We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelly Renee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelly below.
Alright, Shelly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
The story behind Monarch Murphy beds… Growing up in Northern California, I saw Monarch butterflies all the time. I caught the caterpillars, gave them names, patiently watched them form into cocoons and eventually set them free as beautiful butterflies. Little did I know this experience would prove significant in my adult life raising 2 daughters and so much more.
In August of 2022, my fiancé Nick and I decided to move over 3,000 miles across the country to start our new life together in Florida which meant giving up so much. One of the hardest things to leave was my job, I had been selling Murphy beds for over 8 years and occasionally managed a few stores as it was my passion and greatest professional joy. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of helping people design their space with quality functional furniture that solved their special challenges with an outstanding result. It gave me purpose and an avenue for my talents. Nick suggested I open my own store in Florida and found myself elated with this idea!
Now the big decision…What do I name the business? It had to mean something to me. While sitting in my new home office in Sarasota, Florida, I saw four Monarch butterflies chasing each other around a tree in my backyard. Watching them made me feel at home, then it came to me…
Monarch butterflies also go through a migration of over 3,000 miles; they transform from their comfortable caterpillar form into a tight cocoon with less movement and eventually emerge into a beautiful butterfly, even their wings open and close similarly to a murphy bed! Not only did this give me the metaphor of the iconic murphy bed product but also reflected the metamorphosis of my own life experiences. The Monarch Murphy Bed name reflected the authenticity of my passion!
At Monarch Murphy Beds we strive for 100% happy customers while transforming their space with exceptional and iconic quality furniture, outstanding style, and an engaging consultative customer experience.
Shelly , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m the mother of 2 grown daughters, a sister to one, and a daughter to two loving parents. I’m also a newlywed.
I went through a divorce eleven years ago. I needed to find a sustainable job to maintain the mortgage on my home. I had been in sales most of my adult life and have always enjoyed helping people make good choices. I was hoping to get into pharmaceutical sales to support myself. I was connected by a neighbor to a gentleman in the medical industry. Although he didn’t have any openings he was involved in a Murphy bed business and was looking for someone to manage and sell in 2 stores. Initially I thought it was going to be a boring short term job to make ends meet. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
After my first week on the job I did remarkably well and I realized how much I loved these products and how fulfilling it was for me to help others find great solutions to their small space challenges. I love decorating because my mother has been an interior designer and a buyer for a furniture store for over 35 years. I’ve learned so much from her being in that profession. I’m a problem solver by nature. Puzzles are fun for me! It is my specialty to help customers find the right solution to make any space, large or small function better with a Murphy bed or set. Murphy beds are growing in popularity exponentially fast but it can be overwhelming to know how to pick the right one. My goal is to make it easy and fun when I talk with someone. I take the daunting choices out of the equation by asking specific questions to my shopper so that I can do a quick process of elimination and narrow down the choices to 3 that will work best for them and their budget.
Because of my technique I was asked to train other sales reps in the Murphy bed business. My enthusiasm in the business landed me into managing 2 more additional stores.
When my husband and I decided to move out of California he suggested I open my own store which I did in Sarasota Florida in March or 2023. What sets Monarch Murphy Beds apart from the competition is our real wood hand crafted products. I wanted to bring the most beautiful Murphy beds from the west coast to the east coast since there was a need for their representation here. I then adopted a few more lines that I knew I could stand behind with enthusiasm and integrity. I now carry 5 different manufacturers so I’m sure to have something to meet a variety of customer needs.
I am most proud of my authenticity in the sales process. As consumers we don’t always feel the sincerity of the sales rep. I treat each potential customer as if they were a best friend or family member. If you’re going to invest in a Murphy bed be sure you’re educated on the materials and options to have it last a long time and keep your family or guests safe while using it. It’s a big piece of furniture and its installation is unique and necessary! I’m also very proud of the new exposure we’ve accomplished through social media with some videos that have grown to 1.8M views in less than a month. The interest is constantly growing.
Most people have had an antique piece of furniture in their home at one time or another that has been passed down through generations. You often hear, ” they don’t build furniture like they used too.” I’m hear to encourage others that there are companies that still produce quality real wood pieces. I like to say, “Monarch Murphy Beds are tomorrows heirlooms today.” I personally have two Murphy bed sets from our Western Monarch collection in my own home. One of them is 17 years old and its been moved 5 times so I speak from the heart with experience. You can only do that with quality furniture.
When my business phone rings I get excited…who will I help today and get them as thrilled as I am with these products!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I was born in the 60’s so I’m very old school. I was in marketing for 7 years in the 90’s and everything was primarily print, TV or radio. I learned social media mostly from joining Facebook in 2009. Both my daughters grew up with Social Media and have used all aspects personally and for their businesses. My youngest daughter Mckenna is a videographer and Organic Social Media Specialist and influencer. She now trains other companies how to use Social Media and runs campaigns for some on retainer.
When I opened my store she said, “Mom, you have to be on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. I instantly felt overwhelmed and nervous. I had no idea where to start. I said I’ll hire you to do it. She said you can hire me for awhile but I will train you so that you can do it too. She said its important that people know you and feel your enthusiasm with what you’re selling. It’s too unique of a product to just post pictures and prices.
The beauty of social media is you’re creating mini commercials and YOU’RE the director. You can post impactful photos that tell a story or more complex quick videos. Each 15 second to 1 minute video can be shared all over and can paint a picture to capture different audiences and buyers. You can create a professional stature, relaxed low key ambiance, an exhilarating musical dynamic, post captivating buzz words, use impactful bullet points or time sensitive sales offers. The limits are endless. Add a little personality to any of those and you’re on your way. You have all the control in your message for the day or a month long campaign. The best part is you can delete anything anytime though its not recommended or it may hurt your algorithm. Remember if you can do the posts yourself your company can save marketing budget for other areas. All it takes is inspiration, creativity and a little training. Most important is the consistency. Post! Post! Post regularly.
Its all about impressions. That marketing criteria never changes.
I went through a 6 week (one day per week) training course with my daughter Mckenna. She gave me a lesson each week with a homework challenges to make a post each week with different strategies for each platform. It was actually really fun to watch the “likes” hit. I still have more to learn and I’m all about it!. My first personal video was horrible. I’m my own worst critic for sure. I looked like a rookie for sure. My hands were shaking and so was the camera haha but she taught me that’s okay. BE YOURSELF! That’s what works. Everyone starts somewhere, no one is hardly watching then anyway. People see through the BS these days. They like it real and raw.
After making 4 or 5 videos on my own and paying her to fill in the gaps with her videos in between we suddenly went viral. IT WAS WORKING and totally unexpected!! We went from under 1000 followers on both TikTok and IG to 1.8M views on one video in less than a month and our followers on Instagram jumped to 24,000. Its been incredible growth!
My advice is don’t be too quick to say you don’t need it or can’t do it. I’m here to tell you with the right training anyone can learn how to use this new advertising world we live in. One person can manage your social media or you can do it yourself depending on your workload. Hiring someone is absolutely worth it too.
My social media grew so fast in the month of November I literally stayed up until 3:30am one morning just to respond to over 100 inquiries through our website about our products. Very exciting! We’ve since figured out how to manage that kind of curiosity with our products and isolate serious buyers from looky-loos. Work smarter not harder, right!
Our higher sales in November were a direct reflection of this new surge in exposure for sure. I highly recommend trying it.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I knew starting my business in a new state would be a challenge and a good marketing agency would be key. I started with one company and later had to terminate my contract with them because they didn’t follow through with anything they promised. They talked a big game and I fell for all of it. They didn’t even promote my soft grand opening. My husband and I ended up doing a mad scramble on our own to invite local people to the ribbon cutting.
After their termination I went through a more thorough interview process to find their replacement. Using a reputable marketing company that is established within your local market is paramount. I didn’t feel badly asking for references this time and successful testimonials. Because of them my best source of new local clients comes from Facebook and Instagram ads, google searches from using strong key words, and SEO. A visually appealing and easy to use website that they monitor regularly has helped a lot too. I appreciate their involvement watching the competition and directing me to how to improve a broader local reach in surrounding areas to my store based on our clicks. Gathering google reviews has also brought us the credibility when local buyers search our products. The referrals have already started from local happy customers which is awesome!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monarchmurphybeds.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monarchmurphybeds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Monarch-Murphy-Beds/100090009855038/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Monarchmurphy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@monarchmurphybeds
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/monarch-murphy-beds-sarasota
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/hroGZf