This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Oh, hey there, what's up? My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. I have the privilege of bringing you a different episode every day. Oftentimes I'm telling stories.
You get that for 1,000 days in a row, 2017 to 2019. Different stories of real people out there starting money-making projects without quitting their job. Now we're still doing that twice a week, but the rest of the year in 2020 is all about interaction. Listener questions and answers, looking specifically at all the different projects people out there are starting. Kind of dissecting them, how do they get their ideas, how do they make them happen, et cetera.
So it's kind of like that same case study model, but we're doing it directly with you and in real time. So it's my hope that lots of people out there can learn from the process of what a single person every day is doing. All right, so today's caller has made a foldable tote bag attached to a set of eating utensils. How will she find her ideal customers? Now, by the way, what do I mean by ideal customer?
Well, in my book, Cytosil, From Idea to Income in 27 Days, day number eight is all about having imaginary coffee with your ideal customer. You can learn a lot more about that process in the book, but the short version is I really do believe that rather than thinking about a target market, which can seem kind of big and overwhelming, imagining just a single person, a single ideal customer, can really help you hone in on the best way to reach that person, how to market to them, how to communicate with them in general. So in this episode, understanding the market or the ideal customer for this product, and some ideas on how to find them. [Music]
Hi, Chris, my name is Cherise, I'm coming from Detroit. My problem is that I have an eco-friendly product that I can only make in small batches.
It is a tote bag attached to a set of eating utensils, and I think it would make a great souvenir for a zoo. I am not great at sales, and I wanted to know if there's a way that I can become a small-time supplier for a zoo or a park, and if this is a wise thing to do, because again, the product that I have is not something that probably that you would buy off of a shelf, it's more of a souvenir, and I can only make it in small batches. Thank you. [Music]
Okay, so first things first, well, thank you Cherise, that's the first thing, but first thing second, fork in the rose is a great name. These days, more and more people are eco-conscious, and not just eco-conscious as a value, but they're actively making buying decisions based on that value, which is really key because you need people's actions to be connected to their values, or you could reasonably ask, is it really their value?
Because for years, if you ask most people, like, do you care about the environment, just about every person would say yes, but that doesn't necessarily connect to making those buying decisions, all right? So here we're talking about literally putting your money where your mouth is, you know, since it's a utensil kit. Okay, so a couple of good things there, but there are some challenges. First, you have the problem of only being able to make these kits in small batches. Now, in some notes you sent us by email, you mentioned looking at Alibaba in search of a supplier, but haven't found anything yet.
I think it's okay to defer that process a bit, but obviously, if your product turns out to be a success, you'll need to figure it out. Second, who is the market, or who is the ideal customer? Let's say, who is the actual buyer? Selling them one by one at a low price point is going to be hard. Now, I agree with you that the market is more wholesale, or group, or company, organization-based.
I'm not sure, however, that end users wouldn't buy them. In other words, I don't know that they have to be souvenirs, like you suggest. Either way, though, you face the same challenge, which is selling one way or another to companies, organizations, stores, or groups, which is a B2B, or business-to-business model. Now, most people will be successful, especially when you're getting going, focusing on either a direct-to-consumer sales model, or through a wholesale model, like this one. And over time, you might end up doing both, but I think it's better to first prove that the concept is viable one way or another.
And to do that, ultimately, you want to go where people are. Like you mentioned a zoo or a park, being an ideal customer, maybe. But I also think if you let go of the souvenir idea, there are a lot more options. We had a story about 10 days ago. It was episode 1105 about a woman who sold eco-friendly dental floss.
And her plan was to drive around to natural food stores in the state of Maine and sign up vendors there. I think she ended up having a website that took off, so she went that direction instead. But first, she was thinking, you know, I'm going to make these connections, these relationships, and that's how I'm going to build the initial sales, which does seem logical to me. Now, in this case, for Cherise, she is the evangelist. It's her product.
But I think she needs some allies and supporters in the retail world to make this work. So I often hear from people who are uncomfortable selling. I totally understand that. That's why I encourage you to think of it as relationships instead, because again, this is something you're very passionate about. So I would look at trade shows.
I would ask around. I would go to natural food stores. I bet you'll find in this kind of thing that one connection leads to another. And if selling, quote unquote, selling feels uncomfortable, then approach it in whatever way feels more natural to you. Ultimately, your goal here is to solve a problem and to support more sustainable picnicking and eating on the go.
So maybe a good question to ponder is, who else might be interested in the fork and the rose solution? [Music]
Definitely let us know what happens as you proceed. And listeners, do you have a question? Well, if so, the solution is simple. At least the solution to asking that question.
Just come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. As you can tell by now, we'll be featuring them throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. Today's notes are at sidehustleschool.com/1117. That would be 1117. We now include transcripts and a foldable podcast listening back.
At least one of those two. All right, thanks so much. More is coming up. This is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
