Launch Your Box Podcast with Sarah Williams | Start, Launch, and Grow Your Subscription Box

Sarah Williams
  • 4.9 (163)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

8 years ago I had a dream to start a Subscription Box service full of goodies for women to treat themselves and nurture the importance of self care. It took me a full 18 months to make it happen! I was paralyzed by ‘all the things’ I had to figure out with no one to turn to for guidance. That is why I created Launch Your Box! Maybe you need some direction on how to begin, or you are ready to grow your subscriber base. Either way, it all starts with an idea that can turn into a constant reoccurring revenue, a raving fan base, and a business to love. I will help you... Take your first steps and know where to start. Figuring out the logistics: packing, shipping, boxes, oh my! Learn how to launch, from idea to sales. Scale that box to the next level, go big or go home!

  1. 2d ago

    How a Group of Creatives Made $30k in One Day Live Selling

    6 shows. 1 day. $30,000. We pulled it together a few days before, and some of what sold was ribbon off last year’s Christmas tree. 4 of my creative business friends and I break down how we used Whatnot, a live selling app, to turn craft room clean outs and one of a kind finds into a $30k day, and why teaming up made it bigger than any of us could do alone. In This Episode What Whatnot is and why live selling is having a moment How 6 shows, 3 back to back and 3 at the same time, added up to $30,000 How Tamara’s Whatnot sales grew to $238,000 so far this year, after $180,000 in 2025 First shows: $7,000 for Cindy and $9,000 for Christie What sells, what flops, and what to do when something isn’t selling 1 piece of advice from each of us before your first show Why Live Selling Works on Whatnot Whatnot is a live selling app where buyers bid with a swipe. I started a pair of earrings at $1 and sold them for $16 in about 10 seconds. The stats I pulled estimate $22 billion in sales this year, up from over $8 billion last year. Tamara says Whatnot is now her number 1 revenue stream, more than double her online membership. Most of her buyers are existing customers, and when she last checked, her Shopify sales were up 5%. How 6 Shows Made $30,000 in One Day It started with a message in our group chat. Tamara was going live and asked if anyone wanted to go before or after her. Soon we had 6 shows, each about an hour and a half, and we used a Whatnot raid to send everyone still watching straight into the next show. Kasey Hope of P’zazz Art, who isn’t on this episode, was part of the day too. She made the flyer with all our logos and show times. Nobody had to do a big promotion. As I say in the episode, “there is enough money for all of us.” What Sells and What Flops One of a kind wins. Cindy sold a box of broken orange glass she had hauled around for 10 years for $210. Christie sold an original Social Easel for $125, when new ones sell for $55. The flops teach just as much: original art priced far below shop prices, too many of the same item until bids dropped to $1, and buy it now items that sold out once they went into an auction bundle. Before Your First Show Tamara: watch other people’s shows first Stacey: get creative, you don’t need a warehouse Cindy: use a label printing tool like NotBot to make shipping easier Christie: use shows to test product ideas Me: it can be messy, and you don’t need a listing for everything On November 3, I’m teaching How to Sell on Whatnot inside Launch Your Box. We’ll get on a Whatnot show together so you can see the back end, and I’ll walk you through setup and how to run a show. Join us at joinLYB.com. Resources mentioned: Whatnot Join me for this episode as 4 of my creative business friends and I break down how Whatnot live selling and a raid with friends added up to $30k in one day, plus what sells, what flops, and the advice we’d give before your first show. Find us on Whatnot: Sarah: framedboutique Tamara Bennett, Southern Adornments Decor: southern_adoornments Stacey Collins, Wilshire Collections: wilshirecollections Christie Hawkins, The Social Easel: christie_thesocialeasel Cindy Manly, Art Shattered: artshattered Kasey Hope, P’zazz Art: pzazzart Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join us at joinLYB.com today!

  2. Oct 21

    A Simple Q4 Content Calendar for Subscription Box Owners

    Q4 is when your audience is most ready to buy. It’s also when you have the least amount of time, and content is the first thing to slip. I’m in my 13th Q4 season, and in this episode I’m sharing the simple content calendar that keeps your social media and emails moving through the holidays without adding more to your plate. In This Episode Why holiday content falls apart, and why the fix isn’t more content The attract, nurture, sell framework for every post and every email Why selling should be at least 50% of your Q4 mix, not 100% 30 post ideas, 10 for each bucket What to post if you post once a day, twice a day, 3 or 4 times a day, or aren’t selling right now How to batch 10 to 14 days of content in one sitting Why Holiday Content Plans Fall Apart It usually happens one of three ways. There’s no plan, so every morning starts with “What should I post today?” Selling feels awkward, so the sales posts get skipped. Or everything turns into “let’s just run some ads” because there was no time to post. Every post needs a job. Every job needs a day on the calendar. The Attract, Nurture, Sell Calendar Attract gets new people to you. Nurture builds trust and belief with the people already watching. Sell invites them to take action, with a clear ask, a reason to act now, and a link to purchase. People are shopping for gifts right now, and they expect to see offers. Selling content should be at least 50% of your mix in Q4. Not 100%. When every post is a sales post, engagement drops. 30 Content Ideas and a Batching Plan I walk through 10 ideas for each bucket, from relatable reels and myth busting posts to order packing videos and community wins. For selling, we talk about gifts for a specific person, stocking stuffer add ons, bundles, bestseller of the week, and spots left countdowns. Then I show you how to batch your content in 10 to 14 day sessions and turn your social posts into emails in the same sitting. Grab a notebook before you press play. This month inside Launch Your Box, I taught how to use Claude to create a 30 day social media plan. It’s in the group now. Join me for this episode as I share the attract, nurture, sell plan, 30 post ideas, and the batching rhythm that keeps your content going through the holidays without burning out. Join me in all the places: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SubBoxwithSarah Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/howtostartasubbox/ Launch Your Box with Sarah Website - https://www.launchyourboxwithsarah.com/ Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join us at joinLYB.com today!

  3. Oct 14 ·  Bonus

    Adding An Upsell to Your Subscription Box Checkout

    Do you have extra subscription box product laying around? Product that you’d like to get rid of because it’s taking up space on your shelves and tying up your cash flow? Then this episode is for you!  I was talking with my Mastermind Group on our Voxer channel. One of the many perks of my Mastermind is the members have daily access to me and to each other via this walkie-talkie-style app. We have SUCH great conversations - a ton of knowledge is shared and some seriously valuable relationships have been built.  One of the Mastermind members, Lo Hixon of Passion & Growth, shared her solution to this too much past box product problem so many of us have. She put a one-click upsell at checkout into place during a recent launch. And… more than 40% of the people who signed up for her subscription also bought a leftover box. More than 40%!!  My mind was blown. With this one, simple addition to her checkout page, Lo increased her average order value (AOV) and reduced her inventory. Oh… and she sold these boxes at full price. These boxes were NOT discounted.  Since I was planning my first launch in 3 ½ years when Lo shared this idea, I quickly got my team on board. We set the one-click upsell option up for both my Monogram Box™ subscription and my T-Shirt Club.  The result? We sold 77 boxes! That’s 77 boxes that were laying around on our shelves. Selling them meant cash back in the bank and new subscribers who were super happy to receive a box so quickly!  Setting up a one-click upsell option is simple:  Build the product listing - I recommend making it a “surprise box.”  Build a simple landing page to act as your thank you page.  It’s important that the upsell offer appears AFTER they sign up for your subscription box.  Connect this landing page/thank you page to trigger upon checkout.  Set up an email automation in your email CRM to capture those who signed up for your subscription but did not purchase the upsell.  Why does this work so well? People are signing up NOW. They’re excited - they want something NOW. Give them the chance to get one of your amazing past boxes while they wait for the next month’s box.  Join me for this episode as I share a simple upsell strategy that will reduce inventory, put cash in your bank account, and make new subscribers happy!  Join me in all the places:  ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Launch Your Box with Sarah Website⁠  Are you ready for ⁠Launch Your Box⁠? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. ⁠Join ⁠today!

  4. Oct 7 ·  Bonus

    Raising Prices and Achieving Long-Term Sustainability

    “It takes money to grow.” - Sarah Williams Is it time to raise your prices? After all, costs are up on absolutely everything. Your costs are up - on products, packaging, shipping, and more. Your costs going up means your profit margins are going down.  If you don’t raise your prices, you’ll keep chipping away at your profit margin - and your business won’t be sustainable long term. It takes money to grow your business. A lower profit margin means less money to invest back into your business which means less growth.  I recently had to do something about increased shipping costs in my business. My “free” shipping was costing me more and more of my profit on every order. I had to make a change. I went from free shipping on everything to a flat rate of $6.99 or free shipping on orders over $100.  I worried about what would happen. Would my customers not buy without free shipping? Would my revenues go down? No. Instead:  My average order value increased by 38% - from $48 to $65.  Last month saw a 74% increase in sales year over year.  Not only are my customers still buying, they’re buying MORE to meet the free shipping threshold.  When you decide it’s the right time to increase the price of your subscription, you have two options:  Raise the price across the board for everyone.  Understand and accept that you may have some attrition - but fewer subscribers at a higher price will make you more profitable in the long run.  Run a full marketing campaign notifying subscribers the price is going up and when the increase is effective.  Be transparent about the reasons for the increase. Your subscribers know the price of everything is going up. Make it clear that you want to be around to continue giving them great products in their subscription boxes. Grandfather in your existing subscribers at their current price and increase for any new subscriber. This makes for a GREAT launch campaign. “Get in now before prices go up.”  Older subscribers at the lower rate will go away over time.  You have to raise your prices as your costs rise. You can not sustain your business long term without raising your prices. Join me for this episode as we talk about profit margins, what the increased cost of absolutely everything means for your business, and the right way to increase the price of your subscription box.  What’s the profit margin on your subscription box?  Text “budget” to 940-204-0023 and I’ll send you my box budget calculator.  Join me in all the places:  ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Launch Your Box with Sarah Website⁠  Are you ready for ⁠Launch Your Box⁠? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. ⁠Join the waitlist⁠ today!

  5. Sep 30 ·  Bonus

    Give Q4 a Boost by Staying Focused on Revenue Generating Activities

    Ready or not, the 4th quarter is here. It’s time to sell! The 4th quarter is crucial for any small business. It can make or break your year and generate the momentum you need going into the next year. The 4th quarter matters. I’ve been through nine 4th quarters in my business and I’ve learned a LOT along the way.  In this episode, we’re talking about four areas you need to focus on during this important time of the year in order to maximize your revenue before year-end. Building Your Q4 Sales Strategy  Inventory  Have it Manage it Create demand for it Holiday Promotions Gift Guides  Marketing & Advertising  Email Marketing - the money is in your list!  A consistent plan is crucial. Segment your list and send targeted emails.  Have abandoned cart flows and browse abandonment flows set up!  Social Media Schedule - consistency is king!  Paid Ads - target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. Prepping for Peak Sales Days   Customer Service  Make this a priority!  Schedule time for it! You’ll have a lot of first-time customers - make their experience a good one!  Social Media Response Time Answer questions & respond to comments promptly.  Clearly Communicate Urgency & Deadlines Banners on home page  Flash sales   Promotional codes Free shipping thresholds  Christmas shipping deadlines  Managing Logistics & Fulfillment    Clearly outline shipping and processing timelines.  Make sure you have enough staff to handle the influx of orders.  Hire temporary staff for the holidays. Have current staff work extended days/hours. Conduct a supply inventory NOW!  Bags  Boxes Tape Shipping labels Etc.  Holiday Packaging How will you uplevel your customers’ experience this season?  That sounds like a lot of extra work to do, doesn’t it? And it is. But it is all SO important. So it’s time to ask yourself, “What can I eliminate from my day-to-day so I can focus on these revenue-generating activities?”  Now is not the time to start a blog or podcast. It’s not time to create a new ebook or opt-in. It’s not time to build a new website or plan for 2024.  Now is the time to focus on SALES and the activities that generate those sales.  The 4th quarter is here! Join me for this episode as I walk you through 4 areas of focus you need to jump into right now to make the most of your 4th quarter.  Join me in all the places:  ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Launch Your Box with Sarah Website⁠  Are you ready for ⁠Launch Your Box⁠? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. ⁠Join ⁠today!

  6. Sep 23 ·  Bonus

    Have you been sitting on the sidelines, listening, watching, and waiting to launch your subscription box?  You have an idea, and you’ve taken some steps toward turning those dreams into reality, but something is holding you back.  What if you coul

    Have you been sitting on the sidelines, listening, watching, and waiting to launch your subscription box?  You have an idea, and you’ve taken some steps toward turning those dreams into reality, but something is holding you back.  What if you could test your subscription box idea with your target audience without committing to a full-blown launch? Now is the perfect time to validate your subscription box concept with a carefully curated one-time box.  Retail and e-commerce businesses will see high consumer spending over the next four months. Most will bring in 50% of their total year’s revenue during the next four months. That makes now the best time to test your idea.  During the holidays people are more likely to spend on items for others. They’re looking for something fun and unique, something special that stands out from all the other gifts under the tree.  Your one-time holiday box can be the perfect, thoughtful gift. The ultimate goal is to start, launch, and grow a thriving subscription box business. And a one-time box can be the perfect first step. A one-time box has a lower commitment for customers. It allows you to bring them into your business and then nurture them into being a subscriber.  Your one-time box should be similar to your subscription box idea, appealing to the same ideal customer.  Think about whether the recipients will receive the box before the holidays or as a holiday gift. This determines whether it can be holiday-themed or needs to be an everyday theme.  I do a one-time holiday box every year. My audience loves it, it sells out early every year, and it brings a nice punch of revenue into my business in the 4th quarter. Since it’s intended to be given as a holiday gift (although a lot of my customers buy it as a gift to themselves), the contents of my holiday box do not have a holiday theme. Instead, it contains items similar to those found in my Monogram Box.  A one-time box is your opportunity to get it right. To put together a curated experience that will wow your ideal customer and give them a feel for what they could expect if they became a subscriber.  Now that you’ve curated your one-time holiday box, it’s time to sell it.  Continue the audience building you’ve already been working on. Engage your audience in the process and get their buy-in with polls, behind-the-scenes, and other interactive content.  Plan a launch following the Launch Strategy with socials, lives, emails, and ads. Go all in. To be successful, you need to market your one-time box with a launch.  Create urgency, scarcity, and exclusivity by selling one-time boxes as pre-orders.  Analyze what’s working and what isn’t and adapt.  This process is great for new subscription box owners since you’ll go through a launch, curate a box, market the box, and fulfill the box. You’ll learn a ton about the launch process just by launching a one-time box and be ready to apply that knowledge to launch your subscription box.  Many of my students shifted their entire businesses from successful one-time box offers to subscriptions….because they had proof of concept before turning it into a subscription box. I’ve got a great, free new resource to help you curate a box experience for your subscribers. Join me for this episode as I talk about validating your subscription box idea with a one-time holiday box. Now is the perfect time to get your subscription box dreams off the ground!  Kristy’s Interview - Episode 45 - Journey from One-Time Boxes to a Thriving Monthly Subscription  Nicole’s Interview - Episode 13 - A Passion for Animals Turns into 500 Monthly Subscribers Curating a Box Experience for Your Subscribers  Join me in all the places:  Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website  Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

  7. Sep 16

    It's Not Too Late: How to Launch Your Subscription Box Before the End of the Year

    It’s not too late to launch your subscription box this year. Q4 can be a great time to launch. People are already spending money on themselves and buying gifts for others. They understand deadlines, order-by dates, and limited-time offers because those things are already part of this season. You don’t have to create that urgency. It’s already there. Launching later in the year can work. I’ve had a member launch in December with the plan for subscribers to receive their first box in early January. She worked with the calendar instead of letting the calendar stop her. The thing holding most people back isn’t really the calendar. It’s that they don’t feel ready. You Don’t Have to Feel Ready to Launch You might be telling yourself you need a bigger audience first. Or a better website, professional packaging, a more polished brand. But none of those things are requirements for launching your first subscription box. The first version of your subscription box does not need to be the forever version. You’ll learn and make changes every time you launch. But you have to start. What Do You Really Need to Launch? You need: One clear offer: If you’re going through Subscription Box Week, this is exactly what we’re working on together.  One waitlist or sales page One email CRM connected to that page Three to five pieces of content That’s it. Your goal is to launch, not to create a flawless first version. Why Subscription Box Week Is Your Moment One of the hardest parts of launching something on your own is that it’s easy to keep moving the date. Next week becomes next month. Next month becomes next year. Subscription Box Week gives you a real date on the calendar. You’ll also be doing this alongside a community of other sellers who are sharing that energy and momentum with you. Instead of your subscription box being something you’re going to launch “someday,” there’s a specific week when you’re going to make it real. If you’ve been thinking you missed your chance to launch this year, you haven’t. You have time. You have a plan. And you do not have to wait until you feel completely ready. Don’t put it off until next year. Subscription Box Week Join me in all the places:     Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website  Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

  8. Sep 9

    6 Habits to Start Right Now for Your Best Q4 Ever

    Q4 is coming, but preparing for it isn't about having a perfect plan. It's about creating the habits and rhythms in your business now, before the busy season hits. If you don't have these habits in place yet, you're not behind. August, September, and even early October are still the right time to start. In this episode, I'm sharing six habits to start building now to help you prepare for Q4 plus one bonus tip I learned the hard way during my first few busy holiday seasons. Create a Consistent Content Rhythm Get Consistent with Video Run One List Builder Increase Your Email Touch Points Block Time for Inventory and Orders Protect Your Peace and Your Pace Don't Forget January and February I've learned this one the hard way. For two years, I was so focused on getting products and promotions ready for Q4 that I failed to plan my January and February subscription boxes. When December arrived, I had to scramble to find products that were still available and pay extra for expedited shipping. As you're planning for Q4, don't forget that the calendar keeps moving. Make sure you have your January and February boxes planned and products on the way so you're not scrambling at the end of December. Start with One Habit If you're looking at these six habits and realizing you're not doing any of them consistently, don't try to start all six at once. Pick one. If you're not consistent with your content, start there. Spend the first couple of weeks building that rhythm. Once it feels comfortable, start adding consistent video. Then keep working your way down the list. Habits take time to build, and trying to change everything at once creates overwhelm. I've built my own business one habit at a time. I got consistent with my podcast before adding YouTube, and even with the podcast, it took time before I was able to start batch recording episodes a month ahead. You don't have to be perfect or have everything figured out at once. Choose one habit, get consistent with it, and then build from there. And if email is one of the habits you need to work on, I've got a resource to help. Grab my 5 Emails for Subscription Box Owners swipe files at the link below to help you start showing up consistently in your subscribers' inboxes. Five Emails Subscription Box Owners Can Send Every Month Join me in all the places:     Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website  Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

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8 years ago I had a dream to start a Subscription Box service full of goodies for women to treat themselves and nurture the importance of self care. It took me a full 18 months to make it happen! I was paralyzed by ‘all the things’ I had to figure out with no one to turn to for guidance. That is why I created Launch Your Box! Maybe you need some direction on how to begin, or you are ready to grow your subscriber base. Either way, it all starts with an idea that can turn into a constant reoccurring revenue, a raving fan base, and a business to love. I will help you... Take your first steps and know where to start. Figuring out the logistics: packing, shipping, boxes, oh my! Learn how to launch, from idea to sales. Scale that box to the next level, go big or go home!

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