,050
touch points,

630
00:21:28,110 --> 00:21:30,750
if there were issues like let's say the product isn't moving

631
00:21:30,750 --> 00:21:33,240
really well in the store or there's something else that you

632
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,970
can do to enhance the likelihood that it's going to be

633
00:21:35,970 --> 00:21:38,010
a success and you'll get repeat business.

634
00:21:38,210 --> 00:21:39,680
I don't know that you have to come right out and

635
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:40,040
say, Hey,

636
00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:41,270
how's the product doing?

637
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:42,470
But in you're in contact,

638
00:21:42,470 --> 00:21:45,410
you're leaving an opportunity for them to tell you what's going

639
00:21:45,410 --> 00:21:46,330
on. Right.

640
00:21:46,330 --> 00:21:48,880
You're leaving the door open for them to express any concerns

641
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:49,590
or any of that.

642
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:50,660
The other thing is,

643
00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:52,490
I used to ask my buyers all the time,

644
00:21:52,490 --> 00:21:55,130
especially if I was meeting them in person at a show,

645
00:21:55,130 --> 00:21:55,430
I'd say,

646
00:21:55,430 --> 00:21:56,930
how do you like to be contacted?

647
00:21:57,110 --> 00:21:58,190
Some people love the phone,

648
00:21:58,190 --> 00:21:59,780
some people hate the phone,

649
00:21:59,870 --> 00:22:02,570
nobody wants anyone showing up unsolicited in the shop.

650
00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,000
There's different things that people like and don't like and that's

651
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:06,290
going to be different for every buyer.

652
00:22:06,290 --> 00:22:08,120
So in so much that you can ask,

653
00:22:08,420 --> 00:22:09,920
do you like receiving emails?

654
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:11,060
Do you prefer a phone call?

655
00:22:11,060 --> 00:22:12,230
How do you like to communicate?

656
00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:14,840
If there's issues with your order opening that door,

657
00:22:14,870 --> 00:22:16,610
it takes it to another level of care.

658
00:22:16,860 --> 00:22:19,200
Totally, and it's so challenging.

659
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,130
I'd say nowadays because people now are doing Facebook messaging and

660
00:22:23,700 --> 00:22:27,900
messaging through LinkedIn and the thing that I would suggest,

661
00:22:27,900 --> 00:22:30,300
and Katie tell me how you feel about this is you

662
00:22:30,300 --> 00:22:34,140
really need to try and blend with what your client's preferred

663
00:22:34,140 --> 00:22:34,980
mode is.

664
00:22:35,010 --> 00:22:35,580
Not to say,

665
00:22:35,610 --> 00:22:37,830
Oh well we do email so you know,

666
00:22:37,830 --> 00:22:38,700
respond to emails.

667
00:22:38,730 --> 00:22:41,400
You need to go and match what they like to do

668
00:22:41,550 --> 00:22:43,260
to your point of their preference.

669
00:22:43,470 --> 00:22:44,220
Yeah, no,

670
00:22:44,220 --> 00:22:44,970
I agree with you.

671
00:22:44,970 --> 00:22:46,890
I will say it is hard to keep up with all

672
00:22:46,890 --> 00:22:48,840
of the places I agree with you there,

673
00:22:49,470 --> 00:22:51,450
but it's an educational piece for you too,

674
00:22:51,450 --> 00:22:53,280
right? If you start to see that more and more of

675
00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,260
your clients are reaching out to you on Facebook messenger,

676
00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:58,080
well maybe you should be doing like messenger bots or something

677
00:22:58,080 --> 00:22:59,790
like that to reach your audience.

678
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:00,960
Yeah, it's a good point.

679
00:23:01,170 --> 00:23:03,960
If you see everyone's connecting with you on Instagram and that's

680
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,370
where they're learning about your products,

681
00:23:05,370 --> 00:23:06,870
well then you should put more time and effort into your

682
00:23:06,870 --> 00:23:07,980
marketing on Instagram too.

683
00:23:07,980 --> 00:23:11,340
So I think asking open ended questions of your buyers is

684
00:23:11,340 --> 00:23:14,700
a really great way to just get Intel about how they

685
00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:17,100
want to be communicated with and learn about new products.

686
00:23:17,250 --> 00:23:17,670
But yes,

687
00:23:17,670 --> 00:23:19,020
it goes back to customer service,

688
00:23:19,020 --> 00:23:20,220
it goes back to marketing,

689
00:23:20,220 --> 00:23:22,170
it goes back to just building those relationships.

690
00:23:22,170 --> 00:23:23,490
Right? Absolutely.

691
00:23:23,670 --> 00:23:26,910
So let's move on and talk a little bit about community

692
00:23:27,060 --> 00:23:30,090
and the importance of surrounding yourself with community.

693
00:23:30,090 --> 00:23:32,940
But let's start with a definition of community.

694
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:34,290
Are you talking about clients?

695
00:23:34,290 --> 00:23:35,970
Are you talking about support community?

696
00:23:35,970 --> 00:23:37,430
Both. For me,

697
00:23:37,430 --> 00:23:40,220
I'm talking about people that understand and get what you're doing.

698
00:23:40,220 --> 00:23:41,630
So in my mind,

699
00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:42,440
it's colleagues,

700
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:43,250
it's mentors,

701
00:23:43,250 --> 00:23:46,370
it's everyone that's like on equal with you as well as

702
00:23:46,370 --> 00:23:47,210
above and beyond you.

703
00:23:47,210 --> 00:23:47,510
And when,

704
00:23:47,510 --> 00:23:48,380
I mean above and beyond,

705
00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:49,760
I don't mean to create hierarchies here,

706
00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:51,890
but there's people that have been doing business a lot longer

707
00:23:51,890 --> 00:23:53,900
than I have and there's people that have been doing business

708
00:23:53,930 --> 00:23:55,040
for a shorter amount of time.

709
00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:57,590
And so I think it's really important to surround yourself with

710
00:23:57,590 --> 00:24:03,020
people from all different perspectives because they're going to offer different

711
00:24:03,020 --> 00:24:05,840
points of view on what you're doing and they're going to

712
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,280
have different experiences to share.

713
00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:09,800
So our community is pretty much,

714
00:24:09,830 --> 00:24:13,220
we've coached over 850 brands at this point and many of

715
00:24:13,220 --> 00:24:14,720
them are in a private Facebook group.

716
00:24:14,750 --> 00:24:17,240
I mean it's a very active group and everyday we're sharing

717
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:21,380
resources and experiences and people are learning from people of all

718
00:24:21,380 --> 00:24:24,200
levels. Basically those just starting out as well as those that

719
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:25,550
have been doing it for 10 plus years.

720
00:24:25,770 --> 00:24:28,290
It's a good point because I think a lot of people

721
00:24:28,290 --> 00:24:31,380
don't recognize the fact that even if someone is just starting

722
00:24:31,380 --> 00:24:33,960
out, they have a whole background of things that they know

723
00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:34,710
and behind them.

724
00:24:34,710 --> 00:24:36,150
So they might have resources,

725
00:24:36,150 --> 00:24:37,530
they may have connections,

726
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,110
you just never know what they might have that you could

727
00:24:40,110 --> 00:24:41,280
use. Right.

728
00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,190
And the fact of the matter is we are all constantly

729
00:24:44,250 --> 00:24:45,360
learning, right?

730
00:24:45,570 --> 00:24:47,400
It doesn't matter how long we've been doing this.

731
00:24:47,430 --> 00:24:48,570
There's always more to learn.

732
00:24:48,570 --> 00:24:50,430
There's always things that we could be doing better.

733
00:24:50,490 --> 00:24:52,230
There's things that we could be doing stronger.

734
00:24:52,230 --> 00:24:53,160
And I agree with you,

735
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:54,630
we all have a unique background,

736
00:24:54,690 --> 00:24:56,820
whether it was corporate jobs or things we were doing before

737
00:24:56,820 --> 00:24:59,160
this business and there's just so much we can learn from

738
00:24:59,160 --> 00:24:59,760
one another.

739
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:04,740
So community to me is people doing similar things with likeminded

740
00:25:04,770 --> 00:25:09,540
ideas and goals and who also have the same mentality around

741
00:25:09,540 --> 00:25:12,300
helping each other that are on the same page of like

742
00:25:12,330 --> 00:25:14,100
I give as much as I get basically.

743
00:25:14,410 --> 00:25:17,170
Right. That is an important point that when you go into

744
00:25:17,170 --> 00:25:17,890
a community,

745
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,790
just the fact that you should be also receiving and giving

746
00:25:21,940 --> 00:25:22,900
at the same time.

747
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:25,990
Absolutely. So you see so many people come in and you

748
00:25:25,990 --> 00:25:27,640
don't go and try and to sell yourself.

749
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,830
You don't go in there to just be a platform for

750
00:25:29,830 --> 00:25:31,060
trying to attract sales.

751
00:25:31,210 --> 00:25:34,960
Right. Especially if there are people who are also makers.

752
00:25:34,990 --> 00:25:36,640
You're all there to develop your business.

753
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,800
You're not necessarily there to sell to each other.

754
00:25:39,090 --> 00:25:39,660
Right? Yeah.

755
00:25:39,660 --> 00:25:42,450
I get a lot of questions like all of your customers.

756
00:25:42,450 --> 00:25:45,990
Basically all my clients are competitors essentially because they're selling similar

757
00:25:45,990 --> 00:25:48,150
types of products to the same types of markets and I

758
00:25:48,150 --> 00:25:48,720
said, yeah,

759
00:25:48,750 --> 00:25:49,710
but here's the thing.

760
00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:53,700
You may give 10 different designers instructions to design something with

761
00:25:53,700 --> 00:25:54,200
polka dots,

762
00:25:54,220 --> 00:25:55,080
let's just say,

763
00:25:55,170 --> 00:25:57,090
and they're going to come back to you with totally,

764
00:25:57,090 --> 00:25:59,850
completely different ideas and concepts with that.

765
00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:00,860
And so yes,

766
00:26:00,860 --> 00:26:03,440
we all might be competing for similar market share,

767
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:05,180
but at the same time we're doing it different.

768
00:26:05,180 --> 00:26:06,230
Our products are different.

769
00:26:06,230 --> 00:26:08,450
The way we take our products to market is different.

770
00:26:08,450 --> 00:26:10,240
The way we run our businesses is different.

771
00:26:10,450 --> 00:26:13,420
And so there's no harm in sharing what we know because

772
00:26:13,450 --> 00:26:15,580
even if somebody were to take a similar idea to what

773
00:26:15,580 --> 00:26:16,150
I was doing,

774
00:26:16,180 --> 00:26:18,160
they would do it differently because they are not me.

775
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:19,620
I agree with that.

776
00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:22,890
And I'll extend that even to the consumer level because if

777
00:26:22,890 --> 00:26:23,820
you wear earrings,

778
00:26:23,820 --> 00:26:25,680
you just don't wear one style of your rings,

779
00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,310
Right? You probably wear multiple styles,

780
00:26:28,310 --> 00:26:30,770
so even if you have the same audience,

781
00:26:30,830 --> 00:26:32,900
you both have opportunity to sell to them.

782
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,630
Absolutely. And why will we hinder ourselves by not sharing what

783
00:26:36,630 --> 00:26:37,110
we know?

784
00:26:37,110 --> 00:26:39,030
Because going back to what we talked about earlier of how

785
00:26:39,030 --> 00:26:39,540
the day job,

786
00:26:39,570 --> 00:26:40,860
kind of fast forward to the business,

787
00:26:41,070 --> 00:26:43,800
if I can learn from somebody that has been in my

788
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:45,210
shoes before and here,

789
00:26:45,210 --> 00:26:46,950
what went well and what didn't go well,

790
00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:49,440
that is going to fast forward my business.

791
00:26:49,470 --> 00:26:50,820
I'm going to avoid mistakes.

792
00:26:50,850 --> 00:26:52,470
I mean obviously I'm going to make my own mistakes in

793
00:26:52,470 --> 00:26:53,010
different ways,

794
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,680
but at the same time it's very helpful to learn from

795
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,820
others. The other thing I will say about community is,

796
00:26:57,820 --> 00:27:00,280
so I've got my community of colleagues under my business trade

797
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:00,850
show bootcamp,

798
00:27:00,850 --> 00:27:01,750
which is amazing,

799
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,900
but I also have other communities that I lean on.

800
00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:07,570
So I have peer groups of mastermind groups that I'm involved

801
00:27:07,570 --> 00:27:08,980
in and it's all peer led.

802
00:27:08,980 --> 00:27:11,470
I've worked with coaches that have mastermind too where I've done

803
00:27:11,470 --> 00:27:12,610
paid mastermind groups,

804
00:27:12,670 --> 00:27:15,280
so there's things like that that are option for people,

805
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:16,870
but ultimately find some mentors,

806
00:27:16,870 --> 00:27:19,240
find some people that are doing similar things to you and

807
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:20,080
lean on each other.

808
00:27:20,660 --> 00:27:23,120
Totally agree with you there and I just want to go

809
00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:26,390
back one more time and underline this point that you emphasize

810
00:27:26,390 --> 00:27:29,480
Katie, which is when you try and keep what you're doing

811
00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:33,200
so close under your vest and not share with anybody,

812
00:27:33,230 --> 00:27:35,240
you're not going to advance as quickly.

813
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,510
And I do see that in the maker community where people,

814
00:27:38,540 --> 00:27:41,840
they're so afraid that someone's going to steal their idea or

815
00:27:41,870 --> 00:27:44,090
copy them or whatever it is,

816
00:27:44,300 --> 00:27:45,200
but the fact is,

817
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:46,160
as creators,

818
00:27:46,250 --> 00:27:48,260
everyone is going to have a different twist.

819
00:27:48,260 --> 00:27:50,000
This is exactly what you've been saying,

820
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,410
Katie, and it's also not a nice mental state to be

821
00:27:53,410 --> 00:27:56,260
in where you're always feeling like you're protecting yourself.

822
00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,600
That's just not a good vibe to work under.

823
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,680
No, not at all.

824
00:28:00,830 --> 00:28:01,550
And I get it.

825
00:28:01,580 --> 00:28:03,830
I've worked with a lot of clients who have had their

826
00:28:03,830 --> 00:28:07,010
ideas modified or stolen or whatever you want to call it

827
00:28:07,210 --> 00:28:07,960
and it stinks.

828
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:09,070
It's a stinky place to be in,

829
00:28:09,070 --> 00:28:11,320
but if we don't put stuff out in the world,

830
00:28:11,350 --> 00:28:13,390
we're not going to see the joy that we see when

831
00:28:13,390 --> 00:28:15,370
people are using our products or you know,

832
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:17,050
leveraging our services or whatever it is.

833
00:28:17,050 --> 00:28:19,240
So we can't let that fear hold us back.

834
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:20,950
We need to just continue to put stuff out in the

835
00:28:20,950 --> 00:28:23,440
world and connect with others that are doing what we're doing.

836
00:28:23,790 --> 00:28:26,670
I wasn't even thinking of taking the conversation this angle,

837
00:28:26,670 --> 00:28:28,830
but I'm going to go with it for now.

838
00:28:29,340 --> 00:28:30,480
And that is,

839
00:28:30,570 --> 00:28:31,980
yes, products can be the same.

840
00:28:31,980 --> 00:28:34,200
Let's say in the very worst case scenario,

841
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:36,090
someone we've been talking to,

842
00:28:36,090 --> 00:28:38,250
earrings, I brought that up so let's just stick with that.

843
00:28:38,250 --> 00:28:40,680
But let's say someone got the exact material,

844
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:45,300
knew the techniques and produce the exact same earrings and started

845
00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:46,320
selling them first.

846
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:47,400
That's not really that nice,

847
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:48,510
but second,

848
00:28:48,570 --> 00:28:51,630
you still have different communities and where I'm going with all

849
00:28:51,630 --> 00:28:55,530
of this is then you start doing the personal overlay as

850
00:28:55,530 --> 00:28:56,310
the creator.

851
00:28:56,310 --> 00:28:59,280
So I'm talking to our listeners now as a creator,

852
00:28:59,310 --> 00:29:01,080
who are you by personality?

853
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,050
What's the story behind why you started the business?

854
00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:07,170
All of those types of things that you represent on social

855
00:29:07,170 --> 00:29:08,970
media. Maybe you do some lives,

856
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:10,500
it's on your about page.

857
00:29:10,710 --> 00:29:14,010
You're attracting a tribe because of who you are,

858
00:29:14,150 --> 00:29:16,820
not only because of the product that you make.

859
00:29:17,270 --> 00:29:19,370
I'm over here shaking my head yes violently.

860
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:21,320
I agree with you.

861
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,670
It's about your story.

862
00:29:22,670 --> 00:29:23,930
It's about your why,

863
00:29:23,930 --> 00:29:25,160
why you created this business,

864
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:26,810
why you created that product to begin with.

865
00:29:27,020 --> 00:29:31,490
And I do truly honestly think that the original makers of

866
00:29:31,490 --> 00:29:34,490
things rise to the top and anyone that's trying to copy

867
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:35,330
people know,

868
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:36,830
people can see right through it.

869
00:29:37,050 --> 00:29:37,830
And to your point,

870
00:29:37,950 --> 00:29:40,890
the copycats don't have that story alignment that you,

871
00:29:41,410 --> 00:29:43,950
when you're creating everything And more than likely it's a money

872
00:29:43,950 --> 00:29:44,760
play for them.

873
00:29:45,150 --> 00:29:46,740
Yeah. If they're copying,

874
00:29:46,740 --> 00:29:49,470
they're not creating and presenting their own products to the market,

875
00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:51,510
they'll probably be very short-lived.

876
00:29:51,570 --> 00:29:53,230
Anyway, I only wanted,

877
00:29:53,230 --> 00:29:55,330
I know we spent a lot of time on this point,

878
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,270
but I just really want to drive it home to everybody

879
00:29:58,270 --> 00:30:00,250
that that's not the thing to worry about.

880
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:02,890
It's much better to focus on all of the things that

881
00:30:02,890 --> 00:30:04,390
Katie was talking about in the beginning.

882
00:30:04,390 --> 00:30:05,950
If you want to go the wholesale route,

883
00:30:05,980 --> 00:30:08,110
focus on advancing your business,

884
00:30:08,140 --> 00:30:09,370
not looking behind it,

885
00:30:09,370 --> 00:30:11,350
who's trying to follow in your tracks.

886
00:30:11,570 --> 00:30:13,400
Absolutely. It's too distracting.

887
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,890
We can't keep up with what everyone else is doing.

888
00:30:15,890 --> 00:30:18,380
It's going to pull our focus and it's going to hinder

889
00:30:18,380 --> 00:30:20,720
us from our own personal growth and our business and so

890
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,540
yeah, definitely be keep your eyes forward and keep moving forward

891
00:30:23,540 --> 00:30:25,040
and if stuff like that happens to you,

892
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,680
I'm so sorry because it really does stink when that kind

893
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:28,460
of stuff happens,

894
00:30:28,460 --> 00:30:31,010
but at the same time keep pushing yourself forward cause you're

895
00:30:31,010 --> 00:30:31,670
doing amazing,

896
00:30:31,730 --> 00:30:33,860
unique things and that people want to replicate.

897
00:30:36,510 --> 00:30:39,870
So worth taking the conversation in the direction that we just

898
00:30:39,870 --> 00:30:42,480
did. I think this is a great place right now to

899
00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,680
stop for a quick word From our sponsor.

900
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901
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902
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904
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905
00:30:55,870 --> 00:30:56,980
for more information.

906
00:30:57,430 --> 00:31:00,640
Let's talk a little bit about advice you would have for

907
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:01,750
somebody who's just,

908
00:31:01,750 --> 00:31:04,030
and are we talking just trade shows or are we also

909
00:31:04,030 --> 00:31:06,010
talking local craft shows?

910
00:31:06,230 --> 00:31:08,510
We don't talk about craft shows too much in our programming.

911
00:31:08,510 --> 00:31:09,880
It's mainly wholesale shows.

912
00:31:09,990 --> 00:31:12,690
Okay. The big shows where you're really looking at getting the

913
00:31:12,690 --> 00:31:14,760
eyes of these larger brands.

914
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,690
Yeah, so our alumni are doing stationary shows I mentioned,

915
00:31:17,690 --> 00:31:19,640
but they're also doing New York now,

916
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:20,450
Atlanta Mart,

917
00:31:20,450 --> 00:31:21,380
Dallas gift,

918
00:31:21,380 --> 00:31:22,130
Las Vegas.

919
00:31:22,130 --> 00:31:24,100
We've got people doing stuff in Toronto or even talk to

920
00:31:24,110 --> 00:31:24,860
her in London.

921
00:31:24,860 --> 00:31:25,280
So yeah,

922
00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,310
there was like bigger shows elsewhere where it's a trade show.

923
00:31:28,590 --> 00:31:32,400
Perfect. So someone who's maybe been working the local shows,

924
00:31:32,460 --> 00:31:34,320
they've gotten feedback on their product,

925
00:31:34,350 --> 00:31:37,470
they've built up enough and now they're looking at entering into

926
00:31:37,470 --> 00:31:40,590
the wholesale market and considering going to some of those shows,

927
00:31:40,790 --> 00:31:42,740
it's a different audience because a lot of the craft shows

928
00:31:42,740 --> 00:31:43,790
are consumer based.

929
00:31:43,820 --> 00:31:46,400
Now you're going to a buyer show.

930
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,340
What is the difference?

931
00:31:48,340 --> 00:31:51,280
Can you give us like maybe the top three things that

932
00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,290
are different in preparation?

933
00:31:53,350 --> 00:31:54,430
Not actually when you're there,

934
00:31:54,430 --> 00:31:55,570
but in preparation?

935
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:56,440
Yeah, sure.

936
00:31:56,530 --> 00:31:57,280
So one thing,

937
00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:58,540
when you're getting ready for craft shows,

938
00:31:58,540 --> 00:32:00,730
you're trying to amass and inventory,

939
00:32:00,730 --> 00:32:01,900
right? Because you're actually,

940
00:32:01,930 --> 00:32:04,390
it's a cash and carry show and people are giving you

941
00:32:04,390 --> 00:32:07,000
cash at the show and walking away with your product at

942
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,870
wholesale shows you are not collecting money at the shows and

943
00:32:10,870 --> 00:32:13,150
you're not having to bring a huge inventory products,

944
00:32:13,150 --> 00:32:14,080
you're bringing at least,

945
00:32:14,140 --> 00:32:16,450
well, I usually recommend three to four of every skew that

946
00:32:16,450 --> 00:32:18,370
you sell so that people can see stuff,

947
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:19,810
but they're just placing orders.

948
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,630
They're looking at your line at the wholesale shows and they're

949
00:32:22,630 --> 00:32:25,270
writing on an order form what they would like to ship

950
00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:26,200
at a later date.

951
00:32:26,370 --> 00:32:28,920
So in terms of where your time is spent,

952
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,870
I know a lot of people in my community that are

953
00:32:30,870 --> 00:32:31,500
doing craft shows,

954
00:32:31,500 --> 00:32:34,230
they spend a lot of time packaging up products and determining

955
00:32:34,230 --> 00:32:36,060
how much inventory to bring to craft shows.

956
00:32:36,090 --> 00:32:38,190
You don't necessarily need to be spending time on that for

957
00:32:38,190 --> 00:32:39,060
wholesale shows.

958
00:32:39,110 --> 00:32:41,900
The another thing is you need to be doing a lot

959
00:32:41,900 --> 00:32:43,940
of marketing leading up to a wholesale show.

960
00:32:43,940 --> 00:32:47,450
I talk about how your booth number edit wholesale trade show

961
00:32:47,450 --> 00:32:50,440
is your address and you need to be telling people where

962
00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:52,750
you are and getting them to come visit your address.

963
00:32:52,750 --> 00:32:54,940
And I don't know that that's something a lot of people,

964
00:32:54,940 --> 00:32:56,950
I know people are talking about the craft shows they will

965
00:32:56,950 --> 00:32:59,020
be at before a craft show,

966
00:32:59,210 --> 00:33:01,940
but I don't know that it's as important for them.

967
00:33:02,150 --> 00:33:03,510
And you can disagree with me here.

968
00:33:03,710 --> 00:33:04,970
No, I agree with you Katie.

969
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:05,630
I agree with that.

970
00:33:05,630 --> 00:33:07,220
Totally. So for the wholesale shows,

971
00:33:07,220 --> 00:33:09,890
it's really important that you get out on social media and

972
00:33:09,890 --> 00:33:10,670
your profile.

973
00:33:10,670 --> 00:33:12,080
You're sending out mailers,

974
00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:13,400
you're sending out emails,

975
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,050
letting people know I'm going to be at the show,

976
00:33:15,050 --> 00:33:17,870
but specifically I'm going to be at this booth number.

977
00:33:17,900 --> 00:33:18,620
Whereas it crashes.

978
00:33:18,620 --> 00:33:20,420
I think it's more of the messaging is more we'll be

979
00:33:20,420 --> 00:33:20,840
at the show,

980
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:21,650
come visit us,

981
00:33:21,650 --> 00:33:24,410
and you don't necessarily know your placement or where you'll be,

982
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:25,910
so that's something ahead of time.

983
00:33:26,100 --> 00:33:28,200
I think a lot of the shows also,

984
00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,000
as I'm thinking of the ones I go to,

985
00:33:30,060 --> 00:33:31,140
when you actually apply,

986
00:33:31,140 --> 00:33:34,890
there are certain categories that you say you want to be

987
00:33:34,890 --> 00:33:37,200
in when you're in the general brochure,

988
00:33:37,350 --> 00:33:40,380
and so that's helpful to really make sure you select the

989
00:33:40,380 --> 00:33:42,060
appropriate categories.

990
00:33:42,090 --> 00:33:45,270
Would you say they're more is better or less just to

991
00:33:45,270 --> 00:33:47,850
have a couple of really strong ones or like to fit

992
00:33:47,910 --> 00:33:50,460
every single category your product could possibly be in?

993
00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:51,990
I would do smaller number,

994
00:33:51,990 --> 00:33:53,970
maybe three or four at the most.

995
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:54,840
Okay. Yeah.

996
00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:56,070
That way you're going to draw on the buyer.

997
00:33:56,070 --> 00:33:58,110
It doesn't look like you're trying to attract all buyers.

998
00:33:58,110 --> 00:33:59,370
You're trying to attract very specific,

999
00:33:59,370 --> 00:33:59,930
yeah. Buyers.

1000
00:34:00,140 --> 00:34:01,550
And then another question,

1001
00:34:01,790 --> 00:34:05,000
I know that I've seen it from both ends when I'm

1002
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:07,220
at a show and then I'm also,

1003
00:34:07,220 --> 00:34:08,060
cause I'll do both.

1004
00:34:08,090 --> 00:34:10,700
I'll be at a show as a consumer and then also

1005
00:34:10,700 --> 00:34:14,240
as an exhibitor and I know that we can get the

1006
00:34:14,240 --> 00:34:15,890
lists for a lot of the shows.

1007
00:34:15,890 --> 00:34:18,170
They'll tell us who the attendees are so that you can

1008
00:34:18,170 --> 00:34:19,550
mail to them beforehand.

