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

Do you think you’re too old to start a business? Do you worry it’s too late to pivot and do something you’re truly passionate about? Something that could make a huge difference in the lives of you and your family? 
It’s not too late. It’s never too late. I say it often, but sometimes it takes hearing it from somebody else before it really sinks in. 
Get ready to be inspired as I introduce you to Bev Schweigert, owner of Blessed Be Boutique and member of Launch Your Box. 
Bev “retired” more than six years ago and spent six months wondering what to do next. Her Christian faith is central to her life and part of living that for Bev was going on a mission trip to Peru. Bev needed to raise some money to fund that trip and ended up selling Christian jewelry to do so. Soon after, the pandemic hit and Bev’s online jewelry sales skyrocketed. But, once life started to get back to normal, sales started to slow way down. 
Bev knew that if she wanted to keep growing her business, she needed to find ways to bring more of her target customers into her world - that meant attracting more Christian women. Bev had been journaling and started a Facebook group for women to reflect on scripture and journal along with her. She went Live in the group 5 days a week and just spent time serving her audience. Soon they started asking her to sell the products she was using - her journal and journaling supplies. 
Bev did even more. She developed a creative devotional that includes crafts, poetry, songs to listen to, and more. She turned the idea of a devotional or journal into a true experience for Christian women. And it was a hit! 
Soon, Bev started creating one-time devotional boxes - the first was inspired by her memories of summer camp. It included crafts to go along with the devotionals and all the supplies her customers needed to complete them. These boxes sold very well, inspiring Bev to create additional one-time boxes for holidays. 
Before long, Bev started thinking about starting a subscription box. A friend and fellow business owner happened to be a member of Launch Your Box and encouraged Bev to join. 
The results? Bev sold out her first launch with 80 subscribers! And when she opened back up in time for the next box, she sold out again, adding 45 more subscribers for a total of 130. That’s right - Bev passed the 100 subscriber mark on only her second box! She’ll open back up for box number three very soon and hopes to add 45 more subscribers. 
There is so much about Bev’s story that inspired me and will inspire you. And part of that is her age. See, Bev is 61. She started her business when she was 55. A lot of people think they’re “too old” to start a subscription box business or any type of small business. If that sounds like you, Bev has a message for you. “It’s never too late to get started!” 
Bev has big goals for 2024. She wants to double what she did last year in sales, and she’s already off to a strong start. Bev is having so much fun with her business - including her subscription box - that she can’t imagine not working. Which is a good thing, since her husband hopes to retire soon thanks to the success of Blessed Be! 
It doesn’t matter if you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond….it’s never too late to start your subscription box business.  This episode is going to inspire the heck out of you.  

Find and follow Bev: 

Blessed Be Boutique on Facebook

Blessed Intentions Facebook Group


Blessed Be Boutique on Instagram  

Blessed Be Boutique Website


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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!

Can anyone start a subscription box business? Yes. I truly believe this. 
I say it all of the time - I’m not special. And no, that doesn’t mean I don’t think I’m great or suffer from a lack of confidence. It just means I don’t have anything you don’t have. 
I’m an ordinary person who doesn’t give up. And it’s that “not giving up” piece that matters. That’s the thing you need to have if you’re going to not just start a subscription box, but launch and grow one into a successful, sustainable business. 
And we all have the ability to not give up. 
It’s about being consistent - in anything. You don’t have to be the best… you just have to be consistent. That’s what I’ve done, that’s what so many of my students have done, and - if a subscription box business is what you want - that’s what you need to do, too. 
My beginning looked like a lot of you: 

I was a solopreneur - and a mom - working from my kitchen table while my kids slept. 

I schlepped my products to craft shows and pop-up shops all over Texas (and Texas is BIG, y’all!) 

I found the courage to rent a tiny, 600-square-foot space and called it my first retail location. 

I dreamed of starting a subscription box for years. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I had a fire burning inside of me that meant I had to try. 
I want you to know it takes just one action. Just one that leads to another and another. Before you know it? You’re running a legit business that gives you a paycheck and freedom you’ve never felt. 
So, the answer to, “Can anyone do this? Can anyone start a subscription box?” is yes! 
Anyone can start a subscription box. 
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never sold products before. In episode 3 of this podcast, I talked with Anne Stuccio. Anne is a practicing dentist who had only ever purchased supplies for her office. It didn’t matter because Anne was also passionate about providing a subscription box experience for female dentists. So she figured it out. She took one action and then the next and the next. 
It doesn’t matter how old you are. Next week on the podcast, I’m talking with Bev Schweigert. Bev started her business when she was 55 after being retired for six months. And last year? She brought in a quarter of a million dollars in sales! 
It doesn’t matter if you’ve got kids at home. Stop waiting. In episode 29 of the podcast, I chat with Amy Green, mother of three including a son with special needs. This is her time to do something for herself and she’s thriving with her subscription box business - the business she built around her life and her son’s needs. 
I want you to understand that whatever reason you think you can’t doesn’t matter. We can all do this. 
I’ve been doing this for a long time and most days, I’m winging it. Today, during a LIVE, I tripped over my mannequin and my entire backdrop fell down! 
I’m not special. But I know anyone can rinse and repeat my success. So many of my students have done just that! 
The first step is to lay it out and visualize what this could look like for you. I have a free workshop that helps you do exactly that. It’s called the 6 in 60 workshop and you can find it at 6in60workshop.com. Grab a pen and some post-it notes and let’s lay it out together. Once you can see it, you’ll know it is possible for you. 
Join me for this episode and discover why I believe anyone can start a subscription box and how you can take the first steps toward making your subscription box dreams come true.  

Growing Your Community! with Sarah Williams & Tony Durso
Episode 3 - How one LYB Member Hit $10K Monthly with Her Subscription Box Business 
Episode 129 - Getting Out of Your Own Way and Gaining 100 Subscribers
6 in 60 Workshop

Join me in all the places: 

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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 star

On March 5th at about 10:00 in the morning, Facebook went down. Instagram went down, too. The outage didn’t last long, but it had an impact on so many business owners, especially those who rely heavily on social media. That day, Meta was only down for a short while, but what if it was down for the day? The week? The month? What if it went away for good? 
Do you have systems in place to reach your audience outside of social media? 
Be ready for the next social media outage - and it’s a near certainty there will be one - by making sure you have three things in place. 

Diversified platforms

Are you only on Meta? Do you only engage with your audience on Facebook and Instagram?

You need to have a presence somewhere else - TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. 

Actively engage and build your followings there. 

Email list

Email doesn’t depend on social media. You own your email list! 

It is SO EASY to send an email when you’ve been building your list all year.

Are you working to build your email list? 

Listen to episode 109 for 10 ways to build your email list. 

Add a pop-up on your website. 

Create an opt-in on your website with a way to serve your audience.

Run a giveaway.

Post a lead magnet on social media and run ads to it.

Add an email opt-in at checkout.

Create a fun quiz that requires an email address to get results.

Offer a discount or free gift.

Host an event or workshop.

Tease sneak peeks or exclusive behind-the-scenes content with opt-ins.

Get in front of new audiences.

Text/SMS 

Are you actively building your text list every month? When Meta went down, I was able to reach my students immediately! 

Klaviyo allows you to build your SMS list right alongside your email list. 

Things like Meta going down open our eyes to weaknesses in our businesses. It’s important to build your business to weather whatever storms that come our way! 
Join me for this episode and learn how to create strong, healthy marketing channels that sustain your business… no matter what. 

Episode 109 - 10 Ways to Build Your List - Every Month 

Join me in all the places: 

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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!

Today’s episode was inspired by a question from a member of Launch Your Box - and a former guest on the podcast. Betsy Goodman shared her sold-out launch story in episode 93. Betsy is a maker and a teacher - she teaches lettering and wax seal techniques. Her work is beautiful and her question is a common one among subscription box owners who make or teach as part of their subscription. 
Betsy’s question? How to balance what she gives away for free and what she reserves for her paid subscribers. If your subscription box includes any type of teaching component, you probably struggle with that same push and pull. You want to share enough content to create interest and excitement but don’t want to give away the valuable content your paying subscribers receive. 
The goal is to have balance. Give your audience a taste of what it’s like to be a subscriber, but provide value and exclusivity to your subscribers. 
These strategies can help you keep your public content engaging while still protecting your paid content. 

Share the what - not the how.

Publicly share the box opening and what your subscribers are receiving. This is also a great time to show what can be made from supplies in the box, but not how to do it. 

Potential subscribers can see the value.

They still need to join the subscription to learn how. 

Do this in a LIVE unboxing or an unboxing post, posts of finished products with supplies laying next to them. 

Give them “incomplete” information - they need/want to know more. 

Share small sections of the how, but don’t put it all together for them. 

Use sped-up videos so people can see the process but not the exact techniques and how-tos. 

Share smaller projects that can be made with the same supplies - acts as a bonus for subscribers, too! 

Connect, don’t teach. 

Go LIVE and use items from the box to create the projects. But… instead of teaching, simply talk to and connect with your audience as you create. 

As questions come up, explain what you’re doing and that subscribers have access to the instructional video that takes them through the project step-by-step. 

Your audience will see the value of your products, connect with you on a personal level, and see just how much they will get by subscribing. 

Find a balance. If you hide all your content behind closed doors, nobody other than your subscribers sees what you’re giving. You lose the opportunity to nurture your audience and show them what it’s like to be a subscriber. 
Doing more public-facing content creates more engagement from your subscribers - and drives more interest from those people who aren’t yet subscribers. 
Join me for this episode as I talk about why it’s so important to share content publicly and how to balance public-facing and subscriber-only content. 

Important Links: 

Launch Your Box Episode 93

6 in 60 Workshop 

Join me in all the places: 

Facebook

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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 Launch Your Box today! 

One of the biggest benefits of a subscription box business is recurring revenue. You can build ANOTHER recurring revenue stream in your business by adding a membership to your subscription box business. 
In episode 145 of this podcast, I interviewed three of my Mastermind students, all of whom hit $1 million in revenue last year! They have different businesses and followed different paths to where they are now, but one thing they have in common - they all have both a physical subscription and a digital membership.
When I knew I wanted to talk to you about memberships, there was one person who had to be part of the conversation - my long-time mentor and membership guru, Stu McLaren. 
Stu and I talked about 4 categories of memberships: 

Product-based memberships 

Ie., a subscription box

Service-based memberships

I.e., a massage therapist, blow-out bar, car wash

Knowledge or information-based membership

Solving an ongoing problem - i.e., dog training, relationship coach

Learning a skill - i.e., Launch Your Box

Convenience - i.e., teacher lesson plans, templates, social media scripts, checklists

Community-based memberships

A gathering place for people with shared interests

Can be a standalone or an add-on 

There are so many examples inside Launch Your Box of members who added memberships to fill a need their audience has. 
Ask yourself how you can use your expertise to create a membership. 

What questions are people asking you? 

What problems can you solve for your audience? 

Stu and I talked about membership ideas for some popular industries: 

Pet industry

Training

Dog spa business owner coaching 

Equestrian riding

Fashion and beauty

Styling tips & tricks

Crafting

Lettering, sewing, crafting, etc. 

If you worry that your business doesn’t lend itself to a membership, Stu shares a story that might convince you otherwise. One of his students has a membership of thousands of people - all there to learn how to make balloon animals! Yes, you can create a membership! 
So… how can YOU use your expertise to serve your ideal customer with a membership? 
Stu is hosting a FREE 3-part workshop in April. 
Learn more about Stu McLaren’s FREE workshop HERE! 
Join me and Stu McLaren, my long-time mentor and membership expert, as we talk about why you should consider building a membership alongside your subscription box business.

Find and follow Stu: 

Stu McLaren on Facebook


Stu McLaren on Instagram  

The Membership Workshop 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! 

Starting a Facebook business page from scratch is hard. Even growing an existing page can feel hard. But it’s a critical part of audience building. You create great content your ideal customer will love. And you want your ideal customer - lots of your ideal customers - to see it. That means gaining more followers. 
When I started my page, How to Start a Subscription Box, in early 2020. I knew who my ideal customer was. What I didn’t know was how I was going to get them to like my page. I spent six months spinning my wheels and not gaining a ton of followers. At the end of those six months, I took a step back and took a close look at what I was doing. And what I wasn’t doing. Then I came up with an action plan to get to 1000 followers before the end of the year. 
Getting to 1000 followers is possible. In this episode, I’m sharing four things you can do to reach - and pass - that 1000 follower mark.
I called these “4 Simple Steps to Gain Your First 1000 Facebook Followers.” Nothing I’ve recommended is complicated or difficult. Following these 4 steps helped me reach 1000 followers on my business Facebook page. Continuing to follow them led to reaching - and passing - 10,000 followers in less than two years. Let Facebook work for you! 
Join me for this episode where I share a simple, 4-part action plan for gaining your first 1,000 Facebook followers. 

Starting an audience from scratch can feel intimidating. It doesn't need to! I created an amazing resource to help you build an audience filled with your ideal customers. Grab it HERE for only $10! 

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!