Products X People

If you're a fellow product maker or brand who has been doing the retail thing well for a while and are thinking about wholesale- this episode is for you!

As a former award-winning boutique owner, I am sharing my unique perspective as both a wholesale product brand AND retailer plus the #1 thing I see most brands and makers overlooking when starting their wholesale journey.

Hint- its proobably *not* what you think.

And, for those of you who already have a viable product with profitable wholesale margins who are looking to uplevel their appeal to retailers before the holiday rush, I am opening a few highly limited spots for a 1:1 coaching experience.

Wow, its a year since the ‘Rona came around and completely turned the world upside down. Isn’t it crazy how quickly yet painfully slow the past year has gone?

For my businesses, 2020 was supposed to be the year we really rolled out working on doing farm events, building up our farm as far as flower beds for flower sales were concerned, and working on in person events.

Welp… needless to say that was not happening.

2020 was the year of forced pivots, creative ideas, massive trial and error.

If you are a brick and mortar boutique owner, pull up a chair because I have some juicy, actionable tips for you to think about and try out in your space.

With a degree in Merchandising Management, nearly 10 years as a home/ lifestyle/ design retailer and nearly a decade in creative consulting...you can definitely say that all things visual is MY JAM.

I am here to give you some of my favorite tips and tricks from how to make amazing displays from IKEA furniture to spotlighting a product that you really want to highlight and sell.

As always, I love hearing how any of this information has helped you, so if you implement it- let me know!

Wow, ok that grabbed your attention, didn't it?

By now, you may know that this time last year I closed my boutique, had no income coming in, and 6 months later had a fully operational membership site that still has all of the original members in it! Its like Christmas every day!

Going from the up and down sales cycle of retail to having a membership that literally DOES make money while I sleep has been one of the most freeing experiences that has allowed me to live a really, really, REALLY good life. 

A good life for me means lots of time.

Time to work on my farm, hang out with my animals, volunteer, support other small business owners through this podcast. 

If you're thinking

"No way, a membership won't work for me"

I thought that, too! I attempted to create a box membership and couldn't get the numbers to work because I went about it all wrong and didn't look for help. I assumed. I guessed. I had no plan.

Of course it didn't work!

In these really uncertain times, I wanted to give a little ray of possibility and hope. If you've considered pivoting your business or opening a new one from scratch, you don't want to miss this episode and you DEFINITELY want to sign up for the free 3 day workshop put on by Stu McLaren of TRIBE.

What a wild, weird and uncertain time we are living in.

I am so thankful I closed my boutique last year and am no longer a retailer with the weight of a physical location.

I can't imagine the stress of having all that overhead looming over you at this time.

Because I have been there (granted, without global pandemic), I wanted to offer some ideas and ways to pivot an offline business to an online.

If you're someone with a physical location and have felt suddenly thrust into the arena of online, I go through some out of the box ways to offer products, service and collect payment.

We don't know how long this will last and I am a firm believer in looking for the silver lining and opportunities in situations that feel...heavy.

How fortunate that we live in an era that we can connect, inspire, educate, entertain AND collect payment online!

Seriously!

Its amazing!

If you've ever seen people hanging from the ceiling from fabric, seemingly defying gravity or marveled at the skillful grace of a trapeze artist or seen someone making gorgeous, bendy shapes inside a hanging metal hoop...well, that my friend is aerial.

Chances are you have heard of it by now as aerial arts have been gaining a lot of momentum in popularity.

With more people being exposed to this art, the more questions they may have.

We dig into how someone like Tera, a serious grad student with no desire to join a traditional gym found herself ditching that life path for one a little less traditional.

I'm all about the path less traveled!

My love affair with silks began almost 5 years ago when I stepped into Monkey for the first time. It just felt like home. Little did I know at that point that my great great grandpa had actually ran away to join Ringling Brothers and played the drums in the band.

No wonder why it felt so right!

If you have ever been captivated by the thought of "running away to the circus" but think you're not strong enough, too old, too XYZ, not XYZ enough... this episode is a MUST listen. 

Aerial arts can be such an empowering way to conquer fears, silence the inner critic, and enjoy the process of learning as an adult, and yes even those who think they can't do it (oh, we talk a lot about mindset, too!).

Tera gives a lot of valuable information on how to find an instructor and studio who has your safety as a priority, because let's face it, aerial is cool as heck but it can be dangerous without proper education and equipment.

In an extroverted world, can an introvert not only compete, but excel in business?

Or are they doomed to be "shy, socially awkward and people repellent" forever?

In today's episode I examine the common myths associated with being an introvert and uncover the secret super powers that lurk just beneath that still surface.

As an introvert myself (an INFJ on Myers-Briggs) and almost 20 years of entrepreneurship under my belt, I can safely say that YES, not only can you make it as an introvert business owner, but you can thrive if you push yourself to not let introversion be an excuse.

Yes, even in an extrovert loving world.

Also, how many fellow introverts are missing out on opportunities to grow themselves and their business because they are better at taking in information via reading vs speaking 1:1?

Is that you?

Do you better understand the people and things around you by either writing or listening what you want to say or understand?

If you're nodding your head....Let me know I'm not alone! Maybe you'll be featured on the next episode (don't worry...you won't be interviewed I promise!"

Ya'll into a little woo woo or what?

If you're feeling stuck in your business and have tried all the course, listen to all the podcasts and have put in the hard work of following the funnels but you're still stuck...

Oh baby, today is for you.

Earlier this year I took Emily Aaron's Business Made Simple course and it legitimately changed my life. That is no joke- it gave me the tools to access my intuition and use it with left-brain strategy to speed pass my growth and reach the people who wanted and needed to hear from me.

The snow came early this year, unseasonably so- we had only 4 months of "warm" and a lot of us are feeling bummed the F out over enduring another 6 months of dark, cold and wet.

But, we don't have to.

What if instead of bonding over bitching, we bonded over beauty?

What if we found things to be excited about this winter?

Iceland taught me so much, one of the things I learned is to lean into what sucks- those thermal pools would not have felt nearly as good if we didn't have to shower with strangers and wander out into the cold outdoors before getting into the pools.

We can learn to have that approach with more things in life that feel UGHHHH.

Are you with me?

MORE.

I want MORE...but what? How? I have no idea.

Yes, that is something that I hear so often from the women around me.

They feel this something inside and are not sure what it is, but they are constantly asking "This is it? This can't be all I am here to do, right?"

First off, you're not alone, sista.

When this came up for me a couple years ago, I thought I was going crazy. Seriously.

That's why I am so dead set on creating a community that celebrates the hunt and desire to learn and grow, while supporting you and having fun along the way.

Oh, did I mention we are all obsessed with dogs?!

Yup.

Fellow dog lovers, this episode is for you!

You know how amazing dogs are and how beautifully they see life, well I took my top 4 lessons that I learned from adopting Finley 7 years ago.

They are so simple but so easy to implement a little bit more every single day.

Why?

Because dogs know how to live life!

They're in the moment, quick to forgive, supportive and kind.

Hey gurl.

If you're tired of feeling like good things are constantly happening to everyone BUT you, this episode is for you!

For years I was wrapped up in what I call Toxic Sadness... and endless cycle of constant complaining, constant disappointment, constant annoyance.

Then, one day I got sick of it all.

Sick of feeling like life was happening TO me and that I had zero control over it all.

Sick of feeling like good things were happening to everyone but me.

Here, we dive into the cycle of constantly comparing ourselves, feeling badly, picking apart other people in order to feel better, then feeling bad all over again.

But, more importantly, ways to help BREAK the cycle and start thinking, feeling and doing things that LIGHT US THE F UP instead.

WHOA...

Have you ever felt the need to make a massive change or pivot in life or in your business?

Yeah, me too.

I thought I had pivoted enough this year but the desire to change the name and focus of my business just kept coming up.

And the timing couldn't be "worse", but when the universe says leap, sometimes you get a boot in the ass.

Let's chat about being "ready", being "badass", and how being in a flow state can really bring on a massive break through.

OH!

Unless you've been hanging out in your hobbit hole, you've probably heard about CBD, the "magical" hemp oil that everyone is talking about.

It seems like for any ailment, CBD is a cure- but, is that really true?

If you've never tried it, but are curious if its right for you, here is my first-hand account with it.

I first experimented with CBD on my dog, Finley, before myself because you know, dogs can't lie. Everyone knows this is #Science.

The results were, well, let's just say this is an episode you will want to listen to.

Its a literal rainy season here at Foundry Farm, has been since the start of April.

All of our projects have been rained out, we haven't planted a thing, the grass is waist high, full of ticks and we're on the brink of shaving our heads and becoming Bug People.

But, we're looking for that silver lining and knowing that we're here for a reason. We know its our job to find the WHY behind it when things feel like crap.

So, if you feel like life is a bit of a dumpster fire right now, I invite you to give a listen to today's podcast!

Its been a while, guys!

The reason why I haven't uploaded any new episodes is because my car was broken into and everything important I own was stolen. Major bummer.

BUT... it also taught me about how important my intuition is- even when it told me to take my stuff (which I normally would), there was an underlying push to leave it.

Having my stuff stolen was actually a major blessing in disguise that saved me from experiencing something much worse.

Intuition is not a special gift that some people are born with and other people are not- its simply a tool that everyone has access to. Its as simple as of using and trusting it regularly.

HEY!

Boss babe!

If you're a creative, soulfully aligned badass and you'd like to hang out with other similar women... what are you waiting for?

What's up, friend!

If you're in business, chances are that you have been tempted to offer discounts or sales, especially when things are slower than you'd like.

In this episode we talk about why that is not the best strategy and how it could be detrimental to your brand in the long run.

People always want to know what the one trick is to up-leveling themselves and their business QUICKLY.

And why wouldn’t we?! We want to get to the good stuff- we don’t want to wait at the bus stop for the struggle bus express...

We want the good stuff.

We want the gold!

And normally this would be a situation where I’d say

"Yeah, I know you are looking for a quick, actionable step to make this happen but this isn’t the time. This is all about showing up consistently, putting out remarkable content, and playing the long-game strategy. Its a front load the work kind of thing."

However this time I do get to give you an actionable step!

They’re so few and far between that when we discover them, we just have to share and jump on board.

So one of my biggest tips is....

Hey, boss babe... have a fellow biz lady who would enjoy this episode? Why not make BOTH our days and share!

The girl gang collective course is launching soon (hint: Feb. 14th- Valentine's Day!)

But its not about me, its about you.

Its you who allowed me to get over myself and have the balls to put myself out there, as a major introvert who prefers to live life behind the scenes, this is a HUGE deal.

And if I can do it, I know that you can, too.

I know you have this thing inside of you- something so big that it scares the pants off you. I know this because I put out the call to you ...and you answered.

I mediate a lot on finding the people that need to hear this, and its no coincidence that you are listening. Its a sign that you are ready. And its scary...

But, what if you had the tools to shift your mindset and kick over your hurdles?

A gang of girls who had your back the whole way?

Would it make you feel a little safer?

Safe enough to make a scary leap of faith, telling the universe that this time you're ready...you're super serious.

I think it would.

Let's do this!!