Welcome to Episode 59 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Maker Story introduces you to Dawn Fitch of Pooka Pure and Simple in Newark, New Jersey. While employed as a professional graphics artist nearly 20 years ago, Dawn received a health diagnosis that caused her to change her life. Along with her diet, she decided to alter the types of bath and body products she used.
With the encouragement of her friends, she started making products for herself. Eventually, she set up a booth at a local show and what do you know? She sold out of everything. Since at the time, Dawn had been laid off at her corporate job, it was the perfect time to dive in to see if she could birth a real business. And so she did! You can get the rest of the story in today's episode.
You'll learn all about that and more in this episode, which is also filled with Dawn's tips to help you be more successful on your entrepreneurial journey. Enjoy my interview with Dawn NOW!
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Episode Show Notes
Here are the topics discussed in this episode, with time stamps to help you find the information that most interests you:
- Dawn shares the story of how she started her business, including transitioning from the traditional work world to her own business. (starting at 2:47)
- Growing your life as you also grow your business, according to Dawn. (starting at 8:16)
- Dawn's thoughts on integrating your business and your personal brand. (starting at 10:17)
- What Pooka stands for. (starting at 18:08)
- Dawn shares the ins and outs of her rebrand, including the vendors she used and recommends. (starting at 22:13)
- Dawn's social media video strategy. (starting at 34:00)
- How Dawn successfully integrates her business and her personal brands online. (starting at 38:20)
- How Dawn sells her products: retail, wholesale, and in her New Jersey showroom. (starting at 41:17)
Dawn Fitch, Pooka Pure and Simple
Episode 59: Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode
In this episode, we mentioned the following resources.
- Book: Making Aromatherapy Creams and Lotions
- Personal brand: Martha Stewart
- Book: The Martha Rules
- Graphic art and design company: Artoholiks
- Printing company: Lightning Labels
- Containers and packaging company: Containers and Packaging
- Social media site: Instagram
- Instagram Boomerang video app on iTunes: Boomerang
- Instagram Boomerang video app on Google Play: Boomerang
- Indie Business Network member: La Shonda Tyree of Nyah Beauty
- Indie Business Network member: Scarlett Rocourt of WonderCurl
- Dawn's products: Pooka Pure and Simple
- Dawn's personal website: Dawn Fitch
Dawn Fitch, Pooka Pure and Simple
Summary of Dawn's Tips for Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs
- Use video snippets to tell your brand story.
Dawn confirmed what we all know. People love video, and today, you can turn your smart phone into a storytelling machine. If you enjoy using video to tell your story, you may not need to plan things out very far in advance. If recording and posting videos is not one of your favorite things to do, you may need to be more regimented just to make sure it gets done. Make sure you have some kind of system in place to connect with the people who are most likely to purchase your products.
- Don't stress over your weaknesses.
Dawn said that she did not have her rebrand launch activities perfectly lined up months in advance because her personality is not quite that rigid. Project management is not her strength. She simply knew what she had to do, gave herself the time to do it, and rolled things out slowly, one logical step at a time. This prevented her from stressing out unnecessarily, and she still got the job done by focus on what she's really good at: engaging her customers and having a good time.
- Inject your personal brand into your business brand.
Dawn says that making sure her customers enjoy a bit of the real her as a part of their product buying experience has served her well. She's careful to keep the brand separate, but the benefits of maintaining both of them far outweigh any of the potential drawbacks.
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