Pre-Work – Wreath Makers Live!

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PRE-WORK

Your Why

I never set out to build an 8-figure business. I never thought I’d have a community of thousands of makers, a marketing platform built for creatives, or a wreath supply business that ships products to people all over the world. Honestly, I was just a guy who made a wreath for my front door and got a little obsessed with ribbon.

But here’s the thing—I didn’t just stumble into success. I built it, piece by piece, because I had a Why that was bigger than my fears, my doubts, and every challenge that came my way.

At first, my Why was simple: I wanted to make something with my hands that brought joy. But as I kept going, as people started asking how they could do the same, my Why grew. It became about teaching, empowering, and proving that creative people could turn their passion into profit.

That Why drove me to show up every day, even when I didn’t feel like it. It pushed me to figure things out when I had no clue what I was doing. It kept me going when things got tough—because I knew that quitting would mean saying my fears were more important than my dreams.

That same Why is the foundation of everything I do today—from DecoExchange to The Makers University, from Makers Marketing Hub to even something as simple as MuttScrub. The businesses may be different, but the mission is the same: helping people create something meaningful, build something sustainable, and share their talents with the world.

And now, I want to help you do the same.

This isn’t just about finding your Why—it’s about using it to build confidence, conversations, and success.

Your Why is what keeps you moving forward. It’s what turns your business from “just another shop” into something unforgettable.

So if you’ve ever felt stuck, if you’ve ever doubted whether you can make this work, if you’ve ever wondered why some people seem to succeed while others struggle—it starts here.

Let’s dig in and find your Why. Because once you do, everything changes.

But what exactly is a Why? And why isn’t making money enough to keep you going?

In this lesson, we’ll break down:

✅ Why money alone won’t keep you motivated long-term.
✅ The difference between a thriving business and one that fizzles out.
✅ Why customers connect with stories, not just products.

Identifying Your Ideal Customer

If you don't know who you're marketing too, you'll waste a lot of time and money. Knowing your ideal customer base ensures you're giving your audience and buyers information that can use and helps you to better serve them.

How Knowing your Customer can Help you Grow your Business:

Branding - you want your brand to attract your Ideal Customer. If your ideal customer base is younger millennial age, trying to sell over-the-top floral wreaths will not work.
What kind of prices are they willing to pay? Knowing this will help you to determine your price points but always price for profits. If you don't think your current customer base will pay what you need in order to make a profit, you should look into either offering a product that will both serve your ideal customer and give you a profit or consider marketing to another target buyer.
What does the ideal customer most value when using the product? Example, my ideal customer most values pride in her home. Knowing this I can help ensure she meets these needs for herself.
What are other products or brands they buy from? If my ideal customer also purchased from FrontGate, I know I can use this company as research. Research those brands. What popular products are they selling? How do they word product descriptions? Don’t copy exactly, just get inspiration. Join their email list, follow on social media, etc.

5 Steps to Learn about Other Businesses Customers

Make a list of the brands that are similar to your style - not in your direct niche but slightly outside of it (instead of wreaths, try home decor)

Garden Style Wreath

Garden Style Door Decor

2. Once you find the brands, check out their social media profiles and read their posts.

What type of words do they use? Are there emojis? What, if any slang? How are they relating to their customer?

3. Click on a customer post and look at their profiles, study their audience to see if you can develop a pattern amongst them. ie. area, age, style, tv shows, magazines, colors

4. Check Other Etsy shops to study their customer reviews. As stated in the video, only study those shops that are doing well and align with your ideal customer.

In order to solve problems for your customers, you need to know who they are. You need to get very specific in who they are in order to have a better chance of converting a sale.

There are TONS of people to market to in the world but only a select group who will actually purchase from you. So ask yourself these questions about your ideal customer and if you don’t know the answers, you’ll want to find as many as you can.

In the industry, this exercise is called defining your Avatar, which is a fancy word for your typical buyer. Below are some questions to ask your customers if your business is Business to Consumer sales.

Gender – Are they male or female?
Age range – Be as specific as you can. Generally, what is the average age range of your followers and your customers?
Where do they live? Country, State, Time zone?
Where do they hang out in their spare time?
Do they have kids or grandkids?
Do they have a hobby? If yes, what is it and where do they shop for supplies?
Married, Single or Engaged?
Widowed or Divorced?
Spouse or partner?
Where do they use their mobile phone the most? In doctor offices? In bed at night? Waiting in carpool line?
How do they relax?
Do they take vacations? If yes, where?
Where do they like to shop?
Where do they hang out online? What social media?
Do they have pets? If so, what dogs or cats?
Are they computer savvy?
Do they have a multiple income family or single?
Do they own a car or ride the bus?
Do they own a home or rent?
Are they college-educated?
Do they volunteer? If so, where is their passion
Do they belong to a country club, golf club, tennis club?
What magazines do they like to read? I like to use these same magazines to get ad copy for ads, topics of discussion, find pain points as well as home decor and color trends.
What books do they read? Fifty Shades of Gray, Suspense or Self Help
What movies do they like to watch? Action, Sci-Fi, Romance, Comedy
How do they describe themselves? Christian? White Collar? Homemaker?
Where do they shop? Khols? Nordstrom? Local? Amazon?
What does your ideal customer relax?
What other items do they purchase and where?
What do they search for on Google or YouTube? Where people search for answers to their problems.
Do they buy on Google Shopping, Etsy, Amazon, Ebay?
What websites do they visit?
What would they describe as the most important thing in their life?
Do they attend conferences? If so, which ones?
Do they cook, do take out or go out to eat?
Are they active or couch potatoes?
When do they typically do most of their buying?
What does a typical day in the life of your ideal customer look like? Wake at 5 AM for a 9-5 job? Wake at 7 AM for a stay at home mom? Retired? Try to step through the whole day imagining what they see, do, smell, actions they take etc.

Finally, why does your ideal customer even buy your product? What benefit are they looking for? I promise it’s not what you assume. Example, a wreath customer of mine IS looking for a new fall wreath for their door but having the new wreath is not the benefit. The benefit is always emotional. They want a warm inviting home to come home to after a long hard day or maybe they desire to have the best-looking door on the block or maybe they are busy momming and would like to have at least one piece of their life look normal (their curb appeal).

The best or worst thing about this exercise is that it will be different for every maker, no matter what you make. If we have a group full of wreath makers, some of the answers to the questions above could be the same but a lot won’t be. Example, a person who buys an inexpensive deco mesh wreath is not the same person who would buy an expensive silk flower wreath.

HOW to Get these Answers

There are several ways to get these answers and it takes time and consistently watching and listening.

One place to start is to research your past customers. If you have a regular customer who has purchased more than once from you, start there. Look up their shipping address on Google maps (take note of the location of the home, home-style, surrounding area, cars in the drive, kids playground equipment, curb appeal or yard, etc.).

Facebook is one of the largest data collectors online. For each person who joins Facebook, they allow Facebook to gather data on them. Therefore, you can search on your Facebook Page insights for information and I’ve gone as far as looking up past customers on Facebook to find information. Most of the time can see what movies they like (which says a lot about a person), what books they read, what groups they are in, what they share, do they have kids, their age, etc.

Pay attention at craft shows and ask some questions in your small talk back and forth helping them to decide. "Let me help you determine the scale of your wreath size, do you live in a ranch style home or two story? Do you have a double door entry or single door? Is your home brick or vinyl?