How This Etsy Seller Increased Business 13x in Under a Year

Cratejoy Case Study: The Planner Addict Box

“My initial launch, May 2014, had 150 subscribers. Today, in February 2016, we have 1,700… And I can’t wait to see where it grows!”

Planner Addict Box founder Vienna Ortiz is being humble. For both her boxes – a second, sticker-centric collection debuted later on – it’s more like 2,000. But who’s counting?

The origin story of the Planner Addict Box hits a couple of points in the zeitgeist for subscription commerce. Namely, the planner community and the ways YouTuber and box owner popularity can work in sync.

Cratejoy can tell you that planning supplies have joined geek boxes and beef jerky among the most successful niches. These are niches with so much room to move, specify, and innovate that competition is barely an issue. For example, similar box Glam Planner hit 500 subscribers on Day 1 of their prelaunch!

Or, as Vienna puts it:

“I am blessed in that I have a wonderful and tight-knit community… We define ourselves as the Planner Community, and everyone is so supportive of others’ creativity, it is easy to come together and unite with one another.”

Vienna’s journey starts with her YouTube channel. If you’re unfamiliar with planners – as a subculture or just a lifehacking tool – you are in for a mesmerizing treat.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now, had I not taken a chance posting a very raw planner setup video in January of 2014. YouTube has been a very big milestone, getting me to where I am now.”

How big, exactly? Well, in the few years since that first, “very raw” video, Vienna’s gained 29,000 YouTube subscribers. Not too shabby… and key to both her brand and her success, as we’ll see!

The Lure of Planning

Why is watching someone decorate her weekly dayplanner with stickers, washi tape, preprinted to-do lists and stencils so soothing? Maybe it’s just watching someone else organize the chaos! A vicarious thrill of safety, comfort and kawaii (or luxe, or rustic) accents. It’s tactile.

Or maybe it has to do with long-ago school supplies, the promise and control they symbolized when we were young. Back when perfectly labeling every folder, notebook and 3×5 recipe tin meant nothing could get in our way.

Ready to launch your own planner business? Check out our Etsy Calculator to see how selling on Etsy – and launching a subscription box – could help.

Whatever it is, that can get you the devotion of thousands. They tune in weekly to see bujo layouts you’re planning… and cute paper products you’ve chosen to illustrate your life. As with any lifestyle brand, these fans want as much of your life as you’re willing to give them. If you want to know how truly powerful social engagement can be, just look to the makeup stars, haul stars, and planners.

For example, Vienna maintains an Instagram for her subscription box, but doesn’t stop there:

“Vienna packs everything for you and she also makes some of the things herself, which I think is great… Most important, Vienna is a young entrepreneur who started her own business, sells things online, and came up with some brilliant ideas where she offers suggestions to all of us planner women to stay on track… I love that she started the business on her own.”

— The Fabulous Planner (review, May 2015)

Forging a Community

That friendly, not-quite-worshipful tone above is usual for the PAB brand. The reviews community is key for every subscription box, but planner supply curation lends itself especially strongly to reviews.

But of course, PAB’s success wasn’t exactly a straight shot.

“At the very beginning stages of the business, there were things I was barely learning and finding out about and I needed to make sure that I had all of the correct answers for my customers… I have had to learn a lot through experience.”

Part of that, Vienna says, was figuring out ways to compartmentalize and think through various tasks in a way most of us, even entrepreneurs, don’t find easily.

“My job requires me to wear a lot of different hats and be a lot of different things within what I do. I am the customer service representative, marketing director, creative designer and so much more.”

But is there anything, we asked Vienna, that she truly would change? Any regrets, large or small? Her answer was characteristically concrete, pragmatic and to the point.

“At the beginning of this process, the tip that would have been the most helpful would be to make sure you do your research on things that would make your life easier. In my specific case, I did everything on my own — printing, cutting, assembling — and had I done my research on websites or services that do those things for you, it would have saved me a lot of time and energy in the early stages of this business.”

Crafting an Experience

For any subscription box to succeed, you need to blend the art and the entrepreneur together. And of course, planner crates have their own specific, sensory notes to hit.

“I would describe it as an experience. It is more than just boxes I am sending to the doors of people who love to plan in style, it is a surprise created by me for them to open each month.”

Obviously, planning supplies offer some guidelines that lend a helpful constraint to your curational creativity. Planning by the month means themes come easily, seasonal colors and concepts offer themselves, and so on. You won’t see a planner tossing beach-themed stickers into holiday crates… at least not in the northern hemisphere!

But those same constraints, once you find them for your own niche, can be your best friend.

Studies have shown that creativity increases as you introduce constraints. Since we recommend that you plan out a few months of boxes before putting pen to paper, constraints could mean the difference between success and subscribers abandoning your box later down the road. By envisioning clearly what your box will be like 6-12 months from now, you can set expectations for your customers right away — and make things clearer for yourself.

“First, make sure you have an idea that can be stretched and one that you can keep being creative with. A subscription business requires someone to keep creating new things customers want to see.”

Like how people swear you can taste the love that goes into a home-cooked meal, a perfectly-curated crate communicates a passion for the niche interest that the business and subscribers share. Being creative with that niche keeps subscribers interested and excited.

We asked how Vienna would suggest approaching that all-important question:

What do I make my box about?

“I think it’s really important to keep up with trends that are in at the moment, and also prepare yourself for trends you may see coming in the future. Diversifying the business allows me to reach a lot of different customers with tastes that may be different than my own…”

We wondered if it was possible to do both. Understanding the market on that gut level and, simultaneously, staying crazy about your work month after month? It sounds almost too good to be true.

“At the very back end of the majority of the decisions I make, I have to have a passion and interest in it: I think this helps with being authentic, and true to your brand, in the long run.”

Prep Time

So you’ve come up with your idea by imagining a unique, underserved audience who will respond to your twist on their favorite stuff. At Cratejoy, we call those the three parts of the golden triangle (niche, audience, and product) that sets a potentially huge crate on the path to real success.

Now, that audience needs to be found. You need to do the math, figure out scenarios, and pre-plan for multiple circumstances. In other words, you must take your excitement when you’re bursting with ideas and ready to rush into production… and chill. Put that energy into the planning, prelaunch, and social engagement game.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons planner boxes do so well and launch so strongly!

Prelaunch, dotting I’s the and crossing T’s, finding the fun in organization: maybe these entrepreneurs nail their prelaunch so well because it’s in their DNA. Maybe that’s another reason to acquaint yourself with (and emulate) the wild, terrifyingly organized ladies of the planner community.

“I am the kind of person who thinks of an idea and jumps in headfirst, but doing research and working on a organized launch are very beneficial for a subscription box, as there are a lot of unforeseen aspects you want to make sure you are prepared for… [However,] don’t let the pre-planning keep you from starting — make sure you have an end date, and that you are constantly working towards it, and you will be better off.”

I

Line It Up

As Vienna said, it’s important to delegate: whether die-cutting stickers, finding a high-quality print shop, or realizing how simple a software solution can be.

“Make sure you have your explanation of what you are selling and how you will be selling it down (as far as products, renewal dates, what to do when payment fails, customer service portals etc)…

I looked around for subscription-based software for about a month before deciding on Cratejoy. I chose Cratejoy because everything was very user-friendly and exactly what I needed — no extra stuff or hidden aspects to it. It was very straightforward. I have enjoyed seeing Cratejoy make a lot of improvements and I think they are moving in a direction that is going to make subscription services even easier to manage in the future.”

Very flattering, obviously, but all part of Vienna’s plan. And like most truly far-sighted individuals, she knows that the biggest dangers for any business are the unknowns.

“Lastly, be prepared for any glitches that may happen during your launch and how you can quickly fix them.”

Today

When we asked about her greatest milestones, Vienna expressed this lovely sentiment. While it’s not possible for everyone to give their business full-time attention, we know that we’re working toward something we care about.

“I am fortunate enough to work from home, which allows me the flexibility to put just [as much] in as I want to get out of it… At the very beginning stages of this business, I was a full-time graduate student and time management was an issue, but as soon as I could devote 100% of my time to my business, I realized that the opportunities are endless, if you are willing to work for it.”

This, naturally, led us to wonder exactly what those opportunities look like to her. We asked about her daily routine and have to admit, it sounds pretty sweet:

“As far as managing your time and wearing so many different hats, my day is usually distributed into different areas of the business: Spend a few hours on customer service, then transition for a couple more hours to social media, and finish off with website maintenance or designing products.”

That may seem like a lot of self-monitoring and routine, but Vienna reminded me that it’s all about priorities. She even confirmed our theory about planners!

“You have to get smart in deciding what needs your immediate attention and what doesn’t, and — ironically! — planning is what allows me to distinguish between it all, and maintain it.”

Mission: Accomplished

What we wanted to know was pretty simple. Once you’ve found this seemingly endless demand, and built your network of fans, friends, and followers, what’s left? You’ve got a loyal community of subscribers who believe in your product — and that you understand them well enough to surprise them with something wonderful, month after month. What other mountains are there to climb for the CEO and owner of Planner Addict Box? Her answer was pretty philosophical, which was not a surprise in the least.

“Being able to produce something different and unique every month for my customers is what makes the subscription model so appealing… It has allowed me to see how I have grown since the birth of the company.

I think it’s important to look at where you are now and give yourself credit for how far you have already come – and if I continue to grow at the pace I have been growing, that’s all I can ask for.”

In short: every month you’re building on the thing you made, and you have the numbers to show it. You can reflect on which experiments worked, which need adjusting, and remember the successes and the lessons along the way.

But Vienna had more to say.

“Driving myself to where I am now has come from my faith that what I’m doing can and will succeed, as long as I put in the work needed to make it successful. You cannot doubt yourself for one second when you are starting a business — because it is not easy — but as long as you are your own cheerleader, and biggest fan…

You can accomplish anything.”