When you think of public relations or PR, what first comes to mind? Is it holiday gift guides, being on the Today Show? What if I told you that PR can often be more effective than social media or paid ads for boosting a business's credibility and visibility? That's exactly what today's guest is sharing. Gloria Chou is an award-winning PR strategist and the host of the top-rated Small Business PR Podcast . Known for her untraditional yet proven approach to PR, which makes visibility and access to...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest is LABS member, Sarah Hart, the founder and creative director of Simply Curated , a home fragrance brand that has been in business for twelve years. Sarah also recently launched a sister brand called Hart and Co . In this episode, Sarah shares the origins of her candle and home fragrance business, including the pivotal moments and challenges that she faced along the way. She provides insight into the nuances of the candle industry and the unique hurdles that it presents, like seaso...
Mar 04, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast I know we've been talking a lot about our wholesale coaching program, Paper Camp , which is where we are going to teach you everything you need to successfully sell wholesale. But today, I want to hand the mic over to four of our Paper Camp alumni to share their experiences. I'm calling this our “Before and After Paper Camp” series, where you can hear from real people who took our program. They came to Paper Camp. They actively participated, asked questions, and soaked up everything that there w...
Feb 27, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast To successfully sell wholesale, you must focus on your product line first. If you do not have a product line that has a unique point of view, is priced right, and has strong profit margins, you'll have a difficult time when you start doing sales and marketing, particularly on the wholesale side. A strong product line is the foundation of a strong wholesale revenue stream, which is why we start every round of Paper Camp , our wholesale coaching program, helping everyone audit their product line. ...
Feb 25, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast How did you decide that it was time to start wholesaling for your business? This is one of my favorite questions to ask my coaching clients, our Paper Camp students, and even the guests here on this podcast. Even though there are a lot of similarities between our stories, everyone's journey is so incredibly different. In some cases, like mine, deciding to sell wholesale was a very intentional and deliberate choice. When I started my stationery business, I knew that wholesale would be the best bu...
Feb 20, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 375 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast. There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in. Today's episode is a look back at Paper Camp alumni, Brittany O'Brien's journey growing her stationery and gift company, Brittany Paige . In episode 258 , Brittany shared how she scaled her wholesale program up to 500 accounts. That was a big milestone ...
Feb 18, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you been thinking about joining us for Paper Camp , but aren’t sure if this program is a good fit for you? Or maybe you're a new listener of the podcast, and you're thinking, what the heck is this Paper Camp program that I keep talking about? This episode is for you. I'm answering the top questions that we get asked about our wholesale program to help you decide if it's the right fit for you. The next round of Paper Camp is coming soon. We're opening enrollment very soon. And if you are loo...
Feb 13, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 $275,000+ 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 obt...
Feb 11, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey, friend. This week, I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 375 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast. There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in. So whether you are a new listener or you've been around for a little while, this one is a must-listen. It features Ginger Diaz, a two-time retail shop owner of Feliz Modern and Rancho Diaz in San Antonio, Texas. We talk about a lot of differe...
Feb 04, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast I love using our platforms, particularly this podcast, to highlight our community members and all of the cool things they are doing within their businesses and lives. I also love to bring folks back for updates, a “where are they now” situation. So today's guest is Jodi Kostelnik of The Neighborgoods . Jodi was previously on episode 233 which aired in January of 2022. In that episode, she shared real numbers and feedback about her exhibiting experience at Shoppe Object , covering sales numbers, ...
Jan 28, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever thought about licensing your art, but have no idea where to start? Licensing can be a really great supplemental revenue stream for your business. Nowadays, there are lots of folks looking for art to apply to their products. This week, we have Bonnie Christine on the show. She's an internationally renowned surface pattern designer, an entrepreneur, and an award-winning online educator. She's been creating artwork for brands and products around the world since 2009. She's a self-taug...
Jan 21, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we have Arianne Foulks from Aeolidia back on the podcast. Arianne was on episode 114 talking about abandoned cart email sequences, and she also came on for episode 288 where we talked about SMS and email marketing strategies. Today, Arianne and I are talking about 2025 trends for e-commerce marketing. Arianne is a founder, speaker, and Shopify Partner who has focused her career on building impactful retail businesses. At Aeolidia, her design and development agency, she and her team cr...
Jan 14, 2025•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year, friend. I hope that you were able to take a break over the holidays. I know the last month of the year is always pretty busy for all of us, whether it's personal stuff or we're getting our shops and businesses ready for the end of the year. I hope that you have plenty of time for some rest and relaxation. We're back on the podcast with a new episode, and this week's episode is a real treat. I have Ashley Sutton from Hustle and Hope . Ashley is a Paper Camp alumni, and she's been ...
