Hey! It’s Doone, your hype girl in business. This one goes out to all of us confused which day it is, and even more confused by the fact it’s already the end of February (when did that happen?). You’re not alone!

Let’s get into it 👇

Have you been getting itchy feet to go IRL shopping recently? That thing we used to do. Where you go to a shop, see a product you like, and purchase it from (usually) a human. Well, you’re not the only one. The crazy online shopping boom is behind us, friends. This is not a drill: retail is back.

This week, Hannah chatted to us about how she managed to secure 110 retailers within the first 6 months of launching Peppermint Grove (and how she’s replicating the strategy to do it all over again with Moss St. Fragrances). Let’s get straight into the ✨genius✨ 3-step process:

I’d never heard of this before, and I love it. Hannah started off developing her brand WITH retail stores, not FOR them.

Take each bit of feedback with a grain of salt, but this insight is so useful. Retailers are the eyes and ears directly engaging with your end consumer, they know what the customer wants. The bonus? In the meantime you develop these valuable relationships. The 15 stores Hannah has been doing this were super invested - they were a part of this journey. Of course they all wanted to wanted to place wholesale pre-orders prior to launch.

With the initial concept approved it’s time to double down. Identify the “it”-store in each state and the rest will flock to you. Take the product, pound the pavement with this new store, and always leave them with a sample. You want these retailers to be your modern-day influencers. With a couple of retail stores in your back-pocket from STEP 1 and a winning attitude you’ve got this one in the bag.

Now you’ve well-and-truly established yourself amongst a number of stores, it’s time to show off your progress at a trade show. This is the opportunity to get yourself in front of all your dream retailers, network your tush off and establish yourself as a serious player in the space. Hannah walked away from her first trade show with a whopping 70 new retailers signed, bringing her total up 110. Not bad for 6-months on the job as a one-woman-show.

Listen to Hannah on the podcast →

Kaylin’s key piece advice from selling 250,000 units of Jiggy Puzzles? Take a grassroots and community-driven approach. It’s a long play, but it’s what makes your business authentic & (importantly) defensible.

Today’s task: put 10 minutes aside, sit down and think about what community means to you (beyond your customers). Answer the following questions:

You’d be surprised how much a simple exercise will clarify about the essence of what your brand really is. Have a real good think about it. Don’t leave any opportunity for community-building on the table. Together we thrive!

Listen to Kaylin on the podcast →

A universal founder problem we all (unfortunately) deal with? Needing more money. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of grants and accelerators that are live right now - and we’re keeping it updated weekly. Get full access when you share this newsletter with your friends (at the bottom of this email):

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