Can I just say thank goodness for mistakes?
Seriously, I'm so thankful because if there's anything I've learned as an entrepreneur is that mistakes open the door to fantastic opportunities. This week, I talked to Wendy Kesl, founder of Glitter Luv Creations. She has been doing amazing things in her business, just selling glitter.
That's right! No other products or services are offered other than that sparkly dust you find in all of the corners and crevices of your home after you clean up the kids' craft projects!
And she's made over six figures doing it. So much of her success is due to a MISTAKE.
It was an error that honestly made Wendy want to close up shop and say goodbye to her dream business. But she decided to push through that rough patch and turn a failure into an opportunity to grow in business in a new and exciting way.
I've been coaching Wendy for a couple of years now, and it has been such a pleasure and inspiration to watch her grow into the fabulous entrepreneur she is today. I had to have her back on the podcast to share her story with you all!
Wendy so kindly shares the story behind her success, how she turned a mistake into a moneymaker, and what she does to keep things exciting for her customers. She is truly a powerhouse, and I know you will find so much value from her experience, so buckle up and keep reading or tune into the episode below.
How Wendy Kesl Turned Failure into Success
One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is sharing our business endeavors with our children. What an amazing gift it is to show them the power of a great work ethic and the confidence that comes with operating your own business.
Well, sometimes there can be a downside to that too when our little helpers…become a little less helpful. Just a few months into her business, Wendy was starting to branch out and add more colors to her inventory and get the wheels turning on her new subscription box.
She had to go out of town for a business trip and left her husband in charge of packaging orders while she was away. When she returned, she realized that her young daughter, while attempting to be helpful, had mixed up all of the new glitters!
It was an absolute mess.
Wendy was at a complete loss because she didn't have the resources to just place a new order…so she got scrappy! After the initial wave of shock and anger subsided, Wendy realized that the mix her daughter made was actually super pretty. So she decided to repurpose it for her subscription box as a free gift and included a little recipe card so her customers could replicate it for themselves.
Her customers loved it! Not only did her customers appreciate the creativity, but it resulted in them buying up the individual colors so they could make more of it if they wanted to. This mistake turned into a massive moneymaker, and now every month, Wendy's daughter intentionally mixes up some colors for the subscription box.
The Power of Facebook Groups
As I listened to Wendy's story, one trend kept popping up that had so much to do with her success. She truly utilizes the power of Facebook groups. As entrepreneurs, we can sometimes balk at the thought of adding another social media profile to the docket.
I get it! We are busy and have a lot on our plates. But in my own experience and learning from others' experiences, the socials we use can really make or break our business.
Wendy wasn't having a lot of success getting bigger influencers to notice her business, so she turned to Facebook groups to act as her micro-influencers. In fact, it's how she made her first $600! I love this strategy so much because it's one so many people overlook. Everyone is so preoccupied trying to get big Instagram influencers to notice them that they forget there are whole communities out there waiting and willing to support their business.
Sometimes all it takes is a small pivot in attention to really get the ball moving!
Another thing Wendy did to create her own community by starting a Facebook group. There she hosts raffles, shares her blog posts, and offers live trainings. And the best part of it all is that she's outsourced it, so she doesn't have to bother with the social side of it at all!
Wendy Kesl's Email Strategy
One last thing I had to touch on is Wendy's email strategy! This one is so so important because I see SO MANY entrepreneurs make a big mistake here. A year or so ago, I told Wendy that she needed to send a follow-up email to close the sale whenever she is sending out a promo email.
What people don't realize is that so many sales are lost just because they didn't take the time to announce that the sale was almost over. Wendy took my advice and managed to sell over two grand on the last day of her promotion just from a single email.
Now she doesn't even start a promotion until she has crafted and scheduled the emails to close it. It's all in the details. People are busy and forgetful. They might be so excited about your product and sale but with all of the other things swirling in their minds, manage to forget about the great deals you are offering.
That's why you have to go in and remind them!
Top Takeaways from Wendy Kesl
- Mistakes can be your guide
- Close out your sales with the ‘last few hours' emails
- Help your customers make decisions by telling them specifically what to buy
- Don't want to do a Live? Great, hire it out. Bring in a die-hard fan and hire them
- Don't want to be on IG or run that account? Great, hire it out.
- When you learn to work in your happy zone, you'll grow.
- Your first dollar is the hardest to earn then the second not so much
- Buy the minimum when you start. Don't buy large quantities
- You can't sort glitter
- FB groups can be your influencer vs. IG swipe-ups.
