Latest / Weirdly Effective: How Creative Businesses Build Experiences / Grow Disrupt Sold $12K Tickets With Banana Bread

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Grow Disrupt Sold $12K Tickets With Banana Bread · Weirdly Effective: How Creative Businesses Build Experiences

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: The best creative businesses don't just sell a thing, they build an experience around it to delight their audience.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Think a kit that you can't wait to unbox, a Kickstarter that has you freaking out, or a loyalty club that actually gives you stuff you want.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is Weirdly Effective, the podcast where I sit down with the people who built those experiences and we dive right into it.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: How they came up with the idea, why it works, and most importantly, what their audience did next.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Megan, co-founder of Fat Cap, and this is a show all about weirdly effective strategies.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Stephanie, thank you so much for coming on.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm incredibly excited to talk to you today.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited you're doing this podcast and like these conversations.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, this is 100%.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: I love finding the fun, unique, the weird, like the crazy things to do for marketing.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm so excited.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: I've literally got like all kinds of things set up here so we can talk about because I'm so excited.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: You've got show and tell, yeah.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: I do.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: For people who don't know you, like I do.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because we met through one, through mutual friend who you had on your stage.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, talking about romance books.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: At a business event.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: At a business event, just say it.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we are in a romance writing business group together.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, for people who don't know you, do you want to introduce yourself?
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: I can.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So my name is Stephanie Sheller.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: I own and run a company called Grow Disrupt.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: We produce events and adventure kits for ADHD entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: So the follow-up question is always, what's an adventure kit?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the the very quick background is that we've been producing events for 10 years.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And every time I finish an event, people are like, oh my gosh, Steph, more people need to do this.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Except Steph is an introvert.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so Steph doesn't want to do an event for 10,000 people.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, my team and I have spent years trying to figure out like how do we create a grow disrupt experience?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And really, true, like one of the things that has set our events apart is that the experience is the product, right?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: We don't sell anything from these events.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: The way we put them together is built for the ADHD brain link on a neuroscience level.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: So we make an impact, people make changes, they grow their business, they've had huge growth happen from these events.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: And we were like, how do we do this at scale?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: And last year, through a series of, I'll borrow aluminius and I get through a series of unfortunate and fortunate events.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: We came up with this idea to do kits.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so we started doing these adventure kits.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it's basically like, think of like an advent calendar, but to help you accomplish a goal for your business.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: So every day you open a new piece of the kit and you do something specific to the one that is out right now, is the Habit Kickstarter.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the one that is coming out very soon from here is the Forge Your Future kit.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it is about how do you create the next big thing for your business and actually get it going.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: So oh I know.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: So excited.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: When I learned that you were making these, I got really excited because my one of my backgrounds is in um product.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so I had embroidery kits and notice.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, I think we didn't notice, but we haven't talked about them.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: So for like roughly like 14 years, yeah, I sold embroidery kits.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so when I knew that you were doing something physical, I was like, ooh, so many questions.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because we both had that problem to solve, right?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Which is for me, it was like, I am not going to make the embroidery and sell it to you.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: You like you can't afford me.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And thankfully, all of my fans were like, no, I want to make it.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I literally did one of those like hold my beer, I'm gonna like give me a month and I will figure this out for you.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: For you, it sounds like it was kind of one of those, it was a different strategy, right?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Which is like within the parameters of what can Stephanie do and where do you shine best?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is the thing that I can offer.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and it was the very first kit we did was actually back in 2022.
• 3:53
  unknown: Okay.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: And it was a very it's the it's the kit that you had mentioned you were gonna do these conversations, and I was like, oh my gosh, these are fun conversations.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like I did this thing, and you were like, What?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: I was just excited because this was one of my favorite kits to do.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: So this in 2022, um, we had this event and we've sunset it currently because we're getting the kit, the all of the kits off the ground.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: But we had this event called the Grocation.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Grocation is a luxury working vacation.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And like when when I say that our events, our events are they're expensive.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like$7.50 for a ticket,$10,000 for a ticket,$12,000 for ticket.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like these are not cheap events to put on.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so when you're doing an event at that level, like you have to find different ways to market that, especially if you're not a name big brand.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so we had this event in summer 2022 where we had Jesse Cole was our speaker for Grow Cation, is a luxury working vacation with two days on site working with Jesse Cole on your business for 10 business owners, which this was right as he was really starting to get like massive national media attention.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I kept coming back to I was like, okay, I need a way for people to experience the event with before they buy the ticket.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we put together these really cool little like glossy magazines that walked them through day by day exactly what they'd experienced with pictures.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then I baked up these lovely, I created a it was a toasted oat rum cinnamon banana bread.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: They were ridiculous.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: I can't find the recipe, and I'm very unhappy with myself for losing this.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we got like banana, like stress toys.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so we'd put the, we put these in the kits and we sent it out with a little card that said, like, check out the magazine if you would like to join us.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it'll be as customized to you as this, you know, toasted oat, rum, cinnamon banana bread, and it'll melt all your stress soy like the stress toy.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we sold out the event like within a couple of weeks of sending out these kits.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that was the first, that was the very first kit.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, you know, banana because the Savannah bananas you had to tie it to.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: So got it.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: That was the most expensive crocation we'd ever done, though, because Jesse's fee was substantial.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was so it was, I think it was$12,000 tickets.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they got like this little box, and I sold$12,000 tickets from a little box.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: But that's a good ROI.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: First, that's a really good ROI.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And also, like, even the people who didn't convert these marketing terms got something from you for free.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we didn't charge for you.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we sent that you just send wow.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: We sent the kit.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we we selected people we thought were good fits for the event.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: We sent it out.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't send them to everyone on the list.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: We hand selected, but they all got the kit, and the number of social media posts I got out of it.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was wondering was wild.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like I got almost a hundred percent of the people who received a kit either texted me, called me, emailed me, and most of them also posted on social media about it.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was the coolest experience.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And in all seriousness, it it took me two afternoons to test and refine to make the banana breads.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then not even an afternoon, like an hour to put together the kits and mail them out.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like this was so low lift on my part um for such high return because it was so specialized.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: It was so it felt so cool.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So like I don't know why we didn't start making that just like a standard across the board at the time.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't think about it until more recently.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: No, but I love it.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: There's there's um a wonderful book that I love called Reach Out by Molly Beck.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it shows you like how to uh reach out to people to grow your network.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the one thing is like you always come bearing a gift, which is basically what you did.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: You came bearing a gift of literal banana bread.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so, as good humans, I won't say everyone, but as good humans, like when somebody hands you a gift, you immediately feel the need to reciprocate.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what can they give you?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you did this, and you did not even ask for them to post, they did it of their own, and so you got all this user-generated content right for an event that then other people couldn't even like attend because it had already sold out, right?
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: Which was amazing, but we got so much positive attention out, and even the people who didn't buy tickets off the kits, yep, they bought stuff over the next few years because that social currency adds up, and so they there's this like I want to give back, right?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: And like, and and I will say, I mean, obviously we sent the kids out to sell tickets, but like I also sent out like 50 kits and I had 10 tickets.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: They were it was not gonna be possible for them to buy, and I knew that from the get-go, so like it was so cool, it was such a fun experience.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it was so fun to put together too.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot believe you started out of the gate though with a food product, like the hardest thing to ship.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: You I don't, I think that's the naivety, but like I mean, that's how like that's how I ran my whole business was just like we look back, my husband and I, and we're like, what were we thinking?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like thinking was I think I was not it's like we were either genius or totally naive.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Totally naive, generally.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and right now, like now we're like we are still we're shipping, so um, our kits include some food products inside of them, but they're all sealed and like shelf stable.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like not banana bread.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I do look back and I'm like, this was a terrible idea.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what if it took a week to get there?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now the banana bread is stale or molded.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Molded.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: That is a horrible, that's a horrible experience to get this and have a cool gift.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it's and food allergies.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: And oh my god, and food allergies.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even think about till just now.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: You've got the nuts, the dairy, and the gluten.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you get the trifecta.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we did, it was gluten-free.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: The bread was gluten-free because I was gluten-free at the time.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we did manage to make it gluten-free, but there was walnuts in there.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, well, no one died, so we're good.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: We're good.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it was literally labeled.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So if they had the allergies, part didn't even cross my mind.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: So this was a huge success.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then you kind of got bitten by the experience box bug.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because you continued to do this.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: I did.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really funny because the next one was also a gift.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was so in our fantasy the fantasy writing, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I write um, I have the two pen names, and one of them is the fantasy book, the the the world of javier ones, and I wrote a basically a fantasy heist novel.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I really I wrote the first draft of the book in a month, and then like I took it through all of the iterations and completed it and printed it.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: I had beta readers and arc readers and well, not arc readers because it's not published, but um, had like beta readers and alpha readers.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I finally I got the book finished, I had, you know, an editor that I had paid to help me out with it, but she did so much work.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: I had, you know, I think 10 beta readers.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my cover artist, I had a bunch of art inside the book.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: So the one of the things we have in the books is there's actually a bunch of artwork inside the book as part of the story.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so like I had a whole bunch of artists that had all been part of bringing this book to life.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so when the book was finished, I really wanted to do something special for them.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so we put together the next kit I put together was when we got the book itself finished.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and like this is okay, I gotta show this because this is like my favorite thing.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: Look at the um, oh, you're not gonna be able to see it.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: You can see the feathers spinning at the bottom, which is like that was one of my favorite little like fun things to put in there.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so when I was thinking about okay, what do I do to make this like really special?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I sent them a copy of the book.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then they got this really cool keychain that I got, these custom printed keychains of the book.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: They got a little mini version of the book.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's so cute.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: I oh my this is my spare one for when my current one looks too bad to keep using anymore.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: So and then the character, her her symbol is a feather, and then she does a lot of like apothecary stuff.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so we sent out these feather bookmarks and then like these like like fauna bookmarks.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um there's a a thing in the book with Labradorite.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we sent them like a little chunk of Labradorite, and then we sent a like created a custom tea blend, which I still actually have a little bit of, and it's like a spicy, it's a robo-space tea blend, and it's like spicy and sweet, and like um, and then we got a really cool piece of artwork created, and so I sent them these like cute little kits just to say thank you for all your help getting the book put together.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I think that was probably the first time I started to realize like this could be like across the board and I could create like an experience just out of sending these to people as I was trying to get fun.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think you and I think very similarly because when I was making my book, uh one, it had like an entire merch line just baked into it, which I was just like, look like money.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: But but also like I think you and I love just almost like an like an inside joke.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah kind of sense that like you've read the book.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now you get to like experience these little pieces and like step into it.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, you know what?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: The other thing I forgot, um, we also got so each of my characters I always have like a custom, like a scent that is like their scent that I use as their inspo.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I sent out a piece of the soap that was the main character's scent.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So they all got to like smell what this the scent they've seen described so many times.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I like I love and I feel like that's really important whenever you do these kits for whatever it is, that it it has to feel personal, it has to like just feel connected to something.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um said someone who was like, Oh, I want to create these kits, what should I do?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I don't know, I don't know your business.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what makes you special, I don't know what your marketing message is, I barely know what you do, and that's only because you told me I can't put together a cool kit for you.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're excited because you got to see what I did for my business that I know intimately.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's all brand strategy.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because they don't then they don't know enough about what is actually at the core of their business, right?
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: And what their audience will respond to, and like that overlap of like what is gonna make them lose their mind.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: And it has to what I talked about a few years back, um, was this last year?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was last year.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: So people need to feel like they belong, like they're part of something.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: And when you make them feel like they're part of something, this is why like inside jokes go so well.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because people feel like they're in on it.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: They're part of something special when they get that.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where like the custom tea blend that was, you know, all of these things made such a big difference because they were so specific to what people had gotten to read and experience.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love it.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so that was your thank you.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: Did people share that one as well?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't because I asked them not to because we weren't ready to publish yet.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I mean.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: My goal, what I've been doing is we have the 10 book series, right?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: And my goal is to have most of them written before I start publishing so that I can like drop them back to back to back, which is either gonna go really well or really poorly.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we'll find out.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: Come see me in a couple years.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I specifically asked them not to, but I know that multiple of them like saved the overall kit so that they can take pictures and share it when stuff does drop.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, that is dedication.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, although what if I did like she was like, so I drank the tea.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, Well, that's probably good because the tea probably would have gone back.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: No, I would have just been an absolute like raccoon with mine and just like ripped it apart immediately.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: I have gotten people who send me pictures now, they're like, I'm using your bookmark.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, ah, it's so cool.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: I love it when you like you get to, especially when you do physical stuff, if it's meaningful, you get to become part of their life.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: I when I rebooted, so I shut down my embroidery kit business 2023.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because when you build a fan-based business, it is very hard to sell because it is you.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so when I then started PDX Spellbound, which is like my fantasy rom-com subscription business, I reached out to everybody on that list and was like, I know this is an embroidery, but I made a new thing.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to come along, here it is.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I had people who were like, Oh my goodness, I just went through my closet last week and found a kit of yours that I hadn't done yet.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: And my daughter is now getting into embroidery, so she got to do it.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's pictures, you know, of like a seven-year-old.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like not me like sobbing while like looking at my emails, you know.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think what I love the most about the banana bread kit, the text messages that I got were just people blown away because we didn't tell them we were sending it, we just we sent it, and then like they were it made them feel so special.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And like those getting those messages back from people of like, I I don't know what to say.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: I, you know, didn't even think I would have like warranted.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like it it was so gratifying, even just that was just gratifying.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, even if we hadn't sold out the event, I still would have loved putting those kids together because the way we got to make people feel, yes, and I think you feel something so different when it's physical, like when you have it in your hands, yeah, than when it's just here's my download, right?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, uh it's just me.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm slightly biased.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it also shows you in a heartbreaking way how little we expect, yeah, as people, like for somebody to give us something or to like let us in to the experience, the launch, the like, oh my god, you get to be part of something.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because yeah, every time somebody does something so sweet for you.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: But I suppose if they did all the time, maybe you'd lose that appreciation.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, yes and no.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think here's the thing.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think if they did it all the time and it was always the same thing, probably.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like so much of society in general right now is about mass-produced bulk, like making people feel less.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: And there's still this prevailing idea kind of going around that you have to be able to scale.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the only way to do that is by making people feel or making it all ident.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think yes and no, I think there are ways to make people feel like even with the sprint kits where every kit that goes out is exactly the same.
• 18:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, you know, kind of, except Matt has an entire like giant box of really cool bonus stuff that he gets to randomly grab and throw into the kits to just throw in cool free fidgets and stickers and just stuff that when they open it, they're like, Oh, this is so cool.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think as long as you're not, it's not same old, same old, same old, same old, same old.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: Even if my company keeps doing this for people, I don't think it will get old because I think it will there's so many people doing the opposite.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think too, like, this is just me putting the disclaimer out for anybody listening.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: We are not saying you have to give tons of stuff for free.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is like there's intention and there's like you've you've run your numbers, you've made a decision.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's yes, some like they're it is done for different purposes, but you've thought it through.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: It is not just you dumping it off.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: Not every box gets freebie stuff.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you know you're getting the freebie in the box, it actually produces a lot less dopamine.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: It does.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you it's gambling.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it's a gotcha.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm wondering if you're gonna get it.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: You basically mean a gotcha box.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we kind of did.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: Japanese.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, like you're you're absolutely right.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you don't have to, and these the other thing I will say, like the the one the VIP experience box that we have live now that people can apply for, yeah, um, you have to apply.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: We do not send them out to everyone.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: We only created 30 of them because we only have 15 seats to the event.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, and and so far, almost everyone who got a box in the spring window registered.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, I can't, all of y'all are registered, like my tool.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we only did 30 boxes.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: And the boxes themselves are not, they are they're time consuming and they're kind of pride, like they do cost money.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think each box, the hard cost of each box is about$30.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then it required Matt's time to actually put one of the pieces together.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: But one, we limited that.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we're not just sending those out to everyone.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'll have a list of 2,000 people, like an emailing list of 2,000 people.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sending out 2,000 of these boxes.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: That would not be a smart idea.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so you can do like you can put controls in place to keep yourself from getting like screwed over for lack of a better, I can't think of a better way to really phrase that.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like, so that it's not like um like a loss leader or yeah, or you're or or it doesn't bankrupt you, right?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: It can still be technically, technically the VIP boxes, they are a loss leader, right?
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're they're my version of Costco chicken.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, it's Megan, quick one.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Everything you've heard so far today has been a live case study for what we do here at FatCap.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we build clever, personality-packed brands that attract audiences and keep them coming back for more.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you've wondered what we could do for your business, click the link below and schedule discovery call.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's get back to the interview.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: So with these, with these VIP boxes, so this is a little different because this is them, they're applying.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then so are all of yours, do all of them get tied to they don't all get tied to events because you also have your advent calendar ones, which are a little different.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we have kits available, like actual kits available for purchase on the website too.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we have like the sprint kit is um these are Seven days that like the best way to explain them is like I did, it's like an advent calendar.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So like every single day you get something new to do to move towards the goal.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: So we leverage like how do we keep dopamine going for the so for example, the sprint, the habit kickstarter sprint, which just launched.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's seven days to kickstart a habit for good.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: And by for good, I mean one that sticks after seven days are over.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which is was really tall ask for an ADHD brain.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: As a whole, like for a neuronormal brain too, but especially an ADHD.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: So like the entire kit, every piece of it was built for like how do we keep people engaging and coming back and excited.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So like the field guide is sealed.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: You cannot get into it until you're ready to start.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and it's it's a break the seal type of thing, right?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: So like you actually have to like pop the seal.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: We have like the let's see, hold on.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: So when you get the kit, the very first thing you see is like the stop letter.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's like don't go through the kit and pull it apart.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: But then, like, it's uh an adventure kit.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: So like your start brief is is put together like it's like a change blonde with like little wax sealing.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: And then the kit itself is wrapped up.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Isn't that adorable?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh like I want to back.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: I saw how you put the kit together.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: I came up with a cool way.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think of this?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, do it all of them.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do it.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like it only took me an hour to do.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's fine, it's fine.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Slides, slides, but like that.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: So that there's the field guide, and there's the start brief, and there's the the the start brief, there's the the kickoff kit with the physical anchors.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like each step of the kit is designed, and then of course, the actual exercises inside the field guide.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: So, and those we do sell, and we have the other one that is dropping in uh November is the Forge Your Future Intensive.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that one's actually just a five-day kit, but it is like the thing you've been meaning to build for your business.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: This is gonna actually set like help you build it through December so that when you kick off next year, like you're actually running with this.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever it is you've been, maybe you've been like I've got one guy who's like, I should get that because he's been swearing for years he's gonna like do videos and like actually get video going.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, okay, so get the kit and use it to get this corner of your marketing leveled up.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: And he was like, That's a good idea.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love it because you and I both have always hear people say things like that.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, it was like back in the day, I had like a facilitated like workshop.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it, but that's it was it was too much.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like they still could not sit.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so I love that you're like, it's just a bot, like it's a box.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Do it on your foot.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: And like you have five envelopes, each labeled by day.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: So you open the envelope and it tells you exactly what to do.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: You have like the little this one we call the guidebooks.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: You have your guidebook that like walks you through literally step by step by step, exactly what to do.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you do it on your time, and it'll take you 20 to 40 minutes per day.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and because we tie again, we tie these physical anchors to it, so it helps make it so much more interesting.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: So they want to come back.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: And they and because they don't know what's in the next envelope, they're like, well, I need to see what am I doing next?
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: They need to know it's so it keeps like it creates this tension.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so, and the the other thing that is really a challenge with like the workshop, like is people getting the time and talking themselves into yes, I'm going to.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was for us when we started putting these kits together, I was like, okay, I don't want this to be something they buy and it sits on the shelf.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do we make this something that because they won't make the time to go to the event?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Are they gonna make the time to go through the kit?
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: They'll buy the kit, but I don't want them buying a kit to sit on the shelf.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: That doesn't do anything for them, right?
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: It also doesn't help me either because they're not gonna come back and buy another kit.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, like because you need them to complete it.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: I need them to complete the kits.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we actually bribe the sprints.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: I say we bribe the sprints.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: When you finish your kit, you get a really cool, like custom half weighted coin that says I keep commitments to myself, I'm a finisher, that you get to carry with you.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm like, I will bribe you to actually do your no, I think it's so smart too, because it moves it from it moves it from your calendar, right?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: You are not creating workshops that you need to show up for.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Also, as my therapist points out with me, you are putting the agency back on them.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm giving you everything, but it is up to you, sweetie, to like get through the five days.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: However, I have engineered all of it.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: Every step of it.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: I've made it easy.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm holding your hand as much as possible and I'm incentivizing slash bribing you to get to the end.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it takes a weight off of you.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: That like it's not up to you to make sure that they succeed.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: You have already put everything into that.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: I had so many people who are like, so with the kits, are they gonna get like coaching?
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, no.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, you're not gonna do coaching?
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: I worked really hard on this kit.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: Every single person who has started the sprint kit has finished it.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: We have a few people who bought kits and who have been like, I'm gonna start it, you know, next month.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, okay, we're gonna talk about this.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Every like, no.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: Stop lying to me.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: My my goal, so we we added a few things to like help keep them from doing that.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I I was like, no, I want, and here's the other thing too, right?
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: I also feel like if it requires that level of engagement from me, did I really create something universal?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, when I designed the embroidery kids, it was because I sucked at it as a kid.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like my grandma started swearing in German and she's not German, um, about all the rats' nests, like in the back.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: That is a very grandma.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: I need she'd be like, what did you do?
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: And my mom would be like, and we're done for the day.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I knew I really want one of your kids now, like so curiously like how you did this.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I like designed it all as somebody who has no experience and who wants that like comfort hand holding everything.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: So all the kit papers like open to show you.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: We had like infographics, we had links to videos.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: My college roommate was uh special ed major.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so she was constantly showing me like people learn differently.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we we chose like the fabric.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Most people just give you like a very thin cotton, but if you're a beginner, your hand-eye coordination is not great, so you poke up in the wrong place.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: And if it's a very thin cotton, the the weft and the weave or whatever like leaves the hole.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then people can see that you missed.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: So we gave them this like canvas cotton.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's thick, but it's forgiving.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then we just colored, we printed the pattern in color, so it's like paint by number.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: So this seems like so like like if you're talking, I'm like this pretty so like soothing.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like I could and it was simple stitches, but like the old ladies would come to my booth and be like, Oh, I'm a master and brighter, and they'd like flip out your piece over, like the finished one, which is like the rudest thing to do to somebody, is to like look at the back of the and they'd be like, Oh, these are very simple stitches.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Yeah, because I'm teaching them so they can eventually get up to your level.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: But when I would sell them, it would be like my kids are designed so you can sew, watch Netflix, and drink all at the same time, and it'll still end up great.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm so disappointed that you get this like sew my level.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like I have like sounds great.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and like I I think people vastly underestimate because, like, you know, you could have then eventually added in those more detailed kits if you wanted to.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: If I wanted to the other thing too is like there also might not have been a market for a more detailed kit because maybe when they get to that level, maybe that's when they're wanting the more complicated videos or the personal connection.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, sometimes it's it's the like for us, this forge your future intensive is the option for the people, and I've had multiple conversations with people already.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: So the grow retreat, the event Mary spoke at in January, the theme is Forge.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I've already had conversations with people where they're like, I really wanted to come to your event, but I just I don't like I need help with like creating this thing, but I just don't know.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, okay, so let's create an option that is a fit for them.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like I don't need to recreate the grow retreat.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: No, let's give them an option.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: It like it's kind of an onboarding, but it's also like a different price point, and just says, like, I'm gonna meet you where you're at.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: But like I'll meet you where you're at, and then your retreats get to stay these aspirational things.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, which is wonderful.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: I get to keep doing what I want to do at our events, which is spending the kind of money that I want to spend to make people feel really special.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you're gonna fly across the country to spend two days with me, I want you to like I want that to be the coolest experience you've had.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: I personally hate flying and I hate travel.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: So if I'm gonna fly, I want it to be worthwhile.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: So if they're gonna fly, I want it to be worthwhile.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: So yes, the kits are my like solution for like how do I help more people without Stephanie hating herself.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so before we hit record, we promised we would go over like we each have like we can share one horror story.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because if somebody's like, oh my god, I want to make one of these, the sourcing is an issue, right?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like the sourcing takes time, it is finding the right person.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: And my husband and I have whole spreadsheets of just sourcers.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: But um there comes a point where you need to make a decision whether it's cost or my horror story, which I'm happy to share, is um shipping uh constraints.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um but like there comes a point where you need to make a decision of I have this really cool vision.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: Is it worth it to include this super cool thing?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: If it does X.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we had um we had an embroidery of the month club because people got addicted.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we stripped everything down and they just got the pre-printed fabric and some thread and the directions.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: So no hoop, no needle.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: But at the beginning, I was like, we need to make this extra special.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: So we would give something themed around whatever the design was.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever the whatever the design was, yeah.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: So we had this photo bombing pigeon.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it was the Eiffel Tower in the background, but then there's just like a pigeon, like in the shot.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, Well, I found this amazing French candy, like just a hard candy.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, well, we'll put that in the envelope.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: What a great addition.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we put this in, but it's like a lemon drop.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's round.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it no longer fits through there's like a size constraint.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it now will not fit.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: It has to be going.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is like double the cost.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: And my husband was like, okay, so we're never doing that again.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, people didn't ask for it, people didn't need it, and you now just cost us like a dollar extra per person.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Which is like 200 people.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think for people who are start who are thinking about these things, like they see yours and they are gorgeous.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then you have to kind of ask yourself, like with the wax deals, right?
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Where it's like, do I have the time?
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: Does it convey what I want?
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: Does it lead to other issues down the line?
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh does it change the cost of the the shipping now?
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's maybe something has batteries in it or something, you know, like I'm shipping a perfume.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: And now we've got, you know, like now we have to ask.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: Was there something?
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, was there something you really wanted to do?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: But it just wasn't quote, worth it because there have been some things that we've had to make like cost decisions on and like the sprint in particular, because the sprint, like the the nice thing about like the VIP kit, right, is that it's my kit, like it's a marketing thing, so I could I could spend as much money as I wanted to on these kits.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like um, but like the sprint kit, I have to keep inventory costs down.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: And like what was one of the most frustrating things was building this kit in 2026 as pricing was changing so rapidly.
• 34:14
  unknown: Yeah.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: And no joke, we had set one price that we wanted the kit to be priced at.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: And when we finally got into production, there was no way on earth I could have done it.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like it would have it would have eaten almost 60% of my cost.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, just in the hard cost.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not what the putting together part can do it.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we had to increase the cost of the um, and so we we've had to make some decisions in terms of like looking at stuff and being like, there has to be a lower cost option.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have gotten to where we do have everything priced or built.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: We have two sizes of boxes.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we have literally two sizes of boxes.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: So it's either gonna go in this box or it's gonna go in this box.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and it's going to fit in one of these two boxes.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: We're only stocking so many boxes.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, um, and and I now know what this is gonna cost to ship up to a certain weight.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: I now know that this is gonna cost a ship because that's one thing we decided to do with the website.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: We don't charge shipping and handling.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: So whatever you see on the price, whatever you see on the website, like that's your checkout price.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: We cover the taxes, we cover the shipping.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I did that for like for me, one of the biggest things there was I was like, I want one I hate.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so frustrated nowadays with the number of times you go to checkout, and it's it's so much more expensive.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: And like the number of like, oh, we had a 20% processing fee or a 20% like staff.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, well, then charge 20% more.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just show it to me.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: We're crying out loud.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: I went through all the trouble to make the decision to buy it, and now I have to make a second decision on what am I taking out of a cart?
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because I hadn't prepped my head to spend an extra exactly, yes, right?
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, we've had to make decisions on like stuff that fits and doesn't fit.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's one right now that we're working on for a kit next year, and we're looking at like, okay, what do we do like for the physical anchor?
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: And we have two sizes of things, and we're trying to figure out the bigger one is cooler, but will it fit in the box with everything else that has to go in the box?
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're like trying to figure this out.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: So some of it's come down to making some of those decisions, some of it's come down to like everything.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then the other thing that we have really started looking at too with everything we are purchasing for these kits is could this be repurposed for something else?
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: Let's say, I mean, I'm a small business owner, right?
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like I can't afford to have$10,000 in inventory just sitting there for stuff that's never gonna sell.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, you get very creative very fast.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like, kit, could I use this for another kit?
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_01: Could I use this over here?
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have I'll give you a sneak peek.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we have the sprint kickstarter, the habit kickstarter sprint, and we are creating, and this was actually because people kept asking for it and and people kept ordering the Kickstarter and then being like, oh, well, I realized what I did wrong because I was gonna use it to break a habit, but you're actually it's a Kickstarter.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, Yes.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: So so now we're working on the habit breaker, and like the good news is a lot of the stuff overlaps, right?
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like we can do perfect.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: So like it's a lot of those decisions.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't really have like a horror story, but I feel like every single thing we've purchased has gone into like, will this fit into our boxes?
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what is the actual cost?
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: How do we control the cost um to make sure that it's not gonna be over the top?
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_01: How do we control it to make sure it's it's safe?
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because we do.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the VIP kit has some of our custom coffee in it.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: It has some of our custom scent in it, or not, uh not custom scent.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it does have some of our custom scent in it.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Custom coffee, custom scent, and custom spice blend all in this this VIP kit, right?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do we make sure that like when that gets to people and they use it, they get safe.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's good.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's been a learning curve.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: I joked, I think before we got this going, that like if I'd known what was behind the door, I don't know that I would have opened it.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I'll stand by that one.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: But you're here.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: We're here to we're doing it now.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, also, I do really it is really fun.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really fun, there is something fascinating about finding a way.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the whole point of the VIP kits is to give people a taste of what it's gonna be like at the grow retreat in January.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: But to do it in a way, and so when I was looking at like what could we put in the kit, and like one of my favorite ones is we put a copy of one of our speakers' books.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we bought a bunch of his books, we put it in the kit.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: But my biggest problem with that was I was like, but I don't want to give them homework, which is what if I give you a book, yeah, it's homework.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and all that does is it becomes a I need to read the book first, then I can make a decision.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's not too late.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then it takes too long to go.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Instead, what we did was we actually we still put the book in, but we actually went through and we tagged, and the little letter that is on top, it says, um, the speaker book was handpicked, handpicked, and bookmarked for you.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's a head start before you ever sit down in the room.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so if they just look at the pages that we bookmarked, they can actually get the biggest takeaways from the book without having to read the whole book.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: I was like that's so smart.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: I don't instead of me, because our whole thing is by the time you walk out of the event, you've started implementing things.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_01: So why would I send you something to add to your to-do list?
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's so fun.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's so good.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's so much fun to come up with.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I have so much that we did like the little like the reset kits.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: So they get like the little sleepy time sent.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and they get like an actual like, here's like do some stretches, here's what to do to reset at the end of the day.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: So you sleep better, here's why it matters.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: And like, like these, I think there's it's so creative.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's so creative.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's my creative outlet.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think the way that you and I like operate, uh I won't speak for you, but for me, it's like I'm always like paying attention to things, and you're like, oh, that's really cool.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is really cool.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I like that.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I like like like how they did this.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, could we put this in?
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: Could I collaborate with this person and and bring it all together?
• 40:00
  unknown: Right.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a superpower.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I never thought about that.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think you're right though.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think it probably probably is like seeing stuff and seeing ways to repurpose it, bring it together and and make where the the the new sum is greater.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I think both of us agree that like the kids are for the right person who has the time and the patience and the drive.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is a really cool way to engage an audience to get some user-generated content to make people feel like they are part of something big.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: They belong.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, their loyalty will go up.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: They will also just be delighted that you cared for them.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: And for you, you get the joy of just making something so cool.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um is the inventory, but well, we'll pretend that part goes out.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, but like this was such a joy to talk to you about these.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you've created something so magical.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we will have links in the show notes to all of the the kits that are available for people so that they can experience them.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: IRL.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for coming on and chatting about this.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me on and for making the space for these.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna like, I have a lot of podcasts I cycle through listening to, but like I feel like this is gonna be one that I'm gonna have to actually like have in my like go back to repeatedly because of like these are I love plus you get so many fun ideas.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_01: So many ideas.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of the problem.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: What?
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: You just need a big enough team so they can do all of the parts and you just be the idea person.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: You love it.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: Get a team, then you can do it all.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: There you go.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's the magic sauce.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: If this conversation had you going, okay, how do I build my own version of that?
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's my whole job over at FatCap, where we help businesses build brands their audience obsesses over.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find the link in the show notes, along with everything today's guest brought up.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Megan, go be weirdly effective.