Katherine Heigl's Journey to Entrepreneurship and Conscious Consumerism

0:00my first go around, I did feel like I had to have exactly everything perfectly right before I could begin. And I know that right now I sound like a full-blown ad for Shopify, but it's the truth because they take all the guesswork out of it. Benjamin Gottlieb back with Shopify Masters, your companion for starting and building a business. My guest today, award-winning actress Katherine Heigl. You may know her from the hit television show Grey's Anatomy or from films like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses. The list goes on and on. But at Shopify, she's known in a different way, entrepreneur. She's the founder of New Lane Road Mercantile.

0:38It's a marketplace where Catherine has designed a shopping experience for you that fits her aesthetic and fulfills a mission that's close to her heart. She sells home goods, skincare, and everything in between. Catherine built her brand with very little web experience, and she's here today to tell you how she did that. Catherine, welcome to Shopify Masters. Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here. Well, we are so excited to have you here. And I want to start with this. You know, it's not uncommon for celebrities to collaborate with brands, right? But you've decided to take it a step further and to launch your own store.

1:14Take me to the beginning of that journey. Why did you make that decision? That's a great question. I think, you know, I've sort of had this fantasy for probably 20 years of wanting to have, well, initially we were just talking about knitting. It was my own knitting store. And 20 years ago, something like Shopify wasn't an option. So, you know, we're thinking brick and mortar, like the rows and rows of beautiful yarn, maybe a bakery. Like I'm that person. So I just have been kind of fantasizing about that for so long that I think as, you know, technology advanced and something like Shopify came along, it just became a more viable option.

1:57And now my interests have expanded in 20 years. So it's not just knitting that I am intrigued by, but by especially this lifestyle created for myself in the mountains, sort of giving that lifestyle a place to kind of exist as commerce, if you will. And being able to do that without needing bank loans or business, you know, partners and all this stuff to have that brick and mortar experience. You can do it yourself online. It's pretty great.

2:34The store itself is just online and you have this incredible collection of products, as I mentioned earlier, from skincare to home goods. How did you start to pick the things that you wanted to have in your store? I mean, I had a vision initially that I was going to have sort of you know, about five main categories and then some subcategories beneath them. And I was thinking anything from pottery to yarn and craft projects. And I love paper goods and journaling, leather goods for my husband, who's really into that. As I started sort of exploring the world of vendors out there, I got a little carried away.

3:14The store got much more inventory than I was initially intending, but it was so fun to search through all these really incredible online vendors who are doing beautiful work. And I really am leaning into more of the artisan, true artists, people with a real passion for their craft and what they do and putting it out into the world versus things that you can kind of just get at your local Target or Walmart or grocery store. Like I wanted things to feel a little more one of a kind. That was the criteria. Then I got really carried away and found lots of really beautiful makers out there. Well, we spoke offline about this before when we first connected and you told me you were looking for a shopping experience and it didn't really exist.

4:00It wasn't out there. And so you were able to kind of create it and curate it yourself, which is a very common theme for entrepreneurs when they start a store. Yeah. I'd had a couple experiences in store that I thought were so magical and wonderful. And one of those was at an incredible little boutique store here in Park City, Utah called Indigo Highway that they really inspired a lot of my desire to kind of create a virtual shopping experience that mattered. And we'll get into that. But they have everything in their store. It was like a real conglomeration of interests and beauty and delight.

4:44So everything from crystals to beautiful cookbooks to great shot glasses to, you know, it was just like an overall cool, vibey store where you could only find these things there. And then the other experience I had had is in Canada. They have a bookstore called Indigo Chapters that is probably my favorite place on Earth. Noticing a theme there with Indigo, by the way. I know exactly right. What does that mean? But they create these tablescapes of, you know, these beautiful, cozy reading socks that are fleece lined with that month's New York Times bestseller with a beautiful mug and an interesting tea and a gorgeous candle.

5:27And they say, like, create a moment for yourself. And as an ultimate consumer, I'm like, yes, please. I'll buy this entire moment because I can feel it in my soul. I know just how that will feel. And I wanted to take that concept with my own spin on it and kind of create an online shopping experience.

5:56My spin is that these goods are all specialized. You know, they're very, they're not one of a kind, but they are not one in a million. You know, they're created by true artists. And they also have a lot of purpose in the purchase in that almost all of the vendors on New Lane Mercantile are giving back in their way from the proceeds of every purchase. And then with my store, 100 % of the proceeds go to my Animal Advocacy Foundation, the Jason Davis Heigl Foundation. So it's kind of like consumerism that cares. That's like consumerism with purpose. It's like, I don't know. I'm not sure. I'll figure out that tagline, but you know.

6:41Well, yeah, this conscious consumerism is - That's it. Yeah. Oh, I guess that one already exists though. No, but you know, it's something that shoppers, they're really looking for today when they're looking for their products. They want to know that when they put their hard-earned money somewhere, that it has some sort of impact. That can be the thing that tips the scale. You just mentioned your animal advocacy and the foundation, which I believe is named after your brother. That's a cause that's near and dear to your heart. Why did you decide to link that with this particular store? It's, I mean, the whole idea of it started because, well, quite frankly, I, one afternoon, I don't know, I must've been watching either TikToks or something.

7:23And this ad came up for how to make your own Shopify store. And it was like, they made it sound so simple. And I just, I had some things that I wanted to sell, but didn't know how. So I had been creating digital art. I'm an artist. I love to paint. I love to draw. I love procreate. And I had been creating some, just taking courses and classes online and had done some digital kind of graphic design art. And I was, I thought, wouldn't it be great if I could sell some of these designs on a t-shirt or a hat or something and help raise funds for the foundation with those, you know, sales. And then that ad came up and it felt kismet.

8:02And so I clicked on the link, went to the site and started learning about how to build my own, you know, Shopify store and sell product. And it was great. And I know that right now I sound like a full blown ad for Shopify. But it's the truth because not only do you, you know, does Shopify make it really very simple to do this kind of what you imagine as complicated coding? I'm not a computer savvy person. I wouldn't even begin to know where to start with that. So they take all the guesswork out of it. And then on top of that, because I didn't know about print-on-demand companies or they took all the guesswork out of that.

8:40Like you can link easily to print-on-demand companies or this or that. And now, you know, with the collective, you can hook up with other vendors on Shopify and partner up. I mean, it really couldn't be any easier. If you have an idea and you have a passion to sell something, I mean, it just couldn't be easier to begin. Now to follow through, that can get a little more complicated, but to begin, pretty easy. It's easy to get started. Absolutely. And we're going to talk about Shopify collective, which you brought up in a few moments. but I want to get back to this early day. So by the way, shout out to the marketing team, whoever made that ad that was as convincing that you were able to click on it and go right there.

9:22Yeah, it's great. But you sit down, you're like, oh my goodness, this could be it. And you sit down, you don't have, you said this yourself, not a lot of web experience. Walk me through, what was that process like when you, sounds like you might've been on your phone or maybe on your computer? I was, no, you know what? You started building your store. I was on my iPad. So basically like my giant phone. So I was not on a desktop. I wasn't, you know, I was just on a couch in my living room. I took a full Saturday to do it. And it probably took me, I got it kind of in place in, I want to say a weekend, but it probably took me a week or two to really, because I get very like, maybe I like this layout better, or maybe I want to try this layout.

10:06And that's the beauty too of Shopify is that they have all these free sort of shop design layouts. You just click it and start inputting, you know, product and it lays it out for you. So you can have the look and feel that you'd like, but you're not creating code to do that. So it took me, it probably took me like a week or two to really nail down the feel of what I wanted and the look of it. And, um, but, but that was all just more like the aesthetic preferences that wasn't trying to figure it out. Figuring it out happened within probably a few hours. Happened within a few hours. And now if you look at the site right now, it's newlaneroad.com.

10:50You can see there is an incredibly, um, well thought out, put together display, not just of your products, but there's images here. Let's not forget people shop with their eyes mostly, right? Especially online. I do. You've got photos of you and your partner. Tell me, when you were trying to put together the actual images that appear on the sites, what was your process for that? And for folks who are listening, how do you decide what goes on, say, your homepage, for example? For me, the homepage had to speak to the spirit of the store. So that mountain vibe, and I'm certainly on a level using my own recognizability, I suppose, for some people to kind of, you know, let them know this is my store, that this is my inspiration, that these are my picks.

11:37So that was important to me. And I just hired, honestly, a local photographer that's a friend that lives up here in Utah to just come to our ranch and shoot an afternoon because the fall was so beautiful this year. And I just wanted to get those beautiful outdoor fall shots. And I think that's worth it. I think, you know, get some prices. Don't go crazy. but I think it's worth it to have a professional photographer come and just do, to give your homepage the best opportunity possible to make a great first impression. And whether that's, you know, of you and, or of your product or just, you know, something that speaks to what the store is, I think is important to have on that homepage.

12:18And then the rest of the photos was really about trying to create that Indigo Chapters, Indigo Highway vibe where I wanted to have a mood of the moment. So like a bundle for like a mood, say the mood is cozy fall afternoon, right? Who doesn't like that? Right. I mean, that everybody wants. And then I want, you know, I have lots of ideas about that. So those moods of the moments will change. There is, you know, the presence kind of bundle, the idea of staying present in the moment? Was that with a journal? Is that with a skincare routine? Is that with a whatever? And just kind of bundling up. So I wanted the homepage to not feel super overwhelming because sometimes I've found in online shopping experiences, I can get very overwhelmed by options and choices and not know where to go.

13:06I wanted it to feel kind of simplified in that, like, what are you feeling? Do you want to go to mood of the moment? Do you want to go to how to stay present? Do you want to see what your husband might like and go to Josh's picks? You know, I just want to keep it very clean, simple, but just try to inspire a feeling. Well, I'm going to be honest. I went right to Josh's picks when I was checking out. Did you? Good. Absolutely. Because that was what was marketing to me and you can check that out. By the way, again, my guest today is actress Katherine Heigl, also the founder of New Lane Road. Before we get into her business journey, I want to take a moment and thank you for listening to the show.

13:47You know, Shopify Masters is only able to do what it does because of your support. So please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe if you haven't already. Thanks so much. Catherine, I think this idea that you've proposed and that you're selling, selling moments, curating moments, it's something that really does resonate with a lot of shoppers. And in addition to that, one thing that you've done really well is you've kind of tapped into our Shopify collective to source some of these vendors. After all, this is a marketplace that you've put together. Tell me, how did you get that going and how do you choose who kind of belongs in your store?

14:29So, I mean, that can be a really overwhelming experience Because there's lots of incredible makers and vendors out there and products and things you might want to include in your store, especially if you're doing something like I'm doing where it's not your own actual. And to say about my first experience building my Shopify store, that was my own designs and stuff. And that's great. It's just that I quickly realized that I had to become like a full-time graphic designer in order to keep up designs. This is your original print-on-demand store. Yeah. So that's why I kind of switched into and moved away from that and moved into being a supplier for other vendors.

15:09Because I love to curate. And I love to look at all the beautiful things online that I might love to have in my home. So that's kind of how it's shifted to that. And if you're going in that direction too, yeah, the collective is like it can become a bit overwhelming in terms of how do you choose? How do you decide? Where do you even begin? But I think if you make a list for yourself of, I would say, the top five interests you have, and then maybe, and for me, the other thing that helped kind of narrow that list down was knowing that I wanted to work with vendors who also were giving back in some way or, you know, were either socially or environmentally conscious.

15:52Because again, we're talking about that conscious consumerism. I really like that. I can't believe I haven't heard that yet. Well, I'll give it to you for free, just for you. I think that helped me whittle down that kind of list and where I wanted to look. And then it is just about, you know, kind of clicking on those shops, searching through the product, seeing if it fits your aesthetic, fits your, you know, social expectation consciously or whatever, and then adding them. Or asking if they would be comfortable, you know, partnering and, you know, being a part of the store. Yeah. Well, let me ask you though, let's go back to this idea, this conscious consumer, the social advocacy.

16:34You have a very specific charge that is important to you. Tell me a little bit about that, your advocacy, and then again, how you were able to link that up with some of the other vendors and makers you have on your site. Yeah. Well, so in 2008, I think, my mother and I began the Jason Debus Heigel Foundation and it was really my mother's inspiration and idea. and she named it for my brother as a means of giving him sort of a legacy he didn't live long enough to create for himself. And he was a real animal person and a real justice seeker, like a real peacemaker. And so this felt like a thing he would be passionate about as well, but it really began with my mother's passion for the pet overpopulation issue we have in this country that just was just randomly we became aware of.

17:25It was not something either one of us had really any idea about. We've always been animal people. We've always had companion pets, but we didn't know how many were dying every day in our shelters across this country. So it was a, I won't go into that whole story about how she was made aware of it. But as soon as we became aware, we started donating a lot to other foundations, other charities, other rescue groups, like really, you know, trying to put our money where our mouth is. And we realized that we kind of wanted to create our own foundation as a way of channeling those funds into the programs and into the strategies that we felt are going to be most purposeful, most productive in this battle, because it is a real battle.

18:09So it has been 100 % financed by my mother and myself all these years. Sometimes friends make donations, which is really nice. It is nice. Yeah, absolutely. But it's a very expensive venture. Is the store helping with that? Well, that's the thing. That was the idea. And this has been, you know, out of my paycheck, out of my mother's paycheck for 15 years. Yeah. And I wanted to find a way to keep being able to support the foundation, but maybe not have to be out working to do so. And without, I get a little uncomfortable asking for donations. So the store felt like a great way of raising funds and providing something uniquely me to people.

18:55So they get what they're looking for and I get, you know, the money for the foundation. It's a win-win. And versus just saying, can you donate and give us money for this? You know, this way I feel like you're getting something too.

19:14You're getting something too. And I would love to ask, how has it been so far? I mean, the story is relatively new. I mean, what has been the impact so far and are your customers, you know, putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak, in terms of the social advocacy that they're looking for with their dollars? Yeah, they are. We've had, you know, it's been great. And this time around, I was, it was really important to me to tell myself to just let it be a slow burn. Don't expect a flood right out of the gate. Like just let it slowly come to consciousness. Let it slowly build. Let us, my team and I, so it's my aunt and my webmaster who I met back in my Roswell days, which is 25 years ago.

19:57Yes, Keith is one of my closest friends. And And we, the three of us together are just learning as we go and seeing what's working, what's not working, what can we improve about the experience for people, what do I, how do I want to tailor this section of the store or that section of the store. So we're really taking our time with this. I have not even checked the numbers, to be honest, because I don't want to know yet. Because I don't want to get discouraged because I don't expect, you know, millions out of the gate. You see all those stories and you hear all those stories. I've seen plenty of those ads on TikTok, too, about somebody who made it big in three months.

20:42I made a million in 24 hours, right? Right. And they're like, but just buy our program to help you do that for$12 ,000. You know, I just felt like, you know what, I don't want to do that. I just, I want to take my time and have faith in this, which I understand can be difficult for people who are putting sort of like all their pennies in that basket. That's not a saying. All their eggs in that basket. That's the same. Eggs or pennies, yeah. You know what I mean? Putting stuff in a basket, all of it. You know, don't put it all, if you're putting it all in the basket. I can understand that being patient about the success of it would be very difficult.

21:18And I think that there are tools and ways of improving that experience or even more quickly building your customer base. We have not implemented a lot of that yet just because I wanted to take it slow. I want to make sure the store is what I want the store to be. And there have been different issues with, say, oh, this vendor's products are never stocked. And so we're getting frustrated customers because it's always out of stock. So we have to take that out and just things like that so that I can really make the experience what I want it to be for people. And then that next step is going to be, okay, so do we really hit those, you know, Clavio, like, mailing lists real hard?

22:00And there's lots of really incredible tools and tricks and things that you can learn to do yourself. You don't need to hire a team and you don't need, you know, business loans to do it. You can do it yourself. You just have to put in the time to watching those tutorials. And Shopify is fantastic. I mean, they have a million tutorials and they're easy to understand. It's not, you know, nothing would be over anybody's head. Well, I appreciate you saying that because my team does produce a lot of those tutorials and shout out to my team for doing all those things. Thank you so much. But no, they're fantastic.

22:31It's such a smart thing to do because it just makes somebody like me capable of doing it. And otherwise it feels absolutely completely unattainable. So such a good lesson though, that you pointed out there that you don't need to have everything figured out to get going. You don't have to have all these business plan or loans. You can just start with an idea and you can tinker with that idea to get yourself where you want to be, which I think is exactly what you're doing with your store. Yeah. And it's funny because my first go around, I did feel like I had to have exactly everything perfectly right before I could begin.

23:06And it's sort of that like perfectionist curse where you never begin. You never really move forward. You're just constantly preparing. And then when I did finally kind of move forward with it and get it out there and get going, I didn't know how to continue. I didn't know what, well, what next? Do I have to keep designing shirts? You know, like, so the kind of switching gears and switching focus and saying this time around, I'm going to create that store of my dreams because that's more fun for me than creating graphic designs weekly. It's not, I love art, but that wasn't particularly like the vibe, you know, that wasn't the thing I was really enjoying about art.

23:45So I'm going to find that thing that really ticks that box for me, that really excites me and I'm passionate about and is fun. And then I'm just going to take it slow. I'm going to expect this first year out to just be working the kinks out, really working the store out, and getting a feel for who our customers are, what they're looking for, and how they feel about the experience and what could be better, what could be what is perfect. And then next year, we'll see. I have no intention of giving up on this. This, for me, feels like that thing I'm going to be really passionate about and committed to for, you know, potentially the rest of, you know, my working career.

24:31It's, it's been really fun. And we love to hear that. And we're going to continue to watch how the store does. Again, the name of the store is New Lane Road Mercantile. I've been talking with Catherine Heigl. Catherine, thank you so much. We can't wait to see how your store does. Thank you. Me too. And good luck to all those entrepreneurs out there. This episode of Shopify Masters is produced by Schweng Esther Shan. Our producers are Megan Coyle and Gogo Zoger. Sound engineers Matt Schwartz and Miku Betlam. And I'm Benjamin Gottlieb. Join us next time for another edition of Shopify Masters.