I’ve had a fabulous week with some massive highs, but last night I couldn’t sleep.
At last, at 5.00am, with the aid of a little light YouTube, I dropped off.
The reason for my sudden visit from the Insomnia Fairy?
I was a little miffed and a lot excited.
I chat with my mum daily on FaceTime. I know she’s lonely since my aunt passed away last year and, even though we are miles apart, it’s so lovely to be able to see and hear her. Most of the time it’s only the top of her head and a significant amount of wall and ceiling, or her finger, but still.
“Mom! That little box in the corner shows you what I can see! Make sure you’re in it!”
Anyway, the thing with my mum is that there’s no gap. Stimulus-Response.
No pause in the middle.
Which means some things she says can come across as quite harsh.
When my last launch, my first full one, was more successful than I could possibly have hoped it would be, her immediate response was “Is it legal?”
Sigh.
Yes, Mom. Legal and ethical and giving masses of value. I went on to point out that I kept being told (and still do!) to put my prices up, too.
“But what if they want a refund?”
Sharp intake of breath.
Now, I am a notorious People Pleaser and Over Giver, so at the time this really struck a chord. The fact is that, at this present moment, we are now on Week 11 of a 12 week live training course, the done-for-you VIP clients’ POD plans are well underway and the video series PODSTARTers are fully videoed up.
We’ve had some wonderful feedback and I sincerely hope that I am giving the magic of print on demand and what branded merch can do for business owners the verve and passion it truly deserves.
All is good and we are preparing for our second free Challenge of the year, and its associated Launch, which begins on June 7th in the Branded & Covered FB Group with Jo Wildsmith.
So all is good. Great, in fact. Stupendous.
Then last month, some girls I used to work with came for the day. We had a super time, out in the sunshine, eating nibbles and sipping wine.
As we chatted and giggled, conversation inevitably turned to what we were doing in their careers and my business.
When I told them, one immediately quizzed me “But how many refunds have you had to give?”
It stopped me short and my mum’s words came flooding back.
When I told her none, she asked me again later, and again after that.
Truly, NONE.
Again, I was a little stung by this, but this time I was more defiant. I know my offerings are outstanding value and I know what I do benefits people.
Let’s come back to this week…
This week, I have welcomed several guests to speak in Branded & Covered’s Facebook Groups. They all brought masses of insight and perfectly managed to strike the balance between being entertaining and informative.
I’m sure that Kate and Theresa won’t mind me saying, though, that being treated to an hour with Greg Writer, CEO of Launch Cart, on a live stream from San Diego was pretty exceptional!
Greg is approachable, down to earth and funny in a way that belies his incredible entrepreneurial brain and hugely successful business background. At 21 he was the youngest person to ever have owned an investment bank - and that was just the beginning. Once he discovered the power of the (at the time fledgling) internet, he was able to flourish further and faster.
Greg has spent the last three years building and growing a website platform that integrates naturally and seamlessly with the world’s biggest and most efficient print on demand fulfilment company. As it’s all already there, your ecommerce site loads far faster than one slowed down by apps and add-ons. We all know that those first precious seconds when someone lands on your Home page are vital. Slow loading means people give up and you have lost them. What a waste of all that effort (and often advertising cost) to bring them to your site!
All of which puts Launch Cart firmly on our radar. Module 9 of the Create Your Own Merch 12 week course ALREADY focused on Launch Cart and showed how to use it for your own merch store.
What Greg has now brought to the table, though, is giving me the knowledge and information to be able to help with this EVEN MORE. EVEN BETTER. To give B&C students and VIPs an unparalleled experience and beautiful, intuitive ecommerce merch stores.
As you can tell, I’m a whole heap of excited and buzzing about all this, as are my current cohort of PODders.
So, last night, I FaceTimed the mothership to tell her all about this and my glee was immediately met with “Why would someone like that give you his time?”
Huh. More of a jaw drop than a mic drop.
Maybe Greg realises that we at Branded & Covered are onto something here.
The same thing that I KNOW we are.
As one of our lovely course and plan Alumni said, and in fact launched a superb hashtag for, during the live stream: #Gregknows.
SO, did my mum’s comment hurt and nag me? Is that why I couldn’t sleep?
No.
Part of me, I admit, was a little cross that despite everything we have achieved at Branded & Covered, friends and family still don’t understand what we do, why or how.
Which is OK. Because our PODders do. The people we serve do.
Aside from that, I felt sad that Mom couldn’t enjoy this moment with me, that her own (and my friend in April’s) perceptions clouded their view.
The rest of my Wide Awake Club state? Pure excitement and a brain brimming over with possibilities as to where this is going.
I am so grateful and happy that you are on this journey with me, with Branded & Covered.
Hold onto your Hollyhocks (or your hat if you prefer)!
We are all in this at exactly the right time for us,
Jo xx.
PS If you are NOT in the Branded & Covered FB Group with Jo Wildsmith, please do click here to come along and join – it is the ONLY way you will be able to take part in the free Challenge and find out more about the wonders of POD and this incredible voyage we are setting sail upon.
And if you happen to know someone who is already one of our esteemed B&C Alumni, you might want to ask them about their own merch journey.
By the way, if you would like to learn more about Greg, and why all of us who were on the FB live or have since caught up on #replay are a little giddy, please do click here to watch it and here to read his bio.
If you would like to talk Launch Cart with me or find out about Branded & Covered's upcoming Challenge, book a virtual cuppa with me here.
I'd also like to point out that once Mom has had a chance to mull it all over - which usually takes 3 days - she seems to "get it" and is actually really supportive, if a little apologetic over her initial response. I know and fully appreciate that she loves me and is wanting to protect me.