• 173: Is It Time for a Commercial Space?
    Oct 16 2024
    “If it doesn’t scare you, you’re not dreaming big enough.” - Sarah Williams Most of us launch our subscription box businesses from a spare bedroom, the garage, or even the kitchen table. But when do you make the decision to move out of the house and into your own commercial space? In this episode, we’re talking with Cheryl Ham of Hypnotic Yarn. She’s been on the show in the past talking about challenges she faced at different stages of growth in her subscription box business. While still managing a full-time career in high-pressure sales, Cheryl started selling hand-dyed wool via an e-commerce store. She added a subscription box, Yarnable, and grew that side of her business slowly and steadily until she reached 300 subscribers. Launching the Launch Your Box Way & Hitting 700 Subscribers Cheryl discovered Launch Your Box, joined, and jumped right in. When she launched again – following the launch plan I teach inside the group – something amazing happened. Cheryl more than doubled her subscribers, gaining 400 in less than 24 hours! Moving Her Subscription Box Out of Her Home By this point, Cheryl’s subscription box had taken over her house. She moved into a new commercial space and hired some team members. Her subscription box business continued to grow, reaching 1600 subscribers through increased retention and quarterly launches. In less than two years, Cheryl had outgrown that commercial space. Again, she needed more space. The problem? Cheryl couldn’t find a commercial space to meet her needs. Bigger Space Leads to New Challenges Cheryl finally found a new space. A space so big it scared her. She knew she needed a lot more space, but 8,000 square feet? She found herself terrified to make that jump until she had a realization. Scary doesn’t always mean bad. Cheryl talked about how every move has meant learning new processes. Inventory management and fulfillment look different in the new, bigger space than in the smaller commercial space or in her home. Hiring has also been a challenge this year. Cheryl lost 3 team members this past spring and struggled to backfill those positions until after summer. Once she sought out new avenues for hiring, she was able to hire 2 new team members. Continued Growth and Focus on Creating Experiences What’s next for Hypnotic Yarn, Yarnable, and Cheryl? They’re focused on growing the non-subscription side of the business using lessons learned from Yarnable. Cheryl knows the importance of creating an experience for her subscribers and uses that knowledge to create experiences for customers who purchase one-off kits. Focusing on non-subscription sales allows Cheryl to maximize off-hours and weeks when she and her team are not as busy with subscriptions. It is also a great way to convert non-subscribers! Episode 16 - Afraid of Having 700 Subscribers? Episode 105 - Scaling Your Subscription Box Business Find and follow Cheryl: Hypnotic Yarn on Facebook Hypnotic Yarn on Instagram Hypnotic Yarn 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!
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    31 mins
  • How I Generated $20k in Extra Revenue with a Holiday Gift Box
    Oct 9 2024
    Every year for the last five years I’ve sold a Holiday Gift Box. This year was no different. What was different was that my Holiday Gift Box sold out in only four days! And it brought $20,000 in extra revenue into my business. Should you offer a Holiday Gift Box to your audience? Yes! If you already have a subscription box, you should absolutely offer a Holiday Gift Box. And if you have an audience but haven’t launched your subscription box yet, you should also offer a Holiday Gift Box. Many members of Launch Your Box have used a Holiday Gift Box for proof of concept before launching. Members like Nicole who launched a one-time holiday box for guinea pig owners. When it was a HUGE hit, she knew she could launch her subscription box with confidence. She now has hundreds and hundreds of monthly subscribers and won a major subscription box industry award earlier this year. My process for launching a one-time Holiday Gift Box was simple and it started before I had any idea what I was going to put in the box: I set up a waitlist page in September. I set up a waitlist in my text app in September. I built up excitement that my Holiday Gift Box was coming and drove people to the waitlist. One day before the launch I sent one email to the waitlist and one text to the text waitlist offering them first dibs. Launch day started with a LIVE during which I generated feelings of: I started running ads on launch day. I sent one email to my entire email list. I sent one text to my entire text list. I posted twice on social media about the box. I changed my Facebook header. By the end of day one, I had sold over half the boxes. On day two, I resent the email to non openers and posted about the boxes on social media twice. By day three, I only had 100 boxes left. I sent a last chance email to any non openers who hadn’t purchased and posted on social media once. On day four - the last day of the launch - I mentioned the Holiday Gift Box on a LIVE and posted about it once. I sold out of all my Holiday Gift Boxes on day four! Oh, and I did all of this without having any product in hand. Join me for this episode as I share what a Holiday Gift Box can do for your business and walk you through my simple, four-day Holiday Gift Box launch plan. 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!
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    29 mins
  • 172: Promoting Your Holiday Box Using Facebook Ads with Josh Coffy
    Oct 2 2024
    Launching a one-time holiday box in the 4th quarter is good business. Doing it without running ads isn’t. That’s why I brought my friend and colleague Josh Coffy of The Ecommerce Alley to talk with us. Listen to episode 169 for more about why YOU should consider a one-time holiday box. Do you need to run Facebook Ads? You should always be building your audience organically. And you should get your audience excited about your one-time holiday boxes organically. But, if you want to maximize the sale of your one-time holiday boxes, you need to use ads. Josh is an expert on Ecommerce marketing and Meta ads. He says that whether it’s now or later, you HAVE to figure out advertising. In order to predictably attract new customers, you have to advertise. I shared my favorite ads analogy. Ads aren’t the base of your marketing strategy. Your base is all of the organic audience building you do. Consistently showing up on social media, engaging with your audience… And ads? They are likee lighter fluid. They take what you’ve already built and make it burn hotter and faster. Why run Facebook Ads in the 4th Quarter? In Q4, people are buying like no other time of the year. Take advantage of the momentum Q4 naturally gives you. Josh talked about the types of ads you can/should run: Facebook Ads Explained Josh had even more recommendations including running purchase-based campaigns and keeping it simple. Start slow and increase your ads budget as sales come in. Josh walked us through how he would build a campaign for a one-time holiday box no matter what your budget is. He explained “return on ad spend,” what is realistic to expect, and what you need to spend to get to the desired number of box sales. Subscription box owners must manage their expectations and remove emotion (which is hard). Josh reminded us that marketing is a mathematical equation, not an emotional decision. Ads require a great deal of mental fortitude. Josh also shared that “ad-dy ads” are working right now. Customers are responding to ads that look like ads. Getting in Front of More People As E-commerce business owners, our goal every day is to get in front of more people. As subscription box owners who face cancellations each month as a reality of doing business, growth depends on getting in front of more people. I asked Josh what advice he had for someone who has never run an ad. He said it might feel like Mt. Everest in front of you. After all, Meta ads can be confusing and expensive. But the only way to get to the top is to start climbing. It’s going to be scary but just do it. Start slow and small… but do it. Join me for this episode as Josh and I nerd out on all things Facebook Ads and how you can use them to maximize sales of your one-time holiday box! Episode 169 - A One-Time Holiday Box Can Validate Your Subscription Box Idea Find and follow Josh: The Ecommerce Alley on Facebook The Ecommerce Alley Podcast Josh Coffy on Instagram 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!
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    47 mins
  • 171: 5 Ways to Build Your Audience Consistently
    Sep 25 2024
    Audience building is the key to a successful subscription box launch. It’s also the key to the growth and sustainability of your subscription box business. In today’s episode, we’re talking about 5 ways to build an audience for each stage of the subscription box journey. A reality of a subscription box is that each month will also bring cancellations. They’re simply a part of doing business. And the only way to continue to grow your subscription box business is to continue to grow your audience, to get in front of new people and convert some of those people into subscribers. Focusing on these 5 things consistently is going to help you grow your audience – and you need to grow your audience to grow your business. 5 Audience Building Steps for New Subscription Box Businesses If you’re brand new and don’t have an audience yet, you need to spend time building an audience. I say it all the time. You can’t have a successful launch if you’re launching to no one! Building social media content - get your social pages going and build content on those pages. Get a minimum of 10 posts up right away. See 10 Post Ideas When Starting Your Business Get super consistent. Post daily and work up to twice a day. Share on your personal profile - share from your business page onto your personal page. People in your personal network are part of the audience you’ve already built. Let them help you expand your reach. Set up a page like ad - these ads are simply an introduction to you and what you do. People simply click the thumbs up and then they’re following your business page. This pushes you in front of people you’d never get in front of. Launch Your Box members, find the training inside the “Building Your Audience” module. Video - short video and LIVEs - Let your audience get to know you. Listen to episode 170 to learn how Tracey Phillips built an amazing audience of over 100,000 people by consistently doing LIVE videos. Set up your email CRM - part of building your audience is building your email list. Our favorite email CRM is Klaviyo. 5 Audience Building Steps for Established Subscription Box Businesses If you are selling products, actively building an audience, or already have a subscription box, these 5 steps are for you. Make these a habit. You should be doing them all year round. Run a subscription giveaway - do one at least once a year. Launch Your Box members, find the training inside the “Building Your Audience” module. Create a lead magnet for your ideal customer - build your email list with a lead magnet! This is typically a digital item you give away for free in exchange for someone’s email. Every business needs a lead magnet and should be running one year-round. Get ideas for email opt-in freebies. Run ads - run three types of ads year-round: lead magnet ads, page like ads, product ads. Every legit business needs a marketing budget. You need to run ads. Ads are the best way to get in front of cold audiences. Go LIVE and connect with your audience regularly - get consistent and put it on your calendar so your audience knows when to find you and you are held accountable. Create a consistent social media plan - create a template for posts, a plan for video, and a schedule for switching out ads. 10 Post Ideas When Starting Your Business Episode 170 of The Launch Your Box Podcast Downloadable Email Opt-In Freebie Ideas * These show notes contain affiliate/referral links. I could make a commission at no charge to you if you purchase my recommended products. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy HERE. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star rating and a review! 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!
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    26 mins
  • 170: From Subscription Box Week to Subscription Box Owner in 30 Days with Tracey Phillips
    Sep 18 2024
    Taking action. That’s something my guest today is great at. She joined my Subscription Box Week in June and within 30 days had launched her subscription (to more than 100 subscribers) and started generating recurring revenue. She’s been inspiring members inside Launch Your Box and I know she’ll inspire you, too! Serving Before Selling Tracey Phillips of Mindless Crafting started her business from a place of service. She’s a paper crafter and card maker who loves sharing her gifts with others. That love of crafts led her to start a YouTube channel where she simply crafted with her audience, teaching them and guiding them to create beautiful paper crafts and handmade cards. As Tracey’s audience grew, they started asking her to create her own products. She promised she would if she reached 100,000 YouTube subscribers. And she did! Tracey and her oh-so-supportive husband Bill figured out how to produce just one product – a stamp kit. They found a US-based manufacturer and worked with them to produce something they were proud to sell to their audience. They quickly and easily sold the 100 stamps they had made. Tracey realized they could have sold many more. They started adding holiday kits to their online shop for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and more. As Tracey chose and designed items for the kit, she stayed true to what she knew worked. If she loved something and was excited about it, her audience would be, too. Tracey joins Subscription Box Week Tracey joined Subscription Box Week and jumped in with both feet. She soaked up all the knowledge. At first, Tracey thought she wanted to start with a fully curated box. But when I talked about the ease of a one-thing-of-the-month subscription and how they could be a great place to start, Tracey knew that was the answer for her. Tracey Launches her Subscription Box Tracey launched to her community following the launch plan she learned in Launch Your Box. At the end of the 1st night, Tracey had 50 subscribers – double her goal. And by the end of her launch, she and Bill were celebrating 109 subscribers! Tracey’s “Secret” to Subscription Box Launch Success What was Tracey’s secret? She went LIVE a lot. She understands the power of letting your audience see you and get to know you. It allows people to see your authenticity. To ask questions and get them answered. To catch the replay later and still get the information. Tracey has advice for anyone thinking about starting a subscription box. Don’t wait for things to be perfect – she didn’t. Understand that even if the answer to a challenge doesn’t come easily or right away, it will come. Most of all, Tracey wants you to connect with your audience, show up as you are, and “do what Sarah says!” Find and follow Tracey: Mindless Crafting on Facebook Mindless Crafting on Instagram Mindless Crafting 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!
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    42 mins
  • 5 Emails Subscription Box Owners Can Send Every Month
    Sep 11 2024
    “Email marketing needs to be part of your audience building strategy.” - Sarah Williams You know social media is an important part of audience building. You’re showing up consistently, creating engaging posts and reels, connecting with your followers. But… How often are you sending emails to your email list? Just as important as your social media (and maybe even more important) is your email list. You own your email list. Unlike your social media accounts, you can’t get locked out or hacked. Your email list won’t suddenly disappear. It’s time to treat your email list like the valuable asset it is and talk to the people on it. They’ve opted in, they’ve told you they want to learn more about you and what you offer. Give them what they want! You should be emailing your list at least once a week. But what should you put in those emails? Don’t let not knowing what to say in those emails get in the way of connecting with and nurturing your email list. Here are FIVE types of emails all subscription box owners can send to their lists: Monthly Unboxing - connect with subscribers, create excitement for them and FOMO for non-subscribers! Subscriber Shares - create excitement and FOMO when you share pictures, messages, and comments from subscribers telling you how much they loved this month’s box. 5 Ways to Use Your Box - encourage subscribers to consume the contents of the box. So important! Sneak Peek - get your subscribers excited about the next box and let non-subscribers see what they’re missing out on - more FOMO! Behind the Scenes - your audience LOVES getting a peek behind the scenes of your business! Take them along as you design or make products or even pack boxes. Choose one of these emails to send to your email list each week. I’ve given you five - that means most months, you’ll even have a spare. Put your email list to work for you - connect with your audience and nurture them. Join me for this episode where I talk to you about the importance of emailing your list once a week and answer the question every subscription box owner asks, “But what do I put in those weekly emails?” Resources from this episode: Grab my swipe files of ALL five types of emails HERE! 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!
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    32 mins
  • 6 Ways to Keep a Subscriber
    Sep 4 2024
    As a subscription box owner, you spend so much time working to gain new subscribers. But how much time and energy do you put into retaining your current subscribers? Cancellations are a reality of the subscription box industry. No matter how amazing your subscription box is and no matter how much time and effort you put into creating an outstanding subscriber experience, some subscribers will cancel. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to reduce the number of cancellations and retain more subscribers. Even a small increase in retention rate can make a big difference. Let’s talk about six things you can do to retain more subscribers. Keep Things Trendy or Seasonal How often do you change up the lineup of items in your box? I’m always researching new trends and thinking ahead to what holidays or seasons are coming up. Keep things fresh and fun to keep subscribers excited about what’s coming next month! Ask Your Subscribers What They Want Simply including your audience in the decision-making process can make a huge difference. Send out questionnaires and surveys or poll them on social media. Getting their input creates buy-in and a greater feeling of community. Engage With Your Subscribers During your monthly LIVE unboxing, engage directly with subscribers. Are you using SMS messaging? Text subscribers, asking what their favorite item was and asking for pics of them using or wearing something from the box. With their permission, use those pictures for social proof and to make subscribers feel even more a part of your community. People love to feel included! Create Added Value Your subscribers are the VIPs of your business. Make sure they feel that way. Send subscriber-only emails or surprise them with a coupon in their box good toward something in your shop. Need more ideas? Grab my resource - 10 Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Subscribers. Offer a Lower-Priced Tier in Your Subscription Box The number one reason people cancel their subscriptions is financial. Offering a lower-priced tier at the point of cancellation is one way to retain them. Some subscribers will love this option and may even move back up to the higher tier when their budget allows. Billing and Follow Up It’s not fun or exciting, but keeping track of billing issues and missed payments can make a huge difference in managing subscriber turnover. Payments are missed because of card changes or changes in addresses and sometimes subscribers forget to update their info. Reminders and personal follow-up can eliminate so much of that. Track your retention rate every month. If it starts to slip and fall below 80%, you have an issue that needs to be addressed quickly. Put time and effort every day into retaining subscribers. Join me for this episode for quick tips on boosting subscriber retention. Simple changes can make a big difference—tune in now! 10 Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Subscribers. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star rating and a review! 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!
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    28 mins
  • 169: How a One Time Holiday Box Can Validate Your Subscription Box Idea
    Aug 28 2024
    Have you been sitting on the sidelines, listening, watching, and waiting to launch your subscription box? You have an idea, and you’ve taken some steps toward turning those dreams into reality, but something is holding you back. What if you could test your subscription box idea with your target audience without committing to a full-blown launch? Now is the perfect time to validate your subscription box concept with a carefully curated one-time box. Retail and e-commerce businesses will see high consumer spending over the next four months. Most will bring in 50% of their total year’s revenue during the next four months. That makes now the best time to test your idea. During the holidays people are more likely to spend on items for others. They’re looking for something fun and unique, something special that stands out from all the other gifts under the tree. Your one-time holiday box can be the perfect, thoughtful gift. The ultimate goal is to start, launch, and grow a thriving subscription box business. And a one-time box can be the perfect first step. A one-time box has a lower commitment for customers. It allows you to bring them into your business and then nurture them into being a subscriber. Your one-time box should be similar to your subscription box idea, appealing to the same ideal customer. Think about whether the recipients will receive the box before the holidays or as a holiday gift. This determines whether it can be holiday-themed or needs to be an everyday theme. I do a one-time holiday box every year. My audience loves it, it sells out early every year, and it brings a nice punch of revenue into my business in the 4th quarter. Since it’s intended to be given as a holiday gift (although a lot of my customers buy it as a gift to themselves), the contents of my holiday box do not have a holiday theme. Instead, it contains items similar to those found in my Monogram Box. A one-time box is your opportunity to get it right. To put together a curated experience that will wow your ideal customer and give them a feel for what they could expect if they became a subscriber. Now that you’ve curated your one-time holiday box, it’s time to sell it. Continue the audience building you’ve already been working on. Engage your audience in the process and get their buy-in with polls, behind-the-scenes, and other interactive content. Plan a launch following the Launch Strategy with socials, lives, emails, and ads. Go all in. To be successful, you need to market your one-time box with a launch. Create urgency, scarcity, and exclusivity by selling one-time boxes as pre-orders. Analyze what’s working and what isn’t and adapt. This process is great for new subscription box owners since you’ll go through a launch, curate a box, market the box, and fulfill the box. You’ll learn a ton about the launch process just by launching a one-time box and be ready to apply that knowledge to launch your subscription box. Many of my students shifted their entire businesses from successful one-time box offers to subscriptions….because they had proof of concept before turning it into a subscription box. I’ve got a great, free new resource to help you curate a box experience for your subscribers. Join me for this episode as I talk about validating your subscription box idea with a one-time holiday box. Now is the perfect time to get your subscription box dreams off the ground! Kristy’s Interview - Episode 45 - Journey from One-Time Boxes to a Thriving Monthly Subscription Nicole’s Interview - Episode 13 - A Passion for Animals Turns into 500 Monthly Subscribers Curating a Box Experience for Your Subscribers 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!
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    24 mins