How Women Business Owners Are Growing an Audience Without Chasing Followers
Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business OwnersShow Notes
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Steph Weibring's Etsy shop made $8,000 in a year. Then she made $8,000 in a single November. The move behind the jump is one of the fastest lessons in growing an audience you will hear this year, and she pulled off the shift without a big following of her own.
On this episode of Dear FoundHer, the show for women business owners over 40, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Steph Weibring, founder and CEO of Joy Creative Shop. Steph turned a 20-cent Etsy listing into a multimillion-dollar stationery brand while raising three kids. She explains how partnership marketing sparked the jump and what it took to scale the business past seven figures.
Steph also shares the chaotic weekend behind her signature bag of tags, and why the design makes her products harder to knock off. Copycat versions of her products show up on Etsy and TikTok. Her response will change how you think about competitors.
You will also hear why a handwritten note is the fastest way to stand out when anyone is able to send an AI written thank you, and how Steph turned an old habit into a new subscription business.
For founders over 40 who dread showing up on camera, Steph gets honest about her personal brand and the social media strategy she resisted for years. She now runs her company as a “lowercase ceo”, a title she made up to strip the intimidation out of leadership.
Steph also offers three steps for any woman starting a business this year.
Growing an audience starts with borrowing one. Press play and hear the story behind the November her whole business changed.
Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Steph Weibring, Founder of Joy Creative Shop 02:55 From College Uncertainty to a 20 Cent Etsy Listing 05:45 From $8,000 a Year to $8,000 in One November 08:14 Self-Belief and the Turning Point Toward Scaling a Business 09:44 What Joy Creative Shop Sells Today 12:45 Making Handwritten Notes Feel Modern Again 15:38 Listening to Customers to Solve Real Problems 19:18 Handling Copycats Without Losing Focus 23:32 Building a Brand Rooted in Gratitude 25:15 Growing an Audience Through Influencer and Partnership Marketing 29:04 Personal Brand and Standing Out as a Real Person 31:33 Teaching Kids Entrepreneurship Through Side Businesses 33:26 Inside the Joy Creative Shop Team 34:41 Launching "A Different Kind of CEO" 36:55 Three Actionable Steps for New Women Business Owners
Connect with Steph Weibring: Follow Joy Creative Shop on Instagram Follow Steph on Instagram
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