Jess Gebauer, using unique marketing and sales strategies

Retail Online Training


Oct 16, 2023


With host retail coach Wendy Batten

 


https://wendybatten.com/179/

 


Show Notes:


I’m talking with

Retailer Inner Circle

member Jessica Gebauer. Jess owns Krysset Artisan Boutique & Market
in Yardley, PA: a shop full of unique products and gifts made by
artists all over the United States and Canada. Jess’s business
started as a monthly subscription box and evolved into a brick and
mortar when she realized the subscription box was limited and she
had bigger dreams.

 


Working with makers has its challenges: being able to meet margins,
being able to pay staff, etc. Jess’s advice is to focus on makers
who are set up to do wholesale and want to sell their goods to
independent retail shops like Krysset. Jess uses Faire and other
wholesale marketplaces, trade shows, local craft shows, and years
of experience to find her vendors. Krysset has over 100 vendors in
rotation.

 


We talked a bit about Jess’s journey to CEO. It has not been
linear, as most shop owners will tell you! Jess describes opening
her shop as being on the water skis attached to the boat, rather
than being the one actually driving the boat, which is so true and
an analogy I love.

 


Jess opened Krysset in September 2021 as the pandemic lingered. She
describes her first year as “really (really, really) rough.” She
had a number of challenges she was facing in her personal life,
leading to her first hire: her current shop manager,
Michael.

 


Her CEO hat has been coming out more and more in 2022 and 2023 as
she settled into her shop, something we focus on inside the
Retailer’s Inner Circle.

 


Here are a few very simple marketing ideas that have been working
well for Jess and Krysset:

 


1.

Treating their customers well and with respect when they come in
the door. Jess’s employees intuitively know that the people coming
through the door want to be treated as a friend. It is so important
to hire people who believe in genuine hospitality.


2.

Updating the exterior of her retail store. With the help and
suggestions of the Inner Circle community, Krysset got an exterior
makeover that brought new customers into the shop. Immediately
following making some changes, her foot traffic
multiplied.


3.

Carrying products that aren’t carried at every boutique on the East
Coast.

 


At the end of the episode we have a conversation about why
independent brick and mortar retail is so important. Jess was asked
recently why she opened an independent retail store when “Amazon
exists” and we both have strong opinions on that question as you
probably do too! Tune in for our answers!


About Jessica and Krysset:


Jessica Gebauer is an entrepreneur who turned her passion for
jewelry and artisan-made products into a successful retail shop.
Her boutique, Krysset, is brimming with unique products from
independent businesses across North America. As an advocate for the
creative community, its her mission to support the dreams of other
entrepreneurs.


Why Jess exclusively sources from other small businesses and
independent makers:


“People think it’s “novel” to shop small but they truly don’t
understand the magnitude of that decision. They don’t understand
the significance of choosing small, what that means for people’s
livelihoods, how much it’s truly needed to maintain diversity and
uniqueness among product choices plus how it encourages ingenuity
and enriches people’s lives – both the maker and the recipient of
the product.” – Jess Gebauer

 


You can follow along with Jess and Krysset here:


Website |

www.krysset.shop


IG | @krysset_shop


FB |

www.facebook.com/KryssetShop

 


Related podcasts we think you’ll like: 


Episode 174
:
5 Ways to Network in Your Own Community


Episode 158
:
Becoming a Destination Shop


Episode 122
:
Retail Success Series: CEO Mindset and Community with Sylvia Davis
from Louisville Mercantile


Episode 39
:
Retailer Success Series: How Jill Went from Hobbyist to Creative
CEO

 


About your host, Wendy Batten


In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Wendy, a small business coach and
founder of

the Retailer’s Inner Circle
,

where I help other independent shop owners

learn how to gain the right business skillsets to see more profits,
paychecks, and joy

as they navigate running their retail business. 


Through online classes, business coaching programs, speaking, and
a

top-ranked podcast
,
I’ve helped hundreds of retailers around the globe reclaim their
dream and see the success they want from their beautiful shops. my
signature private coaching community,

The Retailer’s Inner Circle
,
has helped retailers around the world build their retail business
skill sets and confidence. 


I am proud to have been featured in several major publications,
including my own business column in What Women Create magazine. I
have been privileged to be a guest on top-ranked podcasts and
sought-after as a guest speaker and teacher for several brands,
associations, and communities that are passionate about the success
of independent retailers.


When I’m not coaching, you will find me either DIYing and
renovating my very imperfect old crooked cottage by the sea in the
UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, NS, or blogging about our
travel and RVing adventures and the weird fun things we get up to
in our coastal village. I’d love to invite you to check out one of
my

free resources for real retailers

at

https://wendybatten.com/free-resources/
 

 


For more support from Wendy

 


Retailer’s Inner Circle – Join Wendy inside the best retailer’s
community

 


Wendysources for shop owners 

 


Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG 

 


All of Wendy’s programs and services for shop owners can be
found

HERE.
 


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Retail Online Training