023: We All Need a Reset - How Alissa Started a Subscription Box While Working Full-Time

Are you a dreamer? Most entrepreneurs are. My guest today has been dreaming of her own business since she was a kid. She made a vow that she would not walk out of 2020 the same way she walked in. Listen to how she started her quarterly subscription box while working full-time. And of course, I'm here to challenge her on her goals. Come join us.

Welcome to the Launch Your Box podcast with weekly tips, tricks, and strategies to start, launch and grow your subscription box. Now here's your host, Sarah Williams.

Hey everybody. I'm so excited to have Alyssa here from When She Did. And Alyssa, why don't you just say hi to everybody? Why don't you talk about your business and what you do?

Hi everyone. I am Alyssa. Um, my business is called When She Did. I started back in October, so I call myself kind of a newborn business owner, brand new to this business owning world. I started kind of as my first product for, for When She Did, focusing on women that are kind of ranging in the ages of 30, say, to 55 that are really ambitious and just really could benefit from that kind of regular burst of motivation, inspiration, and of course some of that self-care that we always need. So I was inspired back in 2020 to create the Wanta Box.

Let's, let's talk a little bit about that. Tell them what Wanta stands for.

So this is so funny. It started out as being just a play on words, like I want to start my own business, I want to lose weight, I want to redecorate my own home. So I stuck with Wanta just for that reason, because it was about women wanting something and being ambitious and going for it. And it turned out— I paused and said, wouldn't this be great if it was an acronym? Turns out WANTA means Women Act Next They Achieve. I kind of pieced that together at a stoplight going to my mom's house. And I had like this drop the mic moment that it was meant to be. Another sign that I was moving in the right direction, that I wasn't crazy for starting this. Um, so yeah, WANTA stands for Women Act Next They Achieve.

I love it. I love it. And I want to tell our listeners a little bit of the backstory. So let's just rewind your story a little bit so they can, they understand how we're, where we're at today. So let's take them back to, let's go all the way back to when you were younger and you felt like you had this little entrepreneurial spirit in you. Tell them, tell them your story.

Well, it's so funny. I, and it's still to this day, and I guess now it is a real thing, but I shared with you my brother and I, I remember us being young in mom and dad's kitchen and we're squeezing orange juice and we're sitting in the kitchen talking about how we can turn it into a business. So we were coming up with business names and strategizing at, you know, as much as young kids can strategize. Um, so even when we were young, my brother and I have always, even now talk about what are we going to do? What are we going to do? What are we going to do? And then that moved into my best friend and I, and I'm sure my brother was tagging along as well. We created for one holiday season Christmas ornaments, and we were running around the neighborhood selling these ornaments. And then now I just, I have always had this dream of starting something of my own. And so I jumped into it last year.

Well, so, so let's remind them. I don't think they need to be reminded, but 2020 came in like a wrecking ball and this was it for you. And you said something to me that was super powerful and I want to, I want to repeat it, but you said, I made a vow that I would not walk out of 2020 the same way that I walked into it. Break that down for us. Like, what did that mean to you?

Like you said, 2020 through so much at us, um, in what was a very short period of time. When, as I was kind of moving through it and I, I, like many other people, was working from home, I had all the kids home with me as well. I kept kind of playing with that idea of starting something because I had a little extra time. I wasn't driving to and from work every day. I was able to prepare dinners over lunchtime. So, I had a couple extra hours. So, I was actually talking with my best friends and both of them almost what felt like at the same time were basically said, just do it. It was one of those things with everything that was going on, I really, like I said, I took a vow. I was not going to miss the opportunity that I saw sitting in front of me.

Yeah, we were still, like we were still and a lot of us were more still than we had ever been. You talk about, you know, the hustle and bustle of our lives. And you have 3 kids, I have 2 kids. And it's like we're constantly on the go for something with the kids, something with our jobs. And for the first time in our lives in a long time, we have this stillness in our life. And it's like, how do I make the most of it? Right?

Exactly. That's exactly how I, how I was approaching it and thinking about it. I don't— I just have that personality that stillness needs to be filled with something. So what other— since I've been talking about starting a business or thinking about and dreaming of, why don't I just do it? So I did. I kind of— I jumped in and started wherever I best knew at that time. And that was back in October of 2020 where I started to just kind of think of some things.

So you found one of my awesome ads for Coaching Week, right? So it pops up in your feed and you're thinking to yourself, like, it's okay, it's $10.

Let me see.

Let me see if I can actually make a go of this. I've been thinking about this for a long time. I have the time to absorb some information and learn some things. Tell me about how you came into Coaching Week back in October and then what happened from there. What did— what happened during Coaching Week for you? And then how did you move forward?

So yeah, it's so funny. Your ad popped up and it must have been because I was talking to my friend, I was talking to my cousin as well. She has her own business up in New York. And we were talking about a subscription box and I love subscription boxes. And I thought, I love gifting, I love putting things together. This would be great. And what we were really talking about was 2020 because what it threw us. Wow, wouldn't it be great if you can almost send like a 2020 box. So yeah, the, the ad. Came across my, my feed and I said, it's $10, absolutely, I'm jumping in. And there was so much energy in that room, just hearing and seeing what other, other folks were doing, what you had done and what you are continuing to do and how you're growing at so many different levels. And when you were talking about the one-time box, because it was during, you know, we were approaching the holiday season. I was kind of combining that with the thought of this whole idea of, wouldn't it be great to send something at the end of 2020? So that kind of, as you were sharing within the group and people were coming up with ideas of how they could do a holiday box, I didn't have any products. I'm not a product— I didn't have a business. So I was just kind of thinking, I really would be researching and finding some really cool products to put in the box for women at the end of 2020. I think the part that validated my idea, and I shared this with you a little bit as well, so many women, I had coworkers, I had friends, I had myself, you, Sarah, I remember from one at the end of the coaching week, everybody was saying the same thing. I need a reset. I need to recalibrate. I need, we all just needed, 2020 really just hit us so hard. So that validated my idea and I jumped into creating my first box as kind of a test. So I was motivated in coaching week and inspired and really pushed to say, you know what, let me, I am going to do it. I am going to jump in. I am going to gather some products and it is all going to be based around resetting, recharging. It really was almost like a gift from me to these women saying, girl, it is time to just pause. You know, you have been through a lot. I am sure you have been holding all the things down and rocking it out, but I know we are all tired.

I love it, Alyssa. I love it. It was, it was a huge reset. Even going into it, we almost needed a reset and coming out of it, we almost needed it. We needed more of a reset because the things that we were learning and doing and the things that we had adjusted in our lives, we basically had reset our lives in 2020 and we were handling, especially as women, we were handling more things than we'd ever had to handle before. We're homeschooling our kids. We're trying to keep our jobs. I mean, there were so many stressors for us as women going through that year, and we all just needed a reset. And I love how you put this together and you decided, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to test this, right? I need a, I need a proof of concept that this is going to work for me, that I can move forward with this. You'd never brought bought products before, you hadn't put a box together, you probably had not shipped things like that for e-commerce. And so a lot of that was new for you. How did you handle those things?

Oh my gosh, it's so funny. It feels like it's so long ago, but it wasn't even, you know, I think it was within 7 months, right? I, I made lots of lists. I'm a list person, definitely lots of lists. I was glued to your I did join Launch Your Box. I was glued to all the units, even though you said don't watch them all at the same time. I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of watching almost all of them at the same time, which I should have listened to your advice. But it was, oh yeah, I didn't think about shipping. Oh yeah, I didn't even think— like just basic things that if you already have a business are second nature and it's already on your mind. So I The website, you know, website, shipping, purchasing, all of the above, buying boxes. What boxes am I going to put them in? I have so many brown boxes in my— in this little 10 by 12 room right now. It's so, it's so funny. But so, yeah, I think it was just one of those paying attention to everything that was being mentioned inside Launch Your Box. People were bringing up things that I had never thought of. So I'd write that down on the side, research as much as I could. And I just kind of went, I just did it.

So I did it.

Yeah, I just did it. And it was terrifying because I had so many moments of what am I thinking? Like, what am I, what am I doing?

Am I crazy? You probably— am I crazy for doing this?

Totally. That feeling just— and it's like a flood. It hits you so fast. And it's, it's— I've gotten kind of into the mode of being able to calm that voice, you know? Yeah.

What happened? So you got, you got all your stuff together. It's the logistics. It's all the little things that are not necessarily the fun things, but they have to, they have to come together for you to be able to put your box out in the world. You decided you were going to have this Want to Reset gift box and you were going to sell it for Christmas. How many did you sell? Now, You have no business audience, right? You're just doing this on the side. You had to build an audience. You had to set up a page. You had to do all the things. So you're, you're starting from scratch basically, which a lot of people in our, in our group do. But how did that launch go for you?

Oh my goodness. I have to even think. So I, I launched, so Canva, I'm, I'm sitting here in deep thought. I actually, um, hired, with quotes, all the quotes, my niece to help me with some, some social media. I didn't have a following at all. I created the, the whole IG account and I started to use just templates from Canva. You had shared a set from as kind of a bonus. So I used those really as kind of, okay, this is, this is what this needs to look like, or some, some examples or some samples. Then I dove into Canva, played around with that. I did the whole giveaway through KingSumo. I did, you know, I tried to have some, some consistency. That's such a challenge, but some consistency on social media. I, of course, at that point you're sharing with people that, you know, you know, so I'm sharing with my current friends, you know, on my personal page. They're sharing with their friends. And I ended up selling What did I say? 30, 37 boxes.

37. That is huge.

I know.

Let me just tell you, like, how huge that is. Here's Sarah when she's starting her subscription, and I started with 44 subscribers and I had a business for years and I had an audience. And here's Alyssa, who has just started her business. She's getting herself out there. She's working full time. She's a mom of 3, and she sells 37 boxes right out of the gate. How exciting is that?

I got chills as you're saying that. Like, I, I'm looking around this room and it's just, you know, I'm even thinking of the sticker that I used for that box. And yeah, it's, it, it is still, it still feels so unreal that I'm, I'm doing it.

You're doing it. I'm doing it. That's the exciting thing is that you decided in 2020 I'm going to do this. I've been thinking about this. I want a business for a long time, but the opportunity has not been there. You haven't had the extra time. You hadn't had the drive or the push to say, okay, now is the time. You got the time in 2020. You made it happen. You started with that one-time box. Now let's go through, let's tell them the journey of from that one box. Now, what does the subscription look like? Okay. People say yes. They want to buy this. 37 people told me they wanted to buy this. Now I have to get my act together and put this on a subscription. Let's go through how, how that went. Was that then quarterly? Because you're not doing this monthly, right? You've got to manage this because you have a lot going on at home and in your job. So you decided on quarterly.

Yeah. And that was the first big decision because in my head, I was thinking, again, most, most are doing monthly. So in my head, I'm thinking, oh my goodness, I've got to turn around and get something out for January, or I've got to turn on and get something for February. I'm behind. But I paused. This was huge. And this has been huge for me. I needed to take a kind of my own reset. And really, now that I have an understanding of still what is the basics of running a subscription box business, I've got to manage my own expectations. So am I going to be able to turn around a box, still learning quite a bit? Am I going to be able to turn around, market, all of the above for within the next 2 months? And I said, why don't I start with quarterly? And especially as I really thought about that, I said it actually makes sense. So I'm building this plane as I'm flying it. There's no question. I'm like, it actually does make sense, because of what I want to offer and what I want to bring to women, it doesn't need to be monthly. It needs to be, you know, it's a new season, it's a new start. I'm all about new starts. And, and, you know, I'm— that's kind of like my thing. So in springtime, what do you need? You know, you've got most people who, you know, if they're like me and most women who have all the things, you've got your planners already, you're— you've kicked off January, you've got all that stuff. So it's like spring is the perfect time to start. It'll be the first seasonal box. It'll be the first of the actual subscription. So I was able to recalibrate my timeline around quarterly versus monthly, and I was probably the best decisions that I made because right away it just made sense for what I was offering through the box. And as far as this, the logistics and me being able to really move it quarter to quarter, it just made so much more sense.

It does make sense. And I think that, um, when people get started, they just want to jump in and go, go, go. And they don't really think about how this affects them long-term. How does this play out long-term? And so being able to decide monthly or quarterly or bimonthly or whatever that decision is, how does it fit within your life? Because you have a busy life. This isn't all that you do. And so you have to be realistic about it because the last thing you want to do is to start something that you can't finish. And so I think you were very strategic about that decision and the, the very thoughtful about what you decided to put in these boxes and why you were doing it. If we, if we remind ourselves the why every month when we're curating the box or every season that we're curating the box, if we remind ourselves the why, it's going to just land so much better with our subscriber than just putting stuff together. Cause it's not about the stuff. And you said that in the beginning, it's It's not about the stuff in this box. It's about the experience that these women are going to have, and they're going to have it with you. And so now it's spring, you've launched your box, you've got 17 subscribers, which is awesome. And you're, you're getting ready for then the second quarter. So now we're into the second quarter. And I know that you, you told me your goal. Let's talk about your goals a little bit. So tell me, let's tell everybody what your goals are this year with your box.

Well, I, like I said, it's, it's the juggling of so much. So what I've done, kind of as I kind of pause and think about what really makes the most sense for me, what's reasonable, what can I, what can I handle. And as I was doing the summer box and kind of ordering for summer. Spring, I went, you know, spring, I was like, you know what, I'm going to get 60 people, this and the other. So I'm sitting here with all of this extra inventory. But for summer, I'm like, okay, let me bring it down a notch. Let me look at how many subscribers I currently have. And what's reasonable for me as far as being able to expand, because I don't— again, I need to start making— I want this to be profitable. Of course, I don't want to lose money. I want to at least break even, you know, in the start. So I said 25. So if I were to add another, you know, 6 to 8, 6, 7, 8 subscribers, I think that's reasonable for me as far as keeping, you know, as far as what I invest and put into it and what I get back. How much marketing can I do? Because if I'm not able to do the marketing, then I'm not going to be able to. So I didn't— I was really nervous about having so much extra inventory. That I really did. I made a decision to kind of back off on how ambitious I wanted to be with my goal. Now, as I was sharing that with you, I am not that person. I am an ambitious person. So it does bring me some level of like, it just doesn't sit right that I am not aiming for the moon. So, yeah, that is really how I have landed on how I want to grow over this next year. It's very different than how I walked in. I walked in saying, you know, having a much bigger number in mind.

So you're— you told me that your goal was to have 40 subscribers by the end of this year. Yes. And, and what does 40 subscribers mean to you? What does that number mean to you?

Oh, that's such a good question.

Does it mean a certain amount of revenue? Does it mean a certain amount of stability? Does it mean that you're validated as a business owner? Like, what does that mean to you? What— where did that number come from? That's, that's what I'm curious about.

Yeah, that's a really good question. It's not about revenue right now. You know, I do have a full-time job. I don't— you know, that's right now. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about that. I I see 40 as representing growth because where I am today, if I'm moving forward and getting more by the end of the year, I'm growing, I'm moving in the right direction and in a pace that feels comfortable.

Yep.

