Speaker 1: 0:00

So you want to launch a subscription box and don't know where to start? Girl, you are in the right place. I'm Julie Ball and I'm Renee Gonzalez, your host here at Subscription Box Basics, a podcast for new and aspiring subscription box entrepreneurs wanting to avoid overwhelm. So grab a coffee, some pen and paper and let's have some fun. Hey everybody, and welcome back to Subscription Box Basics. This is Julie Ball, your head coach, and today I'm going to do a quick episode on five tips for people who are new to business.

Speaker 1: 0:35

So, if you are a new or aspiring entrepreneur, specifically in the subscription box world but this could really apply to anything, but these are for the newbies so often I get asked where do I start with something? Where do I start with my subscription box idea? Where do I start when I'm trying to launch a business? Now, there's tons of advice out there that are maybe the seven steps to starting a business, or the 10 things that you have to do, and those are going to be really tactical things like register your business, get your LLC, set up a business bank account. So those things yes, those are really important, but that's not what we're talking about today. These five tips probably common sense to some of you. Some of you might be hearing this type of thing for the first time. It's where this might just be a really good reminder. So I'm just going to start with some tips that have helped me along the way. If you don't know my backstory, just know that I have been an entrepreneur since 2011. I have run service-based businesses, product-based businesses, I'm a podcaster, author, speaker, have done all the things and so I have a lot of experience across a lot of different types of businesses, and these tips have been so helpful along the way. You can plug them into any type of business. So let's get started.

Speaker 1: 1:54

So the first one is to just get a notebook and do a brain dump. I know that is a really weird word brain dump but it is the perfect explanation for what I'm talking about. We, as entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs, probably have so many ideas. You just really need to get them out of your head and onto paper, because they are going to create chaos in your brain. I don't know about you, but so often I have a hard time going to sleep or staying asleep because my mind is racing, and so what I do is I take all those ideas, put them down on paper or, if you prefer, digitally, use the Reminders app in your phone or something like that. The point is to just get those ideas out of your head and on paper and that you may come back to them and reflect on them, maybe circle the ones that you really want to pursue. Some of them are just fleeting ideas that you're not actually going to pursue, but by getting them out of your head you're going to allow your mind to rest, you're going to give that white space back in your brain so that you can actually get creative and get some clarity on which things you're going to pursue. So number one is brain dump and again, I do this at night a lot. I will have a notepad and pen next to my bed and I like to drink Kava Stress Relief Tea, and that is a tea that helps my brain stop running in circles. I'll link that in the show notes if you want to try some of it. It's delicious, but it's soothing and it really, really makes a difference with that hamster wheel at the end of the night.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Okay, number two is get in community, get around people that are doing the same thing as you so that you don't have to do this alone. I'm not trying to tell you to get into an echo chamber that you're only going to hear the things that you think already or hear what you want to hear. This is about getting in community and being able to both give and take in a community. So if you're only asking questions and you're not giving anything back, that's not a good relationship in that community. You don't want to be just a taker, you want to give advice too, and that can be as simple as saying how can I support you today? I love asking my colleagues how can I support you today? Because they need support, just like you do, and you want to have that good give and take relationship. So number two is get in community, be active, but don't just be a taker. Be a giver too.

Speaker 1: 4:21

The next one is to ask questions. So if you're in community, you have access to so many different people. They're diverse backgrounds, they have different experiences. Just ask questions. If you're struggling in your business, it's okay to ask questions. You can ask them to us if you have subscription box business questions or just entrepreneurial questions in general. But make sure that you're finding yourself in communities where it is safe to ask and you can get good feedback when you ask those questions and people give their perspectives, actually listen and reflect on those things. So often people ask questions and then they don't even listen, and so I want you to be an active listener when you are asking questions and people are giving you advice or giving you feedback or even just their perspective. A lot of times when someone asks me a question, especially with business, I'll say well, there's a lot of ways this can be done, but here's my experience, my point of view. Maybe you can learn from that or maybe that'll inspire you to take action in your own way. So the third one is ask questions.

Speaker 1: 5:33

The fourth one is to literally just be resourceful, and what I mean by that is you have so much information and help at your fingertips, but you have to take action and be resourceful. There are so many books on things. There's, of course, google, which can be the Wild Wild West, but if you are very specific in your search, you can find some great information online. Being resourceful means, if you're in a Facebook group, use the search function to look up specific topics. People will ask the same questions over and over and over, but if you just use that search feature in a Facebook group. You're gonna see all the conversations that have happened along the way. You're gonna save time, but it's also gonna get you the answers that you need.

Speaker 1: 6:21

Being resourceful can mean actually searching through things, looking at what resources you already have, for example, our podcast. You can be resourceful and take a look at past episodes. You don't have to just listen to future ones, and, in fact, I encourage you to listen to past episodes If you're brand new here. In the fall of 2023, we did a six part series called Back to the Basics. That's a great place to start if you're new here, and I know a lot of people that actually go back months and years on our podcast or other podcasts so that they have resources. These things already exist. It's just a matter of opening your eyes. Sometimes things are right in front of our face, but it's a matter of opening your eyes and seeing what resources actually lie before you. You have far more resources available to you now than any time in the past history.

Speaker 1: 7:19

When it comes to entrepreneurship, starting a business, the steps you need to take. So be resourceful and you will find yourself making much more progress, and the last one is to find a mentor. What I found over the years in my own entrepreneurial journey is I feel less alone, I feel more supported and I feel more inspired when I have found a mentor that not only aligns with me and my values and my goals, but is a couple of steps ahead of me in my journey. That way I can learn from them, and I love playing this role and I know Renee does too. In the subscription box world, we love being your mentor. We love going first, trying to figure it out, sharing our experience so you can get to your goals faster. So find yourself a mentor, but, again, make sure that they align with you as a person, your values, your vision and your goals.

Speaker 1: 8:21

But I will warn you keep your eyes on your own goals. Don't try to have what they have. Don't try to set your sights on their goals. Stay firmly planted in your own goals. Right now, this is a great time for goal setting. I'm sure you've set some goals already for the year. Just take a look at those goals and make sure that they reflect your version of success and not someone else's. I love this one quote that I've seen over the years. It says her success is not your failure. So just because someone else reaches six figures or someone else reaches that coveted 100 subscriber mark, that doesn't mean you're a failure. Be glad for them, be excited about it and support them, but stay rooted in your own goals. So I know this was another quick episode. I love these quick episodes because I feel like we can make a lot of progress with not a lot of fluff.

Speaker 1: 9:16

So let's recap those five tips I have for the newbies. It's number one brain dump all your ideas so you can make some white space in your brain for creativity and you can actually focus on the ideas that you want to move forward with. Number two get in a community. Find yourself a squad that you can learn from and that you can give back to. Number three ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask. Just ask. You never know. Just ask for a deeper discount with your product vendors. Just ask questions if you feel stuck somewhere. We love to talk shop, so ask any questions you want in our DMs. Number four be resourceful. Use the resources that you already have at your fingertips. Don't expect everyone to spoon feed you exactly what you need. Be resourceful. And number five find a mentor. Find someone who is several steps ahead of you, that has already paved the way and you can learn from. Trust me, this is gonna be one of the most impactful things that you have in your toolbox.

Speaker 1: 10:22

So that wraps up today's episode. Stay tuned, because we're gonna be releasing some new training later this month. We're super excited and we're going to open subscription box bootcamp up for enrollment. So if this is something that you've been thinking about, if this is a goal for you in the new year to finally launch your amazing subscription box business idea, then definitely stay tuned. You can get on our email list if you just go to subscriptionboxbasicscom and you can join the email list there, and while you're there, you'll find tons of resources. So definitely you can go there to be resourceful. We have tools, we have the podcast, we have video training and, again, we're gonna be releasing some new training later this month. So stay tuned. Thanks for listening, as always, and we'll see you in the next episode. Bye, we'll see you in the next episode.