Running the Bases today with Deby Lexow the CEO & Founder of LOCLE Box - a curated gift box service located in Chagrin Falls, OH. LOCLE Box helps companies obtain more clients and show appreciation to existing clients and employees. They partner with Ohio-based companies who see value in gifting and showing gratitude with gifts that are locally made by small-batch artisans.
Deby shares her journey in building LOCLE Box over the last six years. The ups and downs, the challenges and joys of working with over 70 local artisans - “Makers” - that are the core of each LOCLE Box.
Listen to the end to hear Deby’s advice for getting started and to ensure success.
Learn more about LOCLE Box and Ohio Gift Boxes at https://loclebox.com/
Get Local SEO and Digital Marketing information from 38 Digital Market
Listen and subscribe to our show on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, or iHeart Radio
Follow 38 Digital Market on our Social Accounts:
Follow our guest today at:
Running the Bases today with Deby Lexow the CEO & Founder of LOCLE Box - a curated gift box service located in Chagrin Falls, OH. LOCLE Box helps companies obtain more clients and show appreciation to existing clients and employees. They partner with Ohio-based companies who see value in gifting and showing gratitude with gifts that are locally made by small-batch artisans.
Deby shares her journey in building LOCLE Box over the last six years. The ups and downs, the challenges and joys of working with over 70 local artisans - “Makers” - that are the core of each LOCLE Box.
Listen to the end to hear Deby’s advice for getting started and to ensure success.
Learn more about LOCLE Box and Ohio Gift Boxes at https://loclebox.com/
Get Local SEO and Digital Marketing information from 38 Digital Market
Listen and subscribe to our show on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, or iHeart Radio
Follow 38 Digital Market on our Social Accounts:
Follow our guest today at:
Randy Rohde 0:08
Running the bases with small businesses, I'm Randy Rohde, and I have a passion to work with small businesses. And I love baseball. So I thought, hey, let's bring them together. So every episode, I sit down with LOCLE entrepreneurs, Business Builders and small business owners to talk about their wins and whips their tools to the train, and to give actionable tips to other business managers will cover the bases with entrepreneurship, operations, sales, digital marketing, innovation, plus a little fun baseball Talk. Thanks for joining us today. settle in, grab your Cracker Jacks and you know what they say white ball and there we go. It's a great day for us. ballgame. Everyday it's a good day for a ballgame in my, in my estimation. Hey, I'm Randy Rohde, and you are listening to running the bases with small businesses. And today I'm really excited to have Deby Lexow from LOCLE Box and LOCLE box a very unique service and product offering that I'm really anxious to explore. So Deby, welcome to the show.
Deby Lexow 1:28
Hey, thank you, Randy. It's great to be here. My first time out since COVID. Started Oh, my.
Randy Rohde 1:37
You've had a challenging three months then very challenging. Yeah. So why don't you tell us all about LOCLE bucks. What is it? How long have you been doing it? What kind of things do you do?
Deby Lexow 1:48
Sure. LOCLE Box is a gifting service. We offer LOCLE small batch artists and products and we curate them into themed boxes. We really start Support the small person who is making cookies out of a kitchen or rented a kitchen or making maple syrup out of the trees in their backyard or some of our clients are making new products like hot sauce or candies, we really try to promote the small company that is starting off in Northeast Ohio. And like I said, all over Ohio
Randy Rohde 2:25
So how long have you been doing this?
Deby Lexow 2:27
We started this business in 2014. I had been in corporate my whole life. And when I left I decided to take a completely new avenue and I had the help of my daughter who I call her a professional entrepreneur. And in the course of a couple months, we wrote a business plan. We applied for all of our licenses and did all the things that we're supposed to do. And I decided to take just a few products. When I was in corporate. I had friends and family outside the state of Ohio and I felt a real pride in this area, especially in the spring when they have pancake breakfast. So I developed a relationship with a person that did maple syrup company that milled their own pancake flour, person who made homemade jams, and I put them together in a box and I sent them out to friends and family for Christmas. They loved it. Then I found myself getting phone calls from them saying, Hey, can we order that from you? We don't want to wait until next Christmas. I started thinking about Of course I sent them more. And I thought, well, this might be a good opportunity to expand and share a little bit of Northeast Ohio. That's how we started.
Randy Rohde 3:40
And that was back when 14 2014
Deby Lexow 3:43
and yeah, what happened was kind of funny in a way I was very well prepared for maybe 250 gifts. I was lucky. We developed a website and that's the way people ordered well, funnily anything is I got a corporate order, which I was really expected and in the course of six weeks from thanksgiving to the end of the year at 250 grew and I was calling my box people and say, Oh my gosh, I need more boxes. I need more crinkle paper I need more product. I mean, it was just wild. We had product and crinkle paper all over our house. What happened then instead of 250 boxes, we sold almost 1000 Oh my goodness, six weeks.
Randy Rohde 4:26
that's a that's a nice problem to have.
Unknown Speaker 4:28
Oh, is it all right? Yeah, it was a great problem to have.
Randy Rohde 4:31
I suppose your production team which aka probably family members.
Deby Lexow 4:36
At that point, production team came that was made up of any money I could get ahold of my neighbors across the street helped me. My daughter flew in from Nashville at that point to help. Obviously my husband Paul helped me I had teenage kids coming over and helping me assemble boxes and stamp them I mean, literally, if you breathe and walked I grabbed you help. What a great
Randy Rohde 5:00
experience that is fabulous. So I love it. So you said you mentioned you've got. So now you pull gifts together and you do all different kinds of things. Your website is great. And so you mentioned though, that you do like themed boxes so that people can go online and like hey, I want to get you know what themed box what like what kind of themes
Deby Lexow 5:25
stemming from the original, we have a breakfast box, which now includes a LOCLE coffee, a LOCLE tea, the LOCLE jams, the pancake flour that we started off with on day one maple syrup and we put that on a box that's called a breakfast box. I also have a pottery maker who makes my signature mug and mug is can be added to that as well. I do a lot of custom orders of website i think is like a jumping point. You know you can go on the website, get an idea of what's They're what's available. And then you can say, Hey, I like the mug here. I like the pancake mix here. But you know, we're not drinking tea. So leave out the tea add something else. That's kind of where we're going with it. We're really good at curating and customizing some of the other themed boxes might be an afternoon tea. I did quite a bit during the COVID. an appreciation gift for employees that were displaced. And now that we're working at home, and their employers wanted to say, hey, thanks, we really appreciate you. I did a baby box this morning. The baby was born last night and a woman called and said, Hey, can you put something together? And yeah, we did it. You just pulled it
Randy Rohde 6:41
just like that. Well, that's great. Back in 2014, he had kind of this inspiration you're, you know, really kind of just started giving the gifts from yourself to people, and which then kind of germinated the idea of the of the business itself. And so I love it. You say that your daughter's kind of the professional entrepreneur, I'm sure she looks at you and like, Mom, I'm so proud of you, you know, and you are being entrepreneur. So thinking back in those years, you know, six, seven years ago with the inspiration, do you feel the same way today?
Deby Lexow 7:17
Absolutely. Absolutely. I think I was more nervous at the beginning and timid and now I just I have such a passion for it. I just, I lean into it. I think one of the things I might not have all I don't have all the answers, I don't know if everything I'm doing is the best way that I'm doing it. And I'm learning along as I as I go. But yes,
Randy Rohde 7:42
good. I love that. That's great. First question would be where do you find the artisans and where do you find these products?
Deby Lexow 7:52
Initially, it was over years of just using the products like the maple syrup, and the maple I'm sorry, the pancake mix. Now it is more. I have a lot of referrals. I have people calling me saying they want to be part of a LOCLE box family. I go to farmers markets, I do a lot of tasting, looking at packaging. All of that is critical to a successful business. One of the most important things is that labeling of the product is is done properly. There's some pretty stringent Ohio laws. So if a person is making cookies, and they're working out of their home, they also need to know the cottage laws of Ohio to know that labeling is critical. I really need to find artisans that will follow those guidelines, otherwise I really cannot use them. But I would say most of the artisans that I find are referrals now or farmers markets. Okay,
Randy Rohde 8:56
so you mentioned obviously COVID-19 we've been You know, as a, as a country as a world, really kind of battling this and going through all different kinds of things. And I'd read somewhere, you know that you really stated how important your service your business has been for these LOCLE artisans, the small business owners, micro businesses, you know, can you explain that further?
Deby Lexow 9:23
Sure. I'm very, very proud to say that I have heard from my I call them my makers, my makers on many occasions saying, if it weren't for LOCLE blacks, they may not even be in business right now. Because my cookie makers are not making cookies for parties because nobody's having parties. It's pretty much the same with all of the products if they make a product for a restaurant. The restaurants weren't open, but LOCLE box thrived through the period of time because of all the LOCLE companies that wanted to support LOCLE first Secondly, wanted to extend their gratitude to the people they were sending the gifts to. So I'm very, very grateful that we were able to help these small batch LOCLE artisans stay in business. During this period of time, things are opening up now, they've got a little bit more opportunity to sell the products in your business, I think is and they hear you even talk about it, it's, you really kind of straddle a couple of different fences. Maybe in that. One, you have your own small business. I mean, this is your business, they curate these products and send them out as a gifting service.
Randy Rohde 10:42
But then you also, I think, have this very kind of nurturing, benevolent aspect that you are enabling other smaller individuals or businesses flourish in their own entrepreneurship and I find that just very unique. I mean, that is just a, an incredible mixture. I think both. It's the win win, right? And, and then the third win is the clients that you serve, they get the gift.
Deby Lexow 11:15
Exactly. And it's a win win win. I think it all that just the end client needs to understand that these are small batch LOCLE artisans. Therefore pricing is different. That's probably one of my challenges is that the prices are higher. They're not making hundreds of any one product they're making a few I'll order a dozen or a couple dozen or something. They can't afford to give me reduced costs because that's what they cost and they have to make money. I make a little money. I think that's that's one of the challenges that I have in explaining this to people buy
Randy Rohde 11:55
but I'm sure the people that buy probably do understand the value and the quality of the product that they're getting and understand that it that's not just buying, you know, three dozen of something from somewhere else. But it's really these are handmade. These are small batched. And the quality and the efforts, that artists in aspect is real, and it does have a little premium cost to it. So
Deby Lexow 12:27
yeah, that's my ideal customer. Yeah, the customer that understands that.
Randy Rohde 12:32
Yeah, yeah. So you work with these micro businesses, these small artisans. What kind of advice do you have for folks who either maybe wanting to get in to the game kind of sticking with our baseball theme or that are currently providing the goods for you? What kind of advice do you have or some pointers maybe that you might be able to give, especially for those who are thinking why or really like to get my stuff into micro into the micro business but into LOCLE bucks.
Deby Lexow 13:07
I guess the number one thing that I would say they have to decide, is this a business or is this a hobby, if it's a hobby, it might not serve them well to contact LOCLE locks. They have to have a serious avenue to be able to go through all the hoops that you have to go through in order to be classified as a maker. Like I was saying, you have to have a license to do this. You have to have proper labeling. These days, you really need to have a rented kitchen, or something that you can say this is my business, as opposed to making cookies out of your kitchen. One of the things I would say to them is be serious about it. Make sure that you have researched all of your ingredients, make sure that they're all labeled. What I would recommend is a website if a serious maker wants to Be part of the LOCLE box family. Oh, that's one of my criteria is that they have to have a website.
Randy Rohde 14:06
Alright. So it is very unique. I want to get into a little bit more of that service and that you're providing but when also say, hey. All right, time for the seventh inning stretch. A little fun thing that we do here, Deby. So in thinking about in so much of what you kind of have in your boxes, a lot of food items, right?
Deby Lexow 14:30
Oh, yes, yes. All right. snacks.
Randy Rohde 14:32
Do you like to go to baseball games? Yes. Okay. So I'm going to ask you what is your favorite food to get at a baseball game?
Deby Lexow 14:44
Hot dogs, hot dogs.
Randy Rohde 14:48
Everybody loves a hot dog. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's it happens that my research team actually pulled together a few numbers around hot dogs. Yes, they Exactly. And I do have to say this was not fed to her literally by so hot dogs Did you know take a gander at like how many hot dogs in last year's baseball season were consumed at just at the stadiums just in baseball stadiums throughout the season? Millions? Millions is right. 18.3 million to be exact. And would you like to guess which team or stadium ahead consumed the most hotdogs?
Deby Lexow 15:37
Oh, Chicago. Chicago hot dogs.
Randy Rohde 15:41
Well as a Cubs fan, I would say well, of course, but they actually are number two at Wrigley. They consumed about 1.2 million. But the Dodgers over Dodger Stadium 2.7 million. Yeah, yeah. And and my research team as well said Hey, did you happen to know that actually in LA they eat the most hot dogs in any other place in the country. So not just at the ballgame, but everywhere. So that's pretty crazy. So anyway, so that's our that's our a little bit of seventh inning stretch. So thank you and go enjoy a hot dog. Pull it up. Alright, so let's get back. Let's get back to the to the game here.
Deby Lexow 16:26
What can I just say one thing? Yeah, yeah, you know, one of my boxes is called the seventh inning stretch. Hey, there you go. Right. No hot dogs, but we've got the Bergman's mustard in there. Oh,
Randy Rohde 16:38
yeah. Oh, that's good. I love that stuff. That is? Yeah. All right. So as a small business owner and operator, you know, what are some of the biggest challenges that you face?
Deby Lexow 16:48
Well, I think I touched on it a little bit. The pricing. That really is my number one challenges explaining to the buyer Why am I pricing is hot. And I have to step backwards and say, Okay, if that is that critical to you, then you are not my ideal customer. And if you want to put these together, you're on your own, go for, you know, you can do it yourself. It's not that hard. But that's why my pricing is higher. The other thing is shelf life, when you are putting cookies, Biscardi, whatever it might be that is, has a very short sell shelf life. I don't like to order too many at one time. So say for example, I've got a couple dozen. And then I get an order for, you know, 75 boxes. I need to have a little bit of lead time in order to put an order in for cookies so that they stay fresh. So I think those are the two things is the pricing and the shelf life.
Randy Rohde 17:53
Yeah, the inventory control. I could see that as being a big challenge all the way around. Actually. So as you mentioned about the shelf life, but you know, and to your point, like, all of a sudden you get a big order for something that's going to have the cookies in it, or something that you have some, but you need a lot more understanding the lead time on that. Yeah, that would be a big challenge. So what are some things that you've done over the years to begin to tackle or approach those challenges?
Deby Lexow 18:25
Just be straight with the customer. In most cases, when I'm having a conversation with them, and they say I wanted out tomorrow, it really don't need it out tomorrow. They need to understand the process. And once I have a conversation with them, it's not an issue. They said, okay, I'd rather have fresh cookies. You know, it's really, it really isn't a problem I have found in 99% of the time when I'm dealing with clients is having a conversation, introducing them to our process, helping them to understand what it is that we're doing. They're all in there. Much more flexible.
Randy Rohde 19:00
Well, and I would seem you know, your business is so unique and, and again, I think because you're not only providing, you know, kind of this flavor of Ohio, which has its uniqueness to it and but you're supporting these micro businesses, these artisans that are providing these great goods. And I would think that that probably carries a lot of weight then for the people who are ordering your products that, you know, again, kind of identifying who your customers are, and who are the type of people I guess maybe that are ordering from you. You know, probably understand that he probably won you know, like I remember, I remember this or I love this stuff. I love products from Ohio. I love to be able to support you know, the small business owners And so I would imagine there's probably that transparency, I think is your communicate, I would think that that carries, you know, straw poll with him.
Deby Lexow 20:10
I have to agree. I have to agree. I think it's the connection with the right company, or the right person. You know, I talk a lot about companies. But it's the individual as well as the individual that wants to send a gift to their neighbor who moved out of state, or parents that are out of state. So it's, it's an interesting business because I'm dealing with companies and I'm dealing with individuals. So when you think about it, it's it's not the same, right? It's certainly not the same.
Randy Rohde 20:44
Well, and then you've got the whole other, the supplier side of that, which is how many different artists and suppliers are you working with?
Deby Lexow 20:53
At any given time, there could be 70 to 80 with LOCLE artisans. They come and go, right. And I've had the very first time, someone said to me, Hey, Dad, I'm sorry, but I can't fill your order. I'm not doing it anymore. It's like, what, what? You're not. Why? Well, because my kids are already out of college and my husband and I are going to retire. And we're decided that I don't have time for this business, or for whatever reason, but it doesn't matter for whatever reason, they choose not to continue. So I have it and we move along. So that's one of the reasons why I'm always always looking for new makers. Even if I've got a great group. I'm always looking for new ones, because you just never know.
Randy Rohde 21:41
Right, right. I know from my own experience, talking with a lot of other business owners, you know, sometimes it's just hard. It's It's a hard game. It's a hard grinding season two, it just never ends, right. You know, and so sometimes you go through some of those, you know, tough patches, it's hard to stay positive kind of keep the focus. I don't know. Have you ever faced that challenge? And where do you go for support?
Deby Lexow 22:12
I have definitely faced that challenge. In fact, probably more so this year than I have in the past, knowing more is not always good. The way that I handle it, is I reach out and talk to other entrepreneurs, not necessarily other friends or family, because they don't quite understand what you go through as an entrepreneur. And as a solopreneur. You're everything you do it all. And that can be so daunting. So I'll reach out. One of the things that I have found most beneficial is networking groups that I belong to various organizations in Northeast Ohio that I'm part of, I can pick up the phone and call any one of those members. of those organizations, they get it, they understand and they'll give me time, you know, really voice my opinion and ask for help. They're there.
Randy Rohde 23:10
What, what groups are you part of?
Deby Lexow 23:13
Well, I'm, I'm a very active member of the chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce. I'm on their executive board. I also am a very active member of the National Association of Business, Women's Business owners. It is an organization where we have a chapter here in Cleveland, and I'm also on that board. And they are phenomenal women that would help in a heartbeat. I'm also involved in red key network, which is a Jaga county group of women. Though I'm not as active any longer with them. They're, they're a wonderful support. So really, I would say those three are my top ones I just joined when which is Women's International networking. And I think that's going to be a good source as well.
Randy Rohde 24:06
Well, that's great. I'm a big proponent of having just a group of people, whether it's in a formal organization, like you've mentioned, or other entrepreneurs that you can go and just bounce ideas off of seek counsel, but it is tough. You know, it's it's difficult to kind of keep your own focus when you've got so much kind of feels like it's just all coming down on you. And and I think you're right, it's hard to kind of talk to family and friends sometimes about it, because they're not in it every day maybe with you. And that's good and bad, too. So, yeah, well, and I guess kind of coming out of this, and especially for our listeners is something that I would just encourage folks and I think you know, Deby, you agree with us is you know, seek out those kinds of groups. You know, if you're a solopreneur Especially, because you really do need those support structures and people to help you kind of navigate the various challenges. And we we just are coming through an incredibly challenging time through those COVID-19 and the lock downs that we've had and and have endured, and we've seen businesses just absolutely just get crushed. And you know, having those outside supports can really be an asset for any individual and in business as well. So that's good. I'm glad. Glad to hear you're progressing with that. So how do you market your business? I know you have a website, what do you find to be the most impactful for getting the word out about LOCLE bucks?
Deby Lexow 25:46
The number one is referrals. So that comes from what can come from many sources, or referral I've had lately comes from all the gifts that I've sent to employees, for example, One of the employees that I sent a gift to in March brought it home. Her his, his wife looked at it. She was so excited about it. She called the next day and ordered it for her staff. That then in turn her staff then took it to the law firm that her husband was involved in. And that law firm then ordered gifts for their team. It's a referral thing
Randy Rohde 26:28
again, that's a crazy way of of like better and Yes. That's the gift truly the gift that keeps on giving. Right?
Deby Lexow 26:36
Definitely. It definitely is. And I always ask, I always try to follow up and say, you know, how will How was it received? And I just get over and over again. Oh my gosh, they were so happy. They were thrilled. They were so surprised they love the products.
Randy Rohde 26:54
Well, I think you give a great lesson about referral and you know As a digital marketing agency, obviously, we're very engaged in trying to expand businesses and brands footprint across the world of the internet. But word of mouth, that referral that hey, let me tell you about, that you may have in a conversation with somebody that is pure gold. And, you know, it's something that we try to do as an agency to try to, you know, create those conversations. But, you know, obviously, you're doing a great job of getting the word out and people loving what you do. kind of coming into the bottom of the nights here, Deby, right. The games go so fast, right? What advice or comments do you have for those, maybe starting out in their own business, whether it's doesn't matter what it is, I guess, but just I mean, you've been in the game now for, you know, several years and you've had some ups and downs, I'm sure And you're you are you've weathered COVID. So,
Deby Lexow 28:02
right. My number one advice is don't wait. Don't wait until everything is perfect in don't wait for don't wait for the perfect opportunity because there is no perfect opportunity. Just go for it. Number one advice. Second advice. You know, everybody wants to give you advice. Everybody wants to tell you, you should do it this way. You should do it that way. Take their advice, be gracious, and listen to your gut. You know what you need to do union you know what works for you and go with that. I mean, dude, do listen, because you might pick up things here and there from people but, you know, go Go with your gut.
Randy Rohde 28:47
Good words of wisdom right there. Good stuff. All right. So how can people find you How can they connect with you?
Deby Lexow 28:53
A website is LOCLE is pronounced. The website is pronounced LOCLE, but this Spelling's a little different. Yeah. It's www.loclebox.com
Randy Rohde 29:08
Right? Locle Box with LOCLE
Deby Lexow 29:11
and let me just Cleveland, right. Well, I was at the Cleveland airport when we came up with that. That CLE is the airport symbol for Cleveland Hopkins airport. I came up with that before the CLE came up, became a big deal in Cleveland.
Deby Lexow 29:30
Why didn't I trademark
Randy Rohde 29:34
Alright, so, father's days around the corner you get a special offers or deals I
Deby Lexow 29:39
do, but I do. Actually. The number one for Father's Day is always that seventh inning stretch, you know, and that has the Berman's mustard in it and oh, it has popcorn and peanuts and all that good stuff. And then the second one that I've come up with is called hot in the CLE. And that is some spice with there's nuts and there's hot sauce in there. There's just a lot of good yummy stuff that we are hoping that the dads out there will love.
Randy Rohde 30:05
Oh, my like some barbecue grilling rubs in there. So
Deby Lexow 30:13
yeah,
Randy Rohde 30:14
well hopefully my family hint hint would be good. All right. Well, thank you so much for being on here. Deby. I appreciate it. I think our listeners pleasure I'm sure they enjoyed as well and everybody get over to LOCLE box at L OC l e. bx. And check out everything that Deby has. That's great. Yeah.
Deby Lexow 30:34
or give me a call
Randy Rohde 30:34
Or give her a call.
Randy Rohde 30:35
All right. All right. So that's the ball game. So hey, thanks for joining us today. And if you liked our show, please tell your friends. Subscribe and of course give us a good review.
Randy Rohde 30:47
Running the basis with small businesses is brought to you by 38 Digital market. A digital marketing agency committed to client growth with lead generation Higher conversions and increased sales. Connect with us today at 38 Digital market.com