This is 3Bits & Change, Joseph's email about building a direct to consumer business on the internet. Today’s email was written to the sound of humans enjoying each other’s company at Grocer’s Table in Wayzata, Minn.
Good morning,
Most mornings I arrive at the shop and it’s 63 degrees. I make my way to the thermostat in dim light. We leave the lights dim for the window shoppers picking up takeout from the chinese restaurant next door each evening. There is a hint of a pleasant scent from the previous day’s candle burn that lingers in the air as the rest of the opening checklist gets done.
There is a routine building now, 4 weeks in. I collect the day’s Post Office deliveries at 10:30. William is my go to window USPS attendant. Good guy (near as I can tell). I’m looking forward to learning more of the post office lore from him. “Did you know there was a shooting in the Post Master’s office in the early 80’s?,” is how he replied to my noticing and commenting on the large red sticker saying it’s a federal crime to rob a postal employee that’s smack in the middle of the main glass entry door. This is the single sticker of it’s kind that I’ve seen at a Post Office (and I’ve been to a larger number of post offices than most in the last year) and I thought I’d mention it.
Anyway, back to the routine. Pick the post office packages and head to the shop. Stop at a grocery store to collect vegetables for fittings and social content, as needed. Check the drop and pick up boxes outside the door for overnight drops and picks. Two globals were in there this morning. Turn on the music. Light the candle. Boot up the “till” machine. Put the apron on. Stick a carrot out on a board and cut a flat edge. And finally… flick the open sign on.
I often forget the last one most days. It turns out, folks are nearly always waiting to drop-off or pick up. That has been a delight. I’ll take it. It’s a really fortunate problem to have. So, the open sign is not on. Who cares?
Bit #1 • The neighbors
Mandarin Yang is the Chinese restaurant to our left. David has been working that shop for 27 years! We just passed 27 days in our space :). To our right, Michelle and Amy run Anna’s Nails. That business has been there for 22 years! To their right is a new salon that’s going into a space that has been a salon for the last +20 years. And to their right is a cigar shop that behaves like a coffee shop and has been there for 20 years. There is a new med spa being built next door to the cigar shop and there is an authentic street taco type joint one more space to the right. We have an eclectic mix.
All of these businesses are tucked in behind a Holiday gas station and an F45 Fitness studio. If we were a “U” the Holiday and the F45 are the top two points. The other business are nestled in the lower part of the U. The parking lot is also shared with a Caribou Coffee and a Nautical Bowls.
Friday nights are slow. It seems mornings are busier than afternoons. But, hey, that’s just what we’ve observed in +27 days.
Bit #2 • Do more than one thing
We keep learning by doing. If we had a pile of money allocated to this effort I think I’d spend it faster and less potently that we are. Maybe that day will come. Until then, we’re learning through iteration. That iteration comes from two main sources. One is from customers and one is from industry vets.
It’s been really fascinating to watch customers respond to different elements and products in the shop based on where they are placed and what’s around them. There is more art to this than I knew. It’s been a real joy and treat to have such a tangible playground to learn from. There is more science to this too, I suspect. I just don’t know much about that part yet.
“Do more than sell one thing” is the recommendation I’ve received from the CEO of a large ecommerce business in the food space this week. We had a delightful conversation for 15 mins. I think it nudged the business in a more authentic and honest direction. I’ve been avoiding some of the tasks on that path. She also said “sell a suite of things.” And, “Become a trusted partner people go to so solve problems.” Check. Now the work will be to authentic in that pursuit and to not go too fast.
“Just sharpening does not make sense to me” —Industry Vet
In a separate conversation I was encouraged by all the knives we're selling. I thought the game was sharpening. Well, it can be. However, it can be more than that. I’m real excited to get the classes going and to put these knives in more people’s demo hands.
While we started with one thing we’re certainly doing more than one thing now. The trick will be to add in the new stuff in an effective and responsible way.
Bit #3 • Dudes who data
We’ve been making a few TikTok videos a day for months. There was a dip in the beginning of Oct with all the shop set up work (down 16 videos from the previous period). Yet, the account continues to grow.
Now, over 10k followers watch, like and comment on the channel. Thousands more see them daily on Tik or YouTube shorts (we have them synced right now). But what does that all add up to for the growth of the business?
A little data sleuthing lead me to conclude that folks on TikTok whom see our videos and also buy sharpening from us are typically working in technology, specifically in the data or analytics departments of bigger tech orgs.
Some 4k people click through to our TikTok profile each week; more when we have a video that’s trending. Some of those folks, go to the .com. And fewer than that get to the purchase page. Anyway. You get it. It’s a funnel. It’s working. All that’s left is to optimize it. Maybe, with some retargeting ads. Maybe we just keep doing what we’re doing.
Sum
We’re four weeks in at the shop. New inventory is filling out the space. We’ve seen a spike in shipping in the last week. Thanks all! I suspect gift cards and gift packages will go hard for a few weeks now too.
The immediate neighbors are rooted in the hood. The neighborhood is lovely. We’re fanning out to solve more than a single problem. And we’re interested to learn more about our customers so we can keep this growth machine going.
On Your Way
It might be now. It might be another day. Either way, I hope you have a chance to take great joy in the brightness the sun can produce in the winter months. In the north it’s fueled by the fresh snow and lakescapes. Life is bright!
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