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Have you ever put your heart, your time and your money into something and then nothing happened? Let me take you back to when I launched my very first business. It was right before Black Friday, like literally this time of year. And I thought if I build it, they will come. So I invested $20,000, I hired a photographer, built a beautiful website, made the products and crossed my fingers. I hope people would find me and I hope the orders would just come come in magically. I hope that all the hard work I had just done would pay off and people would find my website and they would convert. And then crickets. No traffic, no sales, just a lot of really pretty photos sitting on a brand new website that no one was visiting. That's when I learned one of the most important lessons in business and the lesson that I want to share with you today. And that is, my friends, hope is not a strategy. Hi, I'm Jacqueline Snyder and this is the Product Boss podcast. I've helped launch and grow thousands of product based businesses, even one of my own. And over the last 20 years, I've seen behind the scenes of businesses just like yours. Whether they are makers, manufacturers, artists or food and beverage businesses. I have spent so many hours studying it all. I've discovered what makes them successful, what mistakes they could have avoided, how did they turn their ideas into a successful business and what are the strategies that they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers. And this is what this shows is all about. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to become a million dollar product boss, I'm here to give you the permission to chase your dreams no matter how big or small. All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strategy and support and you too can be the next million dollar Product Boss. Let's do this. If you're listening right now and you're thinking, I hope this will be my best Q4 yet, or I hope people will just find my products and magically buy, then this episode is for you. Because you don't need to hope it happens. You can create it. So whether you sell on Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, wholesale or at in person markets, this episode will help you connect the dots between what you want to happen and what you can make happen. We're going to talk about how to stop waiting and start creating so that you can build the real momentum through the entire season, especially this holiday season. Every year I see so many product based business owners make the same mistake. They cross their fingers for a big holiday season. They post A few times on Instagram, they discount their products, or maybe they don't. And they hope that the sales will just come in. And then they wonder why their results look the same as last year. So it's not that they're not working hard enough, because I know you are. And it's not that you're not being intentional about where your effort goes. Here's the truth, my friends. You can't outsource your belief. You can't manifest your way to profit without a plan. So if you want consistent sales this season, you have to decide that you are going to create them. So hope keeps you waiting. Strategy keeps you moving. Hope says I'll post and I'll pray. And strategy says I'll build a system and track what works. Hope says I need more followers. And strategy says I'll get in front of other people's audiences so I can sell to them. Hope says maybe people will buy when they're ready. Strategy says I'll give them a reason to buy right now. So this is your shift from passive to powerful. From waiting to creating. You, my friends, have your own destiny in the palm of your hands. And you can make this happen right now. Here's your workshop moment. This is the part where you grab your notebook or open up your notes app on your phone. I call this the create framework. It's how you turn your Q4 from I hope this works into I know what's happening. I have a plan. So let's talk about c. Clarify what you're known for. So before you promote anything, ask what product or collection do I want to be known for this season? What's my best seller or my signature piece? This becomes your anchor. This becomes your star seller. Everything you promote revolves around it. You build a strategy around this product or the core collection or the hero products. Then we get to r of create. Refine your visibility. So stop chasing more followers, please. I want you to start showing up where buyers already are. So ask yourself, where am I currently selling the most markets? Etsy, my website. And are my customers there? Then I want you to think, how can I get in front of my ideal customers? Are they at this market or are they somewhere else on some other sales channel? Now remember, visibility isn't about being everywhere. It's being where your customers are. Let's talk about engage. I want you to engage your customers intentionally. So don't wait for people to remember you. You get to create a real reason to re engage. So how do you do this? You email your list. You offer promotions or sneak peeks. You talk to customers and ask them what they're shopping for this season. This creates real momentum and community. So it's not just a sales pitch. You're actually connecting with your customers. Now the next step is a activate the plan. This is where hope turns into structure. Now, I'm going to walk you through this next week on the next episode, because we're going to build a Black Friday promo calendar together. But what I want you to think about right now is the next four weeks as a sequence. Each week you get to decide, one, what am I promoting? Two, where am I showing up? Three, what action am I asking people to take? That's your simple sales rhythm. It's easy to follow. And it's an easy plan. T track and tweak. Oh, my goodness. So instead of guessing, let's just track what's working. Which emails converted best, which products are selling fastest? Which collaborations are driving the most traffic, which sales channels are your customers actually showing up? When you track, you can repeat. That's how you scale your business intentionally. And finally, e expect results because you're creating them. So this is the last piece. This is where mindset meets momentum. So when you do the work, you get to expect results, not just hope for them. You become the person who creates outcomes, not just the person who wishes for them. So here's your reflection this week. I don't wait for sales to happen. I create them. I want you to write it somewhere you'll see it. Maybe it's on a mirror, your planner, your phone, wallpaper, maybe even a post it. Because when you show up with that energy, things are going to start to move. People will feel it and the results will follow. So, my friend, if you're ready to move from hope to strategy, I've created something really special for you. It's called the Product Boss's Black Friday Kit. And it's designed to help you plan, promote, and promote profit through the entire holiday season. You can grab it when you click the link in the show notes. And next week, we're going even deeper. We'll map out your week by week holiday promo calendar, from pre launch to VIP offers to your Black Friday weekend and beyond. So make sure that you're subscribed to the Product Boss podcast wherever you're listening so that you don't miss it. Because this season, we're not just crossing our fingers. Nope. We are creating real results together. I'm Jaclyn Snyder and I am cheering you on every step of the way. Thank you for being here and listening all the way through the Product Boss podcast. If you love our show and it has helped you in any way in your business, would you mind doing two things for us? Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode and leave us a review. Reviews help other product entrepreneurs know that this is the the place to be to grow their businesses and realize that they're not alone. And we know that you all know that a five star and honest review helps you sell more products to more people. So you know that your reviews help us reach more listeners around the world. Remember, what we give is what we receive and we are all about helping each other in the Product Boss community. We are all in this together. We would be so appreciative of you if you could take the time right now to subscribe and leave a review and even share this episode on social or someone you know so we can impact more lives. And remember, subscribing means that you will get notified each time we release a new episode so you never miss a thing. You have helped us grow and climb into the top 10 of all marketing podcasts and together we can keep climbing. Thank you friends and remember there is room at the top for all of us.
Host: Jacqueline Snyder
Episode: 726
Date: October 23, 2025
In this strategy-packed episode, Jacqueline Snyder tackles a pervasive myth among product-based business owners: that hope alone will deliver results, especially during critical sales seasons like Q4 and the holidays. Drawing on her own business mishaps and decades of experience, Jacqueline lays out tangible, repeatable frameworks designed to shift entrepreneurs from passive wishful thinking to active strategy and execution. The goal: turn your best intentions for Q4 into your best results yet, by replacing hope with action, data, and mindset.
Personal Story as a Lesson ([00:00-03:00])
“I hope people would find me and I hope the orders would just come in magically... And then, crickets.” (Jacqueline Snyder, 00:32)
Hope is Not a Strategy
Mindset Shift:
Empowerment:
Jacqueline introduces the CREATE Framework to help listeners move from vague wishfulness to specific, actionable planning.
[Workshop Moment starts at 06:25]
C - Clarify What You’re Known For ([06:55])
R - Refine Your Visibility ([08:00])
E - Engage Your Customers Intentionally ([09:25])
A - Activate the Plan ([10:05])
T - Track & Tweak ([11:45])
E - Expect Results Because You’re Creating Them ([12:25])
Mantra for the Season ([13:00])
Product Boss’s Black Friday Kit Launch ([13:55])
Announcement: Next Episode ([14:30])
“Hope keeps you waiting. Strategy keeps you moving.”
(Jacqueline Snyder, 04:45)
“You can’t manifest your way to profit without a plan.”
(Jacqueline Snyder, 04:40)
“Visibility isn’t about being everywhere. It’s being where your customers are.”
(Jacqueline Snyder, 09:00)
“I don’t wait for sales to happen. I create them.”
(Mantra, Jacqueline Snyder, 13:00)
Jacqueline delivers a motivating, practical guide to shifting from hopeful waiting to empowered action, especially crucial for maximizing Q4 and holiday sales. Using her CREATE framework, she provides not just inspiration but a literal to-do list for product-based business owners who want tangible, trackable growth. Above all, she drives home the message: you have the power and agency to create the results you desire. Now’s the time to act, track, and expect more from your business—not just hope for it.