So that's, that's kind of—

I want you to, I want you to not be comfortable. I want, I want to stretch you. And I really, I want to see that number be 60. 60 by the end of the year. Because here is what that number represents for me, for you. That number represents 60 women that you are touching, 60 women who are able to reset with you every single quarter. It is a Community. And when you can grow that Community into a little bit larger, they, they really connect. And what you are providing for them is not a box of stuff, you're providing this really, this society of people that are like-minded and like you. And if you can collect them, and if you can treat them once a quarter with your box, they're going to become just super special to you. And the more of those that you can let into that world, it's just, it's going to give back to you in ways that revenue could never give back to you. And I'm telling you that from experience. And it's, it's, it's about touching more people. And I think that you have the opportunity to do that. And I think that you want, want to, I think you want to do that. Um, but I think you're holding yourself back because 60 is not a lot different than 40, but I want to push you a little bit further because what you have is super special. And I want you to include more people in that. And when you get to a point, what I want you to figure out is when you get to a certain number, what is next for you? Is that hiring some help? Is that, you know, what, what does that look like for you? Do you need a bigger room to pack these things in? And so figuring out what those levels are, are going to help you and they're going to, they're going to help you push forward and not pull back. What I hear you saying is that I pulled back, I pulled back, but I want you to push forward. And there's a challenge that, you know, I asked you before the podcast, what are some of your challenges right now? And you told me that, that, you know, marketing and feeling like I'm a salesperson is a challenge for me. Like, I don't— Sarah, I don't want to show up and have to sell all the time. And that was the biggest thing for me too. I didn't want to have to sell. I don't like it. But what happens when you build a community of lots of people, like 60 subscribers, it starts to sell itself. So you just have to show them, include them, and they're going to start to sell it for you because they're excited. They're part of this special thing that you have going on, and it's going to be easy. You're just saying, hey, this is my, this is my little circle here, and if you want, if you want to come be a part of it, come on. You don't have to sell them. It's not about selling people on what you have. It's about making people feel something. So when you show up on social media, when you show up in an email, when you show up on a Facebook Live, how do you get them to feel like they want to be a part of it? It's not about buy now, there's only 5 left. Like, we don't have to do those things. We just have to say, here's who I am, here's what I stand for, here's what I want for you, and this is what I have to offer. So if you can kind of reset your marketing to just be showing them and giving. If you can serve your audience, it will sell itself. You don't have to sell it, just serve it up for them.

Right. And it's funny, because as you say that, I'm sure you heard it in my voice. It's like 40. I don't— I'm not one to set— ask my husband and my best friends. I'm always like, oh, this is my goal. And they're like, okay, bring it bring it down a notch. But I am always aiming very high. I think with this, it may have just been the biggest difference is just how real it is. These are real women and just like, just exactly when I started with the reset and it is exactly what you just said, Sarah, I want them to have this experience. I am not just putting together a box. I get excited as I am putting, I am extremely intentional with every single detail. And I'm thinking of even those that I don't know, you know, it's exciting when you have subscribers that you don't know, you don't, you know, you know their names now, but you don't know them. And I think of them, all of them, as I'm curating, as I'm putting it together. Is this something that— how would they use it? Will she use it? Is it the time of year that she would use it? So that's why with the seasonal, I really pay attention to what time of year is it, what types of products would they use. So You're absolutely right. It's wanting to get more of the experience to many, so many amazing women, because I know, as we all know, we're rocking it out. You know, they're doing some amazing things of their own, from raising families to starting their own businesses. So yeah, I accept your challenge. I will, I will put down 60 for the year. Challenge.

Okay, I'm going to check in on you on this. I'm going to check on you every, every quarter and see how you're doing. But here's, here's something else I want to talk about, and I want to tell our listeners today, um, I did an unboxing with your box recently, and I'm just so impressed by it. And I shared it, um, in my social media the other day because what you've done— someone who's never bought products before, someone who's not— who's never had an e-commerce store has taken these items and curated the most beautiful experience for their subscribers. When you look at Alyssa's box, the colors, the color palette that you've picked, I'm sure it's different for each one of your seasons, but your spring box is all— is this beautiful color palette. You've made everything just flow together so nicely, and it just feels like when you open the box Everything is a little gift of itself, and you've just made it feel super special for your subscribers. And I want you to be able to share that with more people. More people need that. And so I don't want you to hold back on that. But as we're talking, we've got a 60— we've got a 60-member goal here. What's next for you? What is— what does our summer box look like? Can you give me some insights on that?

Yeah, so summer. I'm so excited about summer. So first, just for all the boxes, I want to make sure I mention, I— all the products that are in there are crafted by women-owned businesses. So as I'm curating, oh my goodness, I am so inspired. And I get to have a little peek into these different women-owned businesses and They're at different stages. I've got in the summer box, I'm featuring a product from a woman-owned business, and she's, you know, it's definitely an at-home handmade products. She's, I believe she's pregnant, expecting. So I get to see it, get a peek and a glimpse into her world. So summer, springtime was definitely, hey, you know, we all have our planners, we all have our plans. Let's kind of freshen up. It's spring, time to reset, bloom, you know, kind of the theme spring. So that was my motivation behind and inspiration behind the spring box. And also, you know, don't wait to be invited. I used the Shirley Chisholm quote of, if they don't give you a seat at the table, then bring a folding chair. So again, I want to bring some inspiration. So summer is summer. It's all about fun. It's all about color. It's all about journeys and destinations. So I'm going to do my inspiration. I always keep as a surprise for my subscribers. But it's in the theme of summer, you know, we're all on a journey, we're all, we're all heading toward a destination. So it's what we do along the way that matters most. So that's, that's really my theme of summer, kind of, it's a little bit lighter from this sense of it's summertime, you know, let's get a little bit more playful.

Yeah, I'm excited to see it. I can't wait to see what you put together for summer. I know it's going to be awesome.

I'm super excited.

Alissa, I know there are people listening that maybe work full time and they've been thinking about doing a subscription box of their own, and I'm wondering what advice would you give to them that say, you know, I'm not sure if I can do this. What advice would you give to those people listening?

Definitely, first of all, yes, you can. And I heard that a million times, and you know, it's so very true. I would say to start, what I did, start with what you find the fun stuff. You know, I, I was playing around with logos and looking at products and designing what I would think the box— I mean, I have probably 3 or 4 different box designs that of course I can't afford to do yet, but you know, do some of the stuff that gets you excited and it allows, it allows you to anchor to what you're wanting to deliver. That's how it worked for me because I, I was allowing myself to let my heart kind of drive my— and it again, it spoke to what I wanted to offer and what value I was bringing to those that I was serving. So I would say start with the fun stuff. Always, of course, you've got to be mindful. There's tons of business stuff, which is all business stuff. But, you know, the website, taxes, you know, legal stuff, you know, all of that stuff is there. So not to forget about it, but to keep yourself motivated, especially because you're doing this on very limited time. So because we're so busy having full time, and if you've got children, there's so much going on, you want this to be enjoyable for yourself. So it's, it's the anchoring from the start to why you're doing it in the first place. What joy is it bringing you? And then ultimately that will be shown and come through your actual, your box.

I love that. I love that you start with the why and then create the vision. That's the fun stuff. The vision is the fun stuff. And if you can visualize this box for yourself, we do that with the Post-it note challenge. Like if you can lay it out and really visualize what this could look like, like you're ready to go do the work, right? Because you're excited and you can see this and you can, you can feel it deep in inside. And then it's like, okay, now I gotta just do the work. And you just get in and get started. Alyssa, if anyone wants to go check out a Wantabox or they need to get in on this summer box of yours, where can they find you?

They can go to thewantabox.com.

Okay, we'll put that in the show notes today too. Alyssa, thank you Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I can't wait to see the next box.

Thank you so much for having me, Sarah.

Thank you, and join us next week for a whole nother episode. If the idea of creating a subscription box is swirling around in your head, I encourage you to head over to launchyourboxwithsarah.com, get on our waitlist, and grab some of our free downloads to help you get started. That's launchyourboxwithsarah.com.