656. "How do I simplify and streamline my products to reach six figures?" | Coaching Session

I haven't been wanting to do like such a big skill. I want to grow steady. I've been like scared to, you know, have too much inventory that I can't sell, but that, that is holding me back.

Hi, 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 mistakes they could have avoided, how did they turn their ideas into successful business? And what are the strategies that they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers. And 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, product bosses and welcome back to another coaching session. And I am so excited because today I'm chatting with Catalina. Now, Catalina is the owner of Catalina Straps and Bags, who sells a variety of different straps and bags that are handmade by an indigenous community in Colombia. I just love this brand, not only because her straps are beautiful and very cool looking, but also because she focuses on sustainability and giving back. So for every purchase, one tree is planted and 10% of the profits go back to the Colombian community. I mean, she's just doing amazing work, plus has an amazing product. Now, she's been seeing some success at her in person markets with her products, but she feels like she's all over the place with what she's selling and she's ready to simplify and streamline her business. She wants to narrow down her product offerings and figure out her next sales channel, which she thinks could be wholesale. So today we're gonna get into it, put it right. Is wholesale the right sales channel to add on? That's exactly what we're gonna help her figure out in the coaching session. So if you're ready to think about what might be next for your business, what you might wanna simplify and perhaps even streamline. And this is going to be a great episode. All right, let's jump in. Hey, hey, product bosses. I know a lot of us want to get organized. That's my word. Of the year. One of them is discipline. And it's that discipline and kind of getting organized and staying organized and really kind of minimizing my overwhelm this year. So if you're anything like me, you're probably juggling spreadsheets or you might be guessing, like, what stock do I actually have on hand or do I have enough to make these raw goods? Right? Especially if we've just come out of the holiday season and maybe you're just crossing your fingers that you have the stock levels or that when you restock, you order the right amount. But I know that a lot of times when we're sitting in inventory, it's actually just chaos. It's like, is this organized? Is it organized in my head? Is it organized on a spreadsheet? I have a piece of paper jotted down somewhere. I don't know. Right? But here's the deal. We're going to move into this year without the chaos. It does not need to feel this overwhelming. Because what if managing your inventory could actually be simple, right? Simple and not stressful and actually really informative. That's where Katana comes in. Now, I love Katana. It is the inventory management software that I have recommended for years and it's built specifically for product based businesses like yours. And with Katana, you are going to save time. You are going to know the exact details about your inventory, especially when it comes to time to reorder and how to streamline your operations, all so that you can focus on what you do best, which is being the visionary, which is being creative and making amazing products and taking care of your customers and focusing on sales. So if you are ready to ditch the overwhelm and get your inventory under control, I'd love for you to schedule your free demo for katana@theproductboss.com katana and you can see how Katana can be a game changer for your biz and make 2025 a breeze. So tell me about what you sell, what your best sellers are and where you're currently selling.

So we started as a bag company with straps that are handmade by an indigenous community in Colombia, the guayu tribe. And 10% of it goes back. 10% of the. Prof. It goes back to the community as well as one to plant it for each purchase what we want to. And we had expanded since then. We have been in business almost three years. Like in December is going to be three years. And we grew because I saw the demand for different straps. I noticed that the straps were Selling more than the bags. And I was like, okay, this is an opportunity where I can focus more on that. And then we created yoga straps, guitar straps, and the water bottle was. The water bottle holder was the last one. And that has been our bestseller. And yeah, we. What we want to promote is, like, wellness, creativity, and sustainability. We want our customers to move their body more, to be more creative. Like, you can attach your straps to your camera, to your phone, or your handbag so it can be interchangeable between activities. And as well as the water bottle to keep you hydrated, to keep you hands free, and to make you move, like, go hiking, go take a walk, take your dog out, and, like, be hands free and stay hydra. So that has been our main focus. But like I said, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by, like, oh, my God, like, how do I do marketing? Do I focus on the guitar straps? I focus on the yoga. Like, how can I, like, approach everyone? But I think the water bottle holder. I've noticed, I've done a couple of markets in la, in dc, in New York, and I've definitely noticed, like, the water bottle is something that's innovative, that people like. It seems like it's fulfilling a need. And. Yeah. So I'm kind of like thinking, what will it be next? We're very focused on sustainability. I love that. The fact that we're planting a tree for every purchase. And that's a good way to also get emails in the markets. I said, if you make a purchase, I'll send you the certificate for we. We work with one replanted and we're partners and they send the certificate for each replanted and I send it back to the customer. And that's like a way to get the email, but also give back and get them the certificate as well.

Okay. And so you're selling. So we know the water bottle strap performs the best. And then what would be the second product that you would say is that performs well?

I'll say the handbag straps, which you can use.

Not just the straps, not the bags.

Yes.

Okay.

At the beginning, we sold, like when we first did friends and family and everyone, like, the bags sold very well. But for some reason, the main focus right now, it's the markets, because that's where I sell the most. But in the markets and first, it just hasn't, like, I don't know, it just hasn't sell.

Okay, so handbag straps and then yoga or guitar straps, anything there they are.

Like, almost the same, about the same in sales, but I wouldn't say they're even as close as the bottle holder or the back strap. But I don't necessarily want to drop them off just because I mean or. Yeah, I'm just rethinking what could it be there? Because I know there is a market in those places too. Like I know a couple influencers like in the guitarist and I think it could be a good way. It's just how can I make it work for everything? Maybe now or in the future. But I don't necessarily want to drop two products, but I would love to hear your intake.

So before we say like what we will do or won't do, I just want to kind of dig in. So the 25,000 or so that you've sold worth of product, has it mainly been at the in person or are people buying from you on Instagram or through your website?

It has been in person and a couple of sales online. And currently we're trying to aim for company holiday gifting and we have my gotten one deal there. I'm gonna do more reach out as well. So mainly fairs, then E commerce and then wholesale tour company holiday gifting.

So I want to talk about the water bottle holders. Can they hold bigger bottles? So you know how there's been the trend of the Stanley and how big the Stanley is. Can these hold larger size?

They can. We do two different sizes. One for the regular water bottle, one for the 35-40 oz. Unfortunately not necessarily Stanley because it has the handle. But I actually noticed there they came out with a new product that is without the handle. But all the other ones like Hydro Flask and Swell and Contigu and like the majority of the brands that do regular big water bottles. Yes you can.

Okay. I have a student of ours that makes handbags for their vegan leather handbags and she makes handbags for women that like work. And so she's been really popular with that. And one of the things that people love about her handbags, that it always had like a water bottle holder inside, like this section of it. And then with the invention of like the Stanley, let's say, or the larger water bottles, a bigger pocket, they reinvented the cup holder. But she shows how she's making it and she changed it so that it could hold, let's say a Stanley with a handle. Because she was probably seeing that a lot of her customers were using that and it was, you know, preventing them from. It's something that people are like, oh, it takes a Stanley. Okay, I have my Stanley. I love my Stanley. Right. Because it was very much like on trend. So I'm not saying that you have to change things for the Stanley, but I wanted to show you this just because you can see how she's adjusted something that did really well for her. Where people wanted the water bottle holder in their bag and now she's done a new patent pendant version to like hold it in. Okay.

I actually have never tried the Stanley like to fit it in the big one, but my guess is it will actually fit. I should try that one.

Yeah, try it. And then, and then just right off the cuff. Like a correction for your thing is while most of your pictures are of the smaller water bottle, so my very, very, very first thing looking at your Instagram or looking at your website is okay, it's just for the smaller water bottle. What about. Because you're going for women that are trendy, right? Like the aesthetic of your brand is for tre people. So we have to think what are trendy young people drinking out of. And, and if you're going to have like a utilitarian, like a, like an accessory for something that a lot of them are using to pay attention to what that is, but then also to visually show me because I didn't know until you told me that you have two sizes and even if I'm on the product listing, I can't actually see that it, it fits two sizes. So it's like more explanation of fits two sizes. It shows me the pictures, it shows me the difference, this one versus this one. And then it allows me to make a decision for myself. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it does. We're also rebuilding our website currently, so I love that feedback because yes, the majority of the photos are taken with the regular ones and yeah, that's very helpful, thank you.

And when you do your in person markets show the product like have some of them hanging or shown with the different size bottles in there. So visually I can immediately see it and I can walk up to your booth and say, oh, I see this, I understand it. Versus if you have to explain it to people, which with Cuffs Couture I had to, I'm like, have you heard about Cuffs Couture? And I'd like open it up real quick for them to see. And I was like, I needed better visuals for them to really understand. So visually they'd be attracted and walk towards me. Because if we think about retail stores or any other way we're selling, typically our products have to sell themselves. So if they don't understand how it's used, even if your stuff was sold in a retail store. You may even need to think about packaging that has like a fake water bottle, cardboard cutout or something that it's like clipped to. You know, like how there's like sock cards or something like that. When you're thinking about retail packaging, it has to be able to sell itself off a hanger or a shelf or whatever it is. And so for your product specifically, I wouldn't know what it was unless someone told me. So you're going to want to think point of sale as well.

That's a great point. Yes. Because that's what I do in the markets. Like I do a lot of the explanation like showing and I love to engage people. Like even the bridge is passing by. I'm like here, let me show you. You know, but that, that is a great point. I need to be self explaining.

Yeah. So you know, for mine I had my cuff slipped onto a card. So it was like slipped around something and then the card had an image of like cuff plus wallet equals like cuffs couture or bracelet plus wallet equals cuffs couture. And then it had arrows showing like all the things you could put in. So for you I'm just trying to think. So I just put in packaging for socks just because it's so see how these socks have like a, they look like they're on a. They look like a paint brush. So but if we think about. I don't think I was like trying to see if there was like a foot shape that could go into it. Imagine a cardboard water bottle that was slipped in and then it was like punched through the way a sock would be. So like, so it's got, so it can be hung potentially by that or the cardboard's in there and then it's punched through because you have to think how would this be displayed in a store? So if I saw the straps, I would probably assume, okay, they're straps for a bag because I've seen that a lot. Or straps for attaching to my phone. But if I walked over and picked it up I'd be like, I don't understand this. And I'd either put it down because it was confus or I'd walk up to someone and say like what, what is this? So when you're thinking about wholesale and the great thing is because you're doing in persons, you can see what do they need to see or know and test things out for you to be prepared for like the next level of growth for your brand.

I actually that the markets have helped me A lot with that, like, how to display product. What's the perception of people with each one of them? Feedback? Yeah, it's been really great to do markets for that in that sense, just to get feedback and to see what people think and to learn how to display to improve it. Like, before the beginning of it, we were not adjustable. And that was a huge pain. It was awful. And I was like, they need to be adjustable. So we made them adjustable and it was awesome. And I'm so glad we did it. It took us a while, but yeah. So I'm happy with that. And I love that about the big water bottle. I think we should definitely do that and show it better, display it better.

So did you see what I kind of mentioned to Catalina here? Right where I want her to start. Our first step was identifying which products are her best, which thanks to her knowing her numbers, she told me were her water bottle and handbag straps. And honestly, I could tell they were pretty cool as well. And then from there, I dove deeper into her water bottle straps because that is her clear bestseller. So while she sells them really well at markets, she did mention that she was struggling to make sales online. And one of the first things I picked out was the way she was currently displaying or portraying her products online. Right. It wasn't in a way that could really let the product sell itself. So I want you to think about, how does your product sell itself? This is something that we talk about where it's. You want good photos. When you have an online store, it needs to be able to sell for you without a sales representative. Right. If we go into a boutique, into a department store, hopefully customer service is great and like, hey, can I help you with something? Right. What questions do you have? Oh, you're looking for something? Let me guide you over there. When customers don't have that online, your website really has to do the work for you. So when people land on your site and within three seconds, they know exactly what you sell, what you want them to buy. Right. Just by looking at it. Right. Because websites are way more visual than they are reading. We don't sit there and read the attention span since Twitter, with the small amount of characters to use, has really dwindled. So when I looked at her website, it wasn't totally clear to me on what she sold or what I should buy. And when your product online is not clear, you don't see that it is so important no matter what you're selling, Right. Where you're selling. Because if you can't sell your product online or you can't sell your product in person or on store shelves. The idea here is how do I get a customer to know exactly what this is and why they should buy it? So we really want your product to be able to stand alone and sell itself. So now that we know what Catalina's bestsellers are and how she can get her product to sell itself, let's dig into her simplest path forward. So you're probably not going to like what I'm going to say next because you kind of already insinuated to it. But yes, you can sell guitar straps, yes, you can sell handbag straps, phone straps, handbags with the straps, but they're already out there. And even yoga straps, they really are already out there in a lot of ways. And there's nothing so different about your product that when I say nothing so different, it's like, yes, they're made in Colombia, yes, they're handmade, yes, they're beautiful. But the thing that's really the star, the thing that's really popping out is like the Beyonce of Destiny's Child, right? Is this water bottle holder. And how you know that is it's majority of your sales. It's the thing people are buying and you're resisting going to where the money is because of your own personal attachment to the other products. Does that resonate?

Yes, that's. It does resonate. I think I'm also trying to sell to everyone, like, you know, like at the markets, like people, some people buy the guitar, some people buy the yoga, some people. So I'm like trying to reach more customers. But I know it could be not, it could not be doing good at the same time. You know what I mean? Like it could stopping me from.

Of course, like you can sell a couple, but it's not like you're telling me you're selling $25,000 worth of guitar straps alone. Like you don't have a hundred thousand dollar business where it's 25,000 in guitar straps and 25,000 in bag straps, right? And like you can look at your numbers and say, like if you look at your numbers and you say out of the 25,000, how much of that 25,000 was made from the water bottle holders? The math is not going to lie. And then you're going to be like, oh my gosh, I have all this money out making all these other products and they are not. What if I focused on these water bottle holders? The trend right now has been water bottles. And your evolution of your brand can continue to evolve into other products. The problem is, when you started, you came out with lots of products instead of being really good at one thing. So if it was the bags of the bag straps, I think you're coming at it from a strap perspective. But if you're going to sell somebody a bag, they're buying the bag more than the strap, because we don't need just another bag. People. Women buy bags with great consideration, like their shoes. It has to be a design and a style that they really want. It has to have the functionality that they want. This strap is an accessory that can, like, add on or sell to you. So another really good example of someone who's done really well at that is Claire V. Do you know that brand?

No.

Okay, so let me show you. Claire V. So this has been a brand that's been around for a long time, but has over the last few years, really a lot of, like, I'm seeing a lot of people wearing it. The Grand Fanny is, like, her best seller, which is this kind of, like, fanny pack, but it's bigger, but it's not a fanny. It could be a crossbody. This is the fanny pack, like, the Grand Fanny. And her stuff is very much about the bag and the color of the bag. But the thing that, you know, if you go to. So, like, you buy the base bag, and they're expensive, and there's lots of variations because it's a bag company. But the thing that made this company interesting is that especially if you go to the store, they have, like, lots of accessories to add on to your bag. And so you can make a short handle. The handle can droop. There's, you know, all different types of accessories, keyrings, things like that, that go on it. You can get them customized. So you can get your wallets customized. It's a handbag company. And the accessories, the straps, all that are kind of the icing on the cake. She's still going to want the. She's going to want the bag first. And then the sprinkles on top are like, ooh, I can add. I can customize. Like, I have a Grand Fanny from here. And the second purchase I made was not for another bag, but was for another version of a strap to use with it. But it's not a strap company either.