Jan 07, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Proof to Product podcast team and I are practicing what we preach and the podcast is taking a winter break! We will be back with a new podcast episode on Tuesday, January 7, and we have some incredible things lined up for you! While we're gone, be sure to dip back into the archives. We have over 370+ incredible episodes to help you strengthen your business. Have a great two weeks and I will see you on January 7th!
Dec 24, 2024•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you're considering exhibiting at trade shows this upcoming sales season, you are going to love today's episode. My guest is Amy Loewenberg, who is the Director of Buyer Relations for NY NOW . Amy is a seasoned veteran in the gift, home, and lifestyle industry, and she's an advocate for independent buyers and sellers. Amy leverages her unique experience on both sides of the aisles to drive growth, connect communities, and shape the future of retail. Amy is a partner to key industry association...
Dec 17, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey, friend. I'm back with part two of my interview with Victoria Venturi from Paper Epiphanies . If you have yet to listen to part one, that was episode 371 . In part one, Victoria shared about her business growth, including what it was like shifting from a business model that was 90% wholesale to a business driven by 90% retail today. Now, she's finding a middle ground between the two. Today, we're continuing our conversation, and Victoria is sharing about the process of opening her store in t...
Dec 10, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest is Victoria Venturi, the founder and CEO of Paper Epiphanies , the coolest card store in the world. In less than a decade, Victoria has grown Paper Epiphanies from an idea into a global brand. Paper Epiphanies, also affectionately called PiPH, opened its flagship concept store in 2021, and they are expanding into the aviation space. They opened their 1st airport boutique in the Portland International Airport earlier this year. Prior to launching PiPH, Victoria was a marketing and p...
Dec 03, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the podcast, I have the pleasure of talking about sales reps with Kelly Bristol from Just Got 2 Have It . I can't believe it's taken me this long to have Kelly on the show because we have known each other for a very long time, and she has a wide range of knowledge that I'm excited for you to hear. She is the Vice President of Business Development at Just Got 2 Have It, a B2B sales rep agency with 5 divisions serving 36 states. Kelly is an accomplished senior leader with nearly 25 years ...
Nov 19, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast I'm coming to you on the heels of having a cold, and I'm here to remind you to take care of yourself. A lot is going on in the United States this week. Plus, this time of year is hectic for all of my product-based business owners. I know you are working so hard and are likely wearing yourself out. I thought now would be a good time to share simple ways to practice self-care before and during a busy season. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a...
Nov 05, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this year, we conducted a state of the product industry survey . We had 925 people respond. We found that 15% of respondents are not utilizing email marketing to reach their audiences. My jaw fell to the floor! I've talked about why email marketing is so important in previous episodes. The number surprised me because email marketing has the highest ROI of all marketing channels. For every dollar that you put into email marketing, you can expect an average rate of return of $42, which is ...
Oct 29, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast I feel like today's guest needs no introduction, but it would be a complete disservice to not share all of his accolades. Today, I'm talking with Seth Godin . He's an author, entrepreneur, and most of all, a teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 22 best-selling books, including The Dip , Linchpin , Purple Cow , Tribes , and This is Marketing , which was an instant bestseller in countries around the world. His newest book, This is Strategy: M...
Oct 22, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is it harder to start a business or scale a business? This was a question that someone posed over on Threads recently, and it got my wheels turning. In 2024, scaling is harder. It is easy to start a business these days. However, most don't have the grit to keep going long-term and scale the business. During this episode, I dive into why it’s easier to start a business in 2024 but harder to scale a business. I touch on how different marketing is these days, the differences between finding manufac...
Oct 15, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever sold out of your inventory in a few days? Today's guest did that when they were launching their embroidery kits to the wholesale market through Faire. Riki Inge of Rikrack had stocked up inventory. She'd prepped her Faire shop. She went live, and everything completely sold out in just a few days. While most people would see this as a good problem, it highlighted a lot of issues with Riki's packaging, her product details, and even her fulfillment workflow. And she's here today to sh...
Oct 08, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast I am excited to share today's episode with you because we have a fun guest. It's Brock Johnson . If you're not familiar with Brock, he is an Instagram expert who has coached thousands of entrepreneurs and creators on how to grow on Instagram, and he's been doing it since 2018. In 2021, his personal following blew up, thanks to his strategy of using Reels, and he has grown at a rate of approximately 1,000 followers per day since then. He now has over 700,000 followers. He consults with Meta and I...
Oct 01, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast