Why Your Bestselling Product Matters More Than You Think - And How It Can Grow Your Business

If you’ve ever felt like you constantly need to create new products to grow your business, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Hey Julie by Moss Bags, Julie shares one of the biggest shifts that changed her business after more than a decade - focusing on bestsellers instead of constantly launching something new.

From real-life market experiences to building product ecosystems, this episode walks through how your bestselling product can guide your marketing, simplify your systems, and help you build a more sustainable business.

In this episode, I share:

• How to identify your true bestseller using your data
• Why being known for one product matters more than offering everything
• How to market your bestseller (online and in-person)
• Simple ways to go deeper instead of wider with your product line
• How bestsellers build trust and repeat customers

What we Talk About:
Take time to review your top products by units sold and start building your strategy around what’s already working.

If you're a maker, handmade seller, or product-based business owner looking to grow with more clarity and less overwhelm, this episode will help you rethink how you build.

Start Your Store on Shopify
The ecommerce platform I use and recommend for product-based businesses.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect with Julie | Moss Bags:
Website: https://mossbags.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moss.bags

Photography by Lisa Aamot | https://www.merakiphotographynw.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I remember the moment I realized how powerful a bestseller could be. I was at a market standing in my booth, watching people walk through. Some people would wander in, look around, and leave quickly. But something interesting happened when I adjusted my setup. Instead of displaying everything equally, I started placing my best sellers right at eye level. At the entrance. The products I already knew people loved, the ones that constantly and consistently sold, and suddenly the flow of the booth changed. People walked in and immediately picked something up. They asked questions, they smiled, and they bought. That moment taught me something important about running a product business. Sometimes your job isn't to create more. Sometimes your job is to simply guide your customer toward what already works. And today we're going to talk exactly about how to do that. Welcome to Hey Julie by Moss Bags. I'm Julie, founder of Moss Bags since 2013. And this podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a small business that lasts. Each week we talk about the real stories behind handmade and product-based businesses, the systems that keep things running, the lessons learned along the way, and how to grow something meaningful without burnout. If you're building something with heart, then you're in the right place. Now let's dive in. Today we're talking about one of the biggest shifts that changed my business. Focusing on best sellers. One of the biggest mistakes I made as a handmade product-based business was believing that growth always comes from creating something new, a new product, a new collection, a new launch. It never ended. And it's an easy trap to fall into. I see so many makers do this because creating something new is exciting, it's energizing, it scratches that creative itch that we have. It's often the reason many of us start making things in the first place. But what many small business owners don't realize is that constantly adding new products can quietly make your business more complicated instead of more sustainable. More products mean more materials, more decisions, more inventory, more marketing. Ultimately, there's just more competing for attention. And today I want to talk about a strategy that completely changed the way I think about building a product-based business. Instead of always expanding your product line, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is go deeper with what is already working because your bestseller is trying to tell you something about your business. And if you listen to it, it can guide your marketing, your systems, and even your long-term direction of your brand. Honestly, there's also a funny moment that can happen with a bestseller. Sometimes you might actually get a little tired of it. You've made it a hundred times. You've photographed it. You've talked about it in emails, on your Instagram feed, in person, all the time. You might not feel the same excitement about it that you once did when you first designed it. But here's the thing if customers still love it and if it's still selling, if it's still making you money, it's okay to be a little bored. Sometimes you can be a little bored creatively while happily cashing that deposit at the bank. And that's actually a really good sign. Because it means you're creating something people genuinely want. So keep sharing it, keep selling it, keep guiding people toward it until the day it truly stops selling. When you're a maker or a creative business owner, it's very easy to build your business based on instinct. We make what we love, we make what feels exciting, we make what we're inspired to create next. And there's absolutely space for creating inside of a business. That's why we started them. But sustainable businesses also pay attention to something else. The numbers. Your sales data tells a story. Not the story what you hoped it would tell, at least not every time, but the story of what customers actually love and buy without much effort. Sometimes your best seller isn't the product you love the most. Sometimes it's not the newest product. Sometimes it's not the most impressive item that you have ever made. Often it's the product that quietly, consistently keeps your business moving forward. If you're listening to this and you run a product-based business, I want you to do something simple later today. Open your analytics. Look at the last year of sales and write down the top three products by unit sold. Not the highest priced and not the most exciting product, just the products that constantly sell. Numbers don't lie. Those products are giving you important information because customers vote with their wallets. And sometimes what they choose reveals more about the direction of your business than we realize. Over time, a pattern started to emerge. I started noticing that many of the brands we recognize are instantly known for one thing first. Just think about it. Stanley is known for their tumblers, Birkenstocks for the sandals, Patagonia puffers. Those brands may sell many different products now, but simply saying their name brings an image to mind. Their bestseller. Over the years, their product lines have grown, but their growth often started with one product customers loved so much that it became recognizable. That product became their anchor. And that clarity makes marketing dramatically easier. Because when someone lands on your website or your Instagram page or in your booth, they immediately understand what you do. There's no confusion. They think, oh, it's that brand. And that kind of recognition is exactly what we're looking for. It's incredibly powerful for a small business because it means customers remember you, they recommend you, and they share you with their friends. And that's where marketing begins to change. One of the biggest shifts that happened for me was realizing that my bestseller needed to guide my marketing decisions, not just my product decisions, my marketing. For example, when I started doing more in-person markets and events, I noticed something interesting about how people moved through a booth. When someone walked into a market, it's easy to become overwhelmed. There are dozens, sometimes hundreds of booths. People are scanning quickly. So I started intentionally directing people toward my best sellers. Those products were placed at eye level. They were the first things someone would see when they approached my booth. And often they were displayed in multiple places within the booth. So people kept seeing them as they walked around. I also started wearing my best selling bag at markets. So when someone showed interest in the design, they could immediately see it being used in real life. Because the easier something is to see, feel, and experience, the easier it is to sell. And the same strategy applies online. When someone lands on your website, the first products they should see are your bestsellers. They appear on the page, they appear again in other sections, they show up in email marketing, and they show up repeatedly on social media because repetition builds recognition. And recognition builds trust. And when they see that a product is a bestseller or a customer favorite, it lowers that hesitation. It tells them other people already like this. Other people already trust this. So often the first thing someone will buy from your business is one of your best sellers. And if that experience is great, if they love the quality and the design, the packaging, the story behind it, something important happens. Trust is built. And once that trust exists, customers are far more likely to come back. They'll explore your higher priced items. They'll look at limited editions, they'll start following your launches because now they know what it feels like to own something you made. And that's how customers are created. Not from convincing people, but from guiding them toward the product that already represents your brand well. There's actually research that backs this up too. Studies have shown that the probability of selling to a brand new customer is somewhere between 5 to 20%, while the probability of selling to an existing customer can jump to 60 or 70%. And that makes sense when you think about it. Once someone has bought from you and has had that experience, they already trust the quality. They know what to expect, and the decision becomes much easier to make the next time. I've seen this happen many times with Moss bags. Someone will start with a small item, and once they've used it and loved it, they come back again and again for larger items. And a big part of what helps that relationship grow over time is staying connected with customers, especially through email marketing. When someone joins your email list, they begin to see your work more regularly. They get to know your products, your style, the person behind the brand, and the story behind what you're making. They see new designs, customer photos, testimonials, and little behind-the-scenes moments. Over time, that consistency and familiarity builds trust. When they're ready for their next purchase, whether it's a high-priced item or a limited edition piece, they already know who you are, what your quality is like, and what it feels like to own something you've made. Another mindset shift that really helped me was realizing this. You may be tired of seeing your best sellers. You might be tired of talking about them. But your customers probably aren't. As creatives, we get bored easily. We've looked at the same products for years. We've taken all the photos, sold it over and over, but your audience is constantly changing. New customers are discovering your brand every day. And for them, your bestseller is brand new. So even if you feel tired of talking about the product, your customers may be seeing it for the very first time. That realization helped me feel much more comfortable continuing to highlight the products people already loved. Now let's talk about what it actually means to go deeper with a product. And remember, earlier when we talked about how you might feel a little bored of selling your best sellers, this is where that moment becomes important. Because instead of abandoning a product, just because it's not creatively exciting anymore, going deeper means asking a different question. How can this product work even harder for the business? Going deeper doesn't mean doing less. It means focusing your energy where it matters most. Instead of constantly creating new products, you can build an ecosystem around what is already working. That might look like seasonal colors. For me, new leather options. Bundles, a different scent for a candle, a different metal for jewelry, small variations of the same product, accessories that pair naturally with the main product. Bundles in particular can be incredibly powerful. They help increase your average order value. But they also make buying easier for the customer. Instead of asking customers to figure out what goes together, you're already doing the work for them. And interestingly, one of the biggest surprises in my business actually came from something very small. When we were cutting leather for bags, we had leftover pieces that were too small to use for large items. Instead of throwing them away, we started experimenting. We made small keychains, bookmarks, all sorts of little things. And in the end, we made small leather cat and dog keychains. Honestly, we had no idea if anyone would care if they'd even like them. They were just simple little shapes made from our leftover leather. But the moment people saw them, something clicked. They connected with them instantly. People loved them. Over time, those small pieces evolved into what we now call our hero dogs. And we've continued to go deeper with them. We offer them in different colors, different leather options. We've bundled them with cards, and something that became really meaningful for us is that we were able to give a portion of profit back to guide and service dogs. So what started as leftover leather became one of our most loved and meaningful products in our business. And it was a great reminder that sometimes our best sellers aren't the products that we expect. Sometimes customers fall in love with something you almost didn't make. One of the biggest lessons I've learned after more than a decade of building moss is that complexity can quietly creep into a business. More products, more materials, more launches, the inventory, and while growth often feels like adding more, sometimes real growth comes from simplifying. When you build around your best sellers, a few things happen. Your marketing becomes clearer, your systems become easier, your production becomes more efficient, and customers begin to associate your brand with something special. That clarity is incredibly valuable. Because when people understand what you do best, it becomes so much easier for them to say yes. If you're a maker or small business owner listening today, I want to leave you with a simple reflection. What product in your business keeps quietly showing up? What product do customers come back for? What product might deserve more attention that you're currently giving it? Because sometimes the future of your business isn't hiding in your next idea. It's already sitting in the product people most love. And learning how to recognize that and building around it can change everything. The longer I've been in business, the more I've realized that sustainability often comes from clarity.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

So if you're wondering what to actually do with this, I want to leave you with a few simple ideas. First, take some time this week to look at your sales and identify your top one to three best-selling products. Or even just your top 20%. No more guessing. Numbers don't lie, so use them. Second, ask yourself what those products have in common. There's oftentimes a pattern there, whether it's the style, price point, or the problem they solve. Third, instead of jumping into creating something new, focus on going deeper with those products. That might look like improving your photos, adding more images for variety, talking about them more in your marketing, sharing customer testimonials, or bundling them with other items to increase your order value. And finally, simplify. If you have products that aren't selling or are just adding noise, give yourself a break and pause, reevaluate, and maybe even remove them. Because clarity in your shop creates confidence for your customers. So instead of adding more in order to grow, focus on what you already have. The things that are already practically selling themselves. It's like magic. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

If you're building something or dreaming of starting, hit follow so you don't miss the next episode. And if this resonated, I love it if you would share with another woman who's in it too. And I can't wait to keep building this community together. Until next time.