I don't think I want to focus on the bags just because, like, I've learned, actually.

Yeah, I don't think you should.

Okay, I'm glad.

Yeah. So what I'm trying to say to you is, like, when I Don't think that you should. So when you came out with your company, you came up with a lot of ideas and you added bags because you could. But the straps aren't going to be strong enough for you to build a brand around yet. The straps right now, and especially because trend can go in and out and eventually this look of straps may be out. Right. It might go into sparkles or stud again, studs or, you know, leather product. Like we never know where it's going to go. But your brand reminds me of Bandolier. Do you know Bandolier?

Yes, I've seen the Maran. They're mainly leather.

I believe so. Yes. But when they started, because I know a lot of brands since like they started. Right. Because it's my job to pay attention. So when they started, they started as just the solution to an iPhone, which was. Or your phone with a wallet attached that you could wear your phone around you. This is before it came out with like people coming out with phone cases with hooks to add straps to. They were like one of the original and they were making it chic. So it's expensive, you know, $100 for the phone case and the strap, or not expensive, but you make a choice to buy it because you're buying a more contemporary designer product. But they came out being known for. That's it. They made your phone like a phone accessory that was a crossbody phone case. Now if you look at them, they've added in bags, they have wristlets, they have other products, but at first they just had different colorways, one or two styles of the crossbody phone case. It was not all the different things. And then they evolved from that. So what I want you to see for your business is that maybe actually it's pulling back on your offering. You really establish this brand. You really are known for something. You're creative. You've got this low fuss accessory that's cool and helpful and it's got a function as well as fashion. And then the evolution of your business might actually be more than another phone strap or. Right. Like you might be in this business of inventing product that is like duo. Right. It's things that can function in two different ways. It's like low fuss, but then also pretty and attracts a certain customer that's a more like worldly customer.

Yes. Okay, I agree. So stepping back will look like maybe just going back to the bottle holders and the back straps.

I would go as far as saying, what would it look like if you focus on selling? If you were known as the bottle strap person. Like, it doesn't mean that you don't have this other product on your website right now. I wouldn't make more of it. I would not add. And what if you really worked on saying, could I make another 25,000, $50,000 in the rest of this year if I focused on my bottle straps? They're $97. It's a good product. Like, price, Price point from what it's costing you right now to what you're paying. Yeah. Like, you're making a margin, but you don't really have room for wholesale yet, Correct?

Yep.

So that's the problem. Like, you can still sell direct to consumer the way you've been doing it. And then the goal would be that you're working on growing this. This offering so that you can now be making 500 per color or a thousand per color. Right. Like, because if you stay focused on the bottle straps and the variations of colors and people are coming to you for that, then, like, you can put your resources and time into that. You can scale it versus you splitting up your money across yoga straps and bag and guitar straps and all the other things. But you're going to want to ask some questions to your partners.

Okay. Yeah, that sounds great. I have one question I've been wanting to do, like, such a big scale because I'm still trying to figure out, like, I don't want to have so much product just sitting there. Like, I want to grow steady in the sense of I don't want to have over inventory. So I know the course most likely is going to help me with that. But that's what I've been, like, scared to, you know, have too much inventory that I can't sell. But that. That is holding me in price because, yeah, it basically, like a sample price.

It's not a one or the other. So it's not like, oh, I'm gonna have to go. Jacqueline said I need to lower my price. So now I have to go order a hundred of them or 500 of them to get the lower price. No, right now it's like, right now it's okay. One, can I get a lower price so that I know that if I decide to grow and expand and sell wholesale, I actually can get. I can keep 97 as the retail price, for example, but I can get the better margins and have room in there for wholesale. We need that information up front so that you can make the choices ahead of time. So an example is that I had somebody come to me once, and she's Like, I want to do designer denim and, you know, denim that sells for $180, $250. Right. Like, she wanted to do that level of jeans, but she wanted to sell them for $25. So her. Her idea was not. There was no, no way in any way that we could ever do that. Because even if you look at the cheap, cheap companies like Zara, H and M, even Target, you're not getting the same quality of 180 to $250 Jean. You're getting jeggings, or they're not coming with the rips or, you know, so it's like, what is actually feasible and possible. So we. What I first want you to just figure out is, is it possible to get this lower than 35 bucks? If it is, what would that look like at scale? And find your price bracelet breaks. So that way, you know, it's possible, and that way, you know, you can stay at 97. And if and when you grow, then we can. You're making more. You're like, great. I know that I'm in the right margin. If they're like, we will never be able to make this less than 35 bucks. You have decisions to make. Like, they're like, even made a thousand, we can't do it less than 35, then your decision is, do I look for a new partner? Do I outsource in a different way? Do I have to raise my price and will it sell for higher price? Or maybe I'll never sell wholesale and I'll just sell direct to consumer. But you'll have more information to make that decision. Does that make sense?

Sense? Yes, it does. It does make sense. Thank you. That's very helpful.

Yeah. So don't be afraid of growth. I just want you to have the. I want you to have the information to make the right decisions.

All right? And that's. That's why I'm here and multi stream machine, too. So I'm excited to get the right information because I know, like, how important there is and, like, how much that can help. So I'm excited.

Okay, good, good, good. Did you catch that? Her simplest path forward. So can you tell what her simplest path forward is? When Catalina first started her brand, she was offering a bunch of products to see what would work. But now that she knows. Right. She's narrowed down what she's known for, and she knows, actually her bestsellers could be her hero products. Her easiest path forward is to become known as the Bottle strap brand and focus on that one product. Why? Because not only is it already selling really well, right. It's her bestseller out of all of her products. But it's very much on trend right now with the ideas like with people wanting to collect water bottles or Stanley's. Right. People are taking their own water bottles with them, so why not offer them something like these bottle straps? It makes so much sense. It's the most unique, it's the most standout product that I see that she has. And coming into this call, she thought that wholesale would be her next best step for sales. But that's not actually how I coached her, right? Because she's really not priced correctly yet and her margins aren't where they need to be to sell who. That's why I've encouraged her to dig a little bit deeper and see if she can lower her costs to make her straps, you know, slightly with a better margin. Or she may need to consider if actually raising her prices is going to help because either way I want her to have a better profit margin. Right? The margins are what pay you a salary. The margins are what pay the business where you're not pulling it from your own bank account. The margins allow for you to offer sales discounts, promotions. They allow for you to sell wholesale, they allow for you to sell on sales channels like scalable sales channels like wholesale and like Amazon. And so it's the same idea here. Now what I want to share with you is what I fully believe is that it's really important to have a direct to consumer sales channel, right? And a lot of you do where you're working directly with customers, whether it's through a marketplace like Etsy or in person or you've built a website, right? You have an E commerce site and that is your direct to consumer business. You're selling directly to them. But what I also want you to consider, and this is what we tackle inside of multi Machine, for example, because a lot of times I'm getting coaching questions from people saying, you know, I should sell wholesale, I should sell Amazon, because that's what we're known for in teaching here at the Product boss as well. But the idea here is then I want you to have a scalable sales channel. So I want you to own the land, right, that you sell on, which would be your own e comm site. That's something that we've been focusing on inside of the product boss academy. How do you own the land you sell on? Right? So we're talking about really well, high converting websites. And then once we kind of handle these foundational bits, once you Know the exact, exact steps to take in building your business. Once you feel like you've got this clear brand, you know what you're known for, you've got the sellable product, you know that you can produce this and scale when you're making your product, you know how to market, you know how to sell. Then I would say that scalable sales channel is also really important because now we've got more data and now you can scale your sales and that's when we would add on wholesale or Amazon for example. So for her, well that's the path she thought she was gonna take. Take what I want her to really think about, right. That if she wants to wholesale or does she want to keep selling direct to consumer. But she needs to see like how can she raise her margin, how can she do better? What would happen if she focused. Right. I need her to kind of figure this out before she can make the decision. So the same goes for you. If you're trying to find your simplest path forward or your next best sales channel, it is going to come down to leaning into the product that's working for you and then making sure the pricing is correct. Right. You have the right margins. And both of my programs, I focus on this because it is one of the biggest obstacles. It's one of the things that that's going to get in your way if you're not priced correctly and then it's deciding what's the next best option. I believe that you should all have your own website because it's not borrowed land. You own it all paths will eventually lead back to your website. People can discover you, they can find your brand, they can learn about it and then the other sales channels, right. If you think about a spoken a wheel or the center hub of a wheel is your is your website and then off of that are all the other places people can buy from you. Whether it's online on a social media shop or it's through a marketplace or Amazon or wholesale or you know, an in person market, all of that is out of your control. But you get to control your own website. So what I want to do now is I want to dig into what her next immediate step can be. Hey friend. Okay, I want to talk about something that I know that you really need. But so many people have all the reasons why they don't do this. We really need is we need to build an email list. I'm going to tell you that there are two things that you need as a product based business. Business. You need an email list because that is your asset, you actually own that and that's a direct communication with your customers. And you need your own website because you can't build on borrowed land. But right now I want to talk about email marketing. Because email marketing is actually the way that you are going to drive sales in your business. It's the way that you're going to stay connected. Forget thinking that social media is the way, because guess what, the algorithm chooses who they want to send your images and reels and all the things to you. But email really gets you connected with your customers. So if you feel like you're trying to connect, you're trying to sell, and you feel like you're wasting hours trying to get the job done, or you feel like you would just like an easier way. My friends, this year it's time for a change. And that change is Klaviyo. It is the number one email and SMS marketing platform that I recommend specifically for product based business owners. Did you hear that? It's for product based business owners, people who sell products online. And the reason why it's so amazing is that it's got these incredible capabilities and it's seamless with so many of the tools and the platforms that we recommend. So with Klaviyo, you can send personalized messages, you can automate campaigns, and here's the best part, you can boost your sales and your revenue without having to do much more than type in a few things into your keyboard. Okay, so Klaviyo makes your emails feel like they are talking directly to your customers. Right? Your customers are going to feel like it's a one on one conversation with you and it's super easy to set up. Even if tech is not your thing. Trust me, tech's not my thing either. And this is amazing. So if you're ready to see it in action, I'd love for you to get started for free. Now all you have to do is head to the productboss.com klaviyo. That's the productboss.com K L A V I Y O and turn your email list into your best performing sales channel that you own. Hey friends, are you unsure of what to say on social media or what to even send in your weekly emails? Well, what if creating content could be easy? Would you be looking for a shortcut to creating consistent content? Yes, consistent content. Because you know, consistency is key. Well, let me tell you, you are not alone when you feel like you're struggling on what to post or what to write in emails. And we Know that you have that product part of your business down. But as you're listening to this podcast, you probably already know that to get more people to your products, to buy your products, you need to great content. No, I. See, I keep saying content, and that's the dreaded C word. And we can't tell you how many product bosses tell us that they want to create great content for their audience and their customers, but they don't know what to say, or they are so busy they can't find the time, or they really, really, really don't want to be the face of their brand. Well, no worries, because that's exactly why we created a Year of content. It is your shortcut to creating consistent content that resonates with your audience and brings more loyal customers who can't wait to buy your products. If you want to see how easy this is and how easy it is to create content for your audience and your customers, head to www.ayearofcontent.com. so actually, what I want to go into with you now, because I don't know that wholesale is like the answer for you right now, but you did talk about corporate gifting and some other things, and that's actually what I want to kind of dig into of like how you're going to sell. Does that sound good or is there anything else you want to cover?

