Brand Building: Living The Whole Picture with Jama Pantel

How to Build a Standout Brand (Even If You’re Starting from Scratch) with Karen Trenk of Handzies

• Jama • Season 1 • Episode 14

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Episode Overview

Have you ever had a business idea but didn’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve felt like the market is already too crowded, and you wonder how you could possibly stand out.

In this episode of Living the Whole Picture, I sit down with my friend Karen Trenk, founder of Handzies, to talk about how she turned a simple need—a better way to clean hands on the go—into a thriving business. She built her brand without a massive marketing budget or a corporate background and stood out by staying true to her vision.

If you’ve ever wanted to build a brand that gets noticed and earns trust, this episode is for you. Karen shares what she’s learned about starting from scratch, standing out in a crowded market, and getting seen by the right people.

Timestamps & Key Topics

00:00 – Introduction – How Karen turned a personal need into a business
01:23 – The Story Behind Handzies – From DIY to a commercial brand
04:57 – The Challenges of Scaling – Finding manufacturers, selling on Amazon
09:30 – Standing Out in a Crowded Market – The power of grassroots marketing
13:53 – Biggest Business Lessons – Navigating unknowns, learning as you go
17:14 – The Most Rewarding Part – Impact on family & seeing her product in public
24:52 – Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs – Why small steps matter
26:43 – The Moment She “Made It” – Recognizing real business success
30:49 – Where to Find Handzies & Final Takeaways

Key Takeaways from This Episode

You don’t need a big budget to build a successful brand. Karen grew Handzies by focusing on relationships, influencer marketing, and word of mouth.

Your idea doesn’t have to be groundbreaking—it just needs to solve a real problem. Handzies was born out of a simple need that wasn’t being met.

Start before you feel ready. Karen started researching, learning, and taking action step by step.

Brand visibility comes from showing up. If you want to stand out, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and tell your story.

Resources & Links

Follow Karen Trenk & Handzies:

Want to Build a Brand That Stands Out?
Head to jamapantel.com for resources, courses, and coaching to help you own your presence and amplify your brand.

Enjoyed this Episode? Here’s How to Support!

Subscribe & Review – Help more women find this show!
Join My Community – Get my free e-book: Picture This Quick Tips for Social Media Portraits.  


https://www.jamapantel.com

Jama Pantel:

Have you ever had a business idea but didn't know where to start? Maybe you felt like the market is already too crowded and you wonder how could I possibly stand out? Today's guest, my friend Karen Trank, did exactly that. She took a simple need a better way to clean your hands on the go and turned it into a thriving business Handzies and she did it without a massive marketing budget or corporate background in consumer goods. Today she's sharing what she's learned about building a brand from scratch, standing out and getting seen by the right people.

Jama Pantel:

Hey y'all, welcome back to Living the Whole Picture, the podcast for ambitious women ready to elevate their visibility, build authentic confidence and become the face of their brand. I'm your host, Jama Pantel, a luxury portrait photographer, author, educator, influencer and dream chaser, here to help you master your brand presence and show up authentically with confidence. Each week, we'll dive into topics to help you shine in business and in life, so you can stop hesitating and start showing up like the leader you were meant to be. If you've ever struggled with confidence on camera or hesitated to put yourself out there, this podcast is for you. Let's get started on living the whole picture together. Welcome, Karen. Thank you for agreeing to be here. Oh hi, thank you for having me. No problem, can you start by just telling us a little bit about yourself and then kind of what got you into why you decided to create this product?

Karen Trenk:

So my name is Karen Trenk and I am the founder and owner of Handzies. I'm also a mom to two kids who are a lot older now than when I started this business, so I started the business back. I actually had to go back and do the math, because you and I have known each other a long time. I'm pretty sure it was like 2014 is probably when I started on it. It took a couple years in development before we actually got a product that was commercially available. So we probably started selling about 2016 and have been doing that ever since, and I guess the reason I started it's not super glamorous but, like a lot of people, I had a problem and I couldn't find a solution out there for it, so that's what sort of prompted me to do this.

Karen Trenk:

We had just my whole family had just come off the stomach bug. It wiped out our entire family. My kids were really little at the time and I was in the doctor's office and I was talking about gosh I'm so tired of being sick all the time and we were talking and she said, yeah, I really wish people could just wash their hands more. And I said you're right, we really should be washing our hands more Probably wouldn't get as sick, right, and it would just be so handy to be able to do that. But I had two small kids and it was just hard right.

Karen Trenk:

The sinks were never available when I needed them. We were always out and about, we were, you know, having snacks in the car, we were at the park, doing whatever, and I looked around and all that was available was hand sanitizer or baby wipes. Those were sort of the two things that were available. Didn't love the hand sanitizer because it was a lot of alcohol and my kids were small. I didn't love dumping that alcohol on their hands. Um, the alcohol didn't. It didn't really take anything off their hands, it really just sort of smeared it around. If they were actually just dirty, like dirt or like Cheeto fingers or something else, chocolate, something else that was on them, um. And we didn't love baby wipes because my kids were like absolutely not going to use a baby wipe.

Jama Pantel:

They're not babies, right.

Karen Trenk:

Not babies anymore and I didn't really love baby wipes either because I felt like they kind of made me a little sticky, yes. And so I'm like why can't I wash my hands on the go, like why is that not a thing? So I actually did a bunch of research, couldn't find anything and then just started making them in my kitchen. So I bought a bunch of supplies. I had a bunch of essential oils. I knew I really wanted to use a really clean, pure soap. So I use a Castile soap which is olive oil based, super gentle on the skin, really, you know, very natural ingredients. And then I use essential oils to both use as antibacterial and because they smell amazing. So I started kind of concocting this stuff in my kitchen.

Karen Trenk:

Some hit and misses, some that worked out great, some that didn't. I made one that my daughter said that smelled like a wet dog. So, needless to say, that formula went out the window. We scrapped that one. Finally, I came up with a formula that we really liked, kind of a combination of things that we felt like, uh, worked amazing and smelled great, and I was really happy with the ingredients. Um, and then we started the long road of trying to figure out how we could make this commercially available, um, which was a bit of a longer journey, which is why it took, you know, year and a half, two years um, before we did that. But we finally found a manufacturer out in California and they manufacture for us and ship here, and then we package things up and kind of get them available through Amazon and some of the other channels. So that's kind of the shortened not so short version, I guess, of kind of how we got here.

Jama Pantel:

No, I love that and that was kind of what I was wondering. Like, are there other now natural light cleaning products on the market or do you still kind of like? Have that, like um, because again, I have used this product, I love this product, I swear by this product. Um, they sit in my car, they sit in my home, they sit, they go with me on vacation. Karen and I are both runners um CrossFit, all the things, and so they go with me on my race course, like everywhere with me on the race. They came in handy. So are there any other products out there like that now, or are you still like the cornerstone of it here?

Karen Trenk:

So there are definitely a lot of other options out there that are non-alcohol based and use a combination of different things so far, and you know could be out there, I just haven't found it. Combination of different things so far and you know could be out there, I just haven't found it. As far as I know, hanzies is the only one that's still using a soap and water approach. You can definitely find wipes that are like face wipes or just sort of all multi-purpose type wipes that don't have alcohol and stuff in them. Now, because I think people are kind of gravitating towards more natural, kind of environmentally safe, you know, less hormone disruptors, that sort of thing. But as far as I can tell, we're the only ones that are still using a bit of Castile soap and essential oils in our formulation. So I think our formulation is still a bit unique. But there are certainly a lot more options out there.

