724. From Idea to On Shelves At Nordstrom: How to Get Your Product in Front of the Right Buyers with Courtney Johnson

I think it's the simplest way to come up with a product idea. I did it for my, my physical product and now I do it for all of my digital products. It literally cannot fail. And that is, if you are going to find something and you cannot find it, it is your duty to create it.

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 dream, 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. Hello, my friends and welcome back to the Product Boss podcast. I am Jaclyn Snyder. I'm your host and I'm so excited because today I have a very special guest. We have Courtney Johnson. She is the host of Slay the Gatekeeper podcast and just an incredible human being. I cannot wait for you to learn more about her. And, and she's also a product boss or maybe an ex product boss.

Now I'm an ex product boss.

Product boss. But so many good tips for how to come up with a product idea, how to work with influencers, how to build a personal brand, because really that's where Courtney has shifted into, is personal brand building. And I'm just so excited for all the goodies you're going to share with the audience.

Yeah, I just applaud everybody listening because I left the product world because it's, it's brutal. It's brutal. I'm like, how about things that I don't have to carry inventory? That's what I'm gonna transition into. But I did love the product world when I was doing it. It's a hell of a, hell of a journey.

Yeah. So welcome to the show, everyone. Okay, so Courtney, what product did you have?

Yeah, so I had a yoga mat company and mind you, I was like 22 at the time. I Had no money to actually create this. I totally bootstrapped it. We ended up being in Academy Sports and Tyler's in Nordstrom's in Bandeau. It was. Yeah.

Who's it called?

It was called Soulmat.

Okay, cool.

And I really want to impart this wisdom that I give people, and when they're coming up with a product idea, and I think it's the simplest way to come up with a product idea. I did it for my physical product, and now I do it for all of my digital products. And it literally cannot fail. And that is, if you are going to find something and you cannot find it, it is your duty to create it.

Ooh.

Like, the reason why I started my yoga mat company is I just couldn't find a cute yoga mat. Like, they were either really plain. They're just plain colors, or they were very, like, mandalas and very, like, spiritual iconography that I just, like, didn't resonate with at the time. And there was nothing in the middle. And I had probably spent months and months and months being like, I'm trying to find the perfect thing, the perfect product. And I ended up helping out, doing videography for this yoga event in Dallas where we were doing some drone footage. There was 300 people, and I was looking at this drone footage of, like, 300 yoga mats, and they were all plain. So I'm like, all right, if I cannot find this, like, I guess I gotta create it, or it's not gonna exist. And I feel like we. We always think of that, right? There's so many ideas. We're like, I can't find this. Where is it perfect. I'll just settle for getting this thing that's not as good. But we don't see this opportunity right in front of us.

Oh, my gosh. That's so good. It's like, if it's. It's. It's your obligation to the world to bring it forward. So it's like, if you have a candle and you've just imagined the scent, you're like, God, I want a scent that has a certain scent. It's your obligation, right? If you're like, oh, I wish I had a jewelry, you know, a necklace that felt like this, or had the stone or these earrings, it's your obligation to bring this to the world.

It's also like, what are you frustrated with? Like, are you frustrated? Cause you're like, I'm a mom, and why the heck are there no candles that don't use this ingredient? Like, I cannot find any candles without this Ingredient?

Yeah.

Like, it's so easy just to be blind to that thinking somebody else is going to do it. But that could be your amazing, perfect opportunity.

Yeah, I really. I tell my students, you know, find a need, want, desire, or solve a problem. And a lot of times people get confused because they might think, how does, you know, creating a new yoga mat company solve a problem? But it's that idea of the gap. Like, there's a gap in the market that we all get to fill. And I think what people don't realize is there's enough room for all of us. There's only one of you. There's only one version of what you're gonna create and bring it out to the world. But I think that's when it really gets to step forward and be authentic. Like, authentically you and what you create. So what was different about your mats?

What was different is that they were fun. Like, they were the in between of people just testing out yoga. What was really cool is people would actually buy the yoga mat first because they loved, you know, hearts or polka dots or they loved flowers, they love stars, they love these, like, kind of fun, bright colors. And then that would actually make them start practicing yoga. And that's how I started practicing yoga. Like, I was in it. Cause I wanted to be cute. Like, I didn't really care about breathing or, like, connecting with my body. I was like, I just want to be, like a hot yoga girl.

You're like, cute outfit, cute mat, let's go.

Exactly. And I was aware enough to know that that vanity is what brought me into practicing yoga. And so I leaned into that vanity. I'm like, you actually don't even need to practice yoga, but this is gonna look really cute in your apartment. And people would buy it with that messaging.

Yeah.

And then just, like, end up learning yoga or, like, it's there, I might as well do it. And so I think a lot of times, too, we think, like, my target audience has to be this expert. They have to have all this knowledge. They have to be in this perfect place. But actually, like, there is a lot of opportunity in that white space if somebody is not doing it. For example, skin care, like, you actually don't have to have the most knowledge about skincare. Your audience doesn't have to be ultra educated about skincare. Maybe the fact that they don't know and they don't really want to learn is an asset, and you can actually make it easy or fun or beautiful.

Yeah, I know. I tell people that too. I'm like, what do they want? You know, like, what do they want? So it's anti aging or, you know, a lot of times people will be like, well, it's vegan skincare. That's why people are gonna buy it. But it's like, no, no, they want the vegan. The vegan part is gonna make them choose yours and not someone else's. But they wanna be. It's like anti aging or it repairs on a cellular level, or it's from high moisture. Right. So it's really thinking about what the customer wants. And so you're saying, how do they feel in their space, how they feel when doing it? I mean, that's why I think Lululemon, when they started, and Athleta, which was a version of Gap Brands, or Aloe Yoga. Right. People are just like, I mean, you're in LA with me right now. You live in Austin, but in la, we're like, let's just walk around in our cute athleisure wear. Yeah. And just go, right. We're not going to the gym. There's no gym here. And so. And so that's the thing. It's like a lifestyle and it's. It's an identity, I think, really is what product creates from people.

Yeah. And I think, like, I love cheat codes. My whole podcast is about cheat codes. And a cheat code I would really encourage everybody to do just in their daily life, like, as a way to get that creativity going, is every time you identify something that you're looking for that you can't find, even if it's something you never create. Even if, like, I was just looking for hotels and I couldn't find a hotel that I like, like, make a list of it or a song. You're like, oh, I wish that this song had this beat. But the lyrics were more pointed. It was about motherhood. Instead of being about love or something, like, just start to bank all of those ideas, even things you would never do. And that is just such a way to unlock that creativity around product.

Yeah. There's a show on Netflix. I keep trying to pull it up, but there's a whole episode on creativity. And they talk about Albert Einstein and how if you think back to even in Egypt, when the heads of animals on human bodies, the idea of combining two different things together is what is the source of creativity. So what you're saying is, as you ideate. Because I talk about the ideate stage, which is the very beginning, as you're coming up with the idea, how do you create something new? How do you create something with your own personal spin on it or brand. I have a student shout out to Rachel Falcone Farms and she makes goat milk soap. A lot of people make goat's milk soap, but she has really fun, crass sayings on them. And she's been making thousands and thousands of dollars selling a product that other people make. But she has her own personal spin on it.

I love that because what's making her different is probably something that she could have totally leaned out of. She could have been like, oh, sorry, I don't curse on camera. Oh, if, if they see me talking like this, like, they're not going to want to buy from me. But actually, like, these are the things that make us unique. And if she wasn't doing that, she would be like every other goat milk soap out there.

Yep.

She's like, this is the thing. And again, it doesn't have to be positive traits. Are you messy? Are you chaotic? Are you throwing F bombs? Are you like, I actually don't care, whatever. That really, really resonates.

Yeah, Yeah. I had one student that was like, I'm a candle snob and I make candle snob sense. I'm like, great, lean into that. Right. There's also a brand that we've helped bad tags. If you look them up and they do really crass dog tags, you'd love it. And it's like, you know, it's not for the faint of heart, but it just really leans in. But then there's also people who, I have a student of mine that made $400 matching pajama sets because they felt tailored and she wanted to feel like she was tailored in her, in her clothes. So it doesn't always have to be so extreme. It's just having a brand identity. So let's lean into personal brands.

Yes, personal brands.

Because that's what you're known for, right? Courtney Johnson. Personal brands, they go together. So this concept of personal brands, we know it if you know, if you're operating as a creator, an influencer, but how do people start to incorporate that concept of a personal brand with their product brand? Hey, product boss. Really quick, I have something really exciting to share with you. We are bringing back an encore round of Rock, your holiday promotions challenge. Yep, that's right. And it's totally free. So if you missed it the first time, maybe life was busy or you weren't quite ready to start thinking about the holidays. This is your last chance to jump in because over 8,000 product based business owners joined us the last time and the results were incredible. The breakthroughs were huge. They got clarity, momentum and real strategies that they could use immediately. And they're already seeing growth going into the holiday season. So that's why we're doing it again starting October 13th, so you can head into Q4 with confidence and a plan that actually works. Here's what's inside you get five days of live workshops with me where I'll teach you exactly how to plan, what to promote and how to profit. This holiday season you're also going to get step by step strategy and growth tools so you can implement them right away. I'm also including a workbook that's going to walk you through every single step. Now, some of you are going to sign up for the VIP coaching and in that you're going to get all of these bonuses AI help and getting actual feedback from me every single day so you can ask questions, get feedback and build a real plan for your business. So listen, this is not just another free thing that you sign up for and forget about. The value inside of this is well worth over a thousand dollars and I'm teaching it for free because I know what's possible when you show up for yourself and for your vision. So I want you to treat it like you paid for it, put it in your calendar and commit to building the kind of business that thrives through the holidays, not one that just hopes for sales. All you have to do is head to rock your holiday promotions.com or click in the link in the show notes to join us. Five days, five workshops. One powerful plan to make this your best Q4 yet.

Yeah, I mean, people buy from people, not brands. Until the brand creates its own identity, and especially when you're starting out, that brand has nothing to attach to. Like nobody's going to automatically care about your personal or no one's automatically going to care about your company brand. Like truly nobody cares unless you give them a reason to care. And it's really, really hard. Since a brand is a non human entity. It just takes a lot of time and repetition and association for us to really feel an emotional connection with a non human entity. It's possible, it just takes time. Like no one's going to immediately emotionally connect to your brand on day one. Unless you're like a crazy outlier. How you can speed up the process is by integrating your own personal brand. So who are you? What is your story? Why are you doing this? And the thing that this does is it really assigns emotion to your brand that your audience is going to resonate with and it connects you to your audience immediately. So what this actually looks like is founder stories, is behind the scenes, is building in public, like working with your audience, even being like, yo, what color should this be? What packaging should we choose? Should we do X or Y? Even if you don't even use any feedback, your audience says, like, making them really feel involved in the story and in the creation is going to hook them in and just really establish like an emotional baseline from the get go. That would be so much harder to do if you didn't show your face.

Yeah, agreed. So questions? Because a lot of people are like, but I just don't want to create content. And I have a. I have a program called the Product Boss sales accelerator where I teach that social media can be used as a tool, but it doesn't have to be your entire strategy, because leaning on the entire strategy really puts a lot of pressure on people who are like, I am just, this is not my world. For people who want to go in on social, because you also have the content club and there's all sorts of ways that you help people. From a social perspective, what do you think would be a really good way to kick off, to start to get people to follow them, like, outside of their friends and family?

Mm, yeah. I mean, the best way, I think is just really sharing. Sharing the problem that you're solving, like, but sharing your own personal example. And I think a lot of times we think like, okay, I need to get on the camera and it has to be perfect and I have to read my lines. It has to be blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But truly just like sharing your story and why you're doing what you're doing. And if you're like, I don't even want to open social media, what I recommend is just like having a conversation with a friend, doing a webinar, going on a podcast, like getting some sort of media and just clipping that. I know so many people with product businesses that do not even open their social media. It's completely delegated. You just really do need to find another avenue. Maybe again, you're speaking at an event, you're talking at a retreat. Some sort of way to capture your story and then put that off to your VA to actually send out into the world.

Yeah, so I talk about other people's audiences.

Yeah.

So there's the way to generate your own audience. You could build it on social media. You could build your email list and drive it to your own website. And then the other idea is other people's audiences through influencers or creators, through retail shelves. Right. Being in a store and people discovering you at that shop on Amazon. In person Markets. Right. Being at a market or a trade show. So how did you get into the retail shops? Like, what was your way of getting in front of other people's audiences without just relying on social media?

I was just really creepy. And the influencers that I worked with, like, I would work with some college girl with like 400 followers because I knew her aunt was like a buyer at a store.

Smart.

I would deep stock on LinkedIn. Every single. Every single buyer, every single decision maker. I also really went the hotel route, like getting stocked in hotel gift shops and like hotel yoga mats and their spa. And again, that was all through stalking the people on LinkedIn and finding the influencers that were in the circle of that buyer or of that decision maker. With the hotels, it wasn't always the buyer. Sometimes it was like a spa director. But you got a lot of information on the Internet for free and you can map those social circles and tap into them.

Yeah. I actually know someone who got Jessica Alba to have her product because she reached out to Jessica Alba's hairstylist.

Yes. Also. Yeah. Reach out to the celebrities makeup artist, the hairstylist. Like everybody that's auxiliary and their chef. Everyone auxiliary in their circle.

Yeah. Stalker central. I always talk about my stalker email address. So I have an email address that I'll often to people's, you know, opt in to see what their discounts are or get their emails. Right. So be. Be a stalker. Yeah. So being a stalker in a very healthy legal sort of way, what you're saying. And also, you are also a LinkedIn expert. And that's what I'll tell people when they're looking for buyers, especially bigger buyers. Like if it's at Nordstrom's or bigger brands, they can find them on LinkedIn. Would you directly message them? Would you send them an email? What would your connection points be? If you were teaching Someone now in 2025 how to do it, I would direct.

Well, first, if you want to give out samples or work with influencers, definitely get people in their area. For example, Neiman Marcus out of Dallas. I knew that they were in certain social circles around the Dallas Country Club, and I wanted to send the influencers that they followed so you can figure out and like infer what circles they're a part of. And also you want to reach out to them directly. LinkedIn is the best place because they're getting a ton of emails. They're getting a ton of phone calls. Not a lot of people get cold outreach on LinkedIn, especially not voice or video messages. So if you find a buyer on LinkedIn, which is very, very easy, or even like an assistant buyer that you know, works with them, send them a voice memo on LinkedIn or send them a video message or. Have you ever received a voice memo or a video message on LinkedIn?

No.

Yeah, exactly. Most people don't even know the feature exists. And you know how on your phone it'll tell you it'll read the text of what someone said on voice. It doesn't do that on LinkedIn. So the curiosity is really high.

Like what's this video?

Exactly. And the open rates are super, super high. So I would just go and spam a bunch of buyers on LinkedIn.

This is a cheat code. Oh my goodness. Cause I think I've asked you in the past about LinkedIn for my product, you know, for product bosses. And we were talking about would it be worth it for them to continuously post weekly on there? Because you also teach about LinkedIn, but I love this sort of back end connection way. And then what you're talking about is disrupting a normal way of being. So instead of just sending the email or sending the LAN sheet via email, instead they're, they're slipping it like, it's like, you know, slipping into the DMS. But, but on LinkedIn. Yeah, yeah, it's sliding is what they say.

Sliding into the DM.

Yeah.

I think having a strong LinkedIn page is really, really great because what that does is it positions you as being like a real business person rather than just like, you know, some. Because even if you're just starting out, even if you're still packing your own orders, you want to seem as though you have a whole team. You want to seem as though you're more established. And I know you could definitely argue that, that sometimes like the underdog story, the I just started story can really help. However, like once you're working with, with, with retail and doing wholesale, you want to seem more established than you are. And having a really strong LinkedIn page that like puts positions you as a business expert or if you have a wellness brand, a wellness expert or a beauty expert or whatever can be really, really effective because it just like brings like PR wise, it brings another deeper layer to your personal brand.

Ooh, so good. Yeah, I feel like me being in the space of being an entrepreneur for the last 20 years and not really needing LinkedIn. I didn't fully build out my LinkedIn. But I know you are. So you have such a good modern take on it and a way to be in connection with other people that I love. And I love your spin and all the tips. I mean, listen to Courtney, because if you want to know how to do LinkedIn, I mean, Courtney is the person. And then this is just such a good morsel. It's so good.

I mean, just like simple, optimize your profile. Like, most people don't even do that.

Yeah.

And think about how people use LinkedIn. Like, if you're a wholesale buyer, if you're the people that we're trying to get in front of, they're at their computer most of the day. Of course, sometimes they're traveling, whatever. They're at their computer most of the day. 4 o' clock comes around, they want to seem like they're working, but they're not really working. So they're on LinkedIn.

Right.

Have you ever had a corporate job?

Yeah.

Did you do that?

Yeah. Especially end of day. I was like, I was in Miami and they would bring us like little cafesitas, they called it, like, you know, like. And I was like, oh my God, I can't even get through the day and I'm gonna pretend I'm working. Yeah, exactly.

You're pretending you're working. You're on LinkedIn. So they are spending time on there. Yeah.

Okay, so LinkedIn profile, upgrading it, knowing that people are bored on the Internet and you know, they're looking like they're working in, especially for corporate buyers, I think is so important. So if you're gonna reach out to bigger brands or, or you can find the buyer through LinkedIn. Great idea. The concept of personal brand. So showing your face, telling your story, having people connect heart center to it. Any other tips you want to give product bosses that you're like, oof, I wish I could have known this back then when I was doing this.

Totally gifting. But gift, the unexpected influencer, the beauty. If you have a beauty product, the beauty influencers are already getting lip glosses every single day. And they're already posting about 500 lip glosses. But if you send the lip gloss to the fitness influencer, who has never posted about a lip gloss ever, and that fitness influencer, they love to get it. They want to post it on their stories, they want to post about it. I think a mistake people make is only staying within their own niche.

Right.

Rather, or even like if you have a baby brand, maybe instead of just sending gifting to the mommy bloggers, send Gifting to the entrepreneur mom who happens to have a baby, and you know that, but she doesn't post about it often. There's so much higher trust and a higher likelihood that they are going to post organically about your product if they really like it. It's just a faster way to get more. More reach and more trust quicker.

What's a trigger for you when people post or they send you product or they want you to post something? Like, what are your. Like, don't, please don't do this. Please don't send me this message versus please send me this. Because I will then post it.

If they have a clear ask, that's not a demand. I'm a lot more likely to post it. Sometimes people. People just send me things. I open the box, I don't know who it's from. There's no message. I'm like, okay, is this a gift from a friend? Is this a brand? Like, I'm not really sure if there's a personalized message where there's a nice ask, like, hey, we're so excited for you to burn this candle. And if you love it, would love for you to share. I'm a lot more likely to share. And I think a lot of times people are like, well, I don't wanna ask, I don't wanna. Whatever. So they don't say anything. So I would say a personalized message that tie that personalized message into what you do. So I get a lot of gifting from brands that know I talk about business, and so they often tie it into productivity somehow, and I think that's really cool. And then make a clear ask. And if you can create this message and tie it back into your mission, I'm also a lot more likely to post it. So if you're like, hey, we created this candle and I know that you love to burn candles whenever you work. So we know you're gonna love it. Would love for you to post about this. Our mission is like, to inspire more women or something. It's gonna happen more. So don't just send with no message and no ask. Make sure to integrate that.

Oh, my goodness. And you're all about cheat codes over on your podcast, so cheat codes here. So many goodies. Love this. So how can people follow you, listen to you, all the things.

Yeah, just Google Courtney Johnson, social media, and all of my stuff will come up. And my podcast is slash, Slay the gatekeeper.

Slay the gatekeeper. We'll put all the notes or all the links in the show. Notes and Courtney, you're just absolutely incredible. Like so many goodies in this episode. Make sure to DM Courtney over on Instagram or on TikTok and just let her know how incredible she's been on this show. Thank you, thank you, 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 pocket 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 we give 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 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.