092 – An “Off the Cuff” Fashion Idea Becomes Reality with Amy Olson of Kuhfs

Hi there.

This is gift biz unwrapped episode 92.

I can't find this product out there.

So I'm going to try to make it myself.

Hi, this is John Lee,

Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,

and you're listening to gifted biz unwrapped,

and now it's time to light it up.

Welcome to gift bears on rapt,

your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop and

grow your business.

And now here's your host,

Sue Mona height.

Hi there.

It's Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.

Whether you own a brick and mortar store sell online or

are just getting started,

you'll discover new insights to gain traction and to grow your

business. And today I have joining us.

Amy Olson of cups.

Amy is a stay at home mom who launched an accessory

business after coming up with an awesome idea,

she was looking for a product that would add style to

her boots and compliment any outfit.

And when that product couldn't be found,

she decided to create it herself.

Now, Amy didn't have any experience in the fashion industry and

had no idea about how to go about getting her product

made. She didn't even know how to sew,

but she powered her mother's sewing machine and took it one

step at a time.

And now two years later here,

she is growing a successful business.

Welcome to the show,

Amy. I Thank you for having me.

I'm thrilled to be here.

So happy that you're here.

The first thing I like to do is start out by

having you describe yourself in a little bit of a different

way, and that is by sharing your vision of what your

ideal motivational candle would look like.

So if you were to tell us the color and the

quote on your motivational candle,

what would those be?

The color would be a soft,

warm green.

Green is my favorite color for a lot of different reasons,

but just a warm kind of soft,

peaceful green color.

And the quote on there would be doubt kills more dreams

than failure ever.

Well, And boy,

as an entrepreneur,

doubt pops up all the time.

Doesn't it?

Oh, it does.

And especially with my story,

like you had said in the introduction,

I was a stay at home.

Mom, I'm still a stay at home mom that came up

with an idea that I had absolutely no idea how to

move forward or how to,

you know,

take this product from idea to reality.

So I ran into a lot of doubt all the time

and afraid to fail.

But what I found over the last couple of years is

you're gonna fail and it's going to happen.

And it's just going to lead to success.

If you decide to learn from that experience and not let

it shut you down,

You know,

so many people come up with ideas for products and it

just sits.

There never happens.

And I love your story because you had the idea,

you had no idea what you were going to do,

how it was going to come to reality.

And we're in talk about that in a minute,

but you decided to go forward and see what could possibly

and give biz listeners,

same with you.

If you're sitting there and you have found through the course

of just your normal day,

that you have an idea that solves a need for something,

listen to this story about what Amy's going to talk about.

And one step at a time,

what could you do to possibly make that a reality and

build a business just like Amy's doing before we start Hoff.

I want to make sure that everyone understands what your product

is, so that as you're telling the story,

they're going to,

it's going to make sense to everybody.

So give us a little bit of a description of what

cuffs is.

Sure. Cuffs is a sleek and stylish fabric cuff.

So it's really just three pieces of fabric that are sewn

together. That look like a,

you know,

a cuff and you can take that product and wrap it

around the top of your boots,

the bottom of your jeans or your leggings to give those

pieces, your favorite pieces in your wardrobe,

a fresh new look,

Perfect. And you've got lots of different styles and designs and

they're very easy to apply,

right? Yes.

We have lots of different designs and it really is simply

you just take the cuff,

wrap it around the top of your boots.

There's some silicone on the inside of the cuff that gives

it some grip.

So it holds on to your boots or your jeans.

And then it's really kind of a big Bobby pin that

you slip over the top of your boots and into the

cuff that holds it in place.

So it's such a simple idea,

but it makes such a difference in,

you know,

if you're putting it on your boots or your jeans,

it's a totally different look.

Absolutely. And later in the show,

we're going to talk about how people can go to your

website and take a look at these,

but for now I want to go back now.

So it's not too far back two years.

Right? Right.

And so you had this idea and if there's more to

the idea story,

let us know,

but I want to start going through the next steps of

what did you do after you had the idea?

Where did you go from there?

Okay. So I had the idea because you know,

like most women,

I have a closet full of clothes and at times nothing

to wear,

and I had a pair of boots and they were expensive

for me.

I had spent a lot of money on these boots and

I'd been wearing them for the last three seasons.

And I was just tired of them.

I was tired of styling with them.

I didn't know what to do with them anymore,

but I was not in a position where I could buy

another pair of expensive boots.

And I thought,

this is silly.

There's gotta be a way that you can kind of transform

the look of the boots and the clothes that you already

own without spending a fortune,

just buying more clothes.

And like you had said,

when that couldn't be found,

I was walking by my closet one day and you know,

I was thinking,

I just couldn't get this idea out of my head.

So walking by my closet and I grabbed one of my

scarves and I wrapped it around the top of my boot

and I thought,

Oh, that's it.

That totally changed the look of I boots.

So then it was rifling through my closet,

taking all my scarfs out and wrapping them around all my

boots and thinking,

this is it.

And I was so excited about the idea.

Then I sat on it for a little bit,

a little bit longer,

cause I was not sure what I was going to do

or how to move forward.

And so I just,

like you said,

took it kind of one step at a time.

And I decided I can't find this product out there.

So I'm going to try to make it myself.

And so,

like you said,

I had borrowed my mom's sewing machine and I had to

actually teach myself how to sell.

I started at an accessory company and I didn't even know

how to sell.

So I was just really passionate about the idea,

which led me to the decision to move forward.

And in the beginning I thought I have no idea if

this is going to go anywhere.

Maybe I'll just,

if I can even figure out the design,

that was really the first thing.

Can I figure out how to make this work First?

You had to learn how to sew.

So let's,

we'll get past that.

We'll, we'll already say that you know how to use the

sewing machine.

So then you started doing prototypes for yourself probably,

right? Correct.

So it took me about eight months.

It was a long process and I just kept coming up

with designs and doing more research.

Originally, the idea was just on boots.

So I was researching boots and how,

why they weren't,

what was the common width and how am I going to

attach this?

How is it going to stay in place?

So I'd make one prototype and then tweak it a little

bit and pass it out to my friends.

And then they'd come back to me and say,

Oh, it's falling off or it doesn't fit.

It doesn't look right.

And then I tweak it again.

So I spent about eight months just tweaking the design and

improving it along the way until finally I had something that

worked and it was universal.

It could work on any boot.

So that's really how it started.

I just kind of worked on the prototype.

And then when I finally hit something that worked,

I pass those out to my friends and they came back

to me telling me they loved it.

It was great.

And just the fact of getting outside input too,

is so important.

Cause I think we all are the biggest fans of our

product, but everyone else has to be a fan of the

product too.

Right. Well,

you know,

that's an interesting story too,

because like you said,

you know,

your friends and family will tell you all day long that

they love the idea,

but I really wanted to get some genuine feedback.

So like I said,

I made about five or six pairs and I passed them

out to my friends and I asked them,

I said,

just aware of around town,

but please don't tell anybody that I made them.

When we wore them to book club,

we warm to Bunco girls nights out.

And it really started a little buzz within my small town

of Mount prospect here.

And I really got genuine feedback because nobody knew it was

me. So when we were at bunko,

someone would walk in with them and they'd say,

Oh, your boots are so cute.

Where did you get those?

And they'd take the cuff off and say,

Oh, well I can't tell you where I got them,

but this is the product.

And so I really got some genuine feedback in those first

few months.

That is great input.

You are right.

Because you really know that they're being honest because they can

say anything.

Right, right.

Yeah. To your face,

if you love the idea or you don't like it,

you're not sure if you're getting true feedback because someone doesn't

want to tell you,

Oh yeah,

no, not for me.

They're just not going to do that.

Right. So if they didn't know who created it,

then they will talk openly and honestly,

right. For sure.

And they did some of them,

I did get some feedback that wasn't a hundred percent positive,

which helped me kind of tweak a few things.

So it was really a great first market research.

Sure. And you want that feedback because you want to see

how you can make improvements.

And especially even the very first product,

bring it out to the market as complete as it can

be because you want people to really see it and love

it right away.

Yeah, exactly.

But don't be afraid.

It's going to change.

The design is going to change your customers.

What I have found we'll think of things that you didn't

think of or see flaws or ways of improvement that you

didn't think of.

So you really have to be open to taking in that

feedback. It's hard when it's your product and it's your baby

and you don't want to hear anything negative.

And sometimes you take it personally,

but you can't,

you have to say,

Oh, I didn't think of that.

Well, she's got a great idea.

I agree with you there.

All right.

So you've got the product and where you making it all

out of your house at this time?

Yes. Are you still making it all out of the house?

I'm not.

I finished the product.

It would take me an hour to make one pair.

I thought you weren't a seamstress Before.

Exactly. So this isn't going to work.

So now the project is made locally right here in Chicago

and then it comes back to me almost finished.

So I put the silicone strips on it and cert the

pins and then package it up.

Yeah. Got it.

Okay. So that's nice.

So you're getting a little bit of help in production,

which is perfect.

I'm going to back it up again and we'll talk about

the product some more in a second.

So you have your prototype.

What did you do and you,

and you had the testing done,

right? What was the first step in terms of getting eyes

on the product on more of a global basis?

It started small for me cause I really wanted this to

grow organically.

I didn't want to put the cart in front of the

horse. My friends encouraged me to enter a small craft bear,

you know,

the type that would be in a church basement or at

the local elementary school.

And I thought,

okay, I'll make a hundred pairs and see how it goes

and see if people will actually open their wallet.

And they did.

I sold out of those and I thought,

okay, so then my next step was a little bit bigger.

Prayeth fair.

And then,

you know,

create the website.

And so I just took baby steps from a small audience,

growing that audience and exposure to out just last weekend,

I was at the one of a kind show here in

Chicago and I got exposure.

65,000 people came through the show in four days.

How did that show perform for you?

Oh, wonderful.

It was great.

All right.

So that's the product devolution,

let's go jump back over to the company side.

What's the story behind the name,

The name I actually had helped with.

So I started as off the cuff accents and I think

maybe a year into it,

I won an entrepreneurial contest.

So it was a company out of Rockford,

Illinois here called finger profit.

And they were running what they call push award.

So they scoured the country looking for new products that they

could help launch.

And I want my product,

not sure if I hear anything and I actually won.

So what you got was $5,000

worth of their services to help give you a push in

the right direction.

So we sat down,

we talked about the name,

what it should be.

It needed to represent the product because this was a whole

new accessory concept.

So they actually presented me with costs and I fell in

love with it right away.

It's perfect.

And your logo is So beautiful.

They did that as well.

Really? I have to give them credit for that.

It was their creativity.

All right.

So you've got your logo.

And what was the name of this company in Rockford?

It was called the push award and the name of the

company is thinker profit.

And I still work with them today.

So they're helping guide you as you go along?

Yes. All right.

Super. So you've got your logo.

How about your website and social media and what were you

doing with all of that again?

Right when you were getting started?

Right. When I was getting started,

they helped me with the website and they also helped me

with some branding.

So I had the website developed and social media,

you know,

I struggled with social media.

You remember that commercial?

Like, does anybody know how to post videos to Facebook?

That was me.

I really had no idea how to tackle social media or

what to do.

So I just read and read and learned as much as

I could.

I created a Facebook page and how to get authentic fans.

And I really just started posting once a week and then

twice a week and seeing what people liked,

what they didn't like.

And so social media was a beast in its own that

I had to learn and tackle and figure out because each

platform is so different.

Right? Yeah.

So I started,

they helped me think her profit with the website,

got that.

Going, had to learn that entire process and then got my

social media up and running my Instagram account,

Pinterest Facebook.

And it's slowly grown over time and I continue to learn

what works and what doesn't work and what messaging my customers

want to see and what I can help them with Social

media in and of itself keeps growing too.

So just because you land it and you feel like,

okay, I've got this platform,

it makes sense.

It's performing.

You always have to stay on top of it because things

keep changing live is the big thing now.

So are you doing any live?

I'm not.

And to tell you the truth,

I was just talking with my friend about it yesterday.

I'm afraid.

I don't know.

I don't know it.

I don't understand it.

I'm not sure what I would talk about.

So I'm really trying to tackle that fear right now and

just jump in.

I think you just kind of have to do it the

first time and not be afraid that you're going to look

silly. I was talking to her.

He said,

well, no,

what if nobody shows up and I'm talking to myself,

Talk about this a little bit afterwards if you want,

but it really doesn't matter.

And I know a lot of listeners are doing live too,

and it is scary.

You know,

I've been doing live for a long time and I still

get a little bit anxious before I press that button.

But the nice thing is,

especially on Facebook is even if no one shows up that

can stay in your feed so that people can go back

and look at it later.

And lots of times,

I mean,

I am so impressed when people do show up live because

it's like,

okay, you dropped everything in your life,

right this very minute to be spending some time with me

while I'm on right now.

I mean,

how awesome and what a compliment is that,

and not everyone can do that all the time.

So I wouldn't even worry about that.

But I think totally you should get on because you can

also show how now you can,

so you can show,

you know,

just little behind the scenes things,

which could be super fun and your shows,

you know,

when you're out at the shows And for me live like

my product needs to be demonstrated.

You know,

like at the beginning we talked about what the product is,

but I really hope your listeners go and take a look

so you can see the power of cuffs.

So for me,

video and Facebook live is really the perfect platforms because I

can show them the product.

I can show it on and off.

I can talk about how to incorporate it into your wardrobe

and the customers can get to see me sometimes behind a

fashion brand.

You think it's this Uber trendy person.

It's not,

it's me.

I'm a stay at home.

Mom, just like many of you.

And I have everyday style advice that I can give you.

And so Facebook live is really the right platform for me.

I just have to kind of get over my fears and

jump in Sweat.

Now you've told the world that we're all going to be

watching you and you go,

you made the commitment and you're a self-learner clearly.

So we'll be waiting,

Amy. All right.

So let's talk and still,

I mean,

I'm so impressed because you've come a long way in just

two years.

Can you tell us a time when that doubt crept in

and you were like,

you know,

why am I even doing this?

Maybe this isn't for me or something that happened that you

had to overcome to keep going?

I think in the beginning it was probably the manufacturing.

So I spent,

like I said,

about eight months creating the design.

And then I said,

well, now what now?

What do I do?

And in the fashion industry or apparel industry,

it was very difficult for me to get number one,

anyone to take me seriously,

because I had no experience.

I didn't understand the language or the logo.

I didn't,

I, I didn't understand any of it.

So getting a manufacturer to take me seriously when I only

wanted like 150 or 200 pairs made at a time was

very difficult.

There's not a lot of manufacturers out there that do small

runs. So it really took me a long time to finally

find someone who would take a chance on me.

And I struggled for a long time thinking,

well, I have this great idea,

but I can't find anyone to make it.

I mean,

I went across the country.

I wanted to stay local.

If I could definitely made in the USA was very important

to me,

but I couldn't even get people to call me back.

Oh, wow.

How did you resolve that?

I ended Up here in Chicago taking what they call a

manufacturing tour.

There's a company fashion brain Academy right here in Chicago.

And she's offers a tour of all the manufacturing plants that

are here in Chicago.

So I went on that tour and it was fantastic.

They changed everything for me because I met the manufacturer that,

that continue to use today.

So you've got to go into the plant.

It wasn't as intimidating or scary anymore.

And you could talk to them and say,

this is my story.

This is what I'm doing.

What do you think?

I didn't have a pattern.

I didn't have a tech pack.

I didn't even know what any of that meant.

So that was really the jumping off point for me.

And I found this manufacturer and Cicero here,

she kind of took me under her wing and I would

show up with what I thought was my tech pack or

the instructions,

the pattern she's like,

okay, we need to get you a new pattern.

Here's someone that can do it for you.

I'm going to show you what the tech pack should look

like. And she really changed my business.

You found her from the tour that you did.

Yes. So getting yourself out there,

you knowing that you needed someone and then accessing help of

professionals. Yes,

exactly. And you have to get over being afraid to ask

questions or being afraid to look like you don't know what

you're doing.

And for me,

sometimes in the fashion industry,

it can be very intimidating.

It moves very fast.

Everyone seems to know what they're doing.

And I had no idea.

So I just had to swallow that fear and say,

you know what?

I don't know what a tech pack is.

Can you explain that to me?

Or I don't know how to get a pattern made,

where should I go for that?

And it took me a little while to kind of get

over that once you do,

you're not afraid to ask anything anymore.

If I don't understand something I ask because you waste so

much time trying to figure it out yourself.

Well, and I think you dig a hole for yourself too,

because if you were to have gone on that tour and

then not said anything like,

Oh my gosh,

what does that mean?

I'm not going to say anything.

Cause then it's gonna,

you know,

it's going to show that I don't know,

you walk away not knowing anymore.

And how would you ever go back with those same people

and admit then that you didn't know,

right. Exactly.

Gotta to do it right in that time,

that moment.

And you can't be afraid to ask questions or to feel

like, Oh,

this is going to be a stupid question.

I'm going to look silly or they're going to know I'm

I don't know what I'm doing.

You don't know what you're doing so hot.

Okay. Right.

And the what's the worst they're going to do is say,

I'm seriously,

you don't know,

you ought to go find out.

Right. But more than likely,

they're going to share with you at least a little bit

of information,

and then you can go and add onto it.

Right. Exactly.

And so that's how I found my manufacturer.

And like I said,

I still work with them today.

It's it's been a wonderful relationship.

Great information.

I really appreciate that last point was really,

really potent.

So mostly right now you've got your website up,

but you're doing a lot of shows.

I did a lot in the past.

I do the bigger shows,

the one of a kind show TV shows like that.

I've kind of graduated from the smaller craft fairs.

And what I'm really trying to focus on now is internet

sales. And then also developing trunk shows,

going out and visiting the boat cheeks and having their customers

come in and see the product and introduce it to them

that way.

And what was the deciding factor with the smaller shows that

where you decided you weren't going to do that anymore?

It wasn't the right target market.

So I would do some of these shows and actually not

make my booth fee back.

And it's very hard to investigate a show and get a

true sense of who's attending the show.

Are they there to buy?

Are they there just to shop?

So I would spend a lot of weekends,

you know,

it's a,

it's a tremendous amount of work to set up for these

shows and then stand there for four days and sell and

then to walk away,

not making a profit because it wasn't the right target market.

Or my product was too expensive for that market or everyone

was there looking for something else.

So what I thought to myself is I can get a

captive audience with Facebook and Facebook ads.

And instead of spending $400 on a show that I might

not turn a profit from and gaining exposure to 200 people,

I could take that $400 and target ads on Facebook and

reach thousands of people targeted customers.

One of your options could have been,

Oh, people aren't buying my product.

I need to reduce the price,

which is obviously breaking into your profit,

right? So that's not the way you looked at it.

You really looked at this and said,

this is not my target market,

which I think is also really,

really kind of an advanced level of thinking because some people

would think,

well, Oh,

it's just the price.

And everyone is so ready to go to price all the

time, offering two for one,

or reducing the price or something like that,

where you,

I think,

took the wiser approach and analyze the whole situation and decided,

okay, you know what?

There may be a better way for me to do this.

Right? Cause I had had a few shows that were fantastic.

Like this one of a kind show,

I sold 400 pairs in a weekend,

More of a more to me,

It's just,

it's the right target market.

I bet I've got them at the right time.

It's, you know,

they're looking for my product.

They're looking for a gift there.

They're there to spend after finding a couple of different shows

that produce a profit for me,

that was great.

I thought,

okay. But then again,

spending an entire weekend and not making a profit or sometimes

losing money,

not even making my booth feedback,

I thought this is kind of silly.

It's this is just not my market.

I know they're out there because like I said,

I would have shows where we'd get fantastic responses.

So I thought,

okay, I gotta,

I gotta switch something up here.

So two things that you really did well and give biz

listeners, I want to underline this for you.

Is number one,

we just talked about price.

Number two is Amy just didn't keep doing more shows.

No, she didn't keep doing something that wasn't working more.

Sometimes we think if we just put more effort in,

do more,

somehow a magic button is going to flip and that's not

necessarily right.

You have to do something different.

If you're not getting the results you need,

you have to do something different.

And so for you now it's internet sales and trunk shows,

which clearly with your product makes so much sense,

right? Because with the trunk shows,

it's a benefit to the botique.

So I'll use your clothes,

your line to showcase my products.

So it's a win-win for both of us.

So if someone sees me with your jeans on with my

cuffs, they're more likely to buy the cuffs and the jeans.

Absolutely. Yeah.

So it's profitable for them to host the trunk show as

well, which sometimes as opposed to other trunk shows,

if it's jewelry or whatever,

beautiful craft you're doing,

it's really,

you're just selling that.

I have a kind of an advantage where I can say

I could sell those boots all day long with my cuffs

in your store.

If you get the people here,

we can do it.

All right.

So now you've gotten your customers and There they've come from

one of the shows or they've come online.

How do you stay in touch with them?

How do you encourage repeat sales?

I have a newsletter.

I really encourage people to sign up for the newsletter.

You're a cuffs insider.

That's where I'll give you access to my blog.

Any special coupon codes that are going on the cuss insiders,

get first access to new designs as they roll out.

That's a way for me to communicate with them.

I send it out maybe once a week,

once every two weeks,

I don't bombard them with,

Oh, we're having a sale sale sale or whatever it is.

It's more about just communicating with them.

Like this is going on with cuffs.

Now here's a blog post I wrote about how to pack

less for your next vacation or how to transition your wardrobe

from summer to fall.

I communicate with them not only about my product,

but the needs that they're looking for,

that the struggles they have with their style or their wardrobe.

So it's not just always about,

I feel like I'm building a relationship with them,

not just selling it.

Right. You're getting them to a mindset where if they open

this email or newsletter,

there's going to be value.

It's not just in your face selling again.

Right. And there's value when you do present a new product

because, or a new pattern or whatever it is because they're

the first ones who get to see it.

Right. And a lot of times,

sometimes it'll a new product will go and it'll sell out.

So I want to make sure that they feel special,

that they have first access right before anybody else.

These are my VIP's before I'm going to show anybody else

this new design and I'll give them sneak,

peeks. I'll communicate with them.

Sometimes when I'm at the fabric store,

I'll take a couple pictures.

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about this,

this and this.

What do you think?

What do you like?

So I really want them to be involved in the process

of developing the product and picking patterns that they like.

They're already Kind of buying in at that point.

Right? So it's important to build that relationship with them.

And the newsletter for me is the best way to do

that. All right,

Amy, we're going To swing now into our reflection section.

And this is another look at you and other things that

you do that have helped you to be successful.

Is there one natural trait that you call upon that you

see you continually are using that keeps propelling you forward?

Yes, definitely.

I think it's my creativity and my curiosity.

So like I said,

I've had to learn everything in this business and a lot

of people would find that daunting and I did,

but my curiosity drives a lot.

So I would see reports on,

Oh, let's just say Facebook ads can do this for your

business. I wouldn't think,

well, I don't know anything about Facebook ads.

So I'm going to move on.

My curiosity would say,

well, how,

how are they doing that?

What are they doing?

So I,

you know,

I read,

I can't get enough.

You know,

I read anything.

I can get my hands on and then I'll take that

information. And I think my creativity comes into play and spin

it in a way that'll work for me or use it

in a creative way that benefits either my customers or my

product. So I'm always learning.

I'm curious,

curious about everything.

I love the fact that you say,

you're curious,

you learn it and then you put your own spin on

it as to how it will relate for you.

Right? And I think that's also a challenge for a lot

of people,

new things are coming out all the time,

new social media platforms,

you know,

new, new everything.

And if you always are going to every single thing,

that's new,

then there's just too much.

So you're doing a lot of a lot,

but a little bit of a lot versus taking what you

need adjusting it.

And I'm sure you've seen some things and said,

you know what?

I can take a pass on that right now.

That's really not moving the ball forward for me.

So you're analyzing it against your situation,

which I think is really important.

Definitely. Is there a tool that you use during your day

to keep you productive or to help create some type of

Balance? Definitely.

I have a day planner and it's an old fashion paper.

One calendar that you open up and you write in,

I need to write everything down.

Everything is so digital and I need to touch and feel.

So this day planner,

I open it up on Sunday of that week.

I write down my goals.

What do you want to accomplish this week?

If it's calling five boutiques or creating a new Facebook ad

sourcing new fabric,

I'll write those goals down on Sunday and then spread them

out throughout the week.

And that really helps me stay focused.

One of my other favorite quotes is plan your work and

work. Your plan is an entrepreneur.

You can get sucked down so many different rabbit holes and

spin your wheels.

And before you know it you've accomplished nothing,

right? So for me,

it was setting those little goals every week and then organizing

myself to accomplish those goals.

Because you know,

you'll be on Facebook or writing a post or whatever.

And before you know it,

you put here,

here, here,

and you're down this rabbit hole and an hour goes by.

You're like,

what am I doing?

Right. I,

you know,

and if I don't use that planner for a couple of

weeks, I don't accomplish as much as I could.

I'm more efficient.

I get more things done helps me stay focused.

Right. And it makes you feel productive because you're able to

check off once you've done something that you said was one

of your goals for the week.

You can cross that off and you can see your advancement

also. It's right there in the book.

Yeah, it's right there.

I did it.

Okay. What's next?

So what's the next step in that goal?

Yep. And that'll be for next week.

For me,

it would be overwhelming to think my line is going to

be at Nordstrom's.

How do I do that?

You would shut down.

It's it's impossible.

So that in yourself little goals to get towards that is

how I am successful.

If it's too overwhelming.

I think you have a tendency to just shut down and

say, that's impossible.

That's never going to happen.

Little steps are achievable.

Big leaps are much more difficult to even conceptualize,

much less do.

Right? Exactly.

Big, huge house still starts with the first brick.

Exactly. What book have you read lately that you think our

listeners could find value in?

Since I'm focused on the internet world,

I'm reading.com

secrets. It talks all about the.com

world, how it works,

and really it's all about sales funnels.

You know,

you can spend a lot of money on Facebook ads,

Google ad words,

promoted Pinterest pins.

But if you don't have a sales funnel and you don't

know where your customers are coming from,

where they're leaving your website,

why they're leaving that page,

you're not really going to get anywhere.

And so this book talks exactly about how to,

what is a sales funnel,

how to break it down,

how to create one,

how to see where your sales funnel is failing you or

falling apart and how to fix that.

So that I have found very interesting and very useful.

Perfect. And give biz listeners just as you're listening to the

podcast today,

you can also listen to audio books with ease and I

believe.com secrets might be on audio.

I'm not quite sure,

but I've teamed up with audible for you to be able

to get an audio book just like this for free on

me. All you need to do is go to gift biz,

book.com and make a selection.

That's gift biz book.com.

Okay, Amy.

Now I would like to invite you to dare to dream.

I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.

It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.

So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable

Heights that you would wish to obtain.

Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.

What is inside your box?

Thank you.

When I open that box,

what I see is me standing on stage at either QVC

or HSN,

selling my product,

introducing it to millions of people and selling out that is

really the goal that I am attaining and working towards.

I thought you were gonna say Nordstrom's now,

is this a step on the way to Nordstrom,

sir? So I think Nordstrom's would be after that cuffs needs

to a little more mainstream and it's still a,

it's a new accessory concept.

So it needs to be shown.

I'm really focusing on,

like I said,

the videos so I can show the product and QVC or

HSN would be the perfect platform to be in front of

millions of people and really show them the power of cups.

So you better get your manufacturers all ready to go.

Exactly. So when I dream big,

I'm standing on that stage,

introducing the product to millions of people.

I love that.

Perfect. Well for our listeners who are listening while they're out

jogging or in a shop straightening stock or something like that,

and they don't have a chance right now to jump over,

to show notes,

where would the best place be for them to look at

your product and learn more about you?

And it would be on my website,

cuffs.com and that's K U H F s.com.

All the products are there.

There's an about me section style,

inspiration pages,

instructions on cuffs.

It's really the best place to see the power of coughs

and get an understanding of what the product is.

All right,

Amy, I saw you at the one of a kind show

and I also could see you on the stages because you're

such a good presence for your product.

I mean,

you're so personable.

You're demonstrating your product all the time,

which of course is super important.

You just fit right in there.

So there is not a doubt in my mind that that's

going to happen for you.

I'm sure on behalf of my listeners and me,

I wish you much success.

And may your candle always burn bright,

Thank you.

A pleasure to be here.

Where are you in your business building journey,

whether you're just starting out or already running a business and

you want to know your set up for success.

Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,

access the quiz from your computer at bit dot L Y

slash gift biz quiz or from your phone like texting gift

biz quiz to four four,

two, two,

two. Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for

the next episode.

Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,

looking for a new income source for your gift business.

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