Proof To Product

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 show.  If you’re not already familiar with Creative Biz Rebellion, go check it out. Kelly and Caroline do an amazing job of supporting product based businesses through their programs and podcast. They were also guests on Proof to Product — visit the links below to find them over at Creative Biz Rebellion and here on Proof to Product.   Links: Creative Biz Rebellion Proof to Product with Caroline Hull (Ep 45) Proof to Product with Kelly Parker Smith (Ep 56)   Have a wonderful week friends and thank you for listening

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 built her deal of a day website and then leveraged best selling products to create their own site and brand.  She also shares how she leverages influencers to sell her product and why testing your product is the most important thing you can do in e-commerce. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Alison’s career background Why she left the classroom for entrepreneurship Her first experience selling products online The different types of products she has sold online & how she decides what to sell How & when she first introduced

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 and what her priorities were for outsourcing this piece of her business. She also talks about how she’s brought on 40 sales reps and how working with them and attending markets with her reps has enhanced her business. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The products Taylor Elliott Designs offer How Taylor originally started her business as a side hustle while working a full-time job How her product offerings have evolved over the years What systems she has in place to streamline both the retail and wholesale arms of her business

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, combined it with her love of paper and created a beautiful line of guided journals, inspiration decks, lip balms and more. When she’s not working, you can find her traveling the globe with her husband and son.   On today’s episode, Tanya shares why she never wanted to be an entrepreneur, how she’s weaved both products and services into her business and why she prioritizes and invests in professional development. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How she became an entrepreneur when she didn’t originally want to be one The catalyst t

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 her husband and two little ones. They love eating their way across their home of Naples, Italy.   On today’s episode, we talk about key components of a strong brand, how Kaye has created a location independent business and she shares a branding exercise that you can do right now! ON TODAY’S EPISODE: A misconception that online business owners have about branding How Kaye helps clients define their unique brand advantage How she works with companies to figure out their “why” and the meaning behind what they're doing Wha

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 businesses. She tells us how she got her first licensing deal, fears she had when she first started licensing her art and why it’s so valuable to find mentors and community if licensing is something you want to pursue for your business. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Shelley’s career path prior to starting her stationery business How she knew she wanted to jump into her business full-time When she realized licensing was a potential revenue source for her Her first licensing deal The fears she had surrounding licensing her a

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 as works as a commercial photographer for beauty and lifestyle brands.   Elle’s dog Mochi is a 4 year old maltipoo model and influencer with over 100,000 Instagram followers. Elle and Mochi have been featured on Entrepreneur, CNBC, the Today Show, and a number of other media outlets. They’ve collaborated with brands like American Express, Disney, Google, and The Ritz-Carlton and also use their platform to raise awareness for organizations like the Humane Society and local shelters.   On today’s episode we talked abou

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 Rosanna Kvernmo, Iron Curtain Press Jeanette Champion-Fanning, Sweet Perversion   I hope these compilation episodes inspire you to push forward in your business, and if you need a helping hand we invite you to join us for the Paper Camp E-Course which starts next week.  It’s a four week course featuring live group coaching calls with me and some of my favorite guest experts including Kristen Ley of Thimblepress, Carina Murray of Crow & Canary, Rachael Hetzel from Pistachio Press and Heather Haynie of Rock Paper

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 Halifax Paper Hearts   I hope these compilation episodes inspire you to push forward in your business, and if you need a helping hand we invite you to join us for the Paper Camp E-Course which starts next week.  It’s a four week course featuring live group coaching calls with me and some of my favorite guest experts including Kristen Ley of Thimblepress, Carina Murray of Crow & Canary, Rachael Hetzel from Pistachio Press and Heather Haynie of Rock Paper Scissors.  For more information head to http://www.tra

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 Cara Underwood, Underwood Letterpress Kimberley Yurkiewicz, Crow & Canary   I hope these compilation episodes inspire you to push forward in your business, and if you need a helping hand we invite you to join us for the Paper Camp E-Course which starts next week.  It’s a four week course featuring live group coaching calls with me and some of my favorite guest experts including Kristen Ley of Thimblepress, Carina Murray of Crow & Canary, Rachael Hetzel from Pistachio Press and Heather Haynie of Rock Paper

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 she combatted them and how she reaches out to her wholesale buyers. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What motivated Catherine to start Kitty Meow The products that she offers now & how that has shifted over the years What the rebranding process Kitty Meow looked like The fears and doubts Catherine had to work through during the rebranding process Her experience entering into the wholesale market & the three things she did to prepare her business for wholesale Catherine’s process for outreach to retailers How she manages

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 artists, crafters and designers share their work with more confidence.   On today’s episode we talk about Danielle’s journey of starting her business, how she manages both a product and service based business and she shares why Etsy is a great platform for makers. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How she got started with her business, The Merriweather Council What she sold in her original Etsy shop Her favorite materials to work with The educational curve you have with customers when introducing something that’s new to them How she

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, and more. Previously, Amber helped launch six best-selling books as Chief Evangelist of Seth Godin's publishing experiment.   On today’s episode, Amber shares strategies for combating worry, fear and anxiety and infusing more wonder and creativity into our days.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: A misconception that people have around the feelings of fear and doubt Her career path and what lead her to be an author, an artist, an inspirational speaker Amber’s experience working with Seth Godin What motivated her to write Choose

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 team management skills.  For more information about the job, please go to www.tradeshowcamp.com/joinourteam.

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 recent artist collaboration with Anthropologie.   On today’s episode we talk about her multiple revenue streams, licensing & collaborations as well as growing pains of being an entrepreneur. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The types of products Lillian creates Where she gets her inspiration when she’s creating What prompted her to start this business & how it started out as a hobby When Lillian realized she wanted to have her own line The collaborations she has been able to do with influencers and brands How certain col

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 in the production of original art prints inspired by science, nature, and the outdoors. Briana & Jason have done some creative collaborative projects with big brands such as Lollapalooza, Patgonia, Airstream trailers and an upcoming project with L.L. Bean.  On today’s episode Briana and Jason talk about how their love of learning inspires their work, using a strong brand to attract the right clients and why your business should always be in some state of transition.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: [01:00] Building a busi

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 Charlottesville, Virginia. Rock Paper Scissors is the go-to destination for locals and visitors alike looking for laugh-out-loud greeting cards, journals, dec accessories, calendars, planners and modern gifts.     On today’s episode we talk about a wide range of topics including what it takes to run a retail storefront, how they divide responsibilities as business partners and what success looks like for each of them. We also got personal. Dani shares her story of battling cancer. We also discuss how Heather & Dani w

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, over the last seven years. Her stationery, gift wrap and party goods can be found in more than 1500 retail shops around the world, including Paper Source, Anthropologie, Container Store, and Hallmark just to name a few. On this episode Erin talks about her humble beginnings, manufacturing challenges she experienced, and how she slowly but strategically added members to her team.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: [01:30] Building a business while staying home with the kids and with $200. [03:30] Starting on Etsy.[05:30] Addin

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!   Kristen Ley is the sole owner and founder of Thimblepress, a lifestyle brand that focuses on creating products and experiences that make you smile and want to celebrate life's moments, big and small. Kristen created Thimblepress out of her garage in 2012 and the company has seen tremendous growth since then. She now has a team of 15 full-time and part time employees and the company occupies 7000 square feet that includes 2 brick and mortar retail locations. Kristen’s products are now sold in over 1500 retail stores internationally and she continuing to work with brands to create unique collaboration and partnership opportunities!  

Johnny and Joanna are the husband-and-wife co-founders of Letterfolk, a contemporary American brand whose mission is to create meaningful products inspired by simpler times. Letterfolk started in June 2015 while the couple searched for a unique way to capture their daughter's monthly baby milestone photos. They designed a modern, versatile letter board that was tailored and repurposed for today's home. Letter boards are now a staple of social media art direction, home decor, and milestone photography.   As Letterfolk has grown, so has the brand vision and product offerings. Letterfolk products are proudly made in the United States with premium materials, craftsmanship, and processes.   On today’s episode we’re talking about how Johnny & Joanna reinvented the letter board market, their thoughts on copy cats and how they leverage social media to nurture their customers and share their company story. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The most unique and interesting way they’ve ever seen a letter board used How Johnny