Why I chose my locals first over the internet
“Katie! You’ve gotta launch on instagram. You’re missing out on so many customers!”
The night I finished my very first tallow batch was January 7th, 2024. My face was covered with exhaustion, beef fat, and a big smile. I called one of my best friends to come over and witness my newest and most random project so she could soak in this moment with me. She stood there with her jaw on the floor in awe of what I had created in a day. I looked at her and said,
I’m going to do this.
I have to get this to the community. And I’m going first to start at the farmers market this spring.
She looked at her hands while rubbing my first batch into her skin and immediately said,
Abso-fucking-lutely Katie. That’s exactly what you’re going to do. But also please get this on social media as soon as possible too. This is such a new market…you could be one of the first in the industry.
Locals first, then maybe internet.
So the next morning, I went to my favorite coffee shop in town; shout out to Wolverine Farm in Old Town, and began researching all of the farmers markets that I could potentionally apply for in Northern Colorado. I quickly learned that this wasn’t going to be as simple as I thought it would be. Not only was this going to be very competitive with companies that have been established for years, but I had also missed numerous application deadlines for multiple markets.
🌀 My scared mind: Okay Katie, just lean into your creative skills and put this out on social media. Skip the whole farmers market route and go for selling on instagram.
🙏🏼 My aligned heart: Nope. Serve your community first.
With the craziest luck in the world, somehow the main market that I wanted more than anything to become a vendor at, my local market that I fell in love with when I first moved to Fort Collins back in 2022—that application was still open.
Long story short (i’ll probably explain in a separate piece sometime)
in typical katie fashion, I rapidly:
Started batching immediately for testing
I formed an LLC
Designed a fully functioning website
Wrote all the copy
Dove wildly deep into the dark side of the skincare industry
Figured out all the legal (jeez oh man)
Designed a business plan
Developed tester groups
Photoshoots galore
A wild amount of phone calls to the director of the LCFM (you’re amazing Maggie)
Tax liscensing
Finished application
Submit
Then wait.
When I got the acceptance email on April 17th, I was both equally stoked and so terrified.
How was I going to pull this all off completely by myself?
Well who cares. I’ll just figure it out along the way.
Okay so in exactly one month, I will be standing in front of my community (somehow) with my finished products? Sounds good.
I chose to begin my company, wild melts, with my local community, instead of launching online for a handful of reasons: ⤵
I’ve lived in 8 different places over the past decade, and I’ve never loved a community more than this one—Fort Collins, Colorado.
Northern Colorado is truly the most incredible target market: everyone here has wicked dry skin because of the wild dryness, everyone plays outside, and most people here are seeking for the “cleaner” option when it comes to body care.
And who else travels to NoCo? Other high apline staters
I wanted to get to know more local athletes and what they have always wanted for long days in the mountains during each season.
I wanted to get to know more of the everyday local and what they have always wanted for their dry skin.
I knew if I developed intentional connections with the locals, they would give me honest and useful feedback. ** Quick feedback too. Because I was chosen to be a consistent vendor at the LCFM, I had countless repeat customer interactions all summer long. DATA GATHERING BABY 🙏🏼
If this all didn’t end up panning out, at least I spent time and energy connecting with my community and not just behind a distant tiny screen
✺
I couldn’t be more grateful that I leaned into launching wild melts in the way I did. Huge thanks to the LCFM Director and team for taking a chance on me + wild melts — a brand new company where my launch day was the first market of the season on May 18th, 2024. Because of that opportunity, I have now built the most beautiful customer relationships with so many locals, I am now selling in local shops, and I made impactful connections with other small business owners in the area.
✺
BUT! It is time for me to push out of my comfort zone and back into the unknown. The online launch is next.
Here we (I) go…
With love,
katie
P.S
To all you locals who come up to me in town and tell me that you’ve currently got your wild melts on and you can’t live without it — thank you for making my dream a reality.
