381 – BASH – Your Own Website or Etsy? Pros and Cons
Which is better for a handmade product business – your own website or Etsy? The truth is, there are pros and cons to each.
So in this episode, we dive into the differences between having a store on Etsy versus creating your own website.
After that brief training, we feature Showcases from other handmade product makers just like you.
And guess what? The previous BASH resulted in new wholesale order placement and individual product sales for the attendees.
So it’s safe to say that participating in a BASH will definitely help your visibility and sales! Why not join us at the next BASH and enjoy some of that for yourself?
What’s In This Bash?
1. Free Training: Your Own Website vs Etsy – Pros & Cons
In this BASH, we compare a website you build yourself vs. an Etsy shop to consider:
- ease of setup
- training materials available
- visibility
- audience make-up
- competition
- business growth potential
- and costs of acquiring a sale.
2. Q&A about this topic with Bash attendees.
- Did your question get asked and answered? If not, come ask it in the Facebook Group.
3. Showcases
- Attendees share new collaborations, upcoming events, and even discount promo codes.< Tune in to grab these deals + get ideas for your own business!
Listen to this FREE training now to learn how to use features vs benefits for your handmade products – and don’t miss the attendee discount codes!
Resources Mentioned:
- Join us at the next BASH! Save your seat here.
- Content for Makers
- Gift Biz Unwrapped Merchandise Shop
Want to be part of the next BASH Party?
See upcoming Gift Biz Bash parties and grab your spot today! Don’t delay – spaces are limited.
Join Our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community
Become a Member of Gift Biz Breeze
If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe so you automatically get the next episode downloaded for your convenience. Click on your preferred platform below to get started.
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Thank you so much! Sue
Transcript
Hey, Hey,
Speaker:bash number seven,
Speaker:gift biz on rapt episode 381 Attention gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is gift to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode.
Speaker:Packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and thanks for joining me today.
Speaker:You've landed on one of the new podcast formats.
Speaker:I started a couple of months ago.
Speaker:It's called a bash.
Speaker:What's it all about?
Speaker:Hold tight.
Speaker:You're going to get the full experience in just a minute,
Speaker:but first as a handmade product maker,
Speaker:you make the most beautiful,
Speaker:delicious, and life enhancing products.
Speaker:I'm honestly so impressed with your talent and you always put
Speaker:a smile on my face.
Speaker:When I see your newest creations,
Speaker:I'm always watching and I'm also always listening.
Speaker:Let me back up here for a second.
Speaker:In our Facebook group,
Speaker:gift biz breeze.
Speaker:I asked you a while back,
Speaker:what you need help with the most right now.
Speaker:And you totally surprised me.
Speaker:It wasn't email marketing strategy.
Speaker:It wasn't doing video or any number of topics that make
Speaker:up a solid growing business.
Speaker:Nope. What you are asking for help with is social media
Speaker:posting. What you've told me is you're putting in the time
Speaker:you're posting frequently,
Speaker:maybe even several times a day,
Speaker:and you're discouraged because you aren't seeing any of this move
Speaker:the needle for your sales.
Speaker:I hear your frustration.
Speaker:Some of you have even told me you're at the point
Speaker:of throwing in the towel on social media altogether,
Speaker:wait, please don't do that.
Speaker:Here's the thing.
Speaker:Some adjustments are needed.
Speaker:That's all you see putting in more time posting the same
Speaker:way isn't going to magically bring in sales.
Speaker:You need to change the way you're posting and what you're
Speaker:posting. You don't need to put in more work.
Speaker:You need to put in the right work.
Speaker:And that's when things will change.
Speaker:So based on all of your comments,
Speaker:I decided to create your solution.
Speaker:It's called content for makers and is specifically created for handmade
Speaker:product makers like you because when you get your posting strategy
Speaker:and topics,
Speaker:right, everything else falls into place.
Speaker:Content for makers will enlighten you as to why your current
Speaker:social activities aren't converting into sales.
Speaker:It will also show you how to put in less time
Speaker:and start seeing activity that will lead to increased sales.
Speaker:Just imagine a day when you know exactly what to post
Speaker:and get it done in five minutes or less,
Speaker:then you can interact with your potential clients,
Speaker:deepen relationships with those you already know.
Speaker:And all of this continues to build upon itself naturally.
Speaker:Yes, this really is possible.
Speaker:Content for makers includes a step-by-step strategy to formulate your unique
Speaker:plan based on your products and your business.
Speaker:Then you'll get 375 social media prompts.
Speaker:That's over a full year of ideas along with the 375
Speaker:prompts also com 375 image suggestions.
Speaker:So you're not left hanging on the creative.
Speaker:These prompts and image suggestions can be used for all platforms
Speaker:and all types of posting to images,
Speaker:live streaming reels,
Speaker:even email topics.
Speaker:There's more to content for makers to,
Speaker:to see all the details,
Speaker:jump over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash content for makers.
Speaker:But honestly at only $27,
Speaker:it's a no brainer.
Speaker:Plus you only have to buy it once for use year
Speaker:after year.
Speaker:Why carry on posting as you've been doing all along expecting
Speaker:to see different results,
Speaker:sign up for content for makers now and see the transformation
Speaker:of your posting experience change right before your very eyes gift
Speaker:biz on.com
Speaker:forward slash content for makers ready and waiting for your immediate
Speaker:access right now.
Speaker:Now about this bash,
Speaker:it starts with a short training.
Speaker:The topic today is a review and tally on the pros
Speaker:and cons of having a store on Etsy versus creating your
Speaker:own website.
Speaker:Then we get into showcases from other handmade product makers,
Speaker:just like you they'll share some information about their business and
Speaker:you have the opportunity to see how others present themselves.
Speaker:And also you get to support others through the discounts they
Speaker:offer or collaborations that they're seeking.
Speaker:It's so fun to hear the results of these bashes,
Speaker:new wholesale connections,
Speaker:product partnerships being created and new business.
Speaker:For those who are showing up here for the recorded bashes.
Speaker:We'll talk about how you can join and be in a
Speaker:bash also,
Speaker:but first let's jump right into today's bash.
Speaker:Can you believe we are now on the seventh gift biz
Speaker:bash? That is absolutely crazy to me.
Speaker:It's here in the middle of the summer and there's a
Speaker:lot going on for us.
Speaker:And I appreciate those of you who have joined and are
Speaker:going to be part of the showcases as we get on
Speaker:with this bash.
Speaker:If you've never been part of the bash and after you
Speaker:experienced what we're doing today are interested.
Speaker:You can go to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash and grab a spot.
Speaker:You will see the different dates that I have available as
Speaker:we move forward.
Speaker:The first thing we're going to do is a conversation about
Speaker:Etsy versus having your own website.
Speaker:And I see when people start thinking about an e-commerce plan,
Speaker:this is usually the big question.
Speaker:If you're going to sell online,
Speaker:you've got to have a place where people can buy,
Speaker:right? And as handmade product creators,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:coming on Etsy could be like an obvious solution.
Speaker:It's a great place to get started,
Speaker:but ultimately the best thing for you is to have your
Speaker:own website.
Speaker:If you've hung around me for any length of time,
Speaker:you know that I advocate that,
Speaker:but I completely understand,
Speaker:and don't disagree with having a nutsy site too.
Speaker:So for those of you who are in a position where
Speaker:you're just thinking of monetizing your craft,
Speaker:you're going to hear today.
Speaker:Now what my thoughts are on the strengths of Etsy and
Speaker:the strengths of having your own website through eight different characteristics
Speaker:of what is involved with a website.
Speaker:So that's what I'm going to dive into right now.
Speaker:And of course I wouldn't be me if I wouldn't give
Speaker:you a recommendation at the end of what you should do.
Speaker:Okay. So the eight categories,
Speaker:we're going to be talking about our setup,
Speaker:training, visibility,
Speaker:audience, makeup,
Speaker:competition, business growth,
Speaker:potential costs,
Speaker:and that's it.
Speaker:And then we'll tally it up and see who wins.
Speaker:Okay. So first of all,
Speaker:when you talk about set up with Etsy,
Speaker:that's I think what makes this platform so great is it
Speaker:doesn't take long to set up a website.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:if you have pictures already here,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:obviously you need a photo of your product,
Speaker:but you can set up your shop within an afternoon.
Speaker:No, it might not be set up totally perfect yet.
Speaker:But the fact is you could do that.
Speaker:Okay. All the functionality is in place like with a shopping
Speaker:cart, all of that.
Speaker:However, you are limited in terms of what you could build
Speaker:into that site.
Speaker:You have to stay within the platform that Etsy provides for
Speaker:you in terms of your own website.
Speaker:That takes a lot more time for sure.
Speaker:But the thing that's so great about a website is you
Speaker:are in control of everything you are in control of how
Speaker:the navigation looks,
Speaker:how a homepage looks,
Speaker:what you want to add in what you don't want to
Speaker:add in.
Speaker:You have to figure out how to do your shopping cart.
Speaker:So it makes it a lot more cumbersome get started,
Speaker:but obviously it's possible.
Speaker:Okay. But in terms of which one is better in terms
Speaker:of ease of setup,
Speaker:that one clearly goes to Etsy.
Speaker:Then when you get into training and by training,
Speaker:what I mean is how do you use that platform?
Speaker:Etsy comes with a lot of really solid information,
Speaker:videos and manuals and all of that on how to work
Speaker:within the platform,
Speaker:not only set up,
Speaker:but keywords that you should be using,
Speaker:how to attract as much as you can even advertising on
Speaker:the site.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:there's a wealth of information there.
Speaker:So while I was saying earlier,
Speaker:you can set up really easily.
Speaker:Then you probably will want to dive in and learn more
Speaker:and perfect so that you're going to get the visibility to
Speaker:your account.
Speaker:And then on the website side,
Speaker:I'll say that no matter what platform,
Speaker:you start off with your going to have access to information
Speaker:on how to set things up.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I'm a huge Shopify advocate.
Speaker:If you are looking for a website platform and you're ready
Speaker:to start your own,
Speaker:I absolutely recommend Shopify gift biz,
Speaker:unwrap.com forward slash Shopify is a great place to get you
Speaker:started for,
Speaker:I think it's like free for the first 30 days or
Speaker:a dollar or something like that.
Speaker:You could take a look at it if you're at that
Speaker:point. Okay.
Speaker:And whether it's Shopify,
Speaker:whether it's Squarespace,
Speaker:Wix, like any of those do have training materials.
Speaker:So not to belabor this point,
Speaker:I would actually put them on equal ranking for the types
Speaker:of training and directional materials that you could get through either
Speaker:Etsy or starting your own website,
Speaker:regardless of the platforms.
Speaker:The third point here is visibility.
Speaker:This is really different for each.
Speaker:The way to get visibility on Etsy is all by what
Speaker:I just referenced a minute ago,
Speaker:keywords and tagging.
Speaker:You're making sure that the name of your product is something
Speaker:that people will search for in the descriptions,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:so that you can as much as possible come up when
Speaker:someone's querying or be suggested based on things that people are
Speaker:querying. So it's very much how you're setting up each of
Speaker:your products so that you will be seen.
Speaker:When you talking about your website,
Speaker:you have to direct people to your website.
Speaker:So it's not an automatic,
Speaker:oh, I'm going to Etsy,
Speaker:which I know is handmade.
Speaker:Now I'll find the product.
Speaker:I want people aren't even going to know that you're there
Speaker:until you direct people there.
Speaker:So in terms of visibility,
Speaker:because there are so very different,
Speaker:I'm going to put those on equal playing ground too,
Speaker:because you have to work to get visibility in both places.
Speaker:Then moving on to audience makeup.
Speaker:This is also very different for each one.
Speaker:Because when you go to Etsy,
Speaker:people who like handmade and want a handmade product automatically know
Speaker:they can go there and that's what they're going to get.
Speaker:And that could be a very different person who's searching or
Speaker:on the website knowing you because when you direct people to
Speaker:your website,
Speaker:which is what I was talking about with visibility,
Speaker:they already know you.
Speaker:Maybe they saw you at a show and they bought something
Speaker:from you there,
Speaker:and now they want more,
Speaker:or they want to see what other things you offer and
Speaker:they have your card.
Speaker:So they go to the website.
Speaker:Well, they're farther along,
Speaker:already in a sale because they already know you.
Speaker:So there's a lot of advantages to that versus someone going
Speaker:on Etsy for the first time cold and just deciding that
Speaker:they would want to purchase from you versus the other options
Speaker:that are available.
Speaker:So I'm going to put this in terms of audience makeup,
Speaker:also on an equal playing field,
Speaker:all be it,
Speaker:their different audiences that come to each platform,
Speaker:the ability to attract the audiences and the value once they
Speaker:get there is similar.
Speaker:So if you're keeping a tally up to this point,
Speaker:we are,
Speaker:let's say at 1,
Speaker:2, 3,
Speaker:4 in,
Speaker:and I've given four points to Etsy and only one better
Speaker:point to your website.
Speaker:Okay? So that's where we're at right now.
Speaker:Now moving on to competition.
Speaker:And I think this is really interesting when you go on
Speaker:Etsy and I'm pretty sure most of you who are listening
Speaker:have purchased something on Etsy before,
Speaker:because you happen to be in the industry,
Speaker:but there's a lot of competition,
Speaker:no matter what you want to search for.
Speaker:Handmade, soaps,
Speaker:handmade jewelry,
Speaker:sweatshirts, mugs,
Speaker:you name it,
Speaker:lots of results come up,
Speaker:right? So there's a ton of competition.
Speaker:And if somebody doesn't know you already as a business,
Speaker:it's on you to have good pictures,
Speaker:to have good descriptions,
Speaker:to somehow convinced them that your,
Speaker:the one they want to purchase from,
Speaker:even though you get a huge and great audience of people
Speaker:who are pretty close to being interested in buying,
Speaker:because they're on at T for handmade,
Speaker:they have lots of choices.
Speaker:When you get to your website,
Speaker:given that I've already said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you've got to direct people over to your website.
Speaker:Once they get there,
Speaker:there's no competition.
Speaker:It's all your stuff.
Speaker:I read an article a while back,
Speaker:and I would have looked at this.
Speaker:If I knew I was going to bring it up,
Speaker:if you were going to come to my mind,
Speaker:but talks about how most people will not make a single
Speaker:choice, unless they can compare it against something else.
Speaker:So if you think about that in your website,
Speaker:you make jewelry,
Speaker:okay, do I want the gold option or the silver option?
Speaker:Do I want pearls?
Speaker:Do I want beaded?
Speaker:Do I want whatever?
Speaker:They're making comparisons against all things that you sell.
Speaker:And that's a huge advantage versus on Etsy comparing beaded jewelry
Speaker:with 10,
Speaker:15, 50 other companies.
Speaker:So in terms of competition,
Speaker:I'm going to say that your own website wins out because
Speaker:once you get them there,
Speaker:they are going to make some option choices.
Speaker:And it's all going to be a sale to you versus
Speaker:you having to compete against the competition.
Speaker:So that's a tally in your own website category,
Speaker:moving on to business growth,
Speaker:potential with Etsy.
Speaker:Well, I know a real frustration with that seat is you're
Speaker:not legally supposed to capture customer data.
Speaker:So you don't get the emails.
Speaker:You don't get to add them.
Speaker:It's illegal under their requirements to add them to your email
Speaker:list. So yes,
Speaker:you can make sales,
Speaker:you get the shipping labels,
Speaker:all of that,
Speaker:and you can communicate with them in their messaging system,
Speaker:within Etsy,
Speaker:but you don't really have an opportunity to continue that conversation
Speaker:or remind them of you in the future.
Speaker:Unless you include something in your box,
Speaker:your shipping box,
Speaker:when you send something and then they take the initiative to
Speaker:get on your list or that type of thing.
Speaker:So that's a lot of steps to have somebody do.
Speaker:And not many people follow through with all of that.
Speaker:The other thing you miss is any of the lookers.
Speaker:How many people come to your website and sign up for
Speaker:something that you give for free or enter a sweepstakes.
Speaker:And then you've got their email.
Speaker:Lots of times people will happen upon our businesses,
Speaker:but they just aren't in the market for what we're selling
Speaker:right now.
Speaker:But next month,
Speaker:their girlfriend's birthday comes up and they're like,
Speaker:perfect gift.
Speaker:You have the perfect gift.
Speaker:What was the name of that business?
Speaker:Again, they do know on Etsy.
Speaker:You're not able to capture and have those continuing conversations,
Speaker:but on your own website,
Speaker:you are.
Speaker:I know a lot of people as I've been doing website
Speaker:reviews, a lot of people are now including a pop-up,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:sometimes a little earlier than I like,
Speaker:but you know,
Speaker:when someone lands on the website and it's the first time,
Speaker:there's an opt-in for something and to my sweepstakes,
Speaker:10% off,
Speaker:first order,
Speaker:all of that,
Speaker:when you do things like that,
Speaker:where you're expending money,
Speaker:because you're discounting your product,
Speaker:that's an advertising promotion expense in exchange for their email,
Speaker:and it's super valuable.
Speaker:And then you can't do that with Etsy,
Speaker:but you can with your website.
Speaker:So for that reason alone,
Speaker:the potential of growth,
Speaker:that's totally in your control.
Speaker:I say your website on that category is hundred percent better.
Speaker:Finally, the costs of a sale at sea,
Speaker:when you are listing your products,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:there's a cost to listing,
Speaker:and then there's also a cost per transaction.
Speaker:So if you had your product on Etsy and then you
Speaker:also have your product on your own website and someone buys
Speaker:from each place,
Speaker:you're going to make more money from the product on your
Speaker:website. You keep everything okay.
Speaker:That's something to consider.
Speaker:Also, I don't know.
Speaker:Some people price differently on that seat to accommodate those costs.
Speaker:The other thing is Etsy can change their rules any time.
Speaker:And unless you're staying up to date with it all the
Speaker:time, you may not even realize that they've increased and are
Speaker:pulling more.
Speaker:I've heard a couple of people get to the point where
Speaker:they were doing some really kind of like lost leader type
Speaker:products on Etsy.
Speaker:And they ended up paying for each of those sales because
Speaker:they were making less than they were even bringing in.
Speaker:Does that make sense?
Speaker:So cost of sale hundred percent,
Speaker:your website is better for sure.
Speaker:Sue, given these new points,
Speaker:I am making the final tally be at C4 and having
Speaker:your own website five.
Speaker:But I also feel that having your own website is always
Speaker:something that you're going to want to strive for and the
Speaker:value, the advantages,
Speaker:like if you took all of these categories and you weighed
Speaker:how important they are over time,
Speaker:the website would be way,
Speaker:way, way in the winning category.
Speaker:But here's my recommendation because I'm not trying to have you
Speaker:choose necessarily between Etsy and your own website,
Speaker:because I don't think it's a bad option to get started
Speaker:on Etsy to get a feel for it.
Speaker:It's so much easier to put up.
Speaker:Yeah, you will make less money,
Speaker:but it's way better than not getting on e-commerce at all
Speaker:and just waiting at all.
Speaker:So, and that way you get to see how does shipping
Speaker:work, all of that.
Speaker:So Etsy,
Speaker:I am a full Etsy supporter in that manner.
Speaker:Given the caveats we just discussed,
Speaker:then once you're in the groove,
Speaker:once you're liking it or you time allows or money allows,
Speaker:then I also think you should add your own website.
Speaker:So actually I'm an advocate for you having both,
Speaker:because as I talked about,
Speaker:Etsy gives you a whole different audience than most of the
Speaker:people who are going to your website.
Speaker:So you can use them also kind of interchangeably and you
Speaker:don't need to put everything that's on your own website,
Speaker:also on Etsy.
Speaker:They don't need to mimic each other.
Speaker:Okay. So we're one of a kind products that you have,
Speaker:you can put just in one place or another or products
Speaker:where you have a larger margin,
Speaker:knowing that Etsy is going to be taking more.
Speaker:Maybe you want to make those and just put those on
Speaker:Etsy. I mean,
Speaker:the choice is yours,
Speaker:but I don't think it's bad to have both.
Speaker:The platforms are very different from each other in terms of
Speaker:the things that I just talked about and how you would
Speaker:put your listing up.
Speaker:And we won't go into all of that today,
Speaker:but I don't think it's a bad call.
Speaker:As I said,
Speaker:in summary,
Speaker:to start with that,
Speaker:see, keep your account going.
Speaker:If it's all working for you in terms of margins and
Speaker:orders and all of that,
Speaker:and then add in your own website,
Speaker:down the road,
Speaker:someone recently within gift biz breeze put up both at the
Speaker:same time.
Speaker:I can't recall who it was.
Speaker:Don't do that.
Speaker:That's gonna make you insane.
Speaker:You don't need to do that,
Speaker:but that's my recommendation,
Speaker:Etsy and your own website,
Speaker:thumbs up to both for different reasons.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now questions or comments about Etsy versus your own website?
Speaker:Anyone have anything they want to talk about?
Speaker:Oops. I think you're on muted,
Speaker:Anita. Okay.
Speaker:Can you hear Me?
Speaker:Yeah. Okay.
Speaker:So I really liked the idea of using both platforms,
Speaker:but based on experience to get on those platforms are always
Speaker:a good idea,
Speaker:but you do need to make sure that you have a
Speaker:commitment to stay with them in order to keep up with
Speaker:the algorithms,
Speaker:to keep yourself visible.
Speaker:So it's kind of like,
Speaker:you can put yourself out there on a website,
Speaker:but if you don't market yourself,
Speaker:then you have problems being seen by others.
Speaker:So my question is,
Speaker:do you have any recommendations from anybody that uses both platforms,
Speaker:the Etsy and the website platform to help them increase their
Speaker:visibility? Well,
Speaker:on Etsy,
Speaker:there's a whole strategy in terms of how you actually do
Speaker:your product listings,
Speaker:how you title your products,
Speaker:the description,
Speaker:because really when it comes in,
Speaker:it's search,
Speaker:but it's the product that you're searching for.
Speaker:I want a beaded belt.
Speaker:And so you have to be thinking about what people are
Speaker:asking for and give enough detail,
Speaker:but enough generality in your title so that you would show
Speaker:up when someone's searching that.
Speaker:And they have tutorials and all of that,
Speaker:about how to do that.
Speaker:Then it comes to the quality of the photo because you
Speaker:can have a great title,
Speaker:product name,
Speaker:but then if your photos look bad against others,
Speaker:they're blurry.
Speaker:It doesn't show the quality of your work,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:probably going to choose the others.
Speaker:So there's a lot of competition in that way.
Speaker:Your website,
Speaker:we talked about this a little bit already in the beginning,
Speaker:you have to direct people over there.
Speaker:So there are probably fewer people who will go to your
Speaker:website, but they're more primed for the sale because they've conducted
Speaker:with you before at a show at a networking event,
Speaker:found you through social and are specifically coming over to your
Speaker:site. So does that answer your question,
Speaker:Anita? It does.
Speaker:And it also clarifies for me personally,
Speaker:that, you know,
Speaker:you really need to be intentional of who your perfect person
Speaker:is that you want to meet before you start to jump
Speaker:in on either of these two platforms.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:And also recognizing that there are going to be two different
Speaker:people, so,
Speaker:all right.
Speaker:Wonderful. Anyone else?
Speaker:Okay, good.
Speaker:I take it when there's less questions that I was really
Speaker:clear. I'm going to go with that.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now we're going to jump into the showcases,
Speaker:which is such an exciting part.
Speaker:What I like you guys to do when I ask you
Speaker:to go is,
Speaker:and if this is your first batch,
Speaker:I'm not going to call on you first.
Speaker:I promise.
Speaker:But what I'm going to ask you to do is tell
Speaker:me, tell all of us,
Speaker:including the listeners,
Speaker:who you are,
Speaker:what your business is,
Speaker:and then it's not immediately obvious what your products are.
Speaker:Tell us what you sell and then share with us something
Speaker:that's going on right now or in the month of August.
Speaker:So do you have any products on sale?
Speaker:Are you going to be at any shows?
Speaker:Are you prepping some exciting things for the holidays?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:whatever you want to talk about.
Speaker:That's the product side and,
Speaker:or these bashes have created a lot of collaboration.
Speaker:People have been looking to place their product in wholesale,
Speaker:or find a partner to do a special type of a
Speaker:collaboration they're thinking about.
Speaker:So feel free to offer that up to that.
Speaker:You're looking for someone specific to do a collaboration on blank,
Speaker:whatever it might be.
Speaker:And then finally,
Speaker:you'll wrap up with telling us one place where people can
Speaker:go and find you.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I think one is easier because it's easier for us to
Speaker:capture that one.
Speaker:Like if someone says,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:Rosemary, I need to talk with her later.
Speaker:And you only give one place to connect.
Speaker:It's easier for them to remember that later.
Speaker:Okay. All right.
Speaker:And since I already was talking about you,
Speaker:Rosemarie, I'm going to let you go first.
Speaker:Let's see.
Speaker:We've got to get you to unmute.
Speaker:That's totally unfair,
Speaker:But I know it,
Speaker:but you're doing it.
Speaker:So there.
Speaker:Yes, exactly.
Speaker:Okay. I'm Rosemary Bo.
Speaker:Henneke the lead owner and designer of the New Jersey gifting
Speaker:company, Harris,
Speaker:Essex county,
Speaker:New Jersey.
Speaker:We are the very last town in the state of New
Speaker:Jersey. We border Pennsylvania and New York state.
Speaker:So I can shop in three states in one day.
Speaker:And it's pretty interesting.
Speaker:I live where people go on vacation and I love it.
Speaker:It's very country.
Speaker:But what we do is we offer a gifting for all
Speaker:types of businesses and personal needs.
Speaker:And I want to be considered part of your marketing team.
Speaker:If you're a business,
Speaker:you can call me and I will work within your budget.
Speaker:Everybody's very budget conscious right now.
Speaker:And I'm working on a full line of budget,
Speaker:friendly gifts for personal and corporate gifts for the holidays.
Speaker:I'm in the middle of researching a lot of new products,
Speaker:which I found some really awesome women owned businesses that make
Speaker:things in small batches,
Speaker:tasting a animal.
Speaker:And they're really,
Speaker:really good.
Speaker:But if you need any types of gifts for life milestones,
Speaker:give me a call.
Speaker:You can go to my website,
Speaker:the New Jersey gifting company.com.
Speaker:My website is under construction.
Speaker:It's up,
Speaker:but it's under construction.
Speaker:My number is there.
Speaker:I highly suggest you call me and we could work within
Speaker:your budget.
Speaker:I can design a gift.
Speaker:I will send you pictures and we can get you on
Speaker:a gifting program that works within your budget.
Speaker:You Sue for the opportunity.
Speaker:You're welcome.
Speaker:Rosemary. I love the idea of the small batches,
Speaker:because then we can gift our clients something that they're not
Speaker:going to see necessarily in their local chefs.
Speaker:So it makes it really unique and special.
Speaker:Yeah. I love that.
Speaker:Okay. Nene,
Speaker:why don't you take it away?
Speaker:Hi, I'm Neil.
Speaker:My rural names are lane,
Speaker:but I'm known as name and I have Nene's soaps and
Speaker:such. I'm trying to switch over to just mean soaps on
Speaker:my Facebook page.
Speaker:I am in a small town in Southwest Pennsylvania called Carmichael's
Speaker:Pennsylvania. I'm about 38 miles south of Pittsburgh,
Speaker:Pennsylvania, and I make handmade soaps and bath bombs and all
Speaker:things bubbly started into making my own candles,
Speaker:soy wax candles to match my soap products.
Speaker:And I do basically Melton porcine soaps because of health issues.
Speaker:I can't do the cold process.
Speaker:So I got in with the Marine Corps and I really
Speaker:enjoy it right now.
Speaker:I am working on my very first monthly subscription box for
Speaker:August. It's going to be a $25 box that has a
Speaker:bar soap,
Speaker:a matching mini body butter,
Speaker:a four ounce,
Speaker:10 candle,
Speaker:and a lip balm.
Speaker:And then there's a few other little lean swags in there.
Speaker:And you can find me on Facebook.
Speaker:It means soaps,
Speaker:or you can find me,
Speaker:it needs soaps.square.site.
Speaker:Okay, perfect.
Speaker:And I love that you're getting into subscription boxes.
Speaker:I even responded to you when I saw that I'm like,
Speaker:You know what?
Speaker:I've gotten subscription boxes as gifts recently.
Speaker:Like my daughter gave me a candle subscription every month that
Speaker:candle came for six months.
Speaker:That was so fun.
Speaker:I've also paid it forward when there have been condolence or
Speaker:sympathy type situations of doing those candles too,
Speaker:because you know,
Speaker:after an event,
Speaker:people go away,
Speaker:things act different.
Speaker:And this way I was able to continue saying how much
Speaker:I cared for that amount of time.
Speaker:So that's another thing I like about subscription boxes that isn't
Speaker:really talked about very much.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:Anita, how about you?
Speaker:Hey, everybody,
Speaker:I'm Anita Houseman.
Speaker:I'm with the Hershey gifting company where we offer a unique
Speaker:gifting and creative marketing experience that helps others remember special people,
Speaker:moments and life events for small businesses,
Speaker:non-for-profit groups.
Speaker:And really,
Speaker:basically those that really want to stand out above the norm.
Speaker:Our number one product is custom printed ribbon that we personalize
Speaker:to order.
Speaker:It can be customized with your own personal message or maybe
Speaker:put your logo on it,
Speaker:to make things pop for whatever you need it for,
Speaker:for your gifting and branding needs.
Speaker:So what we are involved in right now,
Speaker:or what I'm involved in right now,
Speaker:I should say is earlier this year rolled out a drop
Speaker:shipping ribbon on demand services for small businesses or others that
Speaker:want to collaborate to give them a little additional revenue source,
Speaker:where we provide the ribbon that will help them generate either
Speaker:additional revenue for themselves,
Speaker:or they can sell it to themselves or provide it to
Speaker:their clients to help them promote their own products and services.
Speaker:So you can find me@thehersheygiftingcompany.com
Speaker:on the website or on all social platforms at the Hershey
Speaker:gifting co.
Speaker:So for today,
Speaker:I would like to say that we're offering a promotional discount
Speaker:for all of our first time orders for 15% off your
Speaker:order by using the code bash 15.
Speaker:So hope to see you there.
Speaker:Wonderful. And how long has that code available?
Speaker:It's a first time order.
Speaker:So you can order it's a one-time code.
Speaker:Okay. So if someone calls you in four years after they
Speaker:listened to this podcast,
Speaker:will you honor that Still you betcha.
Speaker:All right then.
Speaker:And Hopefully I'll be really big bed.
Speaker:Yeah. Okay.
Speaker:Maureen, why don't you go ahead and go.
Speaker:Hi, I'm Maureen<inaudible> with Maureen sweet shop out in east Longmeadow,
Speaker:Massachusetts. And for those not familiar with the area east long
Speaker:meadow, but Springfield,
Speaker:which is in Western mass and Springfield is a home of
Speaker:the basketball hall of fame and the birth of basketball.
Speaker:So I have a small chocolate shop here that we do
Speaker:wholesale and retail,
Speaker:and we have a website,
Speaker:Maureen, sweet shop.com,
Speaker:but that doesn't have our wholesale stuff on it.
Speaker:And we do that direct to the customer.
Speaker:And we do everything in small batches,
Speaker:like Roseberry said,
Speaker:we do popcorn or may pop pouring all kinds of chocolates.
Speaker:We also do guests for the corporate world.
Speaker:We do custom gifts for individuals,
Speaker:and we also have a neat process where we can actually
Speaker:print on chocolate so we can customize individual chocolate pieces.
Speaker:That's really,
Speaker:really too like Logos,
Speaker:like logos or Logos or pictures or saying whatever you like.
Speaker:Yup. Okay.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Anything else?
Speaker:Await Roseberry is anxiously raising her hand.
Speaker:Okay, go ahead.
Speaker:Can I give a testimonial for Maureen with the logo?
Speaker:I had her do Oreo cookies with my client's logo on
Speaker:it for his thank you boxes.
Speaker:And it just totally blew him away.
Speaker:So go Maureen.
Speaker:Okay. Very cool.
Speaker:And Quinn question Marine chocolate shipping in the summer.
Speaker:If someone was interested in wanting to talk with you,
Speaker:is there a way to get it to them or do
Speaker:we wait until the fall?
Speaker:Well, if it's something that you don't need right now,
Speaker:you're looking for the holidays.
Speaker:I'd say,
Speaker:let me ship out some samples and then let's wait till
Speaker:the fall to ship your order.
Speaker:But we do ship in the summer.
Speaker:I just shipped to Tennessee last week and it got there
Speaker:without any melting or breakage.
Speaker:We have insulated boxes.
Speaker:We have ice packs,
Speaker:but we do require a maximum of a two-day ship just
Speaker:because overnight shipping is so expensive.
Speaker:We have enough insulation that we can get it two days.
Speaker:Perfect. That makes sense.
Speaker:Wonderful. Maureen,
Speaker:thank you.
Speaker:And Gloria,
Speaker:they get away.
Speaker:Hello everyone.
Speaker:I am Gloria with keys,
Speaker:get past this.
Speaker:And we are located in the beautiful Myrtle beach area in
Speaker:South Carolina.
Speaker:And what we help you with is get things,
Speaker:whether it be through a gift baskets or small gifts,
Speaker:or if you have a large corporate gift order,
Speaker:that's something that we can help you with here at King's
Speaker:gift. Best is I am looking for people to collaborate on
Speaker:as far as product to have their product in our shop
Speaker:and also to have it in our gift baskets.
Speaker:And we are open.
Speaker:Our shop is open from 10 to two,
Speaker:Monday through Friday here in Myrtle beach.
Speaker:And what types of products are you looking for?
Speaker:I will definitely reach out to Marie.
Speaker:I am more looking for savory or sweet products,
Speaker:but I do want to talk to her about her chocolates.
Speaker:I've had them before.
Speaker:So I know the quality of what she has to Fabulous.
Speaker:And what about,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I'm just thinking about other people who might be listening.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:there are a couple of gift basket companies on here today,
Speaker:if you do.
Speaker:And I'm talking to people who are listening to the podcast.
Speaker:Now, if you do gift cards or you make lotions or
Speaker:soaps, or especially something within the hometowns of people who you're
Speaker:listening to here,
Speaker:lots of times they're interested.
Speaker:And I see Rosemary and Gloria,
Speaker:not in their head,
Speaker:they're looking for things that are made in their areas in
Speaker:their states or communities.
Speaker:So it might not sound like your product is right for
Speaker:a gift,
Speaker:but you don't know because a lot of people will come
Speaker:to them for things even over and above gift basket,
Speaker:it might be like an employee appreciation birthday present or something.
Speaker:So feel free to reach out.
Speaker:The worst is going to be that someone says,
Speaker:oh, not quite a fit,
Speaker:but so glad to know you.
Speaker:And then you have that connection.
Speaker:So consider that too.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:that's one of the things that these bashes help you do
Speaker:is see and get ideas of what other people are doing
Speaker:for their businesses.
Speaker:But also over and above,
Speaker:try to get your mind a little bit more creative about
Speaker:different ways that you can present your product to people.
Speaker:So, all right,
Speaker:with that,
Speaker:if you're interested in joining us on a bash,
Speaker:you can don't think that if we've never talked before,
Speaker:or we've only talked with you being in the breeze that
Speaker:you're not eligible,
Speaker:you are,
Speaker:as long as you have a handmade product that your selling,
Speaker:you can grab yourself a spot in one of these bashes,
Speaker:the spots can be limited because if we just kept going
Speaker:and going,
Speaker:of course the bash would go on forever,
Speaker:depending on how many people we have each time is how
Speaker:I allot the time when people can talk.
Speaker:So as more people come in,
Speaker:you got a little less time to talk and you just
Speaker:never know the next batch is coming up.
Speaker:It's actually going to air August 20th.
Speaker:And I meant to,
Speaker:oh, and the day that we're recording it is August 4th.
Speaker:It's going to air August 20th.
Speaker:And I timed this specifically for Baptist school.
Speaker:So if you have a product specifically that meets that range,
Speaker:then come on here and share it to the world.
Speaker:The way to grab your spot is gift biz on wraps.com
Speaker:forward slash bash.
Speaker:So for those of you who are here with me,
Speaker:stay with me as I end the recording,
Speaker:we can have some conversation afterwards.
Speaker:And those of you who have listened all the way to
Speaker:the end of this episode,
Speaker:thank you so much.
Speaker:And I'm hoping to see you on one of our future
Speaker:bashes bye for now,
Speaker:Before you move on to your next activity today,
Speaker:make sure to get your name on the list for at
Speaker:least one gift biz bash.
Speaker:You can see the dates and times for upcoming sessions and
Speaker:get signed up over at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash bash.
Speaker:And if you're enjoying the podcast and would like to show
Speaker:support a rating and review would be wonderful.
Speaker:It helps spread the word about the show too.
Speaker:So it's a great way to pay it forward.
Speaker:There's also another way to get something tangible in exchange for
Speaker:your support.
Speaker:Visit my merch shop for a wide variety of inspirational items
Speaker:like mugs,
Speaker:journals, water bottles,
Speaker:and more featuring logos images and quotes to inspire you throughout
Speaker:your day makes a great gift to,
Speaker:and we've just added some new products for the season,
Speaker:which is my favorite design right now.
Speaker:It's a toss up with that gorgeous lemonade image and a
Speaker:quote about refreshing and the beautiful butterfly design.
Speaker:What's yours turn around as quick and the quality is top
Speaker:notch, nothing but the best for you.
Speaker:Take a look@alltheoptionsatgiftbizonwrapped.com
Speaker:forward slash shop.
Speaker:All proceeds from these purchases helps me offset the costs of
Speaker:producing this podcast and now be safe and well.
Speaker:And I'll see you again.
Speaker:Next time on the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:I want to make sure your familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:Got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week.
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week to get
Speaker:reactions from other people and just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making my favorite posts every single week,
Speaker:without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what,
Speaker:aren't you part of the group already,
Speaker:if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search
Speaker:for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.