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

You spend time writing engaging, value-packed emails to send to your list. Emails that - when people read them - help you connect with your audience and generate sales are incredibly valuable to your subscription box business. But are your emails ending up in spam folders? How and why does this happen and how can you keep it from happening? One way to maintain a healthy email list is by scrubbing it. Email list scrubbing is the process of regularly cleaning your email list - removing inactive, invalid, or unengaged email addresses. With a scrubbed list, you’re sending your emails to a receptive audience which improves your email marketing performance. When you scrub your list, you’re getting rid of people who are weighing it down, costing you money, and bringing you no value. A clean list results in: Improved deliverability Higher open rates Increased engagement Improved ROI Not scrubbing your list can result in “list decay,” the gradual decline in the quality of your email list over time. List decay can be caused by: Email bounces - occur when the recipient’s email address is invalid, no longer exists, or their mailbox is full. Inactive subscribers - people who subscribed to your list but have not engaged with your content or opened emails for an extended period of time. Spam traps - emails set up to identify senders with poor list hygiene practices. Unsubscribed contacts - continuing to send emails to people who have opted out or unsubscribed. Can also result in legal violations. The effects of list decay include reduced deliverability, lower engagement rates, and damage to your reputation as a sender. Scrubbing your list to increase its health is obviously beneficial. But… before you scrub your list, I want you to set up a Re-engagement Campaign. Reengaging your list is a LOT more cost-effective than growing your list, so make sure you’ve done all you can before removing them. Create a set of 2-3 emails that provide value and remind them why they should open and engage with your emails. The hook is VERY important here. Think about what makes you open an email from someone. Text me the words SUBJECT LINES to 940-204-0023 and I’ll send you 10 super-engaging subject lines! The goal of a re-engagement campaign is simple. Get them to OPEN the email and CLICK over to your website. This will re-engage them on your list. After your re-engagement campaign is complete, it’s time to scrub your list. I’m taking you through the steps in Klaviyo, the email CRM we teach inside Launch Your Box. First, set up a segment - “Unengaged Segment.” Set the parameters around this segment. Your time frame depends on how frequently you send emails. You can choose 90 days, 120 days, 180 days. I choose 90 days. How do you know if your email list is healthy? Measure your performance. After you’ve scrubbed your list, look at open rates, click rates, and purchase conversions. The higher these stats are, the healthier your email list is. Join me for this episode and learn why the health of your email list matters and how scrubbing your email list regularly can improve your email health and deliverability. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams Use code BOXPROOF at https://www.boxup.com/ to get one free custom-printed box

“Sarah was my missing piece.” - Tabitha Yount Do you have a degree in being an entrepreneur? Neither do I! There is SO MUCH to learn when it comes to starting and running your own online business and starting, launching, and growing a subscription box business. Tabitha of Elegant Homes & Interiors discovered she was missing a piece when it came to making her subscription box a success. That piece turned out to be me! Tabitha started her professional life as a nurse. She started her marriage as a young bride whose elegant taste in homes and home furnishings was at odds with her budget. Tabitha and her husband’s creative solution was to buy a fixer-upper and turn it into a dream home together. This turned into a series of fixer-uppers - one every year - they bought, renovated, and redecorated then sold them for a profit. After doing this for many years and adding three daughters to the mix, Tabitha and her husband decided to make home reno and decorating a full-time career. At the same time, Tabitha started sharing their renovating and decorating journeys on social media. She quickly grew a following of more than 46,000 devoted fans, hungry for inspiration. Tabitha showed them the what but wasn’t yet showing them the how. Realizing her audience was ready for more, Tabitha started a paid community where she provided instruction to her audience - teaching them how to achieve the looks she was known for. Soon after, Tabitha was had a conversation with a friend within the online decor community who happens to be a member of Launch Your Box, Scale Your Box, and my Elevate Mastermind. This friend encouraged her to take her business a bit more seriously and go all in with a subscription. So Tabitha put the idea out there and was thrilled - and surprised - when 50 people subscribed to her quarterly home decor subscription box. The only problem? Tabitha didn’t know the ins and outs of running a subscription box, especially tech! Her lack of systems and processes quickly caused her to realize things needed to change. Tabitha received some bad advice from someone working for her and shut down her subscription box. Right about the time Tabitha realized she didn’t know what she didn’t know and that not knowing it would continue to prevent her from being successful with a subscription box she found me and Launch Your Box. After digging into the training with purpose, Tabitha quickly realized that I was - in her words - the missing piece! Tabitha consumed the training inside Launch Your Box - learning and implementing and then learning and implementing some more. She had so many a-ha moments and later relaunched with her systems and processes in place. How did that launch go? Well, Tabitha sold out all available spots in her subscription and is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow. Join me for this episode and learn how Tabitha nurtured and grew an audience of raving fans and how identifying the missing piece finally put her on the road to subscription box success. Find and follow Tabitha: Elegant Homes & Interiors on Instagram Elegant Homes & Interiors on Facebook Elegant Homes & Interiors Website Elegant Decor Box Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams Use code BOXPROOF at https://www.boxup.com/ to get one free custom-printed box

Have you ever thought about starting a digital subscription? Can you imagine what $10,000 in monthly passive income could do for your business? One subscription box owner has done just that with her Template Club. I’m interviewing one of my biz besties on this episode. I’m so excited to have Tamara back on the podcast to share another way she has brought a LOT of revenue into her business by staying focused on serving her customers where they are. Tamara has a very successful home decor business, specializing in door hangers. She teaches thousands of women all over the country how to paint door hangers. She also creates custom door hanger designs and cuts those designs out of wood. Not so long ago, Tamara decided (with more than a little bit of urging from me) to start a subscription box. The Big Box of Blanks - her quarterly subscription - was born and quickly became a huge success. For today’s episode, I wanted to focus on another of Tamara’s offerings - her digital subscription, The Template Club. Tamara releases 5 new door hanger template designs every week. She noticed she had a LOT of customers who returned each week to purchase all of the new designs. In order to serve them better, she created a digital subscription - The Template Club. Members of The Template Club get all of the new designs each month for one low monthly cost. This is a win-win. Tamara’s customers save money and she benefits from recurring monthly revenue coming into her business. At its peak, The Template Club had over 600 members. Currently, there are 350 subscribers. The reason for the decrease in subscribers is simple - The Template Club hasn’t been the main thing. It hasn’t consistently gotten enough visibility among Tamara’s other offerings. Her goal is to put more focus on The Template Club and build it back up over the next year. One of the best things about Tamara’s digital subscription - and any digital subscription - is she creates the product one time and then sells as many as possible. Once the design has been created and released, the only thing left to do is automatically fulfill those orders. No packing, no shipping, no managing inventory. Digital subscriptions have a LOT of upsides. Tamara’s biggest challenge is producing a large number of original designs every month. She solves this challenge by planning ahead and working with a team of designers. She has also worked through tech fulfillment challenges that necessitated a change in platform. Tamara developed the door hanger template as a product in response to a problem her customers were having. Her desire to serve her customers and her willingness to create a solution to a problem led to a thriving product in her business creating and selling door-hanger templates. Join me for this episode and learn how Tamara brings more than $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue to her business by focusing on serving her customers’ needs. Find and follow Tamara: Southern Adoornments Decor on Instagram Southern Adoornments Decor on Facebook Southern Adoornments Decor Website The Template Club Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams Use code BOXPROOF at https://www.boxup.com/ to get one free custom-printed box

Ready or not, the 4th quarter is here. It’s time to sell! The 4th quarter is crucial for any small business. It can make or break your year and generate the momentum you need going into the next year. The 4th quarter matters. I’ve been through nine 4th quarters in my business and I’ve learned a LOT along the way. In this episode, we’re talking about four areas you need to focus on during this important time of the year in order to maximize your revenue before year-end. Building Your Q4 Sales Strategy Inventory Have it Manage it Create demand for it Holiday Promotions Gift Guides Marketing & Advertising Email Marketing - the money is in your list! A consistent plan is crucial. Segment your list and send targeted emails. Have abandoned cart flows and browse abandonment flows set up! Social Media Schedule - consistency is king! Paid Ads - target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. Prepping for Peak Sales Days Customer Service Make this a priority! Schedule time for it! You’ll have a lot of first-time customers - make their experience a good one! Social Media Response Time Answer questions & respond to comments promptly. Clearly Communicate Urgency & Deadlines Banners on home page Flash sales Promotional codes Free shipping thresholds Christmas shipping deadlines Managing Logistics & Fulfillment Clearly outline shipping and processing timelines. Make sure you have enough staff to handle the influx of orders. Hire temporary staff for the holidays. Have current staff work extended days/hours. Conduct a supply inventory NOW! Bags Boxes Tape Shipping labels Etc. Holiday Packaging How will you uplevel your customers’ experience this season? That sounds like a lot of extra work to do, doesn’t it? And it is. But it is all SO important. So it’s time to ask yourself, “What can I eliminate from my day-to-day so I can focus on these revenue-generating activities?” Now is not the time to start a blog or podcast. It’s not time to create a new ebook or opt-in. It’s not time to build a new website or plan for 2024. Now is the time to focus on SALES and the activities that generate those sales. The 4th quarter is here! Join me for this episode as I walk you through 4 areas of focus you need to jump into right now to make the most of your 4th quarter. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams Use code BOXPROOF at https://www.boxup.com/ to get one free custom-printed box

“Is it better to have a monthly or quarterly subscription box?” This question comes up a lot inside Launch Your Box and on the How to Start a Subscription Box public Facebook page. The truth is, there is no one answer to this question. No right or wrong when it comes to choosing a monthly or quarterly box. There’s only the answer that’s right for you. Your answer to whether a monthly or quarterly box is right for you and your business depends on your goals for your business and what is most important to you as a business owner. Each model has its benefits and its drawbacks. It’s important to understand both before making a decision about the frequency of your subscription box. The pros and cons of a quarterly subscription box: 1. Revenue Con - a quarterly subscription model can cause financial strain during the “off” months. Pro - you can typically charge more for a quarterly box, allowing for greater profit and more revenue. 2. Curation/Products Pro - you only have to curate a box four times a year! Pro - your subscriber only gets four boxes a year to consume. This can lead to greater subscriber satisfaction and less churn.3 3. Frequency/Recency Con - lack of engagement. The time between each box can cause a sense of disengagement for subscribers. They’re not getting the constant reminders of something new coming like they do with monthly boxes. Con - not having enough content. It can be very challenging to stretch out the content from one box to last for three months until the next box comes out. Content can get stale. 4. Time Pro - the monthly grind of curation/fulfillment/customer service is a full-time commitment. A quarterly box allows you the space and freedom to do other things. Top cons of a quarterly subscription box: No monthly recurring revenue. Lack of engagement in your community. Lack of content to market and promote your box and brand consistently. Top pros of a quarterly subscription box: Ability to charge more for a quarterly box, increasing the amount of revenue per box. Only have to curate four boxes a year instead of 12. Subscribers are less likely to cancel due to inability to consume the box. You get a break from the curation/fulfillment/customer service cycle. We’ve talked about monthly and quarterly boxes and the pros and cons of each. But, there is one other option and it seems to be gaining in popularity: bi-monthly subscription boxes. Bi-monthly boxes are curated and fulfilled every other month. Some subscription box owners and subscribers find this to be just the right balance between a monthly box and a quarterly box. Join me for this episode as I talk about why there’s not an easy answer to the question, “Is it better to have a monthly or quarterly subscription box?” and walk you through the pros and cons of each. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams Use code BOXPROOF at https://www.boxup.com/ to get one free custom-printed box

Generating excitement and creating FOMO are great ways to market your offer. Spending three months hyping up a new offer led to this subscription box owner’s dream of selling her own pillow designs coming true. And… It resulted in selling 750 pillow subscriptions in only five days. The best part? She doesn’t have to pack or ship a thing. I’m so excited to welcome Stacey Collins to the podcast again as my first-ever three-time guest! Stacey is also a member of Launch Your Box, Scale Your Box, and my Elevate Mastermind! She truly invests in herself and her business. Stacey’s subscription journey has some twists and turns - and a lot of successes. She started with a quarterly home decor box, which was a big hit. But when the demands of fulfilling a highly curated box started to outweigh the benefits, she changed gears. Stacey shut down that physical description but soon turned to a different type of description - a monthly digital subscription. Today, Stacey has more than 2,000 digital subscribers! Earlier this year, Stacey and I were talking about her business and she shared her long-held dream of selling her own decorative pillows. Stacey LOVES pillows. Her audience knows she loves pillows and so many of them do, too. What Stacey doesn’t love is packing and shipping large numbers of products. There was an easy solution to Stacey’s problem. Using a fulfillment company. I connected her with a fulfillment center I interviewed on episode 61 of this podcast. The fulfillment center was the perfect solution. Stacey designs the pillow covers and works closely with the manufacturer to make sure the design and quality of the pillow covers are exactly what she wants. Then the pillow covers are shipped directly to the fulfillment center where they are packed and shipped, again to Stacey’s specifications. Stacey initially set a launch goal of 500 subscriptions. I challenged her to increase that goal because I knew what a large, engaged audience she had. And I knew she was going to follow my 5-day launch plan to a tee. And she did. Stacey’s biggest challenge? Launching without having anything to show her audience. The pillow covers needed to be a surprise. She had a few sneak peeks to share but relied on the trust she’d built with her audience to convince them to take this leap with her. Stacey spent THREE MONTHS creating excitement around her big announcement. She got her already highly engaged audience excited, built anticipation, and created FOMO. And when Stacey did launch? She sold 750 pillow subscriptions in only 5 days! Join me for this episode and learn what drives Stacey to continue to find new ways to serve her audience and grow her subscription business, and find out how close she is to hitting her goal of 1000 pillow subscriptions. Find and follow Stacey: Wilshire Collections on Instagram Wilshire Collections on Facebook Wilshire Collections Website The Pillow Cover Club Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

“Don’t give up. Just keep moving forward.” - Alexia Haubert After making it to the top 1% of all Etsy sellers in the wedding category - the top 1%! - Lexie was on top of her game. Then came a global pandemic that shut down the wedding industry and Lexie’s business. Lexie had to pivot and struggled to grow her business for a long time before recently reaching a big milestone. In this episode, Lexie’s story will inspire you to keep going as you work toward your business goals. When the wedding industry slowly started coming back, Lexie introduced The Monogrammed Bride subscription box and started building her audience from scratch. She stayed consistent and continued to show up even though she saw very little in the way of results for a long time. When Lexie and I first talked, after a disappointing launch, I was surprised to see she had done everything I teach. She was doing all the things and she was doing them well. But she wasn’t seeing results. We brainstormed and strategized, and Lexie continued working hard. And just recently - after seeing consistently steady growth for the last six months - Lexie hit her long-standing goal of 100 subscribers! So what did she do differently these past six months? She built a community - giving her subscribers something to feel they were a part of. She posted stories on Instagram - consistently. She created engaging posts featuring pictures of subscribers and their boxes. She started going LIVE much more consistently and, when she did, started building an audience who showed up for her and engaged with her during the LIVEs. She followed her subscribers back and engaged with their posts. She did tons of short video, finding cracks of time while sitting in her car waiting to pick her kids up from practices. She sent boxes to a small number of influencers from TikTok and Instagram - people with 1000-2000 followers who want to grow as influencers. She ran Facebook Ads - and has gotten really dialed in which drives the cost per engagement way down. Lexie analyzes her Ads every week and makes changes as needed. While we were talking, Lexie got subscriber #112! This growth in her business - this regular, recurring revenue - has lessened the financial stress Lexie has felt for the past couple of years. She is able to breathe and plan for even more subscribers as her business continues to grow. Lexie’s message for anyone who feels overwhelmed or discouraged by the challenges they’re facing in building their business? Don’t give up. Just keep moving forward. Join me for this episode and get inspired by Lexie’s determination to just keep going and never give up on her dream on her way to reaching and passing her goal of 100 subscribers. Find and follow Lexie: Crafty Lady Boutique on Instagram Crafty Lady Boutique on Facebook Crafty Lady Boutique Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today!

I have a t-shirt subscription. Actually, I have two successful (and very profitable) t-shirt subscriptions: my T-Shirt Club and Tees 4 Teachers. And I’m not the only one growing thriving t-shirt subscriptions. LOTS of members of Launch Your Box are finding huge success with their own t-shirt subscriptions. With all this t-shirt subscription talk, you might be wondering if starting a t-shirt subscription is right for you. In this episode, I’m sharing six reasons why you should consider starting a t-shirt subscription. 1. A T-shirt subscription has low start-up costs compared to other products. T-shirts range from $2-$7. Printing can be done in-house or outsourced. There is no need for expensive boxes - t-shirts can be shipped in poly mailers. 2. T-shirts are a wardrobe staple. Everyone wears t-shirts. T-shirts are consumable - they are used (worn) for a while and then replaced. T-shirts can be dressed up or worn casually. 3. T-shirt subscriptions can be seasonal/holiday/theme-based. Any niche can have a t-shirt subscription. Launch Your Box member t-shirt subscriptions include: Career-focused tees Inspirational/self-care tees Tees for artists/crafters Snarky tees Animal/pet-themed tees 4. T-shirt subscriptions provide recurring revenue and recurring brand exposure. A t-shirt subscription is a consistent source of recurring revenue. A t-shirt subscription can provide opportunities for recurring brand exposure. Add your label or brand to every design. Build customer loyalty and commitment by consistently delivering quality t-shirts and designs. 5. T-shirt subscriptions foster a sense of community which can result in: Increased loyalty Higher engagement Higher lifetime value (LTV) and retention rates 6. T-shirt subscriptions are more affordable and accessible than many other subscriptions. A t-shirt subscription can be a successful, standalone subscription. It can also be a complement to your existing subscription box. Mine started as a complement to my Monogram Box when my subscribers asked for more t-shirts! I’ve seen great success with my own t-shirt subscriptions and have helped SO MANY members of Launch Your Box build thriving t-shirt subscriptions. I’m well-known for my extensive knowledge of all things t-shirt. So much so that my students and peers have been asking for a standalone t-shirt subscription course for quite a while. My team and I have spent the last several months working on this course. How to Start a T-Shirt Subscription covers everything you need to know in 12 video lessons full of actionable steps, worksheets, and special bonuses. It’s the perfect way to get all your t-shirt subscription questions answered and get your t-shirt subscription started NOW! Learn more about How to Start a T-Shirt Subscription. Join me for this episode as I share my own t-shirt subscription experience and all the reasons you should start a t-shirt subscription. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams

Have you thought about taking your subscription box business from a side hustle to a full-time gig? It’s absolutely possible. I did it and so have many members of Launch Your Box. But… Before you quit your full-time job or make any major changes to your business, you need to ask - and answer - some questions. And you need to get really comfortable with your financial details, business and personal. Take your time and get real about what your goals are. Are you currently working 40/50/60 hours a week and want to work less? Do you want to make more income than you have been? The truth is, you can get there. But you’ll need to make a plan and work that plan. Start by asking yourself these four questions: What is the income you need to replace? What is the survival income you need to cover your bare-bones expenses every month? What portion of that survival income can be covered by someone else (spouse, parents, roommates)? What is the initial investment you’ll need for your business (products, supplies, packaging, tech)? Understand that your business will need to be profitable before you can pay yourself. That takes time. It took me 9 months before I was able to pay myself a regular paycheck. 8 ½ years later, I pay myself a very nice salary and also pay the salaries of more than 20 employees. Join me for this episode as I take you on my journey from tiny side hustle making $200 a month to where I am now, running two multi seven-figure businesses, answering those questions, knowing my numbers, and making careful decisions every step of the way. Important Links: Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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

You’ve launched your subscription box. Since that time, you’ve grown alongside your subscription box business. You’ve developed systems and processes and have built a firm foundation on which your business can continue to grow. But now you want to do more than just continue to grow slowly - now you want to scale your subscription box business. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 things you need to do to take your subscription box business to the next level - to scale your box. Develop a multi-channel marketing plan. In order to keep growing, you need to get in front of more people. Expand to additional social media channels - meet your people where they are. Optimize your inventory. Work on a plan to get the most out of your inventory - make it work for you, not against you. Leverage your buying power and negotiate the best deals with your vendors, including things like payment terms and shipping discounts. Streamline fulfillment. Consider whether a fulfillment center is right for your business. Design a process - and space to support that process - that allows you to be as efficient as possible on packing days. Improve retention strategies. Don’t get so concerned about gaining new subscribers that you neglect the ones you already have! Identify one team member to focus on customer service and retention. Know your numbers - aim for a retention rate of at least 90%. Create raving fans! Word of mouth is an important part of growing your business! Engage with your subscribers in post comments and during LIVES. Surprise and delight your subscribers. Text “SURPRISE” to me at 940-204-0023 to get my FREE resource “10 Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Customers.” Prepare for the next step in your subscription box journey by planning for growth and putting strategies and processes into place that will allow you to scale! Join me for this episode as I share five things you can do to scale your subscription box business and take it to the next level. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website 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 today! Get 30 Days FREE when you switch to Subbly: https://join.subbly.co/sarah-williams