The Power Up ⎯ SN.03/EP.02
Here's Exactly How To Use AI & Google Trends In Your Store
The saying goes, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” And Javier Casillas saw it in action for his small business. He opened the store in 2018 to offer a better variety of high-quality sleep solutions. His customers were so impressed with his selection, they wanted to come to Live Well for their other furnishing needs as well. That led Javier to expand the business to showcase pieces from eight major furniture brands. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Javier knew he had two choices: sail a sinking ship or evolve yet again. So, he opened a boutique inside the store. Javier explains, “We did the boutique in 2020 because the money stopped flowing and we needed to find a way to pivot during that horrible time. We used savings and brought in an entire boutique as far as PJs, candles, skincare, and gift ideas. That in itself has kinda taken off. So it’s been an interesting ride the past couple of years”
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About The Business
Business name: Live Well Mattress & Furnishing
Founded: 2018
Owner: Javier Casillas
Location: Alamogordo, NM
Website: https://livewellfurnishings.com
Sales diversification strategy: Furniture showroom, e-commerce, storefront boutique
About Our Guest
Social media, paid advertising, and email marketing are critical to Live Well’s success. But, a small business owner can only do so much in a day which means it’s all about working smarter, not harder for Javier. This means using AI tools such as Chat GPT and Gemini on a daily basis. Javier views AI as an approachable and affordable consultant that allows him to maximize his time spent working.
That’s not all Javier uses the internet for though. When considering how to open a boutique-side of the business he first started by asking his customers what their top retail products they purchase, and then he got to researching. Skincare was a popular request, so using tools like Google Trends he discovered that goat milk-based products were the direction he wanted to go in.
Full Transcript
Sean (Thrive): Hello everyone, it’s Sean from Thrive with another episode of The Power Up, where I meet with successful small business owners and operators to learn about their business strategy so you can take their insights and level up your own business. Once your business is ready to expand, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Our guests have some creative solutions for how they’ve tackled tricky problems and turned them into growth opportunities. Now, let’s dive into today’s episode.
Our guest today is Javier Casillas. He is the owner of Live Well Furnishings in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Live Well offers quality sleep solutions through bedding, mattresses, and pillows. While most sleep stores limit their selection, Javier has expanded to eight major furniture brands to better serve customers. The economy over the past few years has proved difficult for their high-end market, but Javier has managed to hold on to it through personalized customer service and by opening a boutique shop to increase repeat purchases.
Javier, are you ready to get started with us?
Javier (Live Well Furnishing): Yes, I am.
Sean: How are you today?
Javier: I’m doing absolutely great. I look forward to doing this because I’ve watched your episodes, and you guys have done a great job.
Sean: Oh, great. Well, appreciate that. Glad to see you’ve been watching them.
Fill in the guests, tell me a little bit about Live Well from what’s not included in the bio.
Javier: Well, we’re primarily a sleep store. It’s Live Well Mattress and Furnishings because our customers demanded that we carry furnishings. They loved doing the whole mattress thing with us, so they wanted furnishings to be brought into the stores, and that was really customer demand as to why we brought in furniture.
Then we did a boutique in 2020 because, well, the money stopped flowing, so we had to find a way to keep going. It was our pivot during that horrible time. We used savings and brought in an entire boutique as far as PJs, candles, skincare, and gift ideas. That in itself has kind of taken off. It’s been an interesting ride the past couple of years.
Sean: Yeah, absolutely for us too. So, we talked a little bit about repeat purchases. How have you been able to drive repeat purchases? That’s every retailer’s dream, right? How do you really focus on that?
Javier: We have really high numbers of repeat visitors. When I say high, for a sleep store, the industry average is about a 20 to 30% return rate. We are at a 60% return rate with our sleep store, and then the boutique for the candles, we literally have a 75% return rate. The way we do it is through email marketing, a lot of Facebook posts, and just kind of conversations with our customers. It’s worked out really well.
Sean: Got it. How are you tracking all this as far as your email or your return rate?
Javier: We have a CRM. When a customer purchases a mattress, they are tagged as a mattress customer or a pillow customer. When they buy from the boutique, they’re tagged skincare or candles. Our CRM is vital to being able to email them the correct emails. I sit here on a Thursday and type out probably about four emails and a boatload of social posts that address these things.
Sean: Wow, okay. What are you using for your CRM?
Javier: We have Keap. We’ve gone through several of them. We had Pipeline, then graduated to HubSpot, and then we went to Keap. We landed on Keap. They are a phenomenal company, and their customer service has been wonderful.
Actually, I won’t brag on you guys too much. I know you want to hear this, but their customer service is second only to yours.
Sean: We love hearing that.
So, CRM journey: started on Pipeline, moved to HubSpot, now on Keap. What about Keap, besides the service, makes you stick with them?
Javier: They’re pretty much aimed at smaller businesses like us. There’s a threshold that small businesses can afford, but they still need these tools. Keap keeps up with them, adding automations all the time, updating software. It’s a great company to work with.
Sean: And for anyone listening, it’s keap.com, with an A. Cool looking service. Talk to me a little bit about what you’re doing on Thursdays. You said you type out a boatload of emails and social posts. Are you typing yourself or using any AI tools?
Javier: If I’m not using ChatGPT or Gemini daily, I’m not doing my job seriously. AI is a daily thing for me. If you’re a small business and you’re not using AI, you’re not doing it right. AI can save hours of time because your brain can only do so much in a day. AI is like a consultant you can speak to in a normal tone and ask any questions you want.
Sean: Yeah, same here. I use it for everything. It’s the easiest $20 a month I spend. Definitely worth it.
Javier: Yep.
Sean: So, talk to me about the boutique. It sounds like a diversification play. You had the sleep and furnishings, then diversified into the boutique. Walk us through that decision-making process.
Javier: We did research on hot items and asked customers where else they spent money. Because we’re a mid to high-end sleep store, we found that customers enjoy candles and scents in their rooms.
We found one of the fastest-growing candle brands, Milkhouse Candle Company, and brought them in. They’ve been a godsend with wonderful customer service. Then we found goat milk skincare products, which are hot in skincare, and a cute pajama company called Lazy One with smart, fun PJs. It’s been a great fit.
Sean: Interesting. So, Milkhouse Candle, LazyOne.com, and goat milk skincare. How did you do the customer research?
Javier: We had limited funds, so we researched the fastest-growing retail items on Google Trends. Candles and PJs were hot in 2020 because people were stuck at home. We also got information from deliveries, seeing what customers had in their homes and what they shopped for. That gave us convincing information to go that route.
Sean: That’s a big advantage, being able to do deliveries and see customers’ homes. Did you arm your team with a sheet or process to record observations?
Javier: Mostly listening to customers. My delivery guys were debriefed and loved talking to customers. We fit people to mattresses, not just sell them. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to find the right mattress. The conversations build friendships. The delivery guys are as friendly as we are in the store. It’s all about conversation and knowing your customers.
Sean: That makes sense. The medical referral aspect is interesting too. Do you have someone running partnerships with local surgeons or medical facilities?
Javier: It’s all done through networking. I’ve been active with the chamber of commerce and led the Otero County Marketing Association, a monthly meeting where local businesses share good practices. That network has really paid off.
Sean: The Otero County Marketing Association sounds great. How do you manage social media and marketing? Do you have an agency or do it yourself?
Javier: It’s all us. I did marketing for 8-9 years before owning the business, including cable TV and social media. We have a YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook. Instagram is recent because people are flocking there, but Facebook is still our strongest channel. YouTube videos drive online sales.
Sean: How do you attribute sales to those channels?
Javier: We ask customers where they heard about us. That’s the most important thing a small business can do to avoid throwing money into ineffective marketing.
Sean: How do you standardize that process with your employees?
Javier: We have a culture where everyone knows the goal is to ask customers how they heard about us. New hires have to be friendly, team-oriented, and goal-oriented. It’s part of the job.
Sean: Great culture. Let’s wrap up with some rapid-fire questions. What’s your fastest-growing sales and marketing channel?
Javier: Facebook. It’s been our most dependable channel. We run Facebook ads that lead to landing pages and drive our best business.
Sean: What’s your biggest challenge right now?
Javier: Finding and retaining good employees. It’s been a huge challenge, especially in retail. We’ve had to get creative with hiring and training. We focus on culture fit and attitude more than experience because skills can be taught, but attitude can’t.
Sean: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other small business owners trying to grow?
Javier: Listen to your customers. They will tell you what they want if you pay attention. Don’t be afraid to pivot or try new things based on their feedback. Also, invest in good customer service; it pays dividends in repeat business.
Sean: What’s a tool or resource you can’t live without?
Javier: Definitely our CRM, Keap. It keeps everything organized and helps us communicate effectively with customers. Also, AI tools like ChatGPT have become indispensable for marketing and content creation.
Sean: What’s next for Live Well Furnishings?
Javier: We’re looking to expand the boutique side more and possibly open another location. We want to keep innovating and finding ways to serve our customers better.
Sean: Awesome. Javier, thank you so much for sharing your insights and story with us today.
Javier: Thank you, Sean. It’s been a pleasure.
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