We’re talking about white label products in this episode of the How to Sell Online podcast—as well as how a family-owned company sold the heck out of them! We’re talking over a quarter-million dollars in just six months!
What are white label products, anyway?
Before jumping in and introducing podcast guest Kaitlyn Nystul (you’re gonna LOVE her!), let’s talk about what white label products are.
In its most super simple form, white labeling allows you to take a product that someone else manufactures and put your own name on it. It could be everything from stain removers to skin care. You don’t have to go back to school to get a chemistry degree or circle the globe attempting to source the right ingredients like some movie franchise Indiana you-know-who of fragrance.
Instead, you just choose a reputable manufacturer who has all of that knowledge and access to ingredients. They help you create the product you have in mind, then bottle or package it to your specifications. And it’s not their name on the box or bottle. It’s your big beautiful brand being featured there. Huzzah!
Kaitlyn Nystul and One Good Thing by Jillee
Let me ask you a question: could you work for and with your mother-in-law? Well, if you’re Kaitlyn Nystul, the answer is a resounding “yes”!
Her mother-in-law just happens to be Jill Nystul, who created the blog One Good Thing by Jillee more than a decade ago. It’s a blog that focuses on, as the name suggests, good things, like yummy recipes, tips that make doing laundry easier, and solutions for pretty much any cleaning quandary you’ve ever encountered.
The site gets over two million visitors each and every month!
Kaitlyn began working with Jill just about a year after she graduated from college with a degree in broadcast journalism—the company’s first official hire. Her training and skills have been a perfect fit for the work she does daily to build the blog’s presence as well as its online store. She’s done customer service, written countless blog posts, handled the photography—and she’s now Chief Growth Officer working with the three other employees who’ve since been hired.
Starting an Online Store: the By Jillee Shop
With a brand as strong as Jill’s, Kaitlyn and the entire team knew that expanding the blog and adding ecommerce made sense. Jill discusses a lot of different products in her content, so an online store allows customers to find them easily. According to Kaitlyn, it’s become such a big part of their business strategy. Thank goodness they took advantage of that opportunity when it presented itself!
For example, when my friends and I launched How Does She, we had an idea of where we wanted it to be…but when an opportunity presented itself, we jumped on it. And thank goodness, because suddenly our business was growing while going in a new direction.
Launching White Label Products
Pursuing a white label product wasn’t something they considered doing when they were in the process of opening their store. But then the commission structure for the essential oils that Jill often promoted in the blog changed and the income she was receiving from it plummeted.
Enter white labeling.
You’ll definitely want to listen to Kaitlyn discuss what was important to them and how they chose the right manufacturer for them. Quality is a huge part of the One Good Thing by Jillie brand, so every product has to be rigorously tested to make sure that the product meets its high standards. Then it was time to launch.
The results speak for themselves—when Kaitlyn and I chatted, they’d already surpassed $250,000 in sales this year, and their goal is to hit half a million dollars!
I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll hit it.
Top Takeaways
Kaitlyn shares such good information and ideas in this episode, so you’ll want to grab your business notebook, your favorite pen, and hit the play button to listen. There are golden online selling (and white labeling) nuggets of wisdom throughout our whole conversation.
Here are ten ideas I wrote down while Kaitlyn and I talked:
- Be prepared for when opportunities pop up!
- Roles change so be flexible.
- Pivot!
- You don’t have to know it all, find someone who does.
- Get recommendations.
- Talk to your white label company.
- There will always be delays, plan on it.
- Plan ahead.
- Communicate with your customers.
- Give guarantees or refund (if possible) to build trust.
Additional Resources
About Kaitlyn:
Kaitlyn Nystul is the Chief Growth Officer for the By Jillee Shop, an extension of the popular blog One Good Thing By Jillee, which receives an average of two and a half million visitors per month. She has grown the shop to over $1.5 million in total revenue since its launch in April 2019.
Kaitlyn has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Brigham Young University and has worked as a television producer for BYU TV and KSL in Utah. But her longest and most cherished role is at One Good Thing by Jillee. She was the first person hired 11 years ago and she has done just about every job in the company.
Kaitlyn was born and raised in Southern California but currently resides in Heber City, a charming mountain town in Utah. When she's not working, she loves hanging out with her husband, Erik, and their adorable golden retriever Duncan. Kaitlyn also likes to spend time outdoors, do volunteer work for her church, coach Crossfit classes, read fantasy novels, and indulge in yummy food.
Connect with Kaitlyn:
- Shop Her Website: byjilleeshop (30% off with the code CANWIN for a limited time)
- On the blog: One Good Thing
- On Instagram: @byjillee
Connect with Alison:
- On Facebook: @alisonjprince
- On Instagram: @alisonjprince
