This week I’m sitting down for a special two-part interview with two incredible entrepreneurs - Rachael Hetzel of Pistachio Press and Briana Feola of Brainstorm . Both have been on the podcast before to share their startup stories and I’m really excited to have them both back to shine a spotlight on what it means to keep things small and intentional as business owners and still grow in revenue and creativity. Rachael Hetzel is the owner of Pistachio Press, a boutique letterpress printing and des...
Jan 29, 2019•29 min•Ep 89•Transcript available on Metacast Zoë Scharf is the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer at Greetabl , a totally unique gifting service that makes it fun and easy to send creative personal gifts. You might remember Zoë from Episode 50 where she shared her start-up story. If you want to hear more about how Greetabl started and the process of seeking angel investors, I recommend checking out that episode. Today we’re shifting gears though and geeking out on marketing strategies, tactics and how Zoe and the greetabl team make custo...
Jan 22, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Natasha Case is the CEO of Coolhaus , a Los Angeles based ice cream company specializing in unique, sweet-meet-savory flavors. T his is Part 2 of her interview. If you missed Part 1 which was Episode 86 , I recommend you head back and listen to that one first. In Part 2 of her interview, Natasha talks about her approach to scaling, how she tackled grocery and scoop shops at the same time, and how she continues to entwine the three arms of the business to support each other. We talked about how s...
Jan 17, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Natasha Case is the CEO of Coolhaus, a Los Angeles based ice cream company specializing in unique, sweet-meet-savory flavors. The inspiration for Coolhaus started when Natasha was exploring the concept of “Farchitecture” – or, Food + Architecture – in her graduate architecture program. She began baking cookies, making ice cream, and combining them into “cool houses”. In 2009 she met co-founder Freya Estreller, and together they staged Coolhaus’ unforgettable launch in a refurbished postal van at...
Jan 15, 2019•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year, friends! On this episode Katie Hunt is sharing the three phases of business that every business goes through - often multiple times. These three phases include: growth, maintenance and streamlining phase. Growth is when we're adding new products, services, systems. We're in building and expansion mode. One misconception about the growth phase is that its reserved for the early years of business. But, in reality, the growth phase can happen in the beginning, middle and even the en...
Jan 08, 2019•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we head into the holidays, the Proof to Product team and I will be taking a break. While we’re gone, I want to encourage you to go back and listen to some of this year’s most popular episodes. I’ve included links to our top 5 episodes at the bottom of our show notes here so you can find them quickly & easily. But all in all, we covered a lot of ground in 2018 talking about business finances, licensing opportunities, marketing strategies, selling wholesale, finding manufacturers, exhibiting at...
Dec 21, 2018•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jennifer Morgan is the brains behind A Fresh Bunch , a creative licensing agency where designers and clients collaborate and create something big together. Jenny began her journey into creative licensing in 2002 when she founded Hen and Barley Press, her own successful wholesale stationery business focused on personalized stationery goods. Jennifer soon realized just how much of her time was spent on everything in her business except design, and discovered many other creative people in the indus...
Dec 18, 2018•41 min•Ep 84•Transcript available on Metacast Danni Hong is a designer, business owner, and lover of all things paper. She started oh, hello friend in 2008 and has been hustling ever since at craft shows and trade shows worldwide! Her ultimate goal thru her business is to convey joy thru oh hello friend products and brighten someone's day. Danni attended Tradeshow Bootcamp’s Paper Camp prior to exhibiting at her first wholesale show, but she has a lot of experience exhibiting at craft shows near and far which she talks about in today’s epis...
Dec 11, 2018•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sarah Parrott is the founder of Parrott Design Studio and this is Part 2 of her interview. If you missed Part 1 which was Episode 81 , I recommend you head back and listen to that one first. Here on Part 2, Sarah talks about hiring a team, how she started slowly delegating and fears she had around letting go of things in her business, we talked about her multiple revenue streams and the pros / cons of having multiple businesses, navigating tough seasons in life while owning a business and how Sa...
Dec 06, 2018•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sarah Parrott is the founder of Parrott Design Studio and I’m excited for you to hear her story. Parrott Design Studio is a letterpress studio in Sebago, a lake town in Western Maine. The studio was established in 2007 by Sarah Parrott with a small Print Gocco, an inexpensive and easy to use screen printing tool that originated in Japan. That same year she took her first course in letterpress, learning to use a Vandercook press. In 2008 she purchased her own press, an 1898 Golding Jobber platen ...
Dec 04, 2018•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Christina Stemble is the founder of Farmgirl Flowers , which she started 7 years ago from her living room table. She invested $49,000 of her personal savings to start the business and Farm Girl Flowers is projected to hit $23M in revenue for 2018. Christina disrupted the floral industry with new options for consumers, less waste and higher quality products. Farmgirl Flower arrangements are designed by hand, in-house in San Francisco California. On today’s episode, Christina is sharing why it is ...
Nov 27, 2018•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our Thanksgiving break, we've lined up something special just for you. We'll be airing two episodes I recorded with my friends Kelly and Caroline at Creative Biz Rebellion . These ladies were kind enough to have me on their podcast, not just once, but twice. The first time we talked about all things wholesale, and then then invited me back to talk about trade shows. This week we're running both episodes over here on Proof to Product. Big thanks to Kelly and Caroline for having me on their sh...
Nov 21, 2018•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our Thanksgiving break, we've lined up something special just for you. We'll be airing two episodes I recorded with my friends Kelly and Caroline at Creative Biz Rebellion . These ladies were kind enough to have me on their podcast, not just once, but twice. The first time we talked about all things wholesale, and then then invited me back to talk about trade shows. This week we're running both episodes over here on Proof to Product. Big thanks to Kelly and Caroline for having me on their sh...
Nov 20, 2018•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alison Prince is an e-commerce expert and a woman on a mission. She is a business-savvy determined woman who knows how to create something amazing out of nothing. Over the last seven years, Allison has started eight e-commerce businesses, many of which are multi-million dollar brands. She’s sold everything from apparel to technology to household items — she’s sold everything under the sun — growing dollars into millions and pennies into thousands. On today’s episode, we talk about how Allison bu...
Nov 13, 2018•45 min•Ep 79•Transcript available on Metacast Taylor Elliott is the founder of Taylor Elliott Designs , a fun desk accessory and gift company. Taylor started this company as a side hustle while working a full-time job, but through a lot of hard work and persistence, she has grown this into a thriving gift company whose products are sold in more than 450 stores nationwide. On today’s episode, Taylor talks about why she decided to use a fulfillment house to store and ship her products, what questions she asked when she was choosing a partner ...
Nov 06, 2018•30 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast TSBC Alum, Tanya Wheeless is the founder of Happy Grace and author of three workbooks on soulful living. She has leveraged her decades of experience as a CEO, senior executive in the NBA, and community leader to teach women how to live the good life while struggling to balance work and family. In 2016, Tanya saw a need in the market for physical products that busy women could use daily to motivate and center themselves. With that, Happy Grace was born! She took all of her coaching goodness, comb...
Oct 30, 2018•45 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast Kaye Putnam is a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with hundreds of clients from global brands to solo business owners, she developed The Clarity Code . She believes that when you have a clear brand, that your clients love and respect, they will be willing to pay premium prices for your work. Kaye believes that a strong brand gives you the clarity and confidence to scale your impact and income. When she’s not transforming brands, she’s exploring the world with he...
Oct 23, 2018•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast TSBC alum, Shelley Seguinot began her creative journey in 2013 when she opened I’m Inkpressed, a wholesale stationery company specializing in children’s products. As the paper industry evolved and she saw the digital market expanding, she adjusted her business to focused her effort on the art licensing world. She now licenses her art to various companies that put her work on a wide range of products. On today’s episode, Shelley shares how she left a 20-year career in law enforcement to start her...
Oct 16, 2018•33 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast Elle Drouin is the founder of three businesses that she currently runs — wonderfelle MEDIA , Styled Stock Society and she’s the human behind @mochiandthecity . After several years working as the Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy for e-commerce businesses, Elle launched her own business to focus on helping other women build brands that are as profitable as they are pretty. Elle currently runs the Styled Stock Society, a stylish stock photography membership for women entrepreneurs, as well ...
Oct 09, 2018•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week is a special one in that we’re bringing you a series of episodes that closely mirror what we teach during our our signature Paper Camp program. We’ve cut together some of our favorite episodes featuring our Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni and speakers where we discuss product development, sales strategies for wholesale and exhibiting at wholesale trade shows. During this episode we hear from: Kimberley Yurkiewicz, Crow & Canary Katie Wilson, The Good Twin Rebekah Tennis, Wild Ink Press Rosan...
Oct 04, 2018•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week is a special one in that we’re bringing you a series of episodes that closely mirror what we teach during our our signature Paper Camp program. We’ve cut together some of our favorite episodes featuring our Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni and speakers where we discuss product development, sales strategies for wholesale and exhibiting at wholesale trade shows. During this episode we hear from: Kathryn from Blackbird Letterpress Kim from Ramona & Ruth Pippi from E. Frances Paper Stefanie from ...
Oct 03, 2018•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week is a special one in that we’re bringing you a series of episodes that closely mirror what we teach during our our signature Paper Camp program. We’ve cut together some of our favorite episodes featuring our Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni and speakers where we discuss product development, sales strategies for wholesale and exhibiting at wholesale trade shows. During this episode we hear from: Katie Wilson, The Good Twin Heather Harris, Copper Bottom Design Sara McNally, Constellation & Co Ca...
Oct 02, 2018•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Catherine Hildner is the founder of Kitty Meow Boutique , an online stationery show where you can peruse beautifully designed paper goods based on your many moods. Catherine came through our Paper Camp conference in 2017 and since then she’s undergone a rebrand, built a new retail website, revamped her product line and she launched to the wholesale market! On today’s episode Catherine shared how her product line has shifted over the years, fears she’s had during the last year of growth and how s...
Sep 25, 2018•31 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Danielle Spurge is a maker and craft business consultant who loves iced lattes and pop music. Through her work at The Merriweather Council , Danielle teaches creative people how to turn their crafty tendencies into profits. On her blog and podcast, Danielle aims to inspire and support makers in business and share insights from her eight years of experience selling handmade work online. Danielle believes in celebrating the reality of gainful self employment through craft and wants to help more ar...
Sep 18, 2018•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today I sat down with Amber Rae , an author, artist and speaker. Her recent book, Choose Wonder Over Worry invites you to live your truth, befriend your emotions, and express your gifts. Her writing has reached over 5 million people in 195 countries, her public art has spread to over twenty countries, and she's spoken to and collaborated with brands like Kate Spade, Apple, Amazon, and Unilever. She's been featured in The New York Times, TIME, Fast Company, BBC, ABC World News, Tim Ferriss's blog...
Sep 11, 2018•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Katie Hunt shares why she pushed pause on replacing her operations manager earlier this year and why its important to get super clear on what your business needs before you hire someone. When you know what you want in terms of skills, experience and fit it makes for an easier hiring process and ensures that you’re bringing the right people on the team. The Tradeshow Bootcamp and Proof to Product team are currently hiring an operations manager with strong project management, online marketing and ...
Sep 07, 2018•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lillian Farag is a free-form and free-spirited artist, with a love for all things playful and expressive. Pulling inspiration from colors found in life and nature, she adds her own twist and perspective to each aspect of her work. Along with offering unique hand-painted leather accessories and products, Lillian Farag works on collaborations with both leading industry and boutique brands including: Papyrus, Urban Outfitters, Oh Joy!, Osh Kosh, Flagpole Swim, Talking out of Turn, as well as her re...
Sep 04, 2018•31 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast We're taking the next two weeks off for an end of summer break. While we’re gone, we’re bringing you four of our most popular episodes pulled from the archives. I hand picked these episodes based on feedback in our Proof to Product Facebook group , emails I’ve received from listeners and convos I’ve had with all of you. We hope you enjoy these episodes and learn something new! Owned and operated by Briana Feola and Jason Snyder, Brainstorm is a print shop and collaborative design studio rooted i...
Aug 30, 2018•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're taking the next two weeks off for an end of summer break. While we’re gone, we’re bringing you four of our most popular episodes pulled from the archives. I hand picked these episodes based on feedback in our Proof to Product Facebook group , emails I’ve received from listeners and convos I’ve had with all of you. We hope you enjoy these episodes and learn something new! Heather Haynie and Dani Antol are the owners of Rock Paper Scissors , a custom invitation and paper goods shop in Charlo...
Aug 28, 2018•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're taking the next two weeks off for an end of summer break. While we’re gone, we’re bringing you four of our most popular episodes pulled from the archives. I hand picked these episodes based on feedback in our Proof to Product Facebook group , emails I’ve received from listeners and convos I’ve had with all of you. We hope you enjoy these episodes and learn something new! Erin Ozer is the owner of Knot & Bow. Erin got her start on Etsy in 2010 and has had tremendous, but organic growth, ove...
Aug 23, 2018•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
