Listen to this episode if you have a product in your product suite that you want to remove, but you don't quite know how.
This is a really common question that I get when, especially a couple of months ago, I did a podcast episode about diversifying your product suite.I actually got this question in the DMs after.I diversified too quickly.
I had people ask for something, and because I knew I could make money doing it, I launched it, and now I don't want to do it anymore.It's in the way.I've built a business that I don't really want to be making those products.
This is actually a really common problem that people have, especially when you are kind of just chasing what will bring you money at the beginning of your business and now you kind of want to reel it back in.
And so this is actually a Friday coaching sessions episode, which means I answer questions that you actually ask me and you submit. And I film a whole episode kind of explaining it and giving you some live coaching on your exact problem.
If you have a problem, a situation, a struggle, or just an overall question while you're listening to all of my podcast episodes, there's always a link in the caption below or in the show notes below that you can submit your question there as well.
Otherwise, you can always send me a DM on Instagram.And if it's a good question like this one, I might just make it into a podcast episode.
So the question here is discontinuing products to product line or product lines if you have diversified too quickly.How would you phrase this to your clients?
Also, as a small business, how do you deal with the guilt knowing that customers you will be directly choosing to no longer serve even though you know this is the right choice for you?This is such a good common problem that this person is having.
She gave me some more context, and she said, to clarify, I run a vegan baking business.In the beginning, I got request after request for gluten-free products, so I added them in and have had them for over a year.I lose revenue on them.
It absolutely makes sense for me to remove them.On the other hand, there is no one else serving this community in my area.I hear from the very few who do buy, and they're very thankful, and they love what my offer is.
The amount of work that it requires, though, is holding me back from scaling the main priority in the main portion of my business.Ooh, what a relatable point.Truly, people are coming to you saying, please, please, please do this.You do it.
And then you're like, this isn't what I wanted to do.This isn't what I wanted to build.And it just doesn't make sense for me. you are not alone here.I see this a lot with jewelry.I see this a lot with candles.
I see this a lot in all sorts of things, not just baking bake items, but it is something that I see where people are like, I kind of just like people asked me to do it and I started making it, but it's not really the business that I wanted to have.
But now how do I work my way backwards? So, kind of looking at this, if you are dead set on not offering this product anymore, you're like, Maddie, I'm done, I can't do it, then how I would handle this is I would send an email out to these people
or to everybody in your email list, but send an email out that says, hey, I have loved offering you gluten-free options.
However, looking forward to the business we want to have, this process just doesn't fit into our original values of a vegan baking business.I basically would say, give them four to six weeks.You can place orders up until this date.
and we will take your final gluten-free options, but that will be our last round of orders.I'm so happy that I've been able to support you in this.
I can give you some other options that maybe you can head there and receive your items from then, but this is just not something that I can offer any longer. Um, and I would remove them from your website.
So I would allow people to still order and maybe do one more batch just to like say, you know, Hey, I appreciate you.But with like, you know, with whatever your certain criteria is, you don't have to get like into the nitty gritty of it.
You can really say with where our business is trying to go. we always envisioned our business to be a vegan baking company.
We are still going to provide vegan high-quality options, but to also have a gluten-free menu, it just doesn't make sense for us, and kind of just go from there. I would send that email out, and I would kind of just call it good.
And you might get some people to reach out saying they're so sad that you're not going to be able to do it.I would try to have some option for them.But at the end of the day, this is your business.
I just want to give you permission to be able to build the business that you want.You have to build a business that makes sense for you, especially in this example.She said, like, I'm literally losing revenue on them.
because, or she's probably meaning she's losing profit.Like they just aren't profitable because they take her so long or something like that.And she's just not able to scale her main business.At the end of the day, this is your business.
It is the business that you have to be able to set boundaries.You have to make tough decisions and business really comes down to how fast and how quickly and how well you can make the tough decisions.And this is a just another example of that.
And so sending out that email, I would send gratitude, send love, and send connection in it and say, you know, I'm so happy I've been able to provide this for you.It's just not something we can provide forever.
Place your order here, and we're going to call it good after that. And I think that would really be the only message that I post for this.Maybe on your stories, you can say, you know, like last call for gluten-free options, something like that.
Um, when you look at the guilt behind this, cause I know that was one of your main questions is as a small business, how do you deal with the guilt of not doing every request?
I hear this a lot, even in my clients that get product requests is they're like, you know, people always want me to make perfume or they want me to make
you know, clothing, they want me to make hats, they want me to make all these things, you're always going to get requests.
And we have to find this happy medium balance of listening to the customer because the customer is giving you research and data into what they want and also understanding, does this work for my business?
Is this something that makes sense for my business?If you listen to the diversifying your product suite episode that came out a couple of weeks back, I said, don't diversify too quickly.
It can be very detrimental if you diversify your product suite too quickly, as some of these people are seeing.
Maybe if this person had a couple of employees and she had a solid vegan baking business already and she added this gluten-free later, it might have worked out for her.It might have been a process there because she had more structure
and she had more help along the way.And so you don't want to diversify too quickly, but to some people, it is hearing people's ideas and saying, hmm, that's a good idea.Let me test it.Let me try it in a limited edition batch.
Let me try some of these things.So how you deal with the guilt of not taking people's requests or taking some of this stuff away as a business owner is understanding that at the end of the day, if community is at the forefront,
front of what you're doing.
If community is at the core of your strategy, then we want to look at it and say, all right, I see this, and these are our values, and people are going to love you for the values that you have, and these people will ride with you.
The guilt that you deal with is kind of just saying, this is what is going to make sense for my business, especially if it's holding you back, saying, what if this is actually one of the best things that we've ever done?
If you listen to a lot of podcasts from CEOs or business owners or whatever, which I do a lot, and almost all of them have kind of like a breaking point that they're like, if we didn't make this decision to make this change, I don't even know where we would be.
It comes to a point that you have to make some of these really hard decisions and try it and test it and say, you know what, I'm going all in on this or I have to remove this in order for it to make sense.
You have to be able to make some of these hard decisions and there is always going to be guilt.Oh my gosh, I have client people reach out to me and they're like, hey Maddie, can we just do this?Can we do that?Can I have this level of support?
Would you offer this?Hey, could you make a could you make a podcast episode on this thing?
And because my, my podcast, a lot of people request me to make podcast episodes for other coaches where, but that isn't who my ideal customer is, where I can help them.And I do coach other coaches or other service-based entrepreneurs or
I get asked if I could teach people how to be social media managers a lot, and I just have to say no.It's just not at the capacity that I have right now.
I try to have some people that I can direct them towards, but it's just not what my business is, and it's just not where I want to go.Do I feel bad about it?Sometimes, but at the end of the day, not really.
It's again, we have to be able to create your business is your home.You have to create the home that feels good for you and that works for you.It's just like setting boundaries in real life.It's the same thing as with your business.
I just want to make sure that I am not missing a question.She said, how would you phrase this to your clients?I would send that email once and just kind of let it go.Um, how do you deal with the guilt?
You kind of just have to understand that your business is your home and your business is
yours at the end of the day, and if it doesn't make sense, if you're losing money, if you're not able to spend enough time on what really matters in your business, it has to go.I've cut programs.
I had a membership for a while and it just wasn't lighting me up inside every month.I was like, oh, I have to create this content. I cut it and I had, it was successful.It was making me thousands of dollars a month.It was supporting clients for me.
It was helping people and people really, really loved it.And when I sent the hard email out and for months I would talk to my boyfriend being like, Oh, I just like, I know I should probably get rid of it, but I know these people really love it.
And he said, but he's like, Maddie, you've been saying this for like three months, six months, you have to start making these decisions.And it got to the point that I had to make the decision to just pull the plug.
It was one month when I was so busy, everything was going on.I was moving and I had this happening and that happening.And I said, you know what?This is the month.I shouldn't have waited until this time in order to do it.
And I sent the email and I said, you know what?Effective, you know, next month we're done.Here's some extra bonuses and let's call it good.People were upset.They were sad.They were like, Maddie, this is my favorite thing you've ever offered.
And I kind of just had to say, I apologize, but it just didn't fit in my business anymore.And then the last question is, we did kind of answer your questions here.
If any of you have any specific, any specific questions regarding this, make sure to reach out to me on Instagram at this is Madison Page.
I love hearing from you, even if you just found this really helpful, or this was like a topic that you've been looking to learn about and you're like, Maddie, thank you so much.It literally makes my day when you reach out and tell me that you
you're listening to the podcast.I love stalking you on Instagram, checking out what your business is all about.So make sure that you do come on over and hang out with me on Instagram as well.So I hope this was helpful.
Make sure if you have a question, a suggestion, a situation, a problem happening in your business, click the link in the show notes below and you can submit your question and I might feature it on one of our next Friday coaching sessions episodes.
I hope you have a wonderful day.I love you.I'm rooting for you and I'm in your corner always.
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