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

  • By: Sarah Williams
  • Podcast

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

By: Sarah Williams
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  • Summary

  • 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!
    2021-2025 Sarah Williams
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Economics Education Leadership Management & Leadership
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Episodes
  • 184: Hiring a Digital Marketing Assistant for Your Subscription Box Business

    184: Hiring a Digital Marketing Assistant for Your Subscription Box Business
    Mar 12 2025
    As subscription box business owners, we wear all the hats—marketing, customer service, tech, fulfillment—you name it, we do it. But trying to do everything can hold you back from growing your business. That’s where hiring help–a Virtual Assistant (VA) or a Digital Marketing Assistant–comes in. If you've been thinking about hiring help but aren’t sure where to start, this episode is for you! I sat down with Emily Reagan, who specializes in training smart women to provide digital marketing services to online business owners. Inside her Digital Marketing Assistant School, Emily teaches the core marketing skills businesses need, from SEO and blogging to email marketing and funnels and so much more. She also runs the Digital Marketers Workgroup, where experienced freelancers continue honing their skills. Emily brings online business owners’ needs to her experienced freelance digital marketing assistants, often resulting in a match made in online business marketing heaven! I turned to Emily to hire my first VA who is still on my team many years later and has grown far beyond her original VA title and role. What is a Digital Marketing Assistant? You’ve probably heard the term Virtual Assistant (VA) before—it’s a general term for anyone working remotely to help a business. A Digital Marketing Assistant is a specialized VA who focuses specifically on marketing tasks that drive growth for online businesses. A Digital Marketing Assistant can help with: Email marketing Social media management Blogging & SEO Funnels & automation Affiliate marketing Tech setup In short, they help you get more done in less time—so you can focus on growing your subscription box. If you’re thinking: I’m not ready to hire someone yet, the truth is that by the time you feel ready, it’s already too late. You don’t have to hire a full-time employee. Start small! My first VA worked just 10 hours a week, and she got SO much done in that time. These team members often work faster and take things off your plate—especially those tasks you keep putting off. (I’m looking at you, tech stuff!) Instead of feeling overwhelmed and unproductive, focus on the things you love to do and those things that will move your business forward. And delegate the rest. Where do you even find a digital marketing assistant for your subscription box business? Emily makes it easy—just head to hireaunicorn.com and post a job. Up to 10 digital marketing assistants will reach out, and you can get on Zoom or Google Meets and have a conversation with the ones who seem to be the best fit. Sarah’s tip: Personality matters. You want someone who’s not only skilled but also a great fit for you and your business. Setting Your Digital Team Member Up for Success Hiring a digital marketing assistant is just the first step—making it work is just as important. Give both of you the best chance of success by: : Being clear about expectations Providing feedback Vetting before hiring Onboarding properly Emily said it best: “No one successful does it alone.” And something I say inside Launch Your Box and Scale Your Box: Hire before you feel ready. Because if you wait until you finally feel ready, you’ll already be drowning in tasks that could have been delegated months ago. Find and follow Emily: Emily Reagan on Facebook Emily Reagan on Instagram Emily Reagan’s Website Emily Reagan’s Podcast Hire from Emly’s Digital Workgroup 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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    37 mins
  • Bounced Payments & Personal Follow-Up

    Bounced Payments & Personal Follow-Up
    Mar 5 2025
    Are you relying solely on automations to recover failed payments? If so, you are losing money and experiencing unnecessary churn in your subscription box business. Business is personal. Recovering failed payments needs more than just automation - it needs a personal touch. Your personal touch. Think about how much time, energy, and money you spend getting new subscribers. How much time and energy are you willing to spend to keep them? In my subscription business, we use a combination of automations and personal outreach to follow up on failed payments. The result? Each month we recoup 98% of our bounced payments. Keep in mind, most failed payments are not due to subscribers wanting to cancel or intentionally not paying. Credit cards expire and need to be updated. Other things happen that unintentionally cause payments to fail. Assume subscribers want to stay with you and just need help updating their info. Every subscription box business should have a failed payment automation set up. You can do this directly in your subscription platform or CRM. The goal is to recover as many payments as possible through automation, reducing the time spent manually recouping payments via personal outreach. The automation process we use in my subscription box business is set up like this: Payment Run #1 - failed payment Email #1 sent - something like “There was an error processing your payment for XXX subscription. If you need to update your card, please do so at this link. Your payment will run again in 12 hours.” We aren’t accusing them of anything. We blame the error on ourselves and direct them to update the payment if they need to. We create urgency by letting them know the payment will run again in 12 hours. Payment Run #2 - failed payment Email #2 is very similar to Email #1 - they may not have seen the first email yet. Payment will retry in 24 hours. Payment #3 - failed payment Email #3 - 36 hours after initial payment has run. They’ve likely seen one of the first two emails. The first two emails are text only, this email includes an image. “Hi Subscriber. We are busy personalizing and packing all our subscriptions and want to make sure you get yours on time. If you need to update your card, please do so at this link. If you need help with that or have an issue, please hit reply and let us know how we can help.” This email includes a picture of the team packing a box. Payment runs again in 48 hours - they have time to reach out to customer service before the payment runs again. At this point, we start working through the list of remaining failed payments with personal touch points. Personal email Personal text Now we’re ready to run one last automation. Email #4 - on day five of failed payment Last chance email “Boxes are shipping and we want to make sure you get a Monogram Box this month. Please let me know how I can help.” We follow this plan every month. And every month, we recoup 98% of our failed payments. Business is personal. Don’t forget the importance of a personal connection point when working to retain your customers. Business is also business. Don’t leave money on the table. Following up on bounced payments reduces involuntary churn and retains more recurring revenue. Join me for this episode as I talk you through the automations combined with personal touches process I use to recoup 98% of bounced payments every month. Important Links: 6 in 60 Workshop 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 Launch Your Box today!
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    18 mins
  • 183: Stu McLaren Reveals the Messaging Shift That Will Transform Your Sales

    183: Stu McLaren Reveals the Messaging Shift That Will Transform Your Sales
    Feb 26 2025
    When I first started my subscription box, I thought I was selling cute products. I didn’t realize my audience wasn’t just buying things—they were buying transformation. They wanted to feel confident, stylish, and put-together, but my messaging wasn’t reflecting that. Making that shift—from selling products to selling a feeling—was one of the biggest game-changers in my business. And it can be the biggest game changer in your business, too. The person who helped me understand the need for this shift in messaging was my very special guest on this episode, my mentor Stu McLaren. Stu McLaren is the go-to expert when it comes to creating and scaling profitable memberships. For the past 17 years, he’s helped business owners build recurring revenue models that provide stability, growth, and freedom–hello, recurring revenue! And now, he’s packed his best insights into a brand-new book, Predictable Profits. Before I took Stu’s course in 2018, I had about 300 subscribers in my subscription box business. I had hit a plateau and didn’t know how to break through it. Stu’s course showed me the biggest reason for my plateau. I was focusing on selling instead of serving. People don’t subscribe to a box because of what’s inside. They buy it because of how it makes them feel. My audience wanted to feel stylish, confident, and put together without spending hours shopping or second-guessing their outfits. Once I shifted my messaging to reflect that transformation, my business took off. How to Shift Your Messaging to Serve Instead of Sell Want to make this shift in your own business? Here are three key takeaways from my conversation with Stu: 1. Understand Your Customer’s Journey Instead of just thinking about what’s inside your subscription box, think about how it impacts your customer’s life. Ask yourself: What problem are you solving? What feeling are you creating? 2. Speak to Their “Before and After” Stu shared a simple but powerful exercise. I did it with him and want you to do it, too. Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On one side, write down all the frustrations and struggles your customers feel before they purchase. On the other side, write down how they feel after they’ve experienced your subscription box. Your messaging needs to focus on bridging that gap. 3. Focus on Transformation, Not Just Features My customers don’t just want earrings, bags, or t-shirts—they want confidence, ease, and style. What does your audience want? Your messaging should highlight the outcome, not just the product itself. I went from 300 subscribers to 750 in my next launch. And over time, I’ve built a seven-figure subscription business that gives me the stability and confidence to scale even further. With predictable, stable income coming in each month, you can make smarter business decisions, invest in growth, and stop feeling like you’re constantly chasing sales. Recurring revenue is business and life-changing! And that’s why Stu’s book Predictable Profits is such an amazing resource—it walks you through exactly how to build and scale a business that runs with you, not just because of you. If you’re ready to learn more from Stu, go grab your copy of Predictable Profits by Stu McLaren. You can find it at all major retailers, or head to Stu.me/book for links to order. I’d love to hear your biggest takeaway from this episode! Screenshot it, share it on Instagram, and tag me @launchyourbox. And if you’re loving the podcast, hit subscribe and leave a review—it helps more subscription box business owners find us. Find and follow Stu: Stu McLaren on Facebook Stu McLaren on Instagram Stu McLaren Website 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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    35 mins

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