Jama Pantel:

That's what I was getting at. I still feel like it's a unique formula. I haven't found any. There's nothing I've come across that I like, more than it. Why did you feel like this was so important? Obviously because you were a mom and your kids and stuff like that. But did you recognize that this was a need in the market? Basically, like you is kind of what I'm guessing.

Karen Trenk:

Absolutely. So you know, handwashing is the number one thing. The CDC and everybody else says, you know is good, good to kind of keep you clean. But part of it is, you know, yeah, you know we worry about germs and stuff. But there were a lot of times I wasn't necessarily worried about germs, I just wanted a way to clean up.

Karen Trenk:

So, like you mentioned, running or at the gym or you know, we were at the grocery store and I'm like, oh, someone's hands are sticky and I'm like I don't need to disinfect you, I just need to clean up. And I want to do it in a way that doesn't dry out my skin and doesn't sting, because every little cut on my hand and I don't want to worry that I'm putting something terrible on my kids or myself, I just want a way to clean up. So I really wanted to sink right, Like if I had a sink here, that's what I'd be doing. I travel in a sink. That's exactly right. I wish, I wish there was one, but there wasn't. So we tried to formulate something that was as close as you could get to washing your hands at a sink, but on the go. That's kind of what we were shooting for.

Jama Pantel:

Now that makes total sense, and so you mentioned that you got them on Amazon and are selling there. Can you tell me a little bit about that process, like, are you happy with it? Now it sounds like it was a journey to get there, but is that like your number one, like target audience is from there, stuff like that.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, so we have a website that we sell direct and then we also I would say the majority of the business goes through Amazon, because that just also seems to be the way the world likes to get. Their products is through Amazon. We sort of have a love hate with Amazon. You know, when things work great, they work great, and when things aren't working, it's really hard to kind of navigate what's going on and how to get things, you know, kind of fixed with them.

Karen Trenk:

Covid was a really hard time For a lot of reasons. It sort of blew up sales because all of a sudden everybody was looking for soap and water and hand wipes and that created a lot of problems. There were a lot of problems with Amazon during that time too. They were really trying to crack down on a lot of things. There was a lot of supply issues. So, in general, when Amazon's working, it works amazing and we love working with them. It's like a bad relationship right. When there's problems, then there's problems you have to work through and you just sort of have to get it out. But we've been doing it since 2016. And you know it's changed a lot since we started with them. So you know, every year there's, you know, some new things. You've kind of got to get used to with them. I'd say, in general, most of them are positive. Some of them were like, oh, that's going to be kind of hard, but you know, you just work through it.

Jama Pantel:

So that's what I was going to ask. What like strategies have you found to be most successful in standing out in this market? Clearly, amazon, we all know, is huge, right, so they offer everything in the world. You think of it that way. So what ways have you found to stand out in that market and how have you, like, presented yourself that way?

Karen Trenk:

I think the fact that we're unique has helped a bit. I think people like finding something that they think is different and something that's not from big business. We had a lot of people that came to us especially during the COVID time and they had a kind of a distrust with big business and they were pretty happy that we were a small business. We were sort of keeping it clean and simple, no pun intended, and and they were really looking for that and we were glad that we could be that. The other thing is we don't do a lot of direct marketing through Amazon. We have a lot of influencers that we work with. So everybody kind of likes to find things on Instagram or through other kind of media channels.

Karen Trenk:

So I have a PR person that I work with.

Karen Trenk:

I've been working with her for years, also female owned business.

Karen Trenk:

She's amazing and she goes out and either finds people that are writing publications about topics that we fit in with or influencers that are covering these topics, like you know, spring travel or summer camps or all these different things, and so she's we've kind of got a list of things where we feel like you know, we fit in with that topic and we reach out to those influencers and we get product in their hands and we allow them to test it and use it, because that's really where we feel like we stand out is, once you have a chance to use it sort of won't go back, we feel like, and that's been super successful.

Karen Trenk:

So it's a lot of grassroots stuff. We don't do a lot of mainstream. We don't do Google ads, we don't do Facebook ads. We really sort of trying because I really feel like people need to use it and feel like they've discovered it, and then they're happy to share it with all their friends and through all their social media channels and it's worked really well, Okay, so yeah, I was going to ask, like, how do you handle being like the natural brand that you are and then the business side and trying to scale and build that up?

Jama Pantel:

And you answered that perfectly. Have you had to make any like compromises doing that, or have you just you just find sounds like this a wonderful woman you have, who I'm going to get her information from you too. She's amazing. Yeah, has done a really good job to help you scale and do that. And so is it. Social media mostly like word of mouth, that way for social media influencers.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, it's a combination of mostly Instagram. We don't do TikTok, which is great, because we didn't go through that pain.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, mostly it's Instagram, facebook, like they'll be posting. Their influencers have Facebook pages or Instagram pages, reels, stories. We do some media like regional media, like they'll do midday shows and they'll be doing segments on, you know, our favorite products for summer camp or our favorite products for spring break travel. And you know we sort of get in a lineup of those products so that we've sort of figured out which regions are pretty good for us. So we kind of stick to those regions and that works really well. And you know it's sort of, you know, you kind of reach a tipping point right. The more people you reach, the more people they reach, and it just sort of starts to spread, because we've definitely seen it grow over the last several years that we've been working that way. Every you know, year over year there's just more and more growth that way that's incredible.

Jama Pantel:

I love seeing this as somebody who obviously knew the brand from the beginning and all the things. Yeah, it's great to hear, and so it does sound like social media has played a huge role in this. And so what is your personally, what is your favorite platform like that for it?

Karen Trenk:

Oh well, my favorite platform to kind of get information is this. I'm going to date myself a lot. Here's facebook still, which I know it's not anyone else's favorite platform, unless you're my age, um, just because I feel like it allows you to to convey a bit more information. Um, instagram's a little bit short and sweet, right. You've kind of got to hit it. It's got to be really trendy and you know, um, so we do do a lot of stuff on Instagram. A lot of the influencers we work with are, you know, do reels and stories about us, which is great, but information sharing and sort of storytelling, it's a little. I'm still a little bit more used to Facebook. That's kind of my personal favorite.

Jama Pantel:

So yeah, that resonates with me, and not wanting to hard for me to get on board with the trendy things, that's why long form content I think information is way more helpful this way for somebody like me, and that, you know, spurred this, so I can't create that. So here we go. I'm going to get into some of the more business type questions, because I know running a business is hard. Anybody in business knows that. So what are some of the biggest challenges that you face as an entrepreneur? And, you know, did you have any strategies to overcome those?

Karen Trenk:

Uh, so many, so many things. So I think getting started uh is sort of you just don't know what you don't know, right, and and it can be overwhelming to think about kind of the end result. Like, well, how in the world am I going to make this, how am I going to find a manufacturer and how am I going to make this happen? And and uh, thank goodness for Google, uh, cause you can learn a lot. And and that's sort of how it happened at the beginning is, I just sounded really stupid every time I asked a question or every time I had a phone call or I sent an email. But every time I got a response back, I got a little bit smarter, so that the next time I sounded a little bit more like I knew what I needed and you just sort of chip away at it, right, you know, it's sort of like all right, what's the next problem on deck that we've got to figure out?

Karen Trenk:

And chip away at figuring that one out and we'd kind of move on to the next one, and so, getting started, it was just sort of the amount of things that I didn't know. I mean, I had been a product manager, but in software for a long time, which is not very similar at all to consumer good, so didn't transfer at all there. So there was a lot to learn and we, you know, just sort of chipped away at it, which was great and I, yeah, and along the way I was really surprised kind of how there are really very kind people out there and you can find them along the way. Certainly not everybody, but you know there were a lot of people that would take the time. Clearly they would figure out I wasn't a big time opportunity for them at the time.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, small business just getting started, and they could tell. But they would take the time to explain things to me and sort of tell me how things worked and super grateful that you can find those people along the way. So that was that was sort of a big one way. So that was that was sort of a big one. And then sort of learning how to scale.

