2 Hands Made This

I have known Kayla off for many years. first as the owner of Essential Wholesale that supplied raw materials to cosmetic product makers and was listed as an INC. Magazine 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America for three years in a row, to Book author and book writing coach to now the owner of Ology Essentials.

Kayla was one of the people I could always sit down with and talk about aromatherapy and the good manufacturing practices that go along with using essential oils.

 And Kayla is just an all-around great at helping people with her wisdom and information.

Kayla is an excellent businesswoman and the most down to earth women I know. As she grew essential Wholesales and eventually sold it it was a multi-million dollar business. with her skills and knowledge of running that business, Kayla can pretty much start from scratch and build a business, get it out into the world and make a difference.

From starting a blog... Because Donna Maria said so... to her weekly newsletter and then on to events and becoming a teacher and speaker across the industry. Kayla has marketed herself in ways that are traditional and unique in themselves.

Talking face-to-face and handing potential customers samples was one of Kayla's biggest marketing tools that move her forward... Which still works today.

“Help people in your industry without it really being competition, you know, everyone's got their own voice and their own product. And I think it's just priceless to help each other out.”

Oh don't worry Kayla has had her share of failed campaigns, one that was a good ugly cry and  almost stopped her in her tracks

Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.

Resources:

Ology Essentials

Ology Essentials on Instagram

Ology Essentials on Facebook

Donna Maria

Indie Business Network

Michelle’s story starts out like many of ours...fulfilling a need that she didn’t see in the marketplace. 

It all began when Michelle wanted to use cloth diapers on her babies (you know...it’s more environmentally friendly.) With her first baby, she used disposables - holy crap there’s so many diapers and they don’t disintegrate!

And that opened Pandora's box. 

With cloth diapers, there’s a certain type of laundry detergent you have to use. You have to buy something that doesn't have any scent doesn't have any dye doesn't have any oxygen whiteners. And it can't leave anything behind which 99% of laundry detergents leave something behind.

When she was researching laundry detergent, she started researching soap. And realized she wasn't even washing her family’s clothes with real soap. 

The name brand stuff that you always use on your babies. That's, not even real soap.

Down the google rabbit hole she went.

She found a castile soap product that checked all the boxes...so she bought it. 

While she was sitting there, pregnant bathing her oldest, she read the bottle, and it said that you can clean things with it. 

“And I was like, Oh, so I'm sitting next to the toilets, like clean the toilet. I clean the floor. And I'm like, and then I'm cleaning her with it. I'm like, wow, this is pretty cool.”

It was love at first swipe (of the toilet, the floor, bathing her kids)

One soap many uses! From diapers to babies, to toilets and floors.

And like the rest of us product makers...she found a simple recipe to make it herself! (que dream sequence music) and Mama Suds was born.

When it came to marketing…

Her first big thing was growing her email list...but she had to find that juicy carrot to dangle in front of her audience because people need a GOOD reason to sign up.

Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.

Resources:

Mama Suds

Lucky Break Consulting

Melanie Duncan 

Amy Porterfield

Verb House Creative

Social Sales Girls

What do you get when you cross 2 creative minds and a love for Leather, gunpowder, sandalwood, and sagebrush…

You get OUTLAW

Danielle was working at the Oprah Winfrey Network making more than six figures...but she and her husband (and co-founder) Russ wanted to move out ...leave their converted brewery/concrete artist loft with 6 roommates to somewhere that was beautiful that maybe had wild animals and stuff.

Today, Outlaw soaps is 8 years old with projected revenue of 3.5 million (yes...million, made by making soap, not robbing the stagecoach.)

On today’s episode, Danielle tells us how they started, what marketing strategies work and what didn’t. 

From watching a lot of internet goat videos. They started thinking, “what would happen if we did something?” And so they started opening their minds to the opportunity of what would that look like. AND...How their drunken roommate Paul sped up the process of launching their business and finding their own place.

So that you understand the journey that this has been. So we started with like $17.50 in 2013, buying ingredients from Whole Foods, and we and also Lowe's, because at that time, you could buy sodium hydroxide at Lowe's. And we kind of grew like 10 to 20%, every year until 2018, when we made a whopping $290,000, in 2018. And then in 2019, we had a real breakthrough. And last year, we made $1.23 million. And this year, we're on track for 3.5 million. So I just I just wanted to give a little bit of context, because we did start this in our living room. We started this using YouTube videos teaching us how to make soap. And we bought the ingredients retail. And now we are buying barrels of oil. And we have 23 employees and and we just closed our first round of investment. And I truly believe this is not bragging This is just saying you if I could do this coming from corporate, I had no entrepreneurial experience to speak of. If I could do this, you can do this. Anybody could do this.

Pull your chair up to the kitchen table with us and enjoy the show.

Resources:

Outlaw Soaps Facebook page

Outlaw Soaps

David Sanghera

Launch.co

Faire.com

Indie Business Network

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing...and this week’s guest will show you how her non-traditional marketing has made her stand out in a crowd.

I have known Roberta for years. Roberta Perry started Scrubz Body back in 2006 with her late sister Michelle. They tested products on each other’s dry itchy skin and found THE ONE that worked head-to-toe.

We met through the Indie Business Network (finally a local person that made products like I did) and have grown our friendship ever since. Having a like-minded business friend definitely helps grow your business and we’ve tossed around many many ideas over the years.

Roberta created Scrubz because she couldn’t find a product she liked in the stores. Most were too greasy for her. So...she made her own scrub formula.

And started an eCommerce store. But, she didn’t want to be a retail business...she wanted to be a big wholesale business. Then life and business lead her down new roads (and a thriving brick and mortar store and eCommerce shop.)

And the one piece of advice stood out for her...which became her brand voice.

Never apologize for having passion about what you’re selling.

Pull a chair up to our kitchen table and hang with us a while…

Marketing strategies that have worked for Roberta:

• Charity work and giving back. WTFC - Women Together Fighting Cancer
• Free Publicity
• Superior Customer Service - Show customer gratitude - what is the problem and help them solve it.
• The pivot to make her online business great

Ugly Cry:

Ads - a smaller brand that tried to be a big brand...and didn’t work (15-20 times didn’t work.)

Sweet Success:   

Emails - email marketing and weekly newsletter

Free publicity using HARO

The 3 top marketing tips for rising starts…

Newsletters! And build an email list (GOLDEN NUGGET) one customer at a time.

Hands-on demos and give away samples (in customer orders, raffles, donate to a good cause.)

Free publicity - word of mouth

“Ya gotta just love on your people.”  Roberta Perry

Resources:

Free Publicity with Jeff Crilley  

The Indie Business Network

Marie Forleo

HARO

The Power of Free Publicity by Roberta Perry

Klaviyo

Scrubz Body and Skincare

Have you ever had a problem that you can’t find a solution to? Not only is it annoying, it’s frustrating as hell because of the hopeless feeling that starts to set in. 

Laura grew up with some seriously sensitive skin…the kind of sensitive where ALL of the commercial products irritated her and really wreaked havoc on her skin. 

So Laura and her sister ditched the idea of using any kind of cool advertised products (You know how that is when you’re a teenager) and started making stuff using olive oil (it was the only thing her skin liked). SO Laura made stuff. At first it was because she came from a crafty family. In college, it was because she was poor and made gifts for her friends and family. When someone told Laura her stuff was wonderful and she should start selling it, that’s all it took. 

Here first Christmas show at the firehouse she told $300 of product…Olive my Skin was born. But…it wasn’t until he lost her corporate J.O.B. that he became a full time business.  

From a corporate IT position to booming skincare and lifestyle product business….Laura’s problem with her sensitive skin turned into a business. 

So many product makers start because they needed something that they couldn’t buy in a store…so they made it.

Laura had a idea, a need,  and 2 hands…so she made it.

Come join us at the kitchen table to hear Laura’s marketing tips and ideas that got her to where she is today (and BTW…her marketing gave her a 258% increase in Black Friday sales over last year.)

Learn the BIG ugly lesson Laura learned with magazine ads.

And the sweet wins with email (it's a biggie for Laura), postcards, unboxing experiences and her VIP treatment.

Resources:

IBN - The Indie Business Network - resource and community for makers

Ba6 Marketing - Christine Laureano - product descriptions and email marketing

Vistaprint - for postcards, etc.

In this episode, I’m talking to my friend Tamera Pence of Bella THe Corner Gourmet. We met several years ago in a collaboration, A circle,  of women and I was so impressed by Tamera’s mild manner and kick-ass business sense.

From creating a personalized experience for customers in her B&M store to launching an online store (in case everything goes sideways) Bella The Corner Gourmet has become a destination business. In Lewisburg WV.

Pull up a chair and join us at the kitchen table...

2020 is different...it’s about working to spread the crowds out, keep everyone safe...and keep the customers flowing.

Bella The Corner Gourmet - Hometown feel with a big brand voice.

A contemporary brand in an old historic West Virginia town is now known as a West Virginia brand.

Marketing strategies that work for Tamera: 

• Being a big listener (to everything) is key…
• Listening to employees…
• Listening to trends…
• Getting educated on social media and 
• Becoming part of a like-minded buying group that collaborates and supports each other.

Marketing/Advertising Co-op: The Lewisburg - downtown business assoc. As president of her local group, they work with local convention and visitors bureau to make this a destination place with a variety of festivals throughout the year.

Find your niche group! Joining a membership group out of Atlanta has changed her business and her life and gives power to small businesses.

Hard parts…

...becoming the face of her business. And wanting to “hide” and have someone else be that face of the brand...but ya gotta own it!

...having staff that’s a perfect fit...it takes time to find those people that are an extension of ‘you.’

Sweet successes…

...social media

...local “members only” VIP days In the store 

...and the Bella Cooks Club that supports breast cancer patients.

The 3 top marketing tips…

1. Don’t be afraid to delegate
2. Meet your market...it’s not about you
3. Gratitude and joy (you have to hear how Tamera says this.)

Check out Tamera and Bella The Corner Gourmet
Lewisburg Downtown Business Association
Gourmet Catalog Buying Group

What an episode to kick off 2 Hands Made This podcast. 

From Organic Siren to Celtic Complexion - words matter with your brand...so does the way you market your products. 

Don’t be a me-too...you need to create a marketing strategy that works for you and the vision and goals of your business...that’s a gem shared in our episode today. 

You can blend in generically or you can stand out in your niche.

Today I’m talking with my friend Jennifer Waller of Celtic Complexion. 

Years ago she had a vision of a brand that would lift women up and set them free of the ingredients that irritated and agitated their sensitive skin. 

She took her in-depth knowledge of the beauty industry, her expertise as an esthetician and her skill as a direct response copywriter to create a marketing strategy that makes her the talk of rosy-cheeked and ruddy skinned women from San Francisco to North  Carolina.

Little did she envision that her business would be the luxury artisan brand it is today and a sponsor for the Rose of Tralee Irish festival.

Has Jennifer got some great tips for you.

Enjoy the episode