Innhold levert av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
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What’s the secret to lasting friendships? How does queer community show up through the ebbs and flows of life? And what’s the REAL story behind the “YMCA” song? In the first episode of Silver Linings, The Old Gays dive into an essential part of queer life: chosen family. They discuss the vital love, support, and sense of belonging that community provides, especially during life's toughest moments. They open up about what “queer” means to them, how chosen family has impacted their lives, and how to maintain close bonds over time–including their love for each other! “We’ve come a long way, baby.” Family isn’t just what you’re born with; it’s the people who show up, shape you, and stick around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
Innhold levert av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
Experiences is a podcast about humans creating happy memories through their participation in the experience economy. We discuss how brick and mortar retail is changing rapidly, the clear winners in the experience economy, and visit with brands that are not just surviving, but thriving.
Innhold levert av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Mark Sandeno and Experiences App eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
Experiences is a podcast about humans creating happy memories through their participation in the experience economy. We discuss how brick and mortar retail is changing rapidly, the clear winners in the experience economy, and visit with brands that are not just surviving, but thriving.
The Ministry of Welcome: Creating Meaningful Experiences Through Hospitality With Nathan Woods and Mark Sandeno In this episode, Mark Sandeno sits down with Nathan Woods, a hospitality expert and founder of The Ministry of Welcome, to explore the transformative power of authentic hospitality in business and life. From driving truck parts to revolutionizing customer experiences at major brands, Nathan shares his journey and insights on creating meaningful connections through intentional welcome. Key Highlights: The Journey to Hospitality Nathan's origin story begins with driving truck parts in Eugene, Oregon, where he developed his vision statement: "Creating opportunities for others to experience joy." This led him to pursue a master's in hospitality and work with TrackTown USA managing VIP hospitality for the Olympic trials. His entrepreneurial journey continued as he co-founded Run Gum, growing it from a closet startup to achieving national retail distribution. Building Authentic Community Nathan emphasizes the importance of genuine customer engagement beyond transactions. At Run Gum, they achieved 30-40% revenue from email marketing by focusing on authentic connections. Their strategy included meaningful social media engagement and in-person events, always prioritizing treating customers as humans first, not just revenue sources. Revolutionizing Direct Booking for Bolt Farm Treehouse During his time with Bolt Farm Treehouse in Tennessee, Nathan helped transform their booking model from OTA dependence to achieving 99% direct bookings. Through implementing successful email and SMS marketing strategies, the business grew from 8 to 26 units while maintaining high occupancy rates. This transformation demonstrated the power of owning customer relationships. The Philosophy of Hospitality Nathan breaks down "philoxenia" - the Greek concept of loving strangers - and explains the crucial difference between service (what you have to do) and hospitality (what brings color to interactions). He discusses how this philosophy transforms business culture and customer experience, creating lasting impact through meaningful connections. Practical Implementation Tips Success in hospitality requires mapping the customer journey from first contact to post-experience, finding opportunities for personalization at key touchpoints, and creating memorable moments that evoke positive feelings. Nathan emphasizes the importance of caring for both customers and their families, sharing examples of thoughtful gestures that create lasting impressions. Notable Quotes: "Hospitality is not just about entertainment or hotels - it's about the posture of welcoming people to the space that you're in and being present with them." - Nathan Woods "People forget what you do or what you gave to them, but they'll never forget how you made them feel." - Nathan Woods (paraphrasing Maya Angelou) Resources Mentioned: nathanwoods.me - Nathan's website The Ministry of Welcome newsletter "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara About Nathan Woods: Nathan Woods is a hospitality consultant and founder of The Ministry of Welcome. With experience ranging from Olympic event management to scaling direct-to-consumer brands, Nathan helps businesses transform their customer experiences through authentic hospitality practices. His approach combines practical business strategy with a deep understanding of how meaningful "welcome" can transform both customer experience and company culture. About the Experiences App Experiences app website The Experiences App is a comprehensive platform designed for event hosts to seamlessly create, manage, and elevate memorable experiences. From cooking classes to crafting workshops, the app offers intuitive tools for organizing bookings, handling payments, and managing guest communication, ensuring that every detail is covered. Whether you’re a small business or a large event space, the Experiences App helps turn each gathering into a professionally managed, unforgettable occasion tailored to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.…
Building Community Through Wine: Jennifer Halleck of Halleck Vineyard Episode Overview A conversation with Jennifer Halleck about the journey of building Halleck Vineyard, their approach to wine-making, and how they've built a thriving community around their wines. Key Moments Origin Story (1990-2000) Jennifer and Ross Halleck moved from Bay Area to Sebastopol in 1990 Purchased 5 acres, but could only plant 1 acre due to forest coverage One of the first vineyards in Sebastopol Hills area (Russian River Valley/Sonoma Coast) First harvest sold to Fred Scherer in 1999 Won first place at Pinot Noir Summit with their first vintage Business Evolution Started in custom crush facility with Greg LaFollette Initially focused on distribution and restaurants Pivoted to direct-to-consumer (DTC) during 2008 financial crisis Built early customer base through innovative marketing to San Francisco private schools Currently produces 2,500 cases annually Business Model & Strategy Uses custom crush facilities instead of owning winery infrastructure Price range: $59-120 per bottle Wine club ("Inner Circle") membership includes: 6 bottles twice per year Free shipping on 6+ bottle orders Exclusive access to special events and trips Experience-Based Marketing Offers vineyard tastings with education and local delicacies Previously hosted harvest parties where customers could participate Conducts private tastings at customers' homes (12-20 people) Organizes exclusive wine club trips: African safaris European wine tours Adventure activities (kayaking, scuba diving) Keys to Success Focus on personal connections with customers Strong emphasis on experiential marketing Building community through shared experiences Maintaining high-quality standards Effective SEO and online presence Notable Quotes "Being part of the story makes it even better." - Jennifer Halleck on why vineyard visits are important "Ross' favorite line is the way to make a million dollars at a winery is to start with five million." - Jennifer Halleck cheeky comment on the reality of the wine industry Advice for New Entrepreneurs Understand it's a lifestyle business more than a profit center Just take the leap - planning can only take you so far Consider getting formal education in winemaking if starting a winery Build experiences around your product once you have something to sell About Halleck Vineyard Location: Sebastopol Hills, Sonoma County Website: halleckvineyard.com Specializes in: Pinot Noir Known for: Small-batch, high-quality wines and exclusive wine experiences About the Experiences App Experiences app website The Experiences App is a comprehensive platform designed for event hosts to seamlessly create, manage, and elevate memorable experiences. From cooking classes to crafting workshops, the app offers intuitive tools for organizing bookings, handling payments, and managing guest communication, ensuring that every detail is covered. Whether you’re a small business or a large event space, the Experiences App helps turn each gathering into a professionally managed, unforgettable occasion tailored to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.…
Ever wonder how a passion for yarn could transform into a thriving business and vibrant community? In this episode, we unravel the story of Heather Swan, aka "The Yarn Queen," who left her corporate career to pursue her love of fiber arts. Discover how she built Yarncom and the Midwest Fiber Festival from scratch, navigating challenges and weaving together a loyal customer base. Whether you're a crafting enthusiast or an aspiring entrepreneur, this conversation is bound to inspire and offer valuable insights into the world of experiential retail. Guest: Heather Swan, aka "The Yarn Queen", founder of Yarncom and Midwest Fiber Festival Key Topics: Heather's transition from corporate career to yarn shop owner The $2.5 billion US yarn industry and growing interest in fiber arts Launching Yarncom and the Midwest Fiber Festival Building a passionate fiber arts community in St. Louis Strategies for introducing new customers to knitting and crochet The importance of offering experiences in retail Balancing beginner-friendly classes with advanced offerings Using market research to choose an ideal shop location Tips for new entrepreneurs (e.g. hiring a virtual assistant early) Memorable Quotes: "Our tagline is community through creation." - Heather Swan "Surrounding yourself with people that support you, that believe in you, and that hold you accountable is what has helped me so much." - Heather Swan Where to find Heather: Yarncom: yarncomstl.com Midwest Fiber Festival: midwestfiberfest.com…
I had an amazing conversation with Jeff Pennypacker of Sweet and Savory Classroom, a cooking school experience based in Chatanooga, TN. He and his wife run a very successful cooking school and he shared some tasty insights for any retailer who offers (or wants to) experiences. And, if you're a cooking school, don't pass up this episode as it has some very particular advice for you. Send me your feedback, suggestions, and musings to mark@experiencesapp.com. I'd love to hear from you as long as you're not a spammer. Pre-emptive apology: At the beginning of the podcast, I promised we'd have Jeff share a summary of how to develop a "personal formula" at the show's end. I completely forgot to do that, so we'll do another show with him to discuss the "four realms" and have him speak more about his personal formula process. Show highlights: Jeff's entrepreneurial journey from ice sculptor to cooking school owner with some interesting stops in between How biblical principles drive success in Jeff's business The "Four Realms" and how Jeff uses them in his business How Jeff values his customer's engagement with his business Links and Resources: Sweet and Savory Classroom The 4 Realms of the Experience Economy The Experiences app If you're a cooking school or any other retailer who values hosting your customers for experiences, you need the Experiences app. It has all the features you need to offer bookable experiences, send out reminders, check in your customers, and Get a 14-day trial of the Experiences app for your Shopify store by visiting our app page on Shopify . You can also visit our website here »…
Sure, you can hope that people just show up and start to shop in your store (or chain if you're a retail magnate). But it's much more effective to bring people together through pre-booked experiences - because this is what consumers want. Mark and Chip discuss the mindset and method behind adding pre-booked experiences to your retail offering. And if you're wondering if this applies to what you do...it most certainly does!…
Mark and Chip discuss the future of the Experiences podcast, retailers' power to curate happiness and thrive, and some other things. At the beginning of this episode, Mark mentions that the first episode is coming down, but then we looked at the stats, and you know what? People are actually downloading it. So this episode makes Mark and Chip sound like liars. This episode is sponsored by the Experiences App, the only real choice for retailers that want to offer booked experiential commerce seamlessly from their Shopify stores while maintaining complete brand control and their customer data.…
From Lululemon to the candle business, everything is changing because of the Internet and what consumers value. Even though traditional retail is being wiped out, something better is replacing it that will actually get you back in your car instead of waiting for UPS to show up. The Experiences podcast is sponsored by Experiences™. You can find us at experiencesapp.com Show music by Anonymous420 from FreeMusicArchive.org…
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