In this engaging episode, we delve into the inspiring story of Tana Cofer, the creative force behind Glitter Faced, a revolutionary product that transforms everyday drinks into dazzling spectacles. Tana’s journey from managing e-commerce giants like Pandora Jewelry and Skullcandy to creating a niche product showcases the power of innovation and the pursuit of one’s passion. Her story is not just about business success but also about balancing personal aspirations with family life, as she navigates the challenges of entrepreneurship while expecting her fourth child.
Tana’s entrepreneurial journey began with a sparkly idea: a sugar-free liquid glitter to elevate mocktails and cocktails. Her background in managing major e-commerce brands provided her with the expertise needed to turn this idea into a viable product. However, the path to success was not without its challenges. Tana faced numerous hurdles in product development, from ensuring the glitter’s heat resistance to sourcing materials domestically. Her commitment to creating a premium, aesthetically pleasing product drove her to innovate and refine Glitter Faced, resulting in a versatile and captivating product that appeals to both adults and children.
One of the key elements of Tana’s success is her strategic use of social media, particularly TikTok, to build her brand. By launching Glitter Faced on TikTok Shop, she leveraged the platform’s unique ability to foster real-time engagement and feedback. This approach not only helped her reach a wider audience but also allowed her to connect directly with consumers, addressing their questions and concerns in real-time. Tana’s experience highlights the importance of understanding one’s target audience and choosing the right platform for brand growth.
Throughout the episode, Tana emphasizes the significance of networking and market research in developing a successful product. By attending mocktail and cocktail events, she was able to build valuable connections and gain insights into consumer preferences. This knowledge informed her decision to offer a wide range of shimmering colors, despite the higher costs associated with such variety. Tana’s commitment to domestic sourcing also played a crucial role in maintaining product integrity and supporting local businesses.
The episode also touches on the integration of motherhood with entrepreneurship, a theme close to Tana’s heart. She shares her experiences of involving her children in business tasks, teaching them discipline and responsibility while fostering a sense of family unity. Tana’s story is a testament to the power of community support for women entrepreneurs, highlighting the importance of sharing tips and encouraging one another on the journey to success.
As the episode concludes, listeners are encouraged to support the podcast by leaving reviews, helping to spread inspiring stories like Tana’s to a broader audience. The conversation is a heartfelt celebration of women in business, offering valuable insights and practical advice for anyone looking to balance personal and professional aspirations.
In summary, Tana Gofer’s journey with Glitter Faced is a remarkable example of innovation, resilience, and the power of community. Her story inspires aspiring entrepreneurs to take risks, embrace challenges, and leverage the power of social media to build successful brands. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, this episode offers a wealth of insights and inspiration for navigating the complex world of entrepreneurship while staying true to one’s values and commitments.
Resources:
Tana’s Website:
https://www.glitter-faced.com/
Camille’s Website: https://camillewalker.co/call-me-ceo-podcast/
Connect with Tana:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosierai_ecommerce/
https://www.instagram.com/getglitterfaced/
Connect with Camille Walker:
Follow Camille on Instagram: www.instagram.com/CamilleWalker.co
Follow Call Me CEO on Instagram: www.instagram.com/callmeceopodcast
Tana: 0:00
I think that's one of the things that I have learned in my space is taking the risk and becoming a risk taker, and I would just say, if you aren't sure if the risk is worth taking, do diligence. You know you need to, and then find someone else who can look at it. Just but I needed someone else who's in this space, has done it before, to say, yeah, all your numbers make sense to the point where I want to do it with you. Let's go.
Camille: 0:32
So you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family and still chase after those dreams? We'll listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know this is Call Me CEO. Welcome back everyone to Call Me CEO. This is your host, camille Walker, where we celebrate mothers and women building amazing businesses.
Camille: 1:00
This is a part two of a part one. We're talking with Tana Cofer and we are sharing in this episode how she built Glitter Faced. It is a mocktail cocktail, liquid glitter that you can add to any drink to make it fun. It's sugar free, it is gorgeous. It can be used for friends, parties, anniversaries. The list just goes on and on. But if you haven't listened to part one yet, go back to the other episode where she shares with us how to build successful e-commerce businesses on Amazon. It is incredible. This episode is about her specific brand, the highs and lows, how she built it. We're going to demonstrate it and everything. So if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see it, or if you're listening, that's fine too. But, Tana, thank you for coming back for episode two, absolutely.
Tana: 1:52
Yeah, I'm happy to be here Excited to talk about my product, the evolution of my product and where it is today. And yeah, let's just get started. Do you want me to talk about the history of my product?
Camille: 2:04
Yes, please introduce yourself first a little bit, if people haven't had the chance to listen to your other episode. Who are you? Where do you live? How many kids do you have? We're all moms here, so I love hearing that part of your story.
Tana: 2:16
Yeah, my name's Tana Cofer. I live in Utah. I've been in Utah for about seven, eight years or so, originally from Oregon, the Portland Oregon area, and moved here when I got married. I currently have three kids and one more on the way. My oldest is 17, adopted seven years ago, and that's a full, awesome podcast story in itself. That needs to happen. And then I have my five-year-old girl, my three-year-old girl and the question mark child that's coming soon.
Camille: 2:45
So that's my family. Are you planning to find out if it's a girl?
Tana: 2:49
Yes, I will find out in the next couple weeks, so yeah, oh, that's so exciting.
Camille: 2:54
Okay, so you are the e-commerce queen. You've helped big brands grow on Amazon people who were just starting out and launching, but more for the people who have established businesses and big, huge brands Things that you probably have heard of I'm trying to remember. Let's see how many I get Congo, their subscription and their dog toys. You also did, didn't you say you helped Wayfair? You didn't list that, but I swear you said that in a conversation. Yes, yeah, I run brands on Wayfair. Yes, brands on Wayfair. What are some of the other big ones?
Tana: 3:28
you've helped to grow. Yeah, pandora jewelry is a big one, capri, blue candles, skull candy headphones If you're here in Utah, samsung phones is another one, so she knows what she's talking about.
Camille: 3:41
So, with all of that knowledge, you said, okay, working at pattern was great, you helped all these big brands grow. But now she has actually taken that knowledge and she helps an agent. She runs an agency where she helps businesses to scale and grow on Amazon, and she does it for herself through her own agency, as well as this product, glitter faced, which is what we're going to talk about today. Okay, let's talk about glitter faced First off. What gave you the idea to come up with a liquid glitter for mocktails cocktails and drinks.
Tana: 4:18
Yeah, my background is pretty interesting, but really I just I was a mocktail drinker for so many years. I've always cared about what goes in my body. My mom's in fitness, I'm in fitness, I focus on mocktails. Early last year I started to dabble in the alcohol space, really not knowing a lot about it, but I always felt like going out and going out with my family and friends. We're all drinking different drinks, we all are having a different experience, I would say, at the same restaurant, and I was like, is there a way that we can all have this similar, shared experience? Because some of us drink mocktails, some of us drink cocktails, some of us are sober, some of us are not.
Tana: 4:53
And so I just thought, what if we got edible glitter? And so I looked online at the edible glitter that was there and the competitors. They're just incredibly messy. You open up a jar and the glitter just poofs everywhere, right, you open up a packet and it just poofs everywhere. Right, you open up a packet and it just poofs everywhere again, it just was so messy and it didn't really make sense in the whole packet. You needed it for the whole glass. And so I just thought, okay, I think I can make this better elevated. I can even maybe offer it to bars so that they can serve more glittery drinks and glittery shots for bachelorette parties. That's when the idea started and then I started to look into it.
Tana: 5:26
Huge area of opportunity, very open market, not congested. There's no leading brand. If I tell you edible glitter, I'm sure you're not really thinking of a brand today. I hope in five years you think of glitter faced. So why get, I'll say, shiz face? I don't know if I can swear on this podcast. You can if you want to. Which is the? Why get shit faced if you can get glitter faced? And so that's where we come up with the name glitter faced. So yeah, and so we basically made the glitter into this bottle. It's a liquid form and so I'm gonna make it so you can actually see it, but it's liquid. You shake it, you add it to your drink. It'll change the color, if you want it to, and you add the full three droppers, or it can just add a little bit of shimmer, if that's what you want as well.
Camille: 6:11
Okay, so for those of you who can't see and you're listening right now, it is what I would explain as a dropper that you would use for like a face oil. Essentially, it's a way that I would explain it. So, when someone has they're wanting to make a glittery drink, how many drops would it require to give the effect?
Tana: 6:32
Yep. So we say one to three full droppers. So you would open it and you would drop in three full droppers, and that's if you want the color changing effect. If you just want a little shimmer, you can do one or two. We even have one that's called just shimmer, that all the ingredients that are in it are water, the edible glitter, which is called mica. It's found in most of your supplements. It's just ground up. And then we have the potassium sorbet that allows it to be shelf stable for two years. That's literally all that's in it. That's it. So there's no sugar or anything like that. So if you just wanted shimmer, no color, you would buy this one, but all of our others you'd want to do the full three droppers so you get the full color.
Camille: 7:13
Okay. So let's say, a big market I think would be for kids parties. If you have a themed drink that you're wanting to get a certain color effect, what would be a good amount for people to buy if they're wanting to, let's say, host a Ninja Turtle party and they want green drinks. Like, how many of these droppers would I need for a party of, let's say, 10 kids?
Tana: 7:34
Let me show you how many with me, cause I have it right here. I'll just, I'll just use a can of Sprite and show you and I'll just pour in the drink here it's been open for a little bit and then I'll shake the green. Okay, you can see, it's just Sprite, it's just a little bit of carbonation. Most kids are going to fill their glass like way higher than eight ounces and if that's the case, you just want to add more color, not a big deal. But, as you can see, this is not even one full dropper. But, as you can see, this is not even one full dropper and you already are seeing the color take over. We'll do two. I'll just do two for now so you can see, and I'll put it even close Look how bright that is.
Camille: 8:16
Yes, that is so fun. Okay, you've got to watch this on video so that you can see how pretty that is it like swirls around. Yeah, that looks very magical, very pretty?
Tana: 8:26
is it like swirls around? Yeah, that looks very magical, very pretty, and it's tasteless. Literally we've done a blind taste test before we're going to do another one, um, where we've actually blindfolded kids and adults and we have them taste and guess which one had glitter in it. And you can't get. You can't guess because there's no texture, there's no people think craft glitter in your drink. It's's not like that. You can't even taste it. So it's just a fun extra thing to add. But I like we always do Sprite and I'm like man we should do a partnership with Sprite.
Camille: 8:54
This is what you really should come out.
Tana: 8:56
Yeah, this is what should come out of that drink.
Camille: 8:58
It's the same color, so for a party of 10, what would you say for?
Tana: 8:59
how many droppers would I?
Camille: 9:00
need for a party? Yeah, for a party of 10, what would you say for how many droppers would I need for a party?
Tana: 9:06
Yeah, for a party of 10,? You would only need one. You just need this. And how much is a bottle?
Camille: 9:11
$16.99. Okay, so fun. So is that something where I would think, as the mother of the party, I would probably be doing the drops myself, unless you have kids that you feel like you could trust to do that? That could be a part that would actually add an activity layer to the party perhaps, which would be a lot of fun.
Tana: 9:32
Yeah, one thing that we've also done too is you can actually in icing. I wouldn't say thick frosting, but you could put it in icing and you could have kids put it in and it changes the color. Just a dye would, but it also adds the glitter effect for cake, also for a mocktail or cocktail. If you want to add a rim effect, normally what you would do is you would pour honey or agave syrup or something on a on a plate and then you would grab this and you would rim it. So you can see some of our tiktok and youtube videos or instagram videos. If you put the honey on, then you do a couple of drops of the color and then you swirl it. It changes the color and adds glitter so that you can have a colorful rim as well, and then you make your drink so like for the holiday season as well. It's a really fun. It's a really fun addition to just like a, just a party. But it adds that oh my gosh, what are you drinking Like?
Camille: 10:29
that is so fun and cool and I didn't have to. It didn't have to add any alcohol in it to have fun. Oh, that's cool and I think it could be really fun even to add to like a caramel or something like that that you're putting on top of ice cream or like anything.
Tana: 10:38
Yeah, the biggest thing is just making sure. If you're changing the color of something that's already a solid color, you have to be fairly generous. So if you're going to bake and cook with it, you might want to add more. We're actually working on a specific line for people like that, so it's a much darker concentrate of the dye. We're in the middle of doing that, just because if you're trying to change the color of a really dark beer, for example, takes more drops, oh yeah.
Camille: 11:07
I'm thinking like a light caramel sauce to go on something.
Camille: 11:11
Yeah, and just drizzle it Like a light. Yep, yeah, okay, so let's talk about as far as product development, about something that we share here on this show. What were some steps that you had to go through? Because in episode one, we talk about how to discover a viable product of something that would sell and do well on Amazon. Now, this is something that, with all of your experience of seeing and researching and helping so many brands grow online, what were the steps that you took to create this product and make it something that you could then sell on Amazon? Yeah, yeah.
Tana: 11:45
So because my experience was selling brands selling products on Amazon, I knew exactly the first this the main complaint in their reviews also is that it's mess free or that it's messy. The competitors are messy, so they wanted it mess free. So I knew that it was. I knew that I could solve the problem that people had and I knew that I could do it in an elevated way with a fun brand behind it. So I knew that I could do that. I would say in terms of like my next steps after that, once I understood the opportunity, made the Amazon account, did those basic steps, I then thought through packaging and labeling and all of the other stuff as well. One thing I did want to share, though, is our first product iteration did not look like this, and it actually wasn't even in liquid form. So the main problem we saw was that people didn't want it messy.
Tana: 12:53
So we actually thought of okay, why don't we compact the glitter into like an alka-seltzer looking tablet, basically so that you could drop it in your drink and it falls like alka-seltzer does, but without actually adding in all the additives that are needed to make a compact disc? How can we do that? And so we thought of okay, why don't we do a similar process of cotton candy? And so you literally are swirling like the sugar, you stretch it out, put the glitter inside, fold. And there were a few other I would say creators, content creators or influencers who had done that, but not a brand behind it. It was just like their unique way of adding the glitter. And so we saw that and we were like man, that's awesome. And we sold those really well.
Tana: 13:37
However, cotton candy melts, so shipping it into Amazon, your product has to be able to withstand up to 170 degree heat. Cotton candy can't withstand 170 degree heat. We tried different packaging. We did a lot of tests at home with like crock pot in the oven at different degrees to see, and they all melted. Either that or we would have to have so much cotton candy, because cotton candy is sold all year round, but they're in large quantities in big bags and a lot of those companies they ship it in and they don't ship anymore.
Tana: 14:14
After like April, they're like okay, we shipped it all in, we're not shipping it anymore, it's all on the shelf. If Smith's down the street runs out, that's a bummer. They're not going to get any more until October because you just can't ship it, and that isn't a super sustainable business for me at least, not being able to sell really throughout the summer. So we had to innovate, try again. We knew we had a good product and we knew we had a solution to a problem, and we knew there was another item form that we could do. So that's when we thought of what about a liquid? Just like people add bitters to drinks lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup Can we add the glitter in that way? So that's where we came up with our product.
Camille: 14:59
Oh, that's so smart. Was it hard to find a manufacturer, to source the product, to get the things that you needed?
Tana: 15:08
Because we have so few ingredients. I would say it probably wasn't as hard as others. I will say we decided to go the US route. It was very important to me that every piece of our product be from the US, down to even our label. Our bottles are. The bottles are technically. These glass bottles you hear are technically made overseas, but there's a, there actually is a glass manufacturer in the US, but every other ingredient is all US-based and it's actually here locally in Salt Lake. So we even will drive up, watch the process, make sure they're following it to what we want, and then they'll label it for us and then we take the product.
Tana: 16:07
So we felt that was less risky than having it overseas and the ports are closed. What are we going to do? It was just really important to us from a business standpoint, but then also just a personal standpoint. I like to buy products that are made here in the US. I know where the ingredients come from, a little less sketchy, and so we did that too here, and I wouldn't say it would have been hard if I wasn't well connected. But because I'm very extroverted, I go to a lot of these mocktail cocktail events. You figure out who knows who, and so we were able to figure out who does glass bottle manufacturing here and work with that individual.
Camille: 16:38
Oh, that's smart. I feel like networking is one of the best ways to grow a business, because relationships build businesses. They really do, absolutely yeah. What would you say is a good retail markup? Or how did you know how to price the margin that you were looking for when you were putting your product together?
Tana: 16:56
Yeah. So at the beginning of a business you have less I would say you have less margin to work with, because you're not buying every ingredient in bulk, in significant bulk. The most expensive item that we for our product is actually the glitter. It's not the glass bottle, the label, none of that. The labor is always number one. But for the actual product itself, it's the glitter. And so for us, we either we're like okay, we launch nine colors, we give a collection and we have to have a price a little higher, or we just launch two or three so that we could buy enough glitter in bulk from a cost perspective and we can launch a product a little lower. But we only have three color offerings and we felt like we would learn less doing it that way. So we decided to do more color variations to learn more. If some of the colors don't work well, we won't buy that glitter again or we'll only do it seasonally. Now we know and now we know the leaders, the leading colors that we can buy more of. So we chose this area. In terms of margin, the more we sell, the more people buy it, the lower we can drop our prices, the more discounts we can offer. That's just how the business works In this space.
Tana: 18:04
We're one of the more expensive ones, but we aren't the most expensive. But we're right there on top and we felt that was our brand. Our brand is more elevated. We're not doing plastic containers, we're not doing plastic pouches. We can't be like. Our product isn't 50 cents to make, it's a glass bottle. It's an elevated experience, so we expect an elevated cost. Our product also, we believe, looks really good on the shelf with the rest of your bar items, whereas those other packets that look like minute made packets or they I wouldn't say that they look elevated on that shelf and so usually those are in a drawer and we don't want our, we don't want our product to be shoved in a drawer. Our product deserves to be on the shelf. So we priced it that way, we designed it that way.
Camille: 18:48
Ooh, I like that. I like those considerations of who is your target audience and what is the experience you're trying to offer, because that will reflect the product quality and the price, which makes a lot of sense.
Tana: 19:01
Yeah, we've talked about the kids line, for example, for parties. Then the kids may not care so much about the glass. We hope the parents do and they appreciate that. We have thought about doing more of a like a bulk bag of glitter, like other people do for punch bowls and stuff, but I just don't really feel like that's our brand. That's not what we're trying to build. Oh, we know that if you're a parent that cares about the aesthetic look of a party, if you care about the ingredients within your glitter, if you care about the clean kitchen, you're going to buy our product. If you just want like a cheap $5 glitter option, you can buy it someone else in the market and that's fine. Go ahead, totally buy them. That's okay, that's totally fine. Maybe you'll love that experience, maybe you won't, and if you don't, we believe next time you'll buy from us. Yeah.
Camille: 19:48
What are some experiences that you've had in building this brand with coming? You were talking about networking and being in the mocktail cocktail space. That is a space I don't know a whole lot about, but what have you learned through building this brand that's helped it to be successful in those spaces?
Tana: 20:05
Yeah, yeah, just like in any space, I would say, people know other people. So every time I go to an event like the first event I ever went to was a bitters like learning about bitters. I had no idea what a bit what bitters were and how you add bitters to drinks and stuff. That was the first event I went to and it's probably the most impactful one that I've ever been to, because that's where I met our manufacturer, who we use to this day for our glass bottles. If I didn't go to that event, I don't I probably would have met her, but that's where I met her Right, and that's where that relationship began. That's also where I learned about the things that people don't put glitter in there or wouldn't, or how to make cider. I just I learned more about the space because I'm newer to the space. From a business perspective, I'm way newer to the space, so I don't know these things. So I would say every event I go to, I learn more and more.
Camille: 21:03
I love that. What do you think is a lesson that you've learned in building this business that you didn't know even a year ago, that you wish you would have known or maybe would share with someone who wants to build a business some advice you would give to yourself or to that person?
Tana: 21:18
Yeah, it's crazy Cause a year ago I didn't even have this idea. Like last October, I had the idea of starting my own thing. I already had an agency. I had the idea of glitter in the back of my mind, along with a dozen other things, and it was really like doing the research and actually saying, okay, could this even work. Like sitting down one night watching new girl, whatever. Like sitting down, do it. Plugging in the numbers, saying, hey, what could this actually work. Calling up a friend of mine who I felt like would want to do it with me, and both of us being like, yeah, let's go.
Tana: 21:56
So I think that's one of the things that I have learned in my space is taking the risk and becoming a risk taker. And I would just say, if you aren't sure if the risk is worth taking, do the due diligence you know you need to and then find someone else who can look at it. Just, I couldn't have done it by myself. Technically, could I physically have found all the connections? Yes, but I needed someone else who's in this space, has done it before, to say, yeah, all your numbers make sense to the point where I want to do it with you. Let's go. That gives you that validation, and the more you do that, then you don't I wouldn't say need that validation, but I think it's just nice to just let someone else look at it. Let me read, let me review it with you, let me say, yes, this would make sense, yes, this is something you could do. Yes, you could do that with just 5k in your bank right now, or? No, you can't like, I'd be happy to help.
Camille: 22:56
Very happy to help. Very cool Okay so that's something that we didn't touch yet on this in this episode is that with Rosie Ray, your agency, you actually help people to find success in e-commerce on Amazon, and so we talk about that in length in episode one. Now in episode two, I think it's interesting to talk about you getting into TikTok shop, because that's something that you're new to tell us about the process of that with getting your product there dang.
Tana: 23:14
All I'll say is getting approved for TikTok shop for at least a branded for my brand, new brand was a lot harder than I expected. They required a lot more, which made me feel way better as a consumer on one side, buying, knowing they had to go through this crazy process. That's good to know. You can't just sell anything on here but also, I will say, the views on your shop. The value is huge. I've just learned it.
Tana: 23:42
My product has only been live for a few days by the time this airs, a couple of weeks. But the amount of followers I've already gained by talking about being on shop, you know, going live, talking to real consumers during real time, that's just something you don't, you can't really get on Amazon. Instagram live, I don't think is there right now, at least maybe it used to be. But for me you don't get that same interaction.
Tana: 24:07
Tiktok shop I'm literally talking about the product and I don't have and I don't have a huge. I don't have a huge following, but enough and people who don't follow me so many non followers are joining based on the algorithm, like it's being pushed on people's for you page, and they're joining and they're asking questions Is it edible? Is there taste to it and I can say no, kimmy, thanks for joining in in this doesn't have any tastes to it like that experience that you, I feel like I only got in a retail store. I'm starting to get with TikTok shop and that's really cool, and so I just think it's something that everyone who's starting out should do and should consider focusing on, maybe even before Amazon, to test out and get feedback about your product without committing and sending an inventory, because anyone who buys on TikTok shop, I'll send it here from my house. I have product in my basement, a package I'll send it from my house, so that cost isn't an initial sending in hundreds of units to TikTok shop, it's that you do it from your house.
Camille: 25:11
Oh, that's so interesting. I have ordered from TikTok shop and I was shocked at first. I was like is this real Cause? It seemed like it was a little hokey and it was so smooth. Like the purchasing process was so smooth and I got the product really quickly. I was really impressed, actually, by it.
Camille: 25:29
And I think a lot of people are starting to have positive interactions with TikTok shop, so to be signed up for that as a already as a shop I feel like an early adopter. As a shop owner can only benefit you right now with TikTok because they're trying to push it so much.
Tana: 25:47
I think so too. The amount of deals, like I remember back in the day on Amazon, when we would launch deals, amazon would offer to match some things, tiktok's doing that If you're going to participate in Black Friday, we'll match half your deal.
Tana: 26:00
I'm like okay, sounds good, and I'm like a tiny little brand, I'm not there. There are cool things like that that Amazon just could never do anymore. That I would just say it's great. But also think about your target audience. I do. I did have a friend who launched on TikTok shop this year and it was no waste of money or anything like that, because again, you don't send product in but she didn't see the same success because her customers really aren't on TikTok, like just not, at least not yet, and not everyone's on TikTok, right. I would say my customers are on TikTok and that I know, and so for me it makes total sense to be there. But I would say don't fight to be there if it doesn't make sense for you or your brand.
Camille: 26:41
Yeah, ooh, that's smart and I love that it's visual. I feel like TikTok if you have a product that's visual and people can engage with or talk about or especially conversation anytime. I've done live, and what's cool too, is when people put a question in a video and you can then turn it into a video and it will then snowball into video where you don't even have to think about, oh, what should I post today, because people will fill up those ideas for you. So I feel like that, as a small business owner, if you have something visual like that that you can share, tiktok is such a good place to be for that.
Tana: 27:15
And to explain it. I would think mine's fairly explainable, but, as those viewers who are watching can see, you have to shake the bottle first, open, use the dropper and pour. That's a concept that you would think would make sense, but we actually get a lot of questions. Like no glitter came out. I'm like, did you shake it? They didn't shake it, okay. So this is why we have a lot, this is why you're here. We have a live right um, so that I can explain it and hopefully that doesn't happen to the next dozen of people who buy it, and so I do feel like it's a great way to connect with your audience.
Tana: 27:47
Build community. Community is so important as a brand and I knew that before building a brand because I encouraged the brands I work with to do it, but I had never truly done it myself. Like leveraging creators, like I have 20 creators who I've sent product to last week who are now creating content. I'm going to send to 20 more who are now going to produce content, and it's genuine people who just want to try my product and test it out. Not a lot of followers, but people who are, I would say, loyalists to mocktail cocktail, whatever they drink, and their audience knows it, and so I'm like, try this. If it doesn't elevate it, don't worry about it. Be authentic. If it's not who you are, don't do it. If you don't want to add the one dye that's in here into your body, don't do it. Everyone's different, but if it is authentic for your audience, I would love you to share it, because your audience is my audience so smart.
Camille: 28:40
I love that you focused on the micro influencer. It doesn't matter the size, it's more about that niche and that connection with the audience, and I think that it's really easy to get distracted by the big numbers and think that's who you're wanting to go for. But in my experience it's more about the niche of the product, where that's what they're talking about.
Tana: 29:01
At the same time, though, don't be scared to like to reach out to the bigger ones. I just had someone last week with 230,000 followers on Instagram. Literally, her focus is all around food and beverages and up and coming brands. I just messaged her and was like hey, you want to try some product? She was like absolutely, here's my address, would love to share it in a holiday mocktail. And I was like okay, I'll send you every color.
Tana: 29:28
Like okay, so I just sent her a box today and I hope she loves it and if she doesn't, she'll let me know. I'm sure she'll be authentic. Like this was not for me. Here's what I would do differently, and it's going to be so helpful because she's someone who has been doing that for years and has that experience. So, either way, I win. Yeah, and so it's just one of those things where I, as an advertising and marketing background literally someone who managed like tens of millions of dollars at pattern before in advertising I would say that is the last thing you should do as a brand. We just now started advertising and that's the space I've been in. We just now started in Q4 advertising and a lot of brands started at the very beginning and I just think it's a waste. It's a waste at the beginning. You don't know yet what your consumers want. You're making assumptions, find the creators, find the content, build the loyal following and then spend the money that you now have to try and blow it up.
Camille: 30:27
That is such good advice. Oh my gosh. This has been so helpful. So I have a couple of questions to wrap up here that I always ask to all of our guests. First, I want you to talk about your, your special, that you have coming up for black Friday so that if people are interested in your product, I can check it out and where to find you. And then I'll wrap up with the last few questions.
Tana: 30:49
Absolutely. So we are available. I'm sure we're live. We have our own website, glitter-facedcom. We then are live on Instagram shop and TikTok shop. We're live on Amazon and we're live on Walmart and actually, if you are a business and you'd like to carry our products, we're also live on FAIR. So that would be six platforms that we are currently live on. If you wanted to try our products, we will have Black Friday sales for all six of those platforms, so check them out. The sale is pending, so get excited. It'll launch on the 28th, so just refresh your screen on Instagram shop and see what deals we have.
Camille: 31:27
Perfect, okay, we'll make sure to link all of that information below. And one question that I always close up with all of my guests is what are you reading, watching or listening to? And you can do one of each, you can pick one of the three, whatever you prefer.
Tana: 31:42
Yeah, that's a good question, so I'm reading. I just started a book called Profit First. I don't know if you've heard of that or people have talked about that.
Tana: 31:50
I have heard of that one yes, okay, I just started that one and the focus of that book I can't tell you the author off the top of my head, but the focus of that one essentially is flipping the PNL upside down and making sure you are focusing on your profit first and you are paying yourself as well early, and a lot of business owners they start by just not paying themselves and putting everything into the business. But that's a great way to get burned out and for the business to then not do well because of such. So it's flip the P&L. Think about what's actually important, what you actually should be paying for and I'm doing that to try and help me with my agency business, as I'm hiring people and stuff that I also am the owner and should pay myself and then sales with the glitter face. That's the book.
Tana: 32:36
I'm reading the show I'm watching. It's a fun show. I'm watching the Mindy project. It's on Netflix. Yeah, that's cute. No, I've never seen it before. I would say that's what I'm. That's what I'm watching right now. And then, what was that last one listening to? What am I listening to? Oh, yikes, I have a lot of things I'm watching right now. And then what was that last one listening to. What am I listening to? Oh yikes, I have a lot of things I'm listening to. I'm a podcast perspective. I listen to motivational Mondays. I listen to one podcast called CEO mindset. They're like there's a five minute long one. They do five minute like change mindset and then they do an hour about like why you should do that and that's a good one. And, yeah, that's what I'm listening to right now.
Camille: 33:18
Oh, I love that. Those are all good. I will for sure be checking those out. And then the last question I like to ask is a motherhood moment that you've had recently. I would imagine, with your kids watching you, that they're learning a lot with all of the things that you're managing and how. Maybe a tip for managing the chaos of all the things that you do, and also a motherhood moment that you've had with one of your kids? It could be something fun, sad, happy, nostalgic, whatever.
Tana: 33:47
Yeah, yeah. I would say my biggest advice is to make your kids as much a part of the businesses as you. My kids package product into late at night with me. My kids label, I pay them for that. It's a write off to the business. We everyone wins. They're a part of the process. My oldest was helping us when we were making it from cotton candy. He was there standing up at the cotton candy machine for hours as we made product and I think having them be a part of me working hard and seeing the businesses and the world we're trying to create for our family, I think is huge. There's no better way to learn discipline. I think personally, and my kids are young, so it's no better way to learn discipline. I think personally, and my kids are young, so it's a great way to get them started.
Tana: 34:35
A motherhood moment I would say the funniest one or most recent one that comes to mind is my five-year-old daughter. She thinks she's the oldest. Now I have a 17-year-old son, but my five-year-old daughter thinks she's the oldest. She just acts that way. She's, I'm in charge when my mom's, when mom's gone. I always hear my 17 year old tell me Amber think, thought that she was in charge. She told me to go clean my room. She told me to do this. She just takes over.
Tana: 35:00
When we, a couple days after telling her we were having another baby, she like she was happy, but you could just see on her face like she was a little concerned. I pulled her aside. What's going on? And she just breaks down and she's I can't have a third kid. Because she, like was feeling like she was the mom too. She was like I can't take care of Darren and Piper. I'm like, oh my gosh. And then she. So it was hilarious just this moment of like big sister like. So we had a conversation about the how important being a big sister is, but you are not in charge. Cute, but it was funny.
Camille: 35:34
Oh, I love that. That's so cute. I feel like my oldest sometimes thinks he has shoulder responsibility too. I don't know if it's, and he actually is the oldest where he's. I just worry about my younger brothers getting hurt when they wrestle and just that, that weight of the oldest, I don't know, but that's really sweet. This has been so awesome and we've had so. I hope you have listened to episode one. If you haven't, go back and listen to it now, but we're going to put all of the links below for both the Rosie Ray agency and glitter faced so you can check those out. And Tana, thank you for being so open and willing to share all of the success and the tips and everything. I am so excited to see what happens from here, because I know it's going to be so successful.
Tana: 36:21
I think there's enough space for all of us to be successful, all of us women entrepreneurs. There's room for us all, so I want to share all my tips.
Camille: 36:29
I love that and, with that being said, please and share this episode. Leaving a review and five-star review is always helpful for a podcast to grow and helps other women to discover and hear amazing stories like Tana. So thank you so much for being on the show today and thank you for listening. Hey CEOs, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment. In a five-star review, you could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram at callmeceopodcast and remember you are the boss.
Sign up to receive email updates
Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast.