Latest / Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast) / Sally Mueller from Womaness shares her lessons on how to launch your brand into big box retailers like Target + the 3 step blueprint every entrepreneur needs to succeed in business

Transcript

Sally Mueller from Womaness shares her lessons on how to launch your brand into big box retailers like Target + the 3 step blueprint every entrepreneur needs to succeed in business · Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast)

• 0:00
  This is Sally Mueller for Female Startup Club.
• 0:12
  Hey everyone, it's Doon here, your host and hype girl. Today I'm chatting to Sally Mueller, founder of Womaness, about how to launch your brand directly into a retailer like Target and how to market to a demographic that might not be in the same hotspots on the internet as the Gen Z and millennial crowd. So many gems in here, you are going to get so much value learning from Sally, I know I did. But let me tell you about Womaness. Womaness.
• 0:39
  Womaness is a collection of modern, innovative menopause products developed for women by women that offer solutions from head to toe and everything in between. With community, education and inspiration, Womaness sparks the power of menopositivity.
• 0:57
  We also talk about the power of your network and mentorship. And if you haven't heard already, we are launching our very own private network for women in e-commerce where you can access guests from the show like Sally through what we're calling modern mentorship. You can add your name to our waiting list at femalestartupclub.com forward slash wait list and you will be the first to know when we officially open our doors for founding members.
• 1:24
  Now, if you know a woman in your life who would benefit from hearing this episode, please do share it with them or post about us on social media, shout about us from the rooftops. You know I love to hear it. Or feel free to slide into my DMs just to say hello. Let's get into this episode. This is Sally for Female Startup Club.
• 1:43
  Sally, hi, hello, and welcome to the Female Startup Club podcast. Oh, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I'm excited to be here too. This is definitely the best part of my day, hopping on these calls. And I always love to start by getting you to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what your business is. So I'm obviously Sally Miller, and I am the CEO and co-founder of Woman S.,
• 2:09
  Womaness is fairly new. We are a women's wellness brand focused on menopause. Our mission is to provide product, information and inspiration to women going through this incredible stage of life so they can really live their life in an unstoppable way.
• 2:30
  Mm hmm. So that is really what we're here to do. So it's not just product, but we really do focus on education, information, and then inspiring women through meeting other women. We feel like the second half of life is really exciting. Women have told us they feel more confident. Yeah.
• 2:51
  Think about all the years of them working, all the different life experiences they've had. They're much more wise and confident. And they feel actually more creative during this stage of life than they did even before in many cases. Sure, there's rough patches and menopause is not easy. But,
• 3:11
  But when they really sit back and look at it, they feel like their life is in a better position than they were even, you know, 10, 15 years ago, just because of all the life experiences and all the things that they have to offer. So we're really set out to create a platform for women to connect with other women and be inspired as well.
• 3:31
  Hmm. That's so cool. Thank you. And what I find interesting when I think about this brand is I couldn't really tell you other brands in this space. And, you know, maybe it's because I haven't been having to go through this part of my life myself. So of course, I'm not targeted by necessarily ads or whatever, but I...
• 3:52
  still would think that you would have an idea, whether it's from when your mom went through it or someone that you know, that you would be able to rattle off a couple of names. But now that I think about it, nothing's coming to mind. But yet it is a huge industry in terms of the people being served. There is a huge demographic of women.
• 4:11
  I read some statistics and I'm the worst at recalling the numbers, so I'm not even going to try. But I read that it's like this huge, like by 2025, you know, there's just going to be this like amount of women who need to be served with, you know, education and products that speak to them. Right, right.
• 4:27
  Wow. Exciting. Yeah, we do have a few competitors. There are a few brands that are in the market focused on menopause. I would say we are different because we're really excessively priced. So everything that we're selling right now is under $40. Yeah.
• 4:44
  And that was important to my co-founder, Michelle and I, that we wanted to make sure that our product was not only efficacious and beautifully designed, but we wanted it to be accessible. So you're right. It's a huge market. Fifty million women at any given time are going through menopause. And the overall purchasing power or size of that market is supposedly six hundred billion.
• 5:10
  When we set out to go after this market, we estimated it at about $150 billion. But you'll read different publications now that really say it's more like a $600 billion market. When you think about all of the investment women make in medical services, not just products, but information, coaching, medical services, it is a huge market. Wow.
• 5:36
  And overall, this woman has been largely ignored. And so that's why there's been so much buzz and excitement around this market, because this woman is the wealthiest, healthiest, most active generation to date. And only 5% of advertising dollars are directed to this woman.
• 5:56
  So she has been really, really largely ignored, not just in the wellness space, but fashion, all industries, really. Gosh, that's really interesting. Yeah, it's really exciting. It is really exciting. Wowee. Well, I've gone off track from where I usually get started, but where I usually start is where does your entrepreneurial journey begin? Take us back. Oh my gosh. Let's rewind. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord.
• 6:25
  Well, I think growing up, my parents were very entrepreneurial. My dad was an engineer and worked for some large companies, but he always found his happiness working in much smaller, more startups.
• 6:39
  So I grew up in Minnesota and Minneapolis St. Paul is really known for like the medical device community. And there's a lot of really incredible companies here. So my I watched my dad's career really blossom through going from large companies to smaller companies where he had a much more senior role. And then my mom was interesting because she was a schoolteacher.
• 7:02
  and decided one day that she was going to not do that anymore. And she was going to open her own beauty studios. And so she started opening, she got a part-time job at Merle Norman Cosmetics, which you probably don't know that brand. It started in the 30s. And she ended up loving this part-time job so much that she opened her first beauty studio
• 7:29
  a long time ago. And then she opened her second and her third and her fourth. And I was very involved in helping her on the business side. I also worked, obviously, at the studio. So I started to really learn about women and the beauty industry and what made women feel good about themselves. You know, I just interacted so much with the customer.
• 7:55
  And it was a part time job. And I learned so much. And I think that really started my love for, you know, building brands for women, not just in beauty, but across the board. And I would say my parents are really the inspiration behind my love for being an entrepreneur and taking taking risks and hustling.
• 8:17
  But I've had a lot of mentors along the way. So I spent almost 25 years at Target and Target stores in the US and had just an amazing career there. I was in merchandising for the first part of my career.
• 8:33
  where I learned a lot about trends and, you know, the consumer behavior and the business too, of course. And then my last part of my career was spent in marketing, where I really helped along with an amazing team in the marketing area at Target, really build Target into the recognizable brand that it is today. Wow. 25 years. Gosh.
• 8:56
  Yeah, well-designed product, affordable design. So one of my roles was to really help find the designers to bring into Target. So the fashion designers, accessory, all sorts of designers from Isaac Mizrahi and Liz Lang to Liberty of London. I'm mentioning all of my
• 9:18
  All of the British ones, Luella Bartley, Proenza Schooler. I mean, just, you know, an embarrassment of riches when it came to like the designers that were willing to or excited to work with Target. So, wow, it sounds like an amazing launchpad there. Yeah.
• 9:36
  Yeah, it was an amazing career. I did leave Target to start my own business about 11 years ago. And then in the last 11 years, I've done some really interesting things, had my own business, building, you know, consulting and helping to shape brands that hired me to either kind of reinvent themselves or expand into new categories or new territories and
• 10:02
  But I would say one of my most successful projects was taking Who What Wear, which is an incredible, as you know, fashion and beauty platform, and taking that essence of their brand and building a whole line of product, a whole line of women's fashion around what Who What Wear stood for, which was all about street style, and launched that at Target in 2016.
• 10:31
  And it was just incredibly successful from the very beginning. So my role was to really help find the manufacturer, build up the whole strategy, oversee the marketing. And I ended up joining Who But Where as their chief brand officer. So I just spent the last four years working with them and helping...
• 10:53
  Catherine and Hillary and that amazing team, you know, not only really build who but where into a fashion powerhouse, but also incubate new, new opportunities. So I would say that was also back to, you know, the entrepreneurialism in my blood. That was also a really great moment to hone my entrepreneurial skills and,
• 11:17
  And learn a lot about, you know, digital marketing and building a community and influencer relationships and kind of how to unlock the power of a community to get behind a brand. And, you know, what's the secret sauce? What's the secret sauce? Oh, you're asking me what the secret sauce is? Oh, my gosh. What's the key thing? I have a few tips. Okay. First of all, you have to have the right product.
• 11:45
  You can't just have great marketing. You really need to focus on the product first, the quality, the design, the product promise. What are you really going to stand for? Because at the end of the day, the marketing can draw the customer in to buy the product. But if you don't have great product, they won't stick with you. There's so many other choices in the market. Even with womanists, we have to be very judicious about the product and the quality and
• 12:15
  you know, making sure that the value is delivering for the customer. So that's the first thing that you have to focus on. Then you have to really think about the story. What is the story that you're going to tell? You know, is it about design? Is it about design at affordable price? Like what's your brand positioning, but then how does that come to life in the right story?
• 12:40
  And then I think, how does the story come to life is the third really important piece. Like, who are the right storytellers? Are you, if you're going to, you know, influencers to this day are, everyone is tapping influencers, right? To help.
• 12:59
  amplify their message, tell their story on the brand's behalf. But it's so important that you think about who are those right influencers. It's not just someone who's willing to work with you. It has to be the right storyteller that has trust with the customer and that understands how to, you know, authentically get behind your story and your brand. And so, you know, it's, it's, you have to be very selective. So having the right influencers and,
• 13:27
  behind the brand is very, very critical. And then it's through the right channels. Where is the customer? You know, where is she consuming this type of information? Is it Instagram? Is it Facebook? Is it traditional media? You have to really understand how do I reach her? You know, not just through those influencer voices, but how do I reach her through the right media? So...
• 13:53
  I think those are kind of the critical boxes that you really need to tick, so to speak. And it's funny because, you know, we know this. We know these are the things that are important. But sometimes people forget about that first step, which is highly critical of just focusing on the product. Make sure people want it. Absolutely. Tell your best friend to tell your mom, tell your husband. Exactly. Exactly.
• 14:20
  Absolutely. It's so, so important. Absolutely. People forget. Yeah. And I mean, you'd really need when you're when you're developing a brand, like after you've decided that you're focused on avoid in the market, like when we we knew we were going to focus on menopause and we wanted it to be, you know, women's wellness that, you know, it wasn't just a skincare brand. It was really a total solution to menopause.
• 14:47
  then you have to really think about your overall positioning. What stores do you ultimately want to sell through? Do you want to be an e-commerce brand? Do you want to also have a retail footprint? You have to think about what price ultimately or what your price positioning is in the market and what your point of difference is overall. How are you going to break through? So you do have to think about the whole strategy process
• 15:14
  along with product. But then the first thing that you really need to work on is the product, you know, where you're actively focused on product development, supply, you know, what suppliers are going to help you bring your product to life. Packaging, you know, especially in the beauty industry, packaging is so important. The shelf and the top shelf. You know, you have to tell your story on, you know, in
• 15:42
  Just a little teeny box has to really be able to tell your story. It has to catch the attention. Right. Especially if you're going to be on a retail shelf, you can't assume the customer is seeing you in media. What if they're just walking the shelves of a store and they happen to... Does your packaging catch their eye? Does it tell the story? So there's so many...
• 16:05
  There's so many layers to the product development process. And that's why it's the longest process out from launch. You have to start working on product and packaging before you work on your marketing plan. Really. For sure. So that's the first, that's the first step.
• 16:25
  And so what led you to this particular category? Where was the aha moment that you thought, I know what it is? I've got the vision. Great question. Yeah. So I had my own aha moment. Personally, I knew I was going through menopause, right?
• 16:47
  This is, you know, two to three years ago. And I actually have a doctor at the Mayo Clinic that I see because the Mayo Clinic is a renowned institution, medical institution, and it's only about an hour and a half from my house. So I really felt that strongly that I wanted to take advantage of having them so close to me and why not? They're world renowned. So I found myself in a doctor's appointment
• 17:15
  And the doctor was a specialist in the Women's Health Center specializing in menopause. And I must have filled out a survey about my own issues slash symptoms. And I found myself in this really awkward conversation with the doctor about vaginal dryness and painful sex and other issues. And the doctor was so gracious and reassured me. She said, Sally, these are all
• 17:45
  symptoms of menopause. I had no idea. And here I was in menopause. I was so misinformed. And it was just because I was living a busy life. I was working and traveling and kind of ignoring my own focus on my own health and, and well being. So she was very, very good at educating me. And then she recommended that I try some products.
• 18:12
  And she had carefully curated a selection of products. I went home that night to check out the products. They were like for sale on Amazon. And my husband was like, I hope you buy these products. They're going to be really important. And I said to him, I'm not buying any of these. I'm not buying these from Amazon. Yeah.
• 18:32
  Yeah, the products were just, the names of the products didn't speak to me. The packaging looked outdated and it was no disrespect to Mayo Clinic's
• 18:44
  taste level, it was the best that they could find in the market. So I thought, why am I not creating a brand around menopause? So that was really an important moment for me. And I started thinking about the business. My business had kicked in and I thought, oh my gosh, think about all of the brand, all of the industries that are being disrupted.
• 19:05
  The period space was being disrupted. The natural deodorant, all these brands were emerging offering natural deodorant. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, Quip, you know, all these brands were coming through, you know, the shelves of Target as an example. And I thought, no one is going after menopause.
• 19:26
  And that was really the start of it. And then I started doing some research around the size of the market and became very excited about, you know, reaching, oh my gosh, 50 million women are going through this at any given time. This has got to be a huge market.
• 19:43
  So that was a critical moment. My co-founder, my now co-founder, Michelle, at the time we were friends and I were having drinks in New York. And I said that I was passionate about going after this space, that I really felt like this was my next calling. And she said, well, I would love to do this with you.
• 20:03
  And she was at kind of a why in the road with her career. And so we ended up deciding to do this together. And she brought an interesting perspective because she's about eight years younger than I am. And she really felt like women in their 40s and 50s were really feeling kind of discouraged by their own career. They had so much to offer.
• 20:29
  And they were either getting laid off or just unhappy in their jobs. And we turned it into, it was a really positive thing because these women realized they had so much to offer. And they were feeling really confident, like, I'm not going to just take a job for the sake of taking a job. I'm going to do something I want to do. And we felt like all of these women that we started to really talk to, because we did focus groups, felt very excited about the second half of life.
• 21:00
  They're not going to put up with anything. They might get out of a bad marriage. They might like start a new job, new career. They felt very creative and very excited about the future. And we're not saying menopause is easy. You know, there are definitely tough hours and tough days. But all in all, we really believe it is what we call menopositivity. It's like there is this radiant. No, it's seriously. There is this.
• 21:29
  radiant outlook that women have about, you know, finally, I'm free, my kids are either grown, not as dependent on me. You know, I'm more confident, I built all this wisdom from all my life experiences. And now I really want to do something that I want to do. So that was really a big, aha, to to help create womanist, like we wanted it to be modern,
• 21:54
  you know, almost take a little bit out of the millennial playbook, you know, beautiful packaging, modern voice. Let's portray this woman in a cool way. Like these women are cool. They're not, they're like us. They're not outdated and dowdy. They're not running down the beach with a straw hat, like a lot of the Geritol ads portrayed. So we really wanted it to be cool and modern. And, you know, inspiration is definitely one of the pillars of the brand.
• 22:23
  And I think also something that they're proud to pick up off the shelf instead of some dusty old thing in the back corner that you're feeling like, hey, this is a deeply personal, this is a deeply intimate thing that I'm going through. I want to feel awesome when I buy this product, not like, oh, God, this wasn't really made with me in mind.
• 22:43
  even though it's for me. Exactly. Oh, wow. That's so cool. I love that. So you have the drinks, you're in New York, you kind of get the ball rolling. How do you actually start the brand? I always love to think about what kind of capital it takes to build a business and how people finance it in the beginning, especially, you know, there are so many different routes that we can take. So we love to cover that. And then what the next steps were, what did you do to kick it into gear?
• 23:10
  Oh, my gosh. Great questions. So actually, one of the first things we did, we had several different focus groups.
• 23:19
  We got friends, acquaintances together, you know, just sat around kind of fireside chat, which I really encourage other, you know, women that are listening to this to do. You know, I know it gets very daunting, like what I have to do research. I don't have money to hire a third party company, but it doesn't cost any to get a group of women together that you know.
• 23:46
  And you start to get insights and you have to validate those eventually. But at least you have a starting point because you you have your own thoughts, but it's always really good to hear from other women. So we did that. We sat around, you know, tables in New York and the Midwest. And we heard from women about what they were looking for in products, what kind of information was lacking. And.
• 24:11
  They definitely talked about, you know, being inspired, wanting to connect, wanting to be a part of another, you know, being a part of a community where they could hear from other women and be inspired and hear their tips, not just about menopause, but just about life. So we really had the underpinnings of the brand from those focus groups. And we started to, you know, really write the overall strategy for the brand.
• 24:35
  We also decided, Michelle and I decided that we had a timeline. We wanted to be very disciplined. We wanted to launch in 2021. And in order to launch, we had to, we had a timing, an action really. And we knew that we had to have our product strategy and almost our product underway by February of 2020. So from...
• 25:01
  About for seven months, we had to really flush out the brand strategy, the product, what our product offering was. We had to find labs to really work with us to help formulate all of the product. We had to find experts in skincare, sexual wellness, supplements, and incontinence. We had experts lined up in all of our different categories because we felt like we were
• 25:27
  We were generalists. We knew enough about how to get product made in the packaging, but we wanted really experts in each one of those categories to work side by side with us. We also found a few doctors to review all of our products and our formulations to make sure that our ingredient deck was correct for this woman.
• 25:48
  And we just kept massaging. So for seven months, I would say we really focused on the brand, like bringing the brand to life, the look and feel and the story, but also our product development. And by February of 2020, we had a lot of that really built and we funded all of that phase ourself.
• 26:19
  And it was scary. I'm not sitting here telling your audience how easy that is, because it was when you write out a check for $10,000 and you you're just hoping and praying everything works like the brand is successful.
• 26:37
  Um, but both Michelle and I had very encouraging husbands that kept saying, just keep going, keep going. Don't be scared. We got to keep going. We wanted to self fund that phase because we wanted to, to get to a point where we were, we knew we wanted to be in a retail setting as well as have our own e-commerce. So we wanted proof of concept before we started pitching retailers and before we started pitching investors.
• 27:05
  And I think that's the best thing that we did, actually, because by the time we started pitching investors in March of 2021, first of all, it was a pandemic. Second of all, what we were able to do was we already had the brand story. We had the product lineup and we knew that we had some retail interests. So we felt very confident.
• 27:29
  it gave us an edge when we were pitching investors that we, we had vetted our strategy. We knew that it was going to be well received with the consumer at retail. Um, and we also did more research too. I failed to mention we did some more even quantitative research and invested, you know, $20,000 or so in just more research. So yeah,
• 27:56
  That is really what the next steps were, is really proof of concept and getting our brand ready to pitch to retailers and then ultimately to investors.
• 28:08
  The investment pitching process of raising capital is a whole other phase of it and a whole other challenge. I bet. I've heard. I've heard that's the case. I also imagine waiting to pitch investors obviously gives you higher leverage to get more capital for less equity that you have to give out.
• 28:30
  if you're going to be pitching to investors at the very beginning of your journey, you're going to be having to give a lot more of your company and get a lot less for less valuation. So for anyone listening, I would also say that's one thing that if you can find a way to self-fund and get yourself as far as you can and prove out that concept and give yourself the edge, as you say, and the leverage, then you're able to have, you know,
• 28:55
  a higher stand or a higher, higher ground to negotiate, negotiate the terms and generate that, um, you know, that opportunity that's really visual for someone to be like, oh yeah, okay, I can see it now because it's in front of me. Yes, exactly. No, the visualization was so powerful. Um, I do want to also say, you know, a tip is also tapping into your network. We believed in our idea. People believed in us.
• 29:24
  And so for your audience, you've got to have the self-confidence. You've got to, you know, believe in your idea and then tap into your network and see if you can't raise some friends and family money. Yeah.
• 29:37
  So we also did that after we self-funded, we started to raise some friends and family money. And it was really, that was really fun actually, because what we found is people wanna help you, right? So they connect you to, if they don't wanna invest personally or can't,
• 29:57
  they don't have the means or it's just not the right time, they'll connect you to someone else that might be interested. And before you know it, all of a sudden you have kind of this whole spider web of options. And I'll never forget the morning when by nine o'clock I had about $900,000 raised. And it was through women that I had met through relatives, through friends on a trip that,
• 30:26
  And they were so excited about the mission of Womaness that they wanted to put a couple hundred thousand in. I mean, it was it was like the most electrifying morning because I just finally felt I finally felt like I was going to make it, you know, because it's so tough, you know, and you get so many no's.
• 30:46
  And so many investors act interested and then they then they send the infamous email. Not now. We're not interested. You know, they don't even tell you why. And you can't get discouraged, you know, and everyone that that had been through it before, because this was my first time going through it said, you're going to get a lot of no's before you get yeses. And you just got to keep going.
• 31:08
  And so my, my advice is also to tap into your own personal network and, um, you know, it doesn't mean that you have to know a lot of very wealthy people. You'd be surprised, you know, people want to help people. And if you have a good idea, people recognize that, you know, um, and if you have a good track record. Absolutely. Wow. That's so cool. What a moment, what a highlight through
• 31:40
  We touched on this or you touched on this earlier. You were pitching to investors and you had a bit of an edge where you had already got the kind of green light from retail. And from what I read online, you were able to debut the brand into Target, you know, a couple of days after launching. And so obviously you worked there for a really long time. You had a very clear understanding of how Target operates, what they look for in new brands, and you had a network, as we say.
• 32:06
  But I'm still interested in understanding the steps to launching into a brand like Target or into a business like Target and what the key insights you have in terms of what do they look for in a new brand? Who do they take on to debut a launch with? And if there's anything you can share around that experience that might be beneficial for others listening in who want to follow that same path.
• 32:26
  Yeah. I mean, I think it's not just unique to Target. I think other retailers too, but I think Target's the most savvy in terms of, you know, identifying these emerging brands. But of course, they're looking for whether the brand fills a void in their assortment or their brand portfolio. So the first thing is,
• 32:46
  Is there a need for it? In this case, they target recognize that there is a customer looking for menopausal solutions and how many different brand options are out there. And thank God we were one of the, you know, one of the first brands that approached them, I think, I believe.
• 33:06
  And we didn't have a lot of competition. So I think, again, what is your brand offering and what's the white space or the void that you're filling at a target or frankly, any other retailer, you have to really be able to tell that story. And that it's an overall pretty big size. The market itself is valuable. You know, you're not talking just a super, super niche market. Yeah.
• 33:36
  that maybe just should just be an e-commerce play. I mean, the market itself has to be a sizable market. Right. And so I think that's the first thing that you have to really, really understand and make sure that you're painting that picture. I think the other thing that retailers really look for is, you know, your product product.
• 33:58
  Again, focus on product. What's your product's positioning? What's, you know, is the product quality, design, and price point proposition going to resonate? That's also something that retailers really, really look for. Because most of the time you're pitching a merchant.
• 34:16
  You're not pitching a marketer. You're pitching a merchant that's deciding whether they're going to bring a brand, your brand into the store. So merchants focus on product and positioning first and,
• 34:30
  Of course, they also are pretty savvy about marketing and whether the brand has potential to break through. You know, is a brand going to have a celebrity to back it? A lot of retail right now is focused on minority-owned brands. You know, women-owned, you know, female-founded brands, black-owned brands, you know, is the founding story compelling? Is it from a creator that is going to resonate with,
• 34:59
  from a storytelling perspective. So I think that's, you know, that's also really important. But I think, in my opinion, it's not as important as filling the void, you have to first really fill the void. And then if you check that box, then, you know, product, product positioning, and then is the founder, you know, is the marketing story also going to resonate? Right.
• 35:23
  And then I think, you know, does the brand have potential to scale is something else that I think retailers are very interested in. Right. You know, who are their investors? Do they have capital to back them? Are they going to be able to build the right supply chain, deliver the goods on time, all of those things? Do they believe in the team? Right. You know, do they believe in the team that the brand has set up?
• 35:50
  And what's the timeline for that kind of thing? Like if you're launching into Target at the same time as you're launching your brand, when do you need to be starting those conversations, those outreach? Like how far back? Almost a year. I mean, really it's a year in advance. That's how far out the retailers work. Right. Not just in beauty, but even in other areas, they have certain...
• 36:16
  Set dates, they're called transitions. So they have a schedule in, you know, corporately of when certain transitions happen in the store. Wow, that's really interesting. Any brick and mortar retailer, Walmart, Ulta, Target, Kohl's, they all have transitions.
• 36:35
  And their merchants focus on their strategy for that transition. And the transitions don't happen very often, once or twice a year. So you want to be able to impact that particular window of time. And a lot of the merchants really start almost a year out strategizing their transition. Wow, that's so good to know.
• 37:01
  Yeah, you want to be on the radar screen. You don't want to be late. I mean, for sure, if you have a great idea and it's timely, you
• 37:10
  Don't let that stop you. But I think knowing that there are these transitions and that you have to almost back up a year before that. With that in mind, do you have to go in with 100% perfected everything to show and to pitch to those buyers or those merchants? Or are you able to go in and be like, hey, here's a couple of samples that I have and here is the finished finalized product? Yeah.
• 37:35
  But we're still kind of like, we're talking to you now for this timeline, but we're still evolving and adapting as we go. And there is room to make changes should you need to change something because they're asking for it. Yeah, I think that is a good approach to have it almost fully baked, but still be able to make changes based on input. Yeah, like you haven't pressed go on 10,000 lids. Right, exactly. Got it. Cool.
• 38:05
  Wow, gosh, that was amazing insights. Thank you so much. Transitions. I'm learning something new every day here. Yes, yes. A lot of retail terminology. Love it. I want to switch to talking a little bit about marketing, how you were leading up to the launch, and most especially how you were reaching your desired customer or your woman. Yes. Yes.
• 38:28
  Well, we say there's no playbook for reaching this woman. And, you know, we went into this assuming the woman was 45 years old and older. What we have found is that we're actually appealing to women of all ages. They're in their 20s. They're in their 30s.
• 38:51
  all the way up to 60, 70. So it's a really, really big age range, which is very interesting. I think what's happening in the world is, there is such a thing as premature menopause. So a lot of women go into premature menopause if they've had breast cancer
• 39:10
  or any, you know, in some cases, any health issues can induce premature menopause. So that could be causing, you know, creating interest in our brand for those younger women. Or a lot of women have told us they just want to be better prepared, as they're not in perimenopause yet, which is the first phase, they just want to be prepared for when they are
• 39:34
  about to go into perimenopause and start to experience those symptoms. So we're excited about just the, from a demographic standpoint, just the wide age range that we're appealing to. So of course we went into this knowing that we needed to really have the right content, the right imagery, a very modern approach. So we cast a lot of real women. We had about
• 40:01
  12 women that participated in our first campaign, which was really fun. Just really showed a diverse spectrum of women, different ages. And just we wanted it to really be representative of almost like the 50 million women going through menopause, right? They're from all walks of life. Menopause does not discriminate. So we really wanted to make sure that we really had that real connection.
• 40:28
  open approach to our casting. And from a media standpoint, of course, we focused on Facebook, which has been interesting to just learn how her behavior is on Facebook. She's definitely on social media. She is on Facebook. She is on Instagram. She's Pinterest, YouTube, all of that. But I don't think she's as
• 40:54
  rabid of a fan. She's not as active on those platforms per se as the millennial customer. So it's really important for us to reach her a few different ways. We have to reach her through traditional media, as well as through
• 41:10
  Um, obviously all of those platforms I just mentioned. And I imagine places like Google, like your, it's the education piece. It's when someone is typing in menopausal symptoms that you need to be front and center being like, Hey, this is what we, we can share with you. Exactly. Exactly.
• 41:28
  And many times those women that are doing that, they're looking for information. They're not really ready to buy products. They're just looking to be more educated. So we want to be ready for her too. If she just wants to be educated, you know, we want our site to be full of really good information. So we're building out a lot of educational content and we have a whole expert series that we're building out with our doctors and
• 41:54
  and different experts from sexual wellness to menopause. We're working with a doctor at the Mayo Clinic that is really covering kind of the one-on-one of menopause for us. So that's a great example of, you're right, she sees us maybe, you know, on the shelf at Target, or she sees us, you know, we were recently on the Ellen show, she puts in Woman S on Google, and boom, we need to really welcome her in,
• 42:23
  inspire her, educate her, um, because she might, you know, she might be ready to buy her skincare, but she's not quite sure about the other products, you know? Um, so each product has kind of its own entry point into the brand as well. Um, but again, I think there's no playbook for reaching this woman. Cause I've, I've, as you know, from my, my career, I've spent a lot of time marketing to
• 42:51
  And this woman is really tricky. She's really tricky to reach because she's, yes, she's on Facebook, but she, I don't think she's as enveloped in Facebook or Instagram as a millennial counterpart is. And that's why the product has to be so important because that woman needs to hear it from her friend. It needs to be...
• 43:15
  You know, word of mouth is huge. Word of mouth inherently built in. If you're not necessarily able to reach them traditionally, you need to make sure that people want to tell their friends about it when they're going through that same phase of life. Absolutely. Right. So, yeah.
• 43:31
  Looking back in hindsight over the last couple of months, was it more the retail side of things that you were focused on building up or was it more the e-commerce side? And overall, how did you go? Were you hitting your goals? Were you way ahead? Were you underneath? What was the general overview? Yeah, I would say the last several months, our focus has been on so much on messaging. Yeah.
• 43:57
  And making sure that we're telling the right story at the right time through the right channel. So, so much, whether it was driving traffic to Target or to our own site, really focused on making sure that we're not assuming she knows our brand yet, introducing her to the brand now.
• 44:16
  And really kind of educating her on the foundation of what we're all about and building that relationship. You know, we like to say you got to flirt and then you start dating and then hopefully you get married.
• 44:28
  but you can't just go from flirt to get married overnight. You have to really take her along the journey and build a personal relationship with her. So in some women, you know, take longer to get through those stages of a relationship with the brand and others are really, you know, really fast. Right. So I think that's what we've been really focused on and, um,
• 44:54
  you know, it's been interesting to see how her behavior and what she's looking for, you know, and what she's buying on our site and how is that different even at a retail store. So there's not always a direct correlation between what's successful, what's selling on your own site and what's going to sell in the store. Yeah. I think it really depends on how you're telling that story on your own site that can make certain items more successful than others.
• 45:23
  And then from a retail perspective, what kind of competition do you have with your particular items? Are you sitting on the shelf next to another brand that's half the price? So you really have to think about your shelf presence and how you're telling that story and who you're competing with on a retail shelf. Absolutely. Absolutely.
• 45:48
  What is your top piece of advice or your key learning that you would want other women to know who are early on in their entrepreneurial journey? I really think it's leveraging your network. Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. And, you know, I know it sounds it can be feeling like you're imposing on someone.
• 46:16
  People want to help you. And, you know, I had a great reputation. I had a large network, but women want to help other women. And even men want to help women, too. So don't be afraid of asking for help and advice. And, you know, at times I almost got too much advice and too many messages in my mind. So at some point, you also have to just make a decision and
• 46:40
  and move on. But it was, I think what saved Michelle and I so many times was just to make sure that we were really tapping our network. It's a good one. Yeah, I think so. I think just don't be afraid to ask for help and advice. Absolutely. Network is so key. And it's something we've been talking a lot about on Female Startup Club.
• 47:00
  We're launching a network where we're bringing these women who are building e-commerce brands together. So I'll definitely have to keep you posted on that as well. I'm willing to, you know, I love mentoring others. So if anyone ever wants to ask me for advice, I would love to give it. So you're going to be perfect for our program.
• 47:20
  we're definitely going to take you up on that. Okay. At the end of every episode, we ask a series of six quick questions. I asked them to everyone on the show. Some of the questions we might've covered already really briefly, but we asked them all the same. So question number one is what's your why? Why do you do what you do?
• 47:39
  I just, I love helping women. I love impacting women's lives. I love working with our customers and seeing their reaction to our brand. So no matter what brand it is, that's what I think has kept me excited about what I was doing. Amazing. Question number two is, what do you think has been the number one marketing moment so far that made the business pop? Oh my gosh, that's an easy answer. We were just on the Ellen show.
• 48:07
  On Friday and an amazing segment by Kim Douglas and she featured our Let's Neck product. And it was unbelievable. The reaction across, frankly, the globe. We just had customers buying the product every five seconds. Wow. It was nuts. How did that come about?
• 48:30
  Um, a lot of really lucky moments that we orchestrated and, um, we really got Kim behind our brand. Um, so Kim Douglas is on the show every few months on the Ellen show. And she was really excited about our mission at woman S and about a month ago, we told her we wanted to work with her. And I think she was super motivated to really fight for us to get on the show.
• 49:00
  you know, we're lucky that that happened four months into the launch. Um, some brands wait for that lucky moment years. Right. But, um, you know, we worked really hard again, we leveraged our network every, every friend, uh, in the industry we've been tapping. And I think people want us to be successful. So they're, they're willing to help. And, um,
• 49:25
  You know, we want to pay that back too, obviously. That is so cool. Love that for you. Congratulations. Thank you. That was a very big, very big turning moment. My goodness. Question number three is where do you hang out to get smarter? What are you reading or listening to or subscribing to? Oh, my gosh. Um.
• 49:47
  You know, the best way for, I mean, obviously I listen to podcasts. I love Hillary Kerr's Second Life podcast, which she always features really interesting speakers. I invest a lot of my time in talking to different people on, you know, a Zoom call, on the phone, whether it's people I've never met before that I've been connected with. I always learn a tremendous amount from others.
• 50:17
  You really need to be a sponge and soak it all in. So a lot of it is through, you know, again, back to networking, through investing time in going to your external network, not just stay internal, but really focused on external and building those relationships. Question number four is how do you win the day? What are your AM or PM rituals and habits that keep you feeling happy and successful and motivated?
• 50:45
  Well, I would say I need a good night's sleep. That is a, that is the key to winning the day. If I had, you know, five hours of sleep or less, I am not affected. So getting a really good night's sleep, um, it's really, really key. Um, always doing some sort of exercise, obviously Pilates. I try to do Pilates or even take a walk.
• 51:11
  is really, really important. And I need to force myself, especially during the pandemic, it's been tough to just even take the time because we're all on zoom calls all day long. And then I think just take the time to actually sit down and have a nice meal. I know that sounds so simple, but it's,
• 51:30
  true. When you're crazed and you're stressed out, you end up not eating right. You end up eating on the go. And that is not a healthy, you know, healthy way to live. So just taking the time to really have a good, healthy meal. So it's really fun and really fundamentals. You know, I think that's, that's the key. For sure. Question number five is what would you do with a thousand dollars no strings attached grant? Um, right now I think I would.
• 52:01
  invest in, in, in a new idea that I felt strongly about, you know, something that, um, was kind of percolating something in an emerging idea that I thought had a lot of potential. So I would definitely take a gamble and invest in something. And last question, question number six is how do you deal with failure? What's your mindset and approach when things don't go to plan?
• 52:31
  Be resilient. Take the why. Why? Why was it a failure? Really kind of dissect the problem and then apply it to the future and really learn from it.
• 52:43
  really move on. Cause I mean, we all have those moments where it's like failure and the key is really to bounce back quickly. So that's what I've learned. So true. Sally, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the show today and sharing the story. Oh, this is so fun. I love it. I'm so excited to, uh,
• 53:05
  help, help your audience. And if anyone wants to reach out to me, just let me know. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you. Great questions. It's an honor to be a part of it.
• 53:21
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 53:46
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 54:08
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.
• 54:24
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 54:49
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 55:11
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.