I completely remember what it was like in the early days of selling wholesale. I felt like I was winging every single decision. I questioned everything I was reading on the internet. And, I was craving a community of other product makers that I could tap into for answers and to share resources. Way back in 2008, that community didn’t exist so I eventually created it. Since 2011, we have helped thousands of brands across industries and across the globe, get their products on the shelves of stores...
May 23, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just follow your instincts that seems to be the thread throughout today's podcast episode. Paper Camp alum, Ashleigh Evans of InBooze , joins me to talk about how she started a handmade, locally sourced food and beverage brand from her home in 2018. Her company has since expanded into a team working out of a commercial kitchen, warehouse, and a retail space, and they ship products to stores nationwide. On today's episode, we talk about regulatory requirements for the food and beverage industry, ...
May 16, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast I recently spent the day with many of our Proof to Product students at the * Noted & SF Now trade show in San Francisco, CA. Seventy-four of our Proof to Product LABS members and Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at this show - which means our community accounted for 62% of all exhibitors. Pretty incredible! Our community members won awards, secured major orders with key accounts, launched new products, connected with distributors and they grew their confidence as business owners. It’s such an h...
May 09, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome part two of my interview with Sam Kramer of Near Modern Disaster! If you have not yet listened to part one, make sure to check out episode 294 first! Sam gave us an update on her business and shared four things that have been critical to her business growth. In this episode, Sam and I are talking about how mental health is essential to being a smart and intentional business owner, and why every entrepreneur needs a hobby that they aren't monetizing! Today's episode is brought to you by o...
May 02, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast You have heard me talk about this time and time again, but there is no singular pathway in business! Even though we may all be running physical product-based businesses, we each embark on a different journey working towards different goals and making different choices along the way. One of my favorite parts about the work I do is seeing the transformation as folks continue their entrepreneurial journey, and in my position, I am lucky enough to have a lot of candid and confidential conversations ...
Apr 25, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast As you’re getting ready for upcoming trade shows, I want to share how you can create a simple, but effective way to turn your trade show leads (people you meet at the shows) into new wholesale customers. Spoiler alert: the success of what I’m teaching you hinges on one singular thing: the follow-through. You have to do the work to see results. In this episode, I’m sharing what you should do while you’re on-site at the trade show to make the post-show follow-up easier and more profitable in 5 sim...
Apr 18, 2023•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all have big goals, dreams, and plans for our businesses. In order to meet those milestones, we need to take action. What do you do when you look at your to-do list and everything starts to feel really overwhelming? Today's guest is Ashley Brown of Routines and Things and this episode is an excerpt from a recent Coffee Chat that she led inside of our Proof to Product LABS program on time management. Ashley is our resident routines expert, teaching us how to establish and sustain routines in o...
Apr 11, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many entrepreneurs are high achievers! We work hard. We go above and beyond. We care deeply about the work we do, whether it's for ourselves or for others. So when things don't go as planned or are even outside of our control, we can sometimes feel like we're failing. Today's guest is Paper Camp Alum Alyssa Manoleas, who makes and sells hand illustrated greeting cards and gifts through her brand Grey Street Paper. Prior to running her business full time, Alyssa worked as a fashion designer in Ne...
Apr 04, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Think back to when you started your business. Was choosing a name an easy or difficult task for you? I’m terrible at naming things—particularly my own projects, so this is something I labored over for too long. In today’s episode I’m replying to a question from Tiffany, one of our community members who is struggling with naming her business. She’s unsure whether to name it after her personal name or create a unique business name. I’m going to run through some pros & cons of each, plus share 7 ti...
Mar 28, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Way back in 2008, when I had my stationery brand I purchased a light box off of Amazon, borrowed my sister’s DSLR camera and spent hours reading photography tutorials on blogs to learn how to use the camera and to get ideas for what my shot list should include! When I say hours, I literally mean dozens of hours were spent trying to learn how to take product photos that would make my brand look polished & professional. And, the results… Well, they were ok. Not great, but ok. Then in 2010, I hired...
Mar 21, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Research has shown that you have about 8 seconds to capture people’s attention when they come to your website. That’s the average attention span for your website visitors, and that’s not a lot of time! If you fail to articulate what you sell, who those products are for and how you’re different from your competitors, you may have lost your chance to convert that potential customer. We have to be intentional about how we’re interacting & connecting with our customers so that we’re not only keeping...
Mar 14, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does the economy have you worried? I know that the words inflation and recession have been hot topics in several small business groups that I'm in, and I know that people are worried. Today, Jess Van Den of Create and Thrive joins me to talk about how small businesses, particularly in the handmade space, can prepare for and survive through these types of economic downturns. Jess is the founder of Create and Thrive, a community for handmade product makers where she teaches them how to craft the b...
Mar 07, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast When I talk to people about their business, they often say they “fell into business” or became an “entrepreneur by accident.” It’s a common story, especially in the creative online space that we all work in. These people solved a problem, likely for themselves, and then that solution led to something greater… whether it be a new business, new product or revenue stream. One thing I always like to remind these entrepreneurs of… is that even though the idea or the initial spark of the solution may ...
Feb 28, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’m back from a whirlwind trip to New York where over 50 of our Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at NY Now and Shoppe Object - two wholesale trade shows. It was such a treat to visit with everyone and to see their new products on display. Both shows were buzzing with buyers, press and brands looking to collaborate. The energy was high and orders were being written. You know… at Paper Camp we like to talk about how selling wholesale is a marathon, not a sprint. And, exhibiting at wholesale trade...
Feb 21, 2023•32 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 our guests here on the podcast, because even though there are a lot of similarities between our stories, everyone's journey is so different. In some cases like mine, deciding to sell wholesale was a very intentional and deliberate choice. For me, I knew when I started my stationery business, that wholesale would be the best...
Feb 14, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast How well do you know your customers and I'm not talking just their demographics or their buying preferences; I'm talking about their lifestyle, their desires, and why they make the choices that they make. Our guest today is Monica Sharma-Patnekar from Business with Monica. She is walking us through her three part framework for getting to know our customers better, so that e-commerce brands can build stronger connections and sell more of our products. Monica is an e-commerce brand mentor and cons...
Feb 07, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that one of my mantras is that slow, steady growth is how strong businesses are built. Well, they are also built with intentionality, connectivity, and care, which today's guest is a wonderful example of. Amy Frazer is an author, illustrator and the founder of Keller Design Co, where she strives to empower you to make modern memories through craft, stationery, embroidery kits, and artful gifts to help you share stories, make connecti...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Selling wholesale can be a valuable and lucrative strategy for businesses of all sizes, but there are a few myths about the process that can discourage some entrepreneurs from exploring whether wholesale is a good fit for them or prevent some brands from pushing further into wholesale and expanding the revenue stream. Listen in to hear 5 myths about selling wholesale and the truths behind each! Today’s episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right For You masterclass ! During this free, on...
Jan 24, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Don’t you love hearing other people’s business journeys? I sure do. Today I’m joined by Lana Effron of Lana’s Shop. Lana is a Paper Camp alum and a member of our Proof to Product Advisory Board. Today you’ll hear why and how Lana made the jump from working as graphic designer at Vogue Magazine and Gap to opening her own design studio that now sells vibrant products in hundreds of stores around the globe, and partners with brands like Terrain, Anthropologie, REI, The Lumineers, and Lily Collins. ...
Jan 17, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fun fact: Approximately 75% of our Proof to Product community sells their products through a Shopify site. One of the most commonly asked questions that comes up during Paper Camp is “What Shopify apps can I use to enhance the sales experience?” Today’s guest is Erin Alexander from Product Powerhouse and she’s sharing her favorite Shopify Apps , including why she recommends them and how they can make your life easier. We’re talking about apps to enhance your product listings, collect & share cus...