1009
00:34:19,790 --> 00:34:23,150
And I'll get emails from people that don't relate in any

1010
00:34:23,150 --> 00:34:24,590
way to anything.

1011
00:34:24,590 --> 00:34:25,370
I'm there for,

1012
00:34:25,610 --> 00:34:27,620
Yes, I'm laughing over here because yes.

1013
00:34:27,650 --> 00:34:30,050
Okay. So this is something else that happens before the show

1014
00:34:30,050 --> 00:34:30,860
that we should mention.

1015
00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:31,910
Thank you for bringing this up.

1016
00:34:32,060 --> 00:34:33,080
So first of all,

1017
00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:33,920
I will tell you right now,

1018
00:34:33,950 --> 00:34:36,080
please do not buy an in the shows will probably get

1019
00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:36,680
mad at me for this,

1020
00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:40,100
but please do not buy any lists that the shows offered

1021
00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:40,760
to sell you,

1022
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,490
whether it's the show selling it or you'll often get emails

1023
00:34:43,490 --> 00:34:44,270
from people.

1024
00:34:44,270 --> 00:34:45,050
If you're an exhibitor,

1025
00:34:45,050 --> 00:34:47,870
you'll get emails from people that are not even tied to

1026
00:34:47,870 --> 00:34:48,290
the show,

1027
00:34:48,290 --> 00:34:50,630
that are willing to offering to sell you a list and

1028
00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:52,400
they're reselling an oldest to be honest.

1029
00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,620
But I think the best way to articulate this is to

1030
00:34:54,620 --> 00:34:55,370
tell you a story.

1031
00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:56,000
That's okay.

1032
00:34:56,060 --> 00:34:57,410
Yes. One of my dear friends,

1033
00:34:57,410 --> 00:34:57,950
Susan crop,

1034
00:34:57,980 --> 00:35:00,470
she used to own a store called trips and chairs in

1035
00:35:00,470 --> 00:35:03,490
Oklahoma and Susan and her daughter,

1036
00:35:03,490 --> 00:35:08,850
Sammy ran the store and every year they would go to

1037
00:35:08,850 --> 00:35:12,540
New York for the stationary show and there she had another

1038
00:35:12,690 --> 00:35:14,290
daughter. Her name was Eloise.

1039
00:35:14,290 --> 00:35:17,170
Eloise lived in New York city and so when her mom

1040
00:35:17,170 --> 00:35:18,910
and her sister would come to New York to go to

1041
00:35:18,580 --> 00:35:18,910
the show,

1042
00:35:18,910 --> 00:35:22,150
her mom would get Louis a badge for the show so

1043
00:35:22,150 --> 00:35:24,130
that she could tag along and spend the day with her

1044
00:35:24,130 --> 00:35:25,120
mom and her sister.

1045
00:35:25,310 --> 00:35:27,290
Now Eloise is not tied to the store.

1046
00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:28,820
She's not buying for the store,

1047
00:35:28,850 --> 00:35:32,390
but she was registered in the show directory as a buyer

1048
00:35:32,390 --> 00:35:34,760
because her mom needed to get her a badge for the

1049
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:36,230
show. And that happens a lot.

1050
00:35:36,350 --> 00:35:37,650
It happens a lot.

1051
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:39,480
It happens even on the exhibitor side.

1052
00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,220
If I'm bringing in my sister to help me in my

1053
00:35:41,220 --> 00:35:43,170
booth, you know I'm going to get our badge.

1054
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,530
And so my point is Eloise is now listed on this

1055
00:35:46,530 --> 00:35:49,410
big list that people are selling as a buyer for the

1056
00:35:49,410 --> 00:35:51,990
store trips and cheers when in fact she has no relation

1057
00:35:51,990 --> 00:35:54,660
to like she's not a decision maker for the store.

1058
00:35:54,860 --> 00:35:58,910
And so every year Susan would get mailers addressed to Eloise

1059
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,520
and she knew off the bat these people had not done

1060
00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:02,180
their homework.

1061
00:36:02,390 --> 00:36:05,150
She knew that they were being pulled from a list and

1062
00:36:05,150 --> 00:36:06,170
being sent a mass mailer.

1063
00:36:06,170 --> 00:36:09,360
Basically what I'd like to tell your audience is those lists

1064
00:36:09,390 --> 00:36:13,050
are often outdated and so I really highly encourage you to

1065
00:36:13,050 --> 00:36:14,970
build your own list and that is going to take a

1066
00:36:14,970 --> 00:36:15,750
lot of digging.

1067
00:36:15,750 --> 00:36:18,450
It's going to take a lot of just Google searching and

1068
00:36:18,450 --> 00:36:22,440
checking on people's social media feeds and looking at their website

1069
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,170
and looking at LinkedIn profiles and it takes a lot of

1070
00:36:25,170 --> 00:36:26,460
work to build that mailing list.

1071
00:36:26,490 --> 00:36:29,280
But what I would like to encourage you is it's quality

1072
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:30,480
over quantity.

1073
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,240
I would much rather you have a mailing list of 50

1074
00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:36,330
stores that are highly tailored and relevant for the products that

1075
00:36:36,330 --> 00:36:37,170
you're selling.

1076
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,480
Then a list of 2000 people to contact.

1077
00:36:39,540 --> 00:36:42,120
I would like you to start small and it will grow

1078
00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,220
over time as you start to connect with more people at

1079
00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:46,980
shows or over social media or whatever it might be.

1080
00:36:47,390 --> 00:36:48,620
Absolutely. Yes.

1081
00:36:48,620 --> 00:36:49,400
Okay, wonderful.

1082
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,250
And I also want to talk about this really quickly cause

1083
00:36:52,250 --> 00:36:55,280
I think this is a difference between craft shows and buy

1084
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,030
or trade show.

1085
00:36:56,230 --> 00:37:00,370
And that is as we're talking about developing email lists and

1086
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:01,480
being very selective.

1087
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,610
To your point when you're at trade shows,

1088
00:37:04,420 --> 00:37:05,410
I often talk with,

1089
00:37:05,500 --> 00:37:07,990
and we've talked about this gift biz listeners before too,

1090
00:37:07,990 --> 00:37:09,280
is when you're at craft shows,

1091
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,650
you know you want to be collecting email addresses at every

1092
00:37:11,650 --> 00:37:14,620
turn because they're potential customers for you.

1093
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:19,080
Remember that's a consumer show when you get over onto the

1094
00:37:19,140 --> 00:37:20,580
trade show floor.

1095
00:37:20,610 --> 00:37:22,440
So a buyer floor and Katie,

1096
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,180
I'm gonna let you answer this question.

1097
00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:26,190
You know how they'll have the scanners and you have the

1098
00:37:26,190 --> 00:37:30,180
badges. So to your point about Eloise,

1099
00:37:30,210 --> 00:37:33,000
do you want to be scanning every single person who comes

1100
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:37,110
by the booth or would you rather be qualitative versus quantitative

1101
00:37:37,170 --> 00:37:38,160
then too?

1102
00:37:38,550 --> 00:37:40,230
So when you're face to face with people,

1103
00:37:40,230 --> 00:37:42,810
I encourage you to have a conversation as best you can

1104
00:37:42,810 --> 00:37:45,060
rather than just scan people all the time.

1105
00:37:45,060 --> 00:37:47,550
So most of the time if people are not qualified buyers,

1106
00:37:47,550 --> 00:37:49,560
I'm sure Eloise walked around the show and told people,

1107
00:37:49,590 --> 00:37:50,790
Oh, I'm not actually a buyer.

1108
00:37:50,790 --> 00:37:53,880
So people like deterring people from scanning a badge or taking

1109
00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:55,680
a photo of her badge or anything like that.

1110
00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:57,890
But I would encourage you to try to take as much

1111
00:37:57,890 --> 00:38:00,260
information as you can at the shows too similar to the

1112
00:38:00,260 --> 00:38:01,070
consumer shows.

1113
00:38:01,100 --> 00:38:03,290
But that's where you then need to take notes.

1114
00:38:03,290 --> 00:38:05,420
So one of my strategies here is I tell people,

1115
00:38:05,540 --> 00:38:08,810
and this is actually something Jen and Lisa from farewell Paperie

1116
00:38:08,810 --> 00:38:11,110
suggested and I had done something similar.

1117
00:38:11,110 --> 00:38:13,150
So now we've kind of wrapped it into something we teach

1118
00:38:13,150 --> 00:38:16,390
people, but basically get a notebook and staple any business cards

1119
00:38:16,390 --> 00:38:16,930
that you get.

1120
00:38:16,930 --> 00:38:19,600
And a lot of our people don't use the scanners because

1121
00:38:19,630 --> 00:38:20,710
it's another expense.

1122
00:38:20,710 --> 00:38:23,260
So this is like a real simple way to do things.

1123
00:38:23,260 --> 00:38:24,760
But you could also do the scanners if you want,

1124
00:38:24,940 --> 00:38:27,460
but get a notebook and get business cards from people or

1125
00:38:27,460 --> 00:38:29,200
take photos of their badges if you need to.

1126
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:31,870
And then in between people coming in the booth,

1127
00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:34,210
write down everything you can think of about this person.

1128
00:38:34,210 --> 00:38:34,960
So what were they,

1129
00:38:35,380 --> 00:38:37,030
did they have interesting set of glasses?

1130
00:38:37,030 --> 00:38:38,290
Did you talk about their dog?

1131
00:38:38,470 --> 00:38:40,750
What questions did you ask them and what were their answers?

1132
00:38:40,750 --> 00:38:43,180
What products were they looking at and curious about?

1133
00:38:43,370 --> 00:38:45,440
Did they ask for you to send something afterwards?

1134
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:46,040
If so,

1135
00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,410
make sure to note that down so you can follow up

1136
00:38:48,410 --> 00:38:48,830
with them.

1137
00:38:48,860 --> 00:38:49,580
But yeah,

1138
00:38:49,610 --> 00:38:52,070
I personally going and circling back to your original question,

1139
00:38:52,070 --> 00:38:54,470
I personally think you need to leverage that FaceTime as much

1140
00:38:54,470 --> 00:38:56,930
as possible and connect with as many people as possible.

1141
00:38:56,930 --> 00:39:00,350
And I think it's more about the conversations than it is

1142
00:39:00,350 --> 00:39:01,640
about scanning their badges.

1143
00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:04,280
But I do encourage you to get business cards and scan

1144
00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,620
badges and then you can decide later whether or not they

1145
00:39:06,620 --> 00:39:07,610
would be a good fit for you.

1146
00:39:07,990 --> 00:39:09,040
Perfect. Yeah.

1147
00:39:09,100 --> 00:39:09,910
And I'll say,

1148
00:39:09,910 --> 00:39:11,770
I mean I'll even go so far as to put notes

1149
00:39:11,770 --> 00:39:13,630
on the back of a card if I need to,

1150
00:39:13,690 --> 00:39:17,290
but that point about a notebook is so good because I

1151
00:39:17,290 --> 00:39:21,310
know you'll see and have really great people coming by your

1152
00:39:21,310 --> 00:39:23,020
booth the first day and you think,

1153
00:39:23,050 --> 00:39:24,010
Oh that was so great.

1154
00:39:24,010 --> 00:39:27,970
I'm going to remember exactly the conversation by day three.

1155
00:39:28,180 --> 00:39:28,940
Doesn't matter how,

1156
00:39:29,060 --> 00:39:32,830
I don't remember the details cause there's just so much going

1157
00:39:32,830 --> 00:39:33,700
on at a show.

1158
00:39:34,010 --> 00:39:35,180
Yeah, absolutely.

1159
00:39:35,180 --> 00:39:37,280
And I did see what I have to tell you,

1160
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:39,290
I found a bag of business cards the other day.

1161
00:39:39,290 --> 00:39:43,050
I was cleaning up my office and it was from 2010

1162
00:39:43,050 --> 00:39:45,900
stationary show and all these business cards and they had notes

1163
00:39:45,900 --> 00:39:47,730
on the back and I had taken action when I got

1164
00:39:47,730 --> 00:39:49,410
home but I just had to laugh that they were still

1165
00:39:49,410 --> 00:39:50,340
sitting in a bag.

1166
00:39:50,340 --> 00:39:53,160
Whereas once they started doing the notebooks it just was easier

1167
00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:53,670
to manage.

1168
00:39:53,700 --> 00:39:56,460
Nothing got lost in the shuffle and there was more space

1169
00:39:56,460 --> 00:39:57,360
steroid nodes too.

1170
00:39:57,610 --> 00:39:58,630
Right? Absolutely.

1171
00:39:58,630 --> 00:40:01,510
And your point of following up afterwards if you've committed and

1172
00:40:01,510 --> 00:40:02,920
promised to get something,

1173
00:40:03,070 --> 00:40:03,790
Oh my gosh,

1174
00:40:03,850 --> 00:40:07,780
it's a huge heads up to everybody because so many people

1175
00:40:07,780 --> 00:40:10,690
don't. They have the full intent at the show but either

1176
00:40:10,690 --> 00:40:12,130
they don't take the proper notes,

1177
00:40:12,130 --> 00:40:14,320
they don't follow up with the business cards.

1178
00:40:14,350 --> 00:40:16,780
So if you do have some type of followup and you

1179
00:40:16,780 --> 00:40:18,250
actually do that,

1180
00:40:18,370 --> 00:40:19,660
you are way ahead.

1181
00:40:19,910 --> 00:40:21,290
Oh, I a hundred percent agree with you.

1182
00:40:21,290 --> 00:40:22,880
And I have two things to say about followups that are

1183
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:23,510
really important.

1184
00:40:23,510 --> 00:40:25,730
It doesn't matter how late you follow up,

1185
00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:27,500
like ideally like you to follow up a couple of weeks

1186
00:40:27,500 --> 00:40:29,740
after the show and give them everything that they asked for.

1187
00:40:29,970 --> 00:40:31,590
Or if they didn't ask for anything specific,

1188
00:40:31,590 --> 00:40:33,390
just follow up and remind them who you are and give

1189
00:40:33,390 --> 00:40:34,830
them a digital catalog and things like that.

1190
00:40:35,020 --> 00:40:36,910
But I had somebody that sent a followup.

1191
00:40:36,970 --> 00:40:37,720
It was amaze show.

1192
00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:40,600
She sent the fob in August and it was like really

1193
00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:42,790
well done and she was worried that it was going to

1194
00:40:42,790 --> 00:40:44,350
be too late and people were going to kind of roll

1195
00:40:44,350 --> 00:40:45,100
their eyes at it.

1196
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,470
But the fact of the matter is you met these people

1197
00:40:47,470 --> 00:40:49,780
and you want to continue that relationship so it's never too

1198
00:40:49,780 --> 00:40:50,620
late to follow up.

1199
00:40:50,650 --> 00:40:52,960
Even if you feel ashamed that you didn't get things out

1200
00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:55,480
straight away or on a timeline that you had said like,

1201
00:40:55,510 --> 00:40:56,170
just do it.

1202
00:40:56,170 --> 00:40:57,460
Just continue to follow up.

1203
00:40:57,770 --> 00:40:58,580
That's a good point.

1204
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,730
We were talking earlier about people copying you in all this

1205
00:41:01,730 --> 00:41:04,340
is another way you set yourself apart when you're meeting people

1206
00:41:04,340 --> 00:41:05,210
face to face,

1207
00:41:05,330 --> 00:41:07,640
and then what actions do you take afterwards?

1208
00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,470
You're separating yourself from other people,

1209
00:41:09,470 --> 00:41:10,310
you're more professional,

1210
00:41:10,310 --> 00:41:10,910
et cetera.

1211
00:41:11,150 --> 00:41:12,320
Absolutely. I agree with you.

1212
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,170
Any final comments on trade shows before we start to wind

1213
00:41:16,170 --> 00:41:16,680
down here?

1214
00:41:16,910 --> 00:41:21,020
I do think people equate trade shows to launching to the

1215
00:41:21,020 --> 00:41:21,920
wholesale market.

1216
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:24,080
And I just want to dispel that as a myth.

1217
00:41:24,110 --> 00:41:26,780
There's a lot of people that are launching a wholesale and

1218
00:41:26,810 --> 00:41:28,880
doing that for a few years before they ever do a

1219
00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:29,690
wholesale show.

1220
00:41:29,690 --> 00:41:32,240
And that's really the route I would encourage you to do.

1221
00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:34,820
I would like for to kind of get your systems in

1222
00:41:34,820 --> 00:41:37,970
place around sales and fulfillment and outreach to stores.

1223
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,420
And I jumped at first in and I made it work.

1224
00:41:41,420 --> 00:41:42,320
But at the same time,

1225
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:44,150
I think you don't have to do it that way.

1226
00:41:44,150 --> 00:41:45,230
It's not the only way.

1227
00:41:45,230 --> 00:41:47,600
There's not just one way to launch to the wholesale market.

1228
00:41:47,690 --> 00:41:49,520
And so I just wanna encourage people to do what's right

1229
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:50,060
for them,

1230
00:41:50,090 --> 00:41:50,750
their timeline,

1231
00:41:50,750 --> 00:41:51,230
their budgets,

1232
00:41:51,230 --> 00:41:51,740
all of that.

1233
00:41:52,140 --> 00:41:54,090
Perfect. Well now I have a question for you that I

1234
00:41:54,090 --> 00:41:55,110
don't know the answer to.

1235
00:41:55,110 --> 00:41:55,980
So I'm really curious.

1236
00:41:56,010 --> 00:41:58,350
I'm putting myself now as one of your clients.

1237
00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:02,580
Okay. So I know at trade shows that there are a

1238
00:42:02,580 --> 00:42:04,320
lot of smaller boutiques who also go,

1239
00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:06,210
let's continue with the stationary show.

1240
00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:09,550
Right. I have a very close friend who's actually going to

1241
00:42:09,550 --> 00:42:11,320
be on the podcast in a few weeks if I can

1242
00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:12,670
ever get her to do it.

1243
00:42:13,390 --> 00:42:15,430
She's been in business for 35 years.

1244
00:42:15,460 --> 00:42:18,610
She has been at that stationary show ever since.

1245
00:42:18,610 --> 00:42:20,770
The stationary show probably ever started,

1246
00:42:20,830 --> 00:42:23,500
but she's a small one person boutique,

1247
00:42:23,530 --> 00:42:24,880
very successful.

1248
00:42:25,150 --> 00:42:28,060
And so I could see somebody who's just starting out at

1249
00:42:28,060 --> 00:42:29,170
a trade show,

1250
00:42:29,170 --> 00:42:30,160
a buyer show,

1251
00:42:30,380 --> 00:42:31,190
maybe you know,

1252
00:42:31,190 --> 00:42:32,180
their goal is,

1253
00:42:32,180 --> 00:42:32,420
you know,

1254
00:42:32,450 --> 00:42:35,330
I want to get into maybe three boutiques and get a

1255
00:42:35,330 --> 00:42:37,400
feel for how this works and if this is what I

1256
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:38,060
want to do.

1257
00:42:39,050 --> 00:42:41,780
Is that a good approach for someone who's just starting out?

1258
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:42,680
Oh yeah,

1259
00:42:42,780 --> 00:42:46,080
Absolutely. I would tell people so if you don't have the

1260
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,660
money or the time or the energy to do a wholesale

1261
00:42:48,660 --> 00:42:50,610
show and wholesale shows are a big deal.

1262
00:42:50,610 --> 00:42:53,850
I mean our alumni spend on average seven to $10,000

1263
00:42:53,850 --> 00:42:56,880
to do the national stationery show and it's more for shows

1264
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:58,490
like New York now,

1265
00:42:58,610 --> 00:43:01,580
but I would strongly encourage you to create kind of a

1266
00:43:01,580 --> 00:43:04,790
plan for outreach to different boutiques and how you're going to

1267
00:43:04,790 --> 00:43:06,620
build relationships with the smaller boutiques.

1268
00:43:06,620 --> 00:43:10,100
Whether you start with local shops that you can maybe meet

1269
00:43:10,100 --> 00:43:11,000
with people in person.

1270
00:43:11,030 --> 00:43:12,170
I don't show up unannounced,

1271
00:43:12,170 --> 00:43:15,020
but maybe you can set an appointment or something like that,

1272
00:43:15,210 --> 00:43:19,200
but build those relationships and start small because you will learn

1273
00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:19,720
a lot.

1274
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,550
Now the one caveat to this though is every buyer is

1275
00:43:22,550 --> 00:43:25,280
different. How they like to be communicated with is different.

1276
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:28,040
How their opinion of your products is going to be different.

1277
00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:31,550
Some person might like something in a certain sense of candle

1278
00:43:31,550 --> 00:43:33,560
and some people might like it in a different sense,

1279
00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:36,410
so you do have to weigh the feedback you get,

1280
00:43:36,610 --> 00:43:38,590
not individually I guess is what I'm trying to say.

1281
00:43:38,590 --> 00:43:41,320
You want to take collective feedback rather than just one person's

1282
00:43:41,320 --> 00:43:41,830
point of view.

1283
00:43:41,830 --> 00:43:44,440
But I think there's a lot that can be done on

1284
00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:47,470
a smaller scale level by reaching out to independent boutiques and

1285
00:43:47,500 --> 00:43:49,270
trying to build relationships one-on-one,

1286
00:43:49,390 --> 00:43:52,710
especially when you're starting And talking about relationships.

1287
00:43:52,710 --> 00:43:54,840
And I think we can end this at this point,

1288
00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:57,540
but I also feel that in a lot of those bigger

1289
00:43:57,540 --> 00:43:59,220
shows, they have socials,

1290
00:43:59,250 --> 00:44:02,130
they have exhibitor get togethers,

1291
00:44:02,310 --> 00:44:04,380
they have community breakfasts,

1292
00:44:04,410 --> 00:44:06,720
there's an association that's connected with a show.

1293
00:44:06,780 --> 00:44:10,380
There are other things besides just the trade show hours,

1294
00:44:10,410 --> 00:44:11,310
there's classes,

1295
00:44:11,340 --> 00:44:12,300
there's all of that.

1296
00:44:12,470 --> 00:44:13,610
And the more interactive,

1297
00:44:13,610 --> 00:44:15,800
the more people you can meet and get to know.

1298
00:44:15,830 --> 00:44:19,040
You may find that perfect store owner who never ever goes

1299
00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:19,820
by your booth,

1300
00:44:19,850 --> 00:44:22,790
but you sit with them at breakfast for the initial keynote

1301
00:44:23,030 --> 00:44:24,230
welcome or something.

1302
00:44:24,650 --> 00:44:26,840
Yeah. And the other thing is Ask a ton of questions.

1303
00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:27,860
When you're talking to people,

1304
00:44:27,860 --> 00:44:29,570
you ask what they're looking for in a show.

1305
00:44:29,570 --> 00:44:30,770
Ask what their needs are.

1306
00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:33,180
I had somebody telling me They really needed a gift wrap

1307
00:44:33,180 --> 00:44:34,620
and that was something I didn't offer.

1308
00:44:34,620 --> 00:44:36,600
And so I walked them across the aisle to one of

1309
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:39,090
my good friends who carried beautiful gift wrap and I said,

1310
00:44:39,090 --> 00:44:40,300
this is somebody you got to talk to.

1311
00:44:40,350 --> 00:44:40,860
And yes,

1312
00:44:40,860 --> 00:44:43,200
I walked that prison out of my booth into somebody else's

1313
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:45,030
booth. But eventually they came back and ordered from me and

1314
00:44:45,030 --> 00:44:47,640
they were just appreciative because I helped them solve a problem.

1315
00:44:47,970 --> 00:44:50,580
Getting back to the point of not being worried about just

1316
00:44:50,580 --> 00:44:51,660
yourself, but the giving.

1317
00:44:51,930 --> 00:44:57,000
Yeah. So you're a professional in many different industries and the

1318
00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,110
trade show and all of that.

1319
00:44:58,140 --> 00:45:01,230
Where do you go to stay informed in your field?

1320
00:45:01,570 --> 00:45:05,050
Yeah, so I'm involved in some mastermind communities where it's people

1321
00:45:05,050 --> 00:45:06,280
from different industries.

1322
00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:08,410
And so now I have my own little community of people

1323
00:45:08,410 --> 00:45:11,950
and lean on where we share resources and information and strategies

1324
00:45:11,950 --> 00:45:12,550
and things like this.

1325
00:45:12,550 --> 00:45:15,040
And because they're in a different industry than I am,

1326
00:45:15,250 --> 00:45:17,890
I feel like we're leveraging different tools and things than each

1327
00:45:17,890 --> 00:45:20,410
other. And so that has been very eyeopening for me.

1328
00:45:20,610 --> 00:45:22,140
But in terms of other resources,

1329
00:45:22,140 --> 00:45:25,410
there's a few books that I loved and I constantly recommend

1330
00:45:25,410 --> 00:45:27,030
and even gift to my team.

1331
00:45:27,230 --> 00:45:29,810
One of them is anything you want by Derek Sievers.

1332
00:45:30,010 --> 00:45:33,190
It's about building a business that is meaningful to you and

1333
00:45:33,190 --> 00:45:34,360
on your own terms.

1334
00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:37,600
And it's just about how we're in control really of making

1335
00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:39,310
this business in this life what we want.

1336
00:45:39,310 --> 00:45:42,550
And I really encourage entrepreneurs to read that because I think

1337
00:45:42,550 --> 00:45:45,130
sometimes it's easy to forget that we set the rules for

1338
00:45:45,130 --> 00:45:48,290
what we're doing and we can build this business however we

1339
00:45:48,290 --> 00:45:49,490
want to fit our lives.

1340
00:45:49,610 --> 00:45:51,440
And so that's one of the books I look at.

1341
00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,960
Another one is StoryBrand by Donald Miller.

1342
00:45:55,020 --> 00:45:58,440
And I think customers relate so much to story.

1343
00:45:58,440 --> 00:45:58,880
They want to,

1344
00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:00,330
to your point earlier in the interview,

1345
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:02,340
they want to hear the story behind your business,

1346
00:46:02,340 --> 00:46:03,210
how you got started.

1347
00:46:03,210 --> 00:46:06,060
They want to hear what inspired you to create your products.

1348
00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:07,830
So I just love the idea of how he talks about

1349
00:46:07,830 --> 00:46:10,530
creating a story for everything you're selling and for your brand.

1350
00:46:10,530 --> 00:46:11,640
And so that's a really great book.

1351
00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,520
If people haven't read that or listen to his audio version.

1352
00:46:14,790 --> 00:46:17,250
Yeah. Have you heard him speak in person?

1353
00:46:17,660 --> 00:46:18,590
I have.

1354
00:46:18,620 --> 00:46:19,490
He's pretty incredible.

1355
00:46:19,750 --> 00:46:22,090
I wonder if he has a YouTube video up.

1356
00:46:22,150 --> 00:46:23,650
I bet you he does too.

1357
00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:25,330
As a source for our listeners.

1358
00:46:26,220 --> 00:46:26,970
No, he has,

1359
00:46:27,030 --> 00:46:29,130
it's like a three day video series or a five day

1360
00:46:29,130 --> 00:46:29,850
video series.

