- Female Startup Club's Newsletter
- Posts
- We have lift-off 🚀; My Story; A Magic Growth Formula; & Getting in the Spirit!
We have lift-off 🚀; My Story; A Magic Growth Formula; & Getting in the Spirit!
Where women in ecommerce come to get their key insights, tips and tactics
Hi! I’m Doone, your hype girl in business. This is your weekly source of inspiration & information on all things in the female e-commerce and CPG space, read by like-minded Entrepreneurs like you. If you find value in this content please like & share above, or take 60 seconds to fill out our anonymous survey at the end of this email.
Move over Richard - Hype Club Has Lift-Off 🚀
This is huge. To recap what’s happening inside the Hype Club:
✨ Direct Modern Mentorship: the women who are guests on the show are going to be coming in and giving their brain power to YOU & your business
✨ Community: Build your network of women who are creating the next wave of impactful brands in the e-commerce/CPG space
✨ Access to our team of experts for a series of Power (Office) Hour chats and masterclasses! (including a resident business marketing coach, Facebook ad expert, systems & process queen + more)
“You might be building a brand and you might not have a network yet. Entrepreneurship can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.”
Today, we have opened the door to 50 founding members at a heavily discounted rate. The response has been total fire, but we still have a few spots and if you’re actively building a CPG brand - we want you. Become a Founding Member below before we move the pricing from $39 per month to $199 per month👇
The launch of the Hype Club marks a big change for FSC and had me reflecting on the wild ride so far. This was probably THE best time to record my first solo episode, a goal I had set myself for the podcast and have been slightly terrified of ever since.
“Do things differently. Hustle. Be bold. Entrepreneurship doesn’t need to be lonely. Let’s do this together, and let’s do wild stuff.”
This is my story, for you. Where I came from (spoiler; the middle of nowhere), why Female Startup Club exists, (and all the failures that lead me here) as well as what the future holds.
🔑 Insights From This Week’s Episodes on the Female Startup Club Podcast
Directly from the women building the world’s most exciting businesses in the e-commerce and CPG space.
1. The Magic Growth Formula 🪴
EP181: Allison’s growth strategy has led to Type:A becoming a 7-figure business and being stocked in over 1400 doors nationwide. We figured that might be some knowledge worth getting in on. Her magic formula?
Starter Email List 📬
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Instagram followers are not your followers. They are just people that follow you. Your mailing list is yours. These are your people. Gaining those folks is really important. They’ve opted in.
“Investing in this pre-launch did get us off to a really strong start.”
Organic Influencers 🤳
Something that worked very well for Type:A in the early days? Gifting products to micro-influencers brought a high ROI and response rate.
“It was the effect of having the constant chatter of the product happening, hitting the same demo and same people over and over again from different places.”
This strategy is very much in line with a tip Ali Bonar mentioned on the show back in March, that’s definitely worth noting:
“Try to pick influencers in every sphere people associate themselves with. You make people feel like you are ‘everywhere’, as you’re completely infiltrating their filter bubble.”
Very Public Relations 🗣️
Time and time again, our guest entrepreneurs tell us that PR is one of the first (and most impactful) things they outsource for their business. As Bill Gates put it:
“If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” 💰
PR should be considered as damn good advertising. It’s advertising from an earned source. For Allison, the PR strategy was all about getting that conversation going in an impactful way. Making sure there was a consistent buzz around Type:A, in spaces that truly represent the brand.
2. That’s the Spirit! 🥃
EP183: If you’re in the alcohol industry or wanting to launch a spirits brand, this episode is a must. I got to chat with the Founder of Kasama Rum, Alexandra Dorda. (She’s also the daughter of the guy who founded Belvedere and Chopin vodka way back in the early 90’s, so she’s got insights worth sharing.)
How do you find success in the industry? Having a really strong concept 💪
And what obstacles might you face? When you’re dealing with alcohol, it’s not like other industries. It’s highly regulated, which can lead to a number of issues.
Margins are not what they appear: there are so many stages and actors involved because of the nature of the product. It’s called the 3 tier system!
The moment when your consumer sees your brand and the moment they can actually buy it may be very far apart (due to an inability to sell DTC)
Difficulty in navigating rules and regulations on labelling
However, don’t let this put you off. “It’s such a great time to be a woman in this space.” Consumers are looking for something new. Consumers are buying what their values are, and retailers are really listening. We’re shaking up the industry! Take advantage of the power, innovation and excitement you can bring to any male dominated industry.
Dusting Off The Catalog: CBD 🦄
The CBD industry is flourishing. These ladies will show you.
What’s on this week? 👀
Let’s see what we have in store for you this week…
TUES: Coco Meers and Marcy Capron-Vermillion from Equilibria - Premium CBD by Women, For You 🖤
THURS: Lindsay Holden from Odele - Clean, salon-grade, cruelty-free hair care products ✨
SAT: Our very own Doone Roisin - Doing the big reveal on her new CPG brand (which has no name!)🍷
Click here to tune in! 🎧
A Quick Recap on Industry News 🗞
Glossier Raises $80M Series E, Valuing Company at whopping $1.8 Billion. Jinx’s Terri Rockovich in The Hustle. The Artemis Fund is focusing on women founders in underserved communities. Tech companies are going to Mars: why is there still a lack of diversity? Entrepreneur Mona Kab Omir Co-Founds Covid test app. You’re a founder, not a female founder.
What to Read, What to Listen to 🤔
📚 The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz: One of Silicon Valley's most experienced entrepreneurs offers essential advice on building and running a startup.
🎧 The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Mark Hyman: A place for deep conversations about the critical issues of our time in the space of health, wellness, food, and politics.
Job Alert Time! 💼
Check out these cool job listings on our radar:
REMOTE 🌎
Kasama Rum’s Founder Alexandra Dorda is looking for a Marketing Director, you can email her directly here. (& check out her ep, it’s a goody!)
LA 🌇
NYC 🗽
Hey, from the Founder 👋
If you’re working on something cool, hit reply and pop into my inbox. I’d love to meet you and hear about it.
PS: To help us make this newsletter even better, help us out with a cheeky 60 second survey (ANONYMOUS) HERE! 🙏
Reply