Jan 10, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our labs program is getting a major upgrade for 2023 with more accountability, incredible trainings, in-person meetups, and a wider range of support from our coaches, community leaders and your peers! Today's episode is actually a presentation that I recently shared with our LABS members, notifying them about all the incredible things that they can expect in 2023. It was too good to keep to ourselves, so we are sharing it here on the podcast with all of you! If you are looking for strategy, solu...
Jan 03, 2023•23 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 3, and we have some incredible things lined up for you! Coming up in January, you'll be hearing from Erin Alexander of Product Powerhouse, Lana Effron of Lana's Shop, and Amy Frazer of Keller Design Co. While we're gone, be sure to dip back into the archives. We have over 277 Incredible episodes to help you strengthen your ...
Dec 20, 2022•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast For those just starting out on their commerce journey, selecting a sales platform can sometimes be intimidating. Do they go with something like Amazon or Etsy where there is a built in audience, or should they build on Shopify where they then have to drive traffic to their site? Today’s guest is Grace Hayden, an e-commerce CEO and expert who has built and sold multiple products on platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon. She has over 20 years of retail experience including a degree in retail bu...
Dec 13, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you casting a big enough vision for your brand and are you considering all of the different ways to attract new customers and diversify your revenue streams as an artist? Today's guest dreamed big from the start—she modeled her business off of creative women such as JLo and Oprah, and she wants us to consider doing the same. On today's episode, Kathy Cano-Murillo of the Crafty Chica and I are talking about how consistently showing up authentically, sharing her ups and downs, and having an ab...
Dec 06, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are your marketing & sales efforts focused on customer acquisition or customer retention? This quarter inside of Proof to Product LABS , we’ve been focused on sales strategies with an eye towards customer retention. Meaning, how do we get our existing customers to buy more frequently and in higher volume; and how do we get them to refer their friends? In October, I led a training on customer retention that included some eye opening statistics about why it is so incredibly important to focus on k...
Nov 29, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast When we allocate our time, money, energy and effort in specific areas of our business, we are guaranteed to see growth. For 2022, Ashley Jankowski of the Typeset Co chose to invest in and focus their marketing efforts on SEO and the results have paid off. They’ve seen over 600% more visitors to their website and their email subscribers have grown. In this episode we’re talking about how The Typeset markets their products including why she’s investing in video, stop-motion video, SEO and copywrit...
Nov 22, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manufacturing partners aren’t simple or easy to find, but it becomes even more complex when you’re trying to manufacture complex products that are best created overseas. In this episode, Ashley Jankowski joins us to share how she shifted from a branding agency into a product-based business, along with the journey to exploring manufacturers overseas. Today’s episode is brought to you by LABS, our 12-month group coaching program that was built for product based business owners who want to streamli...
Nov 15, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you have a product idea that has never existed before? If so, you may be wondering what it takes to bring an entirely new product to market or how to find suppliers and manufacturers. How do you market and sell something that no one has ever heard about? Kristina Schlegel of Make Bake faced these questions and concerns when she created edible stickers. In today’s episode, she’s taking us behind the scenes of how she broke into a new category, challenges she faced with packaging, and how she s...
Nov 08, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are the tasks and projects that you have going on in your business leaving you feeling overwhelmed? In today’s episode, I’m sharing how to reduce that overwhelm by deciding where to focus your time and energy, and identify areas where we can delegate responsibilities within our business. If you’ve been nervous to hire or delegate in your business, this episode is for you! Today’s episode is brought to you by our free, on-demand masterclass, Deciding What to Delegate in Three Simple Steps , which...
Nov 01, 2022•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is a retail store an avenue you’ve been wanting to explore in your product-based business? Lisa DiVito of Tiramisu Paperie joins us today to share her own experience in opening a retail store as an additional revenue stream to her already successful wholesale business. Listen in as she shares what she’s learned through the process and shares advice for anyone looking to open a brick-and-mortar store. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide which will hel...
Oct 25, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