No, I wanted to ask you about the corporate gifting.

Okay. So it doesn't sound necessarily like the right or easiest way to sell your stuff. For me, it doesn't match your customer. Also, being $97, it's a very expensive product for corporations. It's not like a cheap product that they're buying. Cheap. Right. So it's an expensive product for $97, even if you sold it for $75. Right. It's. It's an investment on their part. So I do think that they. There's other alternative ways that you can sell. And so what other ideas did you have for the holiday season of how you're going to sell? Do you have other markets coming up?

I do have other markets coming up. We're going to LA. DC yeah.

So here's what you're up against. Stanley has $40 Stanley cup holders that have like an extra pocket Yeti. It's 40 bucks. And obviously there's like really cheap stuff you can get on Amazon. So at, at $100. 97 bucks, you're proving that people are buying them at these shows. Right. So there's, there's this level of. For your stuff Specifically, it's going to be a. It's going to be twofold. It's the, the functionality of your product that's going to hold value. That's so simple. That's so cool. Like, oh, I love it. Like, you know, it's. Your product is very much like the way that I function in my life, which is why when I created Cuffs Couture, like, I don't love a huge bag. I don't to want, want. I don't want a lot of things on my shoulder. Like, I went out today with just my credit card shoved into my phone. Like, I was really over holding anything, right? So I was like my ideal customer. My best friend at the time was literally, she had the Mary Poppins bag. So you remember like a Mary Poppins, like they pull like she pulls a lamp out of her bag. Like anything you've ever needed is in there. That's not my customer. And that's also not your customer. Your customer is like a no fuss on the go, simple solution. But it's fashion. Like, it's. It makes their life easier and it has a certain look that tells someone's looking at them something about them. So the way that you sell this product at $97 when competitors are at 40 bucks is the same way that Bandolier sells $100 to $150 phone holders versus I could go get a plastic whatever with a strap for $15. It's establishing a brand, an aesthetic and a. I see it and I know the same way that Claire V has. As you see a Claire V, and you know, it's a Claire V if you know her bags. And it's like a. It's a quiet luxury thing that people talk about. Where Bottega Veneta is another one that like has its designer bags. And I have one that I had bought myself when I was in Portugal because that's what I do. And I've had multiple people come up to me and say, like, my, my husband's always like, oh, that is the bag. Because people are like, oh, I want that bag. Or I've seen that bag, or I can't believe you have that bag. But you only know if you know. And so it's. It's same with your stuff, you know, if you know. And like. And we need that kind of viral, virality brand feel that people, they're going to pay the 97 because they want that. They don't want the cheaper product. They don't want the Stanley Fussy pink. Stanley is you'll never see me wear that because it's not my style. My daughter might. Right, but your stuff is like, yeah, when I was trucking around Europe or trucking around Japan, like, this would have been awesome, you know, So I think your website, I think your branding, I think your photos, I think you've nailed all of that with building the brand. I would love for you to pay attention to Claire V. In the way that she has modeled this brand. She's Cal, she's Southern California, but she has this French, like it's California meets French sort of feeling. And so the more you can hone in on your brand aesthetic and keep pushing that, you can keep the value. Like people will pay the 97 because one, they've never seen it before and two, they're buying into the brand more than the. How much did this thing cost you to make?

