ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

Why Megan started Brown Parcel Press [4:23]
How her mindset about running a niche business has shifted as she’s grown the brand [7:59]
Why you shouldn’t try to fit yourself or your products into industry-standard buckets [12:11]
Her product that brings in over 50% of her annual profit [13:55]
How Megan evolves her customer’s experience [17:59]
What she attributes her 300% business growth to over the past year [19:55]
A pivotal moment in Megan’s business that shifted her mindset [23:40]
Why you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment within your business [25:55]
The advice she would give to herself when she first started [29:22]

Download These Quotables to Save and Share

KEY TAKE AWAYS

“I didn't have too much of a mentor around me or another business to look at, but I learned just from doing.” - Megan Fowler [7:09]

“It's when we get in the weeds and get our hands dirty and we really do the thing that we learn so much.”- Katie Hunt [7:28]

“It's like parenting or marriage. You don't know what you need to know until you do it. - Megan Fowler [7:35]

“It's empowering to own that you're not going to be liked by everyone. And that's actually wonderful because your people will find you.” - Megan Fowler [13:16]

“What I was hoping to give my customer was the experience when they opened the box you cared for, you are seeing I value that you are spending your money with me.” - Megan Fowler [18:21]

“I have to remind myself, it wasn't luck. It was hard work, and people showing up. And we did what we needed to do to make it all work.” - Megan Fowler [22:19]

“All that slow, steady growth allowed us to get to where we are today to feel like we can show up for work and succeed.” - Megan Fowler [27:44]

“There is no shame in going at the pace that your business needs to go.” - Megan Fowler [27:55]

“You don't always need to be looking at what other people are doing to figure out what you have to say. - Megan Fowler [31:28]

RESOURCES

LABS
216 | Feeling Stuck In the Messy Middle? with Katie Hunt
Pