Today's episode is short but very detailed, so find a quiet place to listen and grab a notebook. This is a quick training that I recorded for our LABS members. Our LABS members are Paper Camp alumni, so they have been through our intensive program. This is something that we walk you through in Paper Camp as well, but I wanted to bring it up here publicly on the podcast because I know from the 2024 survey results that many of you need to do a product audit. In this episode, I walk you through the...
Jul 23, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast I love bringing a variety of perspectives and people from the retail space to this podcast. Buyers, sales reps, you name it, they've been on the Proof to Product podcast. This week's episode, I'm joined by Keli Faw, who is the owner of Crow & Canary . Crow & Canary might sound familiar as we've had the previous owner, Carina Murray, on the show in episode 232 . Carina has also been a long-time Paper Camp speaker and supporter of our Proof to Product community. Keli took over Crow & Canary in ear...
Jul 16, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you want to hear from someone who has more than 18 years of corporate retail buying experience and who knows what buyers are looking for when they are shopping on Faire, you are in luck because today's guest on the podcast is Kristin Fisher of Bocu . Kristin owns the gifting brand, Bocu , and she is also a retail strategy mentor for brands and independent retailers, as well as the host of the Buyerside Chat podcast . In this episode, Kristin and I discuss the essentials of optimizing your Fai...
Jul 09, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Proof to Product team is practicing what we preach and we are going on summer break for the next two weeks! We will be back in your ears mid-July and we are so excited about our upcoming episodes. In the meantime, we are gearing up for another round of our Paper Camp program which will start at the end of August. We only run Paper Camp twice a year, so if you are wanting to learn how to start with wholesale, click here to join the waitlist (we sell out every time!) Have a great two weeks and...
Jun 25, 2024•55 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Every day, I hear from product-based business owners who are curious about other people's business models, revenue streams, team structure, tech stack, how much revenue they're not only earning but what profit they're taking home, and how much they're paying themselves. Although we know that every business is different, it is completely natural to want to see behind the scenes and the curtains of another brand in your industry. But more than ever, it's more than curiosity now. We know that our p...
Jun 18, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast What if you lived in a different state than your business? Meaning, all of your products, your inventory, your team, and your operations were in a completely different state. For today's guest, Rachel Kroh of Heartell Press , this is her every day now. She lives in Washington with her family, while her team of 5 works remotely across the country. They're shipping cards and gifts to more than 1,000 stores worldwide. In this episode, Rachel shares how she tripled her revenue by focusing on selling...
Jun 11, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast We've been telling you a lot of stories here on the podcast about brands making big scary shifts in business, and part of the reason we're doing this is to normalize that it's okay to pivot when you need to. In episode 342, Alyson O'Connor shared how she shut down a 6-figure revenue stream so she could focus on a revenue stream wholesale that better fit the day-to-day life she wanted. In episode 338, Kiwi Schloffel shared how she made the tough decision to exit her business, and Meghan Hopkins S...
Jun 04, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Running a business sure is a roller coaster, isn't it? We have our ups and downs. We have to balance the future forecasting and envisioning while also putting out the day-to-day fires in front of us. It takes a lot of grit and determination to be an entrepreneur, particularly when you're building something that aligns with your personal interests and values. Today's guest is Tammie Bennett from the Show Up Society . Tammie is a certified mindset coach, podcaster, speaker, artist, and educator. S...
May 28, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast A wholesale catalog’s purpose is to sell your products, tell your story, and build a relationship with a buyer when you can’t be there with them in person. Ultimately, the goal of your wholesale catalog is to sell your products, and it’s important to build your catalog with your retailer in mind. Today I’m going to go through five quick tips for creating an effective wholesale catalog. Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series . To make a strong first impression w...
May 21, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever wanted to make a transition in your business, but you resisted because the thing you wanted to move away from brought in the largest chunk of revenue for your business? I have definitely been there, and so has today's podcast guest. Alyson O'Connor is a classically trained visual artist specializing in nature-inspired illustrations, stationery, and gifts. She runs Rust Belt Love with her husband Nick in Buffalo, New York. Alyson draws and designs, and Nick prints, often on their 10...
May 14, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are seeking 1,000 product-based business owners who are willing to anonymously share their details for the 2024 State of the Product Industry Report: www.prooftoproduct.com/2024survey The data will help you make stronger decisions in your business. It will help you better understand the industry and your competition. It will help you identify growth opportunities. The results will benefit us all. BUT... in order to make this report truly successful, we need you to do the following: Fill out t...
May 09, 2024•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast I love using the podcast to spotlight our different community members and their unique businesses and stories because we know that no two businesses are the same. We all have our lived experiences and interests that play into the types of businesses we create and how we choose to run these businesses each day. Today's guest is Paper Camp Alumni Priyanka Batra from My Darlin’ , a colorful Brooklyn-based paper goods studio. Through her work, she aims to romanticize everyday moments through a conte...
May 07, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast I know what you're thinking. Why are we talking about holiday gift guides when it's only spring? I know. But just like how product development cycles require advanced planning, so does pitching the press and getting your products featured in holiday gift guides. Today's guest is Nora Wolf from Wolf PR , a boutique public relations firm that she founded in 2011. Wolf PR specializes in furniture, textiles, lighting, and collectible design. In addition, they have consulted with a wide range of comp...
Apr 30, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you work with independent contractors in your business, you will want to listen closely to this podcast episode. In March 2024, the US Department of Labor issued new stricter guidelines regarding independent contractor workers. Today's guest is HR consultant and expert, Kira La Forgia of Paradigm Consulting . She is breaking it all down for us so we avoid penalties and audits. We talk about new changes, how they affect you, and how to protect yourself if you currently have team members who ma...
Apr 23, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you have ever considered exiting your business or even acquiring another person's business, today's podcast episode is for you. My guests today are two of my clients and also friends: Meghan Hopkins Sokorai of And Here We Are , and Kiwi Schloffel of Your Gal Kiwi . Last year, Kiwi made the decision that she wanted to exit her product-based business and specifically exit the day-to-day operations of manufacturing. During this episode, these ladies share their individual and collective stories ...
Apr 16, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the things that sets Proof to Product apart from other people teaching about wholesale is the breadth and depth of not only my personal knowledge but also the fact that we bring in a variety of other perspectives from buyers to sales reps to consultants and manufacturers. This wide lens allows us to share best practices and current trends that we're seeing in the market currently. We're not sharing one narrow viewpoint about how to sell wholesale. We have amassed decades of knowledge thro...
Apr 09, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that almost 70% of shoppers abandon their online shopping carts and don't follow through with a sale? That means that only 3 out of 10 of your customers who go to your website and load up their shopping cart complete their purchase. The same report from Baymard Institute said that more than $18,000,000,000 in e-commerce sales are lost annually due to abandoned carts. That is a whole lot of money. And yet, only some independent product brands are utilizing abandoned cart follow-up em...
Apr 02, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our focus here at Proof to Product is teaching people how to successfully sell their products to the wholesale market. But many of our community members sell through multiple sales channels, including licensing, custom work, direct-to-consumer online sales, and in-person retail markets. For today's episode, we're sharing a portion of a recent coffee chat that we hosted inside our LABS program. It was a roundtable on in-person retail markets, and we had 3 of our community members weighing in with...
Mar 26, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The last time Brittany O'Brien was on the podcast was back in 2022 , and we were talking about how she scaled her business to 500 wholesale accounts. Earlier this year, Brittany crossed a new milestone. Her products are now sold in over 1,000 stores, and today, we're going to dig into what the last year and a half has looked like for her. Specifically, we're talking about customer acquisition versus customer retention strategies, fair SEO, and how trade shows have played a part in her substantia...
Mar 19, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast We have shared many incredible business growth stories here on the Proof to Product podcast. One thing that I always try to emphasize is that business is not one size fits all. Every business will look different, operate differently, and have different goals they're working towards. To build a profitable, successful long-term business, we have to be very intentional about the choices that we make. And that includes where we invest our funds, what type of support we bring into our business, the t...
Mar 12, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last week on episode 331 , you met my friends Ginny and Elli from the Supported CEO. They very candidly shared their stories of experiencing burnout in entrepreneurship, including what that was like, what they felt, and they shared their journey back from burnout and what they did to get to where they are today. Today is part 2 in the discussion with Elli and Ginny, and they are sharing strategies and tactics to help you avoid burnout and rebuild self-confidence and trust. You will learn what su...
Mar 05, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast The topic of burnout is popping up a lot in my business circles. People are tired, and they are struggling with decision fatigue. Many people I talk to are questioning whether to even continue with their business or whether they should make an exit, but these types of conversations typically happen behind closed doors, or worse, they don't happen at all, and people end up struggling alone in silence, which is not what I want for any of you. That all changes today. Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles a...
Feb 27, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you're looking for ways to be a stronger leader within your business or you're considering expanding your team, please block off some quiet time to carefully listen today. Our guest for this episode is Tatiana O'Hara , a team and leadership development consultant who helps successful yet overwhelmed online business owners create the structure needed for their team and daily operations so that they can focus on scaling sustainably. As a corporate leader turned business coach, she has helped do...
Feb 20, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are gearing up for the 43rd round of Paper Camp and we are so excited! This is our wholesale intensive program, and I wanted to do something fun for this week's podcast episode to celebrate this milestone and the fact that enrollment for Paper Camp is currently open. I asked our past Paper Camp students to answer 1 question: How have you and your business grown since participating in Paper Camp? The responses we received were incredible. In this episode, you're gonna hear from 9 women who rep...
Feb 13, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever wondered what it's like to attend our Paper Camp program? If so, today's episode is for you! I am sharing an inside peek into one of our Paper Camp coaching calls. This one is with Alex Gagne of Chez Gagné. Alex has been a longtime member of our Paper Camp community. When she first attended as a student, she had been in business a little less than 2 years. She was working out of her living room and had designed a collection of 80 SKUs. Alex knew that wholesale was her end game, so ...
Feb 06, 2024•17 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...
Jan 30, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast I have been doing so much good content for other people and I’m doing my best to bring it back around so that you all have access to it and know about these resources. Recently, the team of Aeolidia asked me to weigh in with my thoughts on the changing landscape of wholesale trade shows for their blog. The post features comments from Arianne Foulks of Aeolidia, Abby Glassenbeg of Craft Industry Alliance, Morgan Cros, the founder of Original’s Duckhead, and myself — all of us shedding light on ou...
Jan 23, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’ve been thinking a lot about how our past work experience and general lived experience shape how we start and build our businesses. For me, I spent 12 years in the corporate world leading business development and strategic marketing teams for large law firms before starting my product line. That time in my life taught me about project management, budgeting, and how important relationships are in business. These are lessons that I carried into my product brand and also into the way we run Proof...
Jan 16, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and relaxing holiday season. I enjoyed a lot of downtime with my family and also worked on a few things behind the scenes to get Proof to Product ready for 2024. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that I look at as I’m wrapping up one year and starting a new one. So today’s episode is going to focus on your New Year checklist. I’m going to share 10 things that work for me in hopes that they will work for you too. Today's episode is ...
Jan 09, 2024•15 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 9, 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 323 incredible episodes to help you strengthen your business. Have a great two weeks and I will see you on January 9th!
Dec 26, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
