Filling a Need and Finding 580 Subscribers | Episode 41

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“If you are waiting for the day you have everything perfect, you’ll never launch.”

I am so excited to bring you my interview with Cassandra Ross, Launch Your Box member and owner of Thread Crate. Cassandra’s story is full of inspiration with a side of “just do it.”

Cassandra always sewed as a hobby, getting most of her fabric and supplies from local fabric stores. When the pandemic hit and her local fabric stores had to close, Cassandra turned to online shopping. She got supplies from different vendors and quickly found herself with colors that didn’t quite match and trim pieces that didn’t quite fit.

As Cassandra thought about how to solve her own sewing challenges, she realized she could solve the same problems for many people just like her. And Thread Crate was born. Cassandra’s subscription box provides sewers with everything they need to sew a garment each month, from pattern to fabric to thread and trim. All in one box. All specially selected to go together perfectly.

It’s important to know that Cassandra started her subscription box business from scratch. As is, she didn’t have a business. She didn’t have a website. She didn’t have a social media presence or an existing audience of any kind.

What she did have was an idea and the desire to make this work. Cassandra did something I tell anyone who wants to start a subscription box business to do - she saw a need and she filled it!

Cassandra built her own website, created Facebook and Instagram accounts for her business, and got to work. She gathered email addresses via a pop-up on her website and started engaging with her audience as much as possible.

When Cassandra launched, a handful of people subscribed very quickly. Then... crickets. Her launch continued, but she wasn’t getting more subscribers. So she looked at how she was communicating with them and realized she was missing something important. Something I talk about inside Launch Your Box all the time.

Serve before you sell.

You need to provide value to your audience. Allow them to get to know you and trust you. Show them you understand their problem and have a solution. Talk about the benefits of your box and how it will change their lives.

Cassandra made some changes to her messages and ended her launch with 50 subscribers. Let’s be clear. Cassandra launched to a tiny audience. Tiny. And she ended up with 50 subscribers. That is HUGE.

But she didn’t stop there. Cassandra’s business has grown and grown over the past year. She now has 580 subscribers!

There is so much to learn from and be inspired by in this episode. We talk about getting brave and being willing to launch messy. We talk about learning from mistakes, listening to your customers, tweaking and pivoting in order to grow. Cassandra shares some challenges she’s faced along the way and we talk about continuing to scale her business and bringing in some help.

I know you’ll love hearing Cassandra’s story!

Important Links:

Find and follow Cassandra: 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Thread Crate Website