Episodes
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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 coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/369
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 bananas.
You won't get that with social media or even sometimes paid ads. Email marketing is also one of the best ways to build trust with your customers so that they come back time and time again to order with you.
I have been shouting the importance of email marketing for years, but, today, I wanted to let our friends at Flodesk explain why email marketing is so important, what data you should be paying attention to, and overlooked opportunities when it comes to email marketing.
My guest today is Dawn Richardson. She is the product education manager at Flodesk. She also runs her own business called Tech Savvy Creative. Dawn has a background in software engineering, and then she was in wedding photography.
Now, she's back in the world of tech where she's helping creative entrepreneurs of all types. Her mission is to create a safe, fun, and welcoming corner of the Internet where entrepreneurs can learn how to leverage technology so they can spend more time doing work that matters most.
You can try out Flodesk by going to our affiliate link at http://prooftoproduct.com/flodesk.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.
DOWNLOAD NOW
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/368
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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Missing episodes?
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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: Make Better Plans releases this week and offers readers a practical framework for what an effective strategy looks like and feels like in today's fast-moving chaotic, and diverse world. This strategy allows readers to zoom out and see the bigger picture and understand the systems that are shaping their lives at work, in business, and day-to-day challenges.
Seth contends that by recognizing and mastering these systems and prioritizing long-term thinking over instant gratification, we can make smart, purposeful choices today that will lead to long-term growth.
In my conversation with Seth, he shares his motivation for writing this book, the four elements that are critical for an effective strategy, and the importance of identifying and connecting with our smallest viable audience.
On a personal note, when I started my product business in 2008, Seth's work was a major catalyst in helping me gain marketing momentum. He has a no-nonsense approach. He's concise and clear with his thoughts, and that resonates and gets your wheels turning, which you will hear in today's episode.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/367
This episode contains affiliate links. You can view our affiliate disclaimer here.
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 manufacturing partners now vs in the past, changes in technology, decision fatigue, and more.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/366
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 share her story with us, how she navigated that situation and came out ahead.
Rikrack Embroidery creates kits that are not only beautiful and unique, but also fun and simple to stitch, as well as embroidery-inspired gifts that she's recently expanded into. Riki created embroidery art in college but stopped stitching while working as an in-house artist for more than 18 years.
Rikrack combines the love of art making with the fun of embroidery to design kits that allow anyone to create their own special piece of art.
On today's episode, Riki shares why she felt like she was starting over when she moved from selling direct to consumer to selling wholesale. We talk about the challenges she faced and the solutions that she implemented when she sold out of all of her inventory in just a few days when launching wholesale. And we talk about why slow, steady, and intentional outsourcing have served Riki well in growing her business.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. If you have ever wanted to pick my brain or get my eyes and ears on your business, our LABS coaching program is the place to do that.
One of our founding members, Cedric Victor of Special Orbit, said it best. He said: if you don't want to find out months or years down the line that there was a better way to run your business, get in LABS. We are constantly talking, figuring things out together, and sharing hard-won insights.
Cedric, thank you so much for this. I could not agree with you more. LABS is a special community that includes a wide range of product makers like Riki, our guest today.
We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/365
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 Instagram staff and is an international keynote speaker on all things Instagram.
During the interview, we discussed the emerging platform of Threads and how he's using it for business. Fun fact: Threads is actually how Brock and I got connected. (You can follow Brock here on Threads and Proof to Product here on Threads!)
He shares how to optimize your Instagram profile, how to create share-worthy content, and how to balance content creation with all of the other tasks that you have to do in your business. We also chat about tools that he's using, like Metricool (affiliate link) and ManyChat (affiliate link).
I wanted to bring Brock on the show because our recent industry survey showed that Instagram is one of the primary marketing channels that many of our product based business owners are using, and I thought this advice would be super valuable to you.
If you're interested in reading the 2024 State of the Product Industry Survey Report, click here to download it. Over 925 product brands participated in this survey, and they shared intimate details about their businesses. We're talking money, team, how much they're working, how they're retaining and attracting new customers.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.
DOWNLOAD NOW
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/364
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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We are back with another compilation episode with our Paper Camp coaches. If you missed last week’s episode, you can check it out by going to episode 362.
In this episode, I'm taking a different approach and asking a different set of questions. These questions are directly aimed at our coaches who are wholesale buyers that run retail storefronts. Today's questions focus on tips for pitching products to buyers and building wholesale relationships between stores and brands. Last week we wrapped up the 44th round of Paper Camp, and I am so grateful to these coaches for providing so much personalized feedback to our students.
Myself and our coaches were in our community group every day answering questions, sharing solutions, and connecting with our students. So many of our students have already updated their pricing and their terms and conditions. They've created catalogs. They're sending out their first wholesale pitches.
Some have completely revamped their retention strategies and how they're reaching out to existing accounts too. It has been so fun to see the transformations in such a short amount of time.
The coaches featured in this episode are Theresa Delaney of Creative Kind and Jen Palacio of Tiny Turns Paperie. Both have retail storefronts and purchase products from members of our community.
Questions I asked these Paper Camp coaches:
What is the best way that you like to be pitched by a brand?
How do you not want to be pitched by a brand?
What is something that you see brands worrying about that doesn't really affect your buying decisions?
Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.
Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.
Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions.
We won’t be offering another round of Paper Camp until 2025 so if you are listening to this episode and you missed this round, be sure to get on the waitlist by clicking the link below.
SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/363
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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We are in the final week of our signature program, Paper Camp. In Paper Camp, we teach product-based business owners how to get their products on the shelves of their favorite stores, big and small. Paper Camp is an insanely comprehensive coaching program focusing on foundational and growth strategies for selling wholesale.
During Paper Camp, we answer hundreds of business owners' questions about product development, sales, marketing, and more. If it correlates to selling wholesale, we cover it in this program.
This week on the podcast, we thought it would be fun to ask a few of our Paper Camp coaches questions that we could share with all of you here and give you an inside look at what it's like being inside a Paper Camp and asking very personal questions about your brands.
The coaches featured in this episode are Theresa Delaney of Creative Kind, Kiwi Schloffel of Your Gal Kiwi, and Jen Palacio of Tiny Turns Paperie.
Questions I asked these Paper Camp coaches:
What is something you struggled with when you started selling wholesale that you also see our Paper Camp students struggling with?
We had a lot of great questions during the first week of Paper Camp, which was focused on product development. What advice do you have for brands that are working on refining and strengthening their product line?
What is a missed opportunity for wholesale brands when it comes to how they are presenting their work to stores?
What is something you wish more brands would celebrate when growing their wholesale sales?
Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.
Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.
Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions.
We won’t be offering another round of Paper Camp until 2025 so if you are listening to this episode and you missed this round, be sure to get on the waitlist by clicking the link below.
SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/362
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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I love staying connected to our community while they're out exhibiting or attending trade shows throughout the year. One update that caught my eye this summer was from Biff Ulm of Nice Enough Stickers about his experience at the Las Vegas gift show. Now Biff is no stranger to the podcast. He's been sharing tips about leveraging point-of-sale systems back on episode 146, and we did a COVID check-in with him during episode 177 where he shared how things were going for his brick-and-mortar shop at the time.
Biff and I had a lot to catch up on in this episode, but one thing that stood out was that his observations at the Las Vegas gift show were about product development strategy. He has much to say about it, and I'm excited for you to listen in.
For background, Biff’s stickers are now in over 3000 stores with 8,000 locations, so he knows a thing or two about creating products that people want to buy. Biff also owns a wildly successful retail shop, which provides him with a unique viewpoint as both a wholesale buyer and seller.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of patience, iteration, and customer feedback in developing successful products. We also discuss how to leverage data and understand buying behaviors.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.
DOWNLOAD NOW
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/361
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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Is it possible to have a thriving business and not be on social media? In episode 309, Brigida Swanson from Yardia joined me to discuss what it was like for her to leave social media.
We talked a lot about choosing contentment over business growth, and this episode was a listener favorite. We decided to invite Brigida back onto the podcast to check in and see how things are going 1 year later.
Brigida Swanson is a multiracial Chamorro watercolor artist from Seattle and the one-woman show behind her company, YARDIA. She creates watercolor-driven and Pacific Northwest-inspired art, stationery, and home goods that help folks to express their intersectional identities and love the places they live.
During this interview, we discussed how her business has thrived without the constant scroll. We talked about the positive impact the shift has made on her personal life and how her focused efforts on email newsletters and direct outreach for wholesale have helped her expand.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.
DOWNLOAD NOW
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We have all heard that we need to showcase our authentic selves for our businesses, but what does that actually mean? What does that look like in our business?
This week's podcast episode features a recent portion of a coffee chat hosted by Kiwi Schloffel held inside of our private LABS program. LABS is our membership for product-based business owners where we talk about how to work smarter, not harder within our businesses, including how we show up as a leader.
In this coffee chat, Kiwi touches on a variety of topics, such as the importance of staying true to your brand's identity, how to use personal interest to inject authenticity into your business, and more.
This week's podcast episode is brought to you by Kodi Collective, who is also a sponsor of our Paper Camp program. Kodi Collective is a leading omnichannel marketing company that supports B2C and B2B brands and publications. They offer a wide range of print, procurement, and creative production solutions, including digital and offset printing, sourcing, and logistics. They are focused on helping you achieve an integrated marketing mix to reach your audience in meaningful ways. You can learn more about Kodi's services by going to their website.
All of our Paper Camp and LABS students get access to a private Proof to Product portal with Kodi, where they get discounted rates on print services and a dedicated sales rep to help us with all of our project management.
They provide support throughout the process of getting your project off the ground. So if you are looking for a new print partner, our community has had great experiences working with Kodi Collective. And if you missed our latest round of Paper Camp, click here to get on the waitlist for our next round.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/359
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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We are gearing up for our next 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 represent a small sampling of our community. They sell a wide range of home decor, jewelry, embroidery, stationery, and consumer gift products. They sell their products to stores big and small across the world.
Some came through Paper Camp several years ago while a couple just attended our latest round, and yet each of them took advantage of everything that Paper Camp had to offer: the coaching, the community, and the coursework.
They implemented what they learned, and now they are seeing incredible results. Check out the links of everyone featured below and be sure to head to this link to enroll in our next round of Paper Camp.
Businesses featured in this episodeChelsea Ward, Sketchy Notions: Follow on Instagram
Christy Asper, Paper Baristas: Follow on Instagram
Riki Inge, Rikrack Embroidery: Follow on Instagram
Sandra Alcorn, Petals & Pins: Follow on Instagram
Shelley Schmidt, Sunny Day Designs: Follow on Instagram
Kate Murray, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress: Follow on Instagram
Nellys Siria, Cocoa Loves Grey: Follow on Instagram
Keli Change, PärdēPress: Follow on Instagram
Ashley Sutton, Hustle and Hope: Follow on Instagram
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/358
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.
Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.
Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you’ll get early access to enroll.
SIGN UP NOW
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/357
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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There’s no “easy mode” in business. Selling physical products is a lot of work and being a product entrepreneur requires grit, tenacity, and courage.
Today’s episode is for seasoned wholesalers who might be experiencing a slower sales season this summer. If your sales have stalled, there are two metrics that you can tap into to build stronger relationships with your current accounts and sustainably scale your revenue for wholesale.
Tune in and you’ll learn how to find opportunities for reorders, simplify your purchasing process, make small but impactful changes that improve cash flow for your business, and more. This episode offers some high-level number-crunching and practical sales strategies that will help you increase your wholesale revenue and get out of your sales slump.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our signature program, Paper Camp, our 4-week program that takes the guess-work out of selling wholesale. When you follow the strategies and methods in Paper Camp, you’ll not only feel more confident but you’ll reach your wholesale goals faster. Come join the program now!
SIGN UP NOW
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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Pitching large retailers is a completely different process and timeline than working with independent retailers. Having worked with thousands of brands, I know that it can feel like an intimidating process to pitch your work to these key accounts.
Today on the podcast, we're pulling back the curtain and explaining how it all works. My guest today is Sally Diguette, a home and lifestyle buyer with Anthropologie. Through an unpredictable path, Sally landed in the retail industry and has over 14 years of experience in buying, product development, and sourcing.
Sally is an innovative merchant and consultant. She centers her work around relationship building and creative strategy, combining unique product development and sourcing from national brands across a variety of categories. Her passion lies in working with emerging brands in an incubator capacity to build fresh product offerings, solid organizational systems, and a strong team structure.
On today's episode, Sally shares about the buying process and schedule for Anthropologie. We talk specifically about the timelines that she's working with for both exclusive products as well as ready made products. And she offers advice for how to get your products in front of key account buyers.
Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:
We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us
We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions
We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint
We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers.
And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, it's only $27 bucks.
Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/355
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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When we have our eyes set on a specific business goal, something like selling wholesale, it is incredibly beneficial to hear from people who are a few steps ahead of us in the process, which is why we close out every round of our Paper Camp program with an alumni panel. I want our students to hear from their peers. In today's podcast episode, we're sharing a portion of our alumni roundtable with all of you.
This alumni panel features Janine Kwoh from Kwohtations, Jesse Regis from Virgins on Fire Candle Company, and Lucia Saisse Morris from Lucy Loves Paper.
Each of these Paper Camp alumni shares details about their brand, how many stores they're working with, what has been challenging about growing wholesale, and more.
Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.
Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.
Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for the next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you’ll get early access to enroll.
SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 obtained huge results.
These scholarships are a big deal and we treat them that way. We typically have anywhere from 80-90 scholarship applications every round of Paper Camp. My team and I dedicate several days to view all the videos, read the applications, review websites, and ultimately whittle it down to one full tuition scholarship winner.
It’s never an easy choice, but we do put a lot of care into our selections. And, today I want to share 5 ways that you can stand out when submitting your Paper Camp application.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/353
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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-demand masterclass, we’ll walk through 12 questions to ask yourself to determine if you, your products, and your business are ready to sell wholesale. I’m sharing my own tips for you to move forward confidently with your next steps.
GET ACCESS
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/352
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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It is so deflating when we put our work out into the world and either don't hear back or we're told that now isn't the right time. Our students feel this deeply when they are pitching wholesale accounts, but today's guest is reminding us that a no today doesn't always mean that it's a no forever.
Nellys Syria is the owner of Cocoa Loves Grey, a colorful accessories brand that sells very popular and beautiful laser-cut earrings. Nellys believes in the power of bright colors to draw people in and make them happy. She's always coming up with fun and unique items to keep her business fresh and interesting. She's a 1st generation Latina and the 1st business owner in her entire family. Nellys sells her earrings to both direct-to-consumer audiences and wholesale and her product line expanded when her husband bought a laser cutter for Christmas. We talk about how her dream store originally told her no, but eventually came back to purchase her gorgeous earrings.
Nellys shares how she was on the verge of burnout, but pushed pause to reset how she was running her business.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our free, on-demand wholesale audio series. In this audio series, I’ll walk you through the biggest mistakes and most common questions folks have when they are starting and scaling wholesale—so you don’t make the same mistakes myself and others did. You can binge this audio series in less than an hour and you can listen on the go in your favorite podcast player. No fluff here, just concrete action steps and answers to help you simplify and strengthen your wholesale sales.
SIGN UP
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/351
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
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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 step-by-step instructions on how to audit your product line, including how to collect the data and what data to collect, analysis and what to look for, as well as how to apply what you're learning from the data to your business moving forward.
Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.
Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.
Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you’ll get early access to enroll.
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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/350
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