Do You Have The Tenacity To Land A Licensing Deal? With Wendy Fennell

If you’re interested in learning about what it takes to land a licensing deal—this is the episode for you! It can be a difficult process where it often seems impossible to get a licensing deal in place. However, there are some tricks of the trade that can increase your chances of getting the deal done. 

On this episode of Wingnut Social, Darla and Natalie chat with Wendy Fennell of Bohemian Bungalow Design. Landing a licensing deal requires tenacity, drive, and a unique vision for a product. They’ll talk about how involved the process is, the power of networking, and how you’re never too old to be relevant!

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

• [2:15] Event coming up
• [3:05] licensing deals with Wendy Fennel
• [5:20] How Wendy made the switch to interior design
• [11:30] Her beginnings at High Point Market
• [13:00] Reaching out to Mitchell Black
• [17:10] The process from brain to paper
• [18:20] How to market differently
• [20:30] Where to start with a licensing deal
• [24:45] What surprised Wendy about the licensing journey
• [28:30] Where to find Bohemian Bungalow Wall coverings

Connect with Wendy Fennell

• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• Bohemian Bungalow Design

Resources & People Mentioned

• High Point Market
• Nancy Ganzekaufer
• Mitchell Black Bohemian Bungalow Collection
• Resa Edge Broward Conference
• Currey & Company
• Steel + Plank
• BOOK: You are a Badass

You’re never too old to make a career change!

Wendy spent years in the apparel industry. She started her career at Calvin Klein in the leather division and stayed there for almost 9 years. She also spent time working for a private label manufacturer that produced custom cashmere men’s socks. Everything changed when she decided to adopt a child from Russia—she couldn’t continue traveling as much as she had been. 

So for a short time, she became a stay-at-home Mom. While she loved raising her son, she was itching to get back into a career (and ready to have conversations with adults again). She enjoyed design and had often assisted friends and family with their homes. After a conversation with her sister, she decided to give interior design a shot, and actually start charging for it. 

For 3-4 years it was a part-time gig. When her son started preschool, she started seriously researching what to charge and how to create a legitimate business. Keep listening as the ladies chat about High Point Market and the networking opportunities available. 

How pagoda wallpaper and tenacity paved the way for her licensing deal

Wendy absolutely loves wallpaper and using it in her design. Her journey towards her licensing deal began because she had a vision of a pagoda wallpaper—but it didn’t exist yet. The week after attending High Point Market, she reached out to Mitchell Black. After multiple attempts at connecting, she finally spoke with her and was able to pitch her idea for a small collection.

Wendy originally thought she was going to pay the fee for the work they did and list the product on her site. In the end, Mitchell Black loved the collection so much that she requested to sell it on her website. Wendy was ecstatic and agreed to the deal immediately.

But it wasn’t easy—it took about 4 months of back and forth to nail everything down. She had to transpose all of the ideas floating around in her brain unto paper. She worked with the graphic design team to create a pagoda from a conglomeration of about 25 different options. She never realized how many different shades of black and blue exist!

To hear Wendy’s advice about narrowing down your niche, the surprises along her journey, and much more—listen to the full episode of Wingnut Social now!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

• www.WingnutSocial.com
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
• On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
• Darla’s Interior Design Website
• 1-877-WINGNUT (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com