Hey friends, have you ever considered how you could leverage point of sale systems for trend tracking and buying decisions? Biff Ulm, founder of MN Nice Enough came on the podcast today to share how he uses technology to help grow his business and how he relies on the help of sales reps to ensure his store is stocked with products that are a fit for his customers. Biff has a rich background in the product based business industry and has seen all sides of it including owning his own brick and mortar business, selling eCommerce, doing wholesale, as well as creating his own products. He’s done it all and has a vast wealth of knowledge in this line of business. In this episode, we talk about everything from the challenges he’s faced from having multiple streams of revenue, what numbers he tracks, how he cultivates wholesale relationships and the importance of studying what bigger brands are doing in their businesses.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Biff’s background in the product based business industry His experience in selling retail at a brick and mortar, online sales, wholesale and creating his own products Challenges he’s faced from having different streams of revenue  His three key principles and the motivator that keeps him going The technology he uses to help guide his business decisions and how he leverages data to pick up on trends in his store What numbers Biff tracks on a regular basis  His preferred method for cultivating wholesale relationships and finding new products Biff’s experience with using sales reps for his business Studying what bigger companies are doing in their business What’s coming next for MN Nice Enough For full show notes and resources, head to bit.ly/PTPEp146 SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Today’s guest Rebecca Inkrote has a fantastic story that I can’t wait to share with you guys. She gives her insight on the best ways to transition from a third party platform to your own website (plus how to build brand recognition and steps to make it go smooth). Rebecca got her start in the creative entrepreneur space when she started making soaps as a hobby. It quickly turned into a business that brought her into Facebook groups with other handmade business owners and it was there where she recognized how much she could help entrepreneurs in this space. As a graphic designer, she was well versed in the areas of technology and found this niche of hers to be an area she could stand out in. In this episode, Rebecca shares how she stumbled into this path, the growing pains one can face when transitioning from a third party platform to their own website and the benefits of having your own eCommerce website.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  The biggest mistakes that Rebecca sees product based business owners making on their website and eCommerce shop How Rebecca stumbled into teaching others and helping them build their own website Growing pains from transitioning from a third party platform to your own website Benefits of having your own eCommerce website Steps to take when transitioning to your own eCommerce platform How getting your domain to match your brand name helps with brand recognition What services and digital products Rebecca offers for clients Educating and empowering her clients to take charge of their own websites Rebecca’s thoughts on Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace, etc. and choosing what systems to use Where Rebecca sees her business moving going forward For full show notes and resources, head to bit.ly/PTPEp145   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!  

Hey friends! We’re going to be switching things up a little for today’s episode. I’ve decided that once a month we’ll be airing a live coaching session with one of my coaching clients or a Paper Camp alumni on the podcast. It’ll be a short, hot seat format coaching session where the guest will talk about what they’re working on and what they need help with. I’ll be giving them my candid off the cuff advice, recommendations and even some homework because we’re all about taking action! For our first live coaching episode, I was joined by Paper Camp alumni, Shirlee Fisher of Quiet Lines Design. She has a few hesitations and questions about the timing of her launch and the wholesale market. We work through the three things she needs to prepare and make ready before the launch so she can launch her products confidently. In this episode, we chat about lining up your launch with the release cycles of the stationery industry, why having 40+ skews will help you get more customers and why sometimes you have to wait until things are ready.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How Shirlee got started in her business, Quiet Lines Design What she’s currently working on in her business and what she needs help with Planning to launch to coordinate with certain events and cycles Why you need to feel confident in what you’re creating  Why the PTP team recommends having 48 skews during Paper Camp How sometimes it’s necessary to wait until things are ready The biggest fears that Shirlee has about product launches Katie’s homework for Shirlee and listeners  Getting strategic with a tiered outreach approach to building relationships For full show notes and resources, head to bit.ly/PTPEp144

Part 1: Last week I took a whirlwind trip to New York to visit with more than 40 of our Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting at NY Now and the National Stationery Show. It was so exciting to see everyone’s hard work live and in person — their new products were innovative, their booths were beautiful and their confidence was shining through. It was awesome. While I was there, I was able to grab some time with a handful of our alumni to talk shop about the show, goals they set and how they plan to follow-up after the show. We’re breaking this into a two-part series. The first part features several of our veteran exhibitors from the Paper Camp family including Rebekah from Wild Ink Press, Christina from Public School Paper Co, Beth from Little Goat Paper Co, Jeni from E. Frances Paper and Juliana from Good Juju Ink. In Part 2 on Thursday, we’re sharing interviews with Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting in the emerging artists’ section as well as first-time exhibitors!  Today’s show features Rachel from Hazel & Dolly, Chandler from Joy Paper Co, Lisa from Rhino Parade, Janine from Kwohtations, Tammie from Tiger Pocket Press and Juana from Loteria Press. ON TODAY’S EPISODE : Rachel Barlock: Hazel + Dolly Chandler Cooksey: Joy Paper Co. Lisa Mohar: Rhino Parade  Janine Kwoh: Kwothations Tammie Bennett: Tigerpocket Press Juana Meneses: Loteria Press   RESOURCES:  Paper Camp E-Course   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Part 1: Last week I took a whirlwind trip to New York to visit with more than 40 of our Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting at NY Now and the National Stationery Show. It was so exciting to see everyone’s hard work live and in person — their new products were innovative, their booths were beautiful and their confidence was shining through. It was awesome. While I was there, I was able to grab some time with a handful of our alumni to talk shop about the show, goals they set and how they plan to follow-up after the show. We’re breaking this into a two-part series. The first part features several of our veteran exhibitors from the Paper Camp family including Rebekah from Wild Ink Press, Christina from Public School Paper Co, Beth from Little Goat Paper Co, Jeni from E. Frances Paper and Juliana from Good Juju Ink.   In Part 2 on Thursday, we’re sharing interviews with Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting in the emerging artists’ section as well as first-time exhibitors!  Today’s show features Rachel from Hazel & Dolly, Chandler from Joy Paper Co, Lisa from Rhino Parade, Janine from Kwohtations, Tammie from Tiger Pocket Press and Juana from Loteria Press. ON TODAY’S EPISODE : Rebekah Tennis: Wild Ink Press Christina Williams: Public School Paper Co. Beth Roszkowski: Little Goat Paper Co.  Jeni Laundon: E. Frances Good Paper Juliana Kissick: Good Juju Ink   RESOURCES:  Paper Camp E-Course   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

For Cecily Moore, her business, The Paper Curator, started as a blog and over time, transitioned into a product based business. She first began her journey while working at a job and trying to find the next step in her career. She thought, “why not start a blog?” From there she began to document the creative endeavors she pursued in her everyday life before launching her first products.   She gives us a breakdown of her first craft show experience, her Paper Camp journey and what she’s learned from attending the show. We chat about how putting ample effort into her research and development has helped her build a sustainable business.    Today’s episode dives deep into what it means to bootstrap your business and build everything from the ground up. She talks about how she decides whether to invest in equipment to help her create her products, how bootstrapping has integrated into her wholesale strategy and budget and what it’s been like scaling her handmade products into wholesale.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  How Cecily started a blog before transitioning to a product-based business Learning to hold herself accountable by structuring her posting schedule Making the shift from being a hobby to a full-fledged business Her first craft show experience and how she prepared to launch her products How Cecily ended up coming to Paper Camp and her goals for attending the show How taking her time on research and development paid off when getting inventory and fulfillment in place Why Cecily believes in bootstrapping success and how this looks in her day-to-day business operations How Cecily makes decisions on whether or not to invest in equipment for creating products What has made wholesale an easier process for her  How her bootstrapping mentality has been integrated into the wholesale strategy and budget Making a long-lasting impression in her first trade show Cecily’s advice for someone starting a creative business What’s coming for The Paper Curator For full show notes and resources, head to bit.ly/PTPEp143 SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, when you’re building your wholesale business there’s no doubt that you’ll be headed to trade shows to get your product out there and in front of the right buyers. The reality is, trade shows are expensive and you don’t want to waste a single minute while exhibiting.  In this episode, I reverse engineer what it really costs to exhibit at a trade show from an hourly rate perspective. This will help you to realize how much every hour counts while exhibiting and the importance of using your time to connect with others, write orders and doing market research. It’s not the time to be admiring other people’s products or talking to your booth neighbors (there’s plenty of time to do that during break down or set up or even after hours). I talk about why you need to know your numbers, how Paper Camp helps attendees to know where to save money and where to splurge during shows and the importance of preparation. ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Thinking about trade show expenses from an hourly rate perspective A breakdown of how much it costs per hour to exhibit Why you need to stay in your booth when exhibiting at tradeshows The importance of knowing your numbers How Paper Camp helps you become aware of where to save and where to splurge on shows Why you should be prepared before investing in trade shows For full show notes and resources, head to bit.ly/PTPep142 SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Does the thought of bookkeeping make you feel uneasy? I know that for so many creatives, knowing your numbers and doing your bookkeeping can feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why I brought on today’s guest because let’s face it... The reality is that even though numbers aren’t always our favorite, they are essential for knowing your business’ financial health and profitability. Today you’ll hear from Greg Higdon, founder of Grow the Books, a bookkeeping company for small businesses. Greg helps entrepreneurs with a done for you service but he also helps those who want to DIY to understand what they need to know about reconciling their numbers. We explore the topic of bookkeeping and how you’ll know when it’s time to outsource this task to someone else. We also talk about what questions you should ask before hiring a bookkeeper, the importance of setting aside time to do your bookkeeping and why sometimes you need to have someone outside of your business looking at the numbers.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Misconceptions that small business owners have on bookkeeping and knowing their numbers How often a bookkeeper reconciles for their clients Programs and systems that Greg recommends for bookkeeping Having extra reconciliation to verify transactions are correct Problems that can occur when you don’t reconcile with the bookkeeping software What you should have in place before hiring a bookkeeper Knowing your numbers so you can get a good idea on your return on investment Questions you should ask before hiring a bookkeeper Greg’s advice for people who want to DIY their books Setting aside time to do your own bookkeeping Why it’s beneficial to have someone outside of your business looking at the numbers Leaning into your weaknesses and asking for help in those areas What’s next for Grow the Books   KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “A bookkeeper is the one that does the day to day, like categorizing your transactions. Anything going in and out of your bank accounts or credit card counts is what a bookkeeper does.” - Greg Higdon   “It's good to have that extra reconciliation in there just to make sure you're verifying everything's correct.” - Greg Higdon   “Looking at where the money's coming in and going allowed me to make better decisions in my business and I put it off because I was intimidated by it. I didn't want to deal with it. I had other things that felt like they were more important. But the minute I did start paying attention to it, I felt like my business grew.” - Katie Hunt   “I definitely recommend bookkeeping software.” - Greg Higdon   “I think it's very helpful to have someone just kind of walk you through the steps of what you need to be doing monthly.” - Greg Higdon   “Once you have the technology and once you've got the training on how to do it, then it's about leveraging that and making sure, well, doing the work and making sure you've got it all there, but then leveraging it for your business so that you're making smarter better decisions.” - Katie Hunt   “I know even with my own business, what I've realized is just putting something on my calendar is big.” - Greg Higdon   “We make time for all of our clients and all of our customers and yet we have a tough time making time to do these things for ourselves.” - Katie Hunt   “I know that as a business owner there are a lot of things that you have to do. I know that from my own business and it's hard to get to certain things in your business.” - Greg Higdon   “When I hired a bookkeeper, it opened my eyes to the possibilities of how I could grow my business better. It opened my eyes to where my money was truly coming from revenue-wise and which portions of my business were most profitable.” - Katie Hunt   RESOURCES:  Quickbooks Online Xero   MEET GREG: Greg Higdon is the Founder of Grow the Books, a bookkeeping company for small businesses. With over 13 years of experience in education, he teaches his clients so they are empowered and armed with a clearer understanding of what their numbers mean for their business decisions. When he isn't balancing books and helping clients you can find him roasting coffee, drinking coffee, and reading about coffee.   CONNECT WITH GREG:   Website: http://www.growthebooks.com Facebook: @growthebooks Instagram: @growthebooks Pinterest: @growthebooks Email: [email protected]   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! 

Today we’re so happy to have Robin Long on for Episode 141 of Proof to Product. Robin is the founder of The Balanced Life,  a website that provides quick and effective Pilates workouts for busy women. Robin made the transition from the traditional teaching model of working in studios, gyms and training private clients to serve her clients online.  On today’s episode, Robin shares how she shifted from the more traditional service offering into a successful membership model for her service based business. She tells us why she has decided to grow her business slowly and organically - ensuring that she’s building a business that fits her lifestyle and brings her joy.  Robin and I dive into how she’s used drop shipping to add additional income streams to her business and why she decided to create physical products for her service based business. She opens up about her experience with building her team including why going on maternity leave has helped her to put more strategic systems in place. We talk about setting boundaries, hesitations she had before moving to a membership model and her advice for someone who is just getting started in business.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Why Robin shifted from the traditional teaching model of pilates to serving clients online How she came to have a membership model, community-based program Hesitations that Robin faced when moving to a membership model Setting boundaries for yourself as an entrepreneur How Robin uses the drop shipping method in her business Robin’s thought process behind adding products to her service-based business Using products as a membership perk  Challenges she’s had since adding products to her business Why Robin believes in slow, intentional growth for her company Robin’s experience of growing from a solo entrepreneur to building a team How being forced to give up control has been a blessing for her Taking a sabbatical and putting systems in place for a seamless workflow Robin’s advice for the business owner who is just getting started Gaining inspiration from other industries and taking that into the fitness world to do her own thing What’s next for The Balanced Life   RESOURCES:  Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself   MEET ROBIN: Robin Long lives and works in sunny Santa Barbara, CA as the founder and CEO of The Balanced Life – a website that provides quick & effective Pilates workouts for busy women. She is a certified Pilates instructor and passionate about creating programs that empower, strengthen, restore, and rejuvenate her clients from the inside out. She believes in a guilt-free, balanced approach to health & fitness and is passionate about helping women love and care for their bodies in the midst of busy lives. Outside of The Balanced Life, she can be found chasing her 6- year-old daughter, 3-year-old son, and 1-year-old twins, sneaking in 10-minute workouts during the kids' bath time, and spending time at the beach. CONNECT WITH ROBIN:   Website: https://thebalancedlifeonline.com/ Facebook: @thebalancedlife Instagram: @thebalancedlife Pinterest: @robinlong   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey Friends! Winter show season is kicking off so we thought we would re-run this episode from last year. We have alumni going to Atlanta, Japan, Las Vegas and of course NY Now and NSS in February. It is show season so we wanted to get this front and center for you so you could get ready for your show or just here what is going on at market. Enjoy! -------------- Hey Friends! I just got back from NY Now and the National Stationery Show in New York where more than 39 Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni and speakers exhibited this year. It was an incredible trip, for everyone from first timers to seasoned pros, and I’m so excited to share the highlights with you on the Podcast this week!  This year is the first time that these two shows have run at the same time.  The National Stationery Show has typically been held in May, but moved for February to co-locate with NY Now.  The move of NSS caused a bit of a stir within our industry, and our Tradeshow Bootcamp community and the move of the show is one of the topics we’re addressing on the episodes this week. We had alumni exhibiting at both NY Now and the National Stationery show, so we decided to break up this week’s episode into two parts. On Part 1, airing today,  we revisit the best parts of the National Stationery Show with Cecily Moore of The Paper Curator, Jenna Puente of Paper Wilderness, Rosanna Kvernmo of Iron Curtain Press, Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology, Krystal Whitten of Krystal Whitten Studio and Joe Mihalow of XOU.

Happy 2020 friends! For our first episode back in the New Year, my friend Kristen Ley of Thimblepress is back on the show. Kristen was first featured on Episode 4 of Proof to Product back where we talked about how she fell into business backwards and discussed tips on partnerships and collaborations. That episode was recorded back in early 2017 and since then, Kristen has done a lot of soul searching and ridden the waves of transition and upheaval in both her business and personal life. On today's episode, Kristen bravely shares what she learned from her journey. She talks about why she decided to let go of all her sales reps, say goodbye to 15 employees, downsize her warehouse and office space and discontinue over a hundred SKUs in the Thimblepress line. Kristen not only shares her journey of reevaluating what she wanted to get out of her business, but also how she implemented those changes. Today's episode is a heartfelt one full of advice, wisdom and encouragement for anyone feeling stuck in their business or worried about the changes they need to make. Friends, remember this is your business. You set the rules and at any time you can decide to go a different way. I hope Kristen's story helps you and I hope you enjoy it.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: -        What external success can look like from an internal perspective -        Big wake-up calls and dealing with worse case scenarios -        Differentiating personal success from society -        Advice for individuals and business owners walking through tough times -        Getting back to the basics & reevaluating the model -        How to avoid social media comparison traps -        Why Kristen decided to cut all her sales reps and get back to the drawing board -        The importance of keeping direct communication with wholesale & retail partners -        Having the courage to say goodbye -        The heart-wise money tool -        How to deal with feelings of imposter syndrome -        What’s selling and how to deal with what’s not -        Balancing wellness and business -        Kristen’s big plans for 2020   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:  “It was keep going, go, go, go, go, keep achieving, keep achieving, keep achieving. And I don't think I even registered how I was functioning in my daily life until I had a really big wake up.” – Kristen Ley “I got to a point I was so sad that I was like, "All I can do is pray and move forward." – Kristen Ley “I really looked to the world to define what is successful. I looked at others to define what I should be doing. I looked at everybody else except for me to say what do you want? So I had to redefine what I wanted." – Kristen Ley “I just love to make products. I love to draw art. I love to create. And I love to create joy in other people's lives. That was my why. ” – Kristen Ley “In the world we live in, we get so caught up in what other people are doing on social media. It’s just the world we live in. We see the beautiful pictures, but we don’t see the things behind those photos.” – Kristen Ley “It is easy to get wrapped up in feeling like you're chasing the next thing in your business, especially when you're just hustling and growing.” – Katie Hunt “It’s not about getting off the phone quickly, it’s about asking, “What’s going on in our world, in our economy? Tell me about your life.” Because at the end of the day it’s all about relationships.” – Kristen Ley  “We need to regularly be reassessing why we're doing this. To make sure that we are on the right path and we're focused on the right things.” – Katie Hunt “If it's not taking up a whole lot of time and it's not draining you emotionally, and it's still making good money. That's where you need to be spending your time.” – Katie Hunt “Working with female entrepreneurs has been one of my most cherished heart passion projects of my life. It brings me so much joy, and if I can prevent one person from walking through that struggle that I walked through, let's rock and roll.” – Kristen Ley “Don't put yourself into shock by trying to do all the changes at once. Give yourself grace.” – Kristen Ley “Don't go just dumping energy into things without walking through the journey of how it will impact your person.” – Kristen Ley “Running a business is hard work. You can't change that, but you can change your mentality of how you approach things, and you get to choose.” – Katie Hunt LINKS Website: https://kristenley.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/thimblepress Https://instagram.com/kristen_ley   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

As we head into the holidays, I want to take a moment to reflect back on 2019 and look forward to what’s in store for 2020. I encourage you to do the same!   2019 was an amazing year around here.   We published 58 podcast episodes this year and surpassed 400,000 downloads.  This show has been live for almost 3 years and during that time we’ve taken very few breaks.  We bring you fresh, new content weekly and sometimes multiple times a week and I have a small team of highly talented people that ensure each episode gets to your ears — and I’m eternally grateful for each and every one of them.  This podcast wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for them.   We welcomed over 150 new students to the Paper Camp family through our conference and online course.  Our conference moved to a new venue that gave us more room to spread out both inside & outside — and lots of amazing natural light.    I often joke that I want people that come to Paper Camp to feel like they are being welcomed into my home and surrounded by new friends — this venue is a great spot for us to connect, learn and grow together.   And, this year, we underwent a major rebrand transitioning my 8 year old business from its original name Tradeshow Bootcamp to our new name Proof to Product.  This project stretched me in so many ways as a business owner — I re-evaluated our audience, our programming and we made some major shifts to ensure that we’re serving our audience and making the biggest impact possible.      We built out a new website that has a ton of resources specifically for product based businesses — we have three free masterclasses, the blog, podcast episodes, case studies & alumni highlights, plus our favorite tools & vendors that we love.   2019 was a year of reflection and stripping away the things that were no longer working for me, the business and all of you so that we can bring you even more in 2020.   Looking ahead — We have some incredible things lined up for all of you in 2020.    For the podcast, we’ll be back on January 7th with a new episode featuring my friend and Paper Camp alumni, Kristen Ley of Thimblepress.   Kristen has made some incredible and intentional shifts in her business Ince the last time she was on the show.  She let go of her national sales reps, downsized her product line and reduced her team of employees.  She re-evaluated what she wanted in her life & her business, then made changes that have led to beautiful results.  I’m excited for you to hear her story.   We’ll host our Paper Camp conference February 25-26th in Los Angeles to talk about product development, selling wholesale, sales & marketing strategies as well as exhibiting at trade shows.  This is more of a workshop vibe than a conference — we cap the program at 30 people so that you can get to know everyone there and we have time dedicated to 1-1 time with our speakers.  February will be the only time we offer our Paper Camp program in-person.  But, we will have the 4-week online course available twice in 2020 — once in the Spring and once in the Fall.  Stay tuned for more detail there.   And, we’re bringing you something brand new in 2020 that we’re still working on and I can’t share, yet.  But it will involve live trainings with me and guest experts on things like marketing, sales and scaling your business, regular office hours where you can pick my brain and ask me questions and access to a wider community of product developers across multiple industries.   I’m not quite ready to spill the beans on this one, but we’ll share more details as its ready.   And, lastly as we head into the holidays I want to thank all of you for being here and making Proof to Product what it is.  I firmly believe that by sharing our stories, our expertise and resources — all of our businesses will thrive.   So, thank you for being here, thank you for listening, for sharing the show with your friends.   I hope you had a wonderful holiday season surrounded by family and friends.   I’ll see you in 2020!

When we first start our businesses, more often than not, we don’t have the big picture idea of what our brand or business will look like down the road. So many of us embark on this so-called maker’s journey, where we truly discover our strengths, opportunities, and long term vision for our business. Lucky for us, one of our talented Paper Camp alumni, Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology, is joining us today on Episode 138 of Proof to Product to share her experience and advice for other makers on the path.  Based in Portland, Oregon, Genesis started Graphic Anthology in 2010 with just three art prints and an Etsy shop. Almost a decade later, her product line has grown to include a wide range of greeting cards and gift items that focus on joy, simplicity, and strengthening relationships with those you love most. Today's episode is a powerful one and I know it will resonate with many of you. We talk about how Genesis started her business as a creative outlet and hobby, and why she had to shift her mindset and step into her role and title as an entrepreneur and business owner. Genesis also shares how adding a line of Spanish greeting cards was not only beneficial to her business, but also her personal development. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What products Genesis makes and sells The sales channels she utilizes How she decided to start her own business  Life’s hurdles and how they led Genesis to where she is today Finding silver linings and following your heart Advice for shifting your mindset from maker to business owner How Genesis manages the tactical aspects of Graphic Anthology The importance of picking deadlines and sticking with them  How Paper Camp helped solidify her business mindset What Genesis does to differentiate her products in the market Testing products, taking risks, and discovering new segments Advice for other small business owners and creative CEOs    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I think in the back of my mind I always wanted to run my own business, but I will say I resisted it a lot in the beginning.” - Genesis Duncan “I am a child of entrepreneurs. Both my parents had their own businesses, so from an early age knew what  I would want to do.” - Genesis Duncan “I became an entrepreneur by accident actually.” - Genesis Duncan “Business started to dry up and stuff, and so I kind of really was like, "I need to do something. I need to do something creative, I need to do something for me."- Genesis Duncan “People come to greeting cards because they're trying to say things or they are trying to feel more connected.” - Genesis Duncan “I am a firm believer that all of the different things we experience in life are there for a reason.”   - Katie Hunt   “There is this shift, where you go from making something for someone to asking how can I do that efficiently? How can I do that sustainably? Yeah, it was the game changer.” - Genesis Duncan “I know a lot of us with small businesses don't really resonate with the title, CEO. It just feels so corporate and so big. But really, but we are. We're the visionaries for these brands, and that sometimes means the creative aspect of our business becomes a smaller piece of what we do on a day to day basis.” - Katie Hunt “After doing Paper Camp, it just really gelled a lot of things in my mind. I realized, "All right. We got to get serious here." Like this is happening.”  - Genesis Duncan “Paper Camp made me realize how hungry I was to grow my business. I met other people who were ahead of me and they weren't in suits and ties. They were very fun people talking about how they were making their business work and they were starting families or whatever.”  - Genesis Duncan “My favorite thing is that we don't have to follow the same path. We can make this whatever we want.  We can make things fit with the life we want to have.” - Katie Hunt “There's always going to be more opportunities that are going to come down the pipeline.” - Genesis Duncan LINKS Website: http://graphicanthology.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/graphicanthology Facebook: http://facebook.com/graphicanthology   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof       SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey Friends, in episode 136 I walked you through how I do my annual strategic planning for the business.  I got into the weeds sharing what reports I look at, how I analyze that data and then how I schedule things out to ensure that I’m not overloading myself, my team or my family with my grand plans! Ha! Now that we’ve covered the question about big-picture planning, I want to circle back on the requests I received to share how I manage my day to day flow of family life & business life.  For episode 137, I'm sharing what my day to day looks like with four young children (currently ages 3 to 9 years old), a growing business and an active family life. I talk about strategies I use to make my shortened workdays more productive including batching tasks, delegating more and not checking my email a million times a day. And, the biggest tip I can offer is to remain flexible -- because my day to day is constantly changing and I'm guessing yours is too. What works for me now, wouldn't have worked a few years ago and may not work for us one year from now. But, give yourself space and permission to make changes as you go.   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, I have been getting a lot of requests from people curious about how I map out my annual plan for the business, and how I work my family schedule into that. I’m going to be honest, balancing a busy family schedule and a very busy business schedule can be hard. There's a number of things that I need to consider and weigh in on when I'm making decisions in my business. And that really ties into how I plan my year because I don't want to overload myself with too many things, only to do all of them less than stellar. I want to do my best at everything. In this episode, I get granular about how I do my big picture, strategic planning each year for my business so that I'm not overloading myself, my team or my family.  I talk about what reports I look at, how I analyze what's working and what's not working to decide which programs, products and services we'll offer the following year.   Reports I pull: 2019 YTD Profit & Loss statement 2018 Profit & Loss for year over year comparison 2019 Marketing calendar so I can see where income coordinated with program sales   Things I look at for each revenue stream (including any sub-categories): Profitability Time spent Excitement / Passion Level Impact   Tools I use: Quickbooks online Downloadable Calendar from MaylemMade on Etsy  Huge wall post-its    Quick links to thinks I talked about: Paper Camp  Mastermind Friends of Proof to Product Facebook group Proof to Product on Instagram   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Remember your high-school economics class? Okay good, because today’s episode is going to be nothing like that. Today we’re making numbers, margins, pricing and market metrics fun with Michelle Loretta, a business consultant, financial strategist and founder of Sage Wedding Pros. Before launching her own business, Michelle worked as an accountant for Deloitte, sales and marketing manager for DDLA and merchandiser for Coach. Since then, she’s applied her corporate and entrepreneurial expertise to wedding businesses worldwide and launched herself onto the live-event space as a frequent speaker at professional conferences.  Through Sage Wedding Pros, Michelle also produces her own next-level summit known as The Be Sage Conference. I have had the privilege of attending twice, once as a speaker, and it truly is an amazing program. For those of you who don’t want to miss it, Michelle’s next conference is coming up in Austin in February of 2020.  On today’s episode, Michelle and I talk about business planning, the economics of selling products and how financial decisions in your business affect your operational plans. We promise, whether you’re creative or business minded, this episode will inspire you to start drafting all of your next big business plans.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Michelle’s journey and background  What inspired her to start her own stationery business How blogging evolved into hosting workshops Benefits of getting your business plan on paper Reframing your financial goals as business milestones The economics of selling products Trading margins for volume  Considerations for pricing physical vs digital products Common mistakes made during go-to-market  Tips for pricing your products  Numbers. Numbers. Numbers. What’s up next for Michelle & the Be Sage Conference   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Everyone has a backstory that we weave into the businesses we're creating and in that way we can help one another.” - Katie Hunt    “The wonderful thing about the traditional business plan is that it really forces you to look at all aspects of your business, not just the ones that come comfortably.” - Michelle Loretta    “You can't make a marketing decision without thinking of the financial aspects. Every financial decision links to an operational and marketing decision.” - Michelle Loretta   “Every decision needs to come back to how does this fit with the overall goals, the overall focus.” - Katie Hunt    “When you're selling direct to consumer, that’s one  thing, but moving from 5,000 to 15,000 orders you have to ask, ‘do I have an operational structure that can support that?’  - Michelle Loretta   “If you price it too low, you won’t make any money on your products. If you price it too high, you'll price yourself out of the market and nobody's going to buy. So you really need to know your personal numbers.” - Katie Hunt    “Pricing is actually a marketing decision. It's not a financial decision. It's a marketing decision that you test financially.” - Michelle Loretta    “Knowing what your numbers are doing is so critical from season to season, month to month, quarter to quarter, year to year.” - Michelle Loretta    “It's hard to be good at all things. My recommendation is create your first channel, and then only after you’re profiting and you're thriving with it, expand into the second channel.” - Michelle Loretta    “If you're not happy with what you're earning, that's the red flag that you need to be aware of. That’s when you need to boost profit margins by 2% to 5% in the next year.“  - Michelle Loretta    “You need to know your margins, you need to create benchmarks. You need to try to best your benchmarks.”   - Michelle Loretta    LINKS Conference: besageconference.com  Website: http://www.sageweddingpros.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SageWeddingPros Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sageweddingpros/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sageweddingpros/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SageWeddingPros   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Happy almost-Thanksgiving Proof to Product Friends! This week we’re taking a break to spend time with loved ones and we hope you are all able to do the same. In case you find yourself on a road trip, waiting to catch an airplane or with some much-needed downtime, we’re sharing three great episodes from the archives.    It’s a binge-worthy week starting on-    Tuesday you’ll hear how Johnny & Joanna at Letterfolk reinvented the Letterboard   Wednesday Nicole Walters will remind us why we can’t rely on social media for sales   And on Thursday, I’ll talk with Kelly Parker Smith about prioritizing profitable projects.   Happy Thanksgiving to all of our listeners in the United States.  I’m grateful for all of you and I hope you have a wonderful week. Thank you for listening and supporting Proof to Product.  We’ll be back with a new episode on December 3rd!

Happy almost-Thanksgiving Proof to Product Friends! This week we’re taking a break to spend time with loved ones and we hope you are all able to do the same. In case you find yourself on a road trip, waiting to catch an airplane or with some much-needed downtime, we’re sharing three great episodes from the archives.    It’s a binge-worthy week starting on-    Tuesday you’ll hear how Johnny & Joanna at Letterfolk reinvented the Letterboard   Wednesday Nicole Walters will remind us why we can’t rely on social media for sales   And on Thursday, I’ll talk with Kelly Parker Smith about prioritizing profitable projects.   Happy Thanksgiving to all of our listeners in the United States.  I’m grateful for all of you and I hope you have a wonderful week. Thank you for listening and supporting Proof to Product.  We’ll be back with a new episode on December 3rd!

Okay, so did you catch Episode 133 (Part One) with Caroline Hull and Brittney Lynn on Tuesday? We talked about the dos and don’ts of pitching and podcasting. Caroline and Brittney shared real stories, tips, and advice from their experience in the podcast world. If you missed it, definitely push pause and go back and listen to that episode first, because today we’re catching up right where we left off.  Today, Brittney, Caroline and I are sitting down to continue our conversation about podcasting. We’re talking about how to pitch yourself, how to prepare for a podcast interview, and how you can support the show when your episode airs!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Next steps after you’ve landed the interview  The importance of following technical instructions How to maximize your messaging  What to do the day of recording Why you should always share your experience Gratitude that goes a long way  Tips so that everything goes smoothly Pep talk & positivity    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “If I send you the technical information, I would like you to follow it. There is a reason why I am asking you to wear headphones with a microphone, in a quiet room, please.” - Caroline Hull  “The last thing I want to do is say, "We can't use your episode because you weren't prepared." That's really difficult.” - Caroline Hull  “Bring real-life examples. Storytelling is effective because people like to hear about what other people's experiences are.” - Brittney Lynn “Know the takeaway or call to action, that one thing you want to drive the audience to do.” - Katie Hunt  “Sometimes it takes a long time to see a listener turn into a customer, so know the metrics and know what you're doing.” - Katie Hunt  “Most podcasters are not making money podcasting, and we are doing this because we love it, because we want to share your story.” - Caroline Hull “Even if you just share it in your stories on Instagram, it means the world to us, because again, we put so much time and energy into these podcasts.” - Caroline Hull “You never know who is connected to who, so you just want to treat everyone with respect.” - Brittney Lynn “Just keep it cool. Build relationships, make connections, do your part to help promote it. Do your part.” - Katie Hunt  “This media is growing so much, and if you're not involved in podcasting in some way, now is the time to jump in.” - Caroline Hull “Podcasts help you connect more intimately with someone that may be new to you, because putting in your headphones and listening to a podcast episode, you feel like you get to know a person even though you've never met them.” -  Brittney Lynn “We all have our own story and path and experiences. The more that you're willing to share, the higher the probability that you're going to get onto podcasts. You are the only person that has experienced your own experiences. Nobody can take that away from you because you are the only you in the world.”  - Brittney Lynn   LINKS Caroline Website: https://www.wildhomepodcasting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildhomepodcasting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhomepodcasting/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wildhomepodcasting/   Brittney Website: https://brittneyllynn.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneyllynndotcom/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brittneyllynn/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brittneyllynn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brittneyllynn   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

I am really excited about our topic and guests for this week because two of my team members, Caroline Hull and Brittney Lynn, are joining me for two special episodes about how to pitch yourself to podcasts. Caroline and Brittney both have experience working in the podcasting world. Caroline owns her own podcast editing company, Wild Home Podcasting, and Brittney Lynn specializes in PR management. Today’s we’re covering everything what to do and what not to do, how to prepare for an interview and what you can do to spread the word once the podcast airs. For some background on the amazing ladies who help me run Proof to Product, Caroline Hull has seen all sides of podcasting. As the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast, she’s been on the receiving side of many podcast pitches. Caroline has also been featured on dozens of podcasts by other people, including Episode 45 of Proof to Product where she talked about the importance of taking a break in business.   Brittney Lynn also knows the ins and outs of podcasting. As my PR manager, Brittney sees all the incoming pitches from people who want to be on Proof to Product. She also regularly pitches media opportunities to her clients for Podcasts and traditional media. You can hear more about the type of work Brittney does on Episode 66 of Proof to Product.  We hope you enjoy Part 1 today and stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday!  ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The best and worst podcast pitches   Advice to make your pitch really stand out  Why you should always relate back to the listener How to personalize your pitch How to handle follow-ups Why you should know exactly who you’re addressing Tips for avoiding acting like a robot  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   ”You can't just go in and be like, hey, my product is awesome and like you should have me on your podcast.” - Brittney Lynn “When I can tell that they've actually listened to the podcast, that’s a really huge thing.” - Caroline Hull “Businesses are built on relationships, so take a little bit more time to customize what you're saying to people and refine the ask.” - Katie Hunt  “Include the topics of what you can talk about on that podcast and how you can bring value because that's really what's going to differentiate you from other pitches.” - Brittney Lynn “Keep it short and sweet and get to the point and go from there.”  - Brittney Lynn “Come at it with the perspective that you’re communicating with another human being. How would you want to be communicated with?” - Brittney Lynn “Just because they come on the podcast doesn't mean that everybody's going to go run and buy their product because that's not what the purpose of our podcast is.” - Caroline Hull LINKS Caroline Website: https://www.wildhomepodcasting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildhomepodcasting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhomepodcasting/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wildhomepodcasting/   Brittney Website: https://brittneyllynn.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneyllynndotcom/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brittneyllynn/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brittneyllynn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brittneyllynn   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Today we’re lucky to have Alisha Cohen on Episode 132 of Proof to Product. Alisha is the founder and creative director of LISH Creative, a content agency for vibrant lifestyle and hospitality brands. Alisha took the leap to found her company in 2016 when she realized she had to leave agency life to break out on her own. Since then, Alisha and her team have created content for some of the world's leading brands including Nickelodeon, Nestle, General Mills, Facebook, Dunkin' Donuts, Delta Airlines, and Benefits Cosmetics.    On today's episode, Alisha shares her start up story and how she grew her business through determination and grit. She tells us how she taught herself to take professional photos using just her iphone and to create engaging content for social media. Alisha and I also talk about tips for preparing for photo shoots, the importance of having a shot list and helpful photo editing apps. We dive into what’s working and not working on social media today, how Alisha has now moved from having an in person team to a virtual team and all of the challenges that go along with that.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Alisha does and what a content agency is  How she got into the field and what she did before content creation Where Alisha gets her grit and drive  How she connects with big brands and what collaboration looks like  The importance of putting out good work, consistently to build your brand Alisha’s number one tip for other creatives What’s working right now in the online space and what’s not  Advice for taking great photos without all the fancy gear  Questions to ask before scheduling a photoshoot Avoiding pitfalls  The fine line between inspiration and replication Reality vs perception of running a small business  What’s next for LISH   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “When you can bring on different team members that specialize in different areas, you are ultimately producing better work for your clients.” - Alisha Cohen   “When you do good work, it's a lot of word of mouth.” - Alisha Cohen   “Businesses are built on relationships, and the contacts you make on a project today may lead to additional work down the road.” - Katie Hunt    “We only put out the kind of work that we want to come in.”  - Alisha Cohen    “I sign contracts that say influencer agreement, so I have to take on that term as much as I don't like it. No one loves the term, but what else do you call it?” - Alisha Cohen    “Social media is evolving so quickly and there's different roles that people are playing and different ways that we can get involved.” - Katie Hunt     “You find what you like and what you don't. Management was definitely something that wasn't my cup of tea. So I kind of just hand it off, and don't really worry about the metrics too much.”  - Alisha Cohen    “It's unbelievable how much trial and error can go into one shot. So don't expect your first try to be awesome.”  - Alisha Cohen    “You want to know what you're going to be using these photos for and what the goal is, and then have a list of everything you want to capture so you don't forget anything. That was my big mistake. I kept forgetting things because I didn't have a list.”  - Katie Hunt     “If you look at our client journey that we have with each person, 80% of the work is the pre-work, is the shot lists and everything. So don't underestimate the time that needs to go into that.”  - Alisha Cohen     “It can be tough to do the virtual thing, especially when you've been in person, and the type of work you is real in-person high touch.” - Katie Hunt   “It is so important to continually post and to continually interact with your community, whether that's reactively or proactively.”  - Alisha Cohen    “One thing I face on social media quite a bit is I think people think my business is a lot larger than it is. It's myself and a handful of contractors, and I want people to realize we're a small business just like them.” - Katie Hunt   “It's a lot different than what you see on the internet, that's for sure.” - Alisha Cohen  LINKS Website: http://lishcreative.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/alishylishy Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/alishyishy   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.    Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.    Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, it’s just you and me today on a special mini episode of Proof to Product! This week, I want to talk to you about delegating. There comes a time in most businesses where you are going to want to start hiring a team. For some of us, we hit a wall, we start to realize we're overwhelmed, and we just simply cannot do it all. If you want your business to grow, delegating is a key skill that I want you to have. So I recently did a free master class about delegating where I identified four steps to figuring out what you need to delegate. I realize not everyone is able to watch masterclasses, so I want to run through some of these strategies here. Now, the master class covers these in more depth and I'll show you examples, but for right now, let's run through these key points. Step One: Track your time.  Before you can hire someone, you need to know where you currently spend time in your business. Ideally, I'd like you to spend a week tracking everything you do, and that includes how much time you spend on social media, talking to clients, checking email, engaging with your clients or your customers. Whether you're updating your online site or packaging product, track it. You can use time trackers online, like Toggl, or use a spreadsheet to check off what you're doing throughout the day. It's really up to you how detailed you want to get. I don't want you to analyze the time yet, just track it. As you're doing this, you may see some habits that you can adjust to save you some time. For example, maybe you're spending too much time on social media. Any hands raised? Mine is.  Step Two: Get Organized So in this step, you'll want to organize your time blocks into what I'm calling buckets. Create some very high-level buckets of where you spend your time. This could be product development, marketing, accounting, administration, or even family, personal things. I usually have a bucket for that, but feel free to make these what you want and what suits your life. Add any others that work for your business, too. Use the information you collected in Step One to help you decide what buckets you need and group similar types of projects together. Within these bigger buckets, I want you to break things down into smaller tasks. In the accounting bucket, for example, you might have bookkeeping and taxes, payroll, invoicing, all of those things, right? In the marketing bucket, you'll probably have writing your product descriptions, writing your social media captions, content scheduling, research, advertising that you're doing. All of that would fall under marketing. Get all of your time tracking information organized.  Step Three: Analyze It  This is the step where we look at where you're spending your time and how these buckets fit together. Here are some questions I want you to ask.  What is taking up the most time in your business?  Which tasks do you love to do?  Which ones are your favorites?  Which tasks feel like they drain you?  Which tasks are revenue generating?  Which ones are bringing money into the business? Which tasks do you not need to do yourself? There's a lot of things that we do in our business. Most of the time, most of us are working just one person shop and we're handling all the different things, but there's a lot of things that we're doing on a day to day basis that we could be delegating to somebody else.  Keep in mind that what works for one company may not work for you. So don't jump on the bandwagon and hire somebody for let's say social media marketing just because some of your friends are. Really focus on what is going to make the biggest impact for your business. Once you've determined where you're spending your time and which tasks you want to take off your plate, it is time to think about bringing people onto your team. Step Four: Hiring  It is important to hire people who have specific expertise, especially if it's a project-based thing or they have a very specific role. For example, you would not want to hire a general virtual assistant to take care of your books for you. You would want to hire somebody that has a bookkeeping background, or is an accountant, or has done this for other small businesses. You wouldn't want to hire a social media manager as a full time employee without first trying her out as a contractor. So really focus on hiring the right people in the right roles for your business to make delegating more comfortable for you, and it will make it more successful as you bring on new teams. Delegating can feel scary. It can feel scary relinquishing control, giving other people responsibilities within your business. Start to peel back the layers small. Pick small projects to offload first. As you start to get more comfortable, you'll gain confidence, and then you'll honestly want to outsource everything, including things in your personal life. If you want to learn more, I encourage you to watch my free master class for more information on how to delegate. This is the perfect time of year to start thinking about what kind of team members you will need so that you can hit the ground running and streamline into the new year. You'll be amazed at how much more you can get done when you start delegating to others!  To learn more about delegating, check out our FREE masterclass, DECIDE WHAT TO DELEGATE IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS.   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.    Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.    Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Are you ready for round two? Because we are! This is the second of two special episodes this week, featuring Paper Camp alumni who are taking us behind the scenes of what it’s like to run a manufacturing business and brick and mortar retail shop simultaneously. Yesterday, on Episode 129 we heard from the Los-Angeles based, Katie Wilson. Now today, on Episode 130, I’m sitting down with Meg Sutton, the founder of Belle & Union, based in San Antonio Texas. Meg first shared her startup story back on Episode 7.  If you’re curious about how Meg launched Belle & Union and the motivation behind her products, definitely head back to give that episode a listen. Today we’re diving even deeper into Meg’s business journey. We’re sitting down to talk about how Meg decided to open her brick & mortar shop, how she layered that into her existing business model, and how she keeps perspective through it all.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  -       How Meg balances time between wholesale and her shop -       The importance of great employees -       What Meg does to carve out time for creativity -       Some misconceptions about stocking for retail vs wholesale -       How Belle & Union has evolved over the years -       What Meg wishes she knew before opening her shop -       Choosing your location wisely -       Advice on how to deal with the unexpected -       How diversifying revenue streams has impacted neighborhood visibility -       What’s up next for Meg and Belle & Union   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I need to be better about saying, "Okay, Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 1:00, that's my creative time. But as any creative knows, you can't really force it.” – Meg Sutton   “I'm not a great people manager. I can be a leader. But when it trickles down, like I kind of need somebody else to handle that.” – Meg Sutton   “Having a good support system truly helps, especially as you start to scale your business. You can't do it all. You shouldn't be doing it all.” – Katie Hunt   “I will be the first to admit I have not been the best about figuring out that balance with my time to the point that I know our product line has suffered because of it.” – Meg Sutton   “There are things we're not good at. There are things that drain us. There's things that just we shouldn't have our hands on, or we don't need to have our hands on.” – Katie Hunt   “No matter what your business is. Wholesale, retail, pantomiming on the sidewalk, whatever it is,  know your numbers.” - Meg Sutton   “It's totally appropriate to keep something in the retail space, even if you're not selling it in the wholesale space. I think that's another misconception.” – Katie Hunt   “As hard as this last year has been in retail, I don't regret it. I love having the store.” -  Meg Sutton   “I love the community that we've built, and I want to be able to expand on that even more.” – Meg Sutton LINKS KENDRA SCOTT HOW I BUILT THIS WEBSITE: Belle and Union Co.  FACEBOOK: @belleandunionco   INSTAGRAM: @belleandunionco   TWITTER: @belleandunionco   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

This week on Proof to Product we’re bringing you not just one, but TWO episodes with two special Paper Camp Alumni who are sharing what it’s like to run a manufacturing business and brick and mortar retail shops simultaneously. Today on Episode 129, Katie Wilson, founder of The Good Twin, and owner of two Los Angeles-based retail shops, Crush and Touch, returns to the show to share what it’s like to be a buyer, how being a retailer has changed over the years, and how she markets her own wholesale line to other buyers. You might remember Katie from Episode 6 of Proof to Product where she first shared her startup story with us. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, it’s definitely worth heading back for a listen. Katie’s had an amazing business journey, and over the years, she has been a contributor to many tradeshow recap episodes, a frequent speaker at our Paper Camp conference and an incredible mentor to many in our industry. We’re thrilled to have Katie back today to share more of her experience and we hope you take away some great nuggets of advice. Coming up tomorrow, Episode 130 with Meg Sutton of Belle & Union. ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  -       Katie’s first shop -       What inspired her to expand -       The types of products sold at Crush and Touch -       How Katie decides what to stock -       Dealing with concerns about competition -       Forging a unique experience for customer retention -       Calculating risk -       The importance of knowing what you want & need -       Making the most of handiwork & imagination -       Startup costs and maximizing labor hours vs dollars -       Planning for the best and the worst -       The do’s and don’ts of pitching and presenting to stores -       Reframing failure to make improvements    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I smash everything in, and I get it all done, and I really love it, but it's amazing how much your hours in a day can expand if you need them to.” -  Katie Wilson   “Sometimes when we want to do something, we kind of undermine ourselves in terms of how much work, how much time, how much energy this really, truly takes.” – Katie Hunt    “I actually carry nail polish, because I'm a big proponent of nail art is actual art.” – Katie Wilson   “It's a very fun little baby, but it's a totally different side of my brain that I have to access to run it.”  ¬- Katie Wilson   “I love the things that I make, but I'm really passionate about a lot of the things that my friends make, or other people that I admire make.” – Katie Wilson    “I'm okay with a healthy amount of financial risk. But in terms of the entrepreneurs that I know, I would say that I tend to go small and steady versus just jumping in with both feet.” – Katie Wilson   “My mantra is, always play the long game. You want to make sure that you know what's right for you, that you know what you need, and what your expectations are out of your businesses, and what you need to survive, and also what you need to be happy. Because those are two different things.” – Katie Wilson   “That initial push is a lot of money, and you got to stock that store, and even if you're doing bonkers business, that's a slow game to earn that money back.”  ¬- Katie Wilson    “I always plan for my absolute worst month, and I say like, "Okay, if I can run on this, then I can do anything,” – Katie Wilson.    “I'm living out here. I'm just trying to do my thing, and not to hurt your feelings, but I have days when I'm back there, I'm not wearing lipstick. Don't call me. I don't want to see you right now. I'm not public ready.” – Katie Wilson    “If you are going out and leaving samples, or if you're mailing samples to stores, only send two to three at most. Do not send your entire product line, especially if you're selling something other than paper products.” – Katie Hunt   “Following up is key. And so is taking cues.” – Katie Wilson   “Just remember that everyone's human, the buyers are human, we're human. Sometimes we need those reminders.” – Katie Wilson   “That not so good stuff is how we make improvements, and it's how we build stronger business. So they're not failures. It's just another way to expand what we're doing and do it well.”  - Katie Hunt       LINKS Website: http://thegoodtwin.co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodtwinco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodtwinco/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegoodtwinco   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Being a product based business owner takes a lot of creativity on all fronts- in your designs, in operations, your marketing and how your reach people and tell your story. Now there are so many different platforms and technologies it can be hard to know where to start or which platform to choose. On today’s Proof to Product episode with Dani Nagel, the founder of Dazey LA, we sit down to talk about the importance of finding platforms that work best for your creativity and that start your kind of conversation.  Dani founded Dazey LA as a fashion brand focused on empowering women through conversation and community. She intentionally built a business that supports her personal values. Each design is hand drawn by Dani and then manufactured to order in Los Angeles, California.  On today's episode, Dani and I talk about how her corporate and startup experience shaped her business perspective. We discuss sustainability, community building, and how Dani built Dazey LA from the ground up. Dani talks about how transparency and showing behind the scenes processes of her marketing and product development has helped her business. And we dive into Dazey LA's ambassador program, which tools they use, how they structure it, and how it has helped them build the retail side of their business.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  The spirit and inspiration behind Dazey  LA How Dani uses her clothing designs to start a conversation Making the switch from corporate life to full-time freelance  What Danielle learned working for a start-up company How Dazey grew out of Dani’s studio apartment  Using Instagram to tell the real Dazey LA story  Coping with copy-cats and look-alikes  Dazey’s daily marketing tactics Why Danielle decided to start an ambassador program  How the ambassador program took off  The size of the Dazey  team today   Dazey’s make to order model and zero-waste goals Advice for new product designers and what’s up next for Dani & Dazey  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Every step of the way with Dazey, I've just been very intentional about aligning my messaging and my values along with my brand and my aesthetic. And somehow it worked out.” - Danielle Nagel “I really try to design things that I want to wear, and I want to promote. I just follow what feels right to me. I try to stay true to myself in everything that I do.”  - Danielle Nagel   “So through Instagram Story I just started to transparently share the highs and lows of running a business, the fun behind the scenes, and all the nitty gritty I remember wishing I could see when I was working for these corporate companies.” - Danielle Nagel   “When we're just starting out, we want to look bigger than we are because we want to be taken seriously, and we want people to purchase our products. But then it gets to a point to where maybe we want people to know we're small and nimble.”  - Katie Hunt   “At the end of the day, I feel like my art stands on its own, and my messaging and branding is really strong. I know that the sharing transparently has been what has helped my business grow.” - Danielle Nagel   “At my corporate job I was always trying to push the rules, always getting in trouble. So it's really fun having control of my own brand and be able to say, "Screw it, I'm going to share everything. I'm going to share designs before they're released. I'm going to share how I made them."  - Danielle Nagel   “When I started Proof to Product, I felt like if we all get together and share what we know all of us will thrive. All of us will grow stronger together. And now, we've got this great amazing community.” - Katie Hunt   “We use our platform as a space to create conversation, and we really want that to be a back and forth conversation. We design along with our audiences. I ask their opinions.” - Danielle Nagel   “I'm okay with sacrificing crazy profit margins to be able to have a company that aligns with my values, and create something our community really cares about, that’s a great conversation starter.” - Danielle Nagel   “I'm always chasing what's next and what's new. So whenever I get to refresh the brand it's so exciting for me.”   - Danielle Nagel LINKS Website: http://www.dazeyla.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dazeyla Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dazey_la/ https://www.refersion.com/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

If you were following our rebrand earlier this year, you probably remember that there were two technical pieces that really scared me as we were rolling out the rebrand.  The first was switching over our Instagram handles and making sure that we were keeping our larger account as our primary account for Proof to Product going forward.   You can hear how I did that here on a past podcast episode. The second thing was switching over our email accounts. And I don't know why this made me so nervous. I think it was because we were on the Google platform and we had so many files in Google Drive -- calendars, files, etc. I felt like it wasn't just switching the emails, it was also making sure all of those files migrated over to wherever we needed it to go. I basically wanted everything packaged all nicely under our new Proof to Product domain. After several months of dragging my feet, I made the switch in two phases..  I did it myself in Google Suites and it took me less than an hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how simple the process was, so I want to share the steps with you here: Adding the new domain to your existing Google Suite Account Sign into your G Suite Account Add your new domain as a secondary domain in your account.  You will need to verify that you own the domain and the steps are different depending on who you host with. Once verified, make the new domain your primary account in G Suite. Changing our Team Emails Go into the Users section of G Suite (in your admin panel) Select one user at a time.  You’ll have to manually do this for each person and repeat the process. Once in their user profile, you’ll see their name@ your old domain.  Click the drop down menu that shows your old domain and choose the new domain for the email. Click “OK” to save the new email. After you click Ok, it will ask you if you want to add an alias so that any emails that are sent to the old domain (tradeshowcamp.com in our case) will be forwarded to the new domain (prooftoproduct.com in our case).   Say Yes.   Once you make this switch any emails sent to your old domain or your new domain will still go to that individual.   Everyone will also still have access to their old emails, Google drive files, Google calendars and anything else that had access to previously within your Google Suite. Key-take aways: Leverage help.  The G Suite Customer Service was incredibly helpful and provided solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Don’t be intimidated by Tech.  Block off time to do the hard things that make you nervous.  You may be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is

A few weeks ago I posted a poll on Instagram asking how many people out there were also feeling pulled in too many directions. More than 50 responses came in, 100% agreeing they felt overwhelmed and overscheduled. It might be the time of year, it might be the season of business, but I think we can all agree we need to find a way to create some blank space on the calendar. To handle this situation,  I asked my friend Kelly Higdon of Calibrate Your Year to join me on Episode 126 of Proof to Product.  For some background, Kelly is a former psychotherapist turned business coach who helps entrepreneurs grow their business without the soul suck. She believes that a successful business is one that contributes to a happier life and when she isn't working, she's traveling with her family, dabbling in art and listening to live music. On today’s episode, Kelly and I talk about burnout. We talk about knowing you're enough within your business, and Kelly share how she manages to block off over 200 days a year for rest and family time. Yep… you read that right… 200!!!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Misconceptions people have about building downtime into their life & business The unintended side-effects that can come from hustling too hard Looking back on make it or break it moments Why it’s important to always, continuously check-in with yourself Steps you can take to safeguard your wellbeing and balance business  How to embrace minimalism Questions to ask yourself in critical moments Tips for prioritizing relationships  Why you should schedule life before business  What Kelly’s working on for 2020  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I exhibited at a trade show five days after I miscarried because I felt like I had to be there, which is so ridiculous. In hindsight, I should have taken time for myself to rest and heal and take care of my body and my family.” - Katie Hunt  “Life presents things. Your health will present things, your relationships will present things. And then you have to decide, based on your values, based on who you are, what needs to shift to sustain a good life.” - Kelly Higdon “I was teaching and speaking at conferences all over the place, running through airports with my breast pump. It was insane and I got to the end of the year and realized this is not sustainable. I can't keep doing this.” - Katie Hunt  “There are lots of different ways to serve, lots of different products to create. So it’s really about getting down to the essence of what you want to do and what you want to be known for.” - Kelly Higdon “Planning ahead, I know what days I have to fit my business into. From there I can figure out when I'm going to host events, what the launch cycle looks like for that. And it has to fit into those spaces.” - Kelly Higdon “I will tell you straight up, I'm a recovering workaholic. It is an addiction. I have to just always be aware of that.” - Kelly Higdon “Define whatever it is that you want to have a good life. And deconstruct it to find that number your family needs to live a good life.” - Katie Hunt “I'd rather have simple businesses that provide a good living than wreck myself.” - Kelly Higdon “People, when they don't address who they are as a person, they'll repeat this in all their relationships, particularly in their business.”  - Kelly Higdon LINKS Website: http://calibrateyouryear.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHigdonLMFT/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/kellyhigdoncoaching   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

As product-based business owners and entrepreneurs, so many of us are under constant pressure to juggle the design and operations sides of our businesses. It can be hard to focus on both moving product and creating the designs for that product, especially when we’re juggling online, wholesale and licensing accounts. Turns out, you don’t always have to do it all. Today’s Proof to Product guest, Erin McManness, is a Paper Camp alumni who’s lived every side of the business and decided to stick to the parts that are most fulfilling for her. I’m excited for you to hear her story.  Erin is an illustrator working in Atlanta, Georgia. She's been freelancing full time for five years under her brand Paper Raven Co., which started as a small greeting card line and now includes licensing for an assortment of cards, gifts, fabrics, and home décor. Erin incorporates her values and love for the environment in her work by printing all of her cards on 100% recycled paper in the United States. She also donates $1 from every sale to her reforestation partner, One Tree Planted. Over the course of her career, Erin has collaborated on projects with companies like Macy's, Target, Trader Joe's, Publix, and Aldi. In October, she's releasing her second book, The Art Starts In The Heart: An Inspirational Guide To Making Meaningful Art. On Episode 125, Erin and I sit down to cover all of the above. We talk about how Erin has built the licensing arm of her business, the pros, and cons of flat rate and royalty payments and why she's made the decision to ramp up her licensing arm and slow down on the wholesale side. We also talk about Erin's new book, so enjoy! ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  - The inspiration behind Paper Raven Co.  - How Erin’s evolved from one stationery line, to multiple product categories, licensing and more - What it’s like to collaborate and design for big brands - The importance of going out and asking for what you want - The difference of working with both smaller and larger brands  - Advice on how to navigate negotiations and creative collaborations - How to trust your gut and choose the right projects  - Flat rate fees vs royalties  - The 3 questions Erin asks herself before choosing to work with brands - Making room for life beyond work  - Why you should double check a company’s tracking & metrics before signing a royalty deal - What inspired Erin to make the switch to 100% recycled paper products and partner with One Tree Planted - How to research, evaluate and choose ethical companies to work. with - Tough decisions, book celebrations, and what’s next for Erin    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “You need to go for what you want and if you want something, tailor your portfolio and go ask for it.” - Erin McManness  “At tradeshows, and Instagram, too, you never know who's watching. You never know who's paying attention to you or where the next great opportunity will come from.” -  Katie Hunt  “I love to work with smaller brands because they can be really flexible and they're not this big, huge company. There's a lot of creative freedom and things like that.” - Erin McManness “My rule is that if I get excited and I listen to my body, and my body is like, ‘Yeah, whoa, let's go. This is so exciting, I'm so inspired by this,’ I'm like, "Yeah, let's do it." - Erin McManness “Saying no is difficult for a lot of people, myself included. But when we say yes to everything, we run ourselves ragged and we’re not focused on the things that are really the most important.” -  Katie Hunt  “I really try to be intentional about structuring my business with what brings me the most joy, what I absolutely love doing.” - Erin McManness “I was ready to move on, but I was so worried about proving that I was a financial success out on my own that I just hustled and hustled and hustled, and I put things off to the side.” - Erin McManness “I realized making art is really what I want to do. Making the art is the most important thing to me.”  - Erin McManness “I just want it to be me, I don't want an empire. I just want to be happy, make art, make things that make other people happy.” - Erin McManness “I try to do my research about companies that I work with. Are they ethical? Do they have practices that I can be proud of to be associated with?”  - Erin McManness “It’s super important that there are shared values between us and those we're partnering with or collaborating with.” – Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://www.ShopPaperRavenCo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperraven.co/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperravenco/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/paperravenco/ https://onetreeplanted.org/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

You’ve likely heard me say this here on the Proof to Product podcast and in our emails, but I’m a firm believer that relationships are they key to running and building a successful business. Everyone from our team, to our customers, to our colleagues, to our vendors plays a significant role in our personal growth as well as the development of our company. Your relationships with wholesale buyers, are no exception.   BUT HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT STORES? HOW DO YOU CONNECT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL WITH THE BUYER? HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A STORE IS A GOOD FIT FOR WHAT YOU SELL?   These are common questions, so let me share some ideas:   FOCUS ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. I often hear people say that they want to be in hundreds of stores. But, I’d argue that it is more beneficial (especially in the beginning) to work with a smaller group of stores that order from you regularly. It’s much easier to provide great customer service and build meaningful relationships with a smaller pool of customers. And, it gives you time to refine your internal systems and build a strong foundation so that if you do grow your wholesale line to a point when you have hundreds of stockists, you’ll be able to keep up. Set realistic goals when you’re starting out and remember that fewer customers isn’t necessarily a bad thing.   GO BEYOND THE WEBSITE. The internet is a fantastic place to research potential wholesale partners, but there is so much more to a business than just their website. How is the store showing up on social media? Who are their customers? What other brands do they buy from or do they engage with on social media? Which shows are they attending and talking about? What types of products do they feature? I’m not advocating stalking, but the more you know about a potential shop the more effective your first point of contact will be. You’ll also have a clearer idea if your products would work in that store.   START A CONVERSATION. Again, don’t stalk. But don’t be afraid to engage with people in your industry, particularly shops you admire. Comment on their social media, like their posts, send an email introducing yourself and your line. Or, send a note (on one of your cards!) and let them know you’ve enjoyed their emails / social media posts / their window display was cool. Relationships take time to build and I know you’re busy juggling one thousand other things on a daily basis. But, if stores don’t know about you, they aren’t going to buy from you.   And that brings us back to relationships.   These stores are your customers. Focus on customer experience, building real connections and delivering on your promises.   Be professional, polite and use every point of contact as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your buyers.   At Paper Camp we'll dive deeper and explain how to identify the right stores for your products, then we'll provide you with strategies for how to reach them.  Our Paper Camp E-Course starts on September 30th and we'd love to have you. Enroll or join the wait list at www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp.   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Can we talk about product packaging for a minute? You want your products to look unique and stand out from the crowd, but you don’t have to break the bank to do it.   There are so many packaging options available, and it’s important to know when to follow the crowd and use standard packaging and when to get creative and do your own thing. Ultimately, your product packaging must make it easy for the end customer to understand what your product is and how they can use it. And, from a business standpoint, you want to ensure that your packaging looks great, is scalable and doesn’t cut into your profit margins. Here’s where to focus.   - Keep it Simple - Keep it On-Brand - Keep Costs Down   We dive into each of these during today's episode.   Also, our Paper Camp E-Course starts on September 30th and we'd love to have you.  Enroll or join the waitlist at www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp.   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

I’m recording this on a Sunday evening, just two short days after I finished hosting our 16th Paper Camp conference and I’m just now getting a chance to reflect on everything we did at Paper Camp and the amazing feedback we had from our students.  In this episode, I want to share some of their key take-aways with you here on this episode.   But first I want to preface this conversation by saying we cover a lot of ground at Paper Camp.  This is our signature program and we’ve helped over 1,000 small businesses on how to get their products on the shelves on their favorite retail shops.   We talk about product development, sales tools for wholesale, sales strategies - working with reps and tech solutions like Faire, marketing to wholesale buyers and the nuts and bolts of exhibiting at shows.   As you can imagine, it is a very rich, full two days.     I tell you all of that to let you know that we modify each Paper Camp conference for the cohort that is there.  They tell us where they are in their business and what they need help with. So, we tailor each conference and course to the attendees that are in attendance; and that is what is reflected in these student take-aways   Now, let’s get to the meat of it.   Here are the top four take-aways our students left with:   Validation.  They are on the right track, making smart decisions in their busines and they are not alone.  They left feeling validated in the decisions they’ve made thus far and confident in the steps ahead.  Road Map.  They have answers and know where they are going next.  They were given strategies, tools and next steps for their specific business at Paper Camp and now they just need to do the work.  Many of them felt relief knowing they have a road map in place. Community.   So often creative entrepreneurs feel like they are working in silos.  So, to sit in the same room as people who understand them, are working towards similar goals and building similar businesses is refreshing.  Having an safe space to openly share resources and strategies without feeling like you’re in direct competition is a special thing. Options.  They realized they have a lot of options for how to create their work, diversify their revenue streams and build a sustainable company.  There is no one size fits all approach, but now they have information to make the best decisions possible for the business they want to build   In addition to the student’s takeaways, I also want to share with you our speakers’ final parting words of wisdom:   Rachael Hetzel from Pistachio Press reminded people that there is no one way to build a business.  We all do things differently, and that’s what makes our products & business unique.  Doing what you love and being confident in your decisions is what will make your business grow stronger.  We’re in a unique and supportive industry that o   Kimberley Yurkiewicz from Crow & Canary reminded people that they are not alone.  If they have a question, its likely someone else has that same question.  So, reach out to the community, lean on your peers and leverage the Paper Camp community as you continue to grow.   Katie Wilson from The Good Twin encouraged our students to embrace incremental growth.  She acknowledged that everyone is building their businesses in a unique way and there is no “right way” to launch to wholesale or release new products.   She reminded everyone that even though they all have the same tools, advice and strategies from Paper Camp, that their journeys will be unique. Take comfort in your path and be proud of what you’re building.   Carina Murray from Crow & Canary advised people to push themselves to cultivate a unique point of view with their products.  While there is an insecurity around being different, embrace it -- buyers are hungry and want to see innovation.     And, I reminded everyone that slow steady growth is how strong businesses are build.  Be intentional, strategic and confident once they decided on a path. Trust yourself to make the right decisions   These are just some of the things we talked about at Paper Camp.  I wanted to take you behind the scenes as to what we do at Paper Camp as well as what our key take-aways were.  I hope you find it helpful as you’re navigating decisions in your own business.     And, I want to remind you that our online program -- the Paper Camp E-Course is open for enrollment and we only have a few seats left.  Registration will close this week and we’ll start classes on September 30th. Get more information and register at proooftoproduct.com/papercamp.   I look forward to working with you!

Do you ever sit down at the end of a long day of work, after checking box after box off your to-do list and still think, wow, I have so many more things I should get done. This feeling of overwhelm is common for small business owners and mompreneurs alike and it’s the reason today’s guest, Tonya Dalton, was inspired to write her new book, The Joy of Missing Out.    You may remember Tonya from Episode 26 of Proof to Product, where she shared her start-up story of founding inkWELL Press and how she built systems and processes for both work and home. Since then, Tonya has been featured on Real Simple, Entrepreneur, Inc., Apartment Therapy, Lauren Conrad, and HGTV. In 2019, Tonya received the  Enterprising Woman of the Year Award and was named North Carolina's Female Entrepreneur to Watch by The Ladders. Tonya is truly a productivity expert and has made it her mission to help other women reduce and remove the overwhelm in their lives through her inkWELL Press products, liveWELL Method Course, Productivity Podcast, and book that comes out October 1st.    On today's episode, Tonya takes us behind the scenes of The Joy of Missing Out. She shares her motivations for writing the book, why she chose to weave stories in as lessons, and the power of saying yes and no. I also discuss a personal story of my own that Tonya shares in her book. If you’re looking for ways to reduce overwhelm in your life and carve out more time for the things that matter most, this one's for you!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  What inspired Tonya to write The Joy of Missing Out The importance of being raw and honest Where to start when you get feel caught spinning in circles  How to identify your priorities and true North Star Misconceptions about what’s urgent vs important Letting go of the idea of balance to embrace the idea of movement Advice for coping with feelings of guilt The value of free-time and white space to boosting productivity Ultradian rhythm is and why it’s important  How Tonya uses her white-space and free time The sandwich strategy and how to use it Tools, resources and bonuses being released with The Joy of Missing Out  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “We're overwhelmed by our tasks, overwhelmed by our own to-do list. And I wanted women to see that it is possible to live the life you want and to achieve greatness without spreading yourself so thin, without making yourself do everything.” - Tonya Dalton  “It's not always easy to say no, to live with intention, or to let go of the guilt that we feel making these choices. And I think was really important to just be raw and honest about that.”  - Tonya Dalton  “The best teachers are those that have been through difficult times and are open to sharing both how they got through it as well as the messy parts of dealing with it.” - Katie Hunt “None of us get through life with all successes, without any failures. It's the things that we stumble on, the things that we fail at, those are the things that make us resilient.” - Tonya Dalton “Instead of trying to go the 50 different steps, why not choose to do five? Why not do less and focus in on what's important.” - Tonya Dalton “If everything is perfectly equal and even, there's no movement. You have to have some imbalance in order to move forward.” - Tonya Dalton “I think that's the problem is when we are trying to do everything, we end up doing nothing.” - Tonya Dalton “The biggest mistake some people make is thinking periods of rest are a reward for great work, but periods of rest are actually a requirement for great work to happen. We need some white space in our lives, some breathing room where we can actually innovate and be creative.” - Tonya Dalton “Often the grace we give to others far exceeds the grace we give ourselves.” - Tonya Dalton “I am so guilty of putting out the fires and letting that pull focus, because it's right in front, whether it's my kids or my team or whatever it is. But using the priority list over the to-do list recently has shifted my mindset around that.” - Katie Hunt LINKS Website: https://inkwellpress.com/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/tonyaidalton Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonya_i_dalton Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonya_i_dalton Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400214335   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

On the Proof to Product Podcast we cover so many topics, from marketing and operations to tradeshows and product launches, but today I’m super excited to have Kaitlin Fontenot on the show to talk about what every product-based business absolutely needs to be successful in our modern world - a well-built eCommerce platform. Kaitlin is the founder and lead designer of Kait Studio, a branding and web design company specializing in retail. Kaitlin is passionate about helping entrepreneurs feel more confident with their online presence so that they can show up in other areas of their business where they are needed daily. In addition to running a successful studio that develops e-commerce sites, as well as digital marketing, social media, and branding strategies, Kaitlin is also a mom and head of a rapidly growing team.    On Episode 120, Kaitlin and I sit down to talk about how you can best prepare before building an e-commerce site and ways to manage both online wholesale and retail shops. We talk about hiring, building a team with intention, and the importance of delegation. Kaitlin and I also discuss some misconceptions some product-based business owners have about e-commerce platforms and she shares a few important social media marketing strategies you definitely should start leveraging today.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  How Kaitlin built her business and the kind of work Kaitlin specializes in today Her favorite projects to work on   The importance of integrating your website into your strategic plan Misconceptions about managing an online presence  Strategies for driving and maintaining traffic on your ecommerce site What types of product pictures work on various social media platforms How Kaitlin plans and executes the web build process  The pros/cons of various e-commerce platforms  Best practices for brands selling in both retail and wholesale  How to get more eyes on your site & tips for widening your reach Hashtags, videos and other tactics you shouldn’t be ignoring The life-changing benefits of delegation KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “If I had to pick one aspect of my business that I completely loved and was so passionate about, it would be the design development side” - Kaitlin Fontenot “People would ask, “Who's growing your Instagram account? Who's helping you with all of this? Is it just you?” And I would just say, "Yeah, you know, it's me. I built the site. I'm doing all of this myself."  - Kaitlin Fontenot “You need to be leveraging your website in a very strategic way to not only get people coming through to your site, but to get them engaging with your products and purchasing your products and engaging with your brand.” - Katie Hunt  “You have to think about the amount of time people are spending on social media and how they're getting to your website. There's so much that goes into it, and you have to know your customer 100%.” - Kaitlin Fontenot “I truly believe that if you're solving problems for people, especially through your website or your online shop, they will convert into paying customers.” - Katie Hunt  “Everyone's customers are different. Everyone's audience is different. So really, it's all about what your audience is responding to the most.” - Kaitlin Fontenot “Once the build phase is done sometimes people get stuck. They don't move forward with any other strategies. So I always recommend the website is done, step away. Let's try some other things. Go to Instagram, go to Pinterest, see what you can do.” - Kaitlin Fontenot “Hiring a team, it's really scary. But as a mom and a business owner, it has been the most life-changing thing for me.” -  Kaitlin Fontenot “I was doing everything myself for a very long time, had small children at home and when I started delegating and outsourcing, even just small pieces, it changed my life. I was able to do more in the business and focus on the high-level strategic things that needed my attention.”  - Katie Hunt  “Find someone you feel comfortable with, that's okay with answering your questions no matter how crazy you think they are. Find someone who understands where you're coming from because it is a big investment and anyone you work with should understand as a business owner themselves.” -  Kaitlin Fontenot   LINKS Website: http://www.lovekait.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/kaitstudio / http://instagram.com/kaitlinfontenot https://tsbc.teachable.com/p/delegating    SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Behind every great business is an even better story. Kelly Wang Shanahan, creative director and founder of the Ziran fashion design company has just that - an amazing story. Kelly officially started her line in June, 2016 after becoming disillusioned with the luxury fashion industry, particularly it's waste and fast fashion mentality.   While researching ancient fabric techniques in China, Kelly discovered a special fabric called Xiang Yun Sha silk and instantly fell in love with its luxurious beauty and cultural significance. Today all Ziran pieces are made from this special silk, which is imported from China, and designed and manufactured locally by Kelly in Los Angeles.    Today on Episode 119 of Proof to Product, Kelly shares the long process of finding the silk, building a relationship with the silk boss in China, and gaining exclusive rights to use it with our products. Kelly shares her passion for sustainability, what inspired her to keep going through this long process, how she leverages story and influencer marketing, and why relationships are a key component to business success.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  The Ziran products and what makes them unique How Kelly traded “the lawyer plan” for fashion entrepreneurship Hurdles that product based businesses face  Finding customers and leveraging social media  The sales channels and marketing channels Kelly utilizes  How Kelly got connected with the right vendors and manufacturers Misconceptions about influencer marketing The importance of building relationships for the long term Building a network in the fashion industry  Kelly’s advice for others starting out in the business Coming up next for The Ziran...   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I went to China, I visited the silk farm. I saw how they made it. I was completely blown away, and then that's when I was like, this is what I want to do.” - Kelly Shanahan “I feel like especially with social media, there's so much noise, so I try to make everything ... every collection or drop have a deeper story and have a meaning behind it.” - Kelly Shanahan “I've tried to be more strategic with the influencers that I align with to make sure that they are actually supporters of the brand in an authentic way, and they actually vibe with it.” - Kelly Shanahan “I'm proud that I've been able to do that and help bring this ancient thing into modern times and make it relevant today.” - Kelly Shanahan “You work so hard on this thing and then you send it off into the world and you hope it brings everyone else just as much joy as it did you.” - Katie Hunt “What kept me going is just wanting to continue ... wanting to preserve and save this craft.” - Kelly Shanahan “In a world where everybody is consuming everything so quickly, lots of machines are making things, there’s just a tangibleness to these handcrafted products, I know it's something different, there's nothing else like it.” - Kelly Shanahan “There's kind an openness among those of us who are making clothes in Los Angeles where we're open to share what we know, because we all know how hard it is and we're in it together.” - Kelly Shanahan “When one of us finds success, all of us gain success from that. And the more we can share, the stronger all of our individual businesses will become.” - Katie Hunt “You got there for a reason on your own, so you should follow your gut and your intuition too.” - Kelly Shanahan LINKS Website: https://theziran.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theziran/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theziran/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

This past week I traveled from Los Angeles to New York for two trade shows — the National Stationery Show and New York Now. We had just over 35 alumni exhibiting between the two shows, and while I was there, I had the chance to catch up with them about their exhibiting experiences.   Today’s compilation episode features interviews with 8 of our Paper Camp alumni. We talk about why each chose to exhibit where they did, they walk us through their decision-making process, what their goals were for the show and… tips they want to share with you all! Hope you enjoy!    NY Now: Shayna from Steel Petal Press Sarah from Fancy Seeing You Here Jodi from the Neighborgoods    National Stationery Show: Alicia from Slightly Stationery Beth from Little Goat Paper  Shannon from Shannon Kirsten Illustrations  Brittany of Brittany Paige Designs Jane from Greetings from Bergen Street   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Creating new products and tinkering with new design ideas is why most of us went into business. It’s the draw of the creative process. We love to brainstorm, create and then create some more. And it keeps our businesses exciting and alive—for us and for our bank account.   Releasing new products is our ticket to business growth. It sets us apart from the competition and shows retailers that we're serious about our business and our product line. But it’s important to realize that timing is a major factor with new releases, particularly when you’re selling wholesale.   At Paper Camp, we talk a lot about scheduling and timing, but the three things we need to consider are:   - Timing - Frequency - Reorders   We dive into each of these during today's episode.   Don't forget to download our free workbook:  How To Build a Profitable Product Line or connect with us in our Friends of Proof to Product Facebook Group    SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

As entrepreneurs and product-based business owners, there comes a time for all of us when we have to make the decision to pivot. The pivot period can be a tough and turbulent time, but today on Proof to Product, my friend Kristin Kaplan is here to tell us how she managed to gracefully pivot away from her successful wedding planning business after 10 years to begin working as an integrator for online entrepreneurs. Kristin now creates strategic plans, action steps and manages profitable, sustainable businesses. She is also the host of the Planning for Profit Podcast, the creator of The Pricing Workbook and the founder of Plan to Profit, a monthly program to help visionary business owners reach their goals. On top of all that, Kristin also balances life as a wife, mother to three kiddos, organization addict, beauty & skincare lover, marathoner, and wine drinker (she needs at least one vice to manage all of the above).   On today’s episode, Kristin and I are talking about what it means to be an Integrator - what they do and how to know if you’re ready for one. We also talk about pivoting in business - the fears surrounding it but also how it shows growth as a CEO and money mindset, particularly how to positively frame your thoughts around money. If you’re looking for advice on how to manage it all, or how to make your pivot period easier, this episode is 100% for you!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Kristin’s entrepreneurial path  The difference between Project Managers and Integrators Why Integrators are often born out of Virtual Assistant roles  Her areas of expertise and how she helps clients  The importance of focusing on revenue-generating tasks Tips to improve your goal setting How to know if you’re ready for an Integrator The pricing range for hiring an Integrator Why it’s natural to pivot in your business  How little nudges can lead you in a whole new direction The exciting parts of closing one business to open another Strategies for resolving  your money hangups  Advice for first-time entrepreneurs  What’s up next for Kristin  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “My job is to come into someone's business, help plan out all the processes and systems and everything. My job is to make everything happen.” - Kristin Kaplan  “Money is just a tool. It's not the scary evil thing that we all have to be afraid of. It's okay to build a profitable business that makes you some.”  - Kristin Kaplan  “My biggest strength is being able to take a really big goal or vision and then break it down into pieces so that it actually gets done.” - Kristin Kaplan  “It's so helpful to get an outside perspective on what your goals are, what your financial goals are, what you're trying to accomplish, what kind of impact do you want to make in your business.” - Katie Hunt “Sometimes as creatives, everyone wants to chase the new shiny object that's right in front of them.” - Kristin Kaplan  “I wish people would play a little more and set bigger and bigger goals because once you start setting huge goals, even if you don’t meet most of them, you play at a different level, take bigger risks and invest more.”  - Kristin Kaplan  “It's super fun to do the vision board, but then, how exactly are you going to make that happen...like specifically?” - Kristin Kaplan  “A piece that a lot of creative entrepreneurs just struggle with is how  to create the stepping stones they need to get to the final product or end goal that they want.” - Katie Hunt “Once you hit that point of like, all right, I'm looking to bring on my second or third team member, I’m ready to operate as the CEO, that's the time to think about hiring an integrator or project manager.”  - Kristin Kaplan  “It is hard to stay in the exact same place for decades on end. It gets old for most of us. I feel like we're all in this natural journey.” - Kristin Kaplan  “It's natural to pivot. We have to continue to stay relevant in our businesses and that's what pivoting is. It's just continuing to evolve as a person, as a CEO, as an entrepreneur, and how we interact with our customers.” - Katie Hunt “Pivoting is evolving.” - Kristin Kaplan   “Just focus your attention on being positive, being grateful, feeling abundant, and try to move away from any feelings of negativity and scarcity.” - Kristin Kaplan     LINKS Website: https://www.kristinkaplan.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinckaplan/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristinkaplanLLC/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

We’ve heard a lot of fun origin stories on the Proof to Product Podcast, but today’s episode with Dani Paquin, founder of the jewelry company Agapantha, is an extra sweet and serendipitous start-up story. Dani founded her jewelry company in 2004 somewhere on a dusty road as she was touring the United States as a singer-songwriter. Between tours, Dani worked at her home in Brooklyn assembling jewelry for other designers, but at that moment on the road, she finally realized she had to bring her own designs to life. So Agapantha was born and an important artistic shift was made.  What does Agapantha mean? It's the first flower that Dani's grandmother taught her to say. Today, Dani pays homage to her and the inspirational women in her life by naming each collection after someone special. Her delicate, minimalist layering jewelry that is sold in boutiques around the world and Agapantha recently celebrated 15th years of business.  On today's episode, Dani shares her start-up story. We talk about how she slowly and thoughtfully grew her jewelry line over the years and how she scaled production for a handmade product. Dani also encourages all of us to just keep going - because you never know where things will lead.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  How Dani got started making jewelry  What inspires her work  The way Agapantha has evolved over the years  How frequently Dani releases new pieces  Pain points of catering to both retail and wholesale  The first role Dani hired for  The importance of training and trusting your team  How Dani shifted her business model and scaled up  What she learned from 15 years of entrepreneurship  Beneficial mistakes and resources that helped Dani get where she is today Advice for individuals just starting out KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Let's be real. We're all trying to do the job of about one million people.” - Dani Paquin  “I've been working really hard to find great people that I can trust and I can give things away. To try to start focusing more on what I'm really good at and what I want to do.” - Dani Paquin  “There are times where even if we have a team, we still have to get our hands dirty. It's still our company. We have to do the work.” - Katie Hunt  “It took me a long time to be okay with having someone in my space that I didn’t feel like I needed to talk to or feel like I had to entertain. That's a big change when you're used to working alone.” - Dani Paquin  “Manufacturing is one of those big pivots decisions. It's an opportunity for growth but it can be scary.” - Kaite Hunt “I'm in the midst of my first project where I'm manufacturing overseas for a much larger scale project than we could do on our own here. It's really exciting and really scary. But I feel like a doorway into something new.” - Dani Paquin  “Ultimately it always comes back to how much I love what I do and I don't want to do anything else. Just to just keep going, one day at a time. One foot in front of the other. You do your best.” - Dani Paquin  “Once you embrace making mistakes and failing, not as a failure, but as an opportunity for growth, then you know what not to do. You have to get through that In order to go farther. There's no way to do it without that.” - Dani Paquin  “If you meet someone and you have an instinct about them, that you're not going to get paid or something's off, trust your instincts. Don't be in a store just to be in a store.” - Dani Paquin  “We're artists and designers and that doesn't mean we’re bad at business. But often it means that the business side is not what we’re focusing on.” - Dani Paquin  “It's always nice to have an outside perspective weighing in on your business decisions because it's so personal to you. It's so close to you. It is your art.” - Katie Hunt  “It's okay to say "no" to some things that don't feel right. Keep going. Or know when to quit.” - Dani Paquin    LINKS Website: http://www.agapantha.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agapanthajewelry/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agapanthajewelry/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Has being an entrepreneur and your own boss helped unlock new skills or uncover new parts of your personality? It definitely has for Arianne Foulks, founder of Aeolidia, a design studio specializing in designing and developing custom e-commerce websites using Shopify, as well as logo design, product packaging, product photography, content creation, and business naming. Before starting Aeolidia in 2004, Arianne was shy and avoided talking to clients over the phone. Today, after 15 years in business and growing her team to more than twenty-three employees, Arianne is bold in her business. She speaks and teaches at events, hosts business owner brunches, and looks forward to talking with people about their companies.   On today's episode, Arianne and I chat about how she built her agency and grew her team over the years. We talk about common misconceptions some creative entrepreneurs have, the advantages of using Shopify, and the importance of abandoned cart emails. Arianne also shares details about the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, an investment program that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through education, capital and support services.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Common misconception creative entrepreneurs have about branding, marketing, and websites What really goes into a logo and behind a brand  How Arianne moved into the branding, marketing, website world Aeolidia’s  e-commerce checklist  The importance of digging into data and analytics and knowing what's working and not working Why Arianne is a fan of Shopify for product based businesses Advice for shop owners on how to prevent abandoned carts  What sets Aeolidia apart from the competition How Arianne helps clients stick to their deadlines  The balance between business results and personal service  How having a baby forced Arianne to grow and delegate in her company  Resources, mentors, and  programs that have contributed to Arianne’s success KEY TAKE-AWAYS:  “The logo is the very tip of the iceberg of your brand. But when you know what's going on with an iceberg, most of it is underwater. At Aeolidia it’s all the underwater stuff that we love people to get started with first.” - Arianne Foulks “Customer service is really the foundation of building a good business.” - Arianne Foulks “I'm a firm believer in hiring people that are smarter than me and that can teach me a thing or two.” - Katie Hunt “I was a customer service pro by the time I got started working with clients, and that gave me such a huge leap in being able to just jump into it and do a good job.” - Arianne Foulks “It turns out that running a business is a very creative pursuit whether you're designing things or not, and I really find it satisfying the whole way through.” - Arianne Foulks “One of the quotes that's always in my head, I just think all the time is ‘What got you here will not get you there.”  - Arianne Foulks “There are some people that feel like, “Well, I hired you to design it and develop it. Just create it.” It's like, “Well, no. You as a business owner have to tell us what kind of copy, what kind of images, what kind of details you want on that.” - Katie Hunt “You have to remember that people who are almost buying something from you are really into it. It's something they actually want, so they're not unhappy to see it again.” - Arianne Foulks “You should be fairly aggressive about sending people the emails because they're already not buying the product from you. They've already decided not to. It's not like you can lose them any more than that.” - Arianne Foulks “If people don't know about your products, they're not going to purchase them.” - Katie Hunt  “I started realizing it's really fun to just run the business. It actually is a creative pursuit.”  - Arianne Foulks “I think my husband's least favorite words for me are, “I have an idea.” - Katie Hunt    LINKS Website: https://aeolidia.com/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/aeolidia Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aeolidia.shipshape/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/aeolidia   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Have you ever come home from a long day at your corporate job and realized like, “Okay, so my job is feeding my family, but definitely not my soul.” What do you do? Well, today's Proof to Product guest is telling us how she figured it out. By age 28, Nicole Walters was a highly-paid executive at a Fortune 500 company, managing multibillion dollar accounts, but something wasn’t right. So Nicole quit her corporate job, and she made waves when she quit in front of 10,000 people while live streaming on Periscope. She went on to open her own private business and product development consulting firm, The Monetized Life.    As Nicole’s audience ramped up so did her revenue—she made $11,000 in the first three weeks of working with small business clients full time. Now, when she’s not hanging out with her husband and their three foster kids, she shares her secrets to earning “passive income” with other entrepreneurs through her wildly popular online course, 1K1Day. “I teach people how to add commas to their bank accounts,” says Nicole. “They learn that they don’t have to trade time for money.”   On today's episode, Nicole and I sit down to talk about common mistakes she sees eager entrepreneurs making and why old school sales strategies still work. We also talk about why you can't rely solely on social media for sales, the importance of having multiple revenue streams and why you need to treat your business like a business from day one.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Common mistakes Nicole sees eager entrepreneurs making Tips on where to focus your marketing time and money The problem of relying on social media platforms  Benefits of sticking with the old school methods What really gets customers in the door How to make a 40-50 hour work week feel like 4 hours The lessons Nicole took from corporate life and applied as an entrepreneur Her strongest marketing tool today Nicole’s favorite success stories How saying no is a form of self care  Advice for brand new business owners and entrepreneurs experiencing growing pains  The importance of acting like a business from the get-go What success looks like for Nicole today KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “If the only place that you're selling is on your social media platform, well guess what? It's not yours. You don't own it.” - Nicole Walters “Word of mouth is still good. So all that matters that you're actually able to get to people who have mouths and are able to spread the word. Old School still works.” - Nicole Walters “Make sure that you're telling your story authentically and being honest about who you are. Because if you do that, if you tell your true story, well guess what? You'll never get it wrong.”  - Nicole Walters “Wear your heart on your sleeve, because it's that same heart that'll put cash in your pocket.” - Nicole Walters “It was time for me to quit and I decided to do in grand fashion. I decided that I wasn't just going to burn the bridge behind me. I was going to singe it and blow away the ashes.” - Nicole Walters “I was ready to become an entrepreneur. So instead of taking those tools to fat cats at multi-billion dollar companies, I'm taking them to everyday entrepreneurs who are using them to feed their families and their souls.” - Nicole Walters “I get to see the change and the transition and the transformation in people's families and livelihoods. Being able to really put money into people's pockets instead of watching it go to a new Gulfstream jet or a new golf membership at a country club, you know, it's really, really rewarding. And I love it.” - Nicole Walters “I’ll be the first one to tell you if I'm doing my job well, guess what? We shouldn't work together forever.” - Nicole Walters “Look at the quarterlies, look at your revenue and your expenses, all of it. There might be certain quarters that are slow, but if you can plan for that and know about that in advance, it just sets you up for the longterm.“ - Katie Hunt “I'm a mom and I'm married and the other side of it is honestly, I couldn't keep up with my business if I didn't get healthy. That's the reality of it.”  - Nicole Walters “There's this misconception of self care, that it’s going and getting a manicure and/or like, you know, or going to get coffee or whatever and it's like self care comes in so many different forms.” - Katie Hunt “I'm allowed to say no to things that don't serve me because if I say no, then I'm taking care of the things that do serve me. And that is a form of self care.” - Nicole Walters “You want to seize opportunities, but at the same time you need to protect your time and your sanity.” - Katie Hunt “Act like a business if you want to get paid like one, get out there and get your legal stuff in order. Make sure that you understand the importance of finances, quick books, getting all that stuff done and I know it's big and scary.” - Nicole Walters “The minute you take a dollar, you are acting like a business and you need to get paid like one.” - Nicole Walters “Sometimes we get in our own way, we overthink things or we don't relinquish control when we need to or we're afraid to bring on more team members to handle things because we think nobody can do it the way we can.” - Katie Hunt  LINKS Website: http://nicolewalters.tv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonetizeThyself/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolewalters/  Periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/NapturalNicole Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/napturalnicole Twitter: https://twitter.com/napturalnicole     SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, have you heard of Raddish? It’s a super cool monthly cooking club that empowers kids to build confidence in the kitchen and beyond. Today’s guest, Samantha Barnes the CEO and founder of Raddish, founded the company after working as a middle school teacher. A mom of two, Samantha realized the kitchen was the best place to connect with her kids in a meaningful way, and in true entrepreneurship fashion, she was inspired to start her own company. Samantha’s passion for family is visible in every aspect of her company. As a female founder, she is committed to running results-oriented and flexible company built on autonomy, working smart, and a positive work/life balance.  On today’s episode, Samantha and I dive into her subscription based business model and how it has evolved over time. The two of us talk about her business journey, how the company started out of her garage, how her team has evolved, the logistics of getting her product to market. We also talk about the pros and cons of running a subscription based business, how she learned how to delegate, what she does when she’s feeling burnt out.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  How Samantha got the idea for Raddish Why she decided to go with a subscription model  The benefits of growing slow and working by trial and error  Creating continuous content and dealing with unexpected hurdles The steps Samantha took to scale up   Her decision to keep her team lean and mean  How Raddish cultivates the customer experience Learning to delegate when it’s not your strength Avoiding shiny distractions for the long term goal Lessons Samantha learned in her business journey Two things she does to stay grounded in the chaos  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “We did not go into it having some large strategy. We learned by doing. We launched on Kickstarter in October and we shipped our first kit in January.” - Samantha Barnes "In the beginning, we were simply finding the right tool and trying to get the right quantity and have it delivered at the right time. And now we're able to go out and we custom-create our tools.” - Samantha Barnes “I live in a small house in Los Angeles. So it had its own challenges. We would have easy ups all throughout the backyard and our production line had to go out into the backyard because we couldn't fit in the garage anymore.” - Samantha Barnes “Because we are self-funded we are really careful about how we grow. Making sure we have the great product, making sure that we're minimizing our churn and really keeping members for longer is important.” - Samantha Barnes “It’s a critical growth step as an entrepreneur. It's like, okay, I need to start delegating more and releasing control so that we can grow and so that we can get more done in a day.” - Katie Hunt “We call our Facebook group users the Raddish army because they come to bat for us, you know, they really want to help families understand exactly how great the product is.” - Samantha Barnes “We're definitely a word of mouth product and started that way, and that is definitely how we got off the ground.” - Samantha Barnes “Delegating is not my strength, it's something I have had to learn and I continue to learn.” - Samantha Barnes “I have the right people in the right seats and I just have the expectation that somebody is going to get that done and I don't micromanage or oversee the process.” - Samantha Barnes “My whole motivation was hiring people that were smarter than me that could teach me things. Take the tasks, run with them, and I trust them to do it well and do what we need to head towards the goal.” - Katie Hunt  “Learning from others and being open to learning and talking to as many people as you can and experiencing as many opportunities is really important. That’s the big picture idea.”  - Samantha Barnes “I mean, I love baths and manicures and pedicures, but if I have free time, I’m thinking what can I do that's really going to inspire me and make me feel better and make me kind of reset. Reading has been a big one for me over the last couple of years because it does feel indulgent too.” - Katie Hunt  LINKS Website: http://Raddishkids.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/raddishkids Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/raddishfoodandfamily/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/raddishkids    SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

On today’s episode of Proof to Product I’m sitting down with a gal I greatly admire, who I have had the pleasure of working with for a few years now through Paper Camp and my Proof to Product Mastermind coaching program. Meet Kiwi Schloffel, the brains and brawn behind Craft Boner, a stationery gift brand with the sole focus of making people chuckle. That’s a common theme in greeting cards, Kiwi takes it seriously. Her goal, in her own words, “Is to make you laugh. Not in the ha-ha-I’m-being-polite kind of way but actual big belly laughs that make your eyes water and give you an annoying stomach cramp because you just can’t stop.”  Over the course of the last eight years, Kiwi opened a retail space then decided to leave that retail space. She expanded her product line to more than 300 SKUs across multiple product categories and then recently discontinued over half of those products. She amassed an Instagram following of over 16,000 people just like that, and today we are talking about all of it. Kiwi and I sit down to talk about the transitions, the fears, and how making these shifts have allowed her to do fewer things even better within her business. Kiwi acknowledges that she's still figuring out her next steps, and that’s why this interview is so important. At the end of the day, no matter how successful, aren’t we all just trying to figure it out? I hope you enjoy this fun episode!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  What led Kiwi to start Craft Boner How she turned her blog into a product based business The first products Kiwi ever sold  Transitioning into wholesale  Balancing the love to create and the reality of outsource to scale How Kiwi decided which skews to keep and how cutting skews can lead to greater freedom The importance of intentional business shifts  Benefits of embracing the way your individual, unique brain works  How Kiwi realized she didn’t want a business empire  Logistics of switching  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “In my heart I'm just an introvert who wants to make things.” - Kiwi Schloffer “When I moved home I was like, you know what, I'm going to be that millennial cliche. I'm going to live in my dad's basement and try to do my own thing.” - Kiwi Schloffer “It’s something a lot of people don’t realize. When you first start a business, it's so, so slow. You can always find stuff to do, but there's just not usually a lot of money coming in.” - Kiwi Schloffer “When I started in my dad's basement, the dream was always to make this my full time gig. But I honestly never thought it would happen.” - Kiwi Schloffer “I didn't even have any framework. I didn't even know what the ladder was. I didn't even know, I knew what a skew number was, but I was like, I don't know what that has to do with me.” - Kiwi Schloffer “We don't know what we don't know at the beginning.” - Katie Hunt “My experience is never, ever, ever been from a business perspective, it's never been about margins. It has always been about what can I make and how can I make it fun? “ - Kiwi Schloffer “I'd stay up until four in the morning because I had a full time job at that point, and I was like, I can not keep doing this, something has to change.” - Kiwi Schloffer “Business is not one size fits all. It is not a step ladder that we're all climbing with the same steps. It's truly like a rollercoaster with zigzags where we take two steps to the right and then go up and back or whatever.”  - Katie Hunt “I've always approached something like, I can do this myself, and not finding people that can do it for me. So now it's been a weird shift to realize  I can design this thing and someone else can make it. That's crazy. ” - Kiwi Schloffer “I told myself I can figure out inventory systems, the accounting. I can figure out all this stuff. I can hire people, add more products, more overhead, I can be a boss. I can be a CEO, I can manage people, and look at spreadsheets and figure out orders. And I hated that idea.” - Kiwi Schloffer “I still don't have it figured out. I'm still in my exploring phase and figuring out what I like, what I don't like. But it's been really exciting.” - Kiwi Schloffer   LINKS Website: http://www.craftboner.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftboner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftboner/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftboner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/craftboner   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Welcome! If you’re listening today that means you’re likely interested in applying for our Paper Camp scholarship! Giving back is one of our core values here at Proof to Product and we give back through our time, knowledge as well as financial scholarships. Since 2011, we’ve awarded over $250,000+ in scholarship funds to creative entrepreneurs who sell physical products to the wholesale market.These brands had big dreams of seeing their products on the shelves of their favorite stores and they have obtained huge results.  Our scholarship recipients sell products to Starbucks, REI, Land of Nod, Barnes & Noble, Anthropologie and more.  They’ve built profitable, sustainable companies.  They’ve built businesses that serve the life they want to lead.  And, they are active contributors to our Proof to Product community.   These scholarships are a big deal and we treat them that way. Last round we reviewed 89 scholarship applications and it took my husband and I three days to all the videos, read the applications, review website and ultimately whittle it down to one full tuition scholarship winner. It’s never an easy choice, but we do put a lot of care into our selections. And, today I want to share 5 ways that you can stand out when submitting your Paper Camp application: Tell us WHY and HOW Paper Camp will positively impact your wholesale business. Be specific. Are there certain strategies or tactics that you need help implementing? Be open to sharing what’s working and what’s not working your business. We’ve been where you are and if we know where you’re struggling, we can identify whether we can help. Your story is important. Why do you do you the work you do, what inspires you when you’re creating and what are your goals for the business. You only have 2 minutes in your video to talk about your products, your business needs and where you want to go next. Use that time wisely and connect the dots about how Paper Camp will help you reach those goals. Please do not use this time to tell us about financial or personal difficulties you are facing or have faced. Talk about your dreams & aspirations for the business. Be specific in how Paper Camp can help. If you listen to the Proof to Product podcast, if you’ve utilized our free resource library, if you’re a member of LABS, if you’re friends with Paper Camp alumni… tell us! Particularly if you’ve utilized our podcast and free resources to make positive changes in your business. Our scholarship recipients are proactive, they are resourceful, they understand the value of our community and the educational resources available through Proof to Product. They understand that business growth takes time and hard work… show us you’ve utilized alll the incredible free resources we share to take forward action in your business We want our scholarship recipient to understand the value of what they are winning. Meaning, the value of the education, coaching and community they receive by attending Paper Camp far exceeds the price tag of our tuition. We expect our scholarship winner to show up, ask questions, participate in live calls, connect with other members of our community, to pay it forward in different ways and take advantage of everything Paper Camp has to offer. If you can not be an active participant in Paper Camp, then please do not apply for scholarship. Lastly, please follow instructions carefully. This includes answering all questions thoroughly and changing video settings so that anyone can watch it. If you submit an incomplete application or we can not view your video, we will not consider your application and its always a bummer when this happens.  To sum it up, we want to hear about your business. We want to know why you’re building the business you are, where you need help in your business and how Paper Camp fits into your next steps. Easy enough, right? If you’d like to apply for our Paper Camp scholarship, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com/scholarships. Also, if you’re listening when applications are closed, I strongly recommend joining our email list so that you’re notified of upcoming scholarship opportunities and you’ll get our emails each week with important strategies and tactics to grow your business. Sign up for that at www.prooftoproduct.com/newsletter That’s all I have for you to day. Good luck and thanks for listening!

So many of us are solopreneurs, but have you ever met another small business bad-ass and totally clicked? That’s what happened for today’s guests, Minna Khounlo-Sithep and Jacqueline Snyder, voices behind The Product Boss Podcast. For some background, after Minna had her first child she was inspired to start Lil' Labels, write-on kids labels that are sold at retail giants like Amazon, Walmart and Jet. At the same time, Jacqueline was running her own product based business, Cuffs Couture, and growing her international sales. Jacqueline reached out to Minna in a business Facebook group, and the two totally hit it off. Today, Jacqueline and Minna work together to teach business owners how to grow their product-based businesses with smart strategy and a community around them. In addition to running the podcast, they each still own their own businesses.  On Episode 110, we’re all sitting down to talk about the pros and cons business partnerships, how Minna and Jacqueline divide responsibilities, and what to look for if you’re considering taking on a new partner. We also talk about how Minna and Jacqueline juggle their multiple businesses, and they share their top tips for product based business owners.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  What inspired Minna and Jacqueline to start their own businesses The evolution and importance of celebrity endorsement How Minna and Jacqueline met  Moving from online, becoming friends, and deciding to partner up Hesitancies of forming a partnership Dividing responsibilities How Jacqueline and Minna balance their individual businesses with The Product Boss The importance of implicit trust  Questions to ask yourself before finding a business partner Strategies for dealing with day to day stressors Shifts Jacqueline and Minna have seen in the industry  Alternatives to tradeshows and advice for scaling your business What’s up next for The Product Boss KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I dug in and I figured it out, and I had the tenacity of a pregnant woman going to give birth. So the rest from there just was it seemed easy.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I'm very much a book learner. So it was in my mind that I could just learn all about Amazon. I was already a fan of Amazon, so I basically schooled myself on Amazon.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I was in my 20s and going out and wanting to dance and have no purse. I always hated having to put my purse under like a jacket in the corner at bar. And so I created Cuffs Couture, which were fashionable, chic wrist wallets.” - Jacqueline Snyder  “We started a business without realizing we were starting a business, and yeah. She's not a serial killer. So at least a good thing, right?” - Jacqueline Snyder  “We get so many ideas going as entrepreneurs. We just know how to do things. We kind of know how to execute or figure it out along the way. And then on top of it, we really did have a great connection.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “We approach things very differently, and the thing is we get along really, really well. But I think the key is we trust each other implicitly.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “Big brands are not as agile as a smaller entrepreneur. We can try something today and if it doesn't work tomorrow, we can shift gears, or we can try again in a different way.” - Katie Hunt “My biggest thing with being a partner is like, "Am I doing enough? Am I showing up and handling my role? Am I doing enough?” - Jacqueline Snyder  “It's highly psychological, lots of mindset, and you have to be able to see that other person as a full partner that has all these fears and joys too. So you're always trying to balance that out.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “We're complete opposites as far as personality wise or approaches. But we definitely have the same love for so many things. We love our families. Our why is exactly the same.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I don't think I would work well with a partner. Maybe I'm too bossy, I don't know. Too decisive. But I think that's why I find partnerships so fascinating because when you have two of the right people together, amazing things can happen.” - Katie Hunt “The face of product entrepreneurship and a product business is really changing, which is why you can see why stories are so important. Learning how to sell with your story and those personal brands is more important than ever before.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “The opportunities have shifted for product based businesses, and the customer has changed quite a bit too. So it’s an interesting dynamic how we have to adapt as product based business owners.” - Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://www.lillabels.com; http://www.theproductboss.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/lillabelsco; http://instagram.com/theproductboss   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Do you remember when you first started your business? How about your first card? Do you ever go back and look at work you were doing in those early stages and wonder, what was I thinking?! I know from experience it can be cringe-worthy or just hilarious, but that’s the beauty of the business journey! Today on Proof to Product we’re welcoming Paper Camp alum, Alicia Heater of Slightly Stationery, to share her business beginning. When Alicia started Slightly Stationery, it was with the belief that women be encouraging and loving to each other through the timeless art of handwritten notes (Oh, and that these handwritten notes should make people chuckle, and also be super cute, too.) Today, continuing this spirit of mutual support, a portion of all Slightly Stationery proceeds go to the Malala Fund to help girls around the world receive a good education. On Episode 109, Alicia talks about how she started her first line, the changes she made along the way and what she learned at Paper Camp. We discuss the financial challenges of business and why giving back is a key  part of Slightly Stationery’s mission and values. Alicia also shares the importance of taking advice, not being afraid to start over, and what it’s like today to have cards in more than 400 stores throughout the U.S. including Paper Source and Anthropologie. We hope you enjoy this fun episode, and that it inspires you to look back at how far you’ve come in your business journey too!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What prompted Alicia to start her stationery line Why she pivoted from custom wedding invitations to greeting cards Following your heart and making decisions based on your strengths Starting from scratch Taking advice and knowing where to improve How to hone in on your audience When Slightly Stationery releases new product Mistakes Alicia made when she first started with wholesale Changes she made to her business after Paper Camp The importance of patience and persistence Differences between big and small company buying cycles    The steps Alicia took so she could start pulling a salary from her company   How she chose a philanthropic organization to give back to What Alicia is most proud of in her business KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I was doing a lot of custom work and not making any money on it, so I wondered is there's something out there that I can design one time and sell it a whole bunch times?”  - Alicia Heater “It's an experiment in those early years in business. How do I want to structure this? How can I make it sustainable for the long term? And profitable and make it my full-time gig.” - Katie Hunt “When you’re buying a card in a store, you're buying it because this is perfect for this one person. I had this thought of like I'm trying to design for everybody, so I wasn't designing those kind of cards.” -  Alicia Heater “I scrapped the idea of trying to design cards that are going to be so generic and good for everybody, because then they're not really special for any one person, and those are the ones that sell.” -  Alicia Heater “When it feels like you’re selling the same thing as everybody else, you need to really find what's unique about your products, and really promote that.” - Katie Hunt “When I turned that filter off of my ideas, it opened up a lot of things.”  - Alicia Heater “People will pick up a card for the way it looks, if it’s cute, but they'll buy it because of what it says.” -  Alicia Heater “I had no idea, so I went and did a bunch of Google searches on like how to sell wholesale and learned so much more about that when I did Paper Camp” -  Alicia Heater “Right after Paper Camp, I went out and was working harder at going to get more reps rather than going to get more stores, and it really empowered me to go do the right things. It was a chain reaction.” -  Alicia Heater “Now they're emailing me, and Anthropologie's like, ‘Oh, this card’s doing so well for us. Can we carry some more stuff, too?’ and I'm like, hmm. Let me think about that for a second. Yes!” -  Alicia Heater “Being able to have a business where I can do what I like doing, and it pays the bills, too, is really incredible, and I feel really blessed to have that, so I'm proud of that.”  - Alicia Heater “Even when you're not making much money, you can still give back.” -  Alicia Heater LINKS Website: http://www.slightlystationery.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slightlystationery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slightlystationery/ Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/slightlypaper     SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, welcome back to Proof to Product! Today’s guest is Ginger Lyons, a serial entrepreneur who believes positive attitude, abundance mindset, and perseverance are the keys to a successful business model. A military veteran, Ginger is the creator behind Buffalo Girls Salvage, a jewelry design company that transforms salvaged copper, metal and bullet casings into beautiful, handmade pieces.   Since 2012, Ginger’s company has been inspiring women and honoring law enforcement officials through creative designs. She is also passionate about investing in mainstreet America, supporting small businesses and coaching female entrepreneurs.   On today's episode, Ginger and I talk about her incredible “backward” business journey. She shares what it was like to have a storefront, employees, national manufacturing network and the opportunity to appear on Shark Tank, and why she pivoted her business to stay true to her ‘why’. We talk about how our definition of success often changes over the course of time, how entrepreneurship is always a choice, and the importance of sharing our journey to help others.   I hope you enjoy Ginger's story of growth, strategic pivoting, and the lessons she learned along the way!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Ginger’s first business What she learned about herself from her experience in the military Her job as a main street manager in Texas The types of products and core customers at Buffalo Girls Salvage Why Ginger treats her wholesale and shopify accounts as two separate companies The materials and process that goes into creating jewelry   Advice for entrepreneurs trying to do it all Fears Ginger had about expanding her team and ensuring quality control Ginger’s backward business journey Important questions to ask yourself as a small business owner How Ginger said “no” to Shark Tank and stayed true to her “why” What’s next for Ginger, Buffalo Girl Salvage and how she’s encouraging more women entrepreneurs KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I think some of us were just born with it. And we discover later in life that's what it is. But there's this feeling of entrepreneurship.” - Ginger Lyons “As an entrepreneur in general, I love the idea that we can all contribute to ... I know it sounds cliché, but the American dream. I love that we can all make an impact.” - Ginger Lyons “As a main street manager for a city in the state of Texas, I discovered how important main street is in America. We need small businesses and we need to keep them alive. ” - Ginger Lyons “If I can give any advice ... it’s start asking for help as fast as you can, and getting help in the things that you know you can afford to get. Even in the smallest details, it's important to have others alongside you and not be the-everything-girl.” - Ginger Lyons “As entrepreneurs, we're doers. We want to do all the things and it's hard to give up control.” - Ginger Lyons “It's hard to give up the control. In the early stages we worry about paying somebody else and we worry about delegating and having the management skills to manage another person too.”  - Katie Hunt “I believe in the main street, and I believe in us bringing up boutiques, and helping our fellow entrepreneurs develop their businesses. We have to do as much as we can in the US so that we can build up that together.”  - Ginger Lyons “That’s just life as an entrepreneur. We’re faced with adversity, we’re faced with challenges, we’re faced with tons of decisions and we just have to choose to keep going.”  - Katie Hunt “I firmly believe we are all born with what our path is in life. And our job is to figure out what that is. And so if you spend too much time looking at the path of everyone else around you, you are never going to find the success that you were supposed to find for yourself.”  - Ginger Lyons “If you're being told “no”, fine. Move on. Seriously. Just get over the “no’s”. And put yourself in positions to do hard things that are uncomfortable.” - Ginger Lyons LINKS Website: https://buffalogirlsjewelry.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buffalogirlssalvage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buffalogirlssalvage/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Welcome back to Proof to Product, all you small business hustlers, and creative entrepreneurs! Today we have a great episode in store for you with guest Jeanetta Gonzales, a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, and illustrator. Jeanetta began her career as a graphic designer working for corporate companies such as WedMD, Mattel and The Disney Store. She later parlayed her digital and fine art skills into surface design working as a textile designer and style guide designer for consumer products and creating illustrations and art that she licenses to manufacturers for products sold online and in major retail stores. On top of all of this, Jeanetta also runs her own online store where she sells her art on print items, mugs, fabric, home decor items and more. On today’s episode, Jeanetta shares her experience with licensing and tells us why you have to be in it for the long game. We talk about why relationships are so important in business, why it’s necessary to create art and products with a unique point of view, and her goal to spread joy through a variety of creative means. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Common misconceptions that creative entrepreneurs have about licensing their work Tips for people that are putting together their portfolio How Jeanetta defines her artistic style and keeps it original The importance of experimenting What it took to overcome fears of failure and success Her 10 year journey of learning and creating When Jeanetta started to see traction in own design work What she learned from tradeshows Being okay with not being perfect Pivoting from her day job and shifting into licensing Jeanette’s favorite products to produce Her advice for other creative entrepreneurs and what’s coming up next KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I don't really think it's necessary to spend a whole year working on a portfolio or something like that. It's fine if you just have several collections that you're really proud of and get them out there.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “You don't want to be a copycat. You really just want your own work and your own vision and you're own visual point of view to come through.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “I really encourage people to experiment a lot, because that's where the happy accidents happen and that's where you're going to find the things that you really love to do.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “I always had this fire in me since I was a little kid to just do something different. To kind of go against the norm and it took me a long time to really get there.”  - Jeanetta Gonzales “Even if you do a show and you're ready for that, and you put heart and soul into it, it's never perfect. You're never going to be as ready as you think you want to be.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “Just when we start to get comfortable in one thing, that's where things take a little bit of a turn. It's part of the growth process, but it is uncomfortable and there is that underlying fear, am I making the right choices?” - Katie Hunt “I’m a firm believer that things happen on the time frame they should. Yeah sure, we could go back and change things, but would we still be where we are today if we did?” - Katie Hunt “In my own journey I've had to go around and around a lot, but it's all good. Now I'm older I can definitely see how it's all coming together.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “It is a long game. You just have to see how that plays out, and just know that if you're going to commit to something like licensing that it's not an overnight thing.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “So much is relationship based. If people know they like you and can trust you and you'll do a great job, it's going to open the door for more licensing opportunities.”  - Katie Hunt “When we know where we want to go, it makes it easier to build that path to get there.”  - Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://JeanettaGonzales.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nettdesigns Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nettdesigns/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeanettag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nettdesigns     SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Today on Proof to Product we’re welcoming Paper Camp Alum, and founder of Chez Gagne, Alex Gagne! Alex attended our Paper Camp Conference back in February of 2015 before debuting her wholesale line at the National Stationery Show. Since then, Alex has gone on to expand her product offering, add new team members, and achieve her vision for the Chez Gagne brand.   Chez Gagne is a paper and gift brand that offers greeting cards, wine and spirit tags, mugs, wine glasses, candles, and rocks glasses. Alex currently sells to 1,500 stores throughout the world, works with sales reps nationally, and exhibited at six trade shows this winter alone. With more than 93% of Alex’s annual revenue coming from wholesale, much of her time is spent planning, prepping and traveling across the country for trade shows.   On today’s episode, Alex is sharing with us how she does it all. We talk about how greeting cards became more than just her creative outlet and how Alex made the jump from paper goods to other products. We also how Alex decides which new product categories to pursue, challenges she faced in her business journey and key factors to Chez Gagne’s exponential growth. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Why Alex switched from software to stationery How she decides to move forward with a product line Her theory on making things nice or funny Incorporating optics and organization into merchandising Alex’s process for research, development, manufacturing and pricing Why everything Alex produces is something she uses The importance of managing your margins Challenges of storing hard goods vs stationery Tactics for mitigating risk and designing sustainable products How Alex grew to 1,500 active accounts in 4 years Future plans and products Alex has in the works KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “It's strange to look back now, but I've actually always made greeting cards for people. I've always sent Valentines Day cards. And that's been something that I've done for years.” - Alex Gagne “It came full circle.I found something I was able to communicate my sense of humor with, as well as greet people and make them laugh.” - Alex Gagne “Our business is based on the model of, "If you can't make it nice, make it funny." So we have a little bit of everything.” - Alex Gagne “Everything we've ever brought into the line has been something that I want to use. We will never bring anything into the line that is something that I wouldn't use. That, for me, is totally disingenuine.”  - Alex Gagne “The agility of being a business owner is a very special thing, in that we can decide to move forward with something or we can decide to cut it from the line. We can't always do that in corporate America.” - Katie Hunt “There's only so much risk you want to take with a new product category.” - Alex Gagne “We pulled our best selling phrases from our greeting cards, and put them on mugs. And now we're putting them on wine glasses, they're on rocks glasses, they're on candles.” - Alex Gagne “As a business owner. I don't want to put anything out there, that I know is never going to be used again. We're producing so much crap as a society, that it's hard sometimes to put out gift items, because you feel like it's going directly to a landfill.” - Alex Gagne “Bottom line is, people want to have an experience these days. They don't necessarily need a lot of junk in their lives, but they want to have an experience, and I think people have an experience with our products.” - Alex Gagne “Once we get something set up, then we can turn, and focus on other aspects. But it's always shifting.” - Katie Hunt “It's been a lot of hustle. It's been a lot of late nights, and I'm really fortunate to not have to really do that as much anymore. There was definitely a time there, where I was staying up until 2:00 in the morning, every night, reaching out to retailers, finishing out orders, just trying to make it work.” - Alex Gagne “It's hard to delegate. I am a control freak. And I think being a letterpress printer is probably really a good indication of that.” - Alex Gagne “The brand perception for people who are very wary of curse words, or snark and sassy humor, has been a challenge for us. But it's also been a reason we've done incredibly well.” - Alex Gagne LINKS Website: https://www.chezgagne.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/chezgagne/about/?ref=page_internal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chezgagne/?hl=en   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!