Turn Your Best Selling Product into a One-Thing of the Month Subscription

Get inspired by Rhonda’s huge success with a one thing of the month subscription and discover if a “one thing” is right for your business. 

Do you lie awake at night dreaming up carefully curated boxes for the subscription box you want to start? I know I did. When I dreamed about how to start a subscription box, I came up with themes and imagined all the items I could put into a box — one that I knew my future subscribers would love. 

It turns out I was right. My future subscribers did love my boxes. Those boxes that were a lot like the ones I had dreamed about. But there was a LOT of work that went into those boxes. A lot of figuring things out, sourcing products, choosing the right packaging, fulfillment… all the things. Worth it? Absolutely.

But… What if someone had told me there was an easier way to add a subscription to my business that would still bring in the recurring revenue I wanted? Would I have listened? 

It’s hard to say. Sarah of many years ago liked to dream. Sarah of many years ago also took 18 months to figure out all the things and get that subscription box launched. 

Sarah of today — who is quite a bit wiser, I have to say — would listen. I hope you’ll listen, too. 

What if starting a subscription box could be easier? What if you could have a successful subscription with only “one thing?”

How “one thing” made the difference for Rhonda’s business. 

Launch Your Box member Rhonda had a thriving career as a labor and delivery nurse. She loved her work and was fulfilled by it. But an injury Rhonda thought was temporary resulted in the end of her nursing career and the beginning of her new life as an entrepreneur.

Rhonda turned a sewing and embroidery hobby into an eCommerce business called Monogramme No. 29. She opened a Shopify store and sold mainly wedding items including her biggest sellers, bridal party pajamas and beach towels. With the help of her influencer daughter, Rhonda’s sales continued to increase and her business grew. In fact, it grew so much that in January 2020, she signed a lease on a retail space. Of course, we all know what happened very soon after. 

The pandemic hit, retail stores were closed, and the wedding industry came to a screeching halt. Plans for a quarterly wedding pajama subscription box were put on hold. Rhonda’s primarily wedding-focused business was going to be in trouble if she didn’t pivot.

Rhonda took a close look at her business and the products that were not wedding-related. Her best seller? Personalized dog bandanas! 

People were at home spending more time with their pets than ever before. It was the perfect time to lean into that market. Rhonda decided to launch a subscription “box” that consisted of simply one personalized dog bandana shipped in a cute polymailer. 

Simple.

Taking a personalized dog bandana subscription box to the next level. 

Rhonda kept the launch of her simple box pretty simple, too. She teased her audience that “something new was coming” and introduced them to Posh Pups, a monthly personalized dog bandana subscription. On day one of her launch, 40 people subscribed! 

Rhonda knows how much people love their pets. After all, she has 8 dogs of her own! She used this knowledge to come up with a brilliant - and again simple - marketing strategy. 

She included a card with each bandana encouraging her subscribers to take pictures of their pups wearing their bandanas and share them on social media. 

The result? TONS of pictures of beloved pets looking oh-so-stylish in their Posh Pups’ bandanas! 

Shortly after her successful launch, Rhonda found me and joined Launch Your Box. She went through Subscription Box Coaching Week with me and had major lightbulb moments during the planning workshop. Rhonda realized what a difference it made to her business to plan fabrics and themes well in advance.

Rhonda consumed all the training inside Launch Your Box and became an active and engaged member of our amazing community. We’ve all watched and cheered her on as her subscription business grew to over 330 monthly subscribers!

Should you consider a one thing of the month subscription? 

Rhonda has advice for anyone thinking of starting a subscription box. She wants you to look around - inside your business or inside your heart - and think about one thing you need regularly that also brings you joy. Then take that idea further and find a way to differentiate yourself–after all, Rhonda reminded me of something I always say, “the riches are in the niches.” 

Rhonda is grateful for the way the recurring revenue from her monthly subscription stabilizes her income. Retail sales naturally fluctuate, but there’s incredible security in knowing that subscription revenue will hit her bank account every month. 

Listen to more of Rhonda’s story on episode 77 of the Launch Your Box podcast. And check out this blog post for even more about the perks of a one thing of the month subscription.

Starting a subscription box doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be perfectly curated or include five different products. It can be simple. It can even be just one thing.

Rhonda’s story is proof that a one-thing-of-the-month subscription can change everything. By leaning into what her customers already loved and keeping things simple, she created a thriving subscription box business that brings consistent revenue and builds community.

Take a look at your own best-sellers. What are your customers’  favorite things? What can’t they get enough of? And how could you deliver that one thing month after month in a way that surprises and delights?

Your one thing could be the start of something big.