Make. Okay, yes, I know, I know people want it. I know people buy it. And that was very important to me. Like, no. And that people want the water bottle holder. And yeah, I think I will continue to like build a brand and focus on that. That that will definitely be the majority of inventory. I will have, like, will be bottle holders because, like, I know that's the main thing that moves. Okay, sounds great. Thank you.

So the more you lean into the, the water bottle holders, where I see your stuff going, okay, just to throw it out there is if you really became known for this, you could do pleather, right? You could do fake leather ones of like if she didn't want to wear the hand woven straps. So what if you just start to think about it? Yes, you're starting this way. But the lifespan of this business could look different down the road because the aesthetic that the strap, the way that we're holding the water bottle, and like you said, you're adding one to your. You put your phone on, right? Or like a section for the wallet. Like, there's so many versions of this that you can make in the future, but right now it's a very interesting product to me. Like, I haven't seen something like this and it's simple and it to me sounds like the thing I would go more all in on than everything else, which you're in a very crowded market with the rest of it.

I tried the yoga strap and definitely there are so many cheap ones out there that it's like so hard.

I want you to remember, remember this. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. So just because you can weave these and make a yoga strap doesn't mean that you should do that. Just because you can make a guitar strap doesn't mean that you should. And I know that it started in these other ways because you started with the bags and all that, which you were probably like right on brand. But I just want you to tell yourself that when you come up with your ideas and think, how can I sell more of the strap bottle holders? How can I sell more? How can I get creative? How can I sell more? Whenever your brain wants to take you somewhere else, I want you to come back and be like, this is my bestseller. This is my differentiator. You can make a million dollars on just this product alone. If you keep making it better, you keep working on your price point, you keep working on like your margins. The more you make, the better you get at it. Right? You get, you tweak and test and try all of that. And then you can start to make this thing at scale and be known for it. Because the other thing you're up against is like getting to market first.

Okay, that sounds good. Perfect. This is very helpful. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you and I'm excited.

Okay. I just love when my students have light bulb moments. Did you see what Catalina's was? Right? It was finding her differentiator in the market, which she's now realized are her bottle straps. So when trying to figure out your differentiating product, you need to work backwards, just like I did with Catalina. So you've seen this thing in action. We first figured out who her ideal customer is and what they're looking for. Then we determined what her product tells them if they're seen with it. Right. Like what, what are they? What's the feeling? Right? Because people buy more than the product. They're buying the brand. That's how they feel when they're wearing or using your product and the aesthetic and. And it feels like it matches them perfectly. The same way that my daughter recently, you know, everything's like bows and pink and girly right now for my 9 year old daughter and Stanley's Stanley mugs or Stanley whatever, the tumblers, and she's like, oh my God, mom, can I have that Stanley holder? And it's pink and it's got a place for her lip gloss and all these things that are trending because that is the ideal customer for that now. Now who's Catalina? And so we want to match these up like a perfect puzzle piece. Now I know she wants to sell all the things as a creative. I know we all do. We all have so Many awesome ideas. We're all visionaries. We're all like, I can do this, I can do that. Maybe if I make this over here, it's going to sell more of this. But what I really want you all to do is start to think, how do I focus in and dial it in? How do I dial this in? And when we looked at this together, we realized, okay, yes, her bottle straps are her simplest path forward. Just because she can make all the things, because she thinks she should be making all the things, doesn't mean you should. Simplicity scales, my friends. So I want you to consider this for you as well. And this is something we're working on inside of the product boss academy. It's really figuring out what you're known for, what your hero product can be or your core collection. And it's staying focused, which I know is so hard. It's like squirrel. Right? All right, let's wrap this up. Anything else that I can help answer before as we wrap up?

No, I, I just, I wanted to mention, like, regarding the rest of this traps and I wanted to, I want. I would like to get into a market where people appreciate. Appreciate more like handmade and sustainability and giving back and planting trees and all of these things, which I do find there is a lack, like, for example, in yoga straps and maybe guitar straps and all of that. Like, in general, all products. And I know not everyone care about it, but that was like my intention. But I do agree that focusing on one is just the best idea right now. And I just wanted to express my intention of what it was for, the market of was going for.

Yeah. And I don't think, I don't think any idea that you've done is wrong. I think that you got to this idea because of all the other products you created. Right. So you wouldn't have just come to this idea like you've. The. The evolution of you as a designer and a creator has yielded this, which feels like gold, if that makes sense. Like I, I see money made way more easily with that versus the other stuff. What I do want to say to you about the give back sustainability, one tree planted, handmade, made. They're going to like it, but it's going to be an afterthought or it's going to be a, okay, I spent that 97 bucks. But it also does this. So I. So it makes them feel better. It's that buyer's remorse section of time where they, they overcome their buyer's remorse. Because everybody goes through buyer's remorse. You buy A car. Should I have gotten the other color? Should have gotten a different interior. Right. The longer someone has to wait for a product, they start to doubt it. There's lots of stuff that happens and should I have spent that money on that thing? Right. Like we, there's always these thoughts. So all of that's going to help them feel better, but it's not going to be the reason they buy it. They're going to buy it because they like it, because of how it makes them feel, because of the functionality, because of how they want to be perceived in the world. That is why they buy it. And so all the other stuff are like sprinkles on top. But I want you to just make sure that you're a profitable business. Yes. Keep to one tree planted if that's really important to you. But know that that's not why they're going to buy. So it's actually a choice of you to give away profit versus is the reason it just makes them feel better about their purchase. Handmade to be honest, if you did a handmade one and a China made one, you put them near each other at the same price. Like you could want it cheaper. Made in China and one that was more expensive. Handmade Most likely most people, if they're like, it functions the same, it looks the same, they're going to pick the cheaper one. And I'm saying these, in these extremes not because anything you're doing is wrong, but because when you're thinking about marketing and building your brand and pushing it out to customers, customers are selfish. It's always gonna be about them. So all the wonderful, amazing things you're doing with this business are going to make them feel better after. And some few people will be like, I only buy sustainable. Oh, I only buy handmade. Like my mother in law, she'll like, she, she'll put like a stake in the ground for something that she's on. Like in that moment, right. She'll be like, I'm only buying local. Like and that's her, that's her thing. Like that's all she's gonna do at that moment is she's only gonna buy local. So you're gonna get those people like that, that. But if we're talking about building this into a bigger brand, I just want you to constantly think how does it make her or him feel? How to, how what is their perception of the brand? And everything else is going to be the secondary thought. It's going to make them feel better about their purchase.

Okay. Okay, clear that's very helpful, thank you. Okay. I'm excited.

You're welcome. Just to just, just to say. Yeah, so to give you kind of like a clear plan forward for you, you're going to work on pricing. I think that. But generating consistent online sales, which was one of your questions, you're doing a lot of in person. It's driving people back to your website. I think for you social influencer people talking about it and tagging it, you've got a very kind of like viral type brand that I think that could drive people to your website. Obviously. Yes, there's SEO and you've got everything you've got available to you in. In multi stream machine ads. I wouldn't do yet until you, you have a product like a price point that I think you could afford at. But you need the quantity if you're going to turn on ads. You need to be able to like if the sales are going to come in, you need the quantity to sell. We don't want to run ads and not have the product. So that might be a later down the line situation. And I would say the same with wholesale. I would say right now you could test and try. You could do pop ups, you can do consignment, things like that knowing that you're probably not going to make the right margin selling wholesale. But if you wanted to test it, you could or you hold on that and keep doing your in person market markets and really work on visibility, work on pricing. And then truthfully a big time for you could be January for like. Yeah, we're going through the holiday season and travel times but new year, new you drink more water, work out more, all that really you could have a very big push in January into the all the outdoor months. So you have like a great product that has a long lifespan in terms of selling throughout the year.

That's a great idea. That hadn't crossed my mind but it totally makes sense.

Yeah. So that's what I would kind of gear up for. I'd test and tweak and try. Right now I'd lean into how do people understand what this. Oh yeah, packaging. So even at markets like just what do you need to show them so that they know. The other thing I mentioned was updating your photos with the bigger bottles. Yeah, it's just a little bit of a mix of a bunch of things but I think you've got some really cool products so I'm excited to see what happens.

Oh, thank you, Jacqueline. It was so great to have this session with you and I really appreciate all your feedback and your tips and I'm ready to learn more in Multi String Machine as well.

I'm so excited. So let us know how we can buy from you, support you and follow you.

Okay. We're in Instagram at Catalina Straps and our website is catalinastraps.com and that will be. We're on TikTok too. We're trying to build it. Everything is at Catalina Straps. Please follow us and we're excited to grow together. Together.

So good. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your coaching session with everyone. I really enjoyed coaching Catalina. I can't wait to see where she takes Catalina Bags and Straps. Now the main theme here is that if she wants to simplify and streamline her business and also grow it, she needs to ensure that her product is selling itself, especially online. I want her to work on her pricing to make sure that she has the best margins possible to then help her determine her next sales channel. And I want her to lean into the differentiator, the thing that really feels like she can stand out in the market with it and take advantage advantage of that. Now if she's able to do this, I know that she can build that six figure business that is just on the brink, right over the edge that she really wants. Or even a seven figure, right, a million dollar business and she can actually do it on one product alone. So if you're looking to take your big idea, right, maybe you have an idea for a product or you've already started and you want to turn that idea into income without all of the stress or the guesswork, then I just want to remind you that I am hosting a free masterclass class and I'm sharing my six step playbook to building a thriving business, right? A business that works for you and not the other way around. So if you want to be profitable, if you want a thriving business, if you want it to align with your ideal life, come join me in the Idea to Income masterclass. And what you can do is we'll, we'll drop a link in the show notes, but you can also DM me the word steps over on Instagram. That's the word steps over on Instagram and I'll send you a link link to save your spot. Okay? Remember my friends, you can simplify and streamline your product business. You may just not know how to do it yet, right? You might not have the step by step on what to do, where to focus and how to get to the goal that I know that you're dreaming of. So remember the other phrase is keep it simple, seller. And I can't wait to see you inside of that masterclass. All right, I'll see you in the next episode.