About
How I got into a product-based business.
I came home and there she was- my 14-year daughter driving a tractor. We lived on a farm and my husband wanted the girls (I have four of them) to learn the value of the dollar and hard work- me too, but not on a tractor.
The year was 1994, a year later I was opening up my first retail store, a bath and body shop in the local mall. A safe place for my daughters to work and learn the value of the dollar. Me? Well, I'd never dreamed that I would fall in love with retail like I did. One store turned into three stores, then a wholesale company, then a full-blown candle manufacturing company that employed 260 people in peak season- talk about quick escalation.
Dream Big!
I've designed, manufactured and sold candles to Kohl's, Shopko, Lowes, Walgreens, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond and many more- both domestic and internationally. We even did a candle line for Kim Kardashian. We were in over 10,000 retail doors at one time in the USA alone. I've traveled to China more than 30 times to design products and work with factories, learning the in's and out's of serving the world's largest chains as a wholesaler from all angles.
Success was never chance, it was strategic. My products were designed to stand out while staying ahead of buying trends we've built systems around tracking. We used top-notch materials and natural ingredients long before it was the-cool-thing (again with staying above the trends) and the trend-driven colors and patterns big boxes love oh so much.
We made products to be worth talking about. Signature toppings on each candle took us a step above our competition. Something simple, yet putting us above other manufacturers when the time was right. I've always said anybody can get an order, but can you get the re-order? Our candles stayed on the shelves of retailers for over a decade while we owned the business because they stood out and were worth talking about.
You know what it's like to put your heart and soul into your business and that's exactly what I did. Within ten years we were doing over $20 million in sales annually.
But it wasn't always so pretty...
Living on airplanes and getting burned out became my life. In 2009 I was only home 12 weekends the entire year. The rest? Living in hotel rooms while visiting customers, and back and forth to China and Europe for trade shows. (Though I did finally see the Great Wall after 30 trips to China.)
Moving forward in 2007 we started another business so needless to say I was burning the candle at both ends (pun intended- insert stress laugh here.) Learning to manage family life and business when success hits is no easy task, and you don't have to go in blind. I've lived this life up and down and together we can make sure you're prepared to be the best business owner, spouse, parent, and friend around to those that need you.
The time finally came though, exactly 16 years to the day after opening my first retail store (I'm nostalgic like that)... I sold my business. Business building is a journey of failure and stress, yes. But it also bears the sweetest fruit for you and your loved ones when you know how to do it right- when you have a mentor.
Why I mentor product-based business owners...
I've done it twice, but most businesses never reach the million dollar mark, and it shouldn't be that way. Most parents, spouses and loved ones who want to better the lives of those close to them by building an amazing business never succeed at doing that - it shouldn't be that way.
I'm here to tell you to stop doing it alone. It's time to work with someone who's done the work, learned from the school of hard knocks and has a pile of failures that have led to successes. I'm here to share my strategies, my baselines for success, from when to hire your first employee to selling to retailers. Driving traffic through paid advertising or strategically with free social media in this ever-evolving world of new tech. Most importantly, building a product line and brand from the ground up that's built to soar instead of crash.
My name is Becky J. Anderson, CEO, business builder, Wife, Grandmother, Mom, and Mentor. You're likely starting your business for the very same reasons- and I commend that.
Let's set up a FREE 20-minute consult and see where your business can really you.
What clients are saying- Brandon Love, CEO and Founder of Crumble Co.
It's a classic American tale, raised in poverty, in Baltimore, MD. Owned nothing, barely making rent when I moved out on my own. And now...I live in a $4,500 penthouse next to football players and reality stars (yeah, pinch me). The first 6 months of working with Becky brought me from $1000-2000 a month to a whopping $20,000 a per month. Now, I'm making over $100,000 a month, and we're about to move into a 21,000 square foot warehouse.
We wholesale across the globe, selling out every day, and easily the largest indie brand in my niche now. It's odd- I DON'T like business advice. I'm a loner. I don't trust most people. But that alone speaks highly of who Becky is, she's a second Mom to me now. She taught me so much in the last year alone that accredit so much of my success. To this day, when the mess ups are 6 figures big, I can still call Becky because she's done it all - $100 to multiple millions she's got the knowledge. Jump on that free consult with her. That's exactly where I started.