🫂 Meeting your co-founder at a park in downtown New York: Amber & Marci from Plant Juice Oils

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Sooooo, where were we?

🧉 Amber Laigns and Marci Freede, Co-founders of Plant Juice Oils

🎙️ When I first started doing this podcast series, I didn’t really know I was going to meet a ton of great people all around the world and talk to them about their great stories…

But here we are, sitting down with Amber and Marci from New York, who are busy building their unique essential oils brand, Plant Juice Oils. ✨

Amber and Marci come from very different backgrounds. Amber is a massage therapist, while Marci is an experienced entrepreneur. However, they both shared a common goal: finding solutions to their loved ones' problems.

Amber’s partner, Robin Roberts (who happens to be one of the hosts of the well-known American TV Show “Good Morning America”), underwent a bone marrow transplant and faced some challenging side effects from the procedure. Meanwhile, Marci discovered that lavender helped her sleep better, which marked a significant turning point in their journey.

Marci's daughter, on the other hand, struggled with severe anxiety, and doctors recommended heavy medications to address it.

🫂 While both looking for more natural solutions to their loved ones’ problems, their paths crossed at a New York dog park, and they formed a fast and strong friendship. It was during one of their conversations that Amber shared her experience with lavender and how it had improved her partner's sleep. This sparked the idea for them to collaborate on creating their own remedies for similar conditions. 🌿

^{You can also listen to the episode on Spotify, Google, or Apple Podcast!}

And here are some highlights from our chat!

🏌️ Building around your problem. Well, the story of Amber and Marci really brings everything down to a recurring theme, creating solutions for problems you personally face. In Amber and Marci’s case, too, this resulted in a great business!

🌿 Cannabis that doesn’t make you high. Plant Juice Oils now specializes in essential oils and products with THC-free CBD -which is a version of cannabis widely used in medicals- to assist women during menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause.

🤯 Beginning with a PR agency right from the beginning. While Amber and Marci initially bootstrapped their business, they also secured a small amount of funding in their early days. Their thinking was that investing in marketing was the smartest use of those funds.

However, they quickly realized they were mistaken...

After dedicating significant time and money to the marketing agency they had hired, they eventually decided to part ways and handle the marketing in-house. They strongly advise against outsourcing marketing when you're just starting out.

Amber reflects, "They promised a lot, but they didn't deliver for particular reasons. And we were so naive to drink the Kool-Aid and believe whatever they said.”

📦 They still pack and ship everything themselves. It helps them add a personal touch to their packaging, which is very well received by their customers.

👥 Building a community. When Amber and Marci started, their initial customers were their own friends and family. As time went on, they naturally cultivated a community of like-minded individuals who enjoyed connecting with one another and sharing helpful tips. Even today, Plant Juice Oils thrives thanks to its engaged and enthusiastic customer base. 🌱🤝

✉️ Email is still the king. Amber and Marci were surprised to discover that email marketing remained the most effective method for driving sales. They also found great success with automated email sequences, such as abandoned cart emails.

🤝 Collaboration with Fordham University. Over the past three years, Amber and Marci have collaborated with the marketing class at Plant Juice Oils. These students consistently bring fresh and innovative marketing strategies to the table.

I really liked this approach! Students are sharp and brimming with the latest marketing theories they've just learned. Collaborating with them can be a boost for your business, especially if you're working with a limited marketing budget. Plus, you get to connect with the future professionals of the workforce. It's a win-win!

What do you think? Could this collaboration model also benefit your business?

⚓️ “We feel like we’re currently swimming in a pond. But we want this pond to be an ocean.” That's why Amber and Marci have decided to dive into TikTok and YouTube, eager to expand their reach and take on bigger challenges! 🌊🎥

🆇 TWEETS OF THE WEEK

1. 😂

2. Who wants to give this a try?

DO YOU WANNA LEVEL UP YOUR SMS GAME?

📱 While going down on my X feed, I saw this great thread by @AaronOrendorff and was stunned by the insane value in it. Definitely a must-read for improving SMS marketing!

Thanks for the great insights, Aaron! 🚀

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