May 13, 2024 • 32 mins
Here's a long overdue update on what's new in both the personal and business life of Julie & Renae, two years after selling Sparkle Hustle Grow.
Resources mentioned:
- Get custom boxes at BoxUp - Use this link and code SBB12 at checkout for 12 free custom boxes
- Join the BoxUp affiliate program
- Subscription Box Bootcamp self-study program (price cut!)
- Subscription Box Bootcamp workbook
- Kathleen Kobel's Influence and Earn course (referral link for her amazing Amazon influencer course)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So you want to launch asubscription box and don't know
where to start, girl, you are inthe right place.
I'm Julie ball and I'm ReneeGonzalez, your host here at
subscription box basics, apodcast for new and aspiring
subscription box entrepreneurswanting to avoid overwhelm.
So grab a coffee, some pen andpaper, and let's have some fun.
Julie (00:22):
Hey, everybody.
And welcome back to subscriptionbox basics.
I'm Julie ball, your head coach,and I'm joined by Rene Gonzalez,
your marketing coach.
We are going to just do likethis really casual chit chat
today.
I feel like that's what we'vebeen doing a lot lately and
we've really been enjoying it.
And today we're going to justtell you what we've been up to
(00:42):
because We are both multipassionate entrepreneurs and we
have got a lot of neat thingsgoing on in the background.
We just thought we'd pull backthe curtain and let you know
what we've been up to beyondsubscription box basics we have
ventured into some other things.
So Renee, how are you doing?
Are you excited for this chat?
(01:04):
I am.
I'm excited to chat and we'vegot a lot going on, both
personal and business.
So a lot to talk about.
We do.
And it's so funny because I knowthis because I've been working
with you for what, like sevenyears now, but everybody, Renee
goes like, Radio silent in May,because I, and I'm sure so many
(01:24):
people listening can relate, butthe end of the school year and,
and I'll get more into it, butthis year, even more so, but the
end of the school year is like,yeah, I just put my head down
and, and pray.
Yeah, exactly.
Right.
Okay.
So let's dive into it.
I'm gonna first start with whatI've been up to, then we'll
transition to what Renee hasbeen up to, and then we'll talk
(01:47):
a little bit about some changeshere at Subscription Box Basics.
So for those of you who don'tknow, I sold my box business,
Sparkle Hustle Grow, back in2022.
It was August 1st, and we areapproaching the two year
anniversary of selling that boxbusiness, which just blows my
(02:09):
mind.
Renee, I see you shaking yourhead too, like.
It feels like yesterday.
It is so, it's just a testamentto how fast time goes by, but I
can't believe it's.
Yeah, we're months away from itbeing two years.
That's crazy.
It is wild to me, and I lovewhat the new owners have been
doing with it.
I've been following along, andit just like, it just makes me
so happy inside.
(02:30):
And for those of you who don'tknow the story, I didn't start
my box To sell it.
Some people start a business tosell it.
I just got to a point where Ifelt like we were ready for our
next season and I wanted to pourmore into coaching and try some
other things.
And so I ended up selling thebusiness and what a blessing it
was.
To my family.
So after the sale of thatbusiness, Renee and I kind of
(02:55):
doubled down on coaching.
we updated Subscription boxbootcamp.
We I brought her on as theco-host to this podcast.
We have been homeschooling as afamily since the pandemic and
so.
My husband previously was incharge of that, but now, after I
sold the box business, hestarted a new career.
(03:15):
He was formerly a middle schoolteacher, which was perfect for
homeschooling.
And so I was like, oh man, sohe's not our homeschool lead
anymore.
Guess who is?
You're looking at her.
So I have transitioned to bekind of the homeschool lead
here.
We do a combination of somehands on things with some
workbooks and, and reading outloud and stuff like that.
(03:38):
So McKenna is in seventh graderight now.
And then she does some onlinestuff.
We are members of this programcalled Me Academy.
Which Carmen Vermilion told meabout, who is a brilliant
graphic designer forsubscription boxes.
So she, McKenna does MeAcademy.
And then on Fridays, we do ahome, a local homeschool co op.
(03:59):
It is the highlight of her week.
She goes from like 9am to 3pm,and last week was our last week
for the semester.
And so of course there was a lotof like hoopla around the last
day.
There was an art show.
There were the little ballerinagirls.
They have, there's like apreschool ballerina class.
They did a little dance foreveryone.
And then everyone went to, oneof the families.
(04:22):
Properties.
And we just had this picnic.
It was great.
All the kids got together.
There was a pond there.
They could canoe and swim.
And we just had such a goodtime.
So I've been doing thishomeschool lead and somehow
ended up now as the yearbookeditor in normal fashion, really
diving in.
I know.
Right.
So at the co op, the co op hasbeen running for, I think,
(04:46):
almost 20 years now.
And we're what?
Three, I think three years in.
And they've always had ayearbook and usually they did it
as a class.
Well, they didn't have ayearbook class this year.
And so over the last couple ofmonths, I heard a couple of
people saying, Oh, we're sobummed there's not going to be a
yearbook.
So naturally, McKenna and I arelike, we'll do it.
Not realizing what we weregetting into.
(05:08):
So there's about 150 kids.
We scheduled a photo day.
So we took, you know, a backdroppaper to put up.
We had a little Stool for themto sit on and a, and a ring
camera for the light.
It was, it was like a full onproduction and now we are in the
process of designing it inCanva.
So McKenna and I are doing that.
It's really a great opportunityfor her and I to work together
(05:30):
on something.
And there's a local.
Family in our co op that runs aprint shop.
So we'll print through them.
Everyone will get a free digitalcopy Okay, i'm going on a
tangent, but i'm just tellingyou Like these are some of the
things that i've had capacity todo and have volunteered to do
lately with homeschooling.
From my husband's perspective Hejust finished a project where I
(05:50):
had said after we sold sparklehustle grow He used some of the
profits of that to buy an oldcabin, this 100 year old cabin
here in the Asheville area.
And he's a, he has a generalcontracting license.
So he and his dad and a coupleguys that he hired renovated
this 100 year old cabin.
(06:11):
The idea Was, we're going tokeep this, run it as an Airbnb,
and this will be part of ourretirement plan.
Well, friends, plot twist.
Over a year later, the projectgot longer than anticipated.
It cost more than expected,because all renovations do,
plus, you know, inflation on topof that.
And it just became a little bitsaturated in the Airbnb market
(06:34):
where we live, and so we decidedto flip it instead.
And we just closed on that thisMonday when the buyers signed
the papers.
Yes, I know, happy news! We canpay off all the debt that we
incurred on that, but also usethe leftovers as part of our
income.
And it was really a labor oflove.
(06:55):
There was a lot under the hoodthat we didn't know about, but
as newbie, you know, renovators,home flippers, whatever you want
to call us, we didn't know whatwe didn't know.
And so there were somefoundational things that he had
to tackle, And, you know, in theend, it still is a 100 year old
house, even though everythinginside is brand new.
(07:15):
All new electric, all newplumbing, all new appliances.
We took down walls.
It was an interesting project.
Are we gonna do it again?
Probably not for a while.
I mean, you're doing the homerenovation now.
Yeah, you'll have to either inthe show notes or on our
Instagram page, you'll have topost a before and a couple of
before and afters because itturned out the pictures, it
(07:37):
turned out beautiful.
So definitely, definitely asuccess looks wise.
I know.
I know it exhaled a lot morethan you guys were ready or knew
to begin with, but it gosh, itturned out gorgeous.
So you'll have to, you'll haveto post before and afters.
I will.
I'll definitely share that.
And the, there's a family thatjust purchased it and we know
(07:59):
that they were a growing familyand they needed more space.
And they said this was liketheir dream home.
So that's very satisfying, youknow, like the, the assignment
is now complete, but it was I'lljust say interesting.
So that doesn't mean we'll neverdo it again.
We may do something on a smallerscale in the future.
We don't know.
We do have like a rental housetoo that is in another city that
(08:22):
we have been long term renting.
So, you know, there's differentoptions.
So that's something we've beendabbling in.
I also, since the sale of thebusiness, dabbled in Amazon
business.
And so I mentioned it here andthere on some podcasts, but
essentially I had a handful ofproducts that I wanted to learn
the Amazon platform.
And so there was two ways I didthis.
(08:43):
I did the Amazon influencerprogram, which I just checked my
stats and it's been very passiveincome, but I've made almost a
thousand dollars since I think Ilaunched my influencer program
in.
Maybe October of last year?
And the influencer program isI'm, I don't consider myself an
influencer.
I'm not on Instagram, likesharing all these things, but I
(09:06):
create these little videos ofproducts that I've used on
Amazon and those videos live inthe Amazon platform.
If someone watches them, thenproceeds to buy, then I get a
small cut.
And so Kathleen Coble has acourse on that.
I'll put the link in the shownotes.
If you're interested in checkingthat out, that's been a really
cool thing.
I haven't made a video sinceprobably December and I'm still
(09:26):
making, you know, maybe.
100 a month on, on those videosthat I've already created.
So that's super cool.
And, and that's what I was goingto point out.
It's super passive.
Cause I think a lot of timeswhen people think influencer or
especially Amazon influencernowadays, you think of people
who post and link in theirstories and you're not doing
that.
And you're still making a littlebit of income, which is awesome.
(09:48):
Yeah.
They have kind of two differentplatforms.
It's like the influencer.
You, you can influence people onto Amazon from your social
media, for example, or your blogor whatever.
But I'm just doing the on Amazonplatform one.
And I love that.
So I, I need to set myself agoal to make maybe 20 more
videos over the summer.
I think it would be reallyimpactful.
The other side of the Amazonbusiness that I've been working
(10:09):
on was selling actual products.
And y'all, it is not for thefaint of heart.
That is the, Most challengingplatform that I've ever had to
learn.
There's a lot of opportunity.
Trust me.
There's a lot of opportunity,but to break through and get
ranked and there's just a lot ofcompetition and you need to have
the right pricing.
(10:30):
It's, it's not passive selling aproduct on Amazon.
It's definitely not passive.
I've enjoyed some parts of it.
Some parts I haven't enjoyed andI probably won't pursue it after
this year.
I'm going to just sell throughmy inventory, but.
It's also something that I canput on my resume, like that I
have the Amazon platformexperience and I can have a
(10:50):
conversation about that.
I can talk to a subscription boxbusiness owner or just a product
based business owner and sharemy experience.
And so we'll just chalk that oneup to experience.
And then lastly, from a businessperspective, I have been working
Kind of as a freelancer with ourfriends at BoxUp.
So I'm super pumped about this.
(11:12):
Hopefully I can get them back onthe podcast.
We'll definitely be seeing themat SubSummit.
But if you haven't heard ofthem, they are a leading
supplier of custom packagingsolutions.
So think, you know, the durablecorrugated cardboard boxes that
you can ship your subscriptionin.
Those mailers, you can get themcustom printed.
And what I love about BoxUp isthey're all about Like they're,
(11:36):
they have low minimums, whichmeans you can order as little as
12 boxes.
So if you're ordering say 3000or less boxes, you're going to
get the best turnaround, thebest product and the best
pricing over at box up.
So what am I doing with them?
I am helping them with theirstrategic partners.
So that's mostly in theaffiliate world.
(11:56):
So for example, If you are aninfluencer or if you're a coach
or if you have an audience ofentrepreneurs, then that would
be a good fit for you.
For example, if someone says,where can I get custom boxes?
And you tell them box up, youuse your affiliate link.
Then you get a cut back.
You get that commission.
So I'm helping them grow thatprogram.
(12:18):
And I've worked on both sides ofaffiliates before.
I've been an affiliate for a lotof things.
And then we also have affiliateprograms for subscription box
boot camp.
So it's really fun to Havingbeen on both sides, be able to
help them grow their business.
So if you see me talking aboutBoxUp, that's what that's all
(12:38):
about.
And if you want to be anaffiliate, if you want to share
about BoxUp, then DM me.
I'll get you set up with yourunique tracking link and you can
start earning.
So that's what I've been up to.
I feel like I just talked a lotand that sounds like a lot, but
it's been a while since I'vegiven an update like this.
And it's really cool becausewe're next month we'll be going
(13:01):
to SubSummit and that is wherewe first met BoxUp.
We didn't even know they existedbefore SubSummit meeting them
last year and, and I feel likeright from the get kind of hit
it off with their team.
So this has been a very natural,I had them as a team.
As someone we suggested forsubscription box basics and you
worked with them in thatcapacity.
So this has been a very naturaltransition for you.
(13:24):
Yeah, I agree.
And they, their product isawesome.
Like that was one of the firstthings when they, they came and
chased us down and they're like,we want to chat with you guys.
And so we went back to theirsetup at sub summit and we're
like, let's see the boxes.
They were really, really goodquality.
The print just popped.
And so they became our preferredvendor.
For custom boxes.
(13:45):
So if you are looking for customboxes, like that, there's your
answer.
We recommend BoxUp.
They ship to the U.
S.
and Canada.
And we'll put the, their detailsin the show notes if you want to
check them out.
And they actually gave us a codethat we announced previously.
It's SBB12, SBB12.
And you can get 12 free customprinted boxes.
(14:07):
You just have to pay theshipping if you use that code.
So, Check out the show notes,we'll have all those details.
But yeah, I'm really excitedabout the prospect of working,
continuing to work in thesubscription box industry, but
in other capacities.
And I, it's interesting as youand me this past two years now
have been dabbling on like,what's next.
(14:28):
We both have been toyed withlike, Oh, maybe, maybe something
else maybe.
And Now, now that it's my turnto share a little bit about my
update, it's funny how we'reboth still in, obviously with
the podcast and subscription boxbasics, but, but even pursuing
other things that are in thesubscription box industry too.
So yeah, we're like, we justlove this industry.
We don't want to leave.
(14:48):
We can't leave.
Yeah.
So I'll, I'll give a little.
Bit of an update about what'sbeen going on with me.
I'll start just like Julie didwith the personal and then I'll
jump into what I've been doingbusiness wise too.
So, I, as Julie mentioned, it'sMay when we're recording this
podcast episode and not only amI in like many people who are
(15:11):
probably listening in the crazyend of the year, hustle and
bustle, but I have a fifthgrader and an eighth grader.
So I have.
My younger one, my daughter isending elementary school.
And then I have my olderdaughter ending middle school.
So I am getting ready to justhave middle school and high
(15:31):
school kids.
And my brain can't handle it.
I know.
Cause you're only 25.
I'm not getting older at all.
And they want you to get older.
I don't understand what'shappening, but yeah.
So we, so we have a coupleextra.
End of the year, a little, thefifth graders do a clap off and
some extra end of the year,things that eighth grade dance
(15:55):
and eighth grade promotion theydo at, at Peyton school.
So yeah, gearing up for the endof the school year.
And then of course they, theyboth luckily gymnastics season
is over, but my children liketo, on top of it have spring
heavy sports.
So we're doing swim startedsoftball season.
So.
Let the, let the fun begin.
(16:15):
Yeah.
We're on modified year roundschool.
My girls are in public schooland we're in California.
So we only have summer for likesix, six and a half weeks.
So May, June, July is our, ourchaos.
And we kind of put our head downand have some fun and get after
it.
And then they start back toschool end of July.
So it's super, super quick andshort, but yes, that's, that is
(16:38):
where I am currently inmotherhood.
And then and you're, so you'rejust an Uber in the summer.
Oh, no.
Hardcore.
Yeah.
And everything, everyone's like,Oh, more, more time in summer.
Oh no.
We, their, their activities movelike swim and gymnastics is in
the morning.
So we are up and at them atseven 30 to go to the pool and
(16:58):
then, yeah.
So I'm just going to call youRuber, Renee the Ruber.
Yes, I am Mama Ruber.
Yeah, so I'm gearing up for myRuber busy stage.
So that is what I, that is whatI mostly do when I am not
working the little bit I amworking currently.
And then this, this will benothing compared to your big
(17:19):
house reno.
But we currently are.
A one bathroom family because wedecided to do jump into DIY a
little bit.
My husband and I, and we areredoing our bathroom.
So that's, that's been fun.
We have, how's that going?
It's going, we as you know, butother people don't we, we were,
(17:42):
have been sharing one bathroomfor a while, but just haven't
pulled the trigger on doinganything, but, but.
Because it's May and we're like,Hey, let's add something else.
The last few weeks last week wedecided to tear everything up.
So we currently have a cleanslate in our primary bathroom.
So it's our toilet, we haven'tcompletely got rid of, but
(18:02):
everything else is ready fortile.
So it's been fun.
My husband.
Works in the elevator industry,elevator construction.
So he is such a handyman, butdoesn't give himself enough
credit.
So he's been a little, a littleapprehensive to start with tile
and all other things he's notused to, but he's, he's going to
be so good.
So, and he, and he's got hisdad, my father in law helping
(18:23):
him and one of our best friends.
So they're getting after it.
It's starting to take shape.
It's it's looking, they haven'tlaid tile yet, but they've
prepped everything and it's It'slooking good.
So, and we have, we live in a90s house.
So everything was 30 plus yearsold anyway.
So I'm like, can't, knock onwood, can't, can't get much
worse.
We'll see, but it's been fun.
(18:44):
The design part.
I, I love that you got to do awhole house cause just the
bathroom alone.
Now, now I'm like, what can wedo next?
It's been fun picking out tilesand a new vanity and mirrors.
I'm having fun designing it.
Okay.
I have one bit of advice.
When we renovated our house, ourprimary house, we put in the
vanities that have like a squaresink instead of the rounded
(19:08):
bowl.
Do not ever do that if you havekids.
After they brush their teeth,they're going to spit in there.
And if it's not rounded, thespit does not go down.
It just stays there.
So it's funny because evenMcKenna at 12, almost 13, she's
like, when I have a house, I amnot getting these types of
(19:29):
sinks.
I want the round ones.
And I was like, Oh, that'shilarious.
Oh, good.
So ours, ours, I haven't boughtit yet, but it's, it looks like
an oval.
It has a slope.
So we should be good.
That's all you need.
That is good to know.
It's funny.
I've never, like, I wouldn'tthink that purchasing myself,
but when I go to hotels, wespend a lot of time in, in
hotels, I know I'm alwayslooking at the sink and we're
(19:51):
always like, why would they dothat?
And the last one we were in itwas, it was like a rectangular
shaped and the water flow toowas like splashing everywhere.
I'm like, why, why would they dothat?
So, well, it just looked niceand it was a good deal.
And then now here we areregretting it, but it is what it
is.
Now, now you can help not onlyme, but all our listeners.
(20:12):
Exactly.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Oh, that's awesome.
Yeah.
So we, we've got a little DIYgoing on.
I'm already itching once this isdone, what we'll do next, but
yeah, it's, it's been funbecause we've lived in our house
now for seven years almost sevenyears.
And I am the type of person whois hesitant to like, even hang
something on the walls because Idon't want to commit to it.
(20:34):
So this is my first bigcommitment.
I'm like, let's tear it up andit doesn't have to live forever.
That's my new route.
That's my new motto.
Like if we don't like it, it'sokay.
So yeah, we're, we're having funwith it.
So that's what's going on withme on the personal side and then
business.
I've been loving everythingwe've been doing, but I wasn't
(20:54):
sure if I was going to say insubscriptions.
I wasn't sure what's next.
And now I'm diving in because Ihad a couple opportunities to be
on launch teams.
One with you, Julie, and onewith Jessica of Yura Boxes.
And I've helped launch a coupleboxes worked with them the first
few months into their launch.
And, and As you know, and someof our listeners might know, I
(21:16):
love a good launch.
So it filled me up.
It's been so fun.
I think my favorite part is oneof my favorite parts of
subscriptions is the launch andjust building the hype behind
the scenes.
So it's been really fun to beable to do that.
And then that kind of spiraledinto working with a couple of
(21:37):
different subscription boxes.
So now I have clients that I'mworking for and I'm on their
team for doing both customerservice stuff and social media.
So shout out to good guy, Jeanand we craft a box because I get
to be part of their team now andI'm helping them with their
social and customer service.
I love that.
And if you guys haven't figuredthis out about us now, that we
(21:58):
love the excitement of somethingnew.
And you guys are probably likethat too.
I mean, if you're starting a newbusiness, there's just something
very, very fun and excitingabout that.
And what we do here atSubscription Box Basics, I mean,
it doesn't take that much time.
You know what I mean?
Like we're podcasting, we'reposting and sending some emails
here and there.
(22:19):
But over these past six plusmonths, Rene and I have both
been, you know, thinking aboutwhat's next for us.
So it's really exciting to sharethese updates about what's next.
And I love, Rene, that you'redoing some of the same stuff
that you did with me at SparkleHustle Grow, and you were so, so
good at.
I mean, We won a cube award thatwas chosen by the people, but it
(22:42):
was a community choice award.
And that just goes to show yourwork really was recognized.
We, I think we got nominated toofor best customer service or
something like that.
Customer experience.
We showed it.
Yes, customer experience.
And so I know you're really goodat that.
It's been recognized publiclythat you're really good at that
type of stuff.
(23:02):
And so I'm really excited thatyou get to.
Use your skills in other boxesthat needed your help.
And I love what we do here, andI love the consulting part of
it.
I love dreaming up ideas with,with box owners.
But I feel like, for me, I wasreally missing the content
creation.
And that has been really, reallyfun to be able to do for, both
(23:26):
when I was helping a coupleboxes launch and now being on
social media teams for theseboxes.
And I feel like I love.
Running with ideas and justbeing able to put things out
there.
So it's, yeah, it's, it's beenfun.
And then we craft box ischildren's craft box.
And I, and before mysubscription journey, I owned a
(23:47):
children's boutique.
So that hosted crafting thingsand I've worked for a preschool
for a decade.
So it's been really fun to likedip into, to go back to my roots
and really dip into that sort ofthing.
And she's well established.
So Betsy Wilde runs WeCraftBox,and we've been friends and
colleagues with her for years.
(24:09):
We've spent time with her atSubSummit before.
I've spent a lot of time in apeer group with her, just like a
peer led mastermind.
And so, really good People overthere.
Great product.
So I'm so excited for you withthat.
Yeah, it's, it's fun.
I'm, I'm so happy.
Both, both good hygiene and wecraft box, but happy, happy to
(24:30):
be on some teams with someamazing people so yeah, excited
for My next venture intosubscription box business is
wherever it continues to takeme, but I'm not going anywhere
for the time being.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so as we've talked about myupdates and your updates, you
guys listening are probablylike, what does this mean for
subscription box basics?
What does this mean foreverything?
Really, there's not a lot ofchanges over here.
(24:52):
We'll give you some updatestogether here next.
But you know, one, we're goingto sub summit next month.
We're super excited to meet someof you.
Hug and fist bump and high fiveall, whoever's going to be
there.
We love meeting people inperson.
We're going to be doing a livepodcast while we're there.
So we're super excited aboutthat.
(25:13):
What else are we doing?
We've got some really coolcollaborations up our sleeves
that are coming out later thisyear.
I can't give you any details,but I'll drop some hints.
We are in conversations withLiam over at Subscription Box
Experts.
We are in some conversationswith Stefan at Subly, which is
(25:34):
our favorite software to runyour subscription box business
on.
In fact, when we're at SubSummitnext month, we are going to be
participating at their booth atthe expo hall.
And you're going to be gettingsome information.
We'll, we'll be sure to sharethat via email, but they are
essentially having like thisgenius bar, kind of like the
(25:55):
Apple genius bar.
They're going to have a Subligenius bar.
So Renee and I will be spendingsome time there.
You'll be able to book some timewith us.
If you want some one on one ortwo on one time with us to talk
shop about any challenges thatyou're going through or.
You know, ask some advice for,or if you need referrals to
(26:15):
certain softwares or whatever.
We're super excited to be a partof that.
So shout out to Subly for havingus there.
And then we're also inconversations with Jess at A
Year of Boxes.
I'm going to be interviewing herat the end of May and so we'll
be able to share all of thatinformation.
But I think you guys know JessPrincipe.
She's my Box Bestie.
(26:36):
We met in 2016 when we were bothfirst launching.
She has been running All GirlShave Club, but also does some
mentorship and some coachingprograms, and now is the owner
of A Year of Boxes, which is areview site.
So we're super excited to unveilall of that information as it
comes out over the next, say,month or so.
(26:57):
Oh, I love doing collabs andstrategic partnerships.
It is just so much fun, and it'salways such a win win.
And it's funny that we keepgoing back to what we'll Talk
about doing one thing or we'llbe go one direction with SBB.
And then it always comes backto, to collabing with people
and, and working with thisamazing subscription box
(27:20):
community.
Agreed.
Agreed.
Okay, so there is one smallchange with subscription box
boot camp that we need to sharewith everyone.
So as Renee and I are kind ofdabbling in some other areas of
the subscription box industry,we had to figure out a way to
manage our time well.
And so what we decided to do iswe are, here on, moving forward,
(27:42):
have switched subscription boxboot camp to a self service one.
And then we also have thesubscription box boot camp study
program.
And so the framework is all thesame.
All that experience, you know,the, the templates and the swipe
files, the video training, allof that information is all the
same.
The only difference really isthat we will no longer be adding
to the subscription box bootcamp group.
There's a Facebook group justfor students that in the past
(28:05):
has been really active andwe've, that's been a way for us
to share resources to connectwith each other.
But in order for us to be ableto manage our time with all the
personal and business thingsthat we have our hands in, we're
just going to be shutting thedoors to that.
Now, if you're already in it,we're going to keep it open.
You can continue to interact inthere, but we don't go in there
(28:29):
as often.
And so as a result of shiftingsubscription box boot camp to a
self study, the great news isthat we've also lowered the
price.
So this was not only because itno longer includes the community
side of it, but also as aresponse to the current economic
environment.
(28:49):
We have talked to so many peoplethat want to launch a
subscription box business andthey need the resources and so
we have lowered the price ofsubscription box bootcamp.
You can get all the detailsright on the website and we've
also created, and you may haveheard this from months past, we
also created the framework intoa printed workbook.
(29:10):
And that workbook is availableon Amazon, it's on print on
demand, so if you order it,it's, I think it's prime
delivery, I really, I think it'sgoing to order, come to your
house in like two to three days.
So we will put all the links tothat in the description.
In the show notes, but what youneed to know is the good news is
that we are making it moreaffordable and we're making it
self study.
(29:30):
You'll still get lifetime accessand, and access to all the
resources, the swipe files,templates, and all the good
stuff.
It's really just, it's a win winfor everyone.
It is.
I'm really excited about it.
The framework is one of thoseframeworks too, that it will, it
will last a long time.
a long, long time.
It's not going to get outdatedbecause the basics of carving
(29:52):
out your concept, you know,researching the competition and
getting your box launched, likethat kind of stuff doesn't
change much.
Marketing changes.
And so that's, one thing youhave to stay on top of.
And we do cover a lot ofmarketing in there, but I feel
super confident that the peoplewho enroll in the self study are
absolutely going to get whatthey need to get their box idea
(30:15):
off the ground.
And we have the self study, butyou can also get the book on its
own, but also get it as an addon too, right?
Exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
So whether you're a digital, anaudio learner, or maybe you are
a pen and paper kind of learnerwhere you, you need to have the
worksheets and stuff, we've gotyou covered either way.
And we want to make sure thatyou get the resources.
(30:37):
We're still going to check inwith you with accountability
emails.
We're still gonna be availablevia email if you have a question
that is really holding you up.
So, I hope that if you've beenon the fence about Subscription
Box Boot Camp, then this mightbe just what you need to
actually take action.
And so if you have any questionsabout that, or if you want to
(30:58):
learn more, You can email us,you can reach us in Instagram
DMs, would love to share moreinformation or help you figure
out if it's the right fit.
But I'm really excited aboutthat direction so that we can
not only fill our buckets, youknow, Renee, you and I working
with other people doing collabsbut also still having this
(31:20):
amazing framework, thesubscription box bootcamp that
we know is tried and true.
It's helped over 550 boxeslaunch.
And you might be next.
Yeah, so definitely DM us too atour Instagram page at
Subscription Box Basics becausewe want to know what you've been
up to, if this episode washelpful at all, if you need any
(31:41):
of those resources that Juliementioned, like if you're
looking for a new box so we cansend you box up, if you have
questions about some of thethings we said, definitely reach
out to us because we're both inthere still all the time and we
would love to chat with you andhelp you further if needed.
Yeah, except if you're at swimpractice, or gymnastics
practice, or, or, broobering.
(32:03):
If it's me, it might take alittle longer to get back to
you.
I'm just joking.
But Julie's really good.
Well, this has been really fun.
I hope you guys have enjoyedhearing what we've been up to,
both personally andprofessionally.
I think it's important to reallyget to know your coaches, to
make sure that they're alignedwith you.
And, honestly I just don't showup on social media as much
(32:27):
anymore, that's where I used todo my updates.
So I felt like this was a longoverdue update.
And thank you so much forlistening, and we'll talk to you
on the next episode.
Bye! Bye!
So you want to launch asubscription box and don't know
where to start, girl, you are inthe right place.
I'm Julie ball and I'm ReneeGonzalez, your host here at
subscription box basics, apodcast for new and aspiring
subscription box entrepreneurswanting to avoid overwhelm.
So grab a coffee, some pen andpaper, and let's have some fun.
Julie (00:22):
Hey, everybody.
And welcome back to subscriptionbox basics.
I'm Julie ball, your head coach,and I'm joined by Rene Gonzalez,
your marketing coach.
We are going to just do likethis really casual chit chat
today.
I feel like that's what we'vebeen doing a lot lately and
we've really been enjoying it.
And today we're going to justtell you what we've been up to
(00:42):
because We are both multipassionate entrepreneurs and we
have got a lot of neat thingsgoing on in the background.
We just thought we'd pull backthe curtain and let you know
what we've been up to beyondsubscription box basics we have
ventured into some other things.
So Renee, how are you doing?
Are you excited for this chat?
(01:04):
I am.
I'm excited to chat and we'vegot a lot going on, both
personal and business.
So a lot to talk about.
We do.
And it's so funny because I knowthis because I've been working
with you for what, like sevenyears now, but everybody, Renee
goes like, Radio silent in May,because I, and I'm sure so many
(01:24):
people listening can relate, butthe end of the school year and,
and I'll get more into it, butthis year, even more so, but the
end of the school year is like,yeah, I just put my head down
and, and pray.
Yeah, exactly.
Right.
Okay.
So let's dive into it.
I'm gonna first start with whatI've been up to, then we'll
transition to what Renee hasbeen up to, and then we'll talk
(01:47):
a little bit about some changeshere at Subscription Box Basics.
So for those of you who don'tknow, I sold my box business,
Sparkle Hustle Grow, back in2022.
It was August 1st, and we areapproaching the two year
anniversary of selling that boxbusiness, which just blows my
(02:09):
mind.
Renee, I see you shaking yourhead too, like.
It feels like yesterday.
It is so, it's just a testamentto how fast time goes by, but I
can't believe it's.
Yeah, we're months away from itbeing two years.
That's crazy.
It is wild to me, and I lovewhat the new owners have been
doing with it.
I've been following along, andit just like, it just makes me
so happy inside.
(02:30):
And for those of you who don'tknow the story, I didn't start
my box To sell it.
Some people start a business tosell it.
I just got to a point where Ifelt like we were ready for our
next season and I wanted to pourmore into coaching and try some
other things.
And so I ended up selling thebusiness and what a blessing it
was.
To my family.
So after the sale of thatbusiness, Renee and I kind of
(02:55):
doubled down on coaching.
we updated Subscription boxbootcamp.
We I brought her on as theco-host to this podcast.
We have been homeschooling as afamily since the pandemic and
so.
My husband previously was incharge of that, but now, after I
sold the box business, hestarted a new career.
(03:15):
He was formerly a middle schoolteacher, which was perfect for
homeschooling.
And so I was like, oh man, sohe's not our homeschool lead
anymore.
Guess who is?
You're looking at her.
So I have transitioned to bekind of the homeschool lead
here.
We do a combination of somehands on things with some
workbooks and, and reading outloud and stuff like that.
(03:38):
So McKenna is in seventh graderight now.
And then she does some onlinestuff.
We are members of this programcalled Me Academy.
Which Carmen Vermilion told meabout, who is a brilliant
graphic designer forsubscription boxes.
So she, McKenna does MeAcademy.
And then on Fridays, we do ahome, a local homeschool co op.
(03:59):
It is the highlight of her week.
She goes from like 9am to 3pm,and last week was our last week
for the semester.
And so of course there was a lotof like hoopla around the last
day.
There was an art show.
There were the little ballerinagirls.
They have, there's like apreschool ballerina class.
They did a little dance foreveryone.
And then everyone went to, oneof the families.
(04:22):
Properties.
And we just had this picnic.
It was great.
All the kids got together.
There was a pond there.
They could canoe and swim.
And we just had such a goodtime.
So I've been doing thishomeschool lead and somehow
ended up now as the yearbookeditor in normal fashion, really
diving in.
I know.
Right.
So at the co op, the co op hasbeen running for, I think,
(04:46):
almost 20 years now.
And we're what?
Three, I think three years in.
And they've always had ayearbook and usually they did it
as a class.
Well, they didn't have ayearbook class this year.
And so over the last couple ofmonths, I heard a couple of
people saying, Oh, we're sobummed there's not going to be a
yearbook.
So naturally, McKenna and I arelike, we'll do it.
Not realizing what we weregetting into.
(05:08):
So there's about 150 kids.
We scheduled a photo day.
So we took, you know, a backdroppaper to put up.
We had a little Stool for themto sit on and a, and a ring
camera for the light.
It was, it was like a full onproduction and now we are in the
process of designing it inCanva.
So McKenna and I are doing that.
It's really a great opportunityfor her and I to work together
(05:30):
on something.
And there's a local.
Family in our co op that runs aprint shop.
So we'll print through them.
Everyone will get a free digitalcopy Okay, i'm going on a
tangent, but i'm just tellingyou Like these are some of the
things that i've had capacity todo and have volunteered to do
lately with homeschooling.
From my husband's perspective Hejust finished a project where I
(05:50):
had said after we sold sparklehustle grow He used some of the
profits of that to buy an oldcabin, this 100 year old cabin
here in the Asheville area.
And he's a, he has a generalcontracting license.
So he and his dad and a coupleguys that he hired renovated
this 100 year old cabin.
(06:11):
The idea Was, we're going tokeep this, run it as an Airbnb,
and this will be part of ourretirement plan.
Well, friends, plot twist.
Over a year later, the projectgot longer than anticipated.
It cost more than expected,because all renovations do,
plus, you know, inflation on topof that.
And it just became a little bitsaturated in the Airbnb market
(06:34):
where we live, and so we decidedto flip it instead.
And we just closed on that thisMonday when the buyers signed
the papers.
Yes, I know, happy news! We canpay off all the debt that we
incurred on that, but also usethe leftovers as part of our
income.
And it was really a labor oflove.
(06:55):
There was a lot under the hoodthat we didn't know about, but
as newbie, you know, renovators,home flippers, whatever you want
to call us, we didn't know whatwe didn't know.
And so there were somefoundational things that he had
to tackle, And, you know, in theend, it still is a 100 year old
house, even though everythinginside is brand new.
(07:15):
All new electric, all newplumbing, all new appliances.
We took down walls.
It was an interesting project.
Are we gonna do it again?
Probably not for a while.
I mean, you're doing the homerenovation now.
Yeah, you'll have to either inthe show notes or on our
Instagram page, you'll have topost a before and a couple of
before and afters because itturned out the pictures, it
(07:37):
turned out beautiful.
So definitely, definitely asuccess looks wise.
I know.
I know it exhaled a lot morethan you guys were ready or knew
to begin with, but it gosh, itturned out gorgeous.
So you'll have to, you'll haveto post before and afters.
I will.
I'll definitely share that.
And the, there's a family thatjust purchased it and we know
(07:59):
that they were a growing familyand they needed more space.
And they said this was liketheir dream home.
So that's very satisfying, youknow, like the, the assignment
is now complete, but it was I'lljust say interesting.
So that doesn't mean we'll neverdo it again.
We may do something on a smallerscale in the future.
We don't know.
We do have like a rental housetoo that is in another city that
(08:22):
we have been long term renting.
So, you know, there's differentoptions.
So that's something we've beendabbling in.
I also, since the sale of thebusiness, dabbled in Amazon
business.
And so I mentioned it here andthere on some podcasts, but
essentially I had a handful ofproducts that I wanted to learn
the Amazon platform.
And so there was two ways I didthis.
(08:43):
I did the Amazon influencerprogram, which I just checked my
stats and it's been very passiveincome, but I've made almost a
thousand dollars since I think Ilaunched my influencer program
in.
Maybe October of last year?
And the influencer program isI'm, I don't consider myself an
influencer.
I'm not on Instagram, likesharing all these things, but I
(09:06):
create these little videos ofproducts that I've used on
Amazon and those videos live inthe Amazon platform.
If someone watches them, thenproceeds to buy, then I get a
small cut.
And so Kathleen Coble has acourse on that.
I'll put the link in the shownotes.
If you're interested in checkingthat out, that's been a really
cool thing.
I haven't made a video sinceprobably December and I'm still
(09:26):
making, you know, maybe.
100 a month on, on those videosthat I've already created.
So that's super cool.
And, and that's what I was goingto point out.
It's super passive.
Cause I think a lot of timeswhen people think influencer or
especially Amazon influencernowadays, you think of people
who post and link in theirstories and you're not doing
that.
And you're still making a littlebit of income, which is awesome.
(09:48):
Yeah.
They have kind of two differentplatforms.
It's like the influencer.
You, you can influence people onto Amazon from your social
media, for example, or your blogor whatever.
But I'm just doing the on Amazonplatform one.
And I love that.
So I, I need to set myself agoal to make maybe 20 more
videos over the summer.
I think it would be reallyimpactful.
The other side of the Amazonbusiness that I've been working
(10:09):
on was selling actual products.
And y'all, it is not for thefaint of heart.
That is the, Most challengingplatform that I've ever had to
learn.
There's a lot of opportunity.
Trust me.
There's a lot of opportunity,but to break through and get
ranked and there's just a lot ofcompetition and you need to have
the right pricing.
(10:30):
It's, it's not passive selling aproduct on Amazon.
It's definitely not passive.
I've enjoyed some parts of it.
Some parts I haven't enjoyed andI probably won't pursue it after
this year.
I'm going to just sell throughmy inventory, but.
It's also something that I canput on my resume, like that I
have the Amazon platformexperience and I can have a
(10:50):
conversation about that.
I can talk to a subscription boxbusiness owner or just a product
based business owner and sharemy experience.
And so we'll just chalk that oneup to experience.
And then lastly, from a businessperspective, I have been working
Kind of as a freelancer with ourfriends at BoxUp.
So I'm super pumped about this.
(11:12):
Hopefully I can get them back onthe podcast.
We'll definitely be seeing themat SubSummit.
But if you haven't heard ofthem, they are a leading
supplier of custom packagingsolutions.
So think, you know, the durablecorrugated cardboard boxes that
you can ship your subscriptionin.
Those mailers, you can get themcustom printed.
And what I love about BoxUp isthey're all about Like they're,
(11:36):
they have low minimums, whichmeans you can order as little as
12 boxes.
So if you're ordering say 3000or less boxes, you're going to
get the best turnaround, thebest product and the best
pricing over at box up.
So what am I doing with them?
I am helping them with theirstrategic partners.
So that's mostly in theaffiliate world.
(11:56):
So for example, If you are aninfluencer or if you're a coach
or if you have an audience ofentrepreneurs, then that would
be a good fit for you.
For example, if someone says,where can I get custom boxes?
And you tell them box up, youuse your affiliate link.
Then you get a cut back.
You get that commission.
So I'm helping them grow thatprogram.
(12:18):
And I've worked on both sides ofaffiliates before.
I've been an affiliate for a lotof things.
And then we also have affiliateprograms for subscription box
boot camp.
So it's really fun to Havingbeen on both sides, be able to
help them grow their business.
So if you see me talking aboutBoxUp, that's what that's all
(12:38):
about.
And if you want to be anaffiliate, if you want to share
about BoxUp, then DM me.
I'll get you set up with yourunique tracking link and you can
start earning.
So that's what I've been up to.
I feel like I just talked a lotand that sounds like a lot, but
it's been a while since I'vegiven an update like this.
And it's really cool becausewe're next month we'll be going
(13:01):
to SubSummit and that is wherewe first met BoxUp.
We didn't even know they existedbefore SubSummit meeting them
last year and, and I feel likeright from the get kind of hit
it off with their team.
So this has been a very natural,I had them as a team.
As someone we suggested forsubscription box basics and you
worked with them in thatcapacity.
So this has been a very naturaltransition for you.
(13:24):
Yeah, I agree.
And they, their product isawesome.
Like that was one of the firstthings when they, they came and
chased us down and they're like,we want to chat with you guys.
And so we went back to theirsetup at sub summit and we're
like, let's see the boxes.
They were really, really goodquality.
The print just popped.
And so they became our preferredvendor.
For custom boxes.
(13:45):
So if you are looking for customboxes, like that, there's your
answer.
We recommend BoxUp.
They ship to the U.
S.
and Canada.
And we'll put the, their detailsin the show notes if you want to
check them out.
And they actually gave us a codethat we announced previously.
It's SBB12, SBB12.
And you can get 12 free customprinted boxes.
(14:07):
You just have to pay theshipping if you use that code.
So, Check out the show notes,we'll have all those details.
But yeah, I'm really excitedabout the prospect of working,
continuing to work in thesubscription box industry, but
in other capacities.
And I, it's interesting as youand me this past two years now
have been dabbling on like,what's next.
(14:28):
We both have been toyed withlike, Oh, maybe, maybe something
else maybe.
And Now, now that it's my turnto share a little bit about my
update, it's funny how we'reboth still in, obviously with
the podcast and subscription boxbasics, but, but even pursuing
other things that are in thesubscription box industry too.
So yeah, we're like, we justlove this industry.
We don't want to leave.
(14:48):
We can't leave.
Yeah.
So I'll, I'll give a little.
Bit of an update about what'sbeen going on with me.
I'll start just like Julie didwith the personal and then I'll
jump into what I've been doingbusiness wise too.
So, I, as Julie mentioned, it'sMay when we're recording this
podcast episode and not only amI in like many people who are
(15:11):
probably listening in the crazyend of the year, hustle and
bustle, but I have a fifthgrader and an eighth grader.
So I have.
My younger one, my daughter isending elementary school.
And then I have my olderdaughter ending middle school.
So I am getting ready to justhave middle school and high
(15:31):
school kids.
And my brain can't handle it.
I know.
Cause you're only 25.
I'm not getting older at all.
And they want you to get older.
I don't understand what'shappening, but yeah.
So we, so we have a coupleextra.
End of the year, a little, thefifth graders do a clap off and
some extra end of the year,things that eighth grade dance
(15:55):
and eighth grade promotion theydo at, at Peyton school.
So yeah, gearing up for the endof the school year.
And then of course they, theyboth luckily gymnastics season
is over, but my children liketo, on top of it have spring
heavy sports.
So we're doing swim startedsoftball season.
So.
Let the, let the fun begin.
(16:15):
Yeah.
We're on modified year roundschool.
My girls are in public schooland we're in California.
So we only have summer for likesix, six and a half weeks.
So May, June, July is our, ourchaos.
And we kind of put our head downand have some fun and get after
it.
And then they start back toschool end of July.
So it's super, super quick andshort, but yes, that's, that is
(16:38):
where I am currently inmotherhood.
And then and you're, so you'rejust an Uber in the summer.
Oh, no.
Hardcore.
Yeah.
And everything, everyone's like,Oh, more, more time in summer.
Oh no.
We, their, their activities movelike swim and gymnastics is in
the morning.
So we are up and at them atseven 30 to go to the pool and
(16:58):
then, yeah.
So I'm just going to call youRuber, Renee the Ruber.
Yes, I am Mama Ruber.
Yeah, so I'm gearing up for myRuber busy stage.
So that is what I, that is whatI mostly do when I am not
working the little bit I amworking currently.
And then this, this will benothing compared to your big
(17:19):
house reno.
But we currently are.
A one bathroom family because wedecided to do jump into DIY a
little bit.
My husband and I, and we areredoing our bathroom.
So that's, that's been fun.
We have, how's that going?
It's going, we as you know, butother people don't we, we were,
(17:42):
have been sharing one bathroomfor a while, but just haven't
pulled the trigger on doinganything, but, but.
Because it's May and we're like,Hey, let's add something else.
The last few weeks last week wedecided to tear everything up.
So we currently have a cleanslate in our primary bathroom.
So it's our toilet, we haven'tcompletely got rid of, but
(18:02):
everything else is ready fortile.
So it's been fun.
My husband.
Works in the elevator industry,elevator construction.
So he is such a handyman, butdoesn't give himself enough
credit.
So he's been a little, a littleapprehensive to start with tile
and all other things he's notused to, but he's, he's going to
be so good.
So, and he, and he's got hisdad, my father in law helping
(18:23):
him and one of our best friends.
So they're getting after it.
It's starting to take shape.
It's it's looking, they haven'tlaid tile yet, but they've
prepped everything and it's It'slooking good.
So, and we have, we live in a90s house.
So everything was 30 plus yearsold anyway.
So I'm like, can't, knock onwood, can't, can't get much
worse.
We'll see, but it's been fun.
(18:44):
The design part.
I, I love that you got to do awhole house cause just the
bathroom alone.
Now, now I'm like, what can wedo next?
It's been fun picking out tilesand a new vanity and mirrors.
I'm having fun designing it.
Okay.
I have one bit of advice.
When we renovated our house, ourprimary house, we put in the
vanities that have like a squaresink instead of the rounded
(19:08):
bowl.
Do not ever do that if you havekids.
After they brush their teeth,they're going to spit in there.
And if it's not rounded, thespit does not go down.
It just stays there.
So it's funny because evenMcKenna at 12, almost 13, she's
like, when I have a house, I amnot getting these types of
(19:29):
sinks.
I want the round ones.
And I was like, Oh, that'shilarious.
Oh, good.
So ours, ours, I haven't boughtit yet, but it's, it looks like
an oval.
It has a slope.
So we should be good.
That's all you need.
That is good to know.
It's funny.
I've never, like, I wouldn'tthink that purchasing myself,
but when I go to hotels, wespend a lot of time in, in
hotels, I know I'm alwayslooking at the sink and we're
(19:51):
always like, why would they dothat?
And the last one we were in itwas, it was like a rectangular
shaped and the water flow toowas like splashing everywhere.
I'm like, why, why would they dothat?
So, well, it just looked niceand it was a good deal.
And then now here we areregretting it, but it is what it
is.
Now, now you can help not onlyme, but all our listeners.
(20:12):
Exactly.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Oh, that's awesome.
Yeah.
So we, we've got a little DIYgoing on.
I'm already itching once this isdone, what we'll do next, but
yeah, it's, it's been funbecause we've lived in our house
now for seven years almost sevenyears.
And I am the type of person whois hesitant to like, even hang
something on the walls because Idon't want to commit to it.
(20:34):
So this is my first bigcommitment.
I'm like, let's tear it up andit doesn't have to live forever.
That's my new route.
That's my new motto.
Like if we don't like it, it'sokay.
So yeah, we're, we're having funwith it.
So that's what's going on withme on the personal side and then
business.
I've been loving everythingwe've been doing, but I wasn't
(20:54):
sure if I was going to say insubscriptions.
I wasn't sure what's next.
And now I'm diving in because Ihad a couple opportunities to be
on launch teams.
One with you, Julie, and onewith Jessica of Yura Boxes.
And I've helped launch a coupleboxes worked with them the first
few months into their launch.
And, and As you know, and someof our listeners might know, I
(21:16):
love a good launch.
So it filled me up.
It's been so fun.
I think my favorite part is oneof my favorite parts of
subscriptions is the launch andjust building the hype behind
the scenes.
So it's been really fun to beable to do that.
And then that kind of spiraledinto working with a couple of
(21:37):
different subscription boxes.
So now I have clients that I'mworking for and I'm on their
team for doing both customerservice stuff and social media.
So shout out to good guy, Jeanand we craft a box because I get
to be part of their team now andI'm helping them with their
social and customer service.
I love that.
And if you guys haven't figuredthis out about us now, that we
(21:58):
love the excitement of somethingnew.
And you guys are probably likethat too.
I mean, if you're starting a newbusiness, there's just something
very, very fun and excitingabout that.
And what we do here atSubscription Box Basics, I mean,
it doesn't take that much time.
You know what I mean?
Like we're podcasting, we'reposting and sending some emails
here and there.
(22:19):
But over these past six plusmonths, Rene and I have both
been, you know, thinking aboutwhat's next for us.
So it's really exciting to sharethese updates about what's next.
And I love, Rene, that you'redoing some of the same stuff
that you did with me at SparkleHustle Grow, and you were so, so
good at.
I mean, We won a cube award thatwas chosen by the people, but it
(22:42):
was a community choice award.
And that just goes to show yourwork really was recognized.
We, I think we got nominated toofor best customer service or
something like that.
Customer experience.
We showed it.
Yes, customer experience.
And so I know you're really goodat that.
It's been recognized publiclythat you're really good at that
type of stuff.
(23:02):
And so I'm really excited thatyou get to.
Use your skills in other boxesthat needed your help.
And I love what we do here, andI love the consulting part of
it.
I love dreaming up ideas with,with box owners.
But I feel like, for me, I wasreally missing the content
creation.
And that has been really, reallyfun to be able to do for, both
(23:26):
when I was helping a coupleboxes launch and now being on
social media teams for theseboxes.
And I feel like I love.
Running with ideas and justbeing able to put things out
there.
So it's, yeah, it's, it's beenfun.
And then we craft box ischildren's craft box.
And I, and before mysubscription journey, I owned a
(23:47):
children's boutique.
So that hosted crafting thingsand I've worked for a preschool
for a decade.
So it's been really fun to likedip into, to go back to my roots
and really dip into that sort ofthing.
And she's well established.
So Betsy Wilde runs WeCraftBox,and we've been friends and
colleagues with her for years.
(24:09):
We've spent time with her atSubSummit before.
I've spent a lot of time in apeer group with her, just like a
peer led mastermind.
And so, really good People overthere.
Great product.
So I'm so excited for you withthat.
Yeah, it's, it's fun.
I'm, I'm so happy.
Both, both good hygiene and wecraft box, but happy, happy to
(24:30):
be on some teams with someamazing people so yeah, excited
for My next venture intosubscription box business is
wherever it continues to takeme, but I'm not going anywhere
for the time being.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so as we've talked about myupdates and your updates, you
guys listening are probablylike, what does this mean for
subscription box basics?
What does this mean foreverything?
Really, there's not a lot ofchanges over here.
(24:52):
We'll give you some updatestogether here next.
But you know, one, we're goingto sub summit next month.
We're super excited to meet someof you.
Hug and fist bump and high fiveall, whoever's going to be
there.
We love meeting people inperson.
We're going to be doing a livepodcast while we're there.
So we're super excited aboutthat.
(25:13):
What else are we doing?
We've got some really coolcollaborations up our sleeves
that are coming out later thisyear.
I can't give you any details,but I'll drop some hints.
We are in conversations withLiam over at Subscription Box
Experts.
We are in some conversationswith Stefan at Subly, which is
(25:34):
our favorite software to runyour subscription box business
on.
In fact, when we're at SubSummitnext month, we are going to be
participating at their booth atthe expo hall.
And you're going to be gettingsome information.
We'll, we'll be sure to sharethat via email, but they are
essentially having like thisgenius bar, kind of like the
(25:55):
Apple genius bar.
They're going to have a Subligenius bar.
So Renee and I will be spendingsome time there.
You'll be able to book some timewith us.
If you want some one on one ortwo on one time with us to talk
shop about any challenges thatyou're going through or.
You know, ask some advice for,or if you need referrals to
(26:15):
certain softwares or whatever.
We're super excited to be a partof that.
So shout out to Subly for havingus there.
And then we're also inconversations with Jess at A
Year of Boxes.
I'm going to be interviewing herat the end of May and so we'll
be able to share all of thatinformation.
But I think you guys know JessPrincipe.
She's my Box Bestie.
(26:36):
We met in 2016 when we were bothfirst launching.
She has been running All GirlShave Club, but also does some
mentorship and some coachingprograms, and now is the owner
of A Year of Boxes, which is areview site.
So we're super excited to unveilall of that information as it
comes out over the next, say,month or so.
(26:57):
Oh, I love doing collabs andstrategic partnerships.
It is just so much fun, and it'salways such a win win.
And it's funny that we keepgoing back to what we'll Talk
about doing one thing or we'llbe go one direction with SBB.
And then it always comes backto, to collabing with people
and, and working with thisamazing subscription box
(27:20):
community.
Agreed.
Agreed.
Okay, so there is one smallchange with subscription box
boot camp that we need to sharewith everyone.
So as Renee and I are kind ofdabbling in some other areas of
the subscription box industry,we had to figure out a way to
manage our time well.
And so what we decided to do iswe are, here on, moving forward,
(27:42):
have switched subscription boxboot camp to a self service one.
And then we also have thesubscription box boot camp study
program.
And so the framework is all thesame.
All that experience, you know,the, the templates and the swipe
files, the video training, allof that information is all the
same.
The only difference really isthat we will no longer be adding
to the subscription box bootcamp group.
There's a Facebook group justfor students that in the past
(28:05):
has been really active andwe've, that's been a way for us
to share resources to connectwith each other.
But in order for us to be ableto manage our time with all the
personal and business thingsthat we have our hands in, we're
just going to be shutting thedoors to that.
Now, if you're already in it,we're going to keep it open.
You can continue to interact inthere, but we don't go in there
(28:29):
as often.
And so as a result of shiftingsubscription box boot camp to a
self study, the great news isthat we've also lowered the
price.
So this was not only because itno longer includes the community
side of it, but also as aresponse to the current economic
environment.
(28:49):
We have talked to so many peoplethat want to launch a
subscription box business andthey need the resources and so
we have lowered the price ofsubscription box bootcamp.
You can get all the detailsright on the website and we've
also created, and you may haveheard this from months past, we
also created the framework intoa printed workbook.
(29:10):
And that workbook is availableon Amazon, it's on print on
demand, so if you order it,it's, I think it's prime
delivery, I really, I think it'sgoing to order, come to your
house in like two to three days.
So we will put all the links tothat in the description.
In the show notes, but what youneed to know is the good news is
that we are making it moreaffordable and we're making it
self study.
(29:30):
You'll still get lifetime accessand, and access to all the
resources, the swipe files,templates, and all the good
stuff.
It's really just, it's a win winfor everyone.
It is.
I'm really excited about it.
The framework is one of thoseframeworks too, that it will, it
will last a long time.
a long, long time.
It's not going to get outdatedbecause the basics of carving
(29:52):
out your concept, you know,researching the competition and
getting your box launched, likethat kind of stuff doesn't
change much.
Marketing changes.
And so that's, one thing youhave to stay on top of.
And we do cover a lot ofmarketing in there, but I feel
super confident that the peoplewho enroll in the self study are
absolutely going to get whatthey need to get their box idea
(30:15):
off the ground.
And we have the self study, butyou can also get the book on its
own, but also get it as an addon too, right?
Exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
So whether you're a digital, anaudio learner, or maybe you are
a pen and paper kind of learnerwhere you, you need to have the
worksheets and stuff, we've gotyou covered either way.
And we want to make sure thatyou get the resources.
(30:37):
We're still going to check inwith you with accountability
emails.
We're still gonna be availablevia email if you have a question
that is really holding you up.
So, I hope that if you've beenon the fence about Subscription
Box Boot Camp, then this mightbe just what you need to
actually take action.
And so if you have any questionsabout that, or if you want to
(30:58):
learn more, You can email us,you can reach us in Instagram
DMs, would love to share moreinformation or help you figure
out if it's the right fit.
But I'm really excited aboutthat direction so that we can
not only fill our buckets, youknow, Renee, you and I working
with other people doing collabsbut also still having this
(31:20):
amazing framework, thesubscription box bootcamp that
we know is tried and true.
It's helped over 550 boxeslaunch.
And you might be next.
Yeah, so definitely DM us too atour Instagram page at
Subscription Box Basics becausewe want to know what you've been
up to, if this episode washelpful at all, if you need any
(31:41):
of those resources that Juliementioned, like if you're
looking for a new box so we cansend you box up, if you have
questions about some of thethings we said, definitely reach
out to us because we're both inthere still all the time and we
would love to chat with you andhelp you further if needed.
Yeah, except if you're at swimpractice, or gymnastics
practice, or, or, broobering.
(32:03):
If it's me, it might take alittle longer to get back to
you.
I'm just joking.
But Julie's really good.
Well, this has been really fun.
I hope you guys have enjoyedhearing what we've been up to,
both personally andprofessionally.
I think it's important to reallyget to know your coaches, to
make sure that they're alignedwith you.
And, honestly I just don't showup on social media as much
(32:27):
anymore, that's where I used todo my updates.
So I felt like this was a longoverdue update.
And thank you so much forlistening, and we'll talk to you
on the next episode.
Bye! Bye!
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