The Product Boss Podcast - Marketing School, Social Media, Ecommerce Sales Online Traffic, Women In Business Startup, Side Hu

Kelly Kussman is one of our Masterminders and she’s doing amazing, motivating, and inspiring things as the founder of Cayla Gray, creators and sellers of clean, luxury brand fragrances. Her Small Biz Founders story will really resonate with you.Cayla Gray produces fragrances and candles, and when they say “clean,” they mean non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and no parabens. They have four core scents – all handmade in Arizona. Kelly started her career with a dream job out of college, selling cosmetics. Since then, she’s taken her passion and turned it into a successful business of her own.Kelly’s dad was an entrepreneur so she grew up around product bosses and always saw it as something exciting that she could aspire toward in her own life. It was scary to walk away from the security of that dream job, but she explains how she found the courage to do it, and why it was one of the best decisions she’s ever made. One of the things Kelly does an incredible job of is telling her brand’s story, and making those conn

The first step in setting a goal for yourself and your business is figuring out what your dream outcome is. If you’re ready to figure out your dream outcome and how you can get there in six months, then this episode is for you! Let’s get planning!Once you’ve thought about your dream outcome, the next step is to ask yourself, “What is the likelihood that I’ll get to this dream outcome?” and “What am I doing to get myself there?” You can’t just manifest this, you have to put in the work to get there!That’s what this episode is all about, asking yourself these questions, and then putting your plan into motion so that you can reach your dream outcome in six months – or at least put yourself on the right path to reach that goal in whatever time frame you have set for yourself. What if we also told you that you didn’t have to do this alone? What if we told you that you could work towards your dream outcome, within six months’ time, without sacrificing all the things, without having to figure it out on your own

We’re still coming to you from our hotel room in Costa Rica, and our time here has inspired us to talk about the difference between front and back-of-house. These are hospitality terms, but the principles can be applied to all product businesses.Front-of-house is when you’re facing the customer. Think receptionists in a hotel or wait staff in a restaurant. In a product business, this could be your branding, customer service, or even your brick-and-mortar store. The front-of-house role has a human element to it, meaning that you are interacting with the customers, and making sure they are satisfied with your product and company. Back-of-house is more the operational side of things. In a hotel, this would be the cleaning staff, or, in a restaurant, it would be the chef working in the kitchen. In your business, “back of house” refers to pricing and financials, research and development, production and inventory, or shipping and fulfillment. When you start a business, you’re likely wearing all of the hat

When we help product bosses level up their businesses, especially those scaling to six figures, there are four common mistakes we see. Let's dive in to see what these mistakes are and how to address them so that you can take your business to the next level.To start off, it’s important to know what “leveling up” actually means. Many people assume it’s increasing your sales, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Sometimes, it’s more important to refine what you’re doing and make it more profitable or streamlined before you start thinking about increasing sales, finding more customers, and so on. It’s easy to spread yourself too thin, and if you don’t have your systems in place, then you won’t be building your business on a solid foundation.More customers can be a great thing, but have you considered alternatives like selling more to your existing customers? We tend to think about social media in terms of algorithms and getting our brand in front of new eyes, but why not think about reminding your current custome

When people think about success, they often think about intelligence. But there are lots of different types of intelligence. We most commonly think about IQ, but that only shows one small piece of the picture. Another type of intelligence we often hear about is your EQ. That’s your emotional intelligence.Today, we want to introduce you to the concept of the RQ. This is your relationship intelligence. One of the most important factors when it comes to success is how well someone builds and manages their relationships. Relationships cover a lot of different things you might not think about. For example, it’s easy to forget that social media is a form of socializing, and that means we might not realize how much of our mental or emotional energy is being drained when we spend too much time there. It’s worth really thinking about how and who you engage with online. It’s easy to look for validation online, especially as entrepreneurs, when we should really be looking for it within ourselves.As a product b

What we’re talking about today doesn’t come down to focus or motivation. It doesn’t matter how hard you work, there comes a time when you will hit capacity. As a solopreneur, that capacity may be physical, mental, or emotional, but the one thing that all of these have in common is that it leads to you becoming the bottleneck of your business. Let's discuss how you can move past this.So what is capacity, really? Maybe you’re a maker and your demand is taking over your supply. If you’re struggling to make enough of your product or even have difficulty with packaging and shipping it, in a timely manner, then you've hit your capacity!Or maybe you’re keeping up with fulfilling your orders but it doesn’t leave you with time for anything else. You need to work on your marketing or bookkeeping, but you don’t have a spare minute in the day. If this sounds familiar then, once again, you're at capacity and you've become the bottleneck in your business.You may find that your capacity is more emotional or mental rather th

Cat and Nat, authors of the bestselling, Mom Truths, join us for a very special, eye-opening, and hilarious episode of The Product Boss to unpack their new book, Mom Secrets, which offers a raw, candid look at what it’s really like to be a mom.So often, we’re our own worst critics. Most parenting books are advice-driven, but this is designed to stop unnecessary feelings of guilt, negative body image, and more. Their work is a reminder that there’s no such thing as perfection. So long as you raise your kids with joy, you should definitely give yourself a break! Cat and Nat are awesome company and some of the confessions in their new book are truly great because, not only are they really funny, but they help to normalize these things we all go through as parents – but sometimes feel too ashamed to admit. That means that they tackle some heavy subjects, but it’s all with such a fun, light spin that it puts a little spring in your step. A lot of the confessions came from audience members at some of thei

You’ve started selling and your business is validated, but it feels overwhelming or even impossible to take things to the next level. Know that the hard part is over because you’ve already proven that people want to buy your stuff. That’s amazing! Next up, you have your sights set on $100k and you may already be a student of Multi-Stream Machine, but still, some of you will hit what feels like a bottleneck in growth.Don’t worry! There are four phases to a growing business to pay attention to and we run through each one of them in this episode. First, it’s important to refine your brand and business, regardless of the phase of business that you are in. That means digging in and getting clear on your business. Ask yourself…What are you known for? Why are people buying your product? You obviously have something they want, so what can you do more of? What can you do less of? A lot of this stage of running a business comes down to the foundation. At every level, you should be refining and turning in

Claire Doody joins us for another Small Biz Founders episode – and it’s a very special edition, too. Claire is the founder of Copper Union Apparel, making beautiful clothing for radical fat bodies (sizes 12-38). Where, before, options for plus-sized clothing were limited, Copper Union is making unique and individual pieces available for different occasions, and in colors and designs that completely break the traditional plus-sized mold. Claire has created a bold, vibrant line that aligns with herself and her customers. At one point, she only designed what she perceived as trends and demand in the marketplace, but those designs didn’t sell. Then, she’d make an incredibly niche, personal piece, that reflected something she would wear, and that piece would fly off the shelves. This valuable experience is what taught her to follow her gut and trust that what’s true to her is what her customers want as well! Claire has faced many personal and professional challenges, including being diagnosed with cancer

We decided to make 2022 the year we level up more than ever before. We’ve invested in ourselves over the years, but never like we are this year. Part of that means that, during this episode, we’re attending our first in-person Mastermind event of 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lucky for you, you’re being treated to a rare, in-person episode recorded in our hotel room. While we prepare ourselves, we thought we’d take a moment and run through all the ways we’re investing in ourselves this year. Hopefully hearing how we’re investing in ourselves in 2022 will inspire you to find the best ways to invest in yourselves and your businesses too! Normally, you hear about our own Mastermind program, but what about the ones we are a part of? All coaches are coached. Even the best coaches and businesses have coaches of their own. Being an entrepreneur is tough and we all need help from others sometimes, it’s totally normal!We talk about how we made it through the season of life we were in when we first star

Our Small Biz Owners episodes are where we talk to the owner of a small business in our community, so that their story of starting, growing, and thriving can inspire you to do the same. This time, we’re joined by Emilie Toups of Toups & Co Organics, a multimillion dollar skincare product business on a mission to create beauty inspired by nature. Emilie first started creating skincare and makeup in her farmhouse kitchen after discovering how organic tallow and other quality, natural ingredients made a huge difference in her skin and her family’s wellness. What started off as an Etsy shop four years ago has now turned into a multimillion dollar skincare business.Toups & Co Organics is an incredible success story. Not only has the company grown and continues to grow financially, but through the assistance of our Mastermind program and investing in their business, Emilie and her husband, Trent have been able to buy back their time to focus on other things that matter- such as homeschooling their chil

Joy Cho is the founder and Creative Director of Oh Joy!, a graphic design studio, lifestyle brand, and design company that has collaborated with top brands and organizations from Target to Band-Aid – even The White House. Joy is a master of many trades, having also worked as a graphic designer, blogger, mama of two, consultant for numerous businesses, and having authored six books (with a seventh on the way). She was named one of Time’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet two years running, and she holds the most popular account on Pinterest with over 15 million followers (something she’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for, by the way).She joins us to discuss her unusual path to profit. It’s an amazing reminder that no one goes on the same journey as anyone else. Whatever you’re doing and wherever you are in life, your path doesn’t necessarily have to look like anyone else’s. There’s a lot to learn from her account of just how her brand took off and, then, leveled up to the huge success sto

Kimberly Cannon is the Small Biz Founder behind Pipermoon blankets. We’ve worked with her in our Mastermind and, now, she’s on hand to tell us her story, what she learned by weathering the pandemic, and so much more.As you know, we’re always excited to share with you the success stories of our students, Masterminders, and community members – and Kimberly is amazing, so it was really inspiring to speak to her for this episode.Her brand, Pipermoon, creates and sells adult swaddle blankets made out of soft, jersey knit material. They’re super comfy, and big enough for adults – because why should cozy blankets be just for kids? We could all use a little more of that special feeling of warmth and security these days.COVID brought unique challenges to everyone, but Kimberly found that people began embracing Pipermoon blankets as a way of sending loved ones a “hug” when they couldn’t do it in person. She is super resilient; you can hear it in her voice. Having overcome so many obstacles over the last few years, in b

Lindsey Schwartz is just like all of you. She woke up one day and went, “Wow. I’m meant for something more.” She believes that women are wired to create, and wants to help them put their stamps on the world in a unique way. She’s the founder of Powerhouse Women, and she’s here to share some of her amazing advice.We met Lindsey at the Lite Pink dinner (she’s a fellow investor!), and we were so impressed by how connected she is to her community. Her book, Powerhouse Woman, tells her journey from working in the world of wellness before moving into entrepreneurship. She touches on many relatable problems that most people go through, like imposter syndrome, and how it grows in proportion to your goal.We discuss tips on growing and scaling, from how you can turn one big launch into multiple smaller launches to create more engagement, to how you can engage your audience in a way that makes them feel personally invested in your products. Lindsey felt disconnected from her purpose for many years, but she’s comple

With the focus the world puts on leadership, it can be easy to forget that no one person runs a company completely on their own. No matter what your business is, you’ll forge relationships along the way – many of them beneficial, all of them educational. We wouldn’t be here today without each other so let us tell you just how important your ties with other people are. On your path as a product boss, you’ll meet people, pick stuff up, and maintain certain relationships. This will look different every single time and for every single one of you, so don’t feel as though your story will be the same as those around you. A common thing that we see in product bosses is treating their staff as peers. They may be close friends, but that doesn’t mean that you should talk to them about business decisions when you’re operating at a certain level. At the end of the day, you’re going home with the risk, not them.Napoleon Hill defined a Mastermind as a meeting of two minds and, to this day, a Mastermind is one of

One mistake people often make is thinking it all comes down to strategy, when, really, the most important thing is mindset. It can seem daunting or overwhelming to change how you think about running your business as it grows, but these kinds of shifts are critical to being able to scale your success. Chances are, if you run your own business, you’re a visionary. You have lots of ideas, you spend lots of time thinking about the future, and you dream really big. But the bigger your company grows, the harder it becomes to find the space to live the life you want and avoid burnout. Sometimes, you might feel like you have complete clarity, but other times, you feel like a chicken flailing around with its head cut off. That burnout comes from not allowing yourself to be the visionary that you are.That’s why we’re going to spend some time exploring what separates six and seven-figure product boss mindsets from the rest. Make sure to listen to this episode even if your business makes less than that. It neve

Kelly Roach is a very special guest. This is her fourth time appearing on The Product Boss and there’s a good reason we’ve had her on the show more than any other guest. Simply speaking, she’s a marketing genius. We listen to her podcast, we’ve read her book. As a former cheerleader and Fortune 500 executive, Kelly is now an eight-figure entrepreneur who helps people build and scale companies online. Her multimillion dollar company, Unstoppable Entrepreneur, is the fastest growing coaching program on the market. She’s also the co-founder of The Courageous Brand, designed to create positive societal movement by giving young girls a chance to rise to the top and break the glass ceiling. Her new book, Conviction Marketing, is out now. We’re here to discuss exactly what conviction marketing is and how it can help any product boss promote their business and get the word out about their products. Kelly’s here to let you know that you can achieve any level of success that you want. Our conversation, like a

Video is one of the secret tools that can make all the difference in your marketing. It’s cheap, effective, and stats show that good video content can make all the difference to leveling up your sales. Krista Mashore is a top digital marketing consultant and our guest today. She’s here to give us the skinny on how you can use video to boost your business. Just knowing that we need to use video doesn’t mean we know how to properly utilize it. And starting out with video can be daunting, even though it shouldn’t be. It doesn’t need to be a full Hollywood production. A simple video showcasing your product – we talk about a seller who had an amazing hit with a video of one of her shirts hanging on a chandelier – can make all the difference. For those of you who are introverts and find the idea of being in front of the camera too scary to take the plunge, don’t let that become a crutch that prevents you from pushing yourself and reaching a new level of potential! For a lot of people, being an extrovert i

In another of our Lessons Learned episodes, we bring you two more inspirational stories from our Multi-Stream Machine students (who are now Masterminders). We’ve already showcased everyone from Etsy sellers to one-of-a-kind, handmade artists, so today, we’re hearing from retailers, manufacturers, and brick-and-mortar business owners. We talk to Jenny Tse, who regular listeners of the podcast will remember from a recent episode where she discussed her growing Sipping Streams Tea Company. Jenny’s amazing tea company owns and operates the world’s first geothermally heated tea farm, and is based in Alaska. Also joining us are Joy Williams and Jane Molina from Ninni Co, sisters and sellers of elevated baby products that meet the natural expectations of babies. They’re best known for their truly breastlike pacifier, designed to mimic the real thing. We’re so excited for you to meet them, hear their stories, and learn from their insights and experiences. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO JOIN MULTI-STREAM

We’re continuing our Lessons Learned series so that you can hear the incredible stories of our Multi-Stream Machine students who’ve seen amazing results ever since signing up. When we showcase makers, a lot of you ask, “Well, what about artists? It must be completely different for me, right?” And no! That’s not the case. To show you how the same principles still apply, this roundtable discussion features three artistically focused product bosses.Introducing Suzanne Godbold, Creative Director of Three Best Bakery. Suzanne is a podcast veteran at this point, having appeared on the show several times in the past. She launched Three Best Bakery in 2016 and her amazing boutique shop is now thriving, best known for their super popular smash cookies.Pet Paintings by Nicole is Nicole’s outlet for their custom artwork. Pet Paintings by Nicole will create a custom portrait of your pet, painted onto a range of products from canvases to jackets to vans. They launched their business in 2015, and are continuing to sca