1361
00:46:29,850 --> 00:46:31,530
I can't recall exactly the details,

1362
00:46:31,530 --> 00:46:33,720
but it was really empowering and it was really cool.

1363
00:46:33,720 --> 00:46:34,770
And that was on his website?

1364
00:46:34,770 --> 00:46:35,790
I believe so.

1365
00:46:35,850 --> 00:46:36,750
I'm sure there's some free,

1366
00:46:36,780 --> 00:46:38,670
he has a podcast as well so you could listen to

1367
00:46:38,670 --> 00:46:39,090
him there.

1368
00:46:39,350 --> 00:46:40,010
Well there you go.

1369
00:46:40,070 --> 00:46:41,480
Yeah, lots of places.

1370
00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,300
Yeah. But Donald Miller is definitely someone to catch up with

1371
00:46:44,300 --> 00:46:45,860
and stories for sure.

1372
00:46:45,860 --> 00:46:47,720
You're just like you were telling your story,

1373
00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:51,320
you're able to demonstrate a point so much easier through stories.

1374
00:46:51,770 --> 00:46:52,460
It's relatable.

1375
00:46:52,460 --> 00:46:54,260
Right? Totally relatable.

1376
00:46:54,350 --> 00:46:55,610
And I also,

1377
00:46:55,670 --> 00:46:59,270
this whole idea of building a business that you want is

1378
00:46:59,270 --> 00:47:01,730
something that you kind of get on a little bit of

1379
00:47:01,730 --> 00:47:05,360
uncomfortable territory when you make a transition into wholesale because it

1380
00:47:05,360 --> 00:47:06,920
is a whole different animal.

1381
00:47:06,980 --> 00:47:10,160
And I've seen people who get there and they don't like

1382
00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:14,030
it. Entering in with your eyes wide open is really important.

1383
00:47:14,230 --> 00:47:17,830
You go from being the creator and enjoying hands on and

1384
00:47:17,830 --> 00:47:20,920
all of that to then running a team and mass producing

1385
00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:23,770
and dealing with factories to go to two different extremes.

1386
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:26,080
So you really have to think through what your life would

1387
00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:27,340
look like on the other end.

1388
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:28,870
Don't just jump in blindly.

1389
00:47:29,240 --> 00:47:31,250
Absolutely. And That's really why I started.

1390
00:47:31,250 --> 00:47:32,420
But the teaching that we're teaching,

1391
00:47:32,420 --> 00:47:34,370
we have people come to our paper camp program,

1392
00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:36,980
which is everything about selling wholesale and doing shows.

1393
00:47:37,010 --> 00:47:38,600
And we have people walk away saying,

1394
00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:39,110
you know what,

1395
00:47:39,110 --> 00:47:39,890
I want to wholesale,

1396
00:47:39,890 --> 00:47:42,470
but I don't want to do shows or wholesale is not

1397
00:47:42,470 --> 00:47:42,980
for me.

1398
00:47:42,980 --> 00:47:44,120
Shows are not for me.

1399
00:47:44,180 --> 00:47:47,390
And I know that sounds like something I'd be disappointed in.

1400
00:47:47,390 --> 00:47:49,850
But the fact of the matter is I'm elated because I

1401
00:47:49,850 --> 00:47:52,370
would rather they spend two days with us and hear what's

1402
00:47:52,370 --> 00:47:54,170
involved and then make decisions,

1403
00:47:54,170 --> 00:47:57,590
educated decisions for themselves based upon what they now know.

1404
00:47:57,930 --> 00:48:01,140
Absolutely. So what would you say to the person who's out

1405
00:48:01,140 --> 00:48:04,110
here who's heard this gets a feel for the fact that

1406
00:48:04,110 --> 00:48:05,790
a show could be something good for them?

1407
00:48:05,820 --> 00:48:07,140
What are their next steps?

1408
00:48:07,170 --> 00:48:08,520
If they're starting to think about,

1409
00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,220
okay, maybe 2019 is the time for me to try a

1410
00:48:11,220 --> 00:48:11,760
trade show.

1411
00:48:12,020 --> 00:48:14,870
I would definitely tell them to research the different shows that

1412
00:48:14,870 --> 00:48:17,480
are out there and we have some resources available at our

1413
00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:18,860
website, trade show camp.com

1414
00:48:18,860 --> 00:48:19,850
if you're interested in that,

1415
00:48:20,050 --> 00:48:22,690
but it's important that you find a show where the buyers

1416
00:48:22,690 --> 00:48:24,070
are your types of buyers.

1417
00:48:24,070 --> 00:48:25,510
So what you can do this a couple of ways.

1418
00:48:25,510 --> 00:48:28,240
You can Google different shows and find out where different shows

1419
00:48:28,240 --> 00:48:30,220
are or you could talk to some buyers if you're already

1420
00:48:30,220 --> 00:48:33,100
working with the wholesale buyers and see what shows they're attending.

1421
00:48:33,300 --> 00:48:35,100
The other thing is look at shows that are local to

1422
00:48:35,100 --> 00:48:37,350
you because that'll be easier for you logistics wise.

1423
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:39,630
But basically the first step would be figuring out what show

1424
00:48:39,630 --> 00:48:41,880
you want to do and then making sure that you've got

1425
00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:44,970
the time to dedicate to getting ready and the budget to

1426
00:48:44,970 --> 00:48:45,860
allocate towards it.

1427
00:48:46,050 --> 00:48:47,820
So figuring out what shows right for you,

1428
00:48:47,820 --> 00:48:49,380
making sure you've got your ducks in a row,

1429
00:48:49,380 --> 00:48:50,700
all your wholesale tools,

1430
00:48:50,700 --> 00:48:51,540
you need a catalog,

1431
00:48:51,540 --> 00:48:53,970
you need to make sure you've got wholesale terms and conditions

1432
00:48:53,970 --> 00:48:54,870
and go from there.

1433
00:48:54,870 --> 00:48:55,830
But your product,

1434
00:48:55,830 --> 00:48:56,730
your sales tools,

1435
00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:59,760
figuring out what show and then just diving in.

1436
00:48:59,940 --> 00:49:02,220
And we do have a course called the booth blueprint,

1437
00:49:02,340 --> 00:49:04,770
which kind of walks you through how to create your booth

1438
00:49:04,890 --> 00:49:06,660
and all the different aspects that go into it.

1439
00:49:06,660 --> 00:49:07,650
Walls, lighting,

1440
00:49:07,650 --> 00:49:09,000
signage, flooring,

1441
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:09,480
all of it.

1442
00:49:09,650 --> 00:49:11,240
So if they needed help in that aspect,

1443
00:49:11,240 --> 00:49:12,410
we could definitely help them there too.

1444
00:49:12,410 --> 00:49:13,340
And that's at the booth,

1445
00:49:13,370 --> 00:49:15,340
blueprint.com Perfect.

1446
00:49:15,340 --> 00:49:16,810
Wonderful. Okay,

1447
00:49:16,810 --> 00:49:19,660
so now as we're circling and finishing up here,

1448
00:49:19,660 --> 00:49:22,000
I would like to offer you to dare to dream.

1449
00:49:22,230 --> 00:49:24,360
I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.

1450
00:49:24,510 --> 00:49:28,350
It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.

1451
00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:31,710
So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable

1452
00:49:31,710 --> 00:49:33,390
Heights that you would wish to obtain.

1453
00:49:33,550 --> 00:49:36,370
So please accept this gift and open it in our presence.

1454
00:49:36,370 --> 00:49:38,350
Katie, what is inside your box?

1455
00:49:38,550 --> 00:49:41,160
So there's two things in my mind that's loud.

1456
00:49:41,220 --> 00:49:42,120
You may have to,

1457
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,600
so the first thing is I have four small children,

1458
00:49:45,600 --> 00:49:47,460
so I would definitely dream for unlimited,

1459
00:49:47,550 --> 00:49:49,080
uninterrupted sleep,

1460
00:49:49,110 --> 00:49:50,550
which I know is silly.

1461
00:49:50,790 --> 00:49:53,570
It's in your future somewhere Too soon,

1462
00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:54,560
too soon.

1463
00:49:54,590 --> 00:49:55,610
But for my business,

1464
00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:57,590
I think I would like to write a book one day

1465
00:49:57,590 --> 00:50:00,050
that really highlights not only my business journey,

1466
00:50:00,050 --> 00:50:02,750
but also our alumni and our community members and how they've

1467
00:50:02,750 --> 00:50:03,980
built their businesses.

1468
00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:05,720
So it would be similar to my podcast,

1469
00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:06,530
proof to product,

1470
00:50:06,590 --> 00:50:10,130
but in a storytelling format rather than an interview format.

1471
00:50:10,130 --> 00:50:13,490
So that is something on the longterm horizon that I'd like

1472
00:50:13,490 --> 00:50:13,850
to do.

1473
00:50:14,190 --> 00:50:17,280
Well, you know with self publishing now it's more juvenile than

1474
00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:18,480
ever. True.

1475
00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:21,660
Yeah. My book just came out last year and that was

1476
00:50:21,660 --> 00:50:23,490
the route to go for sure and it started with the

1477
00:50:23,490 --> 00:50:24,270
idea Katie,

1478
00:50:24,270 --> 00:50:26,100
so that's going to be an easy one.

1479
00:50:26,100 --> 00:50:28,280
It's just a matter of what you do it.

1480
00:50:29,300 --> 00:50:30,410
That's encouraging to hear.

1481
00:50:30,410 --> 00:50:31,040
So thank you.

1482
00:50:31,370 --> 00:50:33,350
It's easy but it is time consuming.

1483
00:50:34,100 --> 00:50:35,480
I think that's where I'm at too right now.

1484
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:37,100
Time feels so stretched.

1485
00:50:37,310 --> 00:50:38,750
Right, for sure.

1486
00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:40,040
Well thank you so much.

1487
00:50:40,070 --> 00:50:43,340
I really am thrilled with the topics that we touched on

1488
00:50:43,340 --> 00:50:46,220
here and you gave some great depth and some great detail

1489
00:50:46,250 --> 00:50:49,160
and some really good understanding behind all of this,

1490
00:50:49,160 --> 00:50:50,030
so thank you so much.

1491
00:50:50,030 --> 00:50:51,740
I appreciate your taking the time today.

1492
00:50:52,020 --> 00:50:52,800
Thank you for having me.

1493
00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:53,910
See this was a lot of fun,

1494
00:50:58,260 --> 00:51:02,370
So I'm usually pretty good at keeping secrets,

1495
00:51:02,460 --> 00:51:04,770
but I'm spilling the beans.

1496
00:51:04,830 --> 00:51:06,000
I can't help it.

1497
00:51:06,060 --> 00:51:07,140
I'm so excited.

1498
00:51:07,140 --> 00:51:10,570
I just want to tell you guys what I've been working

1499
00:51:10,570 --> 00:51:12,460
on over the last few months.

1500
00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:15,930
It's been a little bit of a secret project because I

1501
00:51:15,930 --> 00:51:18,570
wasn't sure exactly what the timing was going to look like

1502
00:51:18,570 --> 00:51:19,050
on it,

1503
00:51:19,110 --> 00:51:20,640
but I can't wait.

1504
00:51:20,700 --> 00:51:22,920
I have to share with you my secret.

1505
00:51:23,350 --> 00:51:25,450
Many of you have been following me for a while.

1506
00:51:25,450 --> 00:51:28,420
Know that I wrote a book that came out last may.

1507
00:51:28,450 --> 00:51:30,010
It's called maker to master,

1508
00:51:30,160 --> 00:51:32,200
but that's not what this is about.

1509
00:51:32,230 --> 00:51:34,540
Although it spins off a similar concept.

1510
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:37,310
When I was getting serious about writing that book,

1511
00:51:37,340 --> 00:51:41,210
there were actually two books that I had in my mind.

1512
00:51:41,500 --> 00:51:44,770
One was maker to master and that truth be told was

1513
00:51:45,010 --> 00:51:46,390
the harder one to do,

1514
00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:50,790
but I also was really interested in writing a book that

1515
00:51:50,850 --> 00:51:55,620
was an inspirational book kind of inspiration a day.

1516
00:51:55,680 --> 00:51:59,700
I know you've seen those out there where it's 365 inspiring

1517
00:51:59,730 --> 00:52:01,710
thoughts for your year or something like that.

1518
00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:06,480
I think very often we get defeated by our own self-talk

1519
00:52:06,680 --> 00:52:12,680
and we also sway away from core solid business growth values

1520
00:52:12,830 --> 00:52:17,630
because there's a new social media site that's available or other

1521
00:52:17,630 --> 00:52:21,610
things come up that take our mind off of the really

1522
00:52:21,610 --> 00:52:24,100
important things that we need to grow our business.

1523
00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:26,150
As things happen.

1524
00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:31,170
My idea continued to evolve and I came up with the

1525
00:52:31,170 --> 00:52:37,050
idea of instead of doing a 365 inspiring tips type book,

1526
00:52:37,250 --> 00:52:41,670
it would be way more helpful for you if it was

1527
00:52:41,670 --> 00:52:46,000
included in some type of a planner so that every day

1528
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:47,770
when you're planning out your day,

1529
00:52:47,860 --> 00:52:49,870
you'd also then see a tip.

1530
00:52:50,030 --> 00:52:52,070
If I look at how I work with things,

1531
00:52:52,070 --> 00:52:54,140
I don't know if I would have a book on the

1532
00:52:54,140 --> 00:52:57,530
side of my desk and every day look at one day's

1533
00:52:57,530 --> 00:53:00,020
inspiration and then another day's inspiration.

1534
00:53:00,180 --> 00:53:02,640
Way better to have everything in one place.

1535
00:53:03,330 --> 00:53:06,450
Consequently, I have created a planner.

1536
00:53:06,540 --> 00:53:11,940
It's called inspired a daily planner specifically for you,

1537
00:53:12,300 --> 00:53:14,670
our wonderful community of gifters,

1538
00:53:14,700 --> 00:53:17,130
bakers, crafters and makers.

1539
00:53:17,610 --> 00:53:19,770
I'll be sharing more in the upcoming days,

1540
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:22,170
but let me give you a few highlights here.

1541
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:24,890
One of the cool things about this planner is you can

1542
00:53:24,900 --> 00:53:27,090
start any month of the year.

1543
00:53:27,620 --> 00:53:28,790
Have you ever been like me?

1544
00:53:28,790 --> 00:53:32,180
Where all of a sudden in may you decide I want

1545
00:53:32,180 --> 00:53:33,410
to start doing things different.

1546
00:53:33,500 --> 00:53:35,660
I want to get myself really organized,

1547
00:53:35,790 --> 00:53:38,470
but then you go to find a planner and they either

1548
00:53:38,470 --> 00:53:41,830
start in September going into the next year or do you

1549
00:53:41,830 --> 00:53:44,260
have to buy a year and all the prior months of

1550
00:53:44,260 --> 00:53:47,890
the year are useless for you because you're already in may

1551
00:53:48,190 --> 00:53:48,910
with this planner.

1552
00:53:48,910 --> 00:53:50,530
You can start any time.

1553
00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:53,750
If you're listening to this announcement in January,

1554
00:53:53,880 --> 00:53:55,530
you can start it right away.

1555
00:53:55,780 --> 00:53:57,220
If you're hearing this in may,

1556
00:53:57,280 --> 00:53:59,800
you can use this planner starting in may.

1557
00:54:00,260 --> 00:54:03,110
It has monthly and daily layout,

1558
00:54:03,140 --> 00:54:07,360
so you'll be able to keep yourself really organized and special

1559
00:54:07,390 --> 00:54:09,280
life enhancing sections.

1560
00:54:09,670 --> 00:54:10,930
More on that later.

1561
00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:14,550
It also includes what I've been talking about earlier and the

1562
00:54:14,550 --> 00:54:18,030
reason I changed this from a book to a planner and

1563
00:54:18,030 --> 00:54:22,130
that is daily inspiration things that you need to be telling

1564
00:54:22,130 --> 00:54:26,330
yourself, affirmations to get in the right mindset as the owner

1565
00:54:26,330 --> 00:54:27,260
of your business.

1566
00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:30,170
Also, business tips and ideas.

1567
00:54:30,380 --> 00:54:31,970
Some of them you're going to read and you're like,

1568
00:54:31,970 --> 00:54:32,840
yep, got it,

1569
00:54:32,900 --> 00:54:33,740
it's covered,

1570
00:54:33,830 --> 00:54:37,550
and then others might give you some pause ideas of things

1571
00:54:37,550 --> 00:54:41,660
you might want to implement into your business to further either

1572
00:54:41,660 --> 00:54:44,860
solidify or grow what you already have going.

1573
00:54:45,430 --> 00:54:47,950
That's all I'm going to share with you right now,

1574
00:54:48,010 --> 00:54:51,220
but I will tell you that we are just weeks away

1575
00:54:51,250 --> 00:54:53,620
from getting this out to you.

1576
00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:56,950
I'm going to do a limited first run and if you

1577
00:54:56,950 --> 00:54:59,140
want to be one of the first ones to know when

1578
00:54:59,140 --> 00:55:00,040
it's available,

1579
00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:04,210
jump over to gift biz unwrapped.com

1580
00:55:04,510 --> 00:55:08,230
forward slash add me and you'll get an email when the

1581
00:55:08,230 --> 00:55:09,160
planner is ready.

1582
00:55:09,730 --> 00:55:13,270
That link again is gift biz unwrapped.com

1583
00:55:13,630 --> 00:55:17,740
forward slash add me there is no time like the present

1584
00:55:17,770 --> 00:55:21,400
to take the next step on solidifying the dream you have

1585
00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:22,420
for your business.

1586
00:55:22,870 --> 00:55:26,710
The new inspired planner could be just the ticket to make

1587
00:55:26,710 --> 00:55:31,670
it ensure that that actually happens for you this year and

1588
00:55:31,670 --> 00:55:36,200
on the podcast side we have another amazing guest coming up

1589
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:39,590
next week and that is a secret I'm going to keep.

1590
00:55:40,340 --> 00:55:41,720
Have a great week everybody,

1591
00:55:41,720 --> 00:55:44,690
and I'll catch you again next Monday on the gift biz

1592
00:55:44,720 --> 00:55:46,160
unwrapped podcast.