the bossbabe podcast

448: Scaling an Ecom Brand From Scratch to $700K in Year One: The Sales Engine Playbook with Catherine Smith Licari of The Small Business Planner

Jan 30, 2025

Catherine Smith Licari, creator of the Small Business Planner, shares her entrepreneurial journey, highlighting her tactical strategies for building a predictable sales engine. She discusses sourcing high-quality products, the impact of intentional planning, and leveraging social media for brand growth. Catherine opens up about the challenges of her IVF journey, demonstrating how real-life struggles can coexist with business success. Her insights on navigating personal challenges while scaling towards nearly 7-figures make this conversation truly inspiring.

01:17:10

Episode guests

Catherine Smith Licari

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Catherine identified market gaps in the fashion industry, launching a successful platform for emerging designers amidst minimal competition.

She emphasizes the importance of intentional business planning and financial literacy as foundational elements for sustainable success in entrepreneurship.

Catherine created the Small Business Planner to empower small business owners with actionable strategies and practical resources tailored to their unique challenges.

Deep dives

Catherine's Entrepreneurial Journey Begins

Catherine's entrepreneurial path started in 2014 when she recognized a gap in the fashion industry. Working as a magazine editor in New York City, she understood the financial struggles of emerging designers who lacked a platform for selling their creations. With the rise of Instagram, she identified an opportunity to create a website that showcased luxury fashion designers while providing a smooth shopping experience for women. This venture, which launched during her first semester at Parsons, was successful due to its focus on new talent and minimal competition in the niche market.

Intro

5min

From Playground to Boardroom

11min

The Art of Creating a High-End Small Business Planner

4min

Navigating Product Development and Supplier Relationships

2min

Introducing a Revolutionary Skincare Supplement and Navigating the Fashion Industry

3min

Merchandise Mastery: From Concept to Customer

10min

Navigating Business and Personal Challenges

9min

Navigating Hormones and Business Resilience

7min

Crafting Engaging Advertising Strategies for Luxury Products

3min

10.

Navigating Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Insights

15min

11.

Building an Effective Sales Engine

5min

Welcome to a masterclass in building a thriving business even while managing real-life challenges. Catherine Smith Licari, the creator of the Small Business Planner, joins Natalie to break down the tactical strategies behind creating a predictable sales engine and why intentional business planning is essential for long-term success.

From sourcing and developing high-quality products to leveraging paid traffic and building customer trust, Catherine shares a wealth of actionable insights that any entrepreneur can apply. She also opens up about her IVF journey, revealing how she managed to grow her business during one of the most challenging years of her life. This interview covers how years of stagnant revenue finally led to a breakthrough of reaching almost 7-figures. If you’re ready to refine your operations, create consistent revenue, and scale your businesses with purpose – this episode is for you.

TIMESTAMPS

00:13 How Catherine identified gaps in the fashion industry and launched her first business.

02:08 Leveraging Instagram and early online trends to build brand awareness.

03:34 Pivoting from product sales to brand advising based on client demand.

16:23 The creation of the Small Business Planner: Combining luxury and function for entrepreneurs.

23:04 Sourcing and developing a high-quality product: Catherine’s step-by-step approach.

27:27 Why intentional packaging and customer experience drive repeat customers.

35:03 Features of the Small Business Planner designed to solve critical business challenges.

37:26 Balancing personal challenges, including IVF, while scaling a business.

46:04 Building a predictable sales engine with paid ads and intentional traffic strategies.

50:48 Insights from Freedom Fast Track that shaped Catherine’s business growth framework.

53:36 Addressing financial and operational blind spots for small business owners.

59:21 How to fully utilize the Small Business Planner and its digital companion course.

01:09:26 Exclusive Bossbabe Sales Engine Bonus Pack for Small Business Planner customers.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Grab Your Small Business Planner Right Here + Get Your Sales Engine Bonus Pack for FREE.

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FOLLOW

bossbabe: @bossbabe.inc
Natalie Ellis: @iamnatalie
Catherine + The Small Business Planner: @cashflow.for.creatives

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the bossbabe podcast

448: Scaling an Ecom Brand From Scratch to $700K in Year One: The Sales Engine Playbook with Catherine Smith Licari of The Small Business Planner

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Catherine's Entrepreneurial Journey Begins

Challenges in the Fashion Industry

Transitioning to a Brand Incubator

The Importance of Financial Literacy

Creating the Small Business Planner

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts