Sales – Coastal Carolina Soap Blog

Why This Indie Business Can’t (And Won’t) Touch Black Friday – pt. 1

I read an article Sunday morning at Business Insider entitled “Things Most Black Friday Shoppers Don’t Know.” You can read it here. Even for a seasoned retail employee who’s seen her share of Black Fridays, the wife of a retail worker who had to get up early after Thanksgiving at the beach so her husband could get to work on Black Friday, and an indie manufacturer and business owner, there was some new and interesting – but common sense – facts here.

In this two-part series, we’re going to look at the realities of retail and how my indie business is different – and better.

BI: “The mall doesn’t open before the anchor stores do.” Those big stores – Macy’s, Belk’s, and Dillard’s – determine what time the mall opens, and there are huge fines for not being open when they open. (Some stores bite that fine, and some malls allow retailers to choose for themselves.)

CCS: On Black Friday, all that weekend, and Cyber Monday, we’re here for you. We may have limitations on our availability (e.g., Sunday morning during church and most times when we’re driving), but for the most part, we’ll be free to answer questions for you. You don’t have to fight screamin’ hordes of shoppers to get to us.

2. BI: “Black Friday sales are usually on older models and are often the same deal as last year.”

CCS: Our prices are our prices all year and our merchandise is made in small batches to ensure freshness. Small, indie retailers can’t compete with discounted stuff made in overseas sweatshops, so we aren’t going to try. Our products are worth the price, and when’s the last time you saw a sweat shop slave do a happy dance because you bought that TV?

3. BI: “These products would probably have gone on sale, anyway.”

CCS: We save our clearance sale prices for our annual clearance sale.

4. BI: “You rarely ever need to be there when the stores open – the sales last all day.” The reason for getting there uber-early is to ensure you get your preferred sizes.

CCS: One soap fits all sizes, and our sales also will last throughout the weekend. We’re not so big into early bird promos.

5. BI: “In fact, most (sales) start before Black Friday.”

CCS: We will be running a special free shipping promotion, but it won’t begin until Black Friday. It will last all weekend, though, and on into Cyber Monday.

6. BI: “Stores will use all sorts of tricks to get you to spend more.” I saw this the last time I worked mall retail.

CCS: No tricks, though we will suggest add-ons to your purchases, especially for gifts. The reason is simple: When I’m selling in person, my wares are spread out before you, and you can see what goes with what (like Orange Blossom soap and Orange Blossom & Amber Creme, or Christmas Candy Soaps with our Christmas Candies Lip Balms). You don’t have that online, so we will help point you to those complementary items.

Come back tomorrow as we look at the other half of this list. Do any of these retail tricks surprise you? Are there others you’d add from your own experiences?

Preparing for my Favorite Event

How’s your last week been? We solemnly and with a good deal of relief enjoyed our first week post-soccer season. In one respect, I was a little lost. The time came when I would normally have prepared my practice plan, and there was no practice for which to play. However, my younger daughter and I got to take a great – if not also occasionally creepy – walk while the older one was at dance. Halloween came and went with a late night, tons of fun with friends, and almost as much candy. In short, it was a good last week of fall break.

One of the major things I accomplished this past week was submitting the reservation for my spot for my absolute favorite show of the year. Caveat: I only do two events a year. One I call my favorite local show, the other is my absolute favorite event of all. My fave event is one I call, in short, the EPA Show. Its long name is the Annual EPA Holiday Bake and Craft Show, so you can see why I’d shorten it.

There are four things that make this event my favorite.

The people. Each year that I work this show gives me the opportunity to reconnect with people who have known me since I was five – the few who are left, anyway – and those who I’ve met in the years of doing this show. Some are fellow vendors, others are customers, and then there’s Romeo, the kick-butt line cook in the cafeteria who can bring a smile to my uncaffeinated lips as he slides an omelet to me.
The set-up. Tables already in place. A simple display. Reduced product line. All these go into making the schematics of setting up for this show quick and relatively easy. Granted, I have to get through the security necessary in a government building and schlep everything from the underground loading dock to my spot – all without coffee! – but it’s easier than most other events. Tear-down is even easier.
My selling team. This is the one event that my mom helps me vend. One of the girls usually comes along, too. Having help is always valuable, but having moments to sit back and watch them in action is delightful. My younger daughter (then 7) had her first turn behind the table last year, and she totally rocked it!
The booth fee. Free is always good, right? Well, it’s not entirely “free.” I have to account for my time and gas, but I don’t have to pay to be there.

This year’s show is just a hair over a month away, and I started the grinding prep work last week as I wrapped and labeled soaps that have been happily curing for months. I’ve got a few new products I’ll be bringing out for it, which I’ll be telling you about in the days and weeks ahead. It’s gonna be great! We can’t wait!

What Are You Selling?

You’ve heard me say before that we’re an entrepreneurial family, with my husband, our older daughter, and I all having our own businesses. Our daughter’s mowing business has all but died this year, with many people taking care of their own lawns, a customer moving, and so forth – despite her serious hustle to drive new business. That’s meant she’s had to find other ways to earn money.

My husband’s business continues to grow with requests for some light landscaping and organic fertilization treatments. The girls go out to work with him on those days and take care of those jobs so he can focus on applying the inorganic chemicals. They get to engage with the customers and get paid for the work they do.

Suddenly this summer, mermaid soaps have taken off like crazy! The older daughter is the “Mermaid Diva,” crafting gorgeous mermaid soaps, each one beautifully unique. I pay her for each one. Between making soaps and working with her dad, my daughter has made up about half of her usual summer income. She’s driven, because she is earning the money she needs to complete her soccer referee’s certification course; this will enable her to make even more money over the next year. She’s saving up for next summer’s mission trip, next year’s sports (soccer, dance, or both), and next year’s awesome Language Arts class, should she decide to take it.

Yesterday evening, my husband told me about his former employer – now independent – offering customers a discount on their first treatment if they sign up. It’s similar to what a major corporate competitor does, though on a larger scale. Thanks to what I’ve learned throughout the time of my business and the years I’ve been a part of IBN and under the mentorship of Donna Maria, I was able to help him reframe how he thinks about driving his business. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “Big box stores have gotten customers trained to think they must always get a discount. Big Company XYZ (the corporate competitor) probably averages about $50 per lawn, accounting for both postage stamp-size and high-end neighborhoods. The local office may get $10-$20 of that for their operating costs and to pay their employees. Where does the rest go? It keeps the CEO in boats and vacation homes. The techs are like worker drones. That’s it.”

Him: “No company I’ve ever worked for has ever given customers a discount for signing up.”

Me: “OK. And for good reason. Why do you think that is?”

Him: “They didn’t need to. They were selling quality.”

Me: “Exactly. How closely do you pay attention to car commercials?”

Him: “I really don’t.”

Me: “Think about Chevy, Ford, and Honda commercials. What do they focus on?”

Him: “Their features.”

Me: “No. Their affordability. Every single one sells their cars on ‘4000 off MSRP or ‘Just 249 per month.’ They’re selling on price. Now, think about Mercedes or BMW. You know the Lincoln commercials with Matthew McConaughey? What are they selling?”

Him: “Luxury. Handling. Performance.”

Me: “Right. And how often do you ever see prices on commercials for high-end vehicles?”

Him: “You don’t.”

Me: “Because those car manufacturers are selling quality vehicles, and their customers don’t care about the price when they’re getting quality. What are you selling to your customers?”

Him: “My brand.”

Me (smiling): “Wrong. Try again.”

He looked at me with a smile, not quite sure what I was looking for. I smiled back and said, “Let me know when you’ve figured it out.”

As indie business owners, we have to be aware of our motivation and even more aware of what we’re selling. We’re not selling a product or a service; we’re selling ourselves. I’ve often privately thought that being a business owner is like legalized prostitution without the sex. We’re selling bits of ourselves to our customers, hoping fervently that they’ll come back for more. Packed in with every soap or every lawn treatment, we’re selling ourselves, our back stories, our experience, and our knowledge.

Packed in with every soap or every lawn treatment, we’re selling ourselves, our back stories, our experience, and our knowledge.

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We’re selling to build our hopes and dreams, to leave a legacy for the next generation, whether that’s the next generation in our families or in the larger entrepreneurial community.

Why do you do what you do? What are you selling to people?

3 Tips For Expanding Your Small Business Into A New Market

Spring Cleaning a New Way

I’ll admit it. While I keep my kitchen and my work space clean and organized, my bedroom is nothing short of a disaster. It always seems that the inspiration to clean comes on Sunday mornings as I’m getting ready for church or on school days when I’m hustling to begin our lessons. It’s not that there’s food or dirty dishes up there; it’s just general clutter, maximized by a way-too-large percentage of my clothes being “hand wash in cold water.” (But I LOVE those sweaters!!!)

Earlier this week I came across this link on Facebook which promised one little tip to create tidying up magic. As it seems that my cleaning is usually after other people and it’s a handful of stuff as I walk through rooms and never seeming to get anywhere, the idea of changing my thinking about cleaning was intriguing. So what’s this great cleaning tip? Well, it’s actually two parts. One, clean by categories, not by rooms. Do all clothes, then all books, then all DVDs, then all papers and whatever. Two, keep only those things that bring you joy.

I like the idea of cleaning by categories, because if I cleaned by rooms, then one room would get messier in the process. For example, I have some books in my bedroom and in the living room. If I were to clean the books out of my bedroom, then I’d be shoving them on the bookcase in the office, making that less organized.

I can’t get into the “keep only those things that bring you joy.” If that were the case, then I’d be donating all my clothes, because I don’t find joy in material things. I enjoy nice clothes, and I do my best to take care of all my clothes. What excites me the most is finding a garment I like and waiting until it goes on sale to buy it. (I bought two sweaters right after Christmas for less than the price of one.) But I can’t rightly say that any of my clothes bring me joy, so telling this garment or that one, “Thank you for the joy you bring me” or “You brought me joy at one point” just wasn’t in my mindset. What was in my mindset was saying to two boxes’ worth of clothes, “You’re out of here,” “Loved wearing you, but that was years ago,” “You looked good on my pre-children body,” “What the heck is up with all these shoulder pads???” I folded each garment and placed it with care in a box, then I marked those boxes with fun labels.

As I went through my clothes, I could see the characteristics of each person who’d given them to me. This particular top was from my mom in a size too large to “camouflage my size.” That meant it hung on my small shoulders. This scarf from my grandparents (just not my style). That top from my in-laws – not my color. This other top from my in-laws… Hmmm… That’ll look cute with those pants and that jewelry. Purging that one, keeping that one. I haven’t worn that one in forever, but it’s got good memories, so it stays. As I said, in all, I packed two boxes on top of one that was waiting to be delivered, plus I ruthlessly trashed worn out shirts, jeans, bras, bathing suits, and panties. My youngest helped me, and she couldn’t believe what I was throwing away: “You’re throwing away a bra?!?!”

It felt amazing seeing the results of hours of hard work. I tell my girls all the time, “I’m not attached to stuff. I’m not attached to yours, and I’m not attached to mine” (which they know means I’ll throw their stuff away if they leave it out after I’ve told them to pick it up). They saw that in action today. “If Mom will throw her own clothes away, she’ll throw ours away, too!” My youngest helped me, and my oldest decided to clean her room during about half of the time I worked on my room.

Unfortunately, our local thrift store is closed on the weekends, but those boxes will be gracing their business before we head to the beach again. I’m not even done; I have more clothes to sort (some had to be washed), and my husband still has to go through his. There is something amazing, though, about being able to see real, tangible results of all the hard work.

What do you have that brings you joy? Can you get rid of those things that don’t?

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