Pixie Dust & Profits

Revisiting Disney's Trajectory Over the Last Two Years

We've got a Super Summer Series Surprise for you! For those who have been following along, or those who have just arrived (welcome!!), this summer we've been revisiting our favorite Pixie Dust & Profits podcast episodes from seasons past.

So far, we've had such an amazing time listening back to these popular episodes AND giving you updated information from our 2022 perspectives on the topics. This week, though, we're giving you something a little extra! ✨

When we decided to revisit Episode 020: Balancing Priorities & Surviving in the Day-to-Day, we immediately knew it was going to be different from other Summer Series episodes. We recorded this episode in April 2020, right after the lockdown started. This was deep in shutdown, and we had just begun to see some of the biggest business shifts in history happen right before our eyes.

Of course, things have changed considerably since COVID first came on the scene, and it might not make sense to look BACK at this episode… so instead, we made a new and improved version of the episode!

So, let's discuss what's happened with Disney since July 2020, and what we can take away from their projects and operations to support our businesses through hard times.

Disney does "new normal" in unexpected ways On March 15, 2020, Disney closed its magic gates (so very sad) only to reopen them four months later in July of the same year, but with some pretty strict rules in place for returning park guests.

They began with "soft" launches, each park receiving a different day to reopen with attendance capped and a new reservation service in place for all guests. This service included all areas of the park from attractions, to restaurants, to stores, to modes of park transport. Some of the new major safety measures that were instituted included:

✅ Temperature checks & required face coverings were mandatory for all visitors and cast members

✅ Magic bands were used whenever possible to facilitate mobile interactions rather than face-to-face (specifically in dining locations).

✅ An increased use of plexiglass barriers between guests and cast members

✅ Annual passes were no longer available for purchase; only existing annual pass members could renew.

✅ And the hardest pill to swallow: No parades, fireworks, or character meet-and-greets, and yes, that included character dining. 😭

Despite it all, Disney still remained confident that they could give their guests the same magical experience they're known for. They even created the "social distancing squad," a group of friendly cast members trained to enforce safety rules in a fun, energetic way. In all, Disney did a great job "protecting the magic" of the parks in a post-COVID existence. And hey, some form of Disney is always better than no Disney at all!

Now that it's been two years since their reopening, Disney has done away with a lot of the stricter guidelines: masks are optional, and parades, fireworks, and character dining and meet-and-greets have all returned. However, there are still some things that remain changed.

✅ Annual passes are very hard to get, and when you can, the prices have increased from previous years.

✅ Disney's reservation system remains in place and is looking like it's here to stay. You still have to reserve the park you want to visit on the day you plan to.

✅ You cannot "park hop" until after a certain time of day (2 pm most days, but it may vary). Gone are the days of spontaneity!

Disney Genie+: Pros and cons After over a decade, the FastPass system is a thing of the past. Move over and make room for the new kid on the block, Disney Genie+. Genie+ works a lot like the old method. You purchase the add-on ($20 a person) and have ultimate access to the Lightning Lane on 19 different Disney attractions. But there are limits to this magic, of course. When you choose to use a Lightning Lane on an attraction, you cannot reserve another Lightning Lane spot on a different attraction until you've either already completed your previous ride or have waited 2 hours. On top of that, you cannot use Genie+ repeatedly for any of the rides. So, if you plan on riding Haunted Mansion 20 times in one day, be prepared to wait in line for at least 19 of those rides. It is interesting that Disney used the time that they were closed to innovate something like their line system. If the parks never closed, would something like Genie+ even exist? We don't think so! While Disney does address some visitor pain points with this new method, a drawback of the Genie+ system in comparison to the FastPass system is the inability to choose a specific time to return to the attraction, which might leave you racing across the park madder than the Mad Hatter.

The "new normal" for your small biz When we talk about our "new normal," we're seeing so many changes. We saw a ton of businesses pivot — especially ones whose services or offers were mostly held in person. We also saw that many people had to decide how to grow their business while kids were at home, family members needed care, and if spouses or partners were laid off.

It was a time of rapid change, and we're still feeling the ripple effects today. As we navigate a post-COVID world, there are a couple things to take from Disney's decisions:

☝ Be aware of the current inflation situation.

Inflation is at a record all-time high, and you need to respond accordingly! Is it time to raise your rates? Do you need to raise your team members' pay? Remember, what you're paying yourself right now isn't what you were paying yourself even a few months ago. If you don't want to increase rates, how can you decrease your expenses?

✌ Be flexible – on a whole different level.

One of the things we've realized is that we want to ENJOY more of what's going on around us. Don't miss out, be intentional in slowing things down to open yourself up. Some of this means personal expense choices, like diverting savings or not making investments you planned to make. It's okay to do this! Life is short, make it sweet.

We want to hear how your priorities have changed in this "new normal"//"post-COVID" world!

Reach out to us, we love receiving and answering Instagram DM's!

If you're interested: we are currently taking applications for the next Pixie Dust Live event, click here to submit yours today!

And if you're planning a trip to Disney soon, and want to understand more about programs like Genie+ before you get there, visit our good friend Wish Upon a Planner® for all the ins and outs you'll need for your next magical adventure with the Mouse! 🏰🐭

Episode 65: Revisiting Episode 014: Growth by Collaboration

Our Summer Series continues this week with another back-to-the-basics episode from Pixie Dust's past! As you might already know, we've been spending the summer revisiting some of our favorite episodes and also providing some much-needed updates from a 2022 perspective!

This week, we revisit Episode 014, where we discussed the successful collaborations that Disney has created — with some unexpected brands. We dig into Disney's versatility and ability to leverage any and all opportunities, while also providing some insightful information about how to make brand collabs work for YOUR biz.

Minnie Vans: Disney + Lyft

If you've visited Disney recently, then you might have seen the world's cutest car cruising around Disney property – the Minnie Van! These red buggies, decorated adorably with Minnie's well-known white polka dots, are Disney's answer to skipping long bus lines at the end of a long day and receiving faster transport back to your hotel.

But, no, it's not actually Minnie's car. The Minnie Vans are a collaboration between Disney and Lyft Services. Disney knew that they didn't need to build their own proprietary system for this, but they also knew they had a really strong brand that could attach itself to something already established. Enter: Lyft! 🚗

But what's special about the Minnie Vans? What makes them different? That's where Disney's brand comes in. The Minnie Vans themselves are owned by Disney, operated by Disney employees, and only run during park hours/on park property. This adds a level of safety and security to both Disney and their patrons.

So really, the only part that truly uses Lyft Services is the app itself. This is how Disney maintained their high bar of quality/safety experience within the partnership.

The Disney/Lyft partnership is an important example of how to be strategic in your collaborations. They recognized a pain point (people wanting a faster, safer way to get around Disney's properties) and met it in a way that was mutually beneficial to both parties (Disney got what they needed, Lyft got more subscribers to their mobile app).

How do you apply this to your business? Thinking about the collaborations or partnerships you can find even in the most unlikely places.

You find a brand that is complementary to your field/industry and leverage their audience to sell your product – Presto! You're in a partnership!

With a joint venture or partnership, the other person/brand already has credibility with their audience, and that trust they've built bleeds into your brand, increasing conversion rates and revenue. The percentage that you end up paying out to affiliates or partners is something that you'd be spending anyways in marketing and promos, but without doing all the audience-building work.

If you're thinking a collaboration might just prove lucrative for you, think about the right brands or people for your business. It's not selfish to think about you, and make sure their branding and visions align with yours. Think about it like this: Even if you are a nutritionist who serves mostly moms, you can still pair up with a local bike shop if they want to help more moms get active. It isn't necessarily the most logical fit (unlike if you paired up with a prenatal nutritionist, let's say), but the collab still works — and can prove really fruitful!

Disney & Target: A match made in heaven

The Mickey Mouse clubhouse has officially moved venues – but don't worry, it's to another simply magical place most of us know and love: Target!

In October 2020, Disney and Target worked together to launch 25 mini-Disney stores inside Target locations. They also launched this on their online stores so others in the U.S. and outside it could get the goods.

This was a seriously smart move for Disney. They ended up getting foot traffic that drive sales, but didn't have to handle distribution, retail, or hiring new employees. They leveraged Target's infrastructure and assets to sell their exclusive products.

In return, Disney agreed to open a Target store in Orlando in 2021 on Disney property. For Target, this was definitely a win in itself. The added convenience of having a store like Target is an awesome perk for vacationers who don't feel like having to go off-site of Disney property for much-needed necessities.

We all know the benefits of a good Target run, after all! 💓

How does this relate to your small business?

This example is for all of our favorite product-based small businesses! Consider your platforms – do you sell your products on Etsy? Sell your designs to sites like Minted? Maybe you self-published through Amazon, it's essentially the same idea!

What you're doing is taking advantage of someone, or some site, with a bigger audience and a larger platform in order to sell your product. They receive a cut of the sale, but you're getting more visibility and more traffic.

If you were to have your own site, you have to do a lot of work to drive traffic there – they don't just come because you built it! But starting on a bigger platform and working your way up is a good way to leverage an audience of your own. And you can always have both, too! So many product-based small businesses use one site to boost the other, like using your Etsy to drive people to your website.

What's changed: Exclusive episode updates!

Well, it's pretty obvious that things have changed – remember that whole global pandemic thing?

Because of COVID, the Minnie Vans went away for TWO years! But don't worry, they're back this summer and Disney's partnership with Lyft is still going strong. Disney also has maintained their collab with Target stores and has officially shut down a large majority of their standalone Disney stores.

But things certainly have changed for the…well, we'll let you decide!

• We've noticed that Disney's collabs have become a little more expensive than in the past. Disney has partnered with high-end brands, such as Gucci and Coach, to sell Mickey & Minnie-covered purses and apparel at super high price points. They even recently collaborated with Drake (yes, that one!) to create a collection for his OVO Fest called the "Nostalgic Capsule Collection." It's an interesting choice, but it's definitely getting the Disney brand out there, and making it accessible to people from all walks of life. Disney is becoming chic, trendy, and desirable, all at very high price points.
• Another new brand collab technique that Disney has been sporting is the renovated Disney Springs outlet. Downtown Disney has officially been reinvented into a high-end, more luxurious-styled boutique waterfront outdoor mall. What this does for Disney is that in order to have a store in Disney Springs these high-end brands (think Lilly Pulitzer) need to be onboard with Disney's technology (think Magic Bands, Disney Gift Cards). There's certainly value on both sides, but Disney continues to elevate their brand status!

Now think about the potential collabs you can have: are they pretty casual? High-end? Both? Look at opportunities from all sides. Ask yourself: How can I serve both our audiences best and how will it benefit everyone involved? There may be different audiences you can reach with a higher-end collaboration, while you may be able to reach even more people with a more casual connection. It's all about assessing opportunities to see what's beneficial for everyone.

We're continuing our Summer Series this week. As usual, we come to you with ideas from the Mouse on how you can better run your online business, but this Summer we're spending some much-deserved quality time with some of our older and most popular episodes.

This week, we're revisiting In Episode 012, where we talked all about the launch of Disney+ and one of Disney's biggest Hot Mess Express launches. It feels weird to think about planning movie nights without the platform now, but during the launch, things got tricky, especially for Canadian streamers! But what that experience did provide was a pivotal example of what a launch might look like (read: not perfect), and the benefits of offering bundles while launching.

The benefits of bundling

When Disney+ was preparing to launch, they began sending their target audience (Disney pass holders/vacationers/club members) emails to build excitement and pre-pay for the streaming service ahead of launch day. This was a risky move because, well, there wasn't even a full or verified list of what was going to be ON the service yet!

But, that didn't stop a lot of people from signing up – and that's because Disney sweetened the deal with exclusive bundle offers that made it pretty impossible to say no.

Bundling, or stacking offers, is about paying attention to what people on your list are willing to buy that you can pair together for a better price point. The Disney+ subscription had two different options:

• The Disney+ standalone option for $6.99/month
• The Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle for 12.99/month

This was a smart bundling move on Disney's part because ESPN is already under their ownership umbrella, and Hulu was a popular streaming service with an ever-growing streamer base. Plus, the bundling option saved streamers 33% if they had all of those three services on their own, so the possibility of cutting costs or saving that money was a big draw.

Proof that launching isn't perfect

The most important thing to remember about launching is that your initial launch plan is a guideline — and not everything will go as planned. There are always going to be things that happen that are out of control or that you didn't expect, and all of this is okay! You need to learn to be flexible and open to learning something new every single time you launch something.

Let's go back in time – to 1955 – when Disneyland first opened its doors to the public.

It was a MESS!

Guests at the gate tripled expectations, people were making fake tickets to try and sneak in, rides were breaking down, and on top of all of that, Walt Disney was in a dispute because of a plumbing strike!

He had to decide the day it was supposed to open whether or not the park was going to have working water fountains OR working bathrooms. He chose bathrooms and was criticized for doing it just so people would be forced to buy drinks. It was not smooth sailing.

Cut to 2019 and the Disney+ launch. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, either. In the United States, those who pre-purchased and even those who paid on launch day experienced a TON of tech issues on the platform, including not being able to set up profiles and content being unable to load. In Canada, Disney fans were never even given the opportunity to pre-purchase, so everyone was forced to pay on launch day. They too experienced long wait times for the platform at significantly slower speeds.

Our point? Disney's launches have been bumpy, too. We've seen ALL types of launches, and hiccups happen! It's frustrating at the time, definitely, but you learn from it and you optimize for next time, you don't give up.

What if Disney decided all those difficulties were too much and he decided to not open Disneyland? The horror!

Learning from the past

When you're going through your next launch, think about the fact that Disneyland didn't have working fountains on the first day, and nearly didn't have working toilets! Disney+ had tons of streaming issues. Nothing was perfect.

For your launches, it helps to know that something is GOING to happen, and it's how you turn it into a learning experience that matters.

We recommend, above all else, having a post-mortem after your launch day. Which is when you sit down post-launch and review what went well, what didn't, your successes, challenges, and what you can do for next time.

If a launch doesn't go well, or as expected, there are ways to redeem your offers:

• Market your offer some more!
• Tweak aspects of your offer that might not be working as expected
• Start collecting more testimonials to build credibility/social proof
• Get feedback on offers to make improvements
• Bundle what you can to offer deals

Looking forward: Episode updates!

There were so many great lessons to learn about launches from Disney+, and now, 3 years later, we're definitely able to see that despite the hiccups the platform is seriously successful!

Things that have stayed the same:

• Disney is still very much pushing their Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle. They began referring to this package as "The Disney Bundle" in order to make it more enticing for potential customers, despite the content on these platforms not being exclusive to Disney.

Things that have changed:

• The obvious first change is the price, which has increased to 7.99/month, 79.99/year, and 19.99/month for the Disney Bundle. These price increases do reflect the inflation of other streaming services, and the bundle still saves you about 32% if you were to have each subscription separately.
• Something else Disney+ changed is reducing the delay from getting something that was in theaters to the platform. It's now only 45 days. (Remember having to wait MONTHS for this??) Reasons for this could be because viewership at cinemas is still low due to COVID, but also Disney is benefiting from building off the hype of the theatrical release, boosting engagement and subscription rates (because you'll be locked in, not just a one-time payment for seeing a movie like at a theater).

Let's be honest, who doesn't want Disney+ in 2022? With all the MCU exclusive Disney+ shows, the lowest turnaround time from theaters to your living room (for Turning Red it was only 3 weeks!), and they even gave Jeff Goldblum a show for him to talk about…literally whatever he wants! If you're not tuning in, you're probably experiencing some definite FOMO.

Stay tuned as we cover the rest of our Summer Series and revisit some of our best episodes!

The nostalgia is REAL this week, folks! For the continuation of our flashback Summer Series, we're taking it as far back as we can this week with our FIRST. EVER. EPISODE! 💗💛💜

Episode 001 aired all the way back in May 2019 when we were just two Disney lovers with a dream for this podcast. We love seeing (and hearing!) how far we've come, and hope that you'll enjoy and get inspired by revisiting the beginning of it all with us!

To recap: Episode 001 talked all about Disney's data collection skills using their Magic Bands and how our favorite place on earth makes something like *shudders* metrics actually FUN and interesting to study!

We also pivot from Disney to discuss how YOU could use measurements to grow and understand your business.

Disney Magic Bands are the hypothetical keys to the kingdom! 🏰🔑✨ But physically, they are used to unlock your magical stay while on your Disney vacation. They do so many things once you're on Disney property: unlock your hotel room, act as a pass (with no lines!) into the parks, get you onto rides and into attractions quicker, and even act as a personal Disney wallet with a quick card-free transaction for any and all Disney park purchases.

But what's so amazing about them from a business perspective? Well, let's go on a little ride of our own through Magic Band history…

• 2008: A challenge was created to help create "magical ease" when scheduling, planning, and executing your Disney vacation. Disney wanted to streamline the process – less waiting times, easier access to facilities, and an overall better experience for families who had waited so long to experience the magic of Disney World.
• 2010: A single system was born, seamlessly connecting all park systems together: the Magic Band. A Disney engineer spent six months creating the band so that its design would be inclusive to all guests. Then, the Disney board of directors had to approve the 1 BILLION dollar project in order to put the system in place.
• 2012-2013: A full-scale demo & public testing of the Magic Band system took place in the parks! At first, people complained! There were obvious kinks to work out. But overall, the niche group of wristband wearers inspired other guests to say "hey, I want one of those too!" (I was one of those guests!)

The pros of Magic Bands were crystal clear after the public testing, Disney knew they hit the jackpot with this costly venture. 💰 Because the Magic Bands are connected to your hotel room and your debit/credit cards, the cashless system made purchasing in the park so simple and easy that the bill would rack up without the slightest thought.

Disney's business intelligence element was flawless, no surprise there!

The bands created a tracking system that collected data on how guests navigated Disney websites, where they spent their time in the parks, and even what they were buying. All that data was golden delicious in Pooh's honey pot, Disney was able to use the data to create future plans for offerings & promotions tailored individually to their guests.

(This is why we use Disney, everyone! Pure genius! 💡)

Disney's "path to purchase" tool is powerful in its design by not only tracking what a guest will buy, but the pattern that the guest uses before deciding to purchase.

How can you use this for YOUR business? We know that not everyone has one billion dollars to spare like Mickey Mouse & the gang. But the history of Magic Bands does prove something invaluable: measure, measure, measure! 📐

Use less expensive tools for your website, like Google Analytics, to start tracking your own goldmine of data. Use this tool, and so many others like it, to track where your clients are spending time on your site.

Metrics is a scary word – but think of it like this, all that it is is information meant to be gathered. Information that you can then take to and turn into leads, purchases, and new clients!

New takeaways from Ep. 001:

• Magic Band Madness: So what ever happened to Magic Bands? Well, as of January 2022, Disney stopped offering them as free inclusions with your hotel stay – but they are still available to get for a discounted price! This is because the My Disney Experience app took on a lot of the same features as the bands. This is actually a good thing though – it proves that Disney is capable of keeping up with the shifting tides of technology. Everyone has a smartphone and everyone has access to an app, but still purchasing your own Magic Band gives a unique experience to Disney, and always will. We can't recommend them enough – despite the changes!
• Metrics, always! Yes…unfortunately metrics are just as important as when we aired this episode three years ago! Maybe even more so now with the constant changes in the economic world due to Covid. We want you all to remember: data is just numbers! Evaluate it and look at the causes and effects. A bad trend in sales may not continue, and one number doesn't mean everything. Always look at the BIG picture.

We're back with a little help from our former selves to recap and revisit another popular episode from the past!

Episode 007 (not to be confused with Bond, James Bond) aired almost two and a half years ago. In Covid years that must be something like a decade, right? This episode was so important to us, and to all of you, because we talked all about meeting your clients where they're at and the steps to take to ensure equal presence and opportunity amongst your client base. We want to recap and also feature some new, exclusive content for you all to expand on these super important ideas.

Once upon a time, in Episode 007, we began a conversation about meeting clients where they are by discussing the levels and tiers of Disney hotel rooms.

Disney has over 30,000 hotel rooms ranging across 27 different resorts (and that doesn't even count the off-park hotels and rooms!) The resorts are split between three important categories:

• Value resorts make up about 30-40% of the overall rooms in Disney. They're great for families on a budget who still want that magical Disney experience.
• Moderate resorts are slightly bigger, slightly more expensive, and include some extras that value resort rooms don't have (private bathrooms, less walking from the park shuttles for the end of those long days when you're dogs are barking real loud).
• Deluxe resorts are the quintessential Disney hotel experiences, including fan favorites like the hallmark Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Disney vacation club. They make up about 20-25% of the overall rooms in Disney and are the top-of-the-line, bucket-list type experience.

Disney's hotel room level system aims to get all guests where they are so that everyone can enjoy Disney magic no matter what the circumstances may be. So what does this breakdown mean for your business?

Breaking down the ascension model

This is called an ascension model, which works like a ladder of different valued opportunities for your clients! Your ideal client is someone who WANTS to work with you, and if that person can't afford certain services it's important to meet them where they're at using this model.

Here's the gist:

Create a ladder of different value offerings that can grow WITH your client. As they advance their business, opportunities to work with you further also advance and become available to them.

This episode also discussed how you can reward loyalty for your client base. At Disney, they use the Disney Vacation Club (which we are both proud members of!) Maybe you are trying to sell someone into a deluxe model of your business offerings, add in something extra or a special value that you've already built into the pricing on the backend. This will give the appearance of a loyalist reward that won't break your bank. 💰

Such great information, right?! But we have even more in this updated episode, here are some ways we've been reflecting and creating ideas on this subject over the last 2.5 years:

1. We still very much believe in the ascension model, and even see it working for clients as recent as a MONTH ago. That said, we want to remind you that there's a lot of strategy that goes into an ascension model – ask yourself what step does your client need before this product, and what step do they need before they're ready for this product: this is how you can create a model.
2. Yasmine shared her personal experience with this model that she uses in her product-based business as owner of Lunar Drift Apothecary. She talked about ways that she ensures having products that serve everyone at any point in their crystal journey. Most importantly, she recommends a range in pricing for your products, much like the range of prices that you can find Disney ears in at the parks!

It's so weird listening to episodes that aired in "pre-COVID times." Episode 13 aired over two years ago! It seems like so much of the world, and how we work within it, has changed. We wanted to revisit this important episode, and the tips we shared in it, to remind you and ourselves that maybe things aren't as different as they feel.

To recap: Episode 13 discussed the importance of knowing business trends and how to prepare for the slow seasons throughout the year.

When we look at the Disney Parks model it shows that December is the busiest month in the parks and late August is the slowest due to hurricane season. If we follow that trend, you can almost never find discounts for Disney in December, but see a lot more in line with the slower months. Obviously, this is no coincidence, and the tactic is meant to drive up foot traffic during the quiet months.

We also discussed offers that hit consumer "pain points," such as Canadian exchange rates, and how Disney offers too-good-to-ignore deals that make expenses much easier to swallow for their Canadian guests. 💰

What's most important to us with this Summer Series is to provide YOU with updated information and data from the first time you listened to these episodes.

That said, we did have some important things to add knowing what we now do about living through such unprecedented times:

1. If you're a new business owner, DON'T look at 2020 as a sales comparison point. If you have data and sales from 2019 that is where you'll want to make your estimates because the last two years are definitely no reflection of how the next two years will look!

1. Think about what you CAN do to ensure consistent sales, such as smaller, more consistent promos, or regular coupon offers. Think micro, not macro, and remind your audience that you are still there during your slow season.

The new takeaways from Ep. 13:

• Business won't be apples to apples when referencing your pandemic sales, don't reflect on those numbers and begin preparing for busier times.
• When it's slow – don't check out!

In this new episode of Pixie Dust & Profits, we discuss how Disney has made their 50th anniversary an event you won't want to miss – and can't miss, even if you tried!

Inspired by our last trip through the Orlando airport, we were blown away by the effort Disney made to ensure their 50th-anniversary "sticks" in the minds of visitors and, honestly, anyone who travels through the Orlando airport.

Tune in as we break down this marketing magic and discuss how you can apply the same "stickiness" that Disney perfected and implement it into your very own business, too.

Listen now and discover:

• How Disney is promoting their 50th Anniversary
• What you can do to make your business "stick"
• Why you need to talk about your business more than you do

Your small business takeaways:

• Consistent branding and incredible customer experiences will make your business "stick" in the minds of your customers.

Links:

• The Profitable & Productive Party
• March 24th, 2022 Masterclass

Each week, we come to you with ideas from the Mouse on how you can better run your online business. This week we're joined by Misty Henry, the creator of The Makers Resource Shop who is on a mission to help makers build successful and safe businesses. If you're a small shop, you won't want to miss Misty's golden nuggets on compliance and consumer safety laws, especially if you sell goods used by children. As a member of our Profitable & Productive Party, she also shares how she's seen incredible business growth an increase in revenue!

We talk about how accountability and support really helps when you're looking to reach that next stage in business.

Listen now and discover:

• The first steps to take when creating a product for children
• Regulations for compliance and safety laws of children's products
• How Misty doubled her business revenue multiple years in a row, and what you can find inside the Profitable & Productive Party
• Questions to ask yourself as a business owner when making decisions

Your small business takeaways:

• How to get your business ready for growth through improving your product and operations
• You can create more impact by doing less and focusing on the next best step for your business.

Links:

• The Maker's Resource Shop
• The Profitable & Productive Party
• Find Your Focus Masterclass

Each week, we come to you with ideas from the Mouse on how you can better run your online business. In this episode, we're talking about how important it is to do the pre-work before you make your trip to Disney and how you can apply this to your business launches. Tune in as we discuss the planning we do before we take a trip to Disney and how doing this same pre-work can benefit your business. If you have launches coming up, or you're planning for major growth this year, you'll want to tune in! Listen now and discover:

• The three questions we ask to plan our Disney trips
• How to apply this same pre-work concept to your business launches
• Why this strategy will create long term business growth for you and your team

Your small business takeaways:

• Doing the pre-work before a business launch is vital to your success!

Links:

• Wish Upon a Planner
• Pixie Dust & Profits Masterclass
• Join our Patreon

Each week, we come to you with ideas for how you can better run your online business like Disney — and even a few things that you don't want to do like Disney! This episode is about the latter, for once. In this episode, we're discussing the seemingly endless construction at Disney World, specifically at Epcot. When we visited in October 2021, we were shocked by how much construction was happening in full view of the park goers! This was OK for us because we've been so many times, but we couldn't help but think how this would affect someone who was making their first trip to the parks. It also made us think about small business owners, and how they often are a "work in progress" in full view of their clients and customers. If you're always working on something in your business, and it's affecting the experience people have when they visit your site or buy from you, it's time to get focused! Tune in as we hash out the 6 phases of business, which pillar you need to focus on, and how to avoid the chaos of construction! Listen now and discover:

• The endless construction at Disney, specifically at Epcot
• Impact of COVID on Disney's projects and timelines
• Avoiding "Squirrel Syndrome" during construction
• 6 phases of business

Your small business takeaways:

• Choose the business phase you want to focus on and execute it well!

Links:

• Stop Chasing Squirrels