10 Amazing Lessons Learned From The Stickerguru Big Plans Podcast

What Is Stickerguru?

They are 2 sisters, Lisa and Lucy, who created a highly successful planner sticker shop. As such, they have gained a strong following among planner sticker enthusiasts. Something that truly sets them apart from other shops is that they are highly focused on educational content. The Big Plans Podcast is a great resource for aspiring entrepreneurs out there. Especially in the planner and stationery sticker shop niche. Lisa and Lucy have created something remarkable!

Stickerguru’s content is tailored toward sticker shop owners and teaches how to create stickers and how to foil stickers. Their e-book teaches how to build a sticker shop from the ground up. I must say that I became a fan of their brand and their message as they are very relatable. Even if you are not in the sticker shop niche, if you love the planner community, this podcast is for you!

You can read more about their sticker offering in this article about the Top 10 Best Planner Sticker Shops. They have a strong presence on social media including Instagram @stickerguru.

10 Lessons From The Big Plans Podcast

The Big Plans Academy website by Stickerguru shares small business education for the aspiring sticker boss. They state: “We help ambitious women turn their big dreams into big plans“. In a saturated sticker market, it may be a little intimidating for you to start a shop. However they share ways you can stand out. I find that the tips that they share don’t only apply to soon-to-be sticker shop owners but any person who wants to start their own business.

1. You Don’t Need Fancy Equipment To Get Started

We all have this idea that to start a sticker shop you need highly upgraded equipment. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Lisa talks about how she got started with her printer and how she bought a Silhouette on sale to get started. It’s likely that when you are beginning, you don’t have the capital or the resources to invest in your business. Therefore it is important to be resourceful and use what you have on hand.

Some practical tips that she shares is to find ways to optimize what you already have. For example, if you have a printer at home, play with the settings. Run some tests and more likely than not, you will be able to achieve great results. Especially since most of us don’t use our printers to their full potential. You also don’t need the most high-quality sticker paper when you are starting out. For instance, Lisa bought all her shop materials for just $200.00 USD.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S1Ep11 – How I Started My Business At Age 17

2. A Sticker Shop Is Not The Only Business Path For Planner Enthusiasts

If you are part of the planner community, if you love stationery and planner stickers, it makes sense to want to start a sticker shop. It seems like the obvious choice doesn’t it? Well it’s not the only small business option for you! Ultimately, this was one of the most important lessons I learned from listening to this podcast. If you are anything like me, sometimes all the manual process of creating stickers can be more than a little intimidating. I love entrepreneurship but I am not sure I want to make that leap toward a full-blown sticker shop.

Alternative Options To Running A Sticker Shop:

Moreover, Lisa and Lucy pitch some great alternatives to sticker shops if you want to stay within the planner niche. These are some of them:

• Social Media Marketing within the planner niche. There are sticker shops who have too much on their hands so they need someone focused on their social mediat to continue to grow. If you enjoy social media this may be the business for you.
• Video Editing Service for sticker shops and other planner influencers. Some sticker shop owners are very intimidated by this task so having it outsourced is a godsend for them. If you like to edit and do it well you this may be the best option for you.
• Digital Clipart for planner stickers. If you are into graphic design you can create designs for other shops. Additionally, they explain how there is a bit of a shortage of clipart and sticker shops often use the same art. Of course they add their own twist but it would be nice to have original art.
• Manufacturing Liaison for sticker shop owners who want to expand their stationery offering. Dealing with suppliers is not easy and some sticker shops need a lot of help due to lack of experience or simply not having the time.
• Virtual Assistant for sticker shop owners. This can be anywhere from customer service to helping people set up their Shopify stores.
• Planner Influencer. Lastly, if you simply love the planner niche and want to review stickers, planners, or other planner related products. This may be the choice for you. Oftentimes, having a social media following opens you up to other opportunities such as brand deals.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S1Ep13 – Alternatives To Running A Sticker Shop

3. How Not To Let Haters Get To You

It’s no secret that when you start to gain some success in your business, the haters start popping out from the shadows. You will have people online criticizing what you do. There will also be people leaving hateful comments. Truly, it is difficult to shake these things off and not take them to heart. One thing that Lisa and Lucy remind you of is that sometimes those haters are your most loyal audience. Just learn to embrace them and realize that they will always be there.

Think about it, they hate you so much yet they sit there patiently watching your videos and take the time to leave comments which subsequently boosts your engagement. So the best way to go about it is to remind yourself that these people are most likely trolls and they don’t have power over you. If anything, you are so successful that they really dislike you. It’s a hard thing to get across your mind but highly important to do.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S1Ep12- How We Grew Our Business Organically (AKA $0 Spent!) and S2Ep7 – Becoming A Planner Influencer (& Dealing With Haters)

4. Your Worst Customers Can Be Your Most Expensive Customers

Whether you start a product-based business or service-based business, you face a new challenge: Dealing with customers. More often than not, you will have customers reaching out with basic inquiries or requests. However, there is something all shops dread and that is the over-demanding customer.

When we come across a customer like this, our instincts will be to bend over backward to try to please them. There is a common thought that “The customer is always right”. But, it is important to stand your ground. Especially, since these customers will most likely not become repeat customers and doing everything you can to please them will cost you time and money.

Of course, it is very important to have good customer service and be transparent with your customers. But know your worth and the value of your products.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S2Ep3 – Creating Customers For Life (How To Build Customer Loyalty)

5. Have Weekly Meetings Even If It’s By Yourself

Part of having a productive work week is checking in with yourself and/or your team. If you work alongside someone else, having weekly meetings is very necessary as it is a moment to download everything you have done the week prior and sync on activities for the upcoming week. Even if you don’t work with someone, having a meeting with yourself (as weird as it sounds) is a great way to check in with your tasks.

Running a business comes with several little things that you need to get done and don’t always remember. If you can, a great way to get organized is by using project management software. Lisa and Lucy recommend Asana. I love using Airtable as my main business organizer and Notion but mostly for process docs.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S2Ep14 – Planning A Productive Work Week

6. Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Taking on an entrepreneurial project is really exciting. You may even feel compelled to drop everything else and start your shop. However, it is important to remember to be realistic above all. The truth is your sticker shop won’t provide liveable income right off the bat. It takes time to grow your following and your products. So if you have a day job, you may not want to quit it right away.

Additionally, it may seem scary to balance your other activities with your shop but it is very possible. A good way to achieve this is to stay organized. One thing to always remember is to not lose sleep over your shop. If you are not sleeping due to all the tasks you need to complete, you may need to make some adjustments. I know that for some (me included) this is a tough lesson to learn but an important one as your overall health takes priority over what you are doing.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S2Ep2 – You Can Run Your Sticker Shop While Working A Day Job – and here’s how!

7. Be Efficient – Use Templates

When you become a business owner, you will begin to notice that time is one of the most precious resources you have. Then you start noticing that you may be spending time unnecessarily on things that you could speed up. Templates are key to running your shop more efficiently. You can use templates for your stickers but also for the mock-ups you use to list them on your site or Etsy.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S1Ep5 – Revealing Our Kit Creation Process

8. Price Your Products Accordingly

Truly, when you are running a shop or a small business, there is a lot of love and care that goes into each product. All this love and care also require resources. This means that you also have to make a profit out of your products so it is important to analyze all the expenses spent on all the materials. Lisa and Lucy share the ultimate material costing formula to price your products.

Additionally, some great takeaways from this episode are that you shouldn’t be afraid of pricing your products enough for you to gain a profit. At times, you are scared that no one will buy your products if they are priced pretty high but it is important to know the value of your products, do your market research, and keep track of what you spend and earn. There are brands that have a an incredibly high mark-up on their products and it is accepted, so why shouldn’t you? I thought this message from the Stickerguru team was very powerful and one I strive to live by when starting my own project.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S2Ep6 – The Art Of Pricing Products

9. Don’t Be Afraid To Show Your Personality

This message is not something from a particular podcast episode, it is just something I picked up from listening to Lisa and Lucy as well as following them on Instagram. They both have magnetic personalities yet they are not so bubbly and upbeat. They genuinely love what they do and it truly shows. This made me see that you don’t have to try to be someone you are not on social media. Just be your true self and people will see that. People love to see the personality behind the brand.

10. Just Get Started!

Another huge takeaway from the Big Plans Podcast and the Stickerguru brand, in general, is just to get started! There may be a lot of doubt and you may be afraid of what your shop will amount to. But the truth is, you won’t know if you don’t just start. And Lisa and Lucy really share some practical advice that although it doesn’t guarantee your success, they do provide a roadmap on how to work towards success.

✨ Listen to podcast episode on S3Ep2 – Banish Doubt And Launch Your Dream Sticker Shop

In conclusion, there is so much to learn from these two sisters who have really created something amazing which is the Stickerguru brand. They have truly gone above and beyond just a sticker shop and started sharing resources and industry secrets with business newbies. Even just from the outside looking in, just observing their brand there is a lot to learn. Firstly, they keep a consistent social media presence, they have consistent brand messaging, and they are genuine. They also listen to their audience and network very well with other industry experts as we can see in their latest podcast episodes in Season 3. They have a lot of guest speakers who are also in the planner niche.

I am excited to see where they take their brand and will continue to be an avid listener of their podcast and consume their products. What do you think about the Stickergur brand? Let me know in the comments!

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