233 – People Don’t Buy Products – They Buy You with Annie of NaturalAnnie Essentials

Gift biz unwrapped episode 233 a lot of people ask me

how I balance it and I still feel like there is

no balancing.

I like to say I juggled At Tintin gifters,

bakers, crafters and makers.

Pursuing your dream can be fun whether you have an established

business or looking to start one.

Now you are in the right place.

This is give to biz unwrapped,

helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.

Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,

resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.

Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.

Hi there,

it's Sue and thank you for that.

Joining me here today.

I'm starting with an important announcement for those of you who

are listening in live time.

So that is the week of September 23rd,

2019 I want to give you a heads up that the

doors to the makers MBA program close once again this Thursday

and they're not going to be opening again until somewhere around

this, teetering on the fence,

I think that's the way you say that.

The time to act is now a conscious decision one way

or the other and truly when the deadline hits that it

integrity is a really important core value of mine.

So when I say something that's exactly what happens.

Integrity, a really important example as a business owner,

and if you haven't called it out for yourself,

I encourage you to do so.

If you don't know what maker's MBA is about real quick,

it's an all inclusive lifetime access program that is specifically made

for makers.

So as I call all of you gifters,

bakers, crafters makers,

you'll go from feeling overwhelmed,

confused and discouraged.

Any of you guys feeling like that right now because you

don't know how to start your business or not sure how

to move forward in your existing business.

You go from that to feeling energized and confident as your

company gets off the ground and starts producing a steady flow

of customers and sales.

Not only that,

but you'll know exactly what to do to keep the dollars

flowing. If you want to know more,

check out the details at gift biz,

unwrapped.com forward slash makers MBA,

but remember the doors shut Thursday night.

At first I thought about saying slam shut,

but I like the image much better saying they gently close,

tight and those of us inside start getting to work on

a very rewarding experience.

Again, the link is gift biz on rapt.com

forward slash makers MBA if you'd like to learn more.

So let's talk a little bit now about today's episode.

It's a great example of what can happen when you make

online connections.

My guest and I have been casually communicating through Instagram for

a few years.

I admire her products and she shares what she likes about

the show.

She actually left a review a while back,

which was a gesture that I truly appreciated.

Then about a month ago,

she reached out wondering if she could be on the show.

Here is why I said yes immediately.

First off,

we already knew each other,

albeit not in person,

but a relationship has been established.

Second, I've been watching her business develop over the years and

I see that she's consistent in her communication and dedication to

growing her business.

So this is someone I'd be interested in talking to and

sharing with all of you.

And third,

she took the initiative and not only directly asked for what

she wanted,

she explained to me the value that she could bring to

you because when people want to be on the show and

it's a hundred percent self serving,

which believe me,

I get all the time.

The immediate answer is no guests always have to be providing

information for you with no strings attached.

If not,

you guys aren't going to keep listening.

So in truth,

this was an easy and immediate decision.

I responded yes in like a minute,

but the entire interaction I just described happened over some time.

This is the value of connections for you that you can

use with prospective customers too.

They might not buy the first time they meet you online

or in person,

but that doesn't mean there's no future.

It's a work in progress.

Okay, you guys ready?

Let's get to know all about Annie.

Today. I'd like to introduce you to Annie of natural Annie

essentials. Annie was born and raised on the beautiful Island of

Jamaica so she's no stranger to the nourishing,

healing power of oils and herbs and it has always been

a creative soul with an eye for all things bright and

bold. When her first daughter Tiffany was born with spina bifida

and hydrocephalus,

she turned to natural remedies to help her skin because the

prescription medication didn't work.

After trying a variety of natural butters,

essential oils and other natural oils,

she finally found the remedy for Tiffany's skin issues and this

is how natural Annie essentials was born.

Natural anti essentials is your Island inspired one stop shop for

uniquely scented handmade soy candles and bath and body products.

The aim to make you and your home look,

feel and smell.

Good. Welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.

Danny, Thanks for having me today.

So I am so excited to talk to you and we

were just talking a little bit before I pressed record about

how you and I have interacted for,

I don't know,

maybe three years through social media,

but we've never had a chance to talk voice to voice,

I can't say face to face,

but voice to voice.

So this is the first time.

Yeah, so true.

And I'm so excited.

I know.

It's really,

really fun.

I want to stay with tradition here on the podcast and

before we get into your story and we learn more about

you, I'd like you to share with us a little bit

of what you're like through a motivational candle.

So if you were to share with me a color and

a quote that is a candle that speaks all you,

Annie, what would it look like?

My color.

I would have a multicolored candle.

I feel like colors just put me in a very happy

place and make me want to do all the things and

my quote on that candle would be action over perfection.

That's my daily reminder to just go out and do what

I need to do and not wait for the perfect time

because I've realized there is no perfect time.

So action over perfection for me.

Did you always feel that way or did you come across

that as you started to get your business going?

That was while I was in business mode as I was

getting my business going.

It's just something I picked up along the way that has

worked and is a constant reminder for me.

I think it's a really good quote or something to think

about because I think,

and I'm guessing that there are people who are listening here

now, it's a great way to say,

well, I'm just not ready yet and put off something that

might seem a little scary.

Starting a business and putting yourself out there like you've got

a wait until it's perfect.

And I love that you're saying that's not the case.

Let's just get rolling here.

Absolutely, Yeah.

So give us a little bit more detail.

I mean I talked in the intro some about how your

business started,

but give a little more detail under that and possibly a

little bit before that.

What's your experience before you actually started your business?

So before I started my business,

I was working in corporate America.

I was a research specialist with a very large it research

firm and I was with them for about six years until

much changed my life completely.

Tiffany was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus as you had

noted earlier.

And it was not something that was diagnosed before birth.

So it totally caught us off guard when she was 14

What does that mean?

What were the symptoms and what did that do to her

that you had to overcome?

So when she was born,

spinal bifida is an opening in the spine.

So she was born with what seemed like a bulge in

her back.

Sir. Her spine didn't fully meet from head to toe.

So immediately after the delivery about like two hours after or

for between two to four hours after she had to be

transferred to the ACU where they had to perform an emergency

surgery to close the gap in her back.

So that's the sense of the spinal bifida now,

the hydrocephalus,

while we were in the hospital about a week later after

doing multiple tests,

they realized that she also had hydrocephalus,

which is caused by the spinal bifida.

So what hydrocephalus is,

is basically fluid building up in the brain.

So they had to do another surgery for that,

inserted a shunt,

which now helps to remove the fluids from her brain to

her stomach First,

let me say,

obviously super serious.

So as a mom that had to be so challenging and

difficult seeing your little daughter having to go through that.

But it sounds like she came through it well,

right? Absolutely,

yes. So how do the natural butters and essential oils,

because I was thinking this was more like it progressed into

a skin issue.

Actually it did.

So because she was on all these medications while in the

hospital, once we came home about roughly about a month and

a half later,

she was no longer on those really strong meds.

So her skin started to break out.

And I remember she had this really bad rash on her,

but that would not go away.

We were back and forth to the hospital with it and

nothing was working.

So I grew up in Jamaica with my grandparents.

My grandmother was here with me at the time,

so we kind of just tried what we were familiar with,

which was,

or natural cocoa butter,

Shea butter and essential oils.

So I started to blend these different ingredients together with caution

of course.

And then that's when we finally started to get some relief

on our skin.

It was amazing.

So for me there was no turning back and that kind

of led my progression into formulation and aroma therapy.

And I actually went into school to get certified for aroma

therapy after that.

Got it.

Okay. So are you saying that you tried some things like

more over the counter type things that you weren't finding something

that was helping her first and so then you just started

doing your own thing or did you automatically start creating your

own mixtures?

We tried what was prescribed first and some stuff over the

counter and then we weren't getting the results.

So then we started to make our own mixtures at home.

Got it.

And so was your grandmother helping you too?

Oh yeah,

it was a head mixer.

She's the head and mixer that had to be really forget

the business side,

but that had to be really exciting and rewarding to see

that you were finally getting some relief for Tiffany.

Oh yeah.

I mean from just her skin.

We were starting to use oils just in the house in

general to clean,

to help to make her sleep.

So it was a really fun time around here around those

times. Well,

you needed some fun,

it sounded like.

Totally. Yeah.

I mean a newborn is a struggle,

a challenge enough.

But then based on your having to have surgeries and all

that's double.

Yeah. Well first on behalf of me and all my listeners,

we want to reach out to Tiffany and say hello and

we're thrilled that things sound like they're going great now.

So that's good then certainly.

Awesome. Thank you.

Thank you.

So let's talk more about the product.

So you were continuing to make these mixtures and all that

just for yourself,

for your own purposes.

Yes. And so where was that point kind of take us

to that time when all of a sudden you're like,

Hm, maybe this would be helpful for other people too.

Maybe it could be a business.

Yeah. So after I had enrolled in my aroma therapy program

and we,

in that particular class we did a lot of formulation.

So it was just mixing different products together,

how to use essential oils,

how to safely use essential oils,

and I really was enjoying that portion of it.

Then I started to just use a lot of essential oils

at home and I would share with friends and families.

I would even have like make and take parties with essential

oils. And a friend of mine,

actually, she was the one who inspired me to start a

business because she loved,

particularly, there was a face scrub that I was making and

she loved it.

Her skin loved it.

So one day she said,

you know what,

you should put a label on this because you have something

going here.

So that's kind of what I took that advice and later

on opened my very first Etsy shop.

But so interesting how it's usually someone besides ourself who is,

makes the suggestion and then all of a sudden it feels

right. Exactly.

Yeah. Cause I was just having all the fun over here.

I don't know what it is.

Like we need the validation or it's okay if someone else

has the idea instead of us.

Sometimes, I don't know.

I don't know.

But I hear that over and over again.

So Yeah.

And I never really,

I knew from a young age that I wanted to do

something with business,

but at that point it just never clicked that this could

have been it.

Right. So that push was kind of the push I guess

I needed.

Got it.

So when you started doing the make and take parties,

were you doing that just to get out the product or

were you doing a little bit of research,

seeing if you had an audience or what was your thinking

behind the parties But the,

they can take parties.

I actually started with this company called doTERRA.

There are very large essential oils company and I was just

buying all these essential oils on a monthly basis for myself.

And so I needed to do something else with them.

So I just started with having friends come over.

When they would come over we would just make stuff,

drink wine and just have a fun little evening.

Oh man,

I would bet there It was so fun.

So make and take and then they would take back whatever

they made and use them to get a feel for what

these type of products can do for their body.

Yeah, exactly.

And it was just trying also to introduce them to essential

oils and how powerful it is and how amazingly healthy it

is for us.

And they were having a grand time that That's awesome.

And then from that you were seeing that friends were starting

to buy from you or it was just the parties.

I wasn't even selling.

Okay. It was just a parties.

I wasn't even selling at the time.

Okay. So girls over having some wine,

mixing the oils,

them taking things home.

So you were seeing that there was an interest in the

product, forget about a business yet,

cause you hadn't even started thinking about that.

And then it was a friend of yours who said,

Hey Annie,

have you ever thought about a business?

Yeah, that's right.

Did it fit with you automatically?

Like the second she said it,

it's like,

Oh yeah,

that's an idea.

Or did she have to sell you on it?

Well, no,

I thought about it.

And then someone that I was working with because with doTERRA

it's an MLM type of business.

So the person I would buy the oils from,

it was telling me about the business side to doTERRA.

So then I figured if I could teach my friends how

to do this and they could see for themselves that would

have been away from me to do business.

But then when I talked to them about it,

they enjoy like the make and take parties.

They enjoy making the stuff and bringing it home.

But it's not something they were interested in doing say every

every week if they were supposed to re up their products.

Right. Cause they all have their own lives and jobs and

other things that they're doing.

Exactly. So me making it for them,

providing an already finished product was where I kind of saw

that business opportunity to say okay since you don't want to

do it I'll do it for you cause I have all

the fun doing this anyways.

Right. Okay.

So I want to stop you right here for a second

because I think we can talk to our listeners about this

a bit.

So many people are concerned about sharing how they make their

product. Now,

I'm not talking about giving away all the secrets or something,

but what you did here in terms of the parties having

people see and get a taste of the product,

if you will,

you've seen how it feels on their skin and maybe the

certain sense that they like the best or that type of

thing developed an interest and a desire in them to have

the product.

So I'm thinking for some of our listeners who make something

similar, this could be an interesting first step to attracting an

audience, let them participate in making the product for a while

knowing full well,

which is exactly what you found Annie,

is that they're not going to be able to keep it

up long term,

then they'll start buying from you.

Exactly. Yeah.

So I think give biz listeners,

if you have a product that fits this idea,

consider doing this because it's a great way to attract new

business. Yeah.

And it's a great way to see if you really like

to do it,

if you would really like to do it full term too.

Yeah, good point.

Okay, so you've made the choice.

You've decided that you're going to start the business,

what were your first steps?

So once I started the business,

wait, let me just back up a little bit to like

my education.

So I went to school for business,

but once I started the business I quickly,

this was a whole different arena.

In what way?

Just because now I had to apply the things and I

didn't feel like while I was in college I was able

to apply it to anything really.

But now I had to actually do the things that I

studied. So one of the first things I did when I

decided to start this business was to enroll in a local

program and it wasn't a small business program that helps uprising

entrepreneurs or even if you just have an idea to go

through the process,

the things you need to start your process,

all the legal stuff that you need.

I think most States do have this.

So I mean this is something I would always encourage entrepreneurs

to get involved with,

even if they feel like they're a little bit ahead.

It's always good to have it too.

As a refresher,

so I did that program and it really helped to kick

start me with finding out the things that I needed to

do, whether it be licensing certification fees that I need to

get done,

all the legal stuff,

so that really helps me to get off the ground legally.

Okay. You set up everything,

the stuff that's less fun,

but the important things that you need to do to get

a business started?

Yeah, actually.

Okay. Then what happened at launched my Etsy shop and I

just went all in.

I was taking the photos,

I was making the products and about a few months in

I set up shop at a local library where they had

a popup,

so I was starting to do a lot of popups just

to kind of get my name out there and to kind

of see what it was like.

But I feel like along the way I just learned,

they feel like there's no one path or no secret sauce,

as some would say.

I really feel like I just learned as I go and

every time I try something new.

That was a new learning experience for me to take onto

the next step in the business that I would head on

to. So Annie,

share with us a little bit of your experience of starting

your Etsy site.

Did you find it to be an easy platform to get

started on or what would you say was your experience there?

It was pretty easy for me to get started on Etsy

because I was already shopping on Etsy,

so it was just now being on the other side as

to where I would be adding stuff on the platform to

sell and it was a pretty good option for me just

starting out because it didn't have to do my own website,

which caused a lot of money and starting a business I

didn't have a lot of money to start with,

so that was a pretty good entry for me.

Right. What would be your suggestion in terms of how many

products or photos or any ideas or tips you could give

somebody who's looking at starting their own Etsy site?

Well now at T has changed so much over the years.

I feel like photography is top priority on Etsy these days.

Both a mix of lifestyle photography and just product shots on

plain white backgrounds.

Explain lifestyle for our listeners.

Lifestyle photography would fall into the category of say I sell

candles. So shooting the candles and areas of your home where

your customers could easily relate to.

So for example,

on a desk or in a living room setting on tables,

so just anywhere your customers could envision them using your products.

So a mixture of both,

right. Lifestyle and then also product photos like flat lays or

something? Yes,

absolutely. Okay.

So not just one or another would be your suggestion?

No, because at see now when you list a product on

Etsy, they have lots now where you could put up to

10 photos and they've made it easier.

Now where for each photo you upload,

they tell you or they suggest what type of photo you

should be uploading.

So it's a pretty descent layout that they have.

So you pretty much just follow the steps.

But mix is usually required or recommended.

Oh, got it.

So for one particular product you might do the product shot,

maybe then maybe a lifestyle shot and something else Free to

paddock. Yes.

All right,

got it.

Any hints about photography or cameras or can you still use

your cell phone for photos?

Oh, totally,

absolutely. I still use my camera phone for a lot of

photography and it works amazing.

I use those mostly for social media just because they wouldn't

transfer as great on say a website,

but I totally,

you could still use your phone.

It's amazing.

My husband and I will go on vacation and he'll have

all his big camera gear and sometimes little old me with

my phone.

My pictures turn out better Always.

I have that same issues with my camera.

Sometimes I hardly ever use it and I it Zero what

I'm doing with a camera,

but I know what to do with them.

Oh yeah.

Yeah. And so how long did it take,

and I know it's been four years or so now,

but how long did it take for your first sale to

come through on that T?

I think my first sale came through that very same week

just because my friends were buying.

Well that's good cause you get to know,

Test it all out.

Right. You want to make sure everything is working.

Yes. I helped me to get my very first sale,

but my first,

I would say customer sale came about maybe about three weeks

in. It didn't come very quick,

so I was still a bit on edge because in my

head it was still like,

Oh people are not buying myself.

Although a friend would have bought,

but I didn't feel like that was enough for me to

say, Hey,

I have a product line because I feel like they would

just buy it because they're supporting me and I'm their friend.

So they're buying,

but for say like a new customer,

it took a few weeks.

Okay. But you got them.

Oh yeah.

That's the exciting thing is when you get somebody that you

don't know for the first time,

it's such a thrill,

isn't it?

It is.

And it just makes you now want to make all the

things and just to push forward with your business.

Yeah. And when there's one they're going to be more,

it seems like it just flips a switch that,

Oh my gosh,

somebody, I don't know now me go find more of Them.

Yeah. And it motivates you to start talking about your stuff

naturally. I'm an introvert.

But You do not seem like an introvert.

Oh no,

I am.

I know I am.

But it excites you to a point where you now you

want to talk to people about your product.

Because sometimes when,

cause I know when I first launched my Etsy shop,

I was still kind of shy about it or didn't want

to tell people about it,

that I do have an Etsy shop and Hey,

you can check out my products.

But once you kind of see people are taking a liking

to it,

it kind of opens you up more to wanting to share

what you're offering.

I got it.

Yeah. Because you're getting more confirmation then.

So that builds up your confidence too.

They kind of go hand in hand.

Absolutely. So to finish up the discussion on Etsy,

how has your shop evolved and where is it today?

Well, we moved from Etsy.

Well not totally,

but we still have our Etsy shop but it doesn't do

as well as it did back in the day.

So now our main platform is actually our website and we

host that on Shopify.

Great platform,

super easy to use.

Most makers I know use it because it's just so easy.

But yeah,

we do primarily all our sales currently on Shopify.

But you do still have the Etsy site just for a

sale here or there?

Yes. And that's pretty much all it does now with sale

here or there because it's very saturated now too on Etsy.

Yeah, I mean,

you know,

it used to be the place to go for handmade.

Anyone who is handmade was on Etsy.

It seems like you're not the only one I've heard with

in terms of the performance has decreased some.

But Annie super example of the fact that you've taken it

now and gone over to whether it's a Shopify site or

another site,

but your own website,

what you control,

what you owned.

So I'm so glad that's part of your story.

I had that on my little notes here that I wanted

to walk into that and I was like keeping my fingers

crossed. That was the case.

Oh yeah.

I feel like it's super important for all makers to have

that one place where they could send their customers that's,

that belongs to them.

Cause like a platform like Etsy,

they could shut down or put you off the platform at

any time for any reason.

So having your own is the best way to go.

And even if you can't do it right off the bat,

it's always the perfect next step.

Yeah. I would also suggest that Etsy is a great proving

ground. To your point of,

in the beginning,

you didn't really want to say anything to be able to

go to a place where you can get your feet wet,

start testing your products,

start getting a feel for it because as you said,

it's easy to put up.

And then once you start getting established,

always knowing that you need to have your own platform,

but it can be a stepping stone to that and now

you use them both,

so that's perfect.

Absolutely. Yeah.

What do you see as the differences in terms of the

two in terms of the benefits?

Like I'm going to start it off by saying you have

all of your customer information,

right? Yes.

That's one of the most powerful thing about it.

You own this,

you own the info that comes on there and you could

follow up with these people as often as you like on

your own platform.

So someone said in an interview a while ago,

and I just want to make sure that if that's true

or not,

that it used to be an Amazon's in the same way

that you don't get to know any information about your customer

except if you're shipping the product,

you get the address.

But is it still the case with Etsy that you don't

get emails,

you don't get them or you get them,

but you're not supposed to use them.

You do not get them.

But they do offer an option where after your item has

been shipped,

you can reach out to the customers via a chat on

Etsy just as a,

Hey, did you receive your product?

How did you like it?

Something like that.

But emails,

you don't get those.

Okay. And at that point,

could you ask them,

Hey, would you care to share your email with me?

You're not supposed to.

I think they said it somewhere in their rules where you're

not supposed to ask for emails.

But what I do is all my Etsy orders,

they go out with literature about our business or platform.

So I encourage them to go to my website in the

future for any future purchase or stay connected with us via

email or whether it be via social media.

So that's not against their policy.

So you could do it that way.

Something around there.

So it's a second best option because you still then have

to rely on them to do it versus your website.

You capture all the information.

So still the best way to do it for sure.

Let's move on.

I also really,

really like the fact that you had an online presence and

then you are also right physical in front of the customer

with the popups.

So when you said you started doing that,

just not too long after you put up the shop,

right? The Etsy shop,

Correct? Yes.

And tell me how your first popups looked.

Advice for people who should be considering it.

Let's go through that experience.

We'll hear all about Annie and her pop-up experience right after

a quick word from our sponsor.

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Well, first of all,

my very first popup was terrible.

Oh good.

Your story can't be all right.

Great Annie.

So give us the terrible,

I want to know the terrible part.

Oh my God,

it was so bad.

I have pictures and I look back at it and I'm

like, Oh my God,

what happened there?

So our very first shop was popup.

Was that a library?

Sorry. I think we made one sale,

one sale that entire day.

So when I came home I was just crushed and or

set up was just a table.

They provided tables there.

I had a tablecloth.

I try to make it look Pretty as I could at

the time.

So it wasn't just you?

There were several people who had tables.

Yes, there were others who had tables and everybody.

You kind of get that feeling too,

like you're new and everybody around you is making sales and

here you are with your new self doing absolutely nothing.

I didn't know what to say to people.

I didn't know how to sell my products.

It was just a hot mess,

but I made it through.

Oh gosh.

What did you learn after you made your one sale?

So you made a sale though,

right? You made one so there,

but so you came home and you were discouraged and sad

or whatever.

What'd you tell yourself?

What made you get back on the horse if you will

go out again?

I think that same night I got an Etsy order and

I feel like that may have been one of the things

that kept me going and making me want to try another

pop-up and then I started to just get in contact with

other makers.

It was super hard at the time to find people in

my space that was doing the same thing.

So I had turned to Facebook and I came across some

groups on Facebook and I just started pouring out all my

questions cause I wanted this really to work.

So I was just going to put everything aside and just

ask the questions that I needed to ask and that's where

I got a lot of suggestions,

a lot of next steps if you will.

Just advice on how to go about this pop up experience.

What was the biggest or best piece of advice that you

weren't expecting to get that really helped you?

This lady told me and at the time when she told

me, I said to myself,

well she had no idea what I went through getting just

that one sale,

but she said just do it again.

At the time it just sounded extremely crazy cause why would

I want to put myself through all of this again?

But she was absolutely right.

There are so many markets with so many different audiences and

not every market is going to be your market or your

correct audience.

So I took that,

let it soak then for a little bit,

and then I tried another market and it was much better

than the first one.

So what I learned from that is just keep trying different

markets and kind of feel them out.

Now we're in a time where we could feel out almost

anything online,

although it's not always as it seems,

but you get a good feel for a market that's coming

up. So just to see if the people that they photograph

there would be your people or if the setup looks like

the look that your brand has.

Yeah, I think that's a good point.

There's so many variables to the face to face,

whether it's a craft show or a popup or whatever.

Weather plays a part in it,

right? Some people who just want to do something casual on

a weekend afternoon and go to the local craft show,

we'll go if it's great weather or decide to go to

a movie instead if it's raining.

Exactly. So I think your of getting back out there is

so good and you were just talking about Facebook groups and

for those of you who are listening who are looking for

a group of makers if you don't know about it already,

we have a group called gift biz breeze,

all full of makers of all sorts so you can find

a great community there.

And the reason I bring it up Annie is just because

you were bringing up groups but also there was a conversation

in there just this past week.

I believe time goes fast.

Maybe it's a little longer,

but recently where someone was saying I did a craft show,

Oh my gosh,

it was so much work.

She didn't say whether she got sales or not,

but she was saying,

I don't know that I want to do them anymore because

they're just so much work.

Did you feel that way and did it get easier over

time as you continued to do popups?

It did feel that way and it still feels that way.

Okay, so you do feel that it's a lot of work.

Okay. It is a ton of work because you have to

prepare for the show,

then you have to pack for the show.

You get there,

you have to set up,

you have to unpack,

you have to go through the entire day of working with

customer meeting and greeting and all that fun stuff.

And then the show ends and you have to pull it

all down,

pack up and come back home.

And in my case,

I had to unpack those again and put them back on

the shelves.

So it is a lot and I commend anyone who keeps

on doing it because it's not easy,

but it can still be so much fun.

And it's a great way to get your brand out there,

Right? Because a lot of people who will run into your

product for the first time at a popup could then end

up being an online customer down the road.

Oh yeah.

And that's usually the case.

Are you still doing popups today?

Oh yes.

I still do a lot of popups and I feel like

it got harder because if you remember what I sent my

first show,

I had that one table.

But now for every show,

if you try to add a little more to the experience

to make your booth look better and to give the customer

that whole feel of your brand and I feel like we've

added so much more to our display and it just makes

it so much harder.

But it's totally worth it.

I think so.

I mean I go out and do trade shows a lot

and I totally agree with everything that you said in terms

of the setup and the tear down and it's long days

because you're interacting with people but they're your customers and you

get to learn so much face to face.

Not only do you deepen relationships if you have repeat people

coming back to you all the time,

but you get a chance to see what sense they gravitate

to. You get to ask them questions.

If you're introducing a new product,

there are so much value to the craft shows and even

you, I still question about this shyness part of you,

but just getting out and being able to talk to people

even if it's a little anxiety provoking is such a great

thing to do.

It is.

And for a lot of us it's not easy to sell

our products online cause I sell for one,

I do candles.

So it's hard to just buy a candle online cause you

can't smell a thing.

So I get to go to these shows and my customers,

they can interact with it with the product and I can

learn what's really going to kick off our with sense.

I probably may need to pull up,

pull back on cause it's just by the feedback that you

get from the customers aren't,

they're not even always customers,

but you have people just walk shows and you learn a

lot from them also.

Okay. So tell me about the product that you had to

discontinue. So,

so that candle,

when I would go to the shows,

I would have customers just,

you know,

they won't always say it from time to time,

you'll have that one person who goes,

Oh my God,

this is terrible.

But sometimes you'll just know from their expressions like yeah,

this one is not sticking at all.

We eventually just pulled it And you would never have known.

You could have just been pushing it and pushing it online

forever and making more and making more.

And so that's a great example of the type of thing

that you can learn when you're face to face.

Oh yeah.

Cause in my head it was amazing.

Right, right.

Well of course you wouldn't have put it out there unless

it was amazing.

Yeah, I'm quite sure.

I think there's something else that we discount about the face

to face interactions and that is people get to know you,

Annie. Like they get to meet you in person,

they get to see what you're like just as a person

and then they fall in love with you and then they

want to support you.

That is so true.

So, even though it still has to do with the product,

they're going to buy your candles over anybody else's because they

know you now.

Right. And they got to meet you and pictures or whatever

it is.

That is so true.

And they say they have a saying that people don't buy

products they buy you.

And I never fully understood that until I started doing these

markets. Like it has really nothing to do with these things

that I'm selling because sometimes you'd go to a show and

I'm not the only one there selling candles or bath and

body products,

but people would come back to my station to buy and

I would ask,

why did you come back?

Or it's just saying thanks for coming back.

And they will say,

yeah, I love either your setup,

I love your story,

I love what you're about.

And I took that and that for me also helps to

push me to do these shows as tiring as it may

be, just to get out there and let the people see

who's really behind this and why I do it.

Yeah, I agree with you.

Totally. So good.

That's really good inspiration for people to keep going with the

face to face actions,

whether it's craft shows,

farmer's markets,

popups, whatever it is getting in front of your customer is

golden for sure.

Oh yes it is.

Anything you would suggest or that you've learned,

if someone's just starting to go out to shows in terms

of booth setup,

maybe something that you forgot to bring along with you.

Any just quick last minute tips on that.

I would encourage anyone who's either just starting to do popups

to just do it as I had in the beginning.

Action over perfection.

Just do it and it's easier to say it but don't

look at someone else's booth and just think because you can't

make your booth look like this at this time that you're

not going to do it.

Cause we all fall into that trap where we compare ourselves

to people from time to time.

But if this is gonna be your first pop-up,

your booth is not going to look like the person who's

been doing popups for 10 years.

I feel like we still are not even where I envisioned

my booth,

but we've been growing from one table and that's all you

need. Like you grow for each show,

you get better and you get better and you all just

forget something.

Like I feel like I forget something at every show that

I go to,

but thankfully I've been able to work alongside some amazing fellow

makers who always kind of catch me up on that end.

But yeah,

just start where you have to start over.

You feel is best for you to start.

I wouldn't break the bank to do my very first pop-up

just because you don't even know what it's going to be

like. So just start where you feel is best for you.

Right. And I think you can be really creative with your

booth displays too.

They don't have to cost hundreds of dollars or thousands of

dollars. You'll just add a little bit of creativity and let

your product be the focal point obviously.

Exactly. You want to put things together that are going to

show off your product.

So you already have the main star of the booth,

which is you and your product,

and then you just work around that.

Oh yeah.

You just make it work and I'm pretty sure all it

makers listening,

they're all creative and can make the both work as best

as they can because that's what we do.

That's right.

And you want the colors to represent your brand,

right. So as long as you have already determined what your

logo is or your brand colors are,

so you've got your product,

you've got you,

you've got your colors,

then you work around that.

Exactly. Just make sure you're both as welcoming,

inviting somewhere that people would feel comfortable stepping into.

And from that,

it's pretty much you just see how the show goes.

You work it as it comes,

Work it.

Adjust. Perfect.

Do another one.

Yup. As it comes out,

Rinse and repeat.

As they say,

Get better each time.

Trust me,

it gets better each time.

Perfect. Let's talk a little bit about social media.

How are you using social media as an overlay to everything

else you're doing?

We use a lot of social media,

particularly Instagram is a big one for us.

I just started to really amp up Facebook and we do

a good amount on Pinterest too,

but not a lot of focus on it.

Instagram is where I kind of get to share the products,

the behind the scene stuff.

My kids,

cause they're here all the time with me when I'm working

it, we'll see them pop in on our stories,

on our feed.

It just makes it personable.

Instagram for us,

It's kind of like what we were just talking about in

the popups.

They get to see you in real life.

That's the closest you can online to people who shop from

your Etsy shop or your website to be able to really

see who you are to Oh yeah.

Live and in person through the phone or the computer.

Yeah. So how much time do you spend then either planning

or videoing and posting and all that.

What's a day like of social media for you?

Cause I think that's a challenge for everybody.

They know they should be doing it,

but how do you incorporate that into your day?

It is a challenge and some weeks are better than some.

I'll be honest and saying I don't always have my social

media planned out.

It's said that you're supposed to have it at least a

week or a couple of weeks out,

but I don't always have got done just because of timing.

But when I do,

on the rare occasions that I do get to plan it,

I like to plan at least my feet two weeks ahead

and sometimes I will random post or post that feels right

for a particular day or if it's a particular event that

we're doing that we'll add it in there.

But I try to not make my feed stress me out

too much cause it usually do a lot and I'm really

getting much better at it and just going back to having

fun on social media other than make it another job to

do That feels so good to hear you say that.

You're talking right.

A lot of work.

It's a lot of work.

It is a lot of work.

Do you see when you do social media?

Okay, so do is such a common word,

right? But when you're posting or you have put up some

stories, I'm guessing that you're interacting in the direct messages and

connecting with people back and forth?

Yes, I do.

Okay. Are you seeing results from it?

Social media,

Yes, and a lot of or website traffic and sales comes

from Instagram.

Recently since we started doing a little more work on Facebook,

we've been getting some traction there too.

But most I would say at least 70% of our business

comes through Instagram.

Okay. And how are you tracking to know where they're coming

from? We do Google analytics and Shopify has a great analytics

tool that shows us where our traffic is coming from too.

Perfect. Okay.

So you're using Google analytics to understand where they're coming from

right before they land on your site.

So that's how you're able to know those things?

Yes, and I know Google analytics,

it's a lot to look at.

So I would encourage anyone to just use the analytics tool

in Shopify.

If you use Shopify,

that analytics tool really breaks it down.

Great for me.

Perfect. Yes.

Google analytics is a beast.

Oh geez.

Yeah. If you just start with thinking,

what is it that I want to know before looking at

all the information and trying to say,

okay, what does this mean?

What does this mean?

What does this mean?

Just go with a question and then get your answer.

Yes. Yeah.

Wonderful. Okay.

How do you capture repeat sales?

Did we really stepped up or email marketing?

So emailing customers,

we also periodically send out mailers,

so that may be a postcard to or repeat customers,

but primarily it has been a lot of our repeat customers

comes through email and also pop up shops because we're located

in Connecticut and we do a lot of shops down in

New York,

so we find a lot of customers who probably only if

ever shopped on our website,

they'll come out to a popup shop or just new people

coming to meet us and see us.

So we get a lot of,

or it's that way.

Perfect. Yeah,

constant communication.

And then that's just the emphasis on the fact that you

want to be able to have the emails so that you

can email them and then also be in person and see

them. When you break it down like that,

it's really not so hard.

It's just doing the things right because everything we've talked about.

Yeah, I mean it's hard to go to a craft show

and put everything together.

It's physical hard work,

but actually doing all of these tasks is not insurmountable and

I think that's an important message to get to some of

the people who are just starting out is all these things

aren't hard onto themselves.

Would you agree,

Annie, That is so true.

Yes, totally agree.

What would you say to somebody who is just starting out

besides the perfection,

and you've already said before,

just do a craft show,

whatever, but what would be another piece of advice as someone

who has started a business,

you've got kids at home on the side.

Not that they're the aside of your life,

but right.

Like bus side you,

right? Literally.

Yeah. Like you aren't making any excuses to say,

I'll do this later.

You just decided this is what you wanted to do and

you've started your business and it's going wonderfully and you've got

lots of avenues of revenue coming in.

What would you say to someone who's just starting but is

hesitant to get started because they've got these other significant things

going on in their life?

Yeah, I would say just start.

It is not easy,

but once you find something that you love doing,

you'll just end up doing it anyways.

I mean I have my two children here,

I still work from home and I work around their schedule.

You make it work whatever way you can and things will

fall into place.

A lot of people ask me how I balance it and

I still feel like there is no balancing.

I like to say I juggle like I do what needs

to be done right now and everything else kind of falls

into place.

Yeah, I like that.

You're a juggler.

Who knew?

Yeah. And I think also with little kids,

every week is going to be different.

And then when they get to be school age,

your schedule adjust.

So it's going to change over time.

When you have children at home,

It's constantly changing and it goes way too fast.

Oh yeah.

And this summer is actually my first summer working with both

kids at home.

And that has been a challenge Because I'm used to having

one in school,

one in daycare,

but now they're both here and I'm home.

So you've just got to figure it out.

What's going to come first?

What time am I going to work?

But we make it work.

We make it work one way or the other and get

help when you need to because if you're going to grow,

you will never be able to do it by yourself.

So always try to get help as soon as possible and

whenever you can.

Yeah, I agree with you there.

And you know what?

The kids aren't going to wait until you're ready.

So the priority has to be the children when you're home.

Oh yeah,

absolutely. Annie,

this has been fabulous.

Thank you so much.

I've loved getting to know you better hearing your story.

And it's always exciting when I get to hear exactly the

way I like to teach people how to build a business.

To hear you saying that,

don't just rely on Etsy,

have your own website and don't hide force through your shyness

or your uncertainty and go out and meet your customer.

I love hearing all of that.

I'm smiling over here because I'm so excited to find yet

another person who is doing a fabulous job with something that

they make you know you.

So thank you so much.

I really appreciate your sharing your story.

And now I'd like to give you a virtual gift.

So this is a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for what's

next for you.

It could be your dream or your goal of almost unreachable

Heights that you'd wish to obtain.

So please accept this gift and open it in our presence.

What's inside your box Inside my box,

I feel like it's not unreachable,

but it's a goal that I have.

A very big one is to have my business streamlined to

a T where I don't have to be here all the

time, or I don't have to be a hundred percent a

part of the day to day activities so I could spend

much more time with my family.

So that's what I'm currently working towards.

How far away it is?

Not sure,

but it's the goal.

There you go.

If you don't know where you're going,

you can't get there.

That is true.

Yep. I totally see that happening for you easily.

But you're right.

I mean,

you've got to figure out when the right time is and

how you're going to do it,

but it's going to happen.

Yes, I know that.

Oh, you feel it.

Yeah, for sure.

Thank you.

So how can our listeners get in touch with you and

see your wonderful products?

What's the best place for them to go?

Our website is natural,

Annie central.com

easiest way to probably contact us via Instagram.

I'm in my DMS a lot and I utilize that record

feature a lot so people can ask me questions if they

needed to.

But we're big on Instagram or Instagram handle is at natural

and essentials.

It's a very long one.

Totally. Sorry.

That's okay.

You're making them work for it because your product is worth

it. There you go.

Thank you.

Wonderful. And give his listeners,

you know there's a show notes page connected with this episode

so it will have the links Also just in case you're

out and about and you weren't able to capture it right

now. So Annie,

again, for all the reasons I've already mentioned,

you are a perfect example of a successful business owner and

I am so proud and thank you so much for being

on the show today.

Thank you so much for having me.

So have a great day.

Isn't Annie inspiring those of you who have other important things

going on in your life?

So pretty much I think that's all of us remember this

example of how it's possible to integrate your business into a

life that also includes raising children or working another full time

job and if that's what's been holding you back from starting

your business,

I challenge you to relook at this.

Is that really it or is this a good excuse to

procrastinate? Once again on your dream,

Annie's proof that it's possible and if you get that but

you're not sure how to move forward,

then definitely check out maker's MBA.

I'll tell you exactly what to do to get your business

up and rocking.

Again, the link to look@theprogramisgiftbizonrapt.com

forward slash makers MBA coming your way.

Next week we'll be hearing from a business owner who's got

a keen eye for current market trends and has aligned her

company accordingly.

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already,

so the show will automatically download and be set and ready

for listening next Monday.

Until then,

make it a great week and bye for now.

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