TFB 035: How a pencil business wrote a winning story

The Famous Business

I've got a great guest for you this week, I'm with Caroline Weaver from CW Pencils, a pencil shop based out in New York City. This is not just any ordinary pencil shop it is a stunning emporium of pencils - it looks like something Willy Wonka himself would be proud of, it is BEAUTIFUL.

Caroline is passionate about pencils and sources them from all over the world to stock her shop. She sells them online and through subscription packages, and is all about sharing her passion and the stories behind these rare and unusual pencils. Through doing this, she has built an incredible brand that has been noticed all around the world!

In today's show, you are going to learn about how one piece of PR at the beginning of your business can make a huge impact and Caroline is going to tell us about how the New York Times wrote about her and how it had a transformational impact on her business. But more than that, Caroline tells us all about how she understands the value of 'story'.

Yes, people are coming to her shop to buy pencils but they're also coming to buy the story of the family businesses that make these pencils, where the wood comes from, where the graphite comes from; Caroline brings these humble writing implements to life!

In the digital age where we are all on smartphones and using social media, this product is the most analogue communications tool - the simple pencil. Yet Caroline has made an incredible business out of it because she truly understands the power of a story to bring a product to life.

So, let's listen to Caroline, a New Yorker writing a new story about pencils.