The Journey to 3200 Subscribers | EP 84

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“Listen to your people.” - Damon Oates 

Damon Oates of DecoExchange joined me for today’s episode. Damon serves people who make and sell decorative wreaths, so his customers are themselves businesspeople. Damon started a subscription box several years ago and hated it. He found it to be incredibly stressful and had difficulty planning the boxes and getting the needed supplies each month. That was before he met me! LOL   

Damon’s first subscription had as many as 900 subscribers, but he had let it dwindle down to just over 300 when he came into my world. After we talked about what he didn’t like about his subscription box, a few things became clear, the biggest of which was Damon and his business partner needed to learn how to plan. After joining Launch Your Box and gaining that knowledge and more, they decided to launch another subscription box with some changes. 

During the pre-launch period, Damon leaned into what he does best - building and engaging with his audience. He asked them what they wanted, which it turns out wasn’t what he thought they wanted or what he wanted to give them. But he listened. He also spent that time building a waitlist. By consistently posting, texting, and going LIVE with a CTA to join the waitlist, Damon grew a list of more than 3,000 people in less than two months. That waitlist currently has 14,000 people on it! 

The launch of the new subscription box resulted in 350 subscribers. That number continued to grow each month for the next 1 ½ years at which point there were 3,200 subscribers. They decided to hold steady at 3,200 for now and the only way to become a subscriber is to get on the waitlist and hope for someone to cancel. Damon has generated major FOMO by employing three things I teach every subscription box owner to create - scarcity, urgency, and exclusivity. 

Damon shared his advice for other subscription box owners whether you’re new to the game or looking to grow. 

1. Listen to your people and give them what they want. 
2. Start with 10-20 boxes or even a one-time box to try it out and see what works. 
3. Pick one social media platform, be consistent, and show up. (You’ll find Damon on Facebook!)
4. Pick your niche and go deep. 
5. Serve before you sell. 

Join me for this episode as Damon shares how he went from hoping his subscription box business would die off to nurturing an excited, vibrant community of more than 3,200 monthly subscribers with thousands more waiting to get in. 

Important Links: 

Find and follow Damon: 

• DecoExchange on Facebook
• DecoExchange on Instagram
• DecoExchange Website