Bootstrapping a Product Into Boutiques Across America with Jen King
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Show Notes
Jen has one of the coolest startup stories of any entrepreneur I've had the privilege of working with. And I think you guys are going to be really inspired by her story. Her story involves her having an idea for a product, creating the product, and then bootstrapping her way into over one hundred and forty boutiques across the US. So cool. So without further ado, here's my interview with Jen King.
Meet Jen
Jen King is originally from New England but has lived in Colorado for the past six years with her husband and their almost six-month-old little girl named Camille. Jen is the founder of a jewelry company called Bloom & Press that she started in 2016. In her jewelry, she uses pressed flowers to create jewelry that is now carried in boutiques across the US. Tune into the full episode to hear more about Jen’s journey in starting Bloom & Pres
Our Conversation
Victoria: So let's take it back to the beginning. Can you tell me how you got into pressing flowers and what that even means?
Jen: Of course. So the idea for Bloom & Press came actually the night before my best friend's wedding. So my friend had sourced the most beautiful flowers for her wedding, and all of the bridesmaids got together the night before to make our own bouquets. So we're all together, having a glass of wine, and we're chatting, admiring how beautiful the flowers were. We wish that the flowers could just last forever rather than just a couple of days, and we were saying how lucky florists were to be able to work with such a beautiful material. So that really got me thinking. At that point, I had already been making jewelry more so as a hobby, nothing that I was taking all that seriously. So after my friend's wedding, I just kept coming back to the idea and I was trying to find a way to incorporate both flowers and jewelry together. Basically, after many, many failed attempts of using different materials, after a few months of experimenting, I finally had my first batch of Bloom & Press necklaces. It was just really special, especially after my best friend's wedding, to be able to press flowers and preserve them from such a special occasion so that she can look back on them.
Victoria: So when you made that first batch of necklaces with the pressed flowers, did you give them all away? Or right off the bat did you think, hey, I could sell these?
Jen: Since it was still an idea from my best friend's wedding, I didn't have a flower press or anything like that. It wasn't until after her wedding that I started actually experimenting and learning how to actually press flowers by first using books that were really heavy and pressing the flowers between pages. Then I actually invested in a flower press and kind of started to perfect that process. That's kind of how it really started.
Victoria: And your stuff is so beautiful. I just get lost in all of the photos that you've been sending over to us for your website as we put that together. When did you realize it could be a business?
Jen: I had always been wanting to start my own business. It was something that I've always been drawn to. And prior to Bloom & Press, I had tried a few things here and there and nothing really stuck. It's always something that I was aspiring for and always something that I was kind of keeping an eye out for. At the time I was actually working in corporate America, just like many other business owners, nothing related to jewelry. My background is actually in finance. When I did think about Bloom & Press and making jewelry and how I loved it so much and I was passionate about this new idea, it wasn't enough to just be a hobby. I needed to make it into an actual profitable business. So that was my end goal.
Victoria: What did people think, like what did your family and your friends think? You had a college degree and a job in corporate America in finance with a stable income and a predictable future. What did they think when you started tossing around the idea of I'm going to go make jewelry?
Jen: Well, it's exactly what you would imagine. My family was extremely supportive at the thought of it being a hobby. But like you said, I had a solid career at that point and I had a great trajectory in the field that I was in. So when I decided to actually go full time, then it became more of a discussion, which I completely understand why my family might have the reservations and be like, really, you're going to sell jewelry and that's going to be able to provide for your family. I understand and I think it gave me more of a kick to think about it in a business mindset, actually. That's when I actually thought, well, how can I make this sustainable? How can I turn this hobby and passion project into a sustainable business that's going to provide me a solid income to not just be beautiful flowers all the time? That is actually what got me into really thinking about wholesale and bringing my products to shops and having repeat customers.
Victoria: So, starting to think about taking Bloom & Press and making it a full-time job, that's when you really started to think about it more seriously. What did that look like?
Jen: When I had the pressure from friends and family, it did help because I had to think strategically about how I could make this a profitable income, not just a hobby of a business. I actually always wanted to sell jewelry in boutiques and shops across the US and I thought that that would be so lovely. That's kind of really where I started. I think a lot of people go the opposite way. They'll sell directly to the end customer having people come to their website and purchase directly from them. But, I just always wanted to have my items in shops and have my customers actually be the shop owners. So I started working on that and learning more about wholesale. That's kind of actually how it got started and how I was going to make it a sustainable business.
Victoria: Just going back for a second on how you said the pressure from the reservations that your friends in your family had was in some way a catalyst to what Bloom & Press turned into and what it is today because it made you take it seriously. So you wanted to get your product into boutiques across America. I love to hear entrepreneurs hustling, getting their business in front of other people just through straight-up hard work. What did those first couple of years look like as you were trying to get the word out about Bloom & Press?
Jen: Shortly after I came up with my first batch of necklaces, my friend had actually told me about a pop-up market that a local coffee shop was putting on for local makers to sell their products. So I emailed the coffee shop and sent them a few pictures of my jewelry and they invited me to sell some of my jewelry in front of their customers for a morning. I probably brought about twenty-five necklaces with me. It was just such a great experience because I got to witness people actually picking up the jewelry and putting it on. I got to listen to them, see how beautiful certain flowers were or how a certain flower reminded them of their mother or friend. Everyone seemed to have such a beautiful connection with a certain flower for one reason or another. And, I also got to hear their hesitations of whether they like silver, gold, or about the pricing.
Before I did wholesale and went into boutiques, it was important for me to actually get solid feedback directly from the mouths of customers. Doing in-person pop-ups is kind of how I did that and how I got the word out about Bloom & Press in the beginning. I continued actually doing those in-person pop-up markets for a few years, and that allowed me to perfect the product itself. So, I couldn't recommend doing that more. You're putting yourself out there when you're in person, in front of people also, which is hard. I'm pretty introverted as a person. I don't think that many people do that right now, especially obviously right now with covid. But, getting in front of people and emailing shops eventually, once I knew I had a solid product, then I started approaching boutiques and shop owners. That's hard to put yourself out there and to open yourself up to criticism, maybe on your pricing or whatever it may be. That's how I grew a small following; is really focusing on my local community at the time. But other than that, it's just such a grind in the beginning. And Bloom & Press is still a one-woman business. Every single necklace I make, I do the shipping, the sourcing, the materials, designing the jewelry, the packaging, handling customer service. I'm just finally getting to the point where I'm starting to outsource, such as yourself and your company, BrandWell, to work on my website and photographers and what not to do some other things so I can focus on the product. It truly is a grind in the beginning but, it's a necessary grind for sure.
Victoria: Right. I love that you did those pop-up markets. I think that's just a really great way to understand your target audience and what your demographic wants with your product. So can you kind of share the process of how you got into these pop-up markets, how you got into trade shows? What was that process like? Like, did you have a pitch that you would send to everybody or did it look different based on who you're reaching out to?
Jen: The first experience that I had with selling to a boutique was actually when I emailed a boutique owner in my local community and asked if I could show them some of my products. I brought probably 20 necklaces with me and went in and told her about my story and kind of how they came to be, explaining the same story about my best friend's wedding. That was a great start, again in my local community. But, after that, I was thinking, this isn't very sustainable. I was in a small town at the time. I wanted to get out bigger. So I started researching trade shows. Selling my items wholesale and getting my products into shops was always a goal of mine and the only way I really knew how to do that was either by continuing to cold email and show up at these shops, sending them samples of my products, or attending a trade show. I honestly just Googled a trade show in New England and I found one, I applied, and sent some of my products to be reviewed. I was accepted and had only about two months to prepare and to learn a lot in those two months because wholesale is a completely different beast. I had to learn how to make a catalog and price my products accordingly. I asked my dad to make some displays for me because he's a great craftsman. It was a lot of bootstrapping at that point. I wasn't willing to go into debt or take out a loan or anything like that at this point because it was still in the first six months of the business. I asked a friend to do the show with me. I rented an Airbnb. We packed up our cars and displays and we had a girl’s weekend on top of making my first sales into the boutique. It was really wonderful and it's a lot of hard work to set up your booth and it's basically setting up a mini shop that reflects your brand. So, yeah, it was really great. It was wonderful but I'm happy that I started small.
Victoria: You started small, but how many stores are you currently selling your product in?
Jen: I am in 140 boutiques across the US., boutiques that have placed a wholesale order with me within the last six months, so we've been selling for longer than that. That gives a more accurate forecast of actually how many shops we're currently in. So it's been great.
Victoria: Wow! That is just the ultimate entrepreneur startup story. You know she had an idea sitting around with her girlfriends looking at the flowers for her friend's wedding and decided to align it with something that she was good at. But, I know that it probably wasn't all easy, and not every pop-up show or trade show went the way you wanted it to go. I'm sure you heard the word “no” a time or two. Can you tell us about a time when you were turned down and kind of what that did to you mentally and emotionally?
Jen: Of course. So I have absolutely been told no many times. I would say instead of hearing the word no, you typically just don't hear anything back. You kind of hear crickets. And, that's ok if you're hearing no or not hearing anything, it means you're putting yourself out there. I remember specifically a time, it was when I had just started, I reached out to probably the pinnacle shop that I wanted my jewelry to be carried in. Looking back at it now, I wish I did not do that because I know now that you need to research and kind of do your homework before you just think that you can get your products into the shop. I had reached out to them and they were so kind and told me well we don't carry jewelry. That could have been a tip to me to do some research to even make sure that they carry that kind of product.
Victoria: Was there ever a time like after hearing no or somebody studied your product and then they say no. Was there ever a time when you just wanted to throw in the towel and give it all up?
Jen: Yeah, of course, many times. Going back to in-person shows, what I was doing, or markets that I was doing. Some people don't realize that you're the maker. They might think that you have your jewelry made somewhere else, but I'm the one actually creating it so you can get very personally attached to criticism. I try not to do that because I'm just trying to learn why they have whatever they may have to say. But yeah, of course, I've wanted to throw in the towel. I think every business owner does at some point, especially in the beginning, especially when I was working nine to five, five days a week, and I'd come home, have to make jewelry, package, ship, and then on the weekends doing those markets. It's a lot of work, but I'm so happy that I stuck with it and just kept going. I'm just so happy that I kept going with it because it would have been easy to say, no, I'll stay in corporate America. I won't be very satisfied with my career, but it's an easy path. But I'm so happy that I'm 100% committed now.
Victoria: Yeah. How do you like how did you overcome some of those feelings of doubt when, as you said, you'd be at a trade show, somebody would maybe critique your product not knowing that you were the maker of it and certainly probably not with the intention to offend you, or even more so as your business grew and you started to have this imposter syndrome, like how did you overcome those feelings and keep at it with your business?
Jen: Imposter syndrome totally is something that still is around for me. I try not to get so caught up with trends and trying to fit in with, like, the cool-girl style, you know what I mean. It's knowing what my brand is, what my style is, who my girl is, and sticking to that has been really important. I've tried the trendy pieces and incorporating that with my brand and it just doesn't work. I've come back to what works for my business and tried to stick with that. I would say over the past couple of years since I have been focusing on wholesale, and so looking at other companies and these huge brands, it makes me think, oh, I should be doing this. I think just trying not to compare yourself to this brand that's been around forever is certainly important. I've just stopped following some people so that I don't cloud my head with negative thoughts, but they're just bound to happen.
Victoria: That's good advice though. Comparison is the thief of joy. We can be so happy in our business and then you get on Instagram and all of a sudden all of those feelings of competence and confidence just wither away. That's I love that you did go ahead and take action, even unfollow some people. I think what Jen does a beautiful job is she tries not to follow trends and she knows her girl. Now, you work in a very creative space. How do you stay inspired when you're constantly coming up with all these new designs?
Jen: I would say it's both technical and creative. With the materials that I'm using so, I would say my customers have been a great source of inspiration. They'll email me and ask for a certain flower that may have a significant meaning to them and I'll create a custom necklace for them. That will transpire into a permanent fixture in my brand or in my product lineup. Then also what flowers I can actually use in my jewelry. They have to be quite small because the jewelry is pretty dainty and delicate. I'm inspired just like everyone else through Instagram, Pinterest, and trends for sure. But again, coming back to what is kind of our signature look is what pulls me back. But I love pink. I love bright. I love airy. Just trying to stick with your branding guidelines is a similar process really when designing products for your company too.
Victoria: I think there are so many correlations in any sort of design business. All right, so what is next for Bloom & Press? Where do you see yourself and your business in the next two to three years?
Jen: I definitely want to concentrate still on wholesale and I do want to add that there’s been an emergence of online wholesale marketplaces. The one that I'm currently selling on is called fair.com and it's made it so much more attainable for small businesses like my own to get their brands out there. So I do recommend that if anyone that is thinking of doing wholesale. But, also I'm super excited because we're about to launch a bridal box, which is a kit that we would basically send to brides that comes with a flower press and they can press flowers from their wedding and send them back to me and we'll have it made into a custom Bloom & Press necklace for them. I'm so excited about that.
Victoria: Oh, that is so cool! I love that idea. I wish that would have been around when I got married in 2016. For people listening, if you are getting married or you even just have a special event where you're going to have flowers just to keep as a keepsake, this is such a cool way to do it. All right. So what advice would you give to somebody who wants to get their product into brick-and-mortar stores or into boutiques around the country? Where should they start?
Jen: I would say that the first thing that you need to do is probably look at the pricing of your products that you're currently selling retail. When you sell to boutiques, typically you sell your products for half of your retail cost. For example, if you're selling a piece of jewelry for $50, the shop will purchase it for $25. You need to be sure that you can still cover the cost of materials, taxes, paying yourself, growth of your business, et cetera. I think a lot of people just think that if you're selling retail, you'll be able to make it work wholesale. It has to be a conscious thought, I think, kind of towards the beginning so that you can actually make it profitable for you. Secondly, I think it's important to have at least 20 items for boutiques to choose from. When you're selling to boutiques, you typically set your minimum order. You want to be sure that shops have enough options to choose from so that they'll be able to meet your minimum order or your minimum amount with you. This brings me to my next point, which is just to continuously add new products at least twice a year so that shops can keep fresh inventory and they'll want to keep coming back for more.
Victoria: Wow! Take notes. That was some good advice I didn't know or I would never have thought to think about trying to get a product into stores. Those are really good and practical three steps to figure out before you make your pitch to your first shop. You mentioned that you have a six-month-old. How has that changed your business or changed even just the way that your days look as you're running your business? I have an eight-month-old, so we're in very, very similar seasons.
Jen: Yeah, it's really hard. It's hard because I'm not at the stage where her naps are predictable or anything like that. There are early mornings, late nights, and then naps. It's great because I get to be home with her and be fully engaged with her when she's awake. Then once it's nap time or bedtime, then I'm back to work. But it is really quite difficult. But, I think a lot of moms nowadays are just making it work and they're just there doing whatever they have to do in order to keep both passions fully, fully going. Then also, of course, I live away from family, so I definitely rely on my husband a lot for the help, and that's been key. But yeah, just like every other mom, you just do what you can when you can.
Victoria: Yeah. I agree and I'm a similar story to you. I don't have any family nearby either, so my husband's a great helper. I love how you brought it back into perspective that it is really hard when you are trying to run your own business or even if you don't have your own business, even if you're just a working mom and especially working from home mom nowadays it's hard and you just kind of have to get it done. Like, it truly would be easier just to send her to daycare. Then I remember why I started BrandWell and what was one of those motivating factors into wanting to have my own business. Much of it was wanting the flexibility, wanting the ability to stay home with my babies when I had them when that day came. I just have to remember that and think what a blessing it is to be home with my daughter and not have to get up and drop her off and then not get to see her because I know a lot of moms, they don't have any other option. So just keeping it in perspective, if you are a work from home mom, and you're just exhausted and worn out, just try and see the beauty in the fact that you are getting more time with your kids that some women don't get the option to and would give anything to have that opportunity. So I love that you brought that up. You are killing it again.
I'm just so inspired by your story. I know our listeners will be too. Just a simple idea and the way that you hustled and you worked hard and put in the time and you got your product into 140 stores, and I'm sure that number is going to continue to grow. We can't wait to help bring the online component here in the next few weeks. So where can my listeners find you and see these beautiful necklaces that you make?
Jen: Yeah, so we are on Instagram: @bloomandpressflorals. Our website is coming, and it's going to be so lovely: www.bloomandpress.com. And if you have any listeners who have any questions or are interested in wholesale, I welcome emails just because I know what it's like getting started: hello@bloomandpress.com.
Victoria: Awesome! This episode is actually going to be launching when Jen's website goes live so you guys can go ahead and check it out. And Jen, I just thank you so much for taking the time. I know it's busy with your six-month-old, so taking the time on a weekend to hop on and record this, thank you so much.
KEEP BRANDING WELL,
Victoria
