Subscription Box Basics: The Book

#041 - In this episode, Julie runs down the chapters of her upcoming book
Subscription Box Basics, a 30-Day Plan to Get Your Box Idea Off the Ground.

The book is launching in October of 2020. Be one of the first people to know when the book is available. Head over to SubscriptionBoxBootcamp.com/book and get on the waitlist.

Links:

Sparkle Hustle Grow
Subscription Box Basics: The Book

Transcript

Julie (00:01):

So you want to launch a subscription box and don't know where to start? Girl, you are in the right place. I'm Julie Ball, a subscription box coach and your host here at Subscription Box Basics, a podcast for new and aspiring subscription box entrepreneurs that want to avoid overwhelm. So grab a coffee, some pen and paper and let's have some fun!

Julie (00:22):

Hey everybody and welcome to Subscription Box Basics, the podcast. I'm your host, Julie Ball. If you are new here, welcome. I'm so glad to have you. If you've been around for awhile, you know that I am your subscription box coach and the founder and Chief Sparkler at Sparkle Hustle Grow my multi-six figure subscription box for female entrepreneurs. And I'm excited for today's episode because if you haven't heard already, I'm coming out with a book very, very, very soon. It's going to come out in October and it is called Subscription Box Basics, a 30 Day Plan to Get Your Box Idea Off the Ground. I'm so excited. It's truly inspired by you guys. As I've been putting together this podcast, I realized that there's a lot of people that maybe love the way you can listen to a podcast, but then there's a lot of people that really need that pen and paper.

Julie (01:16):

They like to browse through a book. They like to take their pen to paper and write down their ideas. So I'm taking a lot of the content that you find in a lot of these episodes and we're putting it in a book and it's a 30-day plan. So yes, you will be writing in this book. It's kind of like a planner. It's going to have prompts. It's going to have exercises, all kinds of fun stuff, to get all your ideas out of your head and onto paper, and then make them a reality. And so the idea here is there's going to be 15 chapters. And if you read a chapter every other day, you'll stay on track. You can read the chapters, do the workbook prompts and read stories from some of my friends and colleagues in the business. Yes, guys, it's not just me telling you how to do this.

Julie (02:02):

You're going to have the input and learn from the mistakes and experience of other subscription box business owners. And that is so valuable. Now, a lot of them are friends of mine in the business, and a lot of them are some of our very own Subscription Box Bootcamp students, which just makes me so excited to be able to feature them and to give them a platform to tell you their story. You guys know that I am obsessed with the subscription box business model and just shout it from the rooftops because it had such a huge impact on me as a business owner, but my family as well. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to put together this book. So let me tell you what chapters are going to be in the book. And then at the end of this episode, I'm going to give you a link that you can join the wait list so that you are one of the first to know when the book comes out and you can celebrate with us.

Julie (02:58):

So let's do a rundown of the chapters. So chapter one, it's called What's Your Why. And although that may feel overused, it's important people. So that's why I put it in there. Simon Sinek says "Happiness comes from what we do. Fulfillment comes from why we do it". And I love that quote. So I tell you in chapter one, a little bit of my backstory, you get to read the story of how my grandma, the OG, the original grandma of subscription boxes had an impact on my life. And then I tell you my own subscription box launch story. The idea here is to start off with some inspiration and get you to think about why you're even doing this. By the time you're done with this book, you'll have some serious clarity on whether you even want to pursue this as a business or not. Some people have this idea for their subscription box business.

Julie (03:51):

And they're just like, I may or may not do this guys. Once you go through this book, you're going to have that clarity. You need to know whether or not you should go for it. Okay. Chapter two, what's so great about subscription boxes. You guys know I love subscription boxes and we're going to break it down in this chapter of what are subscription boxes and why people love them, why it's great for the business owner and what's in it for the customer. It's important for you to know this kind of thing, because it really frames the idea of your subscription box business and solidifies your why. Chapter three is going to dive a little deeper on how the subscription box model actually works. It's a lot different than just a regular e-commerce product. So we'll dive deep into that on the different types of subscription boxes, how to figure out your shipping schedule.

Julie (04:44):

Not only that, but I'm going to provide you with some pros and cons of different types of boxes. So you can make the decision on what kind of box you're going to build. Chapter four is all about getting started. So many people drag their feet when it comes to building a business because they don't know where to start. And my advice is to just start. And I know that sounds way too easy. So we're going to dig a little deeper in chapter four and I will break it down to you. What you need to start a subscription box business for yourself. Chapter five is going to break down some of the key terminology that you will find specific to the subscription box business. Again, it's a little different than your typical e-commerce product. We're gonna be talking about some terms. We're going to be talking about some key performance indicators.

Julie (05:35):

We're going to talk about some terms that are related to the operations of your new business. And this is just going to, again, help you build that foundation. So you know what you're getting into in chapter six, I break down how to make money with a subscription box business. I have an entire podcast episode on this. It's so important. You cannot just start a subscription business without a plan of how you're going to make money. I'm going to first bust a few myths of the subscription box industry and explain why those are myths. And then I'm going to teach you about the magic of wholesale buying. And that is how you are going to make money with your subscription box business. Okay. Chapter seven, one of my favorite exercises is to carve out your concept. This is where you're going to look at who you're going to serve, how you're going to serve them, what pain point you're going to solve.

Julie (06:32):

And this chapter and the exercise involved in it is going to teach you how to niche down. There's this common misconception in marketing that the larger the audience that you can sell to, the better, but I really, really believe that subscription box businesses and most other businesses in general should narrow it down to their exact target audience. That way it's an easier sell. So instead of trying to sell to the hundreds of thousands of people that might have this one similar interest, instead, you might be marketing to a smaller audience, but will be such an easier sell because they come across your box for the first time. And they're going to know that that box was made just for them. The more that you're able to carve out that concept and focus on your specific niche, the easier it's going to be to solve their problems and delight them with your products and ultimately make that next sale.

Julie (07:26):

By the end of this chapter, the exercise that you'll go through will help you figure out what you're going to name your box, who you're going to serve very, very specifically that ideal target audience and you are going to have it so crystal clear that it's going to be a piece of cake moving forward. Okay. Chapter eight, this one is a little bit more about mindset in that we're going to talk about believing that your box is needed. So most products are born from a problem and more specifically pain points that need solutions. So you are going to dive a little deeper on how you are going to solve those pain points and how you're going to be unique in that and how that you're going to change lives. And that there are customers out there just waiting for you to launch your box. And they're going to say, "take my money, please solve this pain point for me". It's a really, really fun chapter.

Julie (08:28):

And I unpack how I discovered that for Sparkle Hustle Grow, how I figured out those pain points. And there's going to be a couple other stories that I think you're really going to love and relate to when it comes to believing that your box is needed. Chapter nine is all about competitive research. Guys, there are a lot of subscription boxes out there. I get it. I believe that there's plenty of room for more. I come from an abundance mindset and I think there's enough to go around, but there may be people out there that have done something similar to what your idea is, and that's okay. We are going to use this chapter to unpack that and to do an exercise that helps you learn from potential competitors that are already out there in the market. And this is such an important exercise and it's very eye-opening.

Julie (09:21):

And by the time you're done with this chapter, you are going to have a ton of clarity of what you want to be and what you don't want to be based off of this competitive research exercise that I'm going to guide you through. Chapter 10 is all about product sourcing. This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get, where do you get products? And you you've learned about wholesale buying in an earlier chapter, but this is more about actually finding those products, making sure they're the right fit and have a really good purpose for you to include them. And we talk about negotiating, how to get the best prices for those products that you want to curate for your box. In this chapter. I also give you the exact script that I use when reaching out to new product vendors. It's easier than you think to get those conversations started.

Julie (10:19):

But again, I'm going to give you the exact script that I use to start my conversations with new product vendors. Chapter 11, we're going to talk about your brand packaging. Your packaging can have, have a huge impact on your branding and your customers experience the experience for a subscriber begins when they get that box, whether it's on their front porch or it's in their mailbox. What message does your convey at that moment? So in this chapter, we are going to talk about things that can help improve your packaging. We are going to talk about the size of it so that you can be strategic, not only to fit the right products and to give the right experience, but also to be strategic on pricing because the bigger the box, the more shipping is going to cost in most scenarios. So we're going to help you become real strategic on that.

Julie (11:11):

We're going to talk about design of your box, whether you go the custom printed route, or maybe you'll do a DIY, the route where you do something like plain boxes and some stickers or a stamp or something like that. And at the end of the chapter, I'm going to drop some really helpful tips on how to maximize your design. Chapter 12, we are talking about the operational life cycle of your business, which is essentially the day to day operations. When it comes to the subscription box model, there'll several key dates that will happen month in and month out. It's very cyclical. And so this chapter is going to help you establish these dates and build your business to focus around your operational life cycle. Don't worry, you're not going to get analysis paralysis in this chapter, although it might feel a little intimidating. But don't worry because in this chapter I'm going to give you some tips and some best practices to make these types of big decisions.

Julie (12:10):

Easy chapter 13, we are going to talk about prelaunch. Now. Prelaunch is essentially the first step towards making your boxes launch to reality. During prelaunch, you are going to establish your business operations while at the same time, building the excitement around your upcoming launch. Now we don't dive too deep into prelaunch because this book represents the first stage of your subscription box journey. The idea stage, you really need to get your idea clear before you move into prelaunch, but I want to make sure that you're also clear on what prelaunch is and what your next steps will be. I particularly like this chapter because it is jam packed with stories of other people in their prelaunch stage. And just so relatable to hear what other people have been through. Because whether they're one step, two steps or 10 steps ahead of you, you can always learn from their stories.

Julie (13:07):

Chapter 14 is all about common launch mistakes. Guys, part of the reason I do what I do with my coaching programs, with my bootcamp and with this book is to help you get from point A to point B faster, with more ease and less overwhelmed than I did when I went through all of these steps on my own, and I was piecing it all together. So I included this chapter about common launch mistakes. So you have more success when it comes to launching. I want you to learn from my mistakes. I want you to learn from other people's mistakes. So in this chapter, we talk about some of the common launch mistakes, and you hear some of those crash and burn stories of other people so that you don't have to go through it yourself. And the last chapter, chapter 15 is called Commit. I am so excited once you get to this chapter, you'll have put in the work to make your subscription box a real thing.

Julie (14:08):

If you've completed all the workbook prompts up until here, it's safe to say that you are ready to graduate from the idea stage to the prelaunch stage. Now, granted, there's still plenty of work to do before you actually launch your business. But with the solid foundation you've built going through this book, you are in such a great place to move forward into the next steps. So in this last chapter, I talk a little bit about some of the major milestones in my business that I've been through. And I give you a few final notes that I want you to put in your back pocket and help you commit to the process. I also here in this chapter, we'll follow it up with next steps. If you are looking to actually take this foundation and to the next stage, the prelaunch stage and prepare your business for a launch, my team and I had so much fun putting together this book and the entire time we kept thinking, how can we make this easy?

Julie (15:10):

How can we provide value? And how can we create a book that is going to get them through this first stage, this idea stage and on the other end have complete clarity on moving forward and being super excited for the next step to bring your box to life. I hope you're excited. This book is launching in October of 2020. So if you're listening to this now and you're interested get on our wait list, head over to SubscriptionBoxBootcamp.com/book and you can get on the waitlist that you can be one of the first people to know when this book is available. If you are in your early stages of your box idea, guys, this is for you. If you love this podcast and are ready to take some pen to paper and you just need a little bit of guidance and this book is for you because by the time you are done with this 30-day planner book, you're going to have clarity on your next steps, whether that means hanging up the idea or pushing forward and moving into the prelaunch stage.

Julie (16:12):

So thank you guys for listening. I'm so excited to get this book out into the world, get it into your hands. And I cannot wait to hear what you have to say about it. Again, go to SubscriptionBoxBootcamp.com/book. Get on the wait list so that we can email you when the book is finally out. So until next time, thanks as always for listening here at Subscription Box Basics the podcast. And I can't wait to get Subscription Box Basics the book into your hands, guys. Thanks and we'll see you in the next episode.

Julie (16:53):

[inaudible].