Vicky Simmons's guest appearances

Vicky Simmons

Sessions Podcast

Let’s Talk Shop

The Resilient Retail Game Plan

Mean Mail

Elizabeth Stiles

David Sherry

Jackie De Jesu

Stephan Ango

Brit Gilmore

Mary Portas

Sara Collins

Jennifer MacFarlane

Lauren Keplinger

Jo Johnson

Catherine Erdly

Joanne Griffin

Oliver Bonas

Josephine Brooks

OwlTail

In episode 98 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Vicky Simmons, founder of the brutally honest, sarcastic greeting cards company, Mean Mail.  Inspired by the way friends talk to each other and Oscar Wilde’s famous quote “True friends stab you in the front”, Vicky’s designs are available in over 100 stockists internationally and have been commissioned by some of the world’s biggest brands. From the importance of originality to starting and staying sustainable, Vicky and I cover the ins and outs of her product business journey and talk about the moments that truly tested her. In today's podcast, we discuss hiring people for their enthusiasm and energy, dropping the blame game and owning our mistakes and the positive potential of ‘poly-work’. We also talk about the proliferation of greenwashing, the learning moments to be gained from working with stockists and staying resilient in the face of legal challenges and copycats. Check out Vicky’s amazing range of greetings cards at: https://meanmail.co/ and connect with Mean Mail at:  https://www.facebook.com/meanmail.co  https://twitter.com/meanmail  https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/ Also, don’t forget to head over to https://www.resilientretailclub.com/grow2022 to sign up for my free online workshop. Reserve your spot for June 29th at 11 am (UK time) and I'll run you through:  An industry-wide update - what are the bigger forces at work that are impacting your business Three key pitfalls that many businesses are making What you can learn from the businesses that continue to thrive   See you there! 

In episode 98 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Vicky Simmons, founder of the brutally honest, sarcastic greeting cards company, Mean Mail.  Inspired by the way friends talk to each other and Oscar Wilde’s famous quote “True friends stab you in the front”, Vicky’s designs are available in over 100 stockists internationally and have been commissioned by some of the world’s biggest brands. From the importance of originality to starting and staying sustainable, Vicky and I cover the ins and outs of her product business journey and talk about the moments that truly tested her. In today's podcast, we discuss hiring people for their enthusiasm and energy, dropping the blame game and owning our mistakes and the positive potential of ‘poly-work’. We also talk about the proliferation of greenwashing, the learning moments to be gained from working with stockists and staying resilient in the face of legal challenges and copycats. Check out Vicky’s amazing range of greetings cards at: <a href="https://meanmail.co/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://meanmail.co/</a> and connect with Mean Mail at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meanmail.co" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.facebook.com/meanmail.co</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/meanmail" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> https://twitter.com/meanmail</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/</a> Also, don’t forget to head over to <a href="https://www.resilientretailclub.com/grow2022" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.resilientretailclub.com/grow2022</a> to sign up for my free online workshop. Reserve your spot for June 29th at 11 am (UK time) and I'll run you through: <ul> <li>An industry-wide update - what are the bigger forces at work that are impacting your business</li> <li>Three key pitfalls that many businesses are making</li> <li>What you can learn from the businesses that continue to thrive</li> </ul> See you there!

98 | Playing Your Cards Right With Vicky Simmons

In this episode, I Talk Shop with Vicky Simmons from Mean Mail. Vicky designs really fun and witty cards and retails them both on her website and through stockists up and down the country. She’s stocked by Papersmith, Liberty, and Conran and I just love how honest and real her cards are. Vicky and I spoke about:  - Vicky’s background and how Mean Mail started - Challenges of running your own business  - How Vicky got into Liberty and got started with her wholesale  - Onboarding new stockists and why you should be the one asking questions - Copying and how hurtful that is and how to deal with it - Difference between copying and being inspired by something  - Importance of networking and being vulnerable and honest - Weighing up the pros and cons of selling to some stockists and meeting their demands.  - Why it's ok to say no sometimes - Sustainability in the card industry  - Social media    Connect with Mean Mail https://www.meanmail.co/ https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/   Links mentioned in this episode PR Dispatch https://prdispatch.com/ Future Retail https://www.futureretail.world/ Autumn Fair https://www.autumnfair.com/ Top Drawer https://www.topdrawer.co.uk/ Liberty https://www.libertylondon.com Conran https://www.conranshop.co.uk/ Papersmiths https://www.papersmiths.co.uk/ Paperchase https://www.paperchase.com Sainsbury’s https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/ John Lewis https://www.johnlewis.com/ Windles printers https://www.windles.co.uk/ UAL https://www.arts.ac.uk/ Story in New York https://www.macys.com/social/story/ Opening ceremony https://www.openingceremony.com/ Imogen Owen https://imogenowen.com/ Earl of East https://www.earlofeast.com Coal drops yard https://www.coaldropsyard.com Pocket Cast https://www.pocketcasts.com/ Creature clothes https://www.creatureclothes.com/  Come and see me at Top Drawer, stand K19   Connect with me Website: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/   SALES CHALLENGE IN SEPTEMBER, Join my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/ Work with me: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/services Book a discovery call: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call Book a Power-hour: https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour Apply to be a guest on Let’s Talk Shop https://thereseoertenblad.typeform.com/to/ZPiHVX

In this episode, I Talk Shop with Vicky Simmons from Mean Mail. Vicky designs really fun and witty cards and retails them both on her website and through stockists up and down the country. She’s stocked by Papersmith, Liberty, and Conran and I just love how honest and real her cards are. Vicky and I spoke about: - Vicky’s background and how Mean Mail started - Challenges of running your own business  - How Vicky got into Liberty and got started with her wholesale  - Onboarding new stockists and why you should be the one asking questions - Copying and how hurtful that is and how to deal with it - Difference between copying and being inspired by something  - Importance of networking and being vulnerable and honest - Weighing up the pros and cons of selling to some stockists and meeting their demands.  - Why it's ok to say no sometimes - Sustainability in the card industry  - Social media  Connect with Mean Mail <a href="https://www.meanmail.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.meanmail.co/</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/meanmail/</a> Links mentioned in this episode PR Dispatch <a href="https://prdispatch.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://prdispatch.com/</a> Future Retail <a href="https://www.futureretail.world/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.futureretail.world/</a> Autumn Fair <a href="https://www.autumnfair.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.autumnfair.com/</a> Top Drawer <a href="https://www.topdrawer.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.topdrawer.co.uk/</a> Liberty <a href="https://www.libertylondon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.libertylondon.com</a> Conran <a href="https://www.conranshop.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.conranshop.co.uk/</a> Papersmiths <a href="https://www.papersmiths.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.papersmiths.co.uk/</a> Paperchase <a href="https://www.paperchase.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.paperchase.com</a> Sainsbury’s <a href="https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/</a> John Lewis <a href="https://www.johnlewis.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.johnlewis.com/</a> Windles printers <a href="https://www.windles.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.windles.co.uk/</a> UAL <a href="https://www.arts.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.arts.ac.uk/</a> Story in New York <a href="https://www.macys.com/social/story/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.macys.com/social/story/</a> Opening ceremony <a href="https://www.openingceremony.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.openingceremony.com/</a> Imogen Owen <a href="https://imogenowen.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://imogenowen.com/</a> Earl of East <a href="https://www.earlofeast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.earlofeast.com</a> Coal drops yard <a href="https://www.coaldropsyard.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.coaldropsyard.com</a> Pocket Cast <a href="https://www.pocketcasts.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.pocketcasts.com/</a> Creature clothes <a href="https://www.creatureclothes.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.creatureclothes.com/</a>  Come and see me at Top Drawer, stand K19 Connect with me Website: <a href="https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/</a> SALES CHALLENGE IN SEPTEMBER, Join my Facebook group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkwholesale/</a> Work with me: <a href="https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/services" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/services</a> Book a discovery call: <a href="https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call</a> Book a Power-hour: <a href="https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/power-hour</a> Apply to be a guest on Let’s Talk Shop <a href="https://thereseoertenblad.typeform.com/to/ZPiHVX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://thereseoertenblad.typeform.com/to/ZPiHVX</a>

Let's Talk Shop with Vicky Simmons from Mean Mail

You've done the legwork, now how do you get your brand in the spotlight? On this episode, we chat with Vicky Simmons, Founder of Mean Mail. Tune in as she chats her career + growth as an Art Director, how Mean Mail came to be, and her five elements to getting your brand noticed.Learn more about Mean Mail at https://www.meanmail.co/

You've done the legwork, now how do you get your brand in the spotlight? On this episode, we chat with Vicky Simmons, Founder of Mean Mail. Tune in as she chats her career + growth as an Art Director, how Mean Mail came to be, and her five elements to getting your brand noticed. Learn more about Mean Mail at <a href="https://www.meanmail.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.meanmail.co/</a>

029 - Getting into the Spotlight with Vicky Simmons from Mean Mail