Sara Jennetten of Blank Mason [Indie Stories: Episode 83: Podcast]

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Indie Business Podcast

Donna Maria Coles Johnson

102 episodes

22 hours ago

Join award-winning small business mentor Donna Maria Coles Johnson as she shares her best advice for creative entrepreneurs on making money selling handmade products, starting a business, increasing profits, effective marketing strategies, leadership, confidence, and more. Donna Maria is the founder and CEO of the Indie Business Network, a trade organization serving handmade entrepreneurs. She has been featured in dozens of media outlets including ABC World News, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, Ebony Magazine, and more.

Through this podcast and the Indie Business Network, Donna mentors and coaches thousands of women on how to maximize their potential in life and in business. Enjoy your life! Build your business! Have your way ... Join us today at IndieBusinessNetwork.com

All content for Indie Business Podcast is the property of Donna Maria Coles Johnson and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Sara Jennetten of Blank Mason [Indie Stories: Episode 83: Podcast]

Indie Business Podcast

39 minutes 36 seconds

4 years ago

Sara Jennetten of Blank Mason [Indie Stories: Episode 83: Podcast]

Welcome to Episode 83 of the Indie Business Podcast! Today's Indie Story introduces you to Sara Jennetten of Blank Mason, in Park Ridge, Illinois. With a newly proposed lease in her hand, Sara literally started her business the month the pandemic hit. She made an impressively quick pivot to the Internet and has not looked back. Her brand is all about the personalization and customization of scent.

In this episode, you'll love hearing not only how Sara pivoted quickly to get her business off the ground in the middle of COVID-19, but also, how she has complemented her core line of fragrance offerings by adding a “choose your own fragrance” option so customers can select a scent formula that appeals uniquely to them. Enjoy my interview with Sara NOW!

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Episode Show Notes

Here are the topics discussed in this episode, with time stamps to help you find the information that interests you most:

* About the Blank Mason brand and the pandemic pivot from brick and mortar to e-commerce. (starting at 2:15)* Why a candle business? (starting at 4:43)* The importance of customization and DIY. (starting at 5:56)* The in-depth story of pivoting during the pandemic. (starting at 6:23)* Customizing the website using WordPress and WooCommerce. (starting at 9:06)* How Sara's eye for color and aesthetic helped her design her brand. (starting 11:33)* Sara's approach to brand building by strategically focusing on what makes her brand unique. (starting at 14:20)* Sara's plan to return to her original brick and mortar business model, including her approach to the experience she will deliver to her customers. (starting at 15:30)* Sara's sales channels. (starting at 20:07)* Sara's favorite social media channels, including use of Reels. (starting at 23:43)* New products in the making. (starting at 25:00)* Sara's right hand team members. (starting at 26:13)* Aromatic cement beads! Cement! (starting at 25:46)* Popular fragrances. (starting at 29:05)* What Sara sees in the future for makers and creative entrepreneurs. (starting at 30:17)

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode

In this episode, Sara and I mentioned the following resources.

* Blank Mason website* Blank Mason on Facebook* Blank Mason on Instagram* Website hosting: WordPress* E-Commerce platform: WooCommerce

Important entrepreneurial insights from Sara

Let's unpack some of the most significant business insights Sara and I discussed in this episode.

1. The power of learning to do tech things yourself

Sara's technical service providers not only help her design and maintain her website, but they also teach her how to perform some of the maintenance and updates herself. This empowers Sara, and is one of the main reasons she selected WordPress over Shopify. With her WordPress site, she has more control and ownership, and can use plugins and learn how to customize and organize them herself without having to pay a monthly fee for the...