This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
In some ways it's every maker or creators dream to go viral. Like you imagine your business just gets a ton of orders all of a sudden or your video takes off and gets millions of views in a short period of time. Well, that can be great, but it can also create lots of logistical problems. And that's exactly what we're gonna hear about in today's episode. It's a really fun story.
This side hustler is sewing in her living room. And then all of a sudden she gets 500 orders and a five day shipping promise that is basically impossible to meet. She goes from having a small number of orders to all of a sudden one of her videos blows up and then everybody buys stuff. And then she's like, well, what do I do now? Because this is a very manual labor intensive process.
So let's break down what you might do in this situation or what she can do. How can you keep buyers on your side and hopefully turn what seems like an impossible cue into a wait list that fuels the next stage of growth? Or at least hopefully gets her over this process. Again, good problem to have, but it's a problem. So what do you do when you get this huge, huge spike of orders and you can't actually meet demand?
That's today's scenario. Detailed question from Valerie and my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hi Chris, this is Valerie, new to the podcast, but I've been a fan of your other work. Last weekend, a TikTok clip of my hand printed tote bags racked up 2 million views, I know. And overnight, I woke up to nearly 500 paid orders.
Sounds amazing, except I can realistically sell maybe 40 totes a week. The store says shipping in five days, the emails are piling up. And I'm terrified of wrecking my brand with delays or sloppy quality. How do I keep my customers happy, refund the right way if needed and protect my reputation when demand has completely outpaced production? [Music]
Well, waking up to 500 paid orders.
Yeah, I mean, it's stressful, but it's also pretty cool. So let's just celebrate that. And obviously you could just cancel some of those orders. Like if you really didn't have the space or capacity to fill them at all, you can just say, hey guys, sorry, we got too many orders, here's your money back. And nobody can really complain.
I mean, some people might complain, but they really can't. I think maybe it's better to freeze the meter. Like first things first, like switch the product immediately to sold out or pre-order so that that queue stops growing. And you add a little note, hey, thanks to a big surge, new totes ship in six to eight weeks, for example, whatever it is. Step two, send a radical honesty email.
Just basically explain the situation. Say, hey, like your tote is coming, but here's the honest timeline. Like here's what happened. We got a ton of orders. Am I gonna get to making them?
Absolutely. Are you gonna get it tomorrow? Probably not. Well, definitely not actually. So basically say, if you want to cancel, no problem.
Get an instant refund. If you wanna keep waiting, cool. Here's how it's gonna work. It will take X amount of time. And if you want to, you can offer like a stay bonus.
Like if you stick around, we'll give you a matching zipper pouch or a 10% refund, whatever it is. Most excited buyers are gonna choose the bonus and wait, you know, but some might cancel and that's okay. Then I guess you kind of consider what kind of help do you need, you know, and don't go out and hire people for the long term. Like don't assume that this is the new normal for your business. So you really just look for a contract help.
Like can you hire sewists off Facebook groups or Upwork for piece rate payment, or maybe just from your local store, that might be the best bet. Even one extra person, you know, can double your weekly output. Or maybe you outsource the prep. Like I don't know exactly how it works, but is there a way to do pre-cut fabric or screen print panels at a local shop perhaps where you do the final stitching. You know your business much better than me, but there might be some way you could outsource some step of it.
And then before you turn the orders back on, you make sure you catch up in the queue. And yeah, you're gonna be working for a while, but this is what you wanted, right? As I said, if you hate it, if you really are just overwhelmed, then you can cancel, you know, half the orders or whatever number you want. I just think there probably is a way to make it work for you. And most people will be happy with waiting.
And those who aren't can indeed cancel, get their money back. But again, congratulations, well done. Show the rest of us how to do it. Listeners, let us know what you think. If you've had this experience or something else, sidehustleschool.com.
This was episode 3,198. Just two to go to cross over into 3,200 and beyond. I'm so grateful for you. All episodes are always free. My name's Chris Guillebeau.
This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
