Live with Cindy M - Adding a Qtrly subscription & passing $1M in revenue

Hey everybody, um, Cindy's throwing it back with Diet Coke real quick before we jump into this interview. But I have the Cindy Manley here with me today. I'm super excited about it. Um, we opened her box yesterday during box openings and, um, it was the very last one. It was the glass and resin art. And we got on today and we realized that we're twinsies right now, so, uh, Which one of these today? Because we're feeling fearless, fierce, and fabulous today, aren't we, Cindy?

And we're mirrored because I'm flipped.

Yeah, right. Um, yeah, so let us know, um, that you're here. I would love to say hi to you guys. Um, Cindy's story is an incredible one, and I'm gonna take her back a little ways. She might get emotional on me today. I know Cindy well. Um, but yeah, Sue says hello, twinsies. Yes, yes, you are. Um, but Cindy, So let's start out with just telling them what your business is and what is it that you do.

Okay, so I, I started as Art Shattered, which I was just selling art and, uh, made with glass and resin. And there are so many people out there who were fascinated by that and asking me questions and want to know the ins and outs of it. So I expanded and started a membership in 2018, where I teach people now how to create art using glass and resin. So we paint, we add a little glass and beads, some fun stuff, mixed media. We put resin on it, and then we end up with all these pretty things.

So yes, we saw your pumpkin box yesterday that had the little acorns and the leaves and the glass and all the things. Um, So you started the membership in 2018, and that's actually the year that I met you as well. We were taking a course about memberships together. And if you remember, I was talking with Tamara on Tuesday, and Tamara— the three of us actually met in 2018, and we became fast friends, and we do life together all the time. But I brought Cindy here because I want to hear— I want you to hear her story. There's a lot of really important milestones in Cindy's Cindy's journey. Um, and it's important to talk about it because there's a lot of things that Cindy is amazing at. So in 2018, we start the membership. Yeah, it's kind of a slow slug for a little while, right? Like, talk to me about how it started.

Well, we started— like you said, we started at the same time. Um, uh, my first launch was 54 members. and I was super stoked about that. I thought this was the best thing ever. I was so excited to just jump in and teach and, um, spread the love and, and all the— do all the art things. And it took me probably 2 or more years to even like hit 500 members, but in 2020 when COVID hit, it blew up. It like literally, like, I think I had like a six-figure launch in September of that year. And at that point, I was still doing everything myself. I did have, um, an OBM who was just doing a few little things for me. So I was doing everything. I was teach— I was filming the art, I was teaching the art, I was managing my website, I was packing the glass that I was selling. I mean, I was doing everything. But when it exploded loaded in 2020, I, I was like, I can't do this by myself anymore. I needed help. I needed someone like running the back end. I just wanted to make pretty things and not do all that business work. So hired a business manager, hired some help, and from that point, from 2020 to now, it has just grown and grown and grown with the help of Miss Sarah as well. We started last year a subscription box that we're excited—

let's pause there for a minute. So you started out with the membership and you were just teaching tutorials, um, a couple times a month inside your membership. And what happened if I, if I want to do the project, um, do I just— you give me a supply list or, um, do you, do you give me those supplies, or how did that work at that time?

So inside the membership, you get the supply list. We have right now, we're doing like, uh, 3 workshops a month inside the membership. So you get the supply list, you get a tracer in case you can't draw all the things we're doing, and you get step-by-step videos start to finish on, on doing that project. So we do— we don't supply our members with the supplies for each project. That would be mass— a massive undertaking. But we do have discounts for our members in our group for the glass and some of the products that we sell on our website.

So you were selling the glass, you were selling some of the additional pieces that you add to your canvases. You— those were available? Yes. And I know at this time you started selling like a full kit. So they could get the canvas, the glass, the resin, the everything they needed to make that kit. And there was a Christmas tree challenge, um, that you did during Christmas time, and it was her lead-in. Much like Subscription Box Week is my lead-in to launch a box, it was her lead-in to join her membership. So she hosted a Christmas tree workshop. It was a couple days long. Resin has to dry. It's a whole process. And, um, and she would sell those tickets for $10 or $15 just like I'm doing for Subscription Box Week. She would get people into this one-time workshop to show them how they could do this, to, to give them the quick win, to make them really understand that, hey, if you don't know anything about glass and resin, I'm your girl. I'm going to teach you and I'm going to show you how fun this is. And, um, so you started to make these kits so people that didn't have any glass, they didn't have any resin, they didn't have any supplies, could easily sign up for the workshop and go ahead and grab a kit to work along with you, right?

Yes. And we try to do that when we have those lead-ins to our membership opening. We always try to, to supply kit for that one-time workshop because it's just— when you're brand new, it's hard to know what to get. It's hard to know, you know, it takes a lot of energy and effort to go out and find all those supplies. We try to always have those kits available um, for our ladies.

Yeah. And so you were selling kits like crazy, right? Christmas Tree Challenge, thousands and thousands of kits. And then you did a sunflower workshop and sold hundreds or thousands of kits. And then it just— every time you would put one out there, you were just exploding with people wanting to buy that box, right?

Yes. I could not keep up with demand. I mean, I would sell out of those boxes way before people, you know, people were still wanting them. But, you know, when you're a small baby business, it's hard to— well, it's hard to know how much to purchase, and it's hard to have the staff and the time, the labor to put those together. So we started really small, sold out so quickly. So you encouraged me the next time to like double that, and we still sold out out so quickly. And so then we doubled it again and we still sold out. So it's been crazy. So that made me realize—

showed you that your audience would want a subscription box, right? And a little, a little elbow nudging for me every now and then.

What are you doing? What are you doing? You have a box.

And let's talk about the box. So tell everybody what the box is. I know it's quarterly. Who gets it? Like, what is involved with that?

So it is subscription-based. So it, it's not like you can just buy one box. Well, you could buy, you know, join, buy one box and leave again. We don't encourage that. We want you to stay and have fun and enjoy the boxes. But, uh, it is subscription-based. It's a quarterly subscription and it's $39.95 a month. So inside that box you get um, the canvas, the tracer supply list. If you were, uh, if you're watching Sarah yesterday, she opened my box. It was super fun. Um, but you also get the glass, any of the little tidbits that you need to make your art piece, to finish your art piece. We don't include paint and paintbrushes because if you're in— we wanted to keep the price low So if you're in the subscription box, if you're a member of the subscription box, we have a starter kit that we sell that has palette knives and paintbrushes and a pen and a stylus and all the things that you need repetitively so that you could purchase that one time. And then we don't have to add that to the box every time. We don't have to add paintbrushes. We don't have to add palette knives when we need them. So you buy that one starter kit one time. That enables us to keep that box at $39. And so you get everything you need except the paint and those paintbrushes and things that are in your starter kit.

Okay. So does, does the activity in that subscription box tie into the membership at all, or is it completely separate?

It is completely separate. We do have lots of members who actually are subscribers to the subscription box. However, one of the, uh, one of the good things about the membership too is if you're in my Shattered Circle membership, you still get the videos. So we gift our members the videos and the tracer and supply list. You just don't get the supplies. Okay, yeah, they like that. They want that box. They want those supplies because almost always We have one little something something in that box that's kind of hard to get your hands on, right?

Like, I noticed the little acorns and the gold leaves and stuff in this last box.

Those leaves we hand cut and hand painted ourselves.

So what, they were super special, and it kind of makes it really limited edition too.

Yeah.

So you decide last year, like, okay, Sarah, I'm finally gonna launch this subscription box. I understand, I just haven't had time to do it. I'm going to get it going. You launch your subscription box and how many subscribers did you get on your first launch?

500.

500. And you sold out.

Sold out. Yes. Sold out. Right. So you had 500 to sell and it was a lofty goal because I wanted to go lower and you were like, no girl, that's my job is to push you out of your comfort zone. So we did create 500 and we sold them easily.

Yeah. And so then when did you launch again? Was it the next quarter you did another launch?

No, we haven't launched since the— since the first one last year in June was our, uh, first launch. And this year, this month is our fall box. The one that you received that you opened yesterday is our fall box. and we made 650 of those to try to, um, boost that— boost the subscription. And I think we have 40 left.

Okay, so you didn't even actually do a full launch. You just said, we haven't launched this thing in a year. Because let's— let me just give them a little insight to Cindy's world. Cindy still does a lot of her business even though she has a ton of members, and now she has 500 subscribers. She does a ton of her own business still. And so for her, she didn't want to grow anymore. She needed— she was going into fall, they were doing the Christmas challenge again. She was selling like 2,000 kits of Christmas. So she was like, nope, I got 500. We're going to make 500 of our, of our quarterly box in the fall. I got to get through the Christmas thing. We're going to make 500 boxes in the first quarter. And then now that I've got— I can relax a little bit. Let's see if we can increase it by 150. And I'm just going to lob it out there in an email. I'm going to do some posts. I'm going to share in my membership. I'm not going to do a full-on crazy launch. I'm just going to slow play this and see if I can get another 150 subscribers because they've been waiting for a while.

Right. And we had really a decent waitlist as well.

And so you only have— you've sold 110 of those remaining boxes, which I have no doubt you're going to sell the rest of them. But talk to me about what the subscription has done for your business.

Well, it— I think it has helped bring in some people who want— you know, we have a lot of members or people who follow our Art Shattered who are a little older. They're like my age and older, and they don't, they don't really like to get out and do all that shopping, you know. So for a long time, people have been asking me. They're like, I don't— there— I don't live near a hobby store or anything like that. So it's enabled me— well, one thing it's enabled me to do is hire more help, which is very good. It's all— that's awesome. So it enabled me to hire more help, and it also enabled me to serve a group of people who really wanted to make the art, but they didn't have the capacity to do so because they didn't want they weren't able to, or they didn't have a store near them where they could go and buy all the supplies. So now it just comes directly to your door, and it just kind of opened the door for people who wanted to try the art but didn't want to, you know, have to go looking for all the things.

Yeah, yeah.

Which is what I love.

You, you made a comment that people might not understand, but you said people in my generation. Now, Cindy, you look really young, um, so do you mind telling them your age?

Because I'm 61. This, this woman is 61.

Shouldn't she look fabulous?

Um, genetics, honey, because I should look like a 90-year-old.

I have several of the older generation in our membership that just joined. I met several of them on Zoom last night. Um, but talk to me about, about what this is like for you, um, to be 61 building a business like this. You're working your tail off packing these boxes. Um, talk to, talk to this older generation about what's possible?

I, you know what, I'm so glad you asked me that because I, you know, I started this business after I'd already retired and I was just having fun making art. And then I saw a need, and I have a teacher's heart anyway. I've been teaching for a long time art classes and faux finishing classes and, and all that kind of stuff. But, um, when people started asking me, I knew there was a need. And so I started in 2018 So that was only 6 years ago when I started this business.

When you were 55?

Yeah, I was retired and I went through a divorce where I thought, oh my gosh, I'm gonna have to get a job, right? This opening, this membership, starting this membership and starting the subscription box has enabled me— it, don't get me wrong, it's hard work and I have had to work my tail off. You really have to want it really bad, and I've worked my tail off to get where I am in that amount of time. But it has enabled me to travel, it has enabled me to live the lifestyle that I want to live, and it has enabled me— I'm a new grandmother, and it's enabling me to spend time with my grandchild. And I see— I knew you're going to get me all choked up. But honestly, it's never too late to start. Yeah, you know, I was in my mid-50s, my late 50s when I started, and, uh, it is just something that I really felt strongly about, and teaching is just what gives me joy. And look what it's done for my life. I mean, when, when I— 2019, when I moved out from Georgia, got a divorce, I didn't really have anything. I had an old beater car. I had $20 grand, less than $20 grand in the bank. And now I have 13— almost 1,400 members in my membership. I have a mini membership that I have averages around 200 members. And I have this box subscription as well. And I have a whole warehouse, a whole art studio, and people who are my age who are working for me, who I'm— so I'm able to do that as well, to employ people who are my age who maybe can't afford to retire, but they like working, you know, they want— it's just fun.

And I've seen, I've seen this Cindy from 2018 to now. I've seen the struggle, I've seen the lows, I've seen you pick yourself back up and keep telling yourself that you can do this and you can make a living with this. And then something that is just so powerful that I will just never forget, um, is the moment that you bought your own house.

Yes.

Um, you bought your own house by yourself, um, just for you, when you weren't even sure if— a year or two ago before that, you weren't even sure if you were going to be able to make a living doing this. And I, in that moment, my eyes teared up for you, and I was so proud of you because that house is yours.

It is.

We can take it from you. It's not going anywhere, and no divorce, you know, like it was yours. And you worked so hard to be able to put a down payment and buy that house of your dreams, and, um, it was so special.

Yeah. And I think if your heart's in it and if you give it everything you have and you really feel it in your heart, then you can do it. It drives you, it moves you forward, and it drives you and enables you to, uh, put those long hours in to make it work, you know. Because when you're doing something you love, it's like, to me, it's— I almost always think this is ridiculous that I am making a living teaching people how to make pretty art. It's crazy. It's crazy. And I love every single minute of it. It's such a blessing. And I just, I just feel very blessed. So So, you know, just follow your heart. And if, you know, if you have the, the dream, it doesn't matter how old you are.

It doesn't matter. You can start now. You can start today. In a year from now, your life could look very different than it is right here today.

Good.

So, Cindy, let's talk a little bit about Launch Your Box. Um, today we have our early bird bonus that is going away at midnight, so I want to make sure we talk a little bit about Launch Your Box. Natasha says, I'm not crying, you are. And so, um, let's talk a little bit about Launch Your Box. What would you say is your favorite part about Launch Your Box?

Community, I think. It doesn't matter what time it is, what day it is, what your question is, uh, nobody in that community like looks down, like thinks, oh, that's the dumbest thing. Because sometimes I feel like— because, you know, of my age, and I just feel like sometimes the tech doesn't click with me. You can go into that community and ask what you feel like is such a dumb question, but nobody ever like tears you down. Every 20 people are immediately trying to help, giving you advice, telling you where to go, where to look. The community is everything. And Sarah, you know how I feel about Sarah. Sarah I've told her this a million times. She is a rock star and literally one of the smartest people I've ever known in my life. And I just follow her around like a little puppy dog everywhere she goes because she is loving and caring and motivating, and she will kick your butt in the sweetest and most gentle, loving way ever. And honestly, and I've told you and the other girls in our little group this a million times. I would not be here, right here in this building right now, if it wasn't for you.

You're supposed to make me cry. What are you doing? You're not supposed to make me cry, Natasha. You're crying, not me. I'm not crying. You're crying, Natasha. Cindy, I don't even know what to say. You flustered me.

Sorry.

Let's, let's talk about these new people. Um, they've been in Subscription Box Week, um, I've loved on them, Cindy. I have hopefully taught them something new. I've hopefully got them motivated. What if they're sitting here watching and they think, I want to do this, but I don't know if I can? What would you— what would you say?

I would say, yes, you can. You— the first step is believing in yourself, and I'm a big proponent of What you put out in the world comes back to you. So sitting there and saying, I don't know if I can, is already living in the negativity. You need to tell yourself, I know I can do this. You can do it. Doesn't matter your age, doesn't matter your demographic, doesn't matter your race, doesn't matter any of that matters. Believe that you can do it and then you can. That's all. I mean, You can do it. You just have to take that first step. For joining, Launch Your Box is that first step. And then you're going to take that second step, and you're gonna— I wish I'd worn my shirt that says, just do what Sarah says.

Yes, she also has one of those shirts that says, just do what Sarah says. We'll have to wear them one day this weekend.

Yeah, and that's it in a nutshell, really. Join and then just do what Sarah says.

Yeah, because we know that it works, Cindy, right? We've seen it work in every niche possible. We've seen it work with every type of person— young, old, middle-aged, whatever. Like, we've seen it work across the board, and all we have to do is really rinse and repeat. Yeah, just do it, tweak it, rinse and repeat.

And last year, when I decided to launch that subscription box, Subscription box. I followed your lessons every step of the way. I followed your go live, unbox. I followed every single step that you told us to do. 500 members. It was awesome.

Yes, all you have to do is follow the plan.

All you have to do—

we're making this— I'm trying to make this as easy as possible.

For you. I know what works.

We've tested it, we've double tested it, our members have tested it. We know what works. All you have to do is come do what works. Come get the, get the template to doing it and do it.

And if you need help, ask for help in the community. The, the community is your place. If— and I am a firm believer of this inside Launch Your Box and inside my own membership as well, becoming a part of the community is almost essential because that— nobody else around you, your family, your friends, are going to understand what you're doing and what you're going through. But these people inside Launch Your Box get it. They're doing the same thing. They've done the same thing. So being part of that community is essential because that is where you're going to get love, encouragement, ideas, help, all the things. Yeah. So I would encourage you to join and then be part of the community.

Absolutely. I want to touch on one more thing.

Okay.

Um, before I let you go, because you hit a very big milestone in your business last year, and I, I want to share that with everybody because I want them to see what's possible and also want to celebrate that with you. But talk to me about what happened last year for the first time ever.

Well, for the first time ever, I have grown— I had grown my membership, loved all my people. I had started that subscription box. We had expanded. We moved into a new space that was, uh, that enabled us to do the subscription box and to expand our— what we're giving to— what we're providing to our members. Um, and we hit one right at $1.2 million last year.

Last year in revenue, for the first time since she started her business, she hit over a million dollars in revenue just last year.

Crazy. I'm telling you, it was crazy. And, and I was literally like watching my phone too, every minute. I was like 72 more dollars.

It's a huge milestone to think not that long ago, 5 years ago, you thought you were going to have to go get a job because you were getting divorced. You didn't have much to your name and you thought, oh my gosh, I think I'm going to have to get a job. I know that's a huge, huge milestone to reach in a very short period of time. And I have no doubt that you're going to hit that again this year.

I'm so excited.

Yes.

Yes.

All right. You've heard from Cindy. You've heard from Tamara. You've heard from Rebecca. You've heard from Jonica, Jenny, Kimberly. You've heard from Amy. Who am I leaving out? I'm leaving out someone. It's one of the bakers. Oh, Lauren! How could I forget Lauren? Um, The Cheerful Baker. Um, you've heard from all these wonderful ladies about how they just got started. They didn't know all the things. They didn't have it all figured out. They just got started. They learned more. They kept growing. They kept learning. They kept implementing. And, um, and that's how we've gotten here. And if it takes that first next step, that first right step for you to get going. And I really believe for so many of you, this is your first right step, and then we figure out the rest along the way. You don't have to have it all figured out.

You don't.

You can be 25 or 55 or 65, um, and start your, start your business.

I didn't even know how to make a website when I first started. My tech skills, you know, at my— most women my age don't have a huge amount of tech skills, and my tech skills were pitiful. And if I can do it, you can do it.

If Cindy can do it, you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. So come join us over in Launch Your Box. Remember, your early bird bonus expires tonight. We don't want you to miss out on that. Come hang out with Cindy and I. We got a lot of good stuff going on over here, so grab the link, join us, and let's get started on your journey. Cindy, Tell them you're over there. Like, tell them where they can find you. They might need a resin box.

My Facebook is called Art Shattered, and that's where I am mostly because that's where most of my people are. They're not Instagrammers or TikTokers, uh, but you can find me on Art Shattered. My website is artshattered.com, and my Facebook is Art Shattered too. So just come over, say hi, tell me that you met me here on— in Sarah's, uh, Launch Your Box group. And, uh, yeah, say hi. Yeah, and I'll see you in the community.

And Cindy's live all the time making beautiful glass and resin art, so you can go hang out with her and just watch. Like, kind of like me where I like to go watch people make cookies even though I don't cook. Um, that's what you can do. You can go hang out with Cindy and watch her make some beautiful glass art. All right. All right, Cindy, thank you so much. I'll be back tomorrow with a heck of an interview. I'm talking with Lexi tomorrow and we're going to learn how Lexi one year ago had 40 subscribers and one year later had 400 subscribers. We're going to chat with Lexi tomorrow morning. I'll see you all then. Y'all have a great day.