Karen Trenk:

You know, when you're a one one gal show as you you're familiar with also, you kind of have to know all of it right. You have to know the social media side and the marketing, and then the how to do the books, and then how the manufacturing and the distribution is going to work, and then what about taxes, and then how do you get your LLC? And then you know it's just there's a million and one things Right. So it was, it was fun, because if you're a little bit ADHD, like I think my brain kind of is that way kind of gives the opportunity to hop around and do a bunch of different things. I don't feel like doing taxes today. How about let's do some marketing Right, like there's always something Right.

Jama Pantel:

Love that. You know, I kind of wonder if all of us in business are a little bit ADHD for that very reason. Like I can't do this today, I'm going to do this. That that resonates.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, Sometimes it's a hindrance, but sometimes it's a real superpower, because you're like, wow, okay, I'm just going to hop around and do six different things now. So you know, it's blessing and a curse, yeah, yeah. So you know, but we, we learned a lot along the way and and I met a lot of amazing people I met you, which was amazing, and then I found a bunch along the way. I found a bunch of friends that had skills I didn't know they had. So Monica is a mutual friend of ours. She was hugely helpful in helping me kind of in the early stages. And I had some other friends that I'm like I had no idea that you had that skill. All right, let's do it. And it was really fun to kind of get connected with them in a different way. So that was kind of a new kind of fun thing too.

Jama Pantel:

I love that. So that was going to kind of lead into my next question. What's been the most rewarding part in all of this, other than you have a business? That's amazing, right.

Karen Trenk:

What's been the most rewarding moment for you in all of this? Definitely, working with a lot of different people has been amazing, I think. Kind of looking back on it because I feel like we have enough years now, I feel like I can kind of look back a bit it's been pretty rewarding for my kids to see this, so they've had a chance to sort of see this happen, both the good stuff and sometimes the not great stuff. There's been times I've been stuck on something and frustrated and you know, trying to figure it out, and you know they've seen me have to struggle and kind of work through it and then they've seen sometimes we're like, oh hey, look, look, what we did. That was pretty amazing, you know. So it's been pretty rewarding now that I'm here to look back on that and be like it was kind of nice that my kids got a chance to see that sort of unfold kind of in in the house literally with them, because I work at home.

Jama Pantel:

So they got to see all of it happen.

Karen Trenk:

Yeah, yeah, that's probably the best part.

Jama Pantel:

I love that. That makes so much sense and like inspiring future generations, right, Like we want to do so, or there have there been any? And it sounds like I already know the answer to this. You've met all these incredible people along the way and stuff like that. What is the biggest thing you learned from somebody else? Like the biggest, like aha, light bulb moment that you hadn't even like, didn't know where you were going, and then they they helped shape and put you in this direction or whatever and put you in this direction or whatever.

Karen Trenk:

Probably it's probably my husband. So he's an analyst at Gartner, so he works with businesses all the time and sometimes he treats me like a business, which I also love and hate, and you know there are times that I just get so you know you're so close to it because you're the one kind of wrapped around the axle with it all the time. And he's pretty good about pulling me back away from it and being like look, you're overcomplicating things, right. Like you know exactly what to go do. Just turn off all the noise and just go do it. He's like there's zero reason, you shouldn't do it. And he's like and you've done it.

Karen Trenk:

Like, if there's some problem that I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm never going to get this figured out. And he's like look, you've had five others just like this and you've gotten through every single one of them. So he's like, just take a breath and get through it, like you did all the other ones, which is kind of exactly what you need to hear. You know you're both frustrated. You're like, ah, come on. But he's done a really good job helping me realize that sometimes you just got to take a deep breath and just you know, keep at it and you'll get through it, like he did all the other things.

Jama Pantel:

So I mean those are words to live by, right, like you're not going to figure out everything on your first go round. It's trial and error and you just keep coming back for more and you eventually conquer it and not you know. I mean, I think you said it right there. All right, thank you, karen's husband for his party. That's where it's a wisdom on us. That are true, um, so I know, um, that it changed from single hand wipes to to rolls and stuff like that. So tell us kind of how the transformation went for that. And then, are there any plans for, like, an expanded product line or anything like that? Are you happy with where those are at, or do you want to grow bigger on that line or anything like that? Are you happy?

Karen Trenk:

with where those are at, or do you want to grow bigger on that? It's funny. You said that because we're working on one right now. So, yeah, we originally started with a tangerine version of a single packaged hand wipe. It looks like this yeah, so you can take them wherever you can take them on a run. I know Jayma has done that a lot Exactly what I do. I did.

Jama Pantel:

I and I meant to capture pictures on the race course last month when I was out there on the marathon course, cause I came out and I was using them. It was mostly self-supported on this race course, cause it was such a small marathon, I scored by my handsies and I was like there's nobody around to share this with, cause there were only 120 or so runners on this course and pulling them out like crazy, using it cause it's self-supported.

Karen Trenk:

I'm like yeah, yeah, those come in handy for a lot of things, yeah, um. So we originally started with these, um, and they were tangerine, and did that for probably a year or two, and then we sort of got onto this. Some people were like, oh, we don't want scent, you know, and free and clear was a big deal. So we came out with a free and clear version, which is the same thing minus the tangerine oil, um, and that is by far and away the most popular thing we have. People love free and clear. It's not my personal favorite. I still love the tangerine because I love the smell. Same I love the tangerine too.

Karen Trenk:

It's my go-to as well yeah, it's my go-to too, but for whatever reason, people you know, especially people that that are really sensitive to smells or they're worried about stuff on their skin. You know, I totally get it and the ingredients are really clean, which is I think people gravitate towards that. And then we kind of got on this. Well, you know, it's a little bit more spendy when you've got them individually packaged like this, just because you've got packaging you've got to deal with and that sort of thing. So we went with a multi-use pouch which has 30 in it, which works great. If you're traveling you want to toss it in a backpack, a diaper bag. We have a lot of families that love that because they're the parents want to clean their hands off or their kids hands or whatever. So we've been doing that for a while this year. I actually have plans Not sure when it's going to happen because we're still trying to get it to the manufacturer.

Karen Trenk:

We're going to do a multi-use pouch like this, but it's going to be 12. So it's more of a travel pack. So it'll be much smaller, much easier to fit in a purse or a fanny pack or a backpack or something. But it's got 12 in it, so it'll be a little bit smaller profile. Yeah, so that's the next thing. We don't have any plans to do a new scent, because Free and Clear seems to be what everybody wants. My family's been begging me for years to do another scent. I'm like you got. Unless you guys plan to buy a lot of them, then, yeah, we're gonna have to just stick with Free and but in the spirit of my husband being like all right, don't overcomplicate it, Just sell what people want.

Karen Trenk:

We're going to, we're going to stick with that and we're going to just try and make a smaller pack. That's a little bit easier for people that just want something they can tuck in a purse or a briefcase or something else.

Jama Pantel:

I like that as a now lover of the fanny pack. Here we are right, they were cool, they were not cool and they're back to being cool again and I carry mine all the time. I like that idea for carrying those in the fanny pack.

Karen Trenk:

I know Well, we're going to have to. I'll have to talk to you about some photography, because when we get the new one, we're going to have to get some good photography with it.

Jama Pantel:

So break out your fanny packs.

Karen Trenk:

We can do that. So I want to ask, um, what inspires you to keep going when things get tough? Oh, that's a hard question. Um, probably very similar to running a race, like you didn't come this far just to come this far. So, and part of it is just, um, I'm a little bit stubborn, so I'm like, well, this is not gonna stop me, right, I love it. So there's some of that also. You know, probably not as inspiring, but you know, now I've got kids in college and so financially it's great to keep going because you know those tuition bills are, you know, not cheap.

Jama Pantel:

So, yeah, you know I love that and the more I think about it. It's like my circle is like surrounded by runners, and that equates so wonderfully into the business world. Right, we have tenacity, we have grit, we keep going, no matter what, like that. That's what we do, and I have a podcast coming up on that because it keeps that. That mantra keeps coming up over and over again. So let me ask you this what piece of advice would you give any aspiring entrepreneurs, people looking to get into business? What would that be?

Karen Trenk:

So probably very similar to a running metaphor. You know, if you're going to do a marathon, don't think about 26 miles, just think about mile one first. So you know, it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed with how do I figure all of this out? And you don't have to figure it all out at once, but you do have to take the first step right, like. So my advice is, if you've got some something you want to do, you know, do a bunch of research.

Karen Trenk:

The internet's amazing. It knows a lot of things. You can learn a lot that way. Talk to a lot of people, and then you just sort of have to get started. Just do the first thing on the list and then that'll lead to the second thing, and then, before you know it, you know you'll get through. You're never done with the list, but you'll get through enough that you've got kind of got to where you you wanted to be, or you're well down the road. So you know, don't be overwhelmed by it. You know we have, uh, I do crossfit and uh, sometimes you look at the workout and it's pretty overwhelming. You're like there's no way I'm going to get through all that and you're like, well, let's just focus on the first five. First, let's get through that, and then we'll work on the next. You know so, just uh, just chip away at it. That's the best you can do, and, and before you know it, you'll have business.

Jama Pantel:

I love it and that again, words of wisdom over here. These are things we can all live by. You're absolutely right and I again thank you for coming on here. I think it's quite amazing how you went from just Googling something because it didn't exist to having this product out there. Like that's pretty huge and I know we covered it pretty quickly. But take a moment and reflect on that, like when in your mind again, this was a question, that or something that hit me when my little cousin who's now you know, they're now in their 20s and stuff like that Ask me, like how does it feel to have made it? And in my mind I'm like I've never made it, I'm still working, right. So when did you like hit that point? Like I'm doing this, like I, this is, this is something and this is out there. Like it's definitely not the early days when you're in the trenches, right? So where?

Jama Pantel:

was the mindset shift in that like.

Karen Trenk:

Oh, so there's. It's funny because there are actually two, two specific times where I'm like, oh my gosh, this actually worked. The first time was when I was like, oh my gosh, there are orders on Amazon and I don't know those people Like those are not family members. I'm like, oh my gosh, that's a complete stranger and I just bought my stuff. And then the second time, that was pretty early on, right.

Karen Trenk:

The second time I was at a children's museum, like in Johnson City or something outside of town, and I had my kids with me and we were just, you know, doing the children's museum and this, I pulled out some handsies because we were going to clean up, because we were going to eat something. And she's like, oh, aren't those great, I use those, I love them. And I was like, oh my gosh, I do not know this person. We are not even in Austin right now. We're outside of Austin. And she knew my product. I was like this is it. I have officially made it Right, and that was probably three years ago, you know three, four years ago.

Karen Trenk:

That is amazing, yeah. And then I just had a friend of mine who was traveling. She was at an airport and she took a picture. Somebody pulled a handsy out of their bag and was cleaning up the airport. And she snuck a picture and sent it to me and she was like Karen, look, there's handsies in the wild. And I'm like, oh my gosh, look at that. I don't know that person.

Jama Pantel:

They're using my stuff.

Karen Trenk:

So every time I see somebody with my stuff that's not like a personal friend of mine or a family member, I'm like oh my gosh, look at that, they're using my stuff.

Jama Pantel:

It hits you. That is so cool. That is so cool and I hadn't thought about that. But I know again, I've known your product and known you for a very long time. I would do the same thing if I saw it in the wild. I'm like, oh my gosh, that's it.

Jama Pantel:

That's it, I know them I know them, yeah, and I do think I saw one, like of course nobody wants to litter, but I think I saw one on the ground one time, like at a local rice or whatever, like the packaging you know runners when they throw their drink cups down and stuff like that there's always around and I saw one out there and I was like hey, I know that. But I was like in the middle it didn't stop, but I was like, oh, I know them, I know them, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think that's big for us too, like the fans that have been a fan for a while.

Jama Pantel:

Okay yeah is there anything else that you want to share or that you think, uh, you know that would help inspire anybody in any of this business, or online, or just putting putting it out there?

Karen Trenk:

Like I just do it. I mean, there's really there's so many resources out there and there's so many people that are willing to help, and I'm always willing to help. If there's any information on anything I've done that helps somebody, I'm always happy to give them. You know my time and you know if there's anything I can explain to somebody that might help them, I'm happy to do it Right. So just just try it Like there's there's no downside to just trying right. You just you don't know what you can do until you give it a shot.

Jama Pantel:

I love that, I love that, and so is this. Like this is your future, this is your goal, this is your retirement plan. Like you, this is what you are fully invested in. This is your jam right.

Karen Trenk:

Well, yes, this is it. We're too far down the road now, so, yeah, we're going to ride the ride this one out for sure.

Jama Pantel:

I love it. I love it so well. I want to thank you again for coming on. This has been great to talk to you. I think it's inspiring what you've done built something from the ground up, research all the way up, and I, you know again, we went over this pretty fast. But I want to pause and emphasize how incredible that is to start something from the research stage, ground up, building it in your kitchen, doing all the work, finding the manufacturers, all the way to getting them out there I mean on Amazon, like that. Congratulations to you. That's huge. I've watched the baby steps over the years and stuff like that and knew all this was happening. But as you said this and I'm sitting back, I'm like this is huge, like this is really incredible that she was able to do that from her home. You hear that a lot like I don't have the time, I don't have the, you know the space and stuff like that. Your home is a space and you can make it happen if you want to make it happen.

Karen Trenk:

You can, and if you have a fantastic photographer, it helps too.

Jama Pantel:

So always helps. I love that. So tell people where they can find you and what's the best way to reach out to you and your products and that kind of stuff. Where can everybody find you?

Karen Trenk:

So we have a website that's handzies. com. It's H-A-N-D-Z-I-E-S. com. You can also find us on Amazon, so you can just search handsies on Amazon. You can find me there. If you want to contact me, if you have any questions or is there anything I can answer for you, I'm just Karen at Handzies. com, or you could probably find me through JAMA if you want to go that way as well, but always happy to answer questions or help out in any way I can, but that's how you can find me.

Jama Pantel:

I appreciate it and I'll put those in the show notes as well so people can just use the link to click on there to find you and find your products and reach out to you. And again, I really thank you for being on here and I really appreciate your time for talking to us today. I can't wait to share you with everybody else that I don't know and haven't talked about in a while, and I look forward to the fanny pack photo shoot.

Karen Trenk:

That sounds good. Thank you so much for having me.

Jama Pantel:

Thank you. If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this your brand won't stand out if you're too afraid to put yourself out there. You don't need a million dollar budget or decades of experience to start. You just need to believe in your product, your message or your skills enough to start sharing them with the world. Thank you so much for tuning in to Living the Whole Picture. If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave me a review and share it with another high-achieving woman who needs to hear this message. Or, better yet, share it and tag me on social media. Visit my website, jamapantel. com, for more resources, updates and ways we can work together. Be sure to subscribe while you're on the website so you never miss anything. You've worked hard to get where you are. Now it's time to show up confidently and own your presence. Until next time, keep showing up and living the whole picture.

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