Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Catherine Melotik. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Catherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Embarking on the journey of creating POSIE was just the beginning of a long and challenging road that brought us to where we are today. We knew the type of services we wanted to offer, but we needed guidance and support to bring our vision to life.

That’s when we discovered the Startup Challenge, a program at the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin. It provided us with invaluable resources and mentorship. We eagerly attended workshops covering a range of topics including product-market fit, customer discovery, storytelling, and business basics. These sessions armed us with the knowledge and skills we needed to navigate the competitive landscape.

Understanding our target audience was crucial. We delved deep into their lives, imagining their preferences, interests, and shopping habits. This detailed picture of our ideal customers helped us refine our approach and develop specific questions for our customer discovery phase.

To gather data and insights, we created two Google Forms—one for engaged or married couples and another for couples in the dating phase. Reaching out to potential customers through various channels was a challenge in itself. For every message we sent, we received limited responses. However, with persistence and dedication, we began to collect valuable data that allowed us to refine our understanding of our target audience.

We soon realized that predictions aren’t always 100% accurate. It was necessary to reassess and narrow down our target audience. We went back to the drawing board, examining our market research and making necessary adjustments. Understanding our audience was crucial not just for the success of our business, but also for effective marketing and storytelling.

As we gathered data, we also conducted a comprehensive competitor analysis. Studying similar businesses revealed opportunities and gaps in the market. Through SWOT analysis, we identified our competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and potential threats. This exercise helped us gain a deeper understanding of the market and our own unique selling points.

With a solid foundation of research and insights, we started shaping our brand. Leveraging our team member’s graphic design expertise, we created mood boards that resonated with our target audience. We carefully crafted our mission, vision, and taglines, ensuring they spoke to the people we wanted to help and reflected the language of our business.

Despite the extensive pre-launch groundwork, nothing prepared us for the challenges we would face in putting our plans into action. Time became a precious resource as we prepared to showcase our business at the Innovators Expo, a public event. We set an ambitious goal to launch just two weeks after the expo, adding an extra layer of pressure.

Amidst the flurry of preparations, we filed paperwork, purchased materials for our proposal and anniversary packages, and brought our ideas to life. Creating print materials for the expo, designing banners, and setting up tables became a whirlwind of details. The time crunch intensified the pressure, but we pressed on, knowing that great things often emerge from such intense moments.

With limited time, we managed to achieve a tremendous amount in just six months. As the Innovators Expo approached, we scrambled to secure our domain name, establish a Google Business Profile, shoot content for our website, create compelling copy, and set up social media pages. We feverishly promoted our attendance at the expo, knowing that every effort counted.

The day of the Innovators Expo arrived, and we eagerly set up our booth. As the event unfolded, we launched our website and sent notifications across our social media platforms. It was an incredible experience to share our story and pitch our idea to the public. The response was overwhelming, and we were filled with gratitude when we were announced as the first-place winners, chosen by the public themselves. This validation fueled our determination to keep pushing forward.

Just two weeks after the expo, we officially launched POSIE, and from that day forward, our small business has been serving the people of Wisconsin with passion

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Allow me to introduce ourselves to those who may not be familiar with us yet. We are POSIE, a business driven by a passion for creating memorable pop-up decor settings for proposals and anniversaries. Our journey began with a deep desire to bring the focus back to love and eliminate the stress associated with planning such special moments.

At POSIE, we provide a range of services tailored to our clients’ needs. Let’s start with our proposal packages, which are designed to guide couples through the process. We offer three tiers: Elegant, Elevated, and Custom. The first two tiers present our clients with pre-planned decor setups, ensuring a hassle-free experience. On the other hand, our Custom tier allows couples to bring their unique ideas to life, tailoring every detail to reflect their love story.

Moving on to our anniversary packages, we follow a similar concept. We understand that each anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate love in a meaningful way. That’s why we offer three tiers: Lavish Picnic, Love-Break, and Custom Getaway. The Lavish Picnic tier offers a delightful picnic experience on the anniversary day itself. The Love-Break tier provides a mini getaway in the beautiful regions of Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Minnesota and Northern Illinois. Lastly, our Custom Getaway tier offers couples the chance to embark on a trip anywhere in the United States or turn their own imaginative ideas into reality.

What sets us apart from others in our industry is our unwavering commitment to creating unforgettable moments while prioritizing our clients’ ease and enjoyment. We strive to infuse every interaction with a sense of joy, love, and attention to detail. By offering pre-planned options and the flexibility for customization, we ensure that every experience we curate is tailored to our clients’ unique preferences and desires.

We take immense pride in the positive impact we have on the lives of our clients. Witnessing the joy, surprise, and happiness on their faces as they enter a beautifully decorated space or embark on a memorable anniversary experience is truly rewarding. The trust our clients place in us to create magical moments is something we cherish and hold dear.

Above all, we want potential clients, followers, and fans to know that at POSIE, love and connection are at the core of everything we do. We are dedicated to making the journey of planning proposals and anniversaries an effortless and joyful experience. Whether it’s a grand gesture or an intimate celebration, we believe in the power of love and its ability to create lasting memories.

So, if you’re seeking a unique and stress-free way to express your love or celebrate a milestone, we invite you to join us on this extraordinary journey. Let POSIE be your trusted partner in crafting beautiful moments that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My business partner and I met while working at a travel agency. We instantly clicked because we both had a love for travel and planning (and we were both in long-term relationships). It was during our time there that we realized we made a great team. We shared a connection and understood the excitement of exploring new places and creating unforgettable experiences with our partners.

As we faced the ups and downs of the travel industry, we became each other’s support system and cheerleaders. With our experience, we wanted to create our own venture where we could offer unique and personalized experiences to people who were eager to explore the world.

That’s when we took a leap of faith and started POSIE. Our combined passion, skills, and knowledge of travel and planning became the foundation for our business. We wanted to redefine how proposals and anniversaries are celebrated, and we were determined to provide exceptional service and unforgettable moments for our clients.

So, from our chance meeting at that travel agency, we’ve come a long way. We turned our shared passion into a thriving business, where we get to help people create beautiful memories and celebrate love in the most special ways possible.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When it comes to building our social media audience, we’ve tried different strategies and learned a lot along the way. We played around with our posting frequency and timing, interacted with other accounts, stayed on top of trends, and kept up with the ever-changing platforms.

To start, we experimented with how often and when we posted. We wanted to reach as many people as possible, so we tested different schedules and analyzed engagement to find the best times to share our content.

Engaging with other accounts was key. We interacted with users who shared our interests and target audience, leaving genuine comments and joining discussions. This helped us form connections and grow our own following.

Staying up-to-date with social media trends was a must. We kept an eye on platform changes and adapted our strategies to match what our audience wanted. Being relevant and current made our content more appealing.

Consistency played a big role. We set a regular posting schedule and made sure to consistently deliver valuable content. This built trust and loyalty, and our audience knew they could rely on us for great posts.

For those starting out, here’s some advice: Understand your target audience, be real and engaging, keep up with platform trends, stay consistent with your content, and analyze your data to make improvements.

Building a social media presence takes time, but with patience and an authentic approach, you can grow your audience and create a thriving online community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.loveposie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love.posie_co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/love.posie.co
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/posie-milwaukee?osq=posie

Image Credits
Renee Rose Media