107 – Golden Rules for Craft Show Sales with Lisa Vukovits of Earth Sticks and Scents
Lisa started Earth Sticks five years ago. By her own admission, it was a fluke. She wanted to help out a friend, and before she knew it, she was launching a website and her first product.
Earth Sticks are hand-blended essential oils made into a solid stick, each with a different purpose.
These essential oils are nature’s way of promoting emotional, physical and spiritual healing by targeting specific body parts and systems without the use of chemical additives and toxins.
Today, Lisa’s line has expanded to more than 20 products that are all hand-made from 100% natural ingredients.
The Earth Sticks and Scents Story
How it all started. [4:16]
The moment Lisa identified how to make it all come together – the Sticks! [6:27]
Product validation came from her friends results when using her Earth Sticks. [8:17]
Product development and how Lisa was directed with expansion of the line. [9:56]
Business Building Insights
The first steps in turning your hobby into a business. [12:32]
One specific outdoor market changed everything and became her home base. [13:44]
All about starting a website. [16:15]
In the beginning how to handle website photography. [18:38]
The magic of shows for attracting customers. [20:14]
An interesting discussion of booth product displays and signage. [25:51]
One big overall tip for show success. [28:15]
Success Trait
Constant Motion. That’s what Lisa has and needs to manage two full time jobs! [31:23]
Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
Square – Accept credit cards from anywhere.
Recommended Reading and Listening
Google! How often we forget that our answers can be a couple of clicks away.
Your local library – here’s how Lisa uses this resource.
Contact Links
If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcript
Hi, you're listening to gift biz on rapt episode one Oh
Speaker:seven. My customer base became very different,
Speaker:very diverse,
Speaker:and that's when things really changed.
Speaker:Hi, this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to gifted to biz unwrapped.
Speaker:And now it's time to light it up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift bears on wrapped your source for industry specific
Speaker:insights and advice to develop and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Before we get into the show,
Speaker:I have a question for you.
Speaker:Do you know that you should be out networking,
Speaker:but you just can't get yourself to do it because it's
Speaker:scary. Are you afraid that you might walk into the room
Speaker:and not know anybody or that you're going to freeze?
Speaker:When you get up to do that infamous elevator speech,
Speaker:where you talk about yourself and your business?
Speaker:Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't need to
Speaker:be scary.
Speaker:If you know what to do to help you with this,
Speaker:I would like to offer you a coffee chat for the
Speaker:price of buying me a cup of coffee.
Speaker:We can sit down through an online video and I'll tell
Speaker:you everything that I know about networking and how I have
Speaker:personally built two multi-six figure businesses,
Speaker:primarily through networking.
Speaker:You'll walk away with a solid understanding about how networking can
Speaker:truly grow your business.
Speaker:And you're going to have newfound confidence because I'm going to
Speaker:give you 10 fill in the blank template that you can
Speaker:use for your introduction message.
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Speaker:Just go over to Bitly forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:That's B I T dot L Y forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:And now let's move on to the show.
Speaker:Hi there it's Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped
Speaker:podcast, whether you own a brick and mortar store sell online
Speaker:or are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. And today I have the joy of introducing you to
Speaker:Lisa<inaudible> of earth sticks and sense.
Speaker:Lisa started her business about five years ago by her own
Speaker:admission. It was a fluke.
Speaker:She wanted to help out a friend and before she knew
Speaker:it, she was launching a website and her very first product
Speaker:earth sticks are hand blended essential oils made into a salad
Speaker:stick each one with a different purpose.
Speaker:These essential oils are nature's way of promoting emotional,
Speaker:physical, and spiritual healing by targeting specific body parts and systems
Speaker:without the use of chemical additives and toxins today Lisa's line
Speaker:has expanded to more than 20 products that are all hand
Speaker:made from 100% natural ingredients.
Speaker:I am so excited to hear more.
Speaker:Lisa, welcome to the show.
Speaker:Thank you,
Speaker:Sue. Nice to talk to you.
Speaker:I am so happy that you're joining me today and we
Speaker:are jumping right in to talk about your motivational candle.
Speaker:I do this because it gives us as creatives a different
Speaker:look inside what you're all about.
Speaker:So if you were to describe your candle,
Speaker:what color would it be and what would be the quote
Speaker:on your candle?
Speaker:My candle would be definitely red.
Speaker:I am drawn to red.
Speaker:I think it's a power color.
Speaker:It's a strong color to me.
Speaker:It represents that strength and passion.
Speaker:My quote.
Speaker:I have a lot of quotes,
Speaker:but probably when it's,
Speaker:for me specifically,
Speaker:it would be from Malcolm Forbes.
Speaker:When you cease to dream,
Speaker:you see still live.
Speaker:And what I've done with my business is just that you
Speaker:have to keep dreaming.
Speaker:You have to keep moving forward and always going to what's,
Speaker:right? Yeah.
Speaker:When you see stir dream,
Speaker:you see still live,
Speaker:especially as an entrepreneur,
Speaker:because I think the whole idea of inventing and dreaming and
Speaker:getting to that next point is ingrained in us as entrepreneurs.
Speaker:That's why we started in the first place.
Speaker:Exactly. So let's take this back.
Speaker:I want to hear about why starting your business was the
Speaker:fluke. So go back and share with us exactly what happened.
Speaker:Well, the flu cap and I was actually looking for,
Speaker:and I was doing a lot of research on oils and
Speaker:I thought,
Speaker:Oh, I'll just start making.
Speaker:So I was looking for something a little extra and even
Speaker:going back a little further,
Speaker:my daughter and I have always liked the handmade soaps and
Speaker:we were having trouble finding them.
Speaker:So you Were doing this outside just as a hobby.
Speaker:Well, I didn't even start him yet.
Speaker:I hadn't even started.
Speaker:And, but I was just researching and through my research,
Speaker:I've obviously used oils for many years,
Speaker:way before they were popular.
Speaker:So I thought I'll combine that I'll make soap and then
Speaker:I'll do it for us because that's what we were looking
Speaker:for. And we were having a hard time locally finding what
Speaker:I was wanting.
Speaker:So through the research,
Speaker:then I decided,
Speaker:well, I came across an idea for a perfume because I've
Speaker:always thought that the retail type perfume was very strong.
Speaker:So I am going to put essential oils.
Speaker:I'm going to blend them and I'm going to make them
Speaker:solid because then there'll be easier to use.
Speaker:Well, turns out that I hated them and I made perfume.
Speaker:That's how I started my Facebook page.
Speaker:The address is still or since perfume.
Speaker:And that was the beginning.
Speaker:So the flute part came in when my best friend was
Speaker:suffering with a problem.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:you really should use oils.
Speaker:She said,
Speaker:ah, you know,
Speaker:they're too messy.
Speaker:I don't know what to use.
Speaker:I don't know what to put together.
Speaker:And I said,
Speaker:well, let me see what I could do.
Speaker:So that was the turning point from using the oils for
Speaker:their perfumery value to using them for more of a medicinal
Speaker:value so that you and your Already recognized that oils had
Speaker:healing properties,
Speaker:even though you weren't using them for perfume.
Speaker:Exactly. Got it.
Speaker:Okay. And you know,
Speaker:essential oils,
Speaker:anyone that knows anything about them,
Speaker:they can be very expensive.
Speaker:And I thought that this is kind of stupid.
Speaker:Why am I using these expensive oils?
Speaker:Just for smell.
Speaker:There's so much more that they can do because of what
Speaker:she needed.
Speaker:That was the first stick.
Speaker:I'm literally sitting in my dining room,
Speaker:my blending table at the time.
Speaker:And I'm thinking,
Speaker:okay, how am I going to do this for her?
Speaker:And I literally looked in the corner.
Speaker:There's all these empty sticks that I had bought to make
Speaker:the solid perfumes.
Speaker:It was literally a light bulb moment.
Speaker:And I thought,
Speaker:why can't I make it for a different purpose?
Speaker:And that's what I did.
Speaker:And the first stick was born because of that,
Speaker:if it weren't for her and her,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:that conversation with her,
Speaker:it may not have happened that way.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:Right. So give his listeners when we were talking about sticks,
Speaker:InVision like a chapstick tube,
Speaker:it's a little bit different than that,
Speaker:but that gives you a little bit of an idea of
Speaker:what we're talking about.
Speaker:Right? Truly it's a bomb is what they are because when
Speaker:you add wax becomes a bomb and most essential oils need
Speaker:to be diluted and they need to be,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you don't use them neat or straight.
Speaker:So they're already diluted enough that they're safe to use,
Speaker:but in the solid form.
Speaker:So it's easier.
Speaker:You don't see it on your body.
Speaker:It doesn't run down your face.
Speaker:They're convenient.
Speaker:And I never liked the idea of the roller balls because
Speaker:even using those for my perfume,
Speaker:the oil would still run and you would waste.
Speaker:But that was after the fact was after I created the
Speaker:first stick for her,
Speaker:that all of that became an advantage.
Speaker:It was like,
Speaker:wow, this is really cool.
Speaker:Okay. So we need to finish the story with your friend
Speaker:because I just feel like we'd be leaving it hanging.
Speaker:Okay. So you practice then and figure out something that will
Speaker:work to help your friend.
Speaker:Right? How long did that take To figure out that it
Speaker:helped her or to figure out how to make it?
Speaker:Did you give her just without the stick part,
Speaker:you just gave her the essential oils in whatever form they
Speaker:were? Oh no.
Speaker:I made her stick.
Speaker:Okay. So you did make her the first step.
Speaker:Okay. So here you are with your stick and you are
Speaker:going to hand it over to her.
Speaker:So tell us what happened there That I literally was like,
Speaker:okay, you got,
Speaker:gotta try it.
Speaker:And you got to let me know right away.
Speaker:And, or as soon as you can,
Speaker:and it probably took a week and she got relief from
Speaker:the problem that she had.
Speaker:And she said,
Speaker:yeah, it's great.
Speaker:So Lisa,
Speaker:you're not sharing your friend's name.
Speaker:Are you willing to share with us what she needed a
Speaker:solution to?
Speaker:She suffers from psoriasis and the problem was,
Speaker:and anyone with psoriasis knows that you don't cure it,
Speaker:you treat it.
Speaker:And she suffers from flares.
Speaker:And a flare of psoriasis is when the skin gets really
Speaker:angry and it turns bright red.
Speaker:And it's very inflamed.
Speaker:Hers happens to be on her joints,
Speaker:which a lot of times it is as she would move
Speaker:her elbow or her wrist,
Speaker:the skin would literally crack open.
Speaker:So the relief that she needed was to soften that skin
Speaker:so that it would not be so prone to cracking and
Speaker:also to heal or to keep it softened and healing so
Speaker:that if it was cracked,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it would heal faster and not become infected,
Speaker:like with a secondary infection.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:Okay. So then she lets you know,
Speaker:that it's working and you must've been like,
Speaker:wow, okay.
Speaker:Now I really have something.
Speaker:It was like,
Speaker:okay, this is,
Speaker:what do I do with this?
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:It's working.
Speaker:And I have a dining room table full of oils and
Speaker:a lot of money invested at this point because I had
Speaker:purchased a lot of oils,
Speaker:both for the perfume value and for her and I have
Speaker:all these empty sticks.
Speaker:So that was the next thing was what do I do?
Speaker:And over the course of the next year,
Speaker:I spent perfecting the stick,
Speaker:perfecting my formula just to make it solid,
Speaker:make it last,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what is the ratios of oils and the other oils that
Speaker:are in there,
Speaker:that kind of thing.
Speaker:Were You already going then towards a business?
Speaker:I didn't realize exactly where I was going.
Speaker:Not yet.
Speaker:Not, not exactly.
Speaker:I thought it would be kind of neat to make this
Speaker:one stick.
Speaker:And then pretty soon someone said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I'd like a stick for my face.
Speaker:And then every stick that I have I've made because someone
Speaker:asked for it or because I saw a need and that's
Speaker:what I'm always looking for is what will the next one
Speaker:be? I could tell you a story about every single stick,
Speaker:Listening to your customers right.
Speaker:And learning.
Speaker:Right. And if one person's asking or two people are asking,
Speaker:then there's probably 10 or a hundred that are not asking,
Speaker:but would really like that.
Speaker:So that's how they've all come about.
Speaker:But it stemmed from that first stick.
Speaker:And that first formula,
Speaker:there's quite a few things that fell into place that were
Speaker:by accident that I didn't know would work when you're developing
Speaker:something like this.
Speaker:It takes a lot of time and patience and a lot
Speaker:of wasted product because you have to keep doing it until
Speaker:you get it right.
Speaker:And just like a commercial research and development business would do
Speaker:with a product.
Speaker:It's the same thing.
Speaker:Sure. So you're saying it took about a full year to
Speaker:do Oh yes.
Speaker:To make sure that,
Speaker:to get the basic stick the way I wanted it.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Give biz listeners.
Speaker:I know a lot of you listened to the show because
Speaker:you're thinking of turning your hobby or your craft into a
Speaker:business. And what I'm wanting to point out for you with
Speaker:Lisa's story is one thing led to another.
Speaker:She tested out her concept by sharing it with her friend,
Speaker:seeing that it actually was providing the benefit because all know
Speaker:you don't start a business without a solution without reason why
Speaker:your consumer's going to want your product.
Speaker:So Lisa got validation that what she was creating was actually
Speaker:working and then she listened to other people along the way
Speaker:about different types of sticks to create listening to your customers,
Speaker:as we all know is so important.
Speaker:So if you have a hobby or a craft,
Speaker:what solution does it provide to a potential customer?
Speaker:That's the first step in identifying what type of business you
Speaker:should start.
Speaker:So wanting to get that out there,
Speaker:Lisa now give us the point where you firmly turned the
Speaker:corner and said,
Speaker:okay, starting a business,
Speaker:putting up a website.
Speaker:The business part was probably after about one year.
Speaker:And again,
Speaker:that was somewhat by accident.
Speaker:I thought why I need to get these out,
Speaker:to see if people would be interested.
Speaker:So my first show that I did,
Speaker:they required a tax number.
Speaker:So that started that whole part of it.
Speaker:Because then to get a tax number,
Speaker:you are a business that's probably the first step.
Speaker:You can call yourself a business and have the cards made.
Speaker:But until you have a tax number that makes it real.
Speaker:That was the first part of that.
Speaker:The website came about for a couple more years.
Speaker:But because of again,
Speaker:probably a lucky accident almost,
Speaker:I really didn't know where to sell my sticks because frankly,
Speaker:locally where I live,
Speaker:people I know are big fans,
Speaker:but yet I'm in middle of Indiana.
Speaker:It is not necessarily my best market to sell.
Speaker:But the first show was that a local craft show or
Speaker:it was like a festival.
Speaker:Okay. And so you were just presenting the sticks just to
Speaker:see what type of receptivity you got and also visibility of
Speaker:course, but that was the only place people could find you
Speaker:was at that show since you didn't have a website yet.
Speaker:So after about the first year and a half,
Speaker:then I had gotten into an outdoor market,
Speaker:new Buffalo,
Speaker:which is wonderful.
Speaker:I consider that my home base and my customer base became
Speaker:very different,
Speaker:very diverse.
Speaker:And that's when things really changed.
Speaker:The location changed.
Speaker:So my customers changed and that's when the website became a
Speaker:reality because they wanted a way to get to my products
Speaker:without having to go to that market.
Speaker:Or maybe I would never see them again,
Speaker:but yet they could still reach me and my products through
Speaker:my website.
Speaker:Yeah. Cause that would be the worst.
Speaker:If you got a stick and it was really working and
Speaker:then you had no way to get more.
Speaker:Exactly. So in this day and age,
Speaker:you have to have some sort of internet availability,
Speaker:whether it's through your own site or through Pinterest or one
Speaker:of those other avenues and even Facebook.
Speaker:But I like having a website because I have more control,
Speaker:Right? I want to make a point here really fast.
Speaker:There are many people I've seen them who will sell their
Speaker:products through a social media site,
Speaker:like a Facebook or Pinterest or Instagram,
Speaker:wherever you want to go.
Speaker:That's fine.
Speaker:But you absolutely,
Speaker:I can't recommend this more highly need your own website,
Speaker:need your own platform.
Speaker:That is your home base.
Speaker:And the reason is if one of these social media sites
Speaker:ever goes down,
Speaker:if Facebook decides that they are going to change their algorithm
Speaker:or something,
Speaker:yet again,
Speaker:you don't own any of the people who like or follow
Speaker:you on any social platforms.
Speaker:You don't own those people.
Speaker:You don't have their email addresses.
