“Is it better to have a monthly or quarterly subscription box?” 

This question comes up a lot inside Launch Your Box and on the How to Start a Subscription Box public Facebook page. The truth is, there is no one answer to this question. No right or wrong when it comes to choosing a monthly or quarterly box. There’s only the answer that’s right for you. 

Your answer to whether a monthly or quarterly box is right for you and your business depends on your goals for your business and what is most important to you as a business owner. 

Each model has its benefits and its drawbacks. It’s important to understand both before making a decision about the frequency of your subscription box. 

The pros and cons of a quarterly subscription box:

1. Revenue

2. Curation/Products  

3. Frequency/Recency 

4. Time   

• Pro - the monthly grind of curation/fulfillment/customer service is a full-time commitment. A quarterly box allows you the space and freedom to do other things. 

Top cons of a quarterly subscription box:

Top pros of a quarterly subscription box: 

We’ve talked about monthly and quarterly boxes and the pros and cons of each. But, there is one other option and it seems to be gaining in popularity: bi-monthly subscription boxes. Bi-monthly boxes are curated and fulfilled every other month. Some subscription box owners and subscribers find this to be just the right balance between a monthly box and a quarterly box. 

Join me for this episode as I talk about why there’s not an easy answer to the question, “Is it better to have a monthly or quarterly subscription box?” and walk you through the pros and cons of each. 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

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 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

Generating excitement and creating FOMO are great ways to market your offer. Spending three months hyping up a new offer led to this subscription box owner’s dream of selling her own pillow designs coming true. And… It resulted in selling 750 pillow subscriptions in only five days. The best part? She doesn’t have to pack or ship a thing. 

I’m so excited to welcome Stacey Collins to the podcast again as my first-ever three-time guest! Stacey is also a member of Launch Your Box, Scale Your Box, and my Elevate Mastermind! She truly invests in herself and her business. 

Stacey’s subscription journey has some twists and turns - and a lot of successes. She started with a quarterly home decor box, which was a big hit. But when the demands of fulfilling a highly curated box started to outweigh the benefits, she changed gears. Stacey shut down that physical description but soon turned to a different type of description - a monthly digital subscription. Today, Stacey has more than 2,000 digital subscribers! 

Earlier this year, Stacey and I were talking about her business and she shared her long-held dream of selling her own decorative pillows. Stacey LOVES pillows. Her audience knows she loves pillows and so many of them do, too. What Stacey doesn’t love is packing and shipping large numbers of products. There was an easy solution to Stacey’s problem. Using a fulfillment company. I connected her with a fulfillment center I interviewed on episode 61 of this podcast. 

The fulfillment center was the perfect solution. Stacey designs the pillow covers and works closely with the manufacturer to make sure the design and quality of the pillow covers are exactly what she wants. Then the pillow covers are shipped directly to the fulfillment center where they are packed and shipped, again to Stacey’s specifications. 

Stacey initially set a launch goal of 500 subscriptions. I challenged her to increase that goal because I knew what a large, engaged audience she had. And I knew she was going to follow my 5-day launch plan to a tee. And she did. 

Stacey’s biggest challenge? Launching without having anything to show her audience. The pillow covers needed to be a surprise. She had a few sneak peeks to share but relied on the trust she’d built with her audience to convince them to take this leap with her. Stacey spent THREE MONTHS creating excitement around her big announcement. She got her already highly engaged audience excited, built anticipation, and created FOMO. 

And when Stacey did launch? She sold 750 pillow subscriptions in only 5 days! 

Join me for this episode and learn what drives Stacey to continue to find new ways to serve her audience and grow her subscription business, and find out how close she is to hitting her goal of 1000 pillow subscriptions. 

Find and follow Stacey: 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today! 

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

“Don’t give up. Just keep moving forward.” - Alexia Haubert

After making it to the top 1% of all Etsy sellers in the wedding category - the top 1%! - Lexie was on top of her game. Then came a global pandemic that shut down the wedding industry and Lexie’s business. 

Lexie had to pivot and struggled to grow her business for a long time before recently reaching a big milestone. In this episode, Lexie’s story will inspire you to keep going as you work toward your business goals. 

When the wedding industry slowly started coming back, Lexie introduced The Monogrammed Bride subscription box and started building her audience from scratch. She stayed consistent and continued to show up even though she saw very little in the way of results for a long time. 

When Lexie and I first talked, after a disappointing launch, I was surprised to see she had done everything I teach. She was doing all the things and she was doing them well. But she wasn’t seeing results. We brainstormed and strategized, and Lexie continued working hard. 

And just recently - after seeing consistently steady growth for the last six months - Lexie hit her long-standing goal of 100 subscribers! So what did she do differently these past six months?   

While we were talking, Lexie got subscriber #112! This growth in her business - this regular, recurring revenue - has lessened the financial stress Lexie has felt for the past couple of years. She is able to breathe and plan for even more subscribers as her business continues to grow. 

Lexie’s message for anyone who feels overwhelmed or discouraged by the challenges they’re facing in building their business? Don’t give up. Just keep moving forward. 

Join me for this episode and get inspired by Lexie’s determination to just keep going and never give up on her dream on her way to reaching and passing her goal of 100 subscribers. 

Find and follow Lexie: 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today! 

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

I have a t-shirt subscription. Actually, I have two successful (and very profitable) t-shirt subscriptions: my T-Shirt Club and Tees 4 Teachers. And I’m not the only one growing thriving t-shirt subscriptions. LOTS of members of Launch Your Box are finding huge success with their own t-shirt subscriptions. With all this t-shirt subscription talk, you might be wondering if starting a t-shirt subscription is right for you. 

In this episode, I’m sharing six reasons why you should consider starting a t-shirt subscription.  

1. A T-shirt subscription has low start-up costs compared to other products.

2. T-shirts are a wardrobe staple. 

3. T-shirt subscriptions can be seasonal/holiday/theme-based.  

4. T-shirt subscriptions provide recurring revenue and recurring brand exposure.  

5. T-shirt subscriptions foster a sense of community which can result in: 

6. T-shirt subscriptions are more affordable and accessible than many other subscriptions. 

A t-shirt subscription can be a successful, standalone subscription. It can also be a complement to your existing subscription box. Mine started as a complement to my Monogram Box when my subscribers asked for more t-shirts! 

I’ve seen great success with my own t-shirt subscriptions and have helped SO MANY members of Launch Your Box build thriving t-shirt subscriptions. 

I’m well-known for my extensive knowledge of all things t-shirt. So much so that my students and peers have been asking for a standalone t-shirt subscription course for quite a while. My team and I have spent the last several months working on this course. How to Start a T-Shirt Subscription covers everything you need to know in 12 video lessons full of actionable steps, worksheets, and special bonuses. It’s the perfect way to get all your t-shirt subscription questions answered and get your t-shirt subscription started NOW! 

Learn more about How to Start a T-Shirt Subscription. 

Join me for this episode as I share my own t-shirt subscription experience and all the reasons you should start a t-shirt subscription. 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

Have you thought about taking your subscription box business from a side hustle to a full-time gig?

It’s absolutely possible. I did it and so have many members of Launch Your Box. 

But… 

Before you quit your full-time job or make any major changes to your business, you need to ask - and answer - some questions. And you need to get really comfortable with your financial details, business and personal. 

Take your time and get real about what your goals are. Are you currently working 40/50/60 hours a week and want to work less? Do you want to make more income than you have been? 

The truth is, you can get there. But you’ll need to make a plan and work that plan. Start by asking yourself these four questions: 

Understand that your business will need to be profitable before you can pay yourself. That takes time. It took me 9 months before I was able to pay myself a regular paycheck. 8 ½ years later, I pay myself a very nice salary and also pay the salaries of more than 20 employees. 

Join me for this episode as I take you on my journey from tiny side hustle making $200 a month to where I am now, running two multi seven-figure businesses, answering those questions, knowing my numbers, and making careful decisions every step of the way.  

Important Links: 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today! 

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

You’ve launched your subscription box. Since that time, you’ve grown alongside your subscription box business. You’ve developed systems and processes and have built a firm foundation on which your business can continue to grow. But now you want to do more than just continue to grow slowly - now you want to scale your subscription box business. 

In this episode, I’m sharing 5 things you need to do to take your subscription box business to the next level - to scale your box. 

1. Develop a multi-channel marketing plan.

1. Optimize your inventory. 

1. Streamline fulfillment. 

1. Improve retention strategies. 

1. Create raving fans! 

Prepare for the next step in your subscription box journey by planning for growth and putting strategies and processes into place that will allow you to scale!

Join me for this episode as I share five things you can do to scale your subscription box business and take it to the next level. 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

Have you been struggling with your business this year? Maybe you’re not reaching your revenue goals or you haven’t launched that new idea, product, or subscription box yet. Many times, our businesses need one little tweak - a change in process, strategy, or just mindset - to change everything. 

In this episode, I’m sharing 10 truth bombs that will have you looking at your business differently. Take the time to sit with and think about each of these to see how they might apply to you and your business. 

We focused all of the training this year inside Launch Your Box on these 10 things. I’m here to help you understand these 10 things and make progress with each of them. 

Remember, you are on a subscription box journey. This journey never ends. It’s always a work in progress. Just keep making progress! 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

Are your subscriber numbers dwindling? Do you need to do something to keep your numbers up but don’t have the capacity to do a full-blown launch? 

I found myself in this exact situation. My subscriber numbers for my “baby” subscription, Tees 4 Teachers, had been decreasing since the beginning of the year. I knew I needed to do something, but when I looked at my year, this is what I saw: 

That left July. July is right before back to school, making it the perfect time to launch Tees 4 Teachers. I knew I did not have the bandwidth to show up in a launch the way I’d need to. But I didn’t want to not launch. 

What could I do? Was there a way I could launch and make it EASY and less taxing on me? 

I knew I could drive a lot of traffic and sales through paid ads. (Listen to episode 130 to hear about how paid ads helped me have my biggest launch ever earlier this year). If I could use ads effectively to sell my teacher tee subscription, that would eliminate the need to do a lot of LIVEs, send a ton of emails, and do all my usual launch activities. 

So, what exactly would this “lazy launch” look like? I needed a plan. 

My results? I closed cart with 201 subscribers. I doubled my subscription with minimal effort! 

What did it take to double my subscriber count? 

When I looked at the data - and you should ALWAYS look at the data, I discovered some interesting things: 

The biggest eye-opener for me? On average, I get 200-300 views on my Tees 4 Teachers sales page. When I ran paid ads for this “lazy launch,” I 10X’d those views and my conversion rate was the same - 3%. 

My advice for you, especially if you’re facing a subscription with dwindling numbers?

Join me for this episode as I walk you through how I doubled my dwindling subscription with a lazy launch! 

Want to learn more about paid ads? There is so much more inside Launch Your Box. We’ve got several different trainings, including a brand new training this month on how to set up a Page Like Ad so you can start growing your following. Look for it in the Training Library under Building Your Audience. I also cover my subscription box ads strategy in a brand new bonus lesson inside the Launch Your Box training library. You’ll go behind the scenes of my launch and see what I did, what I spent, and the actual ads I was running for that launch. Of course, I break down all my results in detail.

Are you ready to join Launch Your Box? Text me the word LAUNCH to 940-204-0023 and I’ll send you a special invitation! 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

“If you don’t have an ads budget, you still have a hobby business.” - Sarah Williams

Are paid ads part of your subscription box marketing strategy? If not, why not? You might be wondering if paid ads are worth it. Or you might be where I was in the early days of my business, worried about where you’re spending money and not understanding the value of running paid ads. 

Subscription box owners - especially new subscription box owners - hesitate to use paid ads for many reasons. 

I first used paid ads when I realized I needed to do something else to grow outside of my local area. Organic traffic wasn’t enough. I had a great local business and my subscription box had grown - to a point. But almost all of my business came from local customers. In order to grow, I needed to run ads. Within just six months, the 3,000 followers it had taken me 4-5 years to gain had grown to 7,000 and I was getting subscribers from all over the country. 

Paid ads are such an important part of launching and growing a subscription box business. If you want to grow, you need to continue to drive traffic - new traffic - to your content. 

I’m challenging you to consider running paid ads. And I’m sharing actual data from my three recent launches and paid ads strategy to help you understand why you need to run paid ads. 

It’s time to take action. 

1. Determine your budget.

2. Create an Ads Strategy

3. Test and Try 

Join me for this episode as we talk all about paid ads. Are they worth it? Do they really make a difference? I answer those questions and share my paid ads results from my recent launches. There’s a lot to talk about in this episode. Grab your earbuds and come join me!

Want to learn more about paid ads? There is so much more inside Launch Your Box. We’ve got several different trainings, including a brand new training this month on how to set up a Page Like Ad so you can start growing your following. And I cover my subscription box ads strategy in a brand new bonus lesson inside the Launch Your Box training library. You’ll go behind the scenes of my launch and see what I did, what I spent, and the actual ads I was running for that launch. Of course, I break down all my results in detail.

Are you ready to join Launch Your Box? Text me the word LAUNCH to 940-204-0023 and I’ll send you a special invitation! 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today! 

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

“You have to have one subscriber before you can have ten.” - Amy Green

I’m excited to bring you this interview with a member of my Mastermind, Amy Green of Amy and Art. Amy’s journey to subscription box success has many twists and turns, wins and losses, and lessons learned. By never giving up, being open to trying new things, and finding the right coach and community to support her, Amy found the courage to do it her way.  

Amy Green is many things, among them a wife and special needs mom, a former teacher, and a lifelong entrepreneur. Amy’s past businesses included a seriously successful food blog with 190,000 social media followers and a dog-walking business with more than 400 clients! She also partnered with her husband to start a construction business. Amy knows how to get things done. 

Her oldest son’s special needs meant Amy needed to build a business that worked for her family. She turned to her love of art for the answer. Armed with a new laser cutter and an idea, Amy started a business creating wood cut-outs and tier tray decor. She sold them on Etsy until she realized Etsy didn’t let her do one very important thing - build her own email list. Amy had a large following from her days as a blogger. The problem? They weren’t the right followers for her new business. So, Amy moved her business over to Shopify and got serious about list building. 

When Amy decided to add a subscription box to her business, she found Launch Your Box and then also joined my Mastermind. She soaked in all the trainings and knew exactly how I teach my students to launch. There was only one problem… Amy simply didn’t have the capacity to do a launch exactly the way I teach it. Her family life didn’t allow for it. 

After we talked it through, Amy decided to launch anyway - to do what she could. What matters is getting it out there. Don’t wait for things to be perfect. Be willing to launch messy and then clean it up as you go. That’s what Amy did. That first launch she focused on sending emails and posting on social media. She wasn’t sure she could fit in going LIVE - but she did. Those LIVEs were short and sweet because that’s what she could do, but they allowed her to connect with her audience. 

That first launch - the one where Amy hoped for 10 subscribers - ended with 32 subscribers. The next time she launched, a few months later, Amy was able to put more of the launch pieces in place. That launch ended with 100 subscribers! 

Not only does Amy provide her subscribers with a curated DIY tier-tray box every month, she also provides them with a community to belong to. Amy’s community of subscribers allows them to feel seen, heard, and valued. It surprised Amy how much that means to them - and how much it has come to mean to her. 

Amy got out of her own way, launched her subscription box, and continues to grow. She did this by: 

Join me for this episode and let Amy’s story of doing things her way and building a true community of 100 subscribers inspire you to get out of your own way and take the next big step in your subscription box business journey. 

Find and follow Amy: 

Join me in all the places: 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

 Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order