Launch Your Box Podcast with Sarah Williams | Start, Launch, and Grow Your Subscription Box

Latest Episodes:

090: Free Shipping vs Charging for Shipping Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

You’ve curated a beautiful subscription box. Your website is nearly ready. But there’s one decision holding you back from actually launching. And it’s all about shipping. Should you offer free shipping or charge for shipping?

Of course, “free shipping” isn’t free. If you offer free shipping to your customers, you will adjust the prices of the items you sell to absorb those shipping costs and protect your profit margins.

In this episode, I go deep on all things shipping. The truth is, there’s no easy answer to the free shipping or charging for shipping question. There is no one-size fits all strategy when it comes to shipping charges. There may even be more than one answer for your business.

Think about your own buying behavior. What matters more to you when you’re shopping online? What matters to your customers?

Shippo, a shipping software company, conducted a survey where they found:
49% of customers prefer to pay a lower price for items and pay for shipping.
40% of customers want free shipping.
11% of customers want their items fast and are willing to pay expedited shipping charges.
Another report showed:
People prefer paying for low-cost shipping when purchasing lower-priced items.
93% of shoppers will add to their carts to reach a certain threshold to receive free shipping if it’s offered.

For one-off online sales, offering free shipping once a customer reaches a purchase threshold is smart for a few reasons.

It can increase your average order value.
It incentivizes customers to order more items at once instead of placing multiple one-item orders, reducing your overall shipping charges.
It allows for lower pricing of items because you don’t have to account for as much of the cost of shipping in the price of each item.

Answering this question for your subscription box is more difficult. Do you only ship or do you offer local pickup as well? Does the perceived value of your subscription box allow you to include shipping in the cost of the box or would that make the price “too high?” Don’t be afraid to test options with your audience to help you make this decision.

Join me for this episode as I talk about what you need to consider when deciding whether to charge for shipping or offer free shipping to your customers and why you may end up choosing one strategy for your one-off sales and the other for your subscription box.

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

089: Managing Content Creation and Showing Up On Video with Dana Bowling Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

I’m so excited to have Dana Bowling of Show Up on Video join me today to talk about practical strategies to create content in a way that is doable and effective as well as ways to conquer feelings around showing up on video.

Dana brings her background as a casting director and acting coach to her current business where she helps ambitious entrepreneurs learn how to own being the face of their businesses. Dana is a speaker, a coach, and a podcast host. Her podcast, Show Up on Video, helps motivate business owners to create valuable content and share it with their audiences. As she likes to say, “It’s all content.”

Content creation is all about showing up and serving your audience. Don’t be afraid of giving too much away. Serving your audience by sharing valuable content with them builds your authority and your know/like/trust factor. In other words, when they’re ready to buy, you’ve made yourself the obvious choice.

Dana took me through her content creation framework which could work for any subscription box owner. This framework starts with brainstorming content ideas and puts you where you belong - at the center.

Identify four content pillars. For example, if I used this framework, my pillars might be:

Subscription boxes
Crazy, busy mom life
Monograms
Behind the scenes
Instead of focusing on the outcome, focus on the process

Identify three content ideas for each pillar.

Face to camera
Time-lapse
Trending sound

For each idea, come up with 1-2 ways you can talk about it.

Yes, one of those ways to talk about your content is face to camera. Dana knows just like I know that this causes anxiety in so many of you. So she has three great tips to make being on camera easier.

Get more comfortable talking on camera when the purpose is not to create content.

Send video messages to friends or customers.
Create social media stories - they only last for 24 hours!
Hop on video chats with friends.

Record without the intention to post. This takes the pressure off and sometimes you’ll surprise yourself by coming up with something good!

Good lighting, hair, makeup, clothes you feel good in, even using a subtle filter.

Do whatever makes you feel better about being on camera.

Think about who you serve and how your content can help them have a better day.

Remember that your audience is much more interested in and worried about themselves than about you!

Join me for this episode as Dana shares valuable strategies for creating content and feeling more comfortable showing up on video. Don’t miss this chance to learn how to serve your audience and your business with your content.

Find and follow Dana:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

088: What a Mastermind Can Do for You and Your Business Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit around a table, geeking out about your business with other people who just “get it?” Have you dreamed of digging in and talking about the parts of being an entrepreneur that are hard? And the parts that are amazing? And all the in-between parts, too? It is incredibly valuable to spend time with like-minded people in person and get real - get personal even - about what it takes to keep growing as a business and as a business owner.

In this episode, I’m sharing what a Mastermind is and what it can do for you and your business. I wouldn’t be where I am today without being challenged, nurtured, and held accountable… and that’s what a Mastermind is all about.

Masterminds can seem mysterious - like they’re an exclusive group of people getting together and having top secret conversations. But that’s not what they’re meant to be, and it’s certainly not what any Mastermind I’ve been involved with has been. Good Masterminds are about connection, accountability, implementation, scaling, and creating the life you want. All with like minded people and a facilitator you align with.

I’ve been a part of Masterminds for five years. I’ve gotten so much from those experiences - and given so much to them as well. It’s important to realize that being an active participant in a Mastermind means you’re giving just as much as you’re getting. That’s where the connections and relationships are formed. Through sharing, encouraging, supporting, and challenging each other in a safe, supportive space.

After being a part of Masterminds and guest teaching in Masterminds, it finally struck me that it was time for me to have my own Mastermind for my community.

I started with a weekend. And it was incredible. We went to the beach (my official happy place) and spent two days going deep with 16 incredible subscription box owners. The weekend changed each of them and their businesses and it changed me, too. I went from wondering if a Mastermind was something I wanted to offer to deciding I was 100% in on creating a year-long Mastermind of my own - the Elevate Mastermind.

This Mastermind is for people in my community - people who have subscription boxes, memberships, or product based businesses. A Mastermind is not for someone just getting started. It might be for you if you’re ready to scale your business and dig into how to make that happen.

Join me for this episode as I share my Mastermind experiences, my vision for my Elevate Mastermind, and how to know when you’re ready for a Mastermind.

Email me if you're interested in applying for or learning more about my Elevate Mastermind at sarah@framedbysarah.com. Spots are going fast!

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

087: From Registered Nurse to Subscription Box Owner with Tiffany Hill Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

“Hire the help.” - Tiffany Hill

I’m so excited to have Launch Your Box member Tiffany Hill of Queen of My Castle Designs join me for today’s episode to share her journey from Registered Nurse to successful subscription box owner.

A dedicated RN, Tiffany started painting door hangers as a hobby more than a decade ago. What started as something to satisfy her crafty side grew into a business that allowed her to work less hours as a nurse and spend more time at home with her husband and their three sons. Earlier this year, Tiffany made the decision to retire from nursing altogether and focus solely on her family and her business. Tiffany has two digital teaching subscriptions and an Etsy shop where she sells one-off products, but it was her monthly door hanger subscription that gave her the confidence and peace of mind to “retire” from nursing, and never look back.

Handmade subscription boxes like Tiffany’s come with their own set of challenges. Planning for her launch, Tiffany decided to limit the number of subscribers to 30 because she wanted to make sure she didn’t outsell what she was capable of making. When those spots sold out in mere hours, Tiffany had not only launched strong, she had also created scarcity, exclusivity, and urgency. There were a lot more than 30 members of her audience who wanted to join her door hanger of the month subscription.

Tiffany knew the only way she could grow and scale her business was by hiring help. She hired carefully and well, slowly building a small team who is as dedicated to producing quality products as she is. With careful planning and the help of her amazing team, Tiffany’s monthly subscription has grown steadily to where it is now at 175 subscribers.

Join me for this episode as Tiffany shares what she learned as she grew her Door Hanger of the Month subscription and why growing and scaling a handmade business is not possible without building a team.

Find and follow Tiffany:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

086: One Year Later - An Update from a Past Guest One Year After Her Subscription Box Launch with Amanda Stucky Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Launch Your Box member Amanda Stucky of Mandy Lynn Plans joined me for today’s episode to catch us up on what’s been happening since her last visit almost exactly one year ago. You might remember Amanda from episode 33 where we talked about audience building and the incredible response she had to her launch despite having a small audience of only 600 people. Amanda has gone from strength to strength over this past year and continues to grow.

Amanda’s early success was due in no small part to her dedication to serving her audience. She went deep into the planner niche, producing stickers and planner accessories for the specific planner she loves using, the Hobonichi. She found an audience of people just like her, connected with them, and sold them one-off products. Soon, they were begging her for a subscription box. That’s right, they asked her to add a subscription box to her business. Amanda continues to focus on the needs and wants of her audience, expanding her product lines and adding a one-thing-of-the-month box to her offerings.

Another exciting development came when Amanda’s husband was able to quit his full-time job to work full-time in Mandy Lynn Plans. He brings tech skills that allow Amanda to produce more designs and a larger variety of designs quickly. This arrangement also means more family time with their young children.

As a subscription box business grows, at some point every subscription box owner needs to hire. This can be a big hurdle, worrying about who to hire and what to have them do. Amanda was no different. When she did hire, she started with one part-time employee and slowly added to her team as needed. She learned lessons along the way that all subscription box owners can learn from:

Start with one job/responsibility and let your team member (and you) get comfortable with that before adding more.
Don’t worry about keeping them busy - you’ll find more than enough tasks they can help with.
Hiring takes things off your plate that hinder your creativity. Adding team members allows for time and space to create which results in a better product.
The first hire more than doubles what you can produce.

Hiring team members, bringing her husband home to work in the business, maintaining her connection to her audience, and focusing on serving them have led to a year of significant growth in subscription numbers and one-time sales. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

Join me for this episode as Amanda shares what happens in the year after the launch of a subscription box. She talks about serving her audience, giving them what they want, and how hiring team members has helped her business - and her creativity - grow.

Important Links:

Launch Your Box Podcast Episode 33 - Small Audience, No Problem! How Amanda Built 100+ Subscribers from an Audience of 600

Find and follow Amanda:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

085: Build an Audience with a Niche Specific Podcast Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

“If you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast, now is the perfect time.” - Sarah Heeter.

My podcast editor, Sarah Heeter, joined me for today’s episode to talk about all things podcast. We talked about the benefits of podcasting and why starting a niche-specific podcast could be a valuable part of your audience-building strategy. Sarah knows a LOT about podcasts. After all, she helped me start this podcast and grow it to more than 200,000 downloads in 18 months and a ranking in the top 1.5% of podcasts globally. She’s also a member of Launch Your Box.

If you’re wondering if podcasts can be a valuable part of an audience-building strategy for subscription box owners, the answer is yes! I mentioned I have more than 200,000 episode downloads in only 18 months. Compare that to my social media audience. It has taken me years to grow my Facebook and IG followers to a combined 20,000. And if you’re wondering if there’s room for another podcast - for your podcast - the answer is also yes. Studies show more than half of people over 12 listen to podcasts and, on average, each listens to 7 podcasts!

There are several benefits to podcasts when it comes to connecting with your audience.

Podcasts meet people where they are. They lend themselves to being interrupted - it’s easy to stop a podcast when needed and get right back to where you left off.
Podcasts allow listeners to multitask. They listen while driving, cleaning, exercising, and more.
A podcast mimics the intimacy of a phone call - you’re talking to your audience for 25-40 minutes per week.
Unlike social media posts, reels, and videos, podcast episodes live forever!

It can be daunting to think about what you would talk to your audience about each week. Many people worry they’ll run out of things to say. If you’re serving your niche, and know your audience well, that shouldn’t be a problem. Sarah suggests brainstorming a list of possible topics by asking yourself:

What keeps my ideal customer up at night?
What answers are they searching for on Google?
What is their support system like?
What is their value system?
What are their highest priorities?

Use what you learned about your ideal customer in my FREE 6 in 60 Workshop to help you get started.

Join me for this episode as Sarah shares so much knowledge about why subscription box owners should consider starting a podcast, how to decide what to talk about, and why it’s very possible to DIY your podcast.

Important Links:

6 in 60 Workshop

Find and follow Sarah Heeter:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

084: The Journey to 3200 Subscribers with Damon Oates of DecoExchange Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

“Listen to your people.” - Damon Oates

Damon Oates of DecoExchange joined me for today’s episode. Damon serves people who make and sell decorative wreaths, so his customers are themselves businesspeople. Damon started a subscription box several years ago and hated it. He found it to be incredibly stressful and had difficulty planning the boxes and getting the needed supplies each month. That was before he met me! LOL

Damon’s first subscription had as many as 900 subscribers, but he had let it dwindle down to just over 300 when he came into my world. After we talked about what he didn’t like about his subscription box, a few things became clear, the biggest of which was Damon and his business partner needed to learn how to plan. After joining Launch Your Box and gaining that knowledge and more, they decided to launch another subscription box with some changes.

During the pre-launch period, Damon leaned into what he does best - building and engaging with his audience. He asked them what they wanted, which it turns out wasn’t what he thought they wanted or what he wanted to give them. But he listened. He also spent that time building a waitlist. By consistently posting, texting, and going LIVE with a CTA to join the waitlist, Damon grew a list of more than 3,000 people in less than two months. That waitlist currently has 14,000 people on it!

The launch of the new subscription box resulted in 350 subscribers. That number continued to grow each month for the next 1 ½ years at which point there were 3,200 subscribers. They decided to hold steady at 3,200 for now and the only way to become a subscriber is to get on the waitlist and hope for someone to cancel. Damon has generated major FOMO by employing three things I teach every subscription box owner to create - scarcity, urgency, and exclusivity.

Damon shared his advice for other subscription box owners whether you’re new to the game or looking to grow.

Listen to your people and give them what they want.
Start with 10-20 boxes or even a one-time box to try it out and see what works.
Pick one social media platform, be consistent, and show up. (You’ll find Damon on Facebook!)
Pick your niche and go deep.
Serve before you sell.

Join me for this episode as Damon shares how he went from hoping his subscription box business would die off to nurturing an excited, vibrant community of more than 3,200 monthly subscribers with thousands more waiting to get in.

Important Links:

Find and follow Damon:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

083: Supersizing Your Audience with Video Views Ads Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

“Social media is a place to find our people, gather them up, and then focus only on them.” - Susan Bradley.

My biz bestie Susan Bradley of The Social Sales Girls joined me for today’s episode to talk all things video view ads. Susan shared how using video and supplementing the organic reach you get with video with some ad dollars is the fastest, most effective way to grow a great big, warm audience of people without spending a lot of money.

Facebook and Instagram ads don’t work like they used to. Costs have gone up and the ROI has changed. The way you use Facebook and Instagram ads needs to change, too. Instead of running ads to directly sell, you need to run ads to collect people to retarget and nurture them. Then you’ll sell to them.

Videos, especially short videos, are how we reach “non-followers,” those people who would be interested in what we offer but who aren’t yet part of our world. With video ads, you’re taking what’s already working for you on Instagram and Facebook and amplifying it by putting a few dollars a day of ad spend behind it.

Join me for this episode as Susan shares so much valuable information about why and how to use video view ads to grow a warm audience and the two things you need to measure to determine if those ads are working. There has never been a better opportunity to find our people and Susan is here to show us how.

Susan’s Ads Made Easy Coaching Week starts August 21st! Sign up HERE.

Important Links:

Find and follow Susan:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

082: Generating Over $20K a Month with a Digital Subscription Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

“Lean into what your people are loving and asking for. And if there’s a digital option, go for it!” - Stacey Collins

Subscriptions aren’t always physical items showing up on your doorstep. Think Netflix, Disney +, or an online newspaper. After today’s episode, you’ll also think about Stacey Collins and her Printable Club.

Stacey is a member of Launch Your Box and a self-proclaimed lover of all things decorating, crafting, and shopping. She has spent years building a wildly loyal audience through her blog and social media. Stacey is creative, energetic, and FUN! She’s also a very smart businesswoman.

Stacey serves her audience. She served them for a long time before selling to them. When 2020 hit and we were all stuck at home, looking for things to do and people to connect with, Stacey went online and served her audience by crafting with them a LOT. She was coming up with new ideas for crafts to meet the demand and got the idea to craft using her custom-designed printables. Her audience LOVED it and asked for more. And more. And more.

Stacey’s Printable Club was born. The first launch brought in 800 subscribers! And it has continued to grow. Now, two years in, Stacey has more than 2,000 monthly subscribers. And the best part - other than more than $20,000 in monthly recurring revenue - is this subscription requires no packing or shipping. It’s 100% digital. She’s not sending anything physical. Instead, her subscribers use digital items to create something physical.

Stacey’s subscription came out of a desire to serve her audience by offering them what they wanted in a way that saved them money.

Join me for this episode as we dive into digital subscriptions. We’ll talk about the ways they’re different from physical subscriptions and the ways they’re the same. You might even discover a digital subscription would work for your business!

Important Links:

Find and follow Stacey:

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Use code LAUNCHWELCOME at https://www.boxup.com/ to get 10% off your first order

081: Running a Giveaway to Build Your List Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

Audience building should always be on your to-do list. Whether you already have a subscription box or you’re just getting started, consistently work to reach and engage new people.

One audience building strategy I teach inside Launch Your Box is to run a giveaway on social media. I use a free, easy-to-use software called Kingsumo to run my giveaways a couple of times a year. My last giveaway added 1500 people to my email list!

When you run a giveaway, follow four simple steps

Determine your goal - why are you running a giveaway?
To grow your following.
To build your email or text list.
To gauge interest in your potential box.
All of the above!

Determine your prize.
Your prize needs to be “worth it” - what would make you enter a contest?
Consider offering a box or a 3-6 month subscription.

Create your timeline.
Your giveaway should run for 7-14 days.
Share, share, share!
Send an email to your list - remember, some of them may not follow you on social media yet.
Social posts - videos, stories, etc.
Keep talking about it throughout the 7-14 days to keep the excitement going.

There are rules for running giveaways on social media. You need to be aware of these rules and follow them.

The contest must be free to enter - it cannot be combined with a purchase.
The winner must be chosen randomly.
The winner must be announced publicly.
You must state clearly (in posts and your contest rules) that your giveaway has no affiliation with the platform.

Every week inside Launch Your Box, members are setting up and running giveaways. It’s one of the best things you can do to jump-start your audience building no matter where you are in your subscription box journey.

Join me for this episode as I talk about why you should run a giveaway as part of your audience building strategy, the steps to follow to make it a success, and the important rules you need to follow!

Important Links:

6 in 60 Workshop - Sarah’s Method for Curating 6 Subscription Boxes in 60 Minutes
Kingsumo

Join me in all the places:

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

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