Speaker:So heaven forbid something happens and you can't apart from posting
Speaker:on all of those sites and you know,
Speaker:visibility is going down because they're going to more towards paid
Speaker:advertisements. You have to have a way that you can keep
Speaker:in touch with all of your customers in the best way
Speaker:to do that as having your own website,
Speaker:where people sign up to be on a newsletter to get
Speaker:information from you.
Speaker:Obviously you do have information when people place an order,
Speaker:but really,
Speaker:really important.
Speaker:So summary of that long soapbox speech is don't rely only
Speaker:on your social media sites.
Speaker:Make sure you do just what Lisa did and start a
Speaker:website. Even if it's a little bit small in the beginning
Speaker:and just the basics have your own home base.
Speaker:I agree.
Speaker:Okay. Done with that one.
Speaker:Okay. Give us a little idea of the first steps that
Speaker:you would advise someone to do when they're starting a website,
Speaker:what should they do?
Speaker:Step one,
Speaker:step two,
Speaker:step three.
Speaker:I would start by visiting other sites of people that maybe
Speaker:do something similar or people that you know,
Speaker:that have sites.
Speaker:I really went into it blindly.
Speaker:I did talk to a few people and I do recommend
Speaker:that. Who does their hosting?
Speaker:Where did they get their domain name?
Speaker:And that took weeks.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:all of this takes a long time.
Speaker:When you see a business,
Speaker:you think it all looks so easy because it's all done.
Speaker:But in reality,
Speaker:every little thing has taken me forever.
Speaker:What seems like forever because I have no idea what I'm
Speaker:doing. I have never taken a business class,
Speaker:nothing, no computer classes.
Speaker:So I've really had to muddle through all on my own.
Speaker:But what you're saying is it's achievable.
Speaker:So people who are in the same situation as you,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you have knowledge about a lot of other things experience about
Speaker:a lot of other things,
Speaker:but you saw the value.
Speaker:And so you're figuring it out.
Speaker:Yep. Exactly.
Speaker:With the website,
Speaker:I first have to have your domain name.
Speaker:So you buy that from,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:a service like GoDaddy the service that hosts my website.
Speaker:I kept hearing their name,
Speaker:so, okay.
Speaker:I'll go with them.
Speaker:And that's what I did,
Speaker:but it took me a full six months from the start
Speaker:to the finish to actually have the website go live.
Speaker:And it was supposed to be one of these,
Speaker:do it yourself sites,
Speaker:which it is.
Speaker:But I mean,
Speaker:I'm not computer illiterate completely,
Speaker:but when you nobody knows how to do that,
Speaker:because you've never had a reason to do it before.
Speaker:It took me a long time.
Speaker:Who are you using your host?
Speaker:Shopify. Okay.
Speaker:So you're using Shopify.
Speaker:Shopify is a great site too because their SEO,
Speaker:their search engine optimization is pretty good.
Speaker:So, all right.
Speaker:So the first thing you did,
Speaker:would you visited other sites just to get a feel to
Speaker:do your research,
Speaker:then you bought your domain name totally important.
Speaker:And when you buy your domain name,
Speaker:also check and see if you can get your social media
Speaker:platforms in the same name.
Speaker:So check Facebook,
Speaker:check Instagram,
Speaker:anywhere that you are thinking of putting a site,
Speaker:just so you understand if that's available and if you do
Speaker:buy that domain name,
Speaker:go and register accounts on all your social media sites to
Speaker:exactly. And then you went through and built your site.
Speaker:Yes. Did you do it by yourself?
Speaker:All myself,
Speaker:even down to the photography.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you use what you have and I can't afford rent or
Speaker:use a professional photographer.
Speaker:So, you know,
Speaker:I started with a set of photos and I'm in the
Speaker:process of changing those.
Speaker:Now you work with what you have and I still consider,
Speaker:we all are,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:still growing and changing.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:you change it as you go.
Speaker:And so this spring then I'll change more of the pictures
Speaker:and it can always improve.
Speaker:The only problem I have with Shopify is I can't insert
Speaker:a banner or there's things that you can't do.
Speaker:You're somewhat limited when you're using a template,
Speaker:but at the same time,
Speaker:everything that you need is there.
Speaker:If you want to go on an order,
Speaker:a stick,
Speaker:you can do that.
Speaker:And I think it's fairly simple for the customer and I'm
Speaker:still learning how to do things on the site,
Speaker:but it's just one of those business essentials.
Speaker:It's just something you have to have.
Speaker:Yeah. And you know,
Speaker:you can always perfect it as you go to update the
Speaker:quality of your photos.
Speaker:But if you don't have the site up,
Speaker:no one can buy from you so that you can have
Speaker:income to afford a photographer.
Speaker:Exactly. It's great advice where you said you started with what
Speaker:you could,
Speaker:you built it as you could.
Speaker:And I don't think that ever stops.
Speaker:I think we're always getting better adjusting our branding or our
Speaker:imagery, all of that as you go.
Speaker:So really good advice.
Speaker:Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker:You're welcome.
Speaker:Let's talk a little bit about how you get customers.
Speaker:And we've been talking about shows.
Speaker:Are you do craft shows and festivals?
Speaker:Mostly I do.
Speaker:And I do the farmer's market that I had talked about.
Speaker:It turned out to be the best place for me.
Speaker:And I get people that are traveling,
Speaker:people that are vacationing people that are visiting like Michigan for
Speaker:the weekend.
Speaker:And they've built for me a wonderful customer base there.
Speaker:So that's why I consider that my home base.
Speaker:And I'm very lucky that I have that market to go
Speaker:to because it brings the people to me instead of me
Speaker:necessarily going to them.
Speaker:So it brings them to me.
Speaker:They could be from all over the country.
Speaker:I've sold to people in Canada and England and Hawaii,
Speaker:and they come from all over.
Speaker:So that is a wonderful situation,
Speaker:which it's not like that for everybody.
Speaker:And not every product would even sell at a market like
Speaker:that. So I really feel privileged that I've been able to
Speaker:do that.
Speaker:And I'll continue that.
Speaker:And how many times a year is that one that is
Speaker:made October every weekend?
Speaker:My entire summer,
Speaker:every weekend is spent at this outdoor market rain or shine
Speaker:and what happens.
Speaker:And that's a big thing that I wanted to touch on
Speaker:is if somebody has a business or a product or whatever
Speaker:they're promoting,
Speaker:it takes an incredible amount of personal time.
Speaker:And that is all of my free time,
Speaker:goes to my business,
Speaker:all of it.
Speaker:And that is a huge commitment that I've made and that
Speaker:anyone would have to make if they want it to be
Speaker:successful. But my goal through this market and having a website
Speaker:is that if somebody visits from Iowa,
Speaker:that they are going to go back to Iowa,
Speaker:they can buy my product.
Speaker:They can tell their friends about it and they can buy
Speaker:it online.
Speaker:Gotta be in person before you can be online.
Speaker:I think somehow so that people are aware of the website
Speaker:and what they can order online.
Speaker:That's really interesting.
Speaker:I want to stop you here for a second.
Speaker:You've got to see them and sell to them in person
Speaker:before they buy from you online.
Speaker:Do you have any percentages because I'm sure there are some
Speaker:people who just might happen upon your site and purchase.
Speaker:Do you have any idea of what percentage that would be
Speaker:versus people that you've seen at a show?
Speaker:No idea.
Speaker:Would you take a guess?
Speaker:People that would happen on my website?
Speaker:Yeah. It just happened to show up on the website and
Speaker:buy Not much,
Speaker:maybe 10%.
Speaker:And my website is growing since I started it it's been
Speaker:nearly three years.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:it was April when I first began the website didn't go
Speaker:live until February ish,
Speaker:January, February.
Speaker:Most people are going to it because they've already bought something
Speaker:and they're rebuying or because a friend told them about it.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:But my goal,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:was to grow the internet part of it.
Speaker:So that's regular business and that's easy to do with a
Speaker:product that stays the same for folks that do crafts,
Speaker:that everything's unique and different.
Speaker:It may not work that way so easily,
Speaker:or they'd have to start mass producing certain items.
Speaker:It's hard for a crafter,
Speaker:but for what I do,
Speaker:it's easy because if you're buying a healing stick,
Speaker:you can get online and buy another healing stick Or you
Speaker:change. And you put things on something like Etsy,
Speaker:where it is.
Speaker:One-on-one, it's just,
Speaker:you would use a different platform.
Speaker:I don't use that.
Speaker:Yeah, no.
Speaker:Perfect. I mean,
Speaker:Shopify is absolutely the right place for you,
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:What do you do in terms of shows?
Speaker:The other portion of the year more over the winter,
Speaker:The winter I'm busy all the way to Christmas.
Speaker:Some are from a school show,
Speaker:which is where you and I met to more of a
Speaker:bigger show,
Speaker:not just a school show,
Speaker:but it's at another location.
Speaker:Like I do journeymen distillery in three Oaks,
Speaker:Michigan, which is a great show.
Speaker:Or I do some that are promoted,
Speaker:like college of DuPage.
Speaker:I just did last weekend and that's run through a promoter.
Speaker:So those are larger shows You piece things together then on
Speaker:the other part of the year,
Speaker:but you're almost out,
Speaker:would this be right to say almost every weekend of the
Speaker:whole year,
Speaker:Almost except January and February,
Speaker:You take a break and revive finally.
Speaker:Well, yeah,
Speaker:that is my,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I got two weeks at Christmas that I made nothing.
Speaker:And then you start back up and I started the beginning
Speaker:of January making soap because that's another thing to touch on
Speaker:is even though the sticks are my focus,
Speaker:they are my main item.
Speaker:When you're at a craft show or a market,
Speaker:you can't limit yourself to just one or two items.
Speaker:You have to fill a booth,
Speaker:you have to offer as much as possible because someone may
Speaker:not be interested in sticks,
Speaker:but they're going to be interested in something else.
Speaker:So I've expanded from sticks to other items and the soap.
Speaker:Remember going back to the beginning of the story,
Speaker:when I first started doing research,
Speaker:I was interested in soap.
Speaker:So basically I came back to the soap about three and
Speaker:a half years ago and started making it and I made
Speaker:it the way I wanted it.
Speaker:I make what I like and that's what I sell.
Speaker:Yeah. And the point about the booth that you need to
Speaker:have other options in a booth.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:especially think about gift biz listeners,
Speaker:this product.
Speaker:So it's,
Speaker:I'm going to go back to chapstick because I think that's
Speaker:something that we all can relate to.
Speaker:If that's the size of your product,
Speaker:there's a lot of booths to fill,
Speaker:even at a smaller craft show.
Speaker:Now with a big,
Speaker:large trade shows and you Lisa do a fabulous job at
Speaker:booth display.
Speaker:That is initially what attracted me to come over and talk
Speaker:with you about your booth in the first place.
Speaker:Will you share a little bit about,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:try to create the visual for all of us of just
Speaker:the sticks now,
Speaker:just that one left side of the booth that I saw,
Speaker:what would you like to know what it looks like?
Speaker:Yeah. Explain to everybody how it looks.
Speaker:I think it better coming from you than me.
Speaker:If you can imagine a six foot table,
Speaker:because it's one third of my booth on top of the
Speaker:table, I have a small containers and inside each container is
Speaker:the stick.
Speaker:So those are my testers and I've put them at two
Speaker:levels so that they're easier to see.
Speaker:And then above that table is a large sign that has
Speaker:each one of the sticks listed with its name and what
Speaker:it does made that as large as I can so that
Speaker:it's easy to read.
Speaker:It really gets people's attention.
Speaker:And it has been that one sign.
Speaker:Now the sinus six foot wide by approximately four foot high.
Speaker:So it's large.
Speaker:And it really is what will get the attention of most
Speaker:people as they go by and they'll start reading.
Speaker:And then once they start reading,
Speaker:then they get interested and then they'll try something.
Speaker:And one thing leads to another,
Speaker:but I can't stress enough the signage,
Speaker:especially if it is a product like mine,
Speaker:that is a little bit more involved.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:if someone is selling mittens,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they don't need much description,
Speaker:but you do have to display them in a way that
Speaker:people either see it or they understand what you've got,
Speaker:whatever that may be.
Speaker:The other thing that I think is great about that sign,
Speaker:Lisa is if someone wants to buy one,
Speaker:then they look up at the sign and see all of
Speaker:the different types of things that each different stick does.
Speaker:And it's like,
Speaker:well, wait,
Speaker:now I need that stick.
Speaker:And boy,
Speaker:if I'm doing that,
Speaker:I want to try that stick.
Speaker:So you get additional add on just because of that big
Speaker:sign. And that's what I did for sure.
Speaker:So give biz listeners think about that.
Speaker:If you're in the middle of putting together your displays for
Speaker:a craft show,
Speaker:we're entering into the season now where farmer's markets and a
Speaker:lot of outdoor craft shows are around,
Speaker:what can you do to make sure that you're giving people
Speaker:who come to your area booth table,
Speaker:whatever it is as much information as possible about your product,
Speaker:but in a very simplistic and clean way,
Speaker:because it can bump up your sales just like Lisa was
Speaker:describing with her sign.
Speaker:I just started using that sign about a year ago.
Speaker:Did you see a big change once you started huge?
Speaker:I can't even probably a hundred percent better sales because of
Speaker:it. Wow.
Speaker:But of course I have a product that needs description,
Speaker:so not everything does.
Speaker:Oh, good point.
Speaker:Yeah. Would you add anything to what I said a minute
Speaker:ago? As far as the signage,
Speaker:when I go into a booth,
Speaker:if someone is doing a craft show or an artisan show,
Speaker:one thing that I think makes a huge difference,
Speaker:and I've noticed this as a person walking around other shows
Speaker:is to engage the customer saying,
Speaker:hello goes a long way.
Speaker:I've had a lot of people tell me that they've walked
Speaker:an entire show and they've walked through booths and people don't
Speaker:even pay any attention to them.
Speaker:They don't even say hello.
Speaker:So customer service is a big deal,
Speaker:even at a Absolutely.
Speaker:It's not the time to be looking at your phone.
Speaker:And if a vendor is sitting behind a table on their
Speaker:phone, not even looking up when somebody comes into their booth,
Speaker:they've probably lost a sale.
Speaker:And that is something that I noticed over and over at
Speaker:shows. Even when I'm the customer,
Speaker:when I'm going into somebody else's booth something,
Speaker:I noticed You want to acknowledge someone and say hi,
Speaker:but then there is a point where you can do too
Speaker:much. Have you ever been somewhere even like a store or
Speaker:something where someone is like on your tail and you can't
Speaker:even enjoy looking and thinking and you know,
Speaker:so you have to have some type of a balance,
Speaker:but you absolutely should be acknowledging their presence and welcoming,
Speaker:as you were saying,
Speaker:I've had customers say to me,
Speaker:you were the only one that even said hello.
Speaker:Oh, wow.
Speaker:Yeah, I hear it a lot.
Speaker:But that's just advice to other people who are thinking about
Speaker:doing shows,
Speaker:who already do shows.
Speaker:And I would imagine,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:week after week after week,
Speaker:you're doing these shows.
Speaker:So I'm thinking that some people get tired or some weeks
Speaker:they're more up than other weeks,
Speaker:but correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker:I would imagine that the energy and the excitement and the
Speaker:difference of a show is interacting with people.
Speaker:Absolutely. They're my potential customers that day,
Speaker:but they're also my potential customers in the future.
Speaker:Right. And my booth and myself,
Speaker:my daughter works with me.
Speaker:We are the representatives.
Speaker:It's just us.
Speaker:So we're representing earth sticks and you make that connection or
Speaker:relationship. And then that will lead to business later as well.
Speaker:Sure. And if you're spending the time there,
Speaker:you might as well be doing it as effectively as you
Speaker:possibly can.
Speaker:Exactly. All right,
Speaker:Lisa, I want to roll now into our reflection section.
Speaker:This is another look at you more,
Speaker:you personally versus your business.
Speaker:Is there a trait that you call upon so that you
Speaker:can continue to go to show after show and produce product
Speaker:after product?
Speaker:Probably This would be for anyone who's considering doing such a
Speaker:thing, is it never ever ends?
Speaker:This is my second full-time job.
Speaker:I'm also a teacher and I teach full time.
Speaker:So this is my second full-time job.
Speaker:And I would say that the thing that is most important,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I just can't,
Speaker:you can't sign up for a show at saying,
Speaker:I don't feel like going today,
Speaker:so I'm not going to do it.
Speaker:And I'm constantly making things.
Speaker:I'm constantly planning for the next show or the next look
Speaker:at wherever I'm going to be.
Speaker:So basically you can't be lazy.
Speaker:You just can't.
Speaker:And I think the trait is that you have to be
Speaker:in constant motion.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:there's always something to do always.
Speaker:And people who don't want to go to their first job
Speaker:probably would have trouble with this because it is a lot
Speaker:of work.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:when people say,
Speaker:Oh, it'd be so great to work for yourself.
Speaker:And it is,
Speaker:but it is also a lot harder than working for somebody
Speaker:else because with them,
Speaker:what you do is already established.
Speaker:But for yourself,
Speaker:you're always changing.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you're the CEO and the CFO and the advertising person and
Speaker:the financial person.
Speaker:It just never ends.
Speaker:And that can be draining.
Speaker:We were having this conversation in next October.
Speaker:I probably would sound even a little bit different.
Speaker:I don't want to turn people off of doing this kind
Speaker:of thing,
Speaker:but it is a lot of work not to mention the
Speaker:investment financially as well.
Speaker:Yeah. And I think that's where,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:people can look from the opposite side of the fence and
Speaker:look in at a business owner and say,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:you haven't made,
Speaker:you can call all the shots.
Speaker:You do whatever you want.
Speaker:You don't have to report to anybody.
Speaker:But I think that's also a reason why a lot of
Speaker:businesses fail is once they actually get into the reality,
Speaker:the job,
Speaker:it's not something that they were really considering or possibly cut
Speaker:out for.
Speaker:Cause this type of thing is definitely not for everybody.
Speaker:But when it is,
Speaker:you love it.
Speaker:Yes. It can work both ways.
Speaker:And I also want to point out to you guys,
Speaker:give biz listeners.
Speaker:Lisa has another full-time job.
Speaker:So if you have a hobby,
Speaker:doesn't mean you have to stop everything else that you're doing.
Speaker:You can still make it a business that's on the side.
Speaker:Maybe it helps pay for a family spring break vacation.
Speaker:Maybe it pays for house improvements that you're doing or things
Speaker:like that.
Speaker:It doesn't have to be all or nothing,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:would be the right way to say it.
Speaker:Especially when you're looking at turning hobbies or crafts into businesses,
Speaker:it can,
Speaker:but it doesn't have to be right.
Speaker:Okay. Is there a tool or something that you're using,
Speaker:you've already talked about Shopify and that's been working really well
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:Is there something else that you're using in your business life
Speaker:that you would recommend to our listeners As far as an
Speaker:online tool,
Speaker:Nine or something that's that you really resource all the time
Speaker:that helps you with your business?
Speaker:The only other thing I can think of is square.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I use square.
Speaker:Oh, that's Perfect for when you're at the booth.
Speaker:Right? Right.
Speaker:When you have to have options,
Speaker:most people,
Speaker:I shouldn't say most,
Speaker:but many people don't carry cash.
Speaker:I'm one of them.
Speaker:And it has been a great resource for me as well
Speaker:too, you know,
Speaker:you've gotta be able to collect payment.
Speaker:And the more options you offer,
Speaker:the more likely that you will sell something.
Speaker:Because if I said,
Speaker:I only take cash,
Speaker:probably lose half my business.
Speaker:So half of your sales,
Speaker:you'd say our credit card.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:I would've thought more,
Speaker:really close to half,
Speaker:maybe even a little less than half,
Speaker:but that's a lot.
Speaker:And you don't want to give people a reason to not
Speaker:buy from you.
Speaker:Absolutely. That's not free.
Speaker:That was another thing that surprised me about really getting into
Speaker:this. As far as the website and doing shows,
Speaker:it is not free.
Speaker:And people listening that have businesses that are already selling something,
Speaker:they already know this,
Speaker:but to be at one of those shows,
Speaker:it all looks good because we're all set up.
Speaker:We're all ready to go.
Speaker:But to get,
Speaker:there is a lot of work and a lot of expense
Speaker:I drive everywhere.
Speaker:I go,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I have to travel everywhere.
Speaker:I go,
Speaker:I have to travel.
Speaker:The closest I go is an hour away.
Speaker:So you have a lot of expense up front before they
Speaker:ever opened that show,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:to the public.
Speaker:Right. And each show is precious.
Speaker:Like you were saying,
Speaker:because it's a customer then,
Speaker:but it's also a customer for the future.
Speaker:Right. And that's why I do that.
Speaker:Yeah. And all of that builds on itself too,
Speaker:because you go to shows,
Speaker:you get more customers,
Speaker:a portion of them are going to reorder and then it
Speaker:will just continue to build upon itself.
Speaker:And that's one of the ways you see numbers continue to
Speaker:grow and you're not always having to go out and reinvent.
Speaker:That's another reason for a website,
Speaker:right. You're not having to reinvent and always get in new
Speaker:customers. You're going to get repeat business from people who have
Speaker:already purchased.
Speaker:Right. Okay.
Speaker:What about a book?
Speaker:Is there a book or a TV show or a podcast
Speaker:or something that you would refer our listeners to?
Speaker:That's been beneficial.
Speaker:I have quite a library of books as far as I
Speaker:still like to read in print.
Speaker:When I can to say that I've read something cover to
Speaker:cover would be alive because I don't,
Speaker:I'm a flipper,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I'll flip from one chapter to another,
Speaker:whatever I'm looking for.
Speaker:And I have from how to do this,
Speaker:how to do that,
Speaker:I would recommend to anybody to go to the library,
Speaker:go to the craft section,
Speaker:the business section and just start pulling books off the shelf
Speaker:of anything that might apply to you.
Speaker:I would not say that there is any one resource that
Speaker:way I read probably the majority online.
Speaker:So if I have a question,
Speaker:I literally,
Speaker:if I'm thinking about something or how to do it just
Speaker:yesterday, this is an example.
Speaker:I am curious about taking one of my products wholesale.
Speaker:So I would sell to a wholesaler and then they would
Speaker:sell to retail.
Speaker:And what I'm learning about now is how does that process
Speaker:work? How do you do that?
Speaker:What are the percentages?
Speaker:So you can figure out your wholesale cost to that person.
Speaker:And then what would they sell to the retailer?
Speaker:I type in the question in Google and I got an
Speaker:answer. I found a good source and that's what I read.
Speaker:And it answered my question.
Speaker:I probably do that more than anything.
Speaker:I agree with you.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:library is a great resource and Google,
Speaker:I think people really forget about that.
Speaker:It's so easy.
Speaker:Just type it in and more than likely your answer is
Speaker:going to appear.
Speaker:I bet I do that five times a day.
Speaker:I have a question.
Speaker:That's what I type in.
Speaker:And I usually get a decent answer.
Speaker:So that is the quickest,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it takes time to go to the library.
Speaker:It takes time to look for books.
Speaker:Honestly, I've been a little disappointed.
Speaker:I've gotten books that you can't see until you get them
Speaker:not completely.
Speaker:And then they didn't apply to me.
Speaker:Right. You know?
Speaker:So I spent a lot of money on supplies like that,
Speaker:that maybe I couldn't use.
Speaker:Yeah. Well,
Speaker:and that's one of the reasons why we asked the question
Speaker:is, you know,
Speaker:is there a book that has been really valuable?
Speaker:I wish.
Speaker:Yeah. Well then you got to go back and listen to
Speaker:some of the shows because there've been a ton of good
Speaker:books that have been recommended and give biz listeners.
Speaker:I know you like listening to podcasts because you're listening right
Speaker:now. You can also listen to audio books with ease.
Speaker:I've teamed up with audible for you to be able to
Speaker:listen to an audio book of your choice.
Speaker:All you need to do is go to gift.
Speaker:Biz, book.com
Speaker:make a selection.
Speaker:And your first book is free on me again.
Speaker:That site is gift biz,
Speaker:book.com. Okay.
Speaker:Lisa, it is now time for me to invite you to
Speaker:dare to dream.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:I've thought about this actually,
Speaker:because you warned me about it and in the box would
Speaker:be a stable future with a retirement without financial worry.
Speaker:That is my goal to reach that point where I can
Speaker:retire. And I don't know that I'll ever really retire,
Speaker:but that I can retire and not worry about finances.
Speaker:Not worry about being stable,
Speaker:not worry about,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:just no worries.
Speaker:That is probably my ultimate goal.
Speaker:Both with my business and with my regular profession is to
Speaker:have that stability.
Speaker:And so many people don't have that.
Speaker:And I think this is another trait as a business person
Speaker:is you're looking ahead,
Speaker:you're looking at finances.
Speaker:You're looking at stability.
Speaker:All of that.
Speaker:I think that goes right along with being a business owner,
Speaker:right? Yeah.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:where will this go?
Speaker:I have no idea,
Speaker:but I do think that it will continue.
Speaker:You never know what one thing will lead you to.
Speaker:So I'm always open to new ideas.
Speaker:What am I going to do?
Speaker:Next one thing will lead you to another.
Speaker:If you do nothing,
Speaker:then you go nowhere.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:You're exactly right.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Perfect. Now for our listeners.
Speaker:And let's say they're not looking at,
Speaker:and don't have access to our show notes page right now.
Speaker:What is your website?
Speaker:It is get earth sticks.com.
Speaker:Okay, Perfect.
Speaker:So remember this is a Shopify platform.
Speaker:If any of you are interested in seeing an example,
Speaker:definitely go over and check out Lisa's website.
Speaker:And not only that,
Speaker:her sticks,
Speaker:I actually use I'm using the sleep one.
Speaker:We talked about that when we were doing a little bit
Speaker:of briefing before we started the interview,
Speaker:I have a couple of her sticks.
Speaker:They're really interesting and really helpful.
Speaker:I am sleeping better.
Speaker:I can attest to it.
Speaker:So go on over and check out what that is all
Speaker:about. And if you're out walking the dog,
Speaker:if you're at the gym and aren't able to do any
Speaker:of that right now,
Speaker:remember there is a show notes page.
Speaker:I will have the website there.
Speaker:Lots of links to social media points of contact,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:So that will be over on the show notesPage@giftbizonwrapped.com.
Speaker:Lisa, thank you so so much.
Speaker:I really appreciate great insight,
Speaker:really super idea.
Speaker:And I love the story that it was all a fluke
Speaker:and I'll look at what you have going for you right
Speaker:now. You just never know.
Speaker:You never know.
Speaker:And my wish for you is that the business continues to
Speaker:grow and grow.
Speaker:And you reach that point of stability that you're talking about
Speaker:and may your candle,
Speaker:Where are you in your business building journey,
Speaker:whether you're just starting out or already running a business.
Speaker:And you want to know your setup for success.
Speaker:Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,
Speaker:access the quiz from your computer at Vic dot L Y
Speaker:slash gift biz quiz or from your phone by texting gift
Speaker:biz quiz to four four two,
Speaker:two, two.
Speaker:Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for next
Speaker:episode. Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,
Speaker:looking for a new income source for your gift business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever render products of your
Speaker:logo or print a happy birthday,
Speaker:Jessica bourbon,
Speaker:to add to a gift right at checkout,
Speaker:it's all done right in your shop for cross studio in
Speaker:second, check her for ribbon print company.com
Speaker:for more information after you listened to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:iTunes. That way you'll automatically get the newest episode when they
Speaker:go live.
Speaker:And thank you to those who have already left a rating
Speaker:and review by subscribing rating and reviewing helped to increase the
Speaker:visibility of this round.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward,