In today’s episode, I’m talking about things you can do to make your subscription box business recession ready. While it’s not possible to “recession-proof” your business, it is possible to be recession ready. Now is not a time to panic. If we made it through a pandemic, we can make it through economic uncertainty. There are practical, actionable steps you can take to make managing this time less stressful. I walk you through seven of them in today’s episode. Get control of your inventory. It’s time to change your buying habits away from the panic buying we all practiced during the pandemic. I shifted my own buying behavior away from buying deep (fewer products in greater quantities) to buying wide (more products in lower quantities). Understand your cash flow. In order to build a long-term, sustainable business, you have to know and understand your numbers. Decreasing your inventory will increase your cash flow, but you still need to have products to sell. Understanding your rate of revenue vs. your rate of expenses allows you to make adjustments where necessary. Overhead Software Packaging & shipping Opportunities to buy in bulk Trim your expenses. Dig into your P&L to identify your biggest expenses and any you don’t realize you’re even paying for. Look for areas where you can trim costs. Try a new platform. Use email and SMS marketing to get in their text messages and inboxes. Experiment with your posts/videos to make things new, fresh, and fun! Get in front of new people. Now is not the time to pull back on your marketing efforts. How are you serving your audience? Focus on organic, free ways to attract new people. Create additional revenue streams. If you don’t yet have a subscription box as part of your product-based business, start one. If you have a subscription box, consider what complementary products you can offer your customers? Don’t forget to consider digital products! Offer customization and convenience for a premium price. What can you offer those customers who want the ultimate experience and are willing to pay for it? Wow your customers. There is so much you can do that won’t cost you much at all. Make exceptional customer service the standard. Say thank you and show appreciation to your customers. Look for ways to surprise and delight your subscribers. Get my resource “10 Ways to Surprise & Delight Your Subscribers” by texting SURPRISE to 940-204-0023. Don’t be afraid to serve and to sell during these uncertain economic times. Realize people want to buy what you have to offer. Now is the time to gain a deeper understanding of the financials of your business and make educated decisions. Join me for this episode as I talk about seven things you can start doing now to get your business recession ready. This is an episode to listen to with your notebook close by. You’re going to want to take a lot of notes! Important Links: 10 Ways to Surprise & Delight Your Subscribers - Text SURPRISE to 940-204-0023 Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
On today’s episode, I’m joined by Launch Your Box member and dog mom times eight, Rhonda Conces. Yes, I said eight! A true, dedicated lover of all things dog, Rhonda has eight pups of her own who help inspire her subscription box every month. Rhonda is the CEO and Founder of Monogramme No. 29. Her business was not initially focused on dogs. In fact, her first career was as a labor and delivery nurse. When an injury sidelined Rhonda, she turned to her love of crafting and soon found herself selling monogrammed items. Monogrammed pajamas became her best seller, especially with brides and bridal parties. When 2020 hit and the bridal industry shut down, Rhonda needed to pivot. She decided to focus on another customer favorite - personalized dog bandanas. Rhonda loved making them, her customers loved buying them, and their dogs looked too cute for words in them. Soon, Rhonda decided to offer her bandanas as a monthly subscription and Posh Puppies was born. Rhonda found and joined Launch Your Box a couple months after she launched her subscription and quickly soaked in as much knowledge as possible. She is a fantastic student and makes sure she does all the things in order to grow her business. Rhonda launched with 40 members in February of 2021 and now has 330 monthly subscribers! The recurring revenue her subscription brings into her business has changed her business and her life. So much is possible for Rhonda now, all because she leaned into one thing. Join me for this episode as Rhonda and I talk about why you should consider leaning into what your customers love and the many benefits of offering a one thing of the month subscription. Important Links: Find and follow Tamara: Monogramme No. 29 on Instagram Monogramme No. 29 on Facebook Monogramme No. 29 Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
On today’s episode, I’m joined by Tamara Bennett, one of my biz besties who also happens to be a member of Launch Your Box! Tamara is the founder and CEO of Southern A-Door-nments Decor where she teaches women how to paint door hangers. Her business has grown over the years thanks in no small part to Tamara’s dedication to creating connections with her audience. Tamara and I met at Stu McLaren’s Mastermind more than four years ago and hit it off right away. We talk all the time about all the things, including business. We had many discussions about her adding a subscription box to her business. So, when Tamara said she was joining Launch Your Box, I asked her why. She knew she could call me anytime to get answers to any questions she had. In true Tamara fashion, she had a ready answer. Because she knew me and my business so well, Tamara knew how much training was inside my membership. She also knew how amazing the Launch Your Box community is. Her reason for joining was simple - she didn’t want to miss out! Tamara is an excellent student who followed my instructions for having a successful launch to the letter. And it paid off. She launched her Big Box of Blanks and sold out all 200 spots in only 8 days! And she has plans to grow. Join me for this episode as Tamara and I talk about the importance of audience building and connecting with that audience, why Tamara was a very early adopter of Facebook Lives, and what she did to go from 0-200 subscribers in only eight days! Important Links: Find and follow Tamara: Southern A-Door-nments Decor on Tik Tok Southern A-Door-nments Decor on Facebook Southern A-Door-nments Decor Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
“When people are part of the process, they buy in.” - Britney Brown I’m so excited to introduce you to Britney Brown, Launch Your Box member and founder, CEO, and all the things of Imperfect Inspiration. Britney’s story and the incredible growth she’s seen in her company and her subscription box are actually perfectly inspirational! In 2020, Britney was a full-time photographer and mom of five. When the pandemic hit, the photography industry shut down. Britney turned to Tik Tok to document her life during this time and also to document her new ADHD diagnosis. During this time, by sharing her experience, she built a large following on Tik Tok. Over 700,000 followers large! Britney’s online business started with a planner she designed to meet the needs of ADHD humans like her. The planner was a HUGE success and led to additional products. That then led to a subscription box. As Britney put it, “It turns out people were into it.” “Into it” is a bit of an understatement. Britney launched and sold out 150 boxes almost immediately. She quickly figured out just how many boxes she could get products for and reopened for three days. Her first box shipped to 466 subscribers! The following month she opened to new subscribers again and closed with 1,111! She plans to open again to new subscribers in July and already has 8,000 people on her waitlist. What is the secret to Britney’s astonishing success? She listens to her audience. She built a community before she built her products. Britney believes in the absolute power of people feeling seen and heard. She carefully and intentionally built a community to let people know they are not the only one. Britney knows and truly understands that when people feel part of the process, they buy in. Join me for this episode as Britney and I talk about what it means to truly serve your audience and how you just might succeed beyond your wildest dreams by building a community first, one that feels seen and heard. Important Links: Find and follow Britney: Imperfect Inspiration on Tik Tok Imperfect Inspiration on Facebook Imperfect Inspiration Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
“Start with what you have and build up to what you want.” Welcome to my first on-location podcast episode! Launch Your Box member Rachel Duguay joined me live onstage at SubSummit, the first and only conference exclusively for the subscription box industry. Rachel and I met at last year’s SubSummit and she quickly became a member of Launch Your Box. At that time, Rachel and her husband’s business, MicroPuzzles, sold miniature puzzles as one-time purchases. In business since 2018, MicroPuzzles took off in 2020 when the entire world turned to puzzles as a way to pass the time together. MicroPuzzles are 4”x6” when complete and are adorably packaged in test tubes. Demand for their puzzles went through the roof and customers clamored for more designs. Rachel decided adding a subscription box to the business was the answer to giving her customers what they wanted. They launched what Rachel calls the 1.0 version and continued to improve and grow. A year later, they have 425 monthly subscribers and both she and her husband have turned a part-time side hustle into a full-time career. Rachel doesn’t just put MicroPuzzles in her own subscription boxes, she partners with other subscription box owners, too. Many members of Launch Your Box have featured Rachel’s tiny puzzles in their own subscription boxes, customized to their themes and their audiences! Part of Rachel’s success is due to her creative marketing, including an emphasis on product seeding. You’ll rarely find her without a stash of tiny puzzles on hand to use as “business cards.” She also does a fantastic job of building genuine connections with her audience which has contributed to her success. Join me for this episode as Rachel and I talk about the importance of doing something before it’s perfect, the rapid growth of her subscription box, and what led to a cross-country move that included getting the keys to a 3,000-square-foot warehouse. Find out, too, what makes Brian in shipping their most talked about employee. Important Links: Find and follow Rachel: MicroPuzzles on Facebook MicroPuzzles on Instagram MicroPuzzles Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
Welcome to the last episode in my eight-part series on the podcast called, “Ask Sarah.” Each week, I’ve answered a question from inside my Launch Your Box coaching membership. This week Beth Eaton of The Ruffled Daisy is here to talk about something we’re all facing right now. How to retain subscribers in a world where costs are rising. Beth started her business 10 years ago selling completed home decor pieces. Soon, people wanted to learn how to make these pieces themselves and they wanted Beth to teach them. Beth started selling kits and building a community of crafters. She tried launching a subscription box a few years ago and it just didn’t stick with her community. When COVID struck and we all found ourselves at home, Beth tried again. This time her community was ready! She started with 23 subscribers and two years later has 330 monthly subscribers. Beth came to me with a question that a lot of my members have right now. With the challenges the world is facing right now and the increasing cost of absolutely everything, Beth wanted to know what she can do to retain her subscribers when her box isn’t seen as a need. The first question I asked Beth was about her retention rate. While she didn’t know the exact number (she was going to figure it out as soon as our interview ended), she did have valuable information. Beth knew the point in the life of their subscription at which many of her subscribers canceled. Knowing when you start to lose subscribers allows you to put some things in place to keep them on track. Beth and I talked about what she can do to recapture the sense of togetherness inside her community and help subscribers consume the contents of her box. We also talked about six important facets of the subscriber experience and identified some things Beth can do to make improvements. Reducing the length of time between payment and box in hand. Consistently communicating with subscribers. Having a cancellation survey in place and paying attention to the results. Getting personal - don’t just rely on automations. Focusing on customer service response time. Making customer reviews visible. Join me for this episode as Beth and I talk about the challenges subscription box owners face right now and the practical, actionable things she can do to improve her subscriber experience, retain more subscribers and continue to grow. Important Links: Find and follow Beth: The Ruffled Daisy on Facebook The Ruffled Daisy on Instagram The Ruffled Daisy Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
Welcome to episode seven of my eight-part series on the podcast called, “Ask Sarah.” Each week, I answer a question from inside my Launch Your Box coaching membership. This week Alivia Key of Light of the Lamb is here to talk about how to handle increasing the price of her subscription and whether it’s time to move from an open to a closed cart model. Alivia has been a member of Launch Your Box for two years. During that time she has launched and grown two subscriptions - a monthly t-shirt subscription and a quarterly subscription box. Like all business owners right now, Alivia has seen her cost of goods sold increase significantly this year which means her subscriptions aren’t as profitable as they were. That increase in costs and decrease in profits led to Alivia bringing two related questions to me. The first is how to handle a price increase with her audience and the second is whether to move from an open to a closed subscription model. Alivia and I talked through the reasons for the price increase. I reminded her that in order to continue to serve her subscribers, her business needs to stay strong. And that means staying profitable. Moving to a closed cart is a perfect time to announce an upcoming price increase. It gives people a reason to BUY NOW! The upcoming price increase drives marketing for the closed cart - people need to get in now to be locked in at the current price. It creates urgency, scarcity, and FOMO! The next question is when and how to move to a closed cart. I recommended Alivia identify a two-week period when she can go all-in on the closed cart launch. Her social posts, LIVES, and emails need to stay focused on the launch. In her content, she needs to: Be transparent. Explain to her audience why she’s raising prices and closing her cart. Bring members onto her LIVES. Host “Girl Talk” and talk about why her subscription is more than just a t-shirt to them. Have fun with ads. Shake things up and get creative. Send emails with links to her LIVES and explain the what and why behind the changes. During LIVES, show off past designs. Create a variety of ads and posts - some silly, some serious, some inspirational. I recommended Alivia go into full launch mode for two weeks instead of the usual 4-5 days. This is because she’s making a big change and needs to give her audience time to see what she’s posting and react to it. Join me for this episode as Alivia and I talk about making necessary changes to keep our businesses healthy and profitable. If you’re wondering how to handle a price increase or move to a closed cart subscription model, don’t miss this episode! Important Links: Find and follow Alivia: Light of the Lamb on Facebook Light of the Lamb on Instagram Light of the Lamb Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
Welcome to episode six of my eight-part series on the podcast called, “Ask Sarah.” Each week, I answer a question from inside my Launch Your Box coaching membership. This week BreeAnna Holden of Holden Keepsakes is here to talk about how to introduce her subscription box to the audience she has built for her online product-based business. BreeAnna is an OG member of Launch Your Box. That means she has been inside my coaching membership for almost two years. But, she hasn’t launched her subscription box yet. She’s stuck. When she started her glitter tumbler business three years ago (and you HAVE to see the gorgeous tumblers she makes), BreeAnna was looking for a way to keep busy while her husband worked nights and to make a little extra income for her family. BreeAnna has dreamed of adding a subscription box for two years. She knows it will provide consistent, recurring revenue and allow her to plan her workload more effectively, allowing for more family time. So what’s standing in BreeAnna’s way? She has a great product that her customers love. As an OG member of Launch Your Box, she has learned all the things. She has seen so many others start, launch, and grow their own subscription boxes. So why hasn’t BreeAnna taken action on her subscription box dreams? Self-doubt, indecision, and social media. BreeAnna, like SO MANY women I talk to inside and outside my membership, struggles with self-doubt. She doubts herself and her ability to make this subscription box dream a reality. It’s important to realize that nearly everyone feels like this sometimes. I know I did. BreeAnna is also stuck, unable to decide what kind of box to offer her audience. She keeps going back and forth between a one item of the month box and a curated box. Social media engagement is a challenge for BreeAnna. She struggles to be consistent on social media and isn’t getting the engagement she needs. Without an actual box to share, she’s unsure how she should introduce the idea of a subscription box to her audience. BreeAnna and I talked through the things that have been holding her back. After talking through her mindset issues, I got practical and gave BreeAnna practical solutions to: Re-engage her audience. Plan six months' worth of boxes. Choose a launch date and create a pre-launch plan. Once we talked through everything and BreeAnna had a plan for moving forward, I could hear the lightness in her voice. She committed to a launch date of July 14th and has a plan to get there with an engaged, excited audience. Join me for this episode as BreeAnna and I talk about what holds so many of us back from taking action - self-doubt. I know you’ll relate to BreeAnna’s story and take away inspiration and practical advice to help you take action toward achieving your own subscription box dreams. Important Links: Find and follow BreeAnna: Holden Keepsakes on Facebook Holden Keepsakes on Instagram Holden Keepsakes Etsy Shop Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
Welcome to episode five of my eight-part series on the podcast called, “Ask Sarah.” Each week, I answer a question from inside my Launch Your Box coaching membership. This week Maria Riebe of Sunflower & Scout is here to talk about how to handle variations and personalization for her subscription box. Like so many entrepreneurs, the pandemic forced Maria to pivot. A true antique-lover, she had been producing an outdoor vintage market, Rustapalooza. She had experienced a great deal of success and national recognition for this show. Covid caused the cancellation of the show and, after a time, Maria’s heart started pointing her in a new direction. Maria is a member of an impassioned group of leather bag lovers - and they all love straps! So she decided to start an online shop focused specifically on bag straps and accessories. While setting up her online shop, Maria discovered Launch Your Box. She loved the idea of curating a monthly box for her customers that included a bag strap, as well as some kind of accessory, tee, or multiple items. Maria wants to include some type of personalized item in her subscription box but is stumped by the tech it would involve. With a launch date of August 1st, it’s time to figure out these details! Maria knows my team handles all kinds of variations and personalization - from six different sizes in my t-shirt subscriptions to the monogrammed items that go in the Monogram Box every month. We talked through the challenges involved and I told Maria what she needs to do in order to successfully manage variations and personalization. Be prepared to scale. Realize that what can be done with 50 subscribers will need to be done with 500 subscribers. Outsource personalization as you grow or hire in-house help. Put systems and processes in place to manage subscriber details. Now that we talked through what Maria needs to get in place to feel comfortable offering variations and personalization to her future subscribers, she is moving toward that August 1st launch date with confidence. Join me for this episode as Maria and I talk about the systems and processes every subscription box owner needs to have in place, and why they are so important when your box includes variations and personalization. Important Links: Find and follow Maria: Sunflower & Scout Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
Welcome to episode four of my eight-part series on the podcast called, “Ask Sarah.” Each week, I’ll be answering a question from inside my Launch Your Box coaching membership. This week Traci Gibson of Print Cut Craft and I tackled the question of how to grow a subscription past a plateau. Traci started her business ten years ago, selling printables and teaching classes at scrapbooking conferences. When she (and her family) got tired of all the weekend travel, Traci took her scrapbook kits online. She pivoted and her business evolved as she listened to what her customers wanted and served their needs. In 2020, Traci started teaching LIVE workshops online and selling craft kits to go with them. This has been a huge boost to her business and led to a membership where members craft with Traci each month using their Cricut machines and her svg files. Traci thought about starting a subscription box for a while. She joined Launch Your Box and watched and learned. When she decided to take action and launched her box, her membership was the perfect audience for her subscription, and it grew quickly. For a while. Then came the plateau. Traci’s growth slowed and then stopped. She has hit a plateau and reached out for my help to get past it. We talked through some possible reasons Traci’s subscription box growth has slowed and recommended some steps for Traci to take to jumpstart her growth. She needs to: Shake things up - make it new and fresh for her audience. Reduce churn by increasing retention and decreasing involuntary churn. Up the exclusivity factor of her subscription. Get in front of new audiences. With a clear plan and specific action steps to take, Traci feels confident her subscription will start to grow again. I can’t wait to hear about the growth she sees as a result of making these changes. Join me for this episode as Traci and I talk about something nearly every subscription owner experiences - hitting a plateau. A plateau is a reminder that we need to constantly be learning and growing as subscription box owners. And that sometimes we need to change what we’re doing in order to continue to grow. Important Links: Find and follow Traci: Print Cut Craft Boutique on Facebook Print Cut Craft on Instagram Print Cut Craft Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!