Behind the Label

Join us on Behind the Label as Michele Dye, founder of Dyenamic Media, shares how to use email marketing to win Black Friday and the holiday season.

Michele helps business owners build email lists full of buyers, not freebie seekers. In this episode, she walks through how to earn a spot in your customer's inbox, when a discount is worth it, and how to plan a Black Friday offer that won't burn you out.

Michele brings 25 years of experience to her work, including leading marketing teams. She now runs Dyenamic Media, where she helps clients create funnels that bring the right people onto their email list.

Throughout the episode, Michele shares the free Google Sheet that grew her email list to over 2,000 people and brought in sales from a cold audience. She explains why storytelling and testimonials keep subscribers opening your emails, why not every email needs to sell, and how frequent sales train your buyers to wait for a deal. She also breaks down what she learned from running 12 lightning deals in one Black Friday, why she now launches her offer early, and how to grow your list during the holidays even if you skip Black Friday entirely.

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00:00 Welcome to Behind the Label

00:41 Meet Michele Dye

02:36 Why Freebies Attract the Wrong Subscribers

07:58 The Case for a First-Purchase Discount

11:19 The Free Spreadsheet That Grew a 2,000-Person Email List

15:52 Creating Buyer Guides and Product Comparisons

21:00 Telling Better Stories in Your Emails

28:51 Why Not Every Email Needs to Sell

32:09 Email Marketing for Black Friday and the Holidays

34:11 What 12 Lightning Deals Taught Michele

36:19 Building a Better Black Friday Offer

39:59 How Frequent Sales Condition Your Buyers

44:38 Skipping Black Friday Without Missing the Holidays

49:03 Michele's Number One Marketing Tip

Follow Michele

Website: https://www.dyenamicmedia.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmdye/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyenamicmedia/

Michele’s marketing group, The Marketer’s Lounge: https://jointhemarketerslounge.com/

For more resources and to further connect with Lindsay or Behind the Label:

Let's be Insta friends⁠

⁠Join our newsletter, where you'll learn how to improve your marketing strategy in bite-size, weekly lessons⁠

⁠Download my absolute favorite content planning template⁠

⁠Need 1-on-1 support? Let's connect!

Other resources that were mentioned:

Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

10th House Community (Use code LINDSAY10H to receive 10% off membership)

Entreprenista Community

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. We read them all :)

Summary

In this Earth Day special, I interview Roma Agarwal of The White Lotus Life and Earth Swag Shop. Emphasizing the importance of mindful sourcing, transparent vendor relationships, sustainable packaging, and conscious marketing, Roma provides actionable tips and questions you should be asking so you can adopt more sustainable practices into your business.

The episode also highlights the value and impact of community involvement and networking for not only finding sustainability partnerships, but as a means to build a sustainable, legacy-building brand, too.

Actionable Tips You’ll Walk Away With

1. Things to ask yourself BEFORE searching for potential vendors

2. Questions to ask potential vendors about their ethical and sustainable practices

3. How to communicate the sustainable aspects of your products and brand to customers

4. Where to look for potential vendors

5. How to find networking opportunities in-person and online

   
   

About Roma

Roma is a sustainability ambassador and founder of The White Lotus Life and Earth Swag. Before embarking on her passion project, Roma founded Splurge Cosmetics, a PETA-certified skincare company specializing in natural and non-toxic personal care products.

Through her platform, she encourages individuals to choose plastic-free swaps to turn their homes into a safe and non-toxic place to live, empowers businesses to choose eco-friendly swag for promotions to keep the planet from brand-filling, and educates communities on how to sort waste correctly, reflect on the impact of trash, lead alow-impact lifestyle, and motivates them to repair over replace.

Timestamps

00:30 Meet Roma Agarwal: Sustainability Advocate

02:19 Creating meaningful and sustainable branded merchandise

05:10 What does “sustainability” actually mean

06:29 Communicating the sustainability aspects in your products

08:43 Finding and evaluating sustainable wholesalers

09:29 Sourcing sustainable raw materials

11:07 Questions to ask potential suppliers and wholesalers

15:33 Finding balance between technological advances and sustainability

16:43 Where to look for suppliers and wholesalers

18:02 Benefits of working with local vendors

19:12 Why product-based business founders should be networking

22:46 The importance of in-person networking for solopreneurs

24:31 In-person vs online networking

25:48 How to find networking opportunities in smaller cities and towns

27:35 Where to find Roma online

Connect with Roma

Summary

Today I spoke with Kodi Kitchen Berg, founder of Equipt Movement, about her journey from actress to business owner and how she scaled Equipt by utilizing unique partnership opportunities and meeting her customers where they’re at in their everyday lives.

Throughout the episode, Kodi emphasizes the significance of community building, learning from customer feedback, and knowing your areas of expertise so you can effectively delegate and outsource.

*A note about this episode: This podcast was recorded in May of 2024 and is being released in March of 2025, so some things related to how Kodi markets Equipt NOW may have changed, but the past learnings she shares throughout the episode are still relevant and helpful.

Actionable Tips You’ll Walk Away With

1. How to leverage in-person events

2. Effective ways to foster brand partnerships with new connections

3. What it means to meet your customers where they’re at

4. How to connect with your customer through unique touchpoints in their everyday lives

5. Ways to craft messaging for each of your customer profiles while maintaining a consistent brand voice

About Kodi

Kodi started her career as a model and soap opera actress on General Hospital. However, she always felt like fitness was too end result-oriented, and she was tired of traditional weights. She wanted weights that made her feel good and want to reach for them.

She’s a believer in the power of movement, and that beautiful design incentivizes movement. This belief inspired the creation of Equipt. In the episode, Kodi explains how Equipt removes the intimidation often associated with fitness, making it enjoyable and playful through design-led weights.

Timeline

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01:02 The inspiration behind Equipt

02:29 Using customer insights to influence their content and strategy

06:35 Early business learnings

09:12 What acting and being a mom taught her about business

10:20 Building a small community first

11:25 How building a community helped her think of more expansion ideas

13:30 Expanding their in-person events

14:01 Making their lifestyle accessible to everyone through an app

16:15 How she forged her first few partnerships

16:59 Her approach to building partnerships with new people

19:36 The importance of thinking outside of the box to differentiate your brand

20:17 Tailoring your messaging based on who you’re talking to

22:00 How to start growing together

23:03 The messaging through line when speaking to each customer profile

25:06 Meeting the customer where they’re at

28:08 How they’re connecting with customers on vacation through hotel partnerships

28:34 Why you should think about the feeling someone is going to get from using your products, not just the physical benefits

30:45 Determining her bandwidth and areas of expertise

34:00 All of the cool resources female founders have available to them now

34:32 How to identify your areas of expertise

36:50 Why it’s important to try every role in your business before outsourcing

38:56 Her ice cream business

41:39 One piece of advice she’d give newer business owners

Connect with Kodi and Equipt

• Kodi's personal Instagram
• Equipt's Instagram
• Equipt's website
• Ojai Ice Cream's Instagram

My Links

• Let's be friends on Instagram
• Join my newsletter, where you'll learn how to improve your marketing strategy in bite-size, weekly lessons⁠
• ⁠Download my absolute favorite content planning template⁠
• ⁠Need 1-on-1 support? Let's connect!

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. I read them all :)

Summary of the Episode

In this episode, we chat with Shana Rehwald, founder of Me-est Me, about how a journey of self-discovery led her to launch her first product, the Me-est Me Journal.

Shana emphasizes the importance of community building, the benefits of great PR opportunities, and the need to tie your personal brand into your business’s brand.

Actionable Tips You’ll Walk Away With

1. How to build a cohesive brand identity throughout all of your marketing channels
2. Effective PR outreach strategies
3. Utilizing influencers to build brand awareness as a new brand
4. Why consumers crave connection and how you can connect with your customers
5. Boundaries to set early on in your business

About Shana Rehwald

Shana has made it her mission to show up as her “me-est me” every day by being her most honest, authentic, and comfortable self.

Her products and services help others embrace their “me-est me,” ditch self-doubt, and reconnect with themselves.

The Me-est Me Journal has been featured in publications like Refinery29, Cosmo, Shape, and SELF Magazine.

Me-est Me has helped 5,000+ people across 17 countries reconnect with themselves and build a deeper sense of self-awareness.

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01:16 Shana's career journey

02:11 Launching the Me-est Me Journal

04:10 How her marketing background influenced her launch

05:45 How influencer marketing paid off in the beginning years

06:34 Finding influencers to work with

07:52 Her pivot from influencer marketing to press

08:25 Where she learned about PR strategies and her notable press accolades

10:03 How customer insights influenced her next pivot

10:38 Challenges and lessons from trade shows

13:03 Return on investment of each marketing strategy she’s tried

15:02 Advice for getting your first PR opportunity

16:38 Investing in community building events

20:41 How to build self-trust as an entrepreneur

23:53 Podcast guesting 101 for product-based brand founders

25:14 Importance of weaving your personal brand into your business’s branding

28:51 Consumers are craving connection

30:40 Number one marketing tip for new business owners

Connect with Shana and Me-est Me:

• Her workshop on cold email outreach strategies for landing more press deals
• Buy the Me-est Me Journal
• Connect with Shana on Instagram
• Follow Me-est Me on Instagram
  

Connect with Lindsay and Behind the Label:

• Let's be Insta friends⁠
• ⁠If you're more of a TikTok fan, connect with us there⁠
• ⁠Join our newsletter, where you'll learn how to improve your marketing strategy in bite-size, weekly lessons⁠
• ⁠Download my absolute favorite content planning template⁠
• ⁠Need 1-on-1 support? Let's connect!
  

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. We read them all :)

Summary of the Episode:

Kim joins us today to discuss her extensive background in the beauty industry, from her early days at Saks Fifth Avenue to the manufacturing floor to creating Galla Beauty, while sharing insights into successful celebrity brands.

She shares the importance of knowing your customers, what we can learn and apply from celebrity brands, effective product launches, the potential of TikTok Shop for brands, and how she’s applying all she’s learned to her and Victoria Jackson’s brand, No Makeup Makeup.

Actionable tips you'll walk away with:

Kim Wileman's Bio:

As the Founder of Galla Beauty and No Makeup Makeup, Kim Wileman has left an indelible mark in the beauty industry. With a visionary spirit and a knack for innovation, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry's narrative.

At the heart of Kim's success is her ability to forge meaningful connections and cultivate partnerships.

From manufacturing to distribution, her extensive network of trusted allies paves the way for brands to expand their reach and impact.

The Galla Beauty portfolio reads like a who's who of beauty royalty, focusing on collaborations with industry giants such as Farmacy, Guthy Renker, DIBS BEAUTY, and JLO BEAUTY.

Through strategic collaboration and unwavering dedication, Kim continues to redefine the standards of success in the ever-evolving world of beauty.

Missed a great quote you wanted to write down earlier? Skip to the section you’re searching for instantly:

01:16 Kim's journey in the beauty industry

02:29 The importance of learning customer service early on

04:35 Getting to know your customer firsthand

05:54 Kim's career path of working in every vertical of the beauty industry

11:07 Her biggest learning experience from her past jobs

13:44 What made her transition to self-employment

14:34 How she’s launching No Makeup Makeup based on past experiences

18:49 Advantages of launching with only one product

21:50 Best limited product drops she’s seen in the beauty industry

23:24 How to best launch a new product

25:30 How celebrities influence the beauty industry

25:51 Example: Selena Gomez and Rare Beauty

29:03 Another Example: Beyonce and Cécred

29:46 What consumers need to see and know about before purchasing

30:15 TikTok's impact on shopping

32:44 Everyone makes purchasing decisions differently

35:02 What to think about before taking a brand global

38:26 What small business owners can learn from celebrity brands

42:31 How she’s marketing No Makeup Makeup based on her years of experience

45:10 Her best piece of marketing advice for new business owners

Connect with Kim, Galla Beauty, and No Makeup Makeup:

For more resources and to further connect with Lindsay or Behind the Label:

Additional resources we mentioned:

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. We read them all :)

Summary

After years of buying throwaway earrings that would turn her ears green, Georgia Humbert was tired of the never-ending cycle of buying boring, easily tarnished earrings. So, after searching for quality, stylish earrings that didn’t break the bank and not finding anything, she decided to start her own brand.

Enter Smoothie London, a brand specializing in huggy hoop earrings that has expanded into more over the years.

Throughout the episode, Georgia shares her marketing successes and failures, highlighting the strategies that drive each stage of their marketing funnel, from using TikTok for brand awareness to email for sales conversions.

Actionable Tips You’ll Walk Away With From This Episode

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00:41 The beginning of Smoothie London

02:30 Marketing strategies in the early days

04:07 The content strategy behind their TikTok virality

056:11 Converting content

07:29 Not everyone buys right away. Here’s why that’s okay

08:58 How to sell as a brand that doesn’t “solve a problem”

11:10 What marketing strategies didn’t work

12:22 How they’re present on multiple social platforms

13:04 Email list growth strategies

15:33 Their email welcome sequence

17:12 The key to more reviews

18:34 The power of the founder’s presence in a brand’s marketing

22:05 Overcoming the fear of showing your face on social media

24:03 The difference in giving it your all in your content vs playing small

27:02 Marketing your product with UGC vs influencers

28:46 Effective guidelines for UGC creators

32:14 Finding great UGC creators and influencers

35:50 Georgia's favorite marketing tip for new brands

36:34 Georgia and Smoothie London’s info

Connect with Georgia and Smoothie London:

Connect with LC Creative and Lindsay:

If you're tired of getting stuck doomscrolling for content ideas on social media, then this episode is for you.

We've all been there.

You hop onto TikTok to look for content ideas for your business for a few minutes.

Then you look up from scrolling and see that two hours have passed, and you've somehow found yourself in a rabbit hole about the history of the royal family or DIY home improvement projects.

It happens to the best of us (aka for us, at least once a week).

But what if there were ways to cut down on the time you spend on social looking for inspiration?

And even better than that, what if there were ways you could avoid social media altogether when you're stuck thinking about what to post?

On this episode, we share five actionable tips for stopping the scroll and being more intentional with your time and resources while searching for content ideas.

Timestamps:

01:24 One - Set a Timer

02:36 Two - App Solutions

04:23 Three - Intentional Time Management for Content Creation

05:20 Four - Have a Plan Before Getting on Social

07:01 Five - Alternative Tools to Social Media for Content Inspiration

Grab the 10 Best Content Research Tools list we talked about in the episode HERE.

Connect with us:

In this episode of Behind the Label, Patti Olivia shares about her struggle to find jeans that fit well, which led her to launch Tony’s Denim: a denim brand dedicated to creating gap-proof jeans.

Patti touches on her inspiration behind her adjustable jeans, overcoming marketing challenges through manufacturing setbacks, and how social media, especially TikTok, played a pivotal role in growing her brand.

When it comes to the marketing side of business, she emphasizes the importance of understanding your target audience, personalizing your approach, and being patient and consistent.

Actionable tips you’ll walk away with from this episode:

Missed a great quote you wanted to write down earlier? Skip to the section you’re searching for instantly:

00:11 The Origin of Tony's Denim

01:03 Starting a Business with a Problem to Solve in Mind First

05:26 Social Media and Ads

06:50 What Type of Content Works on TikTok

10:13 The Process of Learning What Worked and Didn’t Work

13:36 Finding Their Unique Selling Point Through Research

16:26 Why They Changed the Way They Presented Their Product

18:49 Looking at Competitors as a Way to Solidify Their USP

21:57 Pre-Launching and Web Conversions During a Manufacturing Delay

24:49 Patti’s Advice on What to Do First in Your Marketing

26:43 Why Your Target Audience Needs to Be Specific Over Broad

29:49 Tony's Denim - Socials and Website

We hope you enjoyed this episode and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! We read them all :)

Follow Tony’s Denim

Website: tonysdenim.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tonysdenim

TikTok: tiktok.com/@tonysdenim

For more resources and to further connect with Lindsay or Behind the Label:

Let's be Insta friends⁠

⁠If you're more of a TikTok fan, connect with us there⁠

⁠Join our newsletter, where you'll learn how to improve your marketing strategy in bite-size, weekly lessons⁠

⁠Download my absolute favorite content planning template⁠

⁠Need 1-on-1 support? Let's connect!

Join us as we talk to Britt McGaughan from Keystone Inspired Co., a business specializing in eco-friendly home goods like candles, plant holders, and newly released recycled glass drinkware and vases.

Throughout the episode, Britt takes us through her journey of starting a business in the middle of COVID and her shift into e-commerce, all while sharing about the importance of having a community that supports you throughout it all.

We discuss the importance of community, cultivating brand values to stand true to, and how we can use customer feedback to build authentic relationships, enhance customer loyalty, and launch new products your customers will love.

Her message throughout is clear: A business built on authenticity, transparency, and collaboration with your customers is a brand that lasts.

This episode is packed with actionable tips for business owners who want to build connections with their customers and foster brand loyalty through each marketing channel.

Missed a great quote you wanted to write down earlier? Skip to the section you’re searching for instantly:

02:06 The Origin of Keystone Inspired Co.

05:52 Markets and Receiving Immediate Feedback

10:26 News Segments and the Power of Community

11:48 Rebranding and Being Selective with Markets

13:44 Embracing E-Commerce: The Digital Expansion

17:27 What Didn’t Work When They First Started

18:48 Customer Service First

22:13 Beyond Logos and Colors: What Branding Really Is

24:38 Listening to Learn What Your Customers Value Most

26:03 Knowing When to Expand Your Product Line Based on Customer Feedback

27:34 How to Get Customer Feedback

29:50 The Importance of Personal Interactions

31:01 Your Social Media Following: Quality vs Quantity

32:43 Leveraging Email Marketing to Build Connections

36:36 Building an Email Schedule

42:15 Nurturing New Email Subscribers

44:32 Britt’s Number One Marketing Tip for Business Owners

46:08 Keystone Inspired Co’s Socials and New Launches

We hope you enjoyed this episode and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! We read them all :)

Follow Keystone Inspired Co.

Website

Instagram: @keystoneinspired

TikTok: @keystoneinspired

For more resources and to further connect with Lindsay or Behind the Label:

Let's be Insta friends⁠

⁠If you're more of a TikTok fan, connect with us there⁠

⁠Join our newsletter, where you'll learn how to improve your marketing strategy in bite-size, weekly lessons⁠

⁠Download my absolute favorite content planning template⁠

⁠Need 1-on-1 support? Let's connect!

Brands often underutilize their social media analytics when making decisions about their content strategy.

However, analytics can provide more valuable information than you realize about your potential customers and the type of content they want to see more of.

Because when you know not only WHAT content your customers like but WHY they like that content, you can easily create similar types of content.

Social media analytics give you a quick and easy path to find out the WHY portion, as long as you know what to look for in your analytics.

On this episode, we covered:

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00:00 Understanding Social Media Metrics: The Basics

01:10 Step 1 - Choosing the Right Metrics for Your Goals

05:14 Step 2 - Defining Success Using Individual Posts’ Metrics

08:07 Recap of Steps 1 and 2

09:06 Step 3 - Implementing Insights for Future Success

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. We read them all :)