304 | You Can Be Successful with Wholesale without Trade Shows with Katie Hart, Odd Daughter Paper Co.

Yes, friend, you can be successful with wholesale without exhibiting at trade shows. This is a question that I frequently hear from our Paper Camp students and today’s guest is a shining example of how slow, intentional growth without trade shows leads to success.

Today’s guest is Paper Camp Alum & Advisory Board member, Katie Hart of Odd Daughter Paper Co. Katie launched Odd Daughter in 2013 as a side hustle. The brand evolved into a thriving product brand whose revenue primarily comes from wholesale and her products are sold in stores throughout the world.

This was such an inspiring conversation that I decided to break it up into two parts. On today’s episode, which is part 1, Katie shares how Odd Daughter got started, the intentional decisions she’s made along the way to make her business growth more sustainable, and we talk about her decision to exhibit at her first wholesale trade show in 2023—after 10 years of successfully scaling wholesale.

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.

The Misconception of Full-Time Success

Katie Hart originally launched her brand as an Etsy shop while she was working full-time. When she decided to pivot into wholesale ten years ago, she rebranded to Odd Daughter Paper Co. At the time, she was working a full-time job and doing custom wedding stationery. In 2015, she realized that Odd Daughter was taking off and she needed to dedicate more time to it, so she quit her full-time job.

For a full year, she was dedicated to Odd Daughter Paper Co. full-time. She found herself struggling financially, but also longing for social interaction, so she got a part-time job with a florist. Over the last seven years since quitting her full-time job, Katie has accepted roles for part-time work and contract positions. In January 2023, Katie went full-time with Odd Daughter.

This is a common misconception for creators—we often believe that we have to be dedicated full-time to our business in order to be successful, but that’s not the case.

It’s not always possible, because we do have responsibilities and bills that we need to take care of and those full-time roles guarantee our income for that period of life and business. There are a variety of ways you can build your business, and so many of us rely on part-time work or do consulting for that additional side revenue as we’re building our business.

If you’ve found yourself in this position where you went full-time, but need additional income, it is perfectly acceptable and normal for you to seek out that work to supplement your income.

How to Find Wholesale Success without Trade Shows

Despite the fact that Odd Daughter Paper Co. found success in wholesaling for the last ten years, it wasn’t until 2023 that Katie exhibited at a trade show. Over those ten years, Katie looked realistically at the expense of a trade show and what that impact would have on her business. That meant that trade shows were off the table for her.

During those ten years, Katie still managed to gain wholesale accounts for Odd Daughter Paper Co., even before Faire was a tool she could use. She attributes that success to proactive outreach and pitching to retailers by herself and her sister.

Completing Paper Camp in 2015 did help solidify her foundations and the product line that she wanted to create in the long term. She knew she needed a larger, stronger product line to attract larger retailers. As she better established her product line, pricing, and terms and conditions, her sales got stronger.

Even now, ten years in, Katie and Odd Daughter Paper Co. are still learning and growing.

Odd Daughter Paper Co.’s First Trade Show Experience

At the beginning of 2023, both Katie and her sister were working full-time for Odd Daughter Paper Co. This was the first time in ten years that it felt feasible for her to plan for a trade show. Ultimately, they landed on *Noted because of the proximity to her home, the convenience of them building your booth, and she knew a lot of other exhibitors who would be there.

Katie went into the show with very few expectations, but she wanted to gain leads, sales, and connections. Overall, simply completing the show was the goal for her. Since it was her first one, she had a lot of preparation that went into it. This included reviewing her product line closely, outreach to retailers with mailers, and creating her first physical catalog.

At the show, she wrote five orders and got a lot of visibility on her brand. Afterward, she followed up with a few connections and made a few more sales. Since she wasn’t sure of what to expect, she was happy with the outcome.

Slow and Steady Growth

Now, Katie knows that this is something that she can do, but she doesn’t believe it is something you have to do in order to be successful with wholesale.

This ties in with a concept I talk about all the time on the podcast, in LABS, and at Paper Camp- slow and steady growth. It took Katie ten years to get to her first tradeshow but with that came a wealth of experience and confidence in her product line.

quick links:

Here is a recap of links mentioned throughout this post as you navigate getting started with tradeshows and wholesale.

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MEET KATIE

Katie is a self-taught illustrator and founded her stationery business, Odd Daughter, in 2013. It began as a business run on weekends and lunch hours and has evolved into full time work for both Katie and her sister, Michelle. Michelle helped on the side for years and finally joined the team full time in 2022. Katie does all of the illustrating and hand lettering, while Michelle handles operations, wholesale, etc. They both love brainstorming sentiments for the cards and their goal is to sound like a real friend-- whether that's clever, sincere, encouraging or empathetic. Odd Daughter is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and draws a great deal of creative inspiration from the desert.

CONNECT WITH KATIE

WEBSITE: odddaughterpaper.com | INSTAGRAM: @odddaughterco | TIKTOK: @odddaughterco

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct