Summary

Creativity takes time. Keep a creativity journal.Strive to make an emotional connection with your customers.Make sure they know that they are buying “from you” (a person or people) and not from “a website”.Vulnerability, within reason, is exceptionality important.

I think everyone enjoys a good story of an entrepreneur who has invested blood sweat and tears to make their endeavor a success. Of course, many accept capital in the process, and that accelerates growth. But, I am often more impressed by those who hold off capital as long as possible. This is one of those stories—someone who has gone from “zero to hero” and has experienced a great degree of success in the process.

Johanna Miller, Chief Artisan, PotionYarns.com

Johanna started this business with almost no money. and through her creativity, her ingenuity has built it up to a place that it’s at today. This episode will focus on the content management side of her findings, and what she’s learned over these past three years.

An example of Johanna’s work.

On a very basic level, Johanna sells dyed yarn. The challenge is you can go to your local craft store and buy yarn for $6USD. Yet, she sells it for $30USD+. The fact that she is successful proves she has a solid market differentiation strategy.

How Johanna got started

Began as a hairstylist, focusing on hair color (intricate stuff like rainbow colors, unicorn shades and galaxy hair). Joseph’s side note: I had no clue this kind of coloring is possible. Definitely artisan work here.Got into dyeing yarn through needing something custom for a project.Johanna found that her expertise in dyeing hair was not all that different than yarn.She dyed her first batch of yarn in her kitchen sink.

Like many founder’s stories, this company started with resolving a need and then scaling to help others.

However, artists have a big challenge known as “the starving artist.” Many are very creative (think musicians, painters, and craftspeople). Yet few make a reasonable living. Johanna has been successful in turning her craft into a business.

Content Strategy by Johanna

Yarn is a difficult thing to describe. There are some yarn descriptors that are objective:

What type of yarn is it?Where did it come from?How much does it cost?

At least two of those three bullet points are described on the packaging from any big box store that sells yarn.

Yet, where Johanna’s premium comes from is the subjective:

How do I describe the color?How did I come up with this color?What could this be used for?

Read this sample from her website:

What’s the best handdyed yarn for the fall season? According to Hoyle, it’s this beautiful blend of mustard gold, spicy pumpkin, blood red, and rich burgundy that calls to mind autumn leaves, pumpkin spice, and apple cider on a hayride. Edmond Hoyle was generally considered the ultimate authority on the game of whist and his book on the rules of the game were frequently consulted when settling disputes. Who are we to argue with such an authority? According to Hoyle won’t disappoint! 

This part of the description makes an emotional connection to something that we love. It tells a story of autumn. I remember playing in the leaves when I was a kid. Pumpkin spice and who would even turn down apple cider on a hayride. It’s really positive pictures.

The big question in our minds is how did this description come to life?

People want to connect when they buy products. This is especially true over the internet—which represents an impersonal medium for transactions.

We don’t just buy a product, we buy an experience, we buy a feeling, so we need something that people can connect to.Johanna Miller

Johanna wanted to create stories for her yarn because that helps people connect with her and her brand. But because most of her business takes place online, no matter how great