Episode 33: How to Turn A Failed Digital Product Launch into Success with Taryn Sands - Student Spotlight

Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Abigail Peugh Podcast, host Abigail Peugh welcomes Taryn Sands, a dedicated mom of three, accountant, and a standout student from her expansive community of over 12,000 learners. This episode delves into Taryn's inspiring journey of transforming a failed digital product launch into a thriving success, all while managing a bustling family life on a unique family compound in Texas.

Taryn’s Family Compound: Building Together

Abigail begins by highlighting Taryn's unique living situation—a family compound in Texas where multiple family members reside on approximately 20 acres, fostering a supportive and close-knit community. Taryn shares the heartfelt story of how the compound came to be:

“[...] We wanted to spend time with our family and be close to grandparents and all of that. And it was about eight years ago, so now we've lived here for so long, and it is the best thing we've ever done for our family.”
— Taryn Sands [04:15]

Taryn explains that the decision to move away from city life was driven by the desire to prioritize family time over the demands of urban living. This move not only strengthened family bonds but also provided the perfect environment to grow her accounting business.

Venturing into Digital Products

Transitioning from her successful accounting firm, Taryn discusses her foray into digital products. Initially, Taryn and her husband faced a common entrepreneurial dilemma: scaling their business without compromising family time. To address this, they decided to create digital products to serve clients beyond their direct reach.

“We called it a book. We had no idea what to call it at the time. Let’s make a book and let’s answer all of the questions that people ask us so that we can help people that aren’t clients.”
— Taryn Sands [07:22]

Despite dedicating a year to developing what they believed was a valuable guide, their first attempt—a simple ebook—failed to gain traction, leading to disappointment and the product being set aside.

Overcoming Failure with Persistence and Strategy

In 2023, undeterred by the initial setback, Taryn reignited her efforts, leveraging insights from Abigail's podcast and other learning resources. However, progress remained stagnant until a pivotal moment sparked by Abigail’s content. Realizing the inefficiency in their existing sales process, Taryn switched to using Stan Store, a streamlined platform for selling digital products.

“The moment that I checked out using Stan Store, a light bulb just went off, like, we are putting people through 500 steps to sell this product.”
— Taryn Sands [08:24]

This strategic pivot allowed her to simplify the sales process dramatically, leading to immediate positive results. Within minutes of listing her first freezer meal on Stan Store, Taryn received her first sale, instilling the confidence needed to proceed.

Achieving Success with Strategic Launches

Building on her initial success, Taryn meticulously followed Abigail’s recommended strategies for launching digital products. She created a waitlist, engaged her audience through targeted reels, and utilized proven launch tactics to maximize visibility and conversions.

“I had a reel go pretty viral. I’m at like 22 million views on it.”
— Taryn Sands [10:56]

Her family compound guide launched in September quickly amassed $10,000 in sales within a few months, marking a significant and life-changing milestone for her business and personal life.

“You have to sell every day and getting comfortable knowing that you’re not making sales every day without doing anything.”
— Taryn Sands [19:11]

Taryn emphasizes the importance of daily selling activities and consistent engagement with her audience, which were critical factors in her successful turnaround.

Niche Markets and Sustainable Income

Abigail and Taryn discuss the power of targeting niche markets. Taryn's focus on family compounds—a specialized and unique topic—allowed her to cater to a specific audience, enhancing her product’s appeal and sales effectiveness.

“[...] what’s so life changing is the fact that you’re making this money in like a sustainable, sustainable way from home, in your own time.”
— Abigail Peugh [11:41]

This approach not only provided Taryn with a steady income stream but also allowed her to maintain a balanced life, highlighting the true essence of building an online business that supports rather than dictates one’s lifestyle.

Launch Strategies: Waitlists and Consistency

Taryn shares actionable insights into her successful launch strategy, emphasizing the significance of waitlists and consistent marketing efforts:

“My waitlist got like over 700 people on the waitlist. And that was kind of when I was like, people really do want this information.”
— Taryn Sands [13:41]

By building anticipation and engaging her audience early, Taryn was able to secure a strong initial sales base. Additionally, her commitment to daily selling activities and leveraging existing high-performing content ensured a sustained launch momentum.

Taryn’s Tech Stack: Simple and Effective

The conversation transitions to the essential tools Taryn uses to manage and scale her digital product sales. Her streamlined tech stack includes:

• Canva: For creating visually appealing digital products.
• Stan Store: For managing sales and customer interactions.
• Flowdesk: For handling email marketing on the business side.
• ManyChat: For automating customer communications.

“Pretty simple for me. I did it in Canva, so I made them all in Canva and I use Stan Store to launch it.”
— Taryn Sands [22:04]

Abigail echoes the importance of keeping the tech stack minimal, especially for beginners, highlighting that essential tools like Canva, Stan Store, and ManyChat are sufficient to get started without overwhelming complexity.

Final Words of Wisdom

As the episode draws to a close, Taryn offers invaluable advice to aspiring digital product creators:

“Give yourself some credit. If you are like hearing crickets and you're, you know, just getting started, just know that you've got to do all this stuff in the background and getting familiar with all of the little things.”
— Taryn Sands [19:11]

She encourages perseverance, continuous learning, and embracing the gradual nature of building a successful online business. Taryn’s journey underscores the importance of resilience, strategic planning, and leveraging the right tools to turn setbacks into opportunities.

Conclusion

Episode 33 of The Abigail Peugh Podcast provides a comprehensive and inspiring look into Taryn Sands' journey from a failed digital product launch to achieving significant success. Her story is a testament to the power of persistence, strategic pivoting, and the effectiveness of maintaining a focused approach in niche markets. Listeners gain practical insights into launching digital products, the importance of daily sales activities, and the benefits of a supportive community and family-centered lifestyle.

For those looking to emulate Taryn’s success, her experience serves as a powerful example of how embracing failure as a learning opportunity and leveraging the right tools and strategies can lead to sustainable and impactful online business growth.

Stay Connected

To follow Taryn Sands and explore her family compound and digital products, find her on Instagram:

• Instagram: @TarynSands
• Business Page: @whatyourCPAwantsyoutoknow

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