Manufacturing eCommerce Success – with Virginia Lynn Peterson and Sami Jo Lewis

Damon Pistulka  00:03

All right, everyone, it’s Friday and you know what that means? It’s time for manufacturing ecommerce success. I’m so excited for our show today because we are going to be talking about designed by a nurse for nurses and busy women. I’m one of your host co host, Damon Pistulka. That pretty gentleman right over there as Curt Anderson, and we’re going to be taking it away right now.

Curt Anderson  00:31

Go Curt Damon Happy Friday, dude, like the month is half over? Like I can’t believe it. Right. Like, did you have a good Valentine’s Day? Were you spoiled for Valentine’s Day? This was

Damon Pistulka  00:40

awesome. It was awesome.

Curt Anderson  00:42

Good. Okay. All right. Are you sitting down for this one?

Damon Pistulka  00:46

I am. Alright, dude. This

Curt Anderson  00:47

is like going to be pure fire man even though like we’re going to like a cold climate it’s going to be just pure fire. So let’s dig in. We have we’ve got repeat offenders on the program here today. Multiple repeat offenders, I might add. So let’s start with eight. Let’s start with this lovely lady below me Sammi Jo Lewis is in the house. Sammi Jo from the Alaska MEP. Happy Friday. Good morning to you. How are you?

Sami Jo Lewis  01:11

Good morning curtain demon. Happy Friday. Yeah, I’m doing well. I’m happy to be here. So thank you

Curt Anderson  01:17

for inviting me. And thank you for being here. 830 in the morning, laska time. I’ve already I’m at lunchtime already. So man, the the dynamo, the entrepreneur, the extraordinaire is here today. So my dear friend, Lynn Peterson, Lynne. Happy Friday. How are you? Oh,

Virginia Lynn Peterson  01:36

I’m doing great. It’s such a pleasure to be here. And I will say, you know, I am a repeat on this show. And the four of us together is just some of the best energy out there. So it is just such a treat to have this on my calendar and something to look forward to.

Curt Anderson  01:52

Well, thank you. I know how busy you both are. So thank you for taking the time to join us. So let’s dive in. I don’t know if you guys remember the last time that we were virtually on the show. Now we’ve been the four of us spend together on a show which was super special. We need to do that again. sooner than later. The last time I asked you guys a question. I don’t know if you remember the question. But I asked you guys who was your hero growing up, I asked Who was your hero growing up? And you said it was your grandmother? Graham of Virginia who was a Hall of Fame basketball player. And Sammy Joe, I think you said mom and dad and I think we were talking about Bob just being relentless provider and just we talked about Alright, so I have a little different question for you guys today. You’re ready. You’re ready. Okay, I’m gonna start with Sami Jo, since I started when I started with you last time, you dropped your jack, just wonderful juice about grandma, Virginia just been such an inspiration. Sami Joe, who on this planet, if I were to ask, Who is your hero? And they said, Well, my hero is Sami Joe, who on this planet would say that you are their hero?

Sami Jo Lewis  02:59

Oh my gosh. That’s I don’t know. Um, I would like to think my daughter, Holly. But she’s too. Yeah. But I’m happy to be her here. I think her down would be your hero too, because she just got asked this Valentine’s Day, who she loves most. And it was it was I love you, mom. So I feel like that qualifies.

Curt Anderson  03:27

Hey, that that is a fancy answer. So even we’ve been out to dinner with Holly and we had a great, great time. And so she’s a little fireballs. It’s a matter of fact, we did a live show where she was running around and just we had a great time. That’s a great answer. So Lynn, same question.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  03:46

You kind of made this too easy for me. And I’m gonna say

Curt Anderson  03:50

you because much thanks that

Virginia Lynn Peterson  03:53

you have inspired me as much as I have inspired you. And I just think in life when you would make those connections. It’s something to roll with. I mean, I think we’ve been together now for years or three years maybe we’re starting in year four together. And I think that you look up to me as much as I look up to you or maybe I look up to you a little bit more because I wouldn’t be where I am without you. So there is that so that enrolling with that

Curt Anderson  04:22

man you got the only reason you look up to me is I’ve maybe have like an inch or two on you right? So that is the only reason Hey, you know what, I’m going to try doing this let me let me do this. I’m gonna switch I’m gonna switch to Samiso people can see Sami Jo’s name up there, right, black down there below So alright, so CME Joe now you’re up there I got Lynn over here, then. You are spot on. And so Damon I’m, you know, I’m writing my second book. I’m writing another book and you know who I’m writing my book to. Lily. And you know what, Sami Jo, what does our dear friend mursaleen always say like when you do that buyer persona when you do that soulmate, you know like when you’re trying to sell to somebody when you try to sell to you know you try to be something to everybody you’re nothing to know right all trades master of none. I’m writing my a book and I’m writing it to lit and every chapter every word I’m like alright what would what what does Lynn need on her entrepreneurial journey? And so then you are spot on dude you I am You are totally my hero and Damon let’s get this out of the way. Why else? Is she my hero because I am unable to climb a mountain. Do you want to know your version of the story? Or do you want to share with everybody what happened?

Damon Pistulka  05:33

Okay, I don’t make fun of pure terror. What do you think?

Curt Anderson  05:39

I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you Well, share with everybody would happen.

Damon Pistulka  05:45

We were in Alaska and lit and Lynn graciously said hey, I’ll take you guys out for this little hike. And it was in early summer in in Anchorage. So there’s still a lot of snow on the ground and we were going up this hill and it was a lot of snow. And all of a sudden we we get this. It was Kurt saying, Hey, I can’t I want to turn around I got turned around. And we saw record

Curt Anderson  06:15

like that mountain. I mean that rivals Mount Everest once you say I mean it’s pretty darn close, like lid, right? Yeah, exactly.

06:23

Like Everest just

Damon Pistulka  06:26

was like it but completely. Climate Denali.

Curt Anderson  06:31

We climate Denali. And I’m positive it was Denali. So yeah, yeah. All right. So hey, I couldn’t make it up that mountain. But we will get there next time when? Yes. So just alright. Alright, let’s dive in. We have tons of cover. Lynn, you are a fearless relentless entrepreneur, you are the CEO, the founder of swoop. Can you please share with folks? What is whoop? How do you make the world a better place? All

Virginia Lynn Peterson  07:00

right. So we are starting year four. And I this was not on my bucket list. So I like to start this off saying if I can do this, anybody can do this. I truly do believe that. But I my backgrounds in nursing. I’ve been a nurse for over 20 years. And I am still nursing even though I keep cutting back little and little because Swoope is just taking over more and more. But as a nurse, I could not find a bra that I like to wear to work. So I spent the majority of my career in the emergency room. So if you can imagine, I mean, everybody’s mostly seen something on TV that gives you an image of what it is like to be an emergency room nurse. And I just felt that my bralettes weren’t supportive enough and bad things would happen. I know you guys on here probably don’t always get that. But I’m sure Sammy Jo can relate. And then I felt like sports bras for 12 hours were just too tight. So it was like by the end of a 12 hour shift, it was just felt like I couldn’t breathe the whole entire shift. So I need a bra. And it was pretty cool. I wore it to work. And I was like, wow, this is a really great work bra made a few more gave them to some more friends. And then it just kind of has grown. So at this point in time, we’ve expanded our line, we sell five different items. Now we still sell our bras that have been some of our best sellers, shorts, pants, underwear and tunics, which is kind of a kind of oversized sweatshirt that is quickly becoming our second best seller. So yeah, that was about four years ago, and we kind of just keep growing.

Curt Anderson  08:40

Well, then for folks for curious minds out there. So maybe somebody is, you know, they’ve been working their entire career. And you know, you’re a little bit of the accidental entrepreneur, right? So see, there’s somebody out there, they’ve been working civil servant, whatever they’ve done for their entire career. And they’re like, You know what, I’d like to dip my toe into that entrepreneurial journey. Can you like, what, can you go back four years ago? What was it like? Like, I have an idea. I’m going to create my own solution. I’m going to take that solution, and I’m going to solve it for myself. I wonder if there’s somebody else that wants this product? Maybe somebody would buy this product? Walk us through? Like how did it go from idea to maybe hobby to like now suddenly like full fledged business? Right.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  09:22

So, um, you know, I guess in the beginning, I really was was like, Could this be a business? I wasn’t really quite sure. I signed up. You know, I was doing all the sewing at that time. So I did show up at one pop up, it was a very small pop up and basically sold out and I was like, okay, like there’s interest in this. So I didn’t have any background in business, nor did I really have any, you know how to start this. So my first steps were reaching out to the Small Business Development Center, do the Small Business Development Center when they heard that basically, it was me Manufacturing, they sent me over to the MEP. And since then it has just been this wonderful blooming and continuous relationship that have really helped hold my hand and to help us grow to where we are today. So Sammy Joe, up on the corner, she’s kind of helped connect me with all of these people that we see here on the screen. And see me Joe can kind of tell you more even more details about what the MEP does and what they offer. But I will say like various things that they’ve really helped me with are just kind of basics of manufacturing, how to manufacture how to be a manufacturer, again, like this wasn’t on my bucket list. And it’s only been until this last year that I’m like, wow, we really are manufacturing here in Alaska. It’s almost kind of like a belated gee whiz, or like a little bonus. It’s like, wow, we’re doing it this like made in the USA, made in Alaska, all of these things that, you know, it just kind of has fallen in our laps. And as I like found people to help me with the manufacturing, it’s just been this amazing journey. And then also like other things that MVP offers all sorts of different workshops. And so it’s just been along the way, whether it’s been like a social media or shipping to Alaska, or just a finance, there’s these quick one hour sort of lectures that they’ve done over time. They hooked me up with Kurt and we’ve had a blooming relationship with Kurt over these years. So I think looping back around to your question, if you’re just kind of getting started and where to start, if you have a great idea. And even if you have like just one prototype or no prototype, maybe it’s just an idea. Starting out with SBDC MEP, there’s some great resources there that can really help hold your hand or point you in the right direction.

Curt Anderson  11:55

Well, I love that. So Sammy Joel, that’s a perfect segue. Let’s get you going MEP. So she’s she’s mentioned that a few times. So for our friends female out there that are not familiar with MEP that’s a manufacturing extension partnership. Can you please share with folks who in what is the Alaska MEP? And how do you make the world a better place? Yeah,

Sami Jo Lewis  12:14

thank you so much land. And thank you, Kurt. I know it’s been wonderful, wonderful getting to know land and scoop over the years. And we just love being able to work and support you. So the MVP, as Curt had pointed out is Manufacturing Extension Partnership, there is excuse me, there is an MEP and all 50 states, including Puerto Rico. So we’re our national resource. So and we our sole purpose is to help manufacturers and to support manufacturers in the state that we are so we help to support manufacturers in the state of Alaska. If we can’t do it, or there’s something you know, we’re unsure of maybe another state has done it. So that’s why we’re able to kind of pull into national resources, pull in some different experts from outside of Alaska and so on. We luckily found Kurt and we’ve been working with Curt, I’m really here to support different dreams, prototypes, engineering services, e Commerce has big a big one, with Curt, being a big help in that. We now have a supply chain manager that we just hired on. So she helps with supplier scouting. If you guys are looking for to print equipment, how to get it in the state, we really want to be that one shop resource where if your manufacturing you have a question or you’re stuck, we can help support you in that and hopefully get you some answers to help your business grow and thrive. And so we’ve been really honored to be able to work closely with Len and swoop and a few other manufacturers over the years. So let’s talk about MEP.

Curt Anderson  13:42

I thank you Sami Jo, and I’m gonna so guys, happy Friday. If you’re just joining us, we’re here with Virginia, Lynn Peterson, CEO and founder and extraordinaire of swoop. Check it out it is where W E ar swoope.com. You want to check that out for our friends and family out there. And I’ve got Sami Jo Lewis here from the Alaska MEP Sami Jo, let’s go here while it’s hot and fresh in my mind. So Lynn just mentioned boy, if you’re just starting out your entrepreneurial journey, reach out to those resources, those trusted guides that can kind of help you move the needle quicker, faster. You and I were we’ll dive into a little later we have we’ve been doing a little live show together at Alaska MEP, you had a client who was a startup, and you guys saved her $58,000 When she as she was kicking off her business. Do you want to just share a little bit on that story? Yeah,

Sami Jo Lewis  14:32

thank you, Curt. So yeah, I’ve really enjoyed we do do some live shows that me and Kurt started spearheading. That’s super fun. So we try to bring in experts as well as local manufacturers, twice a month on Thursdays at noon to kind of learn a little bit more about a manufacturing topic and an expert and like how they’ve started their entrepreneurial set success. So we also had the honor of working with Megan with Felicity loft and she is a team manufacturer and Alaska and she was really looking for a product that was going to help. Or a machine that was going to help bag up her little tea bags and just make that process more efficient and streamlined. And she was doing a lot of research. So she reached out to us, we were able to connect her to a national resource that we have with another MEP to kind of take that research away from her. Because when she was researching, she was getting ready to spend double the amount that she was needed to on a machine to get it up here to Alaska, and really streamline her process. And with our connection resource, we’re able to get her connected. Find a machine that’s gonna do exactly what she needs it to do. That’s $58,000 less than she wasn’t going to spend if she hadn’t reached out to us. So yeah. And she’s really exciting. Sorry,

Curt Anderson  15:46

yeah, he’s read on your live stream, read on the Alaska meet MEP website. And she and she shares how like she did not have to go in debt. Thanks to the Alaska MEP. So hey, round of applause for just absolutely crushing it inland, as you said, you know, for folks starting out that that entrepreneurial journey game, and you know, as well as anybody, man, it is, it’s lonely, right? It gets lonely. It’s overwhelming. daunting. Let’s talk about the maturity process. We’re kin round, like you’ve been on the show multiple times and be interesting to see, like, each transaction or, you know, conversation, what does that look like, you know, you’re at a stage of, of, you know, like, really, you know, turning the corner and stepping things up. And like getting into that CEO mode. Okay, just share a little bit of like, your mindset for 2024. What are some things that what are some challenges, some things that you’re excited about? That, you know, maybe you’ve overcome those challenges from the past? What’s it look like, for your business now? Yeah,

Virginia Lynn Peterson  16:42

so, um, curt, I think, the biggest thing for me and 2024, and starting, we’re still, you know, fresh into the new year, at least it feels like that. And in the fashion industry, quarter one actually starts in February. So I actually feel really ahead of the game right now. But it’s taken me a bit to get there. But I feel like I finally think like a CEO. And so these are things like working with everybody on this screen is I like to use the word observation versus research, even fashion industry, everything still comes back to numbers. So even though I’m trying to choose like what print to use, like, this is one of our cherry bras that are just coming out. But you know, looking at the sales per week looking at and this was something that Daymond told me when we went on that walk up that mountain was last year, I was looking at my numbers monthly. So I’m doing all my tallies at the end of the month, you know, am I up? Am I down? And Damon’s like why are you not doing that weekly? And I was like, Well, I don’t know, I just never thought about that. So it is like the small little things that have really helped me move the needle more at the end of 2023 going into 2024. So I think one of the biggest things for me is just turning everything into a data point. More so than an observation point. Because then I’m allowed to make knowing my numbers, I can make good decisions to help move me forward.

Curt Anderson  18:11

Well, I love that and Diane buyer says she got a little comment here, Damon, what an inspiration. I love that. And so Hey, gals in the house, Gail, Happy Friday to you guys, you’re out there, drop us a note, let us know where you’re coming from. You have any questions whatsoever, we’ve got a wonderful entrepreneur manufacturer from Alaska, we’ve got Sammy Joe from the Alaska MEP, then let’s keep the conversation going. When you got this thing off the ground, you know, and you mentioned it in the intro. You are a proud manufacturer in Alaska, there’s a few challenges that run with being in Alaska as a manufacturer, you want to talk about like, what was your mindset as far as like, Hey, do I manufacture here? Do I outsource? Do I do it in the lower 48? Do I do it overseas? How does How have you been able to overcome some of those challenges?

Virginia Lynn Peterson  18:57

Wow, yeah, that’s a tough one because it is not easy to manufacture here. And, you know, I do think one of the hardest parts about manufacturing in Alaska, especially in the fashion industry, is our lack of access to fabric stores. So when we’re fabric sourcing, for example, we only have really one shop Joanne’s which, you know, many of us like are familiar with. So like trying to touch fabrics, trying to decide on, you know, what blends that we should use, I spent a lot of time and a lot of money ordering fabric samples from all over the world to try to make these decisions. So sometimes it’s really difficult for us to try it slow. So in a mean by slow is, for example, we’ve been wanting to make a wool sports bra. I mean, this has been like four years in the making to make that little sports bra and every time I order the wool it’s like as soon as I get that package and I take it out of the box and I touch it I’m like, like this isn’t The Right Stuff. You know, and maybe there’s things I can do on my end. But again, back to manufacturing Alaska and the challenges we have, yes, I can jump on an airplane and start flying down to either fabric stores or fabric conferences to try to find the fabrics. That would be right for us. But the expense of being so far away, you know, the whole idea like Amazon chips, and I think in the lower 48 These days, you can even get a package in the same day, but for us, like I think in saving Joe, you can chime in on this, but we’re lucky if we get it in two weeks. Yeah, so there is like a lot of these, you know, time factors cost factors. Still a lot of shipping into Hawaii and Alaska. For some reason, we’re not a part of the United States when it comes to shipping, which I’ve never understood, because I don’t have those issues shipping out of Alaska, so I’m not issue shipping in through Alaska. Um, so, you know, those are just a few challenges that we continually face up here. So we just kind of tried to just keep making good choices and the planning, you know, just trying to stay months ahead of the game. So when we’re trying to do our spring launch, who were you know, maybe people in the lower 48 When they’re manufacturing down, there could be like six months out, but we’re almost a year out just because of the time factor.

Curt Anderson  21:25

Great point. A lot of challenges. Damon, what you know, we were up there. So we had a great week you get we got to see linen action, right? And a couple different spots. What were some takeaways from your perspective on what’s going on at swoop? Well, I

Damon Pistulka  21:38

really, I mean, what you’re doing is super cool. Because of the local part of your business. I mean, ended the story. First of all, the origination story, your business need you I mean, like you say, I kind of fell into it. And that’s, that’s super cool. But then how you’ve been able to continually look at, okay, we’re not someplace where there’s a warehouse next to us, we have to figure that out. We’re not someplace where we have a million customers right next to us, well, let’s figure that out. Let’s do those things. And you continue to do it, while keeping that local flair while keeping the product quality and developing new products that are really connecting with your customers is super cool. Yeah,

Virginia Lynn Peterson  22:23

thank you. Yeah, we, we definitely have a local following that we just feel very blessed to have. You know, and that’s like, our goal, right? Is is the particularly every nurse, designed by a nurse for nurses to try our bras. But it goes beyond that, too. I mean, everybody, every woman can use a comfortable bra, that’s for sure. Right?

Curt Anderson  22:47

Yeah. You know, and people do business with, they do business with people then. And I, you know, you and I talk about that a lot. You know, it’s like they, you know, you have such a great story. And just the you know, the bright the person behind the brand is just so powerful Sami Jo, you know, we mentioned the live show, and I’ll dig into that more. We’ve interviewed, you know, multiple wonderful entrepreneurs and manufacturers in Alaska, you know, similar challenges that Lynn faces, what are some of the things that you guys see are like some of the tools resources that Alaska MEP does to help overcome some of these challenges that you’ve seen with manufacturers?

Sami Jo Lewis  23:22

Yeah, no, absolutely. So Lynn had a big one, which is just like the resources are getting like supplies and shipments and I mean, that has been, is really just such a obstacle and hurdle that we have in the state because for some reason, it’s so hard to get supplies up here, the shipping is way more expensive as a key and come up here. And like Lenin said, it really takes that extra planning because we’re not getting it, you know, next day or next day service, like we’re getting it in a few weeks. And we’re not sure if that’s what we want. So that is it’s definitely it’s obviously it’s not impossible, because we have wonderful land, we have amazing other manufacturers in the state, but it is definitely a more challenging state to be a manufacturer and and so that’s why we’re really here to learn that support. A big thing that we do, and the other MPs do, but we did just hire on someone whose like sole purpose is to help with this, which is super exciting. Her name is Megan. So if anyone’s like, Man, I really need help like scouting the right supplies, we now have, we have a national supplier scouting forum that you can fill out and we’ve always offered the service but now we have someone on our team that’s just really dedicated to doing that scouting and making sure like hey, I’m getting you know, this fabric and maybe but maybe they’re she’s spending a little bit more and maybe we can get her connected with someone that has a little bit cheaper fabric, but it’s the same quality or we can find it a little bit more, you know, less expensive than it would be or they just can’t find a certain tool or machine that they need. That’s something that we can help scout and so that’s just like a really big thing that hopefully can help with the hurdle is like hey, we’re spending so much on shipping. Okay? So let’s look at a bunch of other options. So basically, the scouting form gets sent out to all the MEPs out there. And so if other MEPs other manufacturers in different states have ran into that issue, then we’ll get their contact, and it just leaves for just more opportunities for people to reach out to to find their supplies. Yep, it’s

Damon Pistulka  25:19

such a powerful part of the MEPs, as you can just look at all 51 of them, or however many there’s more than that. And all there’s 51 Look States and in other places we’re in, but the depth of experience across the board, right, because you just get on the Get on the line in boom, I have hundreds of people that we can, we can draw upon at that point and help people like, Lynn with their their business. And and like you said, take, oh, take some of the load of research and solving challenges off these manufacturers plate because they’re just trying to run a good business every

Sami Jo Lewis  25:58

day. No, absolutely. I feel like the biggest thing that we always hear is I mean, manufacturer solopreneurs, like, what do they not have, they don’t really have time, like, they are so busy, and they’re so strapped for time. So we’re happy to be able to just like take some of that off their plate, and help with their research, help them find hopefully cut costs or save money in those different ways logistics. So yeah,

Virginia Lynn Peterson  26:19

I am gonna steal this line from somebody else. But there’s, there’s room at the top for everybody. I’ve just like, really liked that. And I just feel like, you know, that little piece that you just talked about Sami Jo, it is just like, let’s just support one another, right? Like, I’m happy to share my information to help other people grow, because I just really do think that that it’s you know, like, what can we do to support one another and help everybody grow? No,

Sami Jo Lewis  26:47

absolutely. And not honestly, it’s a great point that like, it is hard to manufacture in Alaska. But I will say something, I think Alaska, I you know, I’m biased, I guess does really well, is like we have a really great community. And like Luke was just saying, I feel like, Alaskans really want to stick together. And we’re tough Alaskans, and we want to help thrive and grow and like lift each other up and really support each other. And so I think that really goes a long way. I agree.

Curt Anderson  27:15

Drop them like Sammy jaw down. And you know, and we’ve been playing that that was a perfect segue. So I was trying to share my screen. But I’m gonna dive in Lynn, I think one of your superpowers, which you you have many is you’ve done a great job building community Daymond. We talked about community all the time, Sammy, Joe, you and I talking about community. And I really admire respect, I think you’re brilliant marketer, you’ve done a really nice job converting this idea to a hobby to like a full fledged business and you’ve done so by just embracing that community understanding your customer listening to your customer, can you just share a little bit about like, how have you been able to get people to like, just really embrace you and your product and just the love that you receive? How has that happened? Well, one

Virginia Lynn Peterson  27:58

of the things you know, I think we can’t talk about this missus without bringing up that I am Alaska blog series that we do. So, you know, again, like Little did I know. We are photoshoots in particular talking about our marketing, I have this wonderful photographer who is just incredible. I and people email me let them write about wanting to be a part of our photoshoots I mean, I’ve had people drive down from Fairbanks, which is six hour drive just to kind of to be in a smooth photoshoot. So but one of the things is, is just capturing what it’s like to be a woman in Alaska. So I mean, we just talked about all the challenges about what it’s like to manufacture here in Alaska. So, you know, taking that a step further, what is it like to really live here? And then on top of that, what’s it like to be a woman in Alaska? You know, for a lot of us. You know, this, this is an example of Kara. She is a business owner here in town. But when it snows two feet, and the front of her shop is covered in snow, and all the snow plows are working on the highways who’s out there shoveling that two feet of snow, it’s Kara. And these are just like little things. I mean, I think everywhere we live there’s challenges but these women that we’ve highlighted in the im Alaska series are all local women who we just see as swoop supporters number one, and then second that it’s just really cool to hear their story and to get to know what it is that inspires them because I feel like I you know, we inspire each other. So reading what it is that makes these people shine. Every time I read these I almost get teary eyed because it’s just incredible to like go a little bit deeper. And that’s something I think we can all relate to with all the screens, all the computers, all the iPads. It’s like this thought slowing down just a little bit, too. To go a little bit deeper into our relationships and so that’s what this I am Alaska series is all about, um, you know, it’s just a spotlight on our blog, just to get to know people a little bit better. I

Curt Anderson  30:13

could I think this is one of the most brilliant marketing strategies I’ve ever seen. And so shamelessly if you guys want to borrow it, use you know, come up

Damon Pistulka  30:22

with some cool is cool. Hashtag

Curt Anderson  30:25

I am Alaska. And you know, in here, she, they go out, they take photos of their customer of their avatar. So if you’re like, you know, gee, I’m not sure who my ideal customer is. Here it is right here. Here’s Kara. And Karen’s out there in the snow. She’s at her plane. And I love some of these questions that you ask I you know, I was born and raised here. It’s in my blood. Emily, she’s going on talking about like, how deep she is in our community. And I love down here. She’s like, hey, what do you love about living in Alaska? I love the people, the community in the summers. Describe your best Alaska adventure. And then what you do is like very, very tactfully, respectful. You’re like, Hey, how did you hear about scoop? Yeah, I came across whoop at the little fish. Workshop. And you know, I was obsessed from the moment on, like, what a great testimonial right there. Yeah. Right. How did you come up with this idea? Like, like, yeah,

Virginia Lynn Peterson  31:18

you know, I think it was, oh, boy, how did I come up? Boy, that’s like, I have a lot of ideas. Kurt, that’s a tough one. But, you know, from the start of this business, this was just something really important to me. I mean, we are technically a lingerie brand, right, which still feels a little bit odd, like saying that out loud. But it is so important to me. And again, we have we’re 5050 on this call men versus women, but body image and being more self confident and feeling, you know, self worth, you know, which is something Kurt and I have talked about, but it’s like, how do we continue to support women. And this is like, one of the ways I feel like Swoope is able to do that. And I know we’re keeping the G rated show, but some of these women show up in their bras and underwear to get their photo taken or in our lounge pants. It’s kind of a mix, and there’s no pressure, we’re just kind of like, hey, we just would like it, you know, go into your closet and pull out all your swoop and whatever you feel good about wearing. Just throw that on for the photoshoot. So you know, it’s just really a way that we can encourage women to feel confident in their own skin and to share that with other women. Yeah,

Curt Anderson  32:35

I love it and look at like, what’s your proudest accomplishment? accomplishment? Look at this dancing for 67 days straight 76 and all during COVID lockdown. Absolutely love it. You know, I found that my social media feed was so scary and negative. The only thing I could troll was putting something silly and goofy out every day. And so I just, I couldn’t love this more than I think this is just absolutely brilliant in every sense of the imagination here. Kudos to you. Anything else? I’ll stop sharing anything else that you want to share about Kara or anything else in the website that we want to discuss?

Virginia Lynn Peterson  33:07

Well, I just want to take care i She is She owns one of our local stores here in town those monos and it was it man, I just feel like this business. I’ve gotten so many huge wins. But one of the employees of the shop looped back around with me and asked Is there any way that I could share that photo with them because they found the whole thing so inspiring. And so I have not seen seen it in their office because it’s a little bit hidden. But they did take that photo and blew it up real big. And they have it in the back office to inspire all of their employees. And it just warms my heart that you know that it’s just this trickle effect that it really is encouraging all of these people. So yeah, no doubt. Well,

Curt Anderson  33:51

I love it. And so guys, check out go to where smoke W E ar smooth.com. And check out I am Alaska there are I know you have numerous numerous women on there. And like you said, they’re just they’re just rocking it, you know, like, you know, you hear about like body image. They just, they’re just putting themselves out there. The questions that you came up with are just phenomenal. And what’s great is like, you know that we talked about that user generated content? What’s the best kind of content to put out there? Have your get your customers get your ideal customers get your avatar, talk to them, you know, get that emotional connection. I just think that is so brilliant. What you did. Every manufacturer I don’t care if you’re making circuit boards, 3d printing, bending metal, you can have that emotional connection that is just so wonderful. Seemingly Sami Jo, we’ve talked about it. What was your opinion of I am Alaska? Oh,

Sami Jo Lewis  34:45

my gosh, no, I think it’s incredible. And one thing I wanted to say is like, oh, it’s kind of been shown but like hasn’t really been spoken about is like I’m definitely a customer of swoop. So I was excited to meet Lin and help support Lynn and now That’s kind of like so it’s been a tradition. She’s always at the last state fair. But it’s always there my birthday time. And so my husband will go and he’ll find me a sweater. And now it’s like no, I want swoop. So I’ve got a sweet tunic. You know, I got jammies last year for my birthday. But one of the things that I think is so like gravitating like it just said on the eye of Alaska, she saw it and she was sold as like the competencies. These aren’t just like boring bras and underwear, like this is fun, competent, all the prints are different. She’s got goat prints and salmon prints. And she just showed cherry like these are not just your basic, black, nude white, like kind of boring, but they’re like these are comfortable, and they make you just like feel good and confident. And I think it really the patterns that she chooses really is fun for women out there. So I just wanted to call attention to

Virginia Peterson  35:48

your hired will hire you

Damon Pistulka  35:52

know, make a great point because I still remember the first time I checked out your website land. This like looking at this you can tell the patterns are fun, the people enjoy wearing what they’ve got on and you can just tell this is a this is a lifestyle me brand more than it is about the product. Yeah. And that’s the that’s the feeling that comes out of this just by looking at the images and your you, your photographers, the way you’ve laid this out is so cool. Thank

Virginia Lynn Peterson  36:22

you so much. I mean, I think that that, you know, Alaska, we’ve spent a lot of time on on this live, like talking about Alaska and all of the challenges, it is not an easy place to live. I mean, just it’s just not. And sometimes we wake up in the morning, and we’re like, why are we choosing to live here in Alaska, but it is like for every, every pro there is these beautiful, or for every con there’s these beautiful pros, right? So being able to share these little bits of Alaska with other people. It’s just a real treat to be able to show the beauty and, you know, all the inspiration that this state really brings to each of us. So it’s been been a fun adventure.

Curt Anderson  37:05

That I’d say that’s a fantastic point, Lynn. And the thing is you think about like the brands, you know, I know the one easy one that people always refer to Harley Davidson, you know, it’s like, how do you how does that make you feel? Or if you’re, you know, Apple lover, or, you know, think about, you know, the Superbowl was this past week, you know, you’re a fanatic for your sports teams, you know, and it’s really how do you make your customer feel? And it doesn’t matter if you’re a manufacturer in your custom manufacturer, you’re in the supply chain, you’re like, Well, you know, that’s great. And then you know, you’re this is fashionable, you’re making people feel good. Well, you know what, even if you make a certain part that goes in a Boeing airplane, like you’re making that buyer, that’s an emotional connection to that buyer, you’re delivering on time, you having great quality, no defects, you know, like, all of those are emotional decisions. So it could be, you know, it doesn’t have to be just these wonderful, beautiful products that you make, it can be you know, it’s how you make your customers feel. And again, I feel like this has been your secret sauce. This is your superpower. Right Damon, what do you think? This is? Just

Damon Pistulka  38:06

not I mean, Lynn, I know you’re humble. If people go visit your website, there is a feeling that comes out of your website. Right in that is what I think people miss. And like you said, Curt, it can be anybody doing anything, right? If you look at it creatively enough and that’s what you’ve done with this Lynn and is you’ve taken this and taken it to another level with you bringing yourself through this and your your customers and they’re they’re just love of it. And you listen to Sammy Joe here. It exudes from her how much she loves the products, right? That is you’re capturing that and that’s so cool. Right?

Virginia Lynn Peterson  38:49

You guys are so kind I really appreciate it is gone.

Damon Pistulka  38:53

I’m honestly God, the first time that I saw your, you know, we made a long time ago and it looked like this. It is just you can tell there are certain brands that understand how to do this. And you have thanks. Yeah.

Curt Anderson  39:08

And I think that’s thing that sometimes we miss as entrepreneurs, I won’t say we I’ll say me that some things that I miss as an entrepreneur and what I hear from other entrepreneurs that we miss, we don’t realize the by the purchase the relationship is about how we make the other person feel. Yeah, it’s how we make them feel, you know, so again, could be you’re in a supply chain somewhere, it could be like, you know, doing what Daymond does, helping people as if their business was Sami Jo does at the MEP. It’s how do we make them feel? If you make if you if I’ll stop sharing come back to you guys. If you try, you know, like, Hey, I’m gonna be the smartest guy in the room. Well, now you’re making feel people not feel good about themselves because you’re trying to be smarter than everybody else. Or if you don’t give them you know, you’re trying to be smarter than you really are. Now, they don’t have confidence in you. They smell you know, they you can’t pass that test of like, you know, the BS Test, right. So I think the more Some important thing when that you share again, why you’ve taken wave turned his hobby into just a wonderful business is that you understand how to help people with that confidence. That fashion, that civic pride of Alaska Made in USA. And I think you’re just absolutely crushing it. So hey, I want a round of applause for Linda.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  40:20

Thank you.

Curt Anderson  40:22

So I haven’t been painted to chat box we’ve got Hey, Diane says love those photos. In Dan Biggers in a house. Yep.

Damon Pistulka  40:31

What? Sorry. You got her Voltron? Just same time.

Curt Anderson  40:34

Can you take? I’m sure it’s freezing cold. You know, what you guys said was like 80 degrees in Alaska today. Right? It was like almost 80. Yeah.

Sami Jo Lewis  40:46

I did drive my sunroof down the other day. Yeah.

Curt Anderson  40:50

We don’t know what you’re talking about Mr. Hilton Head. Mr.

Sami Jo Lewis  40:53

49. It was sunny out. I was like, yeah.

Curt Anderson  40:59

Everybody’s running around. Alright, so let’s go here, Sami Jo, I think you guys do a great job. Shamelessly, you know, you guys started doing a live show. You’re doing a great job of featuring folks like Lynn manufacturers, we’ve had all sorts of subject matter experts, our mutual friend Wes lean, we’ve had Nicole on the show, Nicole Donnelly, all sorts of different subject matter experts, big commerce was on the show. So that was super exciting. Talk a little bit about, you know, we’re talking about Lynn, let’s dive into the content opportunities for manufacturers. We just showed about lended showcasing your clients. I’m gonna hit that one more time. Just think of manufacturer just think of you showcased your client the way that lended another manufacturer, you know, or another, you know, retailer or whoever you’re selling to say me, Joe, you’re doing a great job. You’ve taken the route of going live stream. That’s a great fit for Damon myself, how have you embrace or like, go back? Like remember our first one, you’re like, you’re a little bit nervous. Talking a little bit about like your journey on livestream and how that’s gone for you. Yeah,

Sami Jo Lewis  41:59

no, absolutely. I will say thank you to Kurt, because you’ve been our greatest supporter. And so I remember being just like, really apprehensive. I’ve gone on crit Flash show a few times. Like I said, we’ve you know, we’ve been on there before. I’ve done a few lives, but I’ve never been the one doing the lives. And so when Kurt had first brought this idea to me, I was like, Yeah, that’s cool. But I don’t know, I don’t have the equipment. I’m not as you know, I mean, look at how energetic kirtan is, am I can I match that energy? I’m just not sure. So no, but it has been really fun. So I’ve been really appreciative of the encouragement that Craig gave to me. In the beginning, it started off and it was Kurt and I and so we were interviewing wonderful, wonderful people. And he finally gave me a boost of confidence I need that I can I can do it on my own. And so we’ve turned these into twice a month, we’re bringing in an expert or and then the second one, we’re bringing in a local manufacturer, and they’re just 30 minutes, they’re super fun. But short, we really ask them some questions like, how, how did you get into this business? Tell me about your business? What brings like what made you successful, you know, really dive into like being a manufacturer in Alaska, and what are those challenges, and then we really try to focus the expert on like, whatever their expertise is. So that hopefully, or manufacturers watching it back can get little, you know, nuggets of information that they can help to help bring to their business, we’re able to use that for our marketing and get the the transcription and just like turn the end, we have it on our website, we have it on YouTube. And now we’re able to utilize that on our social media platforms as well. And so I think it’s been a really, really fun opportunity. I’m super grateful that you brought the idea to me and on next Thursday. So are this coming up Thursday on the 22nd we will have Lynn on the show. So

Curt Anderson  43:50

you got to be live. Gotta catch. We got to catch that one. And so, okay, so again, we’re talking content for manufacturers. We’re here with Lynn from swoop, if you’re just joining us, where swoop.com I strongly encourage you, if you’re a lovely lady out there, man, you have to check it out. She has the garment for you. If you’re a dude out there, you have a significant other band. It’s a great gift idea. Maybe if you’re late for Valentine’s Day, if you’ve got a birthday coming up around the corner, check out where spook.com Cme Joe, we’re talking about content, just if there’s a marketer out there manufacturer, and they’re like, you know, that live stream thing isn’t for me, I personally think it’s one of the most effective, efficient, powerful ways to deliver content. What any advice that you would share for someone that’s a little hesitant or maybe questioning if that’s a good route for them on Livestream.

Sami Jo Lewis  44:40

Yeah, no, absolutely. I definitely question that myself. I think as long as you you know, you come up with that plan. There’s so many different easy tools out there that you introduce me to Kurt and I think as long as you you know, maybe you pick so on. So I remember our first few interviews, you know, we were picking people that like I knew and I was comfortable with and wasn’t our first time meeting. And that just really helps like, feel a little bit more comfortable, right? It was like, Damon, like I can talk to Dave. And I can ask him some questions. So I think, you know, when you’re like wanting to tackle something, choose a friendly, choose a friendly client that you have that you’re like, keeps coming back to you. And like, Oh, I think that would be just like my good first approach, list out some questions. It doesn’t have to be, you know, these really long drawn out interviews, I know, we usually start with like five to six questions. And that usually brings us to about 3035 minutes. And that’s been a really good sweet spot for us. But yeah, the biggest thing that really got us to want to do this as all that you can take out of us. So we’re getting in front of people on our website, we’re getting in front of people on YouTube. But not only that, it’s like even if we don’t have that many viewers in the beginning, now we’re getting a prescription from otter. So if you stick to the 30 minutes, you can do the free now I know everyone’s like oh crunch, and they don’t have the money. So, you know, use the free resources out there. And so now we can download that transcription, we can pull out mic drop moments and quotes and now we can blast out on her social media. And there’s just like so much more that you can take out of it from just having a conversation with somebody.

Curt Anderson  46:12

Speaking of mic drop, Sami Jo. Man, that was a good mic drop right there. So that was that was absolutely fantastic. Okay, I know you guys are super busy. I have another topic that I’d like to cover. And then we’ll start winding things down. We’ve covered all sorts of information made in USA manufacturing in Alaska content, super creative ideas, how to shine a bright light on that customer understanding the customer building that community, all the things right, Lynne. We’re always talking about all the things we talked earlier about, like you’re kind of like graduating, maturing into, like, you know, that CEO CEO role. Talk a little bit about, like, if you want to go there, you’re making some, like really big decisions this year. What are some things getting more people on your bus, delegating, you want to talk a little bit about your process, and like what you’re going into for this year?

Virginia Lynn Peterson  47:02

Yeah, for sure. Because, you know, I think I’m gonna go full circle with what we talked about when the show started is, you know, when you’re doing this by yourself, it can be a lonely road, right. And it’s like, I’m getting, it’s hard to point with this thing. But Sammy do the same thing time. You know, it’s like balance between, like, my personal life between the business and I’m still nursing. You know, there’s all these things. So my word of the year is delegate. So I, it’s, again, taken me a minute to get here. But after, you know, three full years of this business moving into year four, I cannot do this alone. And so, you know, resources like Sammy Jo was talking about how like a resource, like if I need paper bags, like they already know all the paper bag manufacturers, so they like taking this time crunch off of my plate. So for me moving in, you know, I’ve done like all of the marketing, I’ve done all the website, I’ve done all of these things myself, and and they’ve worked out. But it is time to start having other people take that on. And this is a perfect example like is being interviewed on podcasts, man, it is so much work in time one to like, find the podcasts that I would want to be the interviewed on. And then you have to find the person that is the right person, the right person out of all the emails that you need to make that relationship with to pitch the story, and then maybe you get picked, maybe you don’t get picked, maybe it’s 10 emails before the actually signing up for that date. So I have brought on spent a lot of time thinking about the big areas that I could delegate and who is going to move my needle the most. So we have brought on a PR company this year, that are going to help with print, print, PR, podcasting, blog posts, you know, the kind of the full gamut to try to help get in front of more of those people. Because at this point in time, all of our growth has been organic and all done by me. And so it is time whether it’s like we’re talking about paid advertisement, or just how do we start to span our how do we stand out to get in front of those people. So that was one of the big things for us that we brought in. The other thing. The other person that I brought on was somebody to help me with wholesaling. And this one didn’t come lightly because we’ve kind of talked about you if you’re in the manufacturing world, whatever it is, if you’re wholesaling like obviously like your wholesale prices is it’s half of what you would make when you’re selling to direct to consumer. So I will chime in to it’s like one thing as especially this is huge advice to like new manufacturers out there, make sure your pricing is correct. If your pricing isn’t correct, you’re not going to run a business if you’re not getting paid you’re not running a business. This is eat you know you have to bring home that paycheck that’s what a business is right? That’s this is our jobs. This is our work. So I can’t Just can’t stress how important that is. But trying to go down that wholesale road is a completely different than direct to consumer. And one of the things is, is again, it’s like the time that it takes to one identify back to the soulmates. I’ve just loved that word. So I have my direct to consumer soulmates, but I also have my wholesale soulmates who are my wholesale so soulmates, who, you know, Virginia, Lynn Pearson, who do it as my ideal stores that swoop should be in, and then trying to make those contacts. I mean, that is like a whole nother job in itself. So I have brought somebody on that’s helping with that, who already, you know, has some contacts who’s worked in the business. And again, it was kind of a big choice, whether this was the right move or not, but um, you know, in the amount of time that it would take me to make those contacts, it just felt that this was, you know, the right time to do that. So those are two big things. So delegating, I’m going to come back to that word. So I think, you know, if you had asked me that question last year, and if you’d asked me that question the year before, they would have been completely different, you know, we run with a staff of eight right now. So, last year, my big delegation piece was as I was managing myself, five seamstresses, and it was becoming too much. So I’ve now moved one of our employees into a management role who is actually managing, you know, our five seamstresses, which was like a huge delegation for me to, you know, work, work more on one on one with one person instead of working one on one with five. So

Damon Pistulka  51:41

small steps, small steps. All right

Curt Anderson  51:45

now they’re dropped in like from Lynn right there. And hey, Daymond, Dan Biggers got some comments for Lynn. So maybe Dan and Lynn need to jump in at some time and collaborate and explore some, some exciting opportunities. Dan Biggers, a wonderful man of integrity, and so great guy to connect with. And so what I want to just unpack a couple things real quick, delegate. So guys, if you if you miss if you, if you missed our show, last Friday, we had Dave Chrysler on the show, and he’s the king of memory. Lyndon, I’ve shared this with you, you need to delegate, you need to automate, or you need to eliminate, right, we all have the same amount of time, why is somebody doing so much better is you know, it just comes down to you know, I’ll speak for myself poor time management, right? So I love that your kudos to you. And yes, you are my hero, and you are doing a wonderful job on delegating. And for those manufacturers out there, I don’t care how big they are Daymond we were on this all the time on E commerce. I don’t want to disrupt my supply chain, do I sell to my distributors? Do I sell direct to consumer, so it doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out in your living room, if you’ve grown up to Lin size, if you’re doing 10 million $100 million? There’s always that distribution channel challenges. And so Lynn, I just love that you’re exploring where you know, you’ve really built that wonderful community, direct to consumer. And now they’re like, Okay, how can I get more critical mass by going wholesale? So just kudos to you for? I can’t wait to have you back on next year to see new topics. Yes.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  53:16

I’ll be curious to hear what I have to say in a year. That’s right. Like

Curt Anderson  53:20

you can always have, like your past self and your future self. Like so if I want to go beat that guy up my future. I would love to, like try to I want to help him, you know, so I guess I know, you’re super busy. I’m going to start winding down here. Then for friends, family, your cat that’s walking around mine and Damon’s dog that around here somewhere? Would you? Would you recommend your friends to the the Alaska MEP or if they’re outside another state to their MEP? How do you feel about the MEP network?

Virginia Lynn Peterson  53:49

Five stars, five stars highly recommend it. I can’t say this enough. I would not be where I am without their help and assistance, guidance coaching. All of the things. It is an incredible resource. Mostly free. Which again, you know, when we talk about costs and learning, it’s like in a lot of education for me that, you know, came at a very low cost. So yep, highly recommend.

Curt Anderson  54:20

Well, thank you so much, Lynn, Sami, Joe, closing thoughts from your perspective from the Alaskan MEP, anything that you want to share as we wind our program down today? Yeah, no, thank

Sami Jo Lewis  54:31

you so much for having us on. And thank you so much for those kind words land. I know that it has been so much fun working with you. I’ve got to meet you multiple times in personnel. And I’ve just loved to be able to continue this relationship and just like see where swoop goes next. That’s one of my favorite parts about my job is really getting to meet the manufacturer and then in a few years, like, oh my gosh, it has just been incredible to see everywhere soup has gone and so I’m super happy to have played a little role in this journey. And super excited to just keep supporting you And thank you so much Curtin. Damon for having us on the show. The last thing I wanted to say is, if you guys enjoyed listening to Lynn today, catch her on our live on Thursday on the 22nd. And we’ll be diving into more of her entrepreneurial story. So thank you so much,

Curt Anderson  55:16

Damon, thoughts, takeaways from your perspective, my friend.

Damon Pistulka  55:19

I’m just happy I can be here. Honestly, man, the

Curt Anderson  55:24

most low maintenance guy on the planet.

Damon Pistulka  55:29

So much fun. What? So

Curt Anderson  55:31

I that’s I, I have a couple more words to share before we close out. So Valentine’s week, I’m going to continue the love fest. So first off for this lovely lady up here. So I refer to myself as Uncle Kurt. I feel like I’m Sammy, Joe’s Uncle Sam and Joe, can you share with folks I know like we’re going live in February what’s happening on March 22. Do you want to share any news?

Sami Jo Lewis  55:53

Yes, thank you, Uncle Kurt. Yes, we are having our second daughter. So on March 22. So it’s coming up quick.

Curt Anderson  56:02

Yeah, all these little sisters coming along. And so we wish you and your husband and your family, just great health and just smooth sailing for the next was that for six weeks, whatever that works out to. So we are just thrilled for the new addition to come into the Lewis family. Thank you for joining us here today. Thank you for your friendship, your support, then guys, check out the Alaska MEP. If you’re coming to us from another state you want to go to your local MEP, as Linda said they are here to help. Lynn my hero dude love of my life. And so just you are 100% Correct. Damon, I have you on a pedestal you are truly the inspiration manufacturers are the backbone of our country, our economy, and you are right there with it. Closing thoughts last words that you want to share that would inspire entrepreneurs out there today.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  56:50

Oh, boy, that’s a heavy one. I’m going to come back to what I what I said before. There, there’s room for everyone at the top. And I think you know, do your work, know your resources and help one another. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it is like we are all here to you know, grow. And especially here in Alaska, our community is small, our resources are even smaller. So dive in deep and just know anybody out there listening. I’m always happy to jump on a call or tell you about some of my experience if that that helps anybody out there.

Curt Anderson  57:26

Okay, so if you’ve been sitting down for whatever line that we’ve gone, men great opportunity to stand up and stretch and give a big standing ovation for this lovely lady up here. And I know it’s always backwards. So this this lovely lady over here. So hey, big round of applause. Thank you, Sammy. Joe. Thank you, Virginia. Lynn. We appreciate you. We applaud you. We salute you. We commend you keep firing on all cylinders. Damon, we’ll close it out. And I just you know, what do I love to say on every show? Just go out there and be someone’s inspiration just like these two are so brother take us off. Take us home, man.

Damon Pistulka  58:02

All right. Well, thanks, Kurt. I really want to thank Lynn and Sami Jo for being here today and all of our guests that are out there, Dan, bigger Gail, and everyone else that was commenting today I got Diane, and all of you that were listening. If you didn’t hear this story from the beginning, go back to the beginning. Go through it again. Listen how Lynn has built this brand, listen how to look, checkup. Checkout were swoop and see how she is really connecting with her audience. And I’m sure you’ll learn from it. Thanks for being with us today. Kurt. We’re going to be back again. Or are we going back again on Monday?

Curt Anderson  58:39

We’re here on Monday.

Damon Pistulka  58:39

We’re here on Monday. It’s a holiday we’re talking holiday on Monday. We’re

Curt Anderson  58:44

gonna holiday dude. It’s like marketing must haves with Jeff muscles. So we’re talking marketing must haves on Monday. It’s going to be pure fire, my friend. Yes.

Damon Pistulka  58:53

Thanks, everyone. We’ll be back later.

Virginia Lynn Peterson  58:55

Thank you. Thank you