578. "I'm not profitable yet and running out of money! How can I move the needle fast?" | Coaching Session

When you have the right strategies and you know how to scale it. I think three years is an average amount of time to jump to a million. Now, everyone listening might be like, I've been doing this for years and I'm nowhere near that. It's just because we come up with an idea and we start to make it, we jump straight to selling it and then think, okay, if I sell it, it's gonna sell. But then there's like a lot of, I think, foundational stuff that's skipped and missed that actually prevents us from scaling and hitting those goals that we want. Hi, Jacob. I'm Jacqueline Snyder and this is the Product Boss podcast. I've helped launch and grow thousands of product based businesses, even one of my own. And over the last 20 years, I've seen behind the scenes of businesses just like yours. Whether they are makers, manufacturers, artists, or food and beverage businesses. I have spent so many hours studying it all. I've discovered what makes them successful, what are mistakes they could avoid, how did they turn an idea into successful business? And what are strategies they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers. This is what this show is all about. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to become a million dollar product boss, I'm here to give you the permission to chase your dreams no matter how big or small. All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strategy and support, and you too can be the next million dollar product boss. Let's do this. Hey. Hey, Product boss. And welcome back to another episode of the Product Boss podcast. I'm Jaclyn Snyder and I am your product business coach and expert. And I want you to see behind the scenes what it's like to be coached. So in today's coaching session, we're gonna go behind the scenes with Carissa of Wag and Wonderful. She sells beautiful high end harnesses and bows for dogs with timeless classic patterns. She's poured a lot of money into her business and now she really needs to start moving the needle and turning up her profit. We're going to explore all the ways she can do this because honestly, she's missed the foundations. Now, she's not alone in this. I have seen so many product bosses go from coming up with their idea to making their product and then jumping to sales, but they have kind of skipped the steps in between that. Right? The steps from idea to selling. Now, don't get me wrong, she's got a great business, but in this episode, we're really going to dig in to help her. Right, from nailing her marketing and her language, figuring out how she can stand out in a crowded market, and exploring ways to increase her wholesale orders, all while bringing her more customers. Yep. I know you all want more customers, and you all want to stand out in a crowded market, so hopefully this episode teaches you some of those points. Now, whatever your business, you're going to find something to apply to your own situation. So let's dive into it with Carissa. Okay, Carissa. So tell me a little bit about Wagon. Wonderful.

Wagon Winter is a dog accessory line we started in 2020. We make harnesses, collars, bows and bow ties, leashes, waist bag holders. And the whole reason I started the brand was because I wanted a bow tie on a harness for my dog, who was in my shop at the time. I used to own a women's clothing store.

You were just like, he'd be really cute in a bow tie.

He would.

So let's make one. I love how ideas, how businesses get started.

Yeah, exactly. He was a shop dog. He needed to dress up.

Yes. And then. And what was your shop that he was in?

It was like a contemporary boutique back in the day when Juicy was cool and true religion and all that good stuff. So.

Okay, so, yeah, a trendy boutique. Amazing. Okay, so right now it sounds. And you can tell me if I've got this right, but in the form that you filled out, that your biggest struggle is finding and getting in front of your people. So let's dig into your struggle. Get into it for me.

Okay, so I've been around since 2020, and I have tried so many different avenues of trying to reach my people online. I obviously have some experience with brick and mortar, but the online world is hard. And so I started out trying Facebook, Instagram ads. Wasted thousands of dollars doing that and growing a list that I feel like never converts. People open my emails, but they don't click on them. It doesn't have the good rate of people that should be buying. Like 30% is what I'm aiming for, and it's just not happening. I do some Google Ads and they're converting, but it's taken a long time.

Okay, so tell me the sales channels that you currently sell on.

Right now I have a Shopify platform. I do fair for wholesale, and then I do in person events and in person wholesale.

Okay. And so talking about those streams of revenue, what does it look like, the percentage of your revenue coming from each part?

I think I've got about 80 to 85% coming from in person events, maybe 10% from my website and 5% from wholesale. So what? I'm guessing I don't have the numbers right in front of me, but roughly.

Okay. And what are your bestsellers?

It's a toss up between my collars with bow ties and my harnesses with bow ties. So since most of my sales come in person, it tends to be when there's events where there's dogs that can attend, they buy the harnesses with the bows. And then off season, where they're indoors and people don't bring their dogs, they buy more collars with those.

Okay. And so are you said you're typically in North Dakota. I know right now you're in Florida, but is that where you do the in persons? Do you travel? Like, where are the in person?

Yeah. So I've done some of the renegade events. I did one in Santa Monica that did not go well. It was their first time at a new location. I've done two or three in Chicago that went really well. I've done Minneapolis and then I do a bunch of them in my home state. I've been down here in Florida all winter and I'm contemplating a move just partially for the business.

Partially, sure. And the weather.

Exactly.

You're like, I think the dog collars would be better here. The cool thing about, like Florida and California is that at least in Southern California, we have markets all year. Like, we don't have to close due to weather or need a location inside. So there is an aspect of being able to have that in person, but in person is not sustainable forever for the growth that you want to get your business to. So what would you like to see your revenue jump to? Like where you're at now and where would you like to go?

Right now I am at about $40,000 a year, and I would like to get to that six digits this year.

Okay, so basically more or less doubling.

Yeah. And then you said a million within five years. If it could. I don't know if that's a too big of a goal, but I think it takes.

I think. No, don't let's. We won't put that out there. When you have the right strategies and you know how to scale it. I've seen businesses do it in under a year and I've seen like with paid ads, and then I've seen it naturally happen within three years. I think three years is an average amount of time to jump to a million. Now everyone listening or you might be like, I've been doing this for years and I'm nowhere near that. It's just because we come up with an idea and we start to make it and we jump so many. We jump straight to selling it and then think, okay, if I sell it, it's gonna sell. But then there's like a lot of, I think, foundational stuff that's skipped and missed that actually prevents us from scaling and hitting those goals that we want. So we'll dig into that. So we'd like to get to 100k this year, which would be doubling more or less. Okay. And 80 to 85 is in person. So what would you like to see grow wholesale or website?

Ideally, I would love to see my website grow more than my wholesale because it's less work.

But okay, so you bigger margin, everything has work. I think that it's really on autopilot. But the thing about having your own website is that it's not borrowed land. Right. I believe everybody should have their own online sales machine. They should have their own website. No matter whether it's your number one stream of revenue or it's second, third. But it's your own online sales machine that's not borrowed, it's yours. You own it in the way of if you get hacked, obviously that happens, but otherwise it's your cozy shop on the Internet, including your email list. You own that. Everything else is borrowed. So whether we're selling on other people's platforms, whether we're growing an audience on social media, all of that is borrowed. And I think it's a combination between what you own and what you borrowed and it's this mix together that will build that kind of. First there's the foundational part and then there's the idea of the multiple sales channels, the multiple streams of revenue that are almost like gasoline on the fire. I can use, I can just keep going with cliches, but it's. If we can build something solid and I think a lot of people start off like you where they're selling in person because it's one of the easier ways to like, you make something and you want to sell it and you're like, great, I'm going to go do an in person market. That's the easiest way. Let's get in front of your customers, which is excellent in terms of you getting feedback, getting off the ground, like understanding what your customers want. And then there's the scalability. So while Multi Stream Machine does teach you how to. And you're a student in Multi Stream Machine, it teaches you how to get more sales channels. There's this other aspect that I think we can focus on today, which is how to build your own online sales machine. You wanted to focus on moving the needle more quickly in your business. So what do you have to work on that will increase your visibility in sales and you want to get focused on the efforts for bigger wins.

You said, I'm just, we haven't been profitable yet and we have to start being that soon because I'm out of money to do anything.

Okay, so you're not profitable yet. Good to know. So you're making everything yourself?

No.

Who's making.

You don't want me to sew anything. I. I use a fair trade organization in India now. I started in the US but needed to bring the cost down.

No worries. It's wonderful. So listen, we all make and manufacture in different places in different ways. I was just coaching someone else who said people are excited that it's made in America or made in Alaska, but they don't want to pay the prices and.

Right.

We can't expect the general customer or consumer to be able to understand our businesses. And I say that in the way of you're like the per piece price or like minimum wage is this and like they don't care. They only care how it benefits them in the end. And there's the value that they find in your product and then the price and if those match the value that is there, their desire, if it solves a need, want or desire for them and then there's the price point and then you're in front of the right customers then and it's a match, then we make the sale. So sometimes it might be that we're not in front of the, we're not going to the right customers, we're not selling in the right places or we're not establishing your brand in a way that's going to convert into sales. Does that make sense? I want to stress this point that just came up. Most products can thrive at a number of different price points. It depends on where they're manufactured, the materials used, order quantities and more. But the question is, how will each of those decisions affect your cost and will your ideal customer care about that in the end? Because honestly, my friends, this is where it comes down to product market fit. So your website is wagon wonder.com yep. So selling bow ties, does that mean that it's only for male dogs?

No, we do bow ties and then we do sailor bows as well. They can be worn in lots of different places on the color of the harness.

So they buy A harness from you, and it comes with a bow, and they can move the bow around.

Our bestsellers are bundled. They can get everything separate as well. But the bundle is what sells.

What would I buy separate?

Like another bow, if you wanted two bows or some people aren't into bows, so they just buy the harness because they want cute prints.

Okay, so if we're looking at your bestsellers, would you say more people just buy the harness and less people add the bows, or would you say the harness and the bow is like the absolute bestseller?

The combo is the bestseller. Okay.

And then people who just buy the collar or just buy the harness by themselves, what percentage of people buy that?

I would say five to seven, probably percent.

So super low. Okay, so in my framework on, like, how the foundational parts of building your business, so you're in multi machine, but there's this new framework I've introduced. I have a new program called product biz school, and there's a framework to that, and it's these different stages of business. So it's ideate it, make it, brand it, market it, sell it, and operate it. Okay. And so what I see people do is they come up with an idea and they make it, and they jump straight to selling it. But they've skipped over the parts of building the brand on, like, really truly understanding the customer, understanding what the customer desires or a problem they might have, and then building, like, a brand around it as well as understanding what they're offering. Right. What the offer is, what your idea is, what you're selling that people want to buy. And then what you're talking about is like, how to get customers. Right. How to get that traffic, how to get those customers to your website to get them to convert. And finally, like, I started it with building an online sales machine. So how do we then turn wagonwonder.com into an online sales machine that can start to help you double your revenue so you're not completely reliant on in person? Makes sense.

Yep.

So for you, the first part would take me into the ide part of it all. I think that success leaves clues. I'm gonna use a few cliches, and numbers don't lie. So by you telling me that 5 to 7%. Ish. So a very small percent, whatever it is, buy them separate. I would suggest to you, you stop selling them separate. Because the thing that makes your brand different, what you started off with was bows, whether they're sailor bows or bow ties. So why compete with other collars and other harness companies that can still do fabric. Right. When your thing is not only the combinations of the prints that you're using, but also the, like, romantic part of a bow.

Okay. That makes sense.

I think when we give people too many decisions, it's hard for them to buy. So if I go to your shop and I go to walk and I find the harness, there's. There's the harness. There's a leash. I can't find the bows very easily. I don't know if I guess you added on.

Yeah, they're aware.

Okay. It's too many things for somebody. They're not even going to know how to navigate this site, so they're not going to know how to buy from you. So we have to make it really simple. If when I land on your page, the whole thing is about bows and you have this really cool stop motion that shows harness and a collar with the bows switching around.

Mm.

But I can't buy that thing easily. Then I'm not gonna spend time looking for it. That's like the general consumer. They're busy. Their dog's barking at them. Their kids want something, a phone. They get an Instagram reel notification. Like, they're out. So we really have to see, like, how do we just show them exactly what they need or what they want, what you're showing them and make it really easy for them to find it. Click on it, Add to cart, check out.

Okay.

Because your stuff is beautiful and romantic, and it's almost like the Bridgerton of dogs. Like it is.

Yeah.

It's amazing. It's romantic. It's reminds me of Cuffs Couture, like, the way that my brand used to be with. Just very romantic and glamorous. So you've got it all in the photos. When we're trying to be something to everyone, then we stop selling to anyone. So I would love for you to just go all in on the thing that makes you different, which is bows, I think. How about the bandanas? How do those do?

I'm phasing them out. Too many people do them.

Okay. And then you have harnesses, collars, leashes, waist bag holders. Waist bags. How about all that? Does that all sell?

Yeah. The waist bag holders, they usually want to coordinate y. And I'm redoing leashes, so I'm just phasing out what I have until I get something more romantic that fits with the. The line a little bit better.

From the leashes.

Yeah. Trying to do, like, Mac, maybe macrame, or.

I like the colors that you have the thing. There are a Lot. But the thing that's different is if yours coordinate to your harnesses and your collars.

Okay.

So if you just showed me the leash and I saw like your leashes hanging up. Yeah. I probably would pass by them because the leash is a leash. You pick the color, you pick the length, whatever. But because yours right now are coordinating with your prints, it makes so much sense for me to buy all of it. So I think solo, they feel like, okay, they're just leashes. But when you showed the whole set and it's got the dark green leash, a solid green velvet collar with a bow, a floral. I like need to buy this for my grandma because it's not saying it's. My grandma loves like English rose gardens and she's got a girl dog. My dogs would have velvet and be dapper boys. But it's so beautiful and it reminds me of like her rose china from England. It's. But that whole thing together is why I would buy all of it from you because it makes so much sense together.

Sure. And I was just doing those for special occasions, like putting out the whole set at Christmas time or Black Friday. So maybe that could be my bundle.

Bundle or just how you merchandise your collections. Do you know your competition? Do you know people who exist in the world that are doing like that are big?

Like the Foggy Dog does some stuff, but they're not real big in the harnesses, which is why I started the brand. Who does harnesses?

Well, okay, I'm looking at the Foggy Dog because they did. It looks like they did a collab with Rifle Paper Company.

Yeah.

So this is a part that when we're building our companies and we come up with the idea, we don't necessarily understand who our competition is. There's a lot of people who don't necessarily do the research or really understand why this company does better than other companies. And then also how we're going to stand out in the market against them. Hey, real quick, do you want to know what makes a successful product based business? You know the type of businesses who are making the most sales right now and even standing out against the big guys? Well, successful businesses this year are the ones who have nailed their core four foundational pillars. That's right. So here are the four things that they are nailing to stand out in a crowded market and get more sales. One, they're known for something. Two, their brand messaging speaks directly to their ideal customer. Three, they know what to sell and how to price it. And four, they have have an easy to Implement marketing plan. So if you want to get consistent sales and grow your business, you must nail down these four foundational pillars. If you're someone who's struggling to get customers, make sales, or stand out in a crowded market, whether you're just starting out, you've been doing business for a while, or maybe you've even grown big, but you're feeling like you're hitting a plateau, then, my friend, the chances are that you might be missing one or more of these pillars. But don't worry, because I am so excited to tell you that I am hosting a brand new masterclass where I'm going to give you my four step playbook to stand out in a crowded market and get more customers so that you can grow your business no matter what you sell or where you sell. So if you want to join now and get your free spot, it's going to be amazing. All you have to do is head to the productboss.com/playbook to grab your seat today. That's the productboss.com playbook and I'll see you in there. Now back to the show. So the Foggy Dog. I go to that and I see Rifle Paper company as a collab and it makes so much sense. It's actually very feminine. Very feminine, very floral. Could potentially even be like southern. So knowing that they exist and that you are doing bows and you're doing florals, how would you say that wagon wonder can stand out on its own? What would be a differentiator for your customer?

Yeah, our harnesses differentiate us because they don't do them. They started making just a real simple version of a harness. But that's what makes us different and harnesses are safer.

So let's take a little deeper, okay? Because the harness is a style and they could easily come out with a harness tomorrow and you wouldn't stand out. So what is a customer craving? That they come here and they're like, this is fine, but I wish I had X. Like what makes you not the product, but because you're doing prints and florals or checkers or gingham. Do you understand who your customer is? Maybe like what her house looks like she wears? Do you understand? Do you know her fashion enough that you know how she wants to fashion her dog?

I feel like she's me, okay? I'm very girly in my prints and I love.

So who do you wear? What do you love? What brands do you love or wish you could buy?

My favorite is Rebecca Taylor, has been forever. Love her. I haven't been shopping since COVID that much. I feel like I don't know very much anymore. Joy. I love Joie.

Okay, so Rebecca Taylor isn't as heavy in prints as like your brand in a way. Like, she's a little bit more so if we think about the Foggy Dog and Rifle Paper Co. Because Rifle's done collabs with, they have Pajama Co. Like they've worked with, they've done pajamas, they've done all this stuff. And so we think about Rifle. Actually, who's going to tell me what their aesthetic is? ChatGPT. I just want words for what I want. Okay, so this is what ChatGPT tells us. Rifle Paper Company is known for its whimsical, colorful and hand painted designs that blend vintage and contemporary styles. Their aesthetic is characterized by bright, bold colors paired with floral and botanical motifs as well as illustrations of animals, peoples and people and objects. These designs often feature a mix of intricate pattern and simple, clean lines. Creative, creating a distinctive, cheerful and somewhat nostalgic feel. Rifle Paper Co's products range from stationary and greeting cards, blah, blah, blah. They they use gold foil accents, cursive topography and palette that includes both pastel and vibrant hues that further enhances the brand signature style. So I say this because if we get an understanding in words of what they stand for, we can then decide. And I know it's not the Foggy Doggy because the Foggy Doggy is its own thing, but let's just say we go with. Actually, let me ask the aesthetic for the Foggy Doggy. Let's see what they say. Okay. So their aesthetic can be described as sophisticated, modern and slightly whimsical, with a strong emphasis on design and functionality. The brand often uses a palette, muted colors alongside bold and playful patterns, which can include florals, geometrics and animal motifs. The materials used are premium, often econ friendly, blah, blah, blah. So the concept here is like thinking about some people don't like pastels, some people do. Right? Some people like bold, some people don't. That's if we think about designers and stuff like that. Like you go where you're attracted. So Farm Rio has a very, it's a Brazilian company, but a very bright, bold aesthetic with like big shapes and toucans and birds and stuff. So I think the more you work on your brand, it's really honing in on your brand, like the aesthetic of your brand and why somebody would be attracted to you more than the styles, like more than the physical goods like the collar and the harness. And then thinking about if I was going to a store and they were buying Foggy Doggy and I rolled in with mine, how would mine stand out? How would it be different then? What are the elements I'm bringing to it to make it seem different now? It could be very similar. It could be different, like maybe yours. Like you said, you use velvets. Maybe it has deeper hues to it. It could be really similar. And then it's just another version of it. Cause there's also brands out there that are similar. But what would you say?

I would say I was trying to be a little bit less playful and whimsical and go a little bit more towards following home decor a little bit more. I used to home decor, textiles designer on one collection, and those are my best selling prints now. And I feel like that's the direction I'm moving.

Okay, so tell me a little bit more about that.

Her prints are gorgeous. She does florals, she does animals, she does botanicals. I feel like they're a little less whimsical and a little bit more sophisticated. She's got a really cool ink blot print, which is my absolute best seller.

And so you're buying her prince?

Yes, I buy her prints and then we work together behind the scenes to change them up a little bit just for us.

Amazing. Okay. You're working with a textile designer who does a lot of interiors. Chatgpt says her aesthetic focuses on fresh, traditional designs, offering a range of fabrics and all classic patterns of modern colors. And it's a balance between timeless elegance and contemporary flair. How do those words feel to you?

I feel really good.

Okay, so I do like the word for you being classic patterns with modern colors. So with that said, if you can find the words, like for your brand, if we can really figure out what your brand's aesthetic is, it's the idea of fresh traditional designs or classic patterns with modern colors. So that means that things aren't like so far out there or like little dog heads or whatever, but like, you do a lot of gingham. It looks like your gingham sell well.

Yeah, I just brought those in. I was thinking if I do like a collection that's only on Amazon because I'm still playing with that in my head. I wanted something more basic and they've actually been selling really well.

Yeah. So Amazon or not Amazon, gingham is very. Or plaid is very classic. I cat is classic. So there's a. So I think there's the idea of like classic prints with modern colors.

Sure. I like that.

Classic patterns with modern colors. And then again, the other words are like, timeless elegance, contemporary flair. Right. And you can keep playing with these words, because when someone. When we want to visually create what the dog owner sees, they come here and they're like, oh, I belong, or I don't belong. Some people aren't into that. Some people might want the farm Rio collar or my God, my kids. I would have never picked this collar for my dogs. But we ran. Like, my big dog lost his collar. So my husband was like, told the kids, go pick a collar for him. They picked a sushi collar. Like, it's just like, sushi print. It's not my style. Right. I would have gone with your, like, red velvet. So there's a customer for everyone.

Sure.

And so we all dress our dogs or cats or whoever, our animals in a certain way. I've done a lot of equestrian, for example, and people. I've done sparkly, bedazzled equestrian. I've done just leather work, equestrian, all the things. Okay. So that's one part, I think, of clarifying your brand, understanding who your competitors are, and then how you would stand out in the market against them. And when you brought up Rebecca Taylor, she is very much about classic. Right. Modern, but classic. It's like, you could buy stuff from Rebecca Taylor and you don't feel like it's going to go out of fashion next season. And that's the same concept for your stuff. It doesn't go out of fashion. It's not a here today, gone tomorrow sort of situation. It's something that feels very classic, very timeless, but just modern.

Sure.

I think that foundationally, if we can pull you back into that and knowing, like, how you stand out and understanding who your customer is and you deeply resonate when they see your stuff. It's okay if some people are like, this is not for me. And it's fantastic when people are like, oh, my God, I love everything here. The I love everything here person means you've hit that customer target market on the head. People are like, it's not for me. Great. It means you did the right thing, too. You're like, yep. And then you're gonna have the people in between. If you think about it as, like, a linear line with, like, your ideal customer being at one end and all the way at the other end is not your ideal customer. There's all the people in between. I may have never bought the sushi collar, but my kids happen to. So we bought into that brand when it might not have been My brand. So I might be closer to the not ideal customer, but somehow ended up buying something. Then you have people that are like, I like. I actually really like your solids and I'm not so into prints, but I'm going to buy some of your solids or people who are like, I really like some of your prints. And there's going to people who are like, I want everything here so we can still have that general range of customer. We have to know exactly who we're speaking to so that we're very clear on our marketing and our messaging and our visuals and the product we create.

That's the hard part for me. Why is it hard making all the visuals match behind the brand?

I think you're doing it. So I think your photography looks good. I think you've got an image of a cute, like, cavalier and matching mom and like green hat. I think you're actually doing really well. Well with your visuals. It's just going to be when you pick your collections of your prints that, you know, like, you answer the question for yourself and you're like, is this oh, wagon wonder or is it not? Does this match my timeless prints with modern colors or does it not?

Okay.

And if you can't say that it's timeless, then maybe you don't pick that fabric. The other thing I think that you're doing that Foggy Doggy doesn't look like they're doing necessarily is different prints in one product.

Right.

Which is another cool thing that you're doing. Would you say that's true?

Yes. My reversible harness. Yep.

But your stuff is. So your stuff is reversible.

My harnesses are reversible. Everything else is just single. Yeah.

So it's also letting people know that. Right. Because it's. It's got. It's a two in one look or three in one. Like, you can change the look, you can style it. And then I think it's also showing that. So there's this cool thing that, like, it's interchangeable, but it's fashion for dogs. So you're actually creating another thing that makes you stand out is that it is, I don't know, like a three in one look or a two in one look. And you're like, they're reversible. So you can do all one print up or you can do a print with the other print up. Like you show them the idea that they can create multiple looks with one product.

Okay.

So a little bit more fashion bought into this, a little bit more coordinate, like coordinating prints and Patterns and solids. Like it's coordinating is a is a good word for you to use.

Sure.

Nailing your branding, nailing your messaging, and being able to put your brand aesthetic into words is so beneficial. But it can also be hard to find those words when we're so close to the product. And I don't blame you. We weren't all trained in marketing and branding and messaging. You're creative, but it is something that you want to understand and nail because this is the way that you're going to connect with your ideal customer and get them to buy. So one way to think about it is to look at the competition, whether it's in the same category or not, and try to define their aesthetic. Then you want to narrow it down into the words that resonate with you and your brand while removing those that don't. You'll then have a clear way to describe your brand to others and know how you can visually represent the brand across all of your marketing. So your question was, where do I need to focus to move the needle more quickly in my business? What projects do I need to work on? One is going to be honing in on this ideal customer and differentiating your brand. I would say go back into your website and I would like to see your website cleaned up. If you're phasing things out, maybe take them off the website and only sell them in person since 85% of your sales are happening there anyways.

Sure.

And clean up your site to be very clear in what I can buy, I can buy colors and harnesses. They come with bows. And you're constantly showing coordinated collections. So you might have the lavender blot collection or like the. Whatever. Blot. It's not the sexiest word. So like, you come up with a collection and then you let someone bring up the collection and then they can see there they can find the collar with the bow, the harness with the bow, the leash, the dog bag holder. Like, you show it to me that I can find it one place and I can find it in multiple places. So again, going back to your competition, I would look at how they are merchandising it on the website and how they're showing their products.

Okay. I feel like that's something that we do similarly to a lot of dog brands right now. Being out there and hitting up wholesale accounts. I've started to find that we are almost resonating better with boutiques that sell women's clothing versus dog boutiques just because of the fashion aspect and the ability to show different looks. I Think that people that work in stores like that are better at selling it than dog people. So maybe I need to focus on changing it up and making it a little bit more like a clothing store versus a dog store or in navigation. Does that make sense?

I think the other thing that they show. So I'll share it with you and then this is how it makes sense for a customer to see it. So on the competitor, right, it's the Evergreen collar walk set. So that's when we say bundle at the product boss, set kit, whatever word makes sense in the market you're in. So what they're showing is they're showing the collar with the leash, with the doggy bag holder, all in green. They show it to you all together. And it's called the set. It's normally $121. You can buy it for 99. Then they show it again. They show the three pieces together. Then they actually show all the different things that can coordinate with it. Okay, so see how they're showing, like their collars and their bandanas that are all in green tones. And the next photo is just another shot of the set. And then it's being worn by a dog. The whole set is on a dog. And it shows you on a small dog and a big dog because people will buy what they see. So if you only show it to me on a small dog, only people with small dogs might buy it. So having a variation between dog sizes, again with your harnesses, if they're only meant for small dogs, then you show it with small dogs. But if big dogs can wear it, then you're going to want photos because people buy what they see and they cannot imagine it. You show me not a big dog. I cannot imagine it for my chihuahua. You show me on a Chihuahua. I cannot imagine it for my golden ch. My golden doodle, whatever dog. Then the other thing they have is below, they say complete the look. And I love that. And I love that for you because what it does is it merchandises within your website to show people look. These are other products you can add to cart that will set the look. Now where they could have probably done this different was have other coordinating bandanas or bows or collars with it. Because this is basically what you're getting in the set. But you can see, let's pick another color so their pink one. Same thing. We see it on a dog. We see it coordinated with all these other pieces and then it complete the look underneath. So then you're. It's making sense to people. Oh, I Can buy this set of a collar, leash and dog bag holder. And I can add in the hot pink lady dog bow. So. So this is what I'd love for you to look at, how competitors might be photographing it, how they might be coordinating or setting it up on their Shopify site or their website to be able to show you different ways that you can merchandise and sell to customers. Because probably one of the reasons your site doesn't convert is because it's confusing and it's hard to navigate and the user experience is so important to move people through.

Got it. That makes sense.

Any questions about that?

No, it's really clear.

So with the clarity of the place that I think you're going to just need to tighten up is in that foundational part of it, which is the branding. So I think as soon as you can tighten up your branding, you can then start to tighten up your social with the same kind of brand message, you'll understand who your customer is and why they would follow you on social media, why they would opt into your email list, and what do they need to see Visually, I think the secondary part that you said, oh, it makes sense that we could sell to women's fashion boutiques might not be like the biggest market, but it's definitely a submarket that you can sell to. Also like gift stores. Right. You'll play with the other places in which you can sell. So the next part is thinking about this. Once you nail your niche, you nail your message, you nail your branding, you nail your pricing psychology, and you nail your marketing, then you will know how to stand out in a crowded market and you will be able to attract customers no matter where you're selling. So now we're going to dive into talking about other platforms that she can sell on. Because what I know is when you stand out in a crowded market and you nail all of these foundational elements, you can sell anywhere. Let's see what we talk about here. So the last part I want to touch on is you're saying you're not showing a profit. Do you know where your profit is going?

A lot of it went to interest in financing myself last year. I have a production manager that helps me with the production in India and sourcing and all that good stuff. So a good chunk of my money went to that as well. In the early days, I was trying Facebook, Instagram, ads, all that kind of stuff to bring traffic that wasn't converting. My funnel wasn't right and I just wasn't getting in front of the right people. At that point because I didn't have the right branding and avatar picked out, I think.

So you're saying that you're in debt from other decisions you've made. But let's say for this year, the first three months of this year, if we look at what you've sold and your costs and overhead, are you profitable or what's eating your profit now?

Right now I'm profitable. Yeah. For the first three months this year, I've done well. I've done. I had a decent sized wholesale order to a dog catalog company.

Amazing.

Yeah. I'm in a couple of boutiques and a couple of in person events.

Okay.

Needs to be a lot more than I'm doing.

So the reason that people always like, God, I should have, I should not have joined that like course or program or mastermind because they're service based people. But somehow they said they could teach me about product, but they know nothing about product is that. And the reason why the product boss has been so successful and we've seen so much success for our students and our community is because we're speaking about product. The thing that people don't know, when I talk to all my service friends and they're like, should I start a product business? And I was like, you're gonna have to put a lot of money out before you ever see that money come back. And they're all, if they can sell a coaching session and they don't have to do it, they're not used to it. But then product people, we love to make things. We're creatives, we have ideas, we want to make physical products. So it does cost money to start a product business. And it sounds like, yes, you hit some snags with marketing and ads. It sounds like you've spent a lot of money on the startup part and working with this person in India and all the things that went into it. But you're telling me that you're profitable now. So what I would say is that if we can increase your revenue, if we can get you closer to that six figure mark, if you can start making more sales and what you just told me, you got a pretty good wholesale order from an online catalog you sold to a couple boutiques, you're selling well in person again, success leaves clues. So let's do more of that.

Okay.

And keep the in person, but let's raise the wholesale part and it'll be exactly like what happened for my company where I went direct to consumer. I owned my own website with Cuffs Couture. I did all of that. So I had my direct to consumer. So no one could take that from me. My E commerce site, and then I added wholesale, and then people started discovering my brand. So, like, Kim Kardashian found my cuffs, and I have a photo of her buying them for her and her sisters because they were on the shelf of another person's store.

Yeah.

So it's the same thing for you. It's like you have a strong website, direct to consumer. You still show up on. On social media. You build your. You understand how to build your own traffic to have the right foundation, and that's like gasoline on the fire. But you need to know foundationally what your product stands for, how it stands out in a crowded market, who the ideal customer is. When that all comes together, it starts to get so much easier to sell.

I love it.

Okay.

Yes. I feel better. I have some direction, maybe some hope. I feel, like, a bit hopeless lately.

So you're doing well, though. You just told me. I want you to just reflect on the fact that you just told me that you're profitable this year. That's huge.

Yeah.

Sometimes instead of making these giant leaps in our revenue, look to how you can increase your profit. Could you stay a $40,000 business but be a higher profit margin? Right.

Yeah.

You potentially could. Right. Just 1%, 2%, 5%. Those percentages will add up. You've already. You already, to me, are successful in the way that you've. You just told me a big online. A big catalog just bought from you. You're profitable. All of this is just the very beginning of what can unfold this year. And we're only in the very beginning of March when we're recording this.

Right.

So I'm glad you're feeling hopeful. That's the goal. All right, so we want to support you, buy from you, follow you. Where would we go?

You could find us on socials at Wagon Wonder, and you can find us online@wagonwonder.com.

Amazing. So cute. Amazing. Everyone, check it out. You've got great designs. And thank you for sharing this episode with everyone.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate you so much.

Thanks, Carissa.

Thank you.

When we laid it all out, Carissa had the foundations of a great business. She has a fantastic product, and she's already starting to turn a profit. So when we look at what's already working, doubling down on her bestsellers and turning up the dial on wholesale, I can see a path to hitting her goals quickly taking shape. So what did you take away from this episode? Send me a DM over on Instagram and let me know. Just message me over at the Product Boss. I'd love to hear and I love to chat in the dm. I want to see you apply this to your business and I want to see what happens. I'll see you the next time. Product Boss. Thank you for being here and listening all the way through the Product Boss podcast. If you love our show and it has helped you in any way in your business, would you mind doing two things for us? Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode and leave us a review. Reviews help other product entrepreneurs know that this is the place to be to grow their businesses and realize that they're not alone. And we know that you all know that a five star and honest review helps you sell more products to more people. So you know that your reviews help us reach more listeners around the world. Remember, what we give is is what we receive and we are all about helping each other in the Product Boss community. We are all in this together. We would be so appreciative of you if you could take the time right now to subscribe, leave a review and even share this episode on social or someone you know so we can impact more lives. And remember, subscribing means that you will get notified each time we release a new episode so you never miss a thing. You have helped us create, grow and climb into the top 10 of all marketing podcasts and together we can keep climbing. Thank you friends and remember there is room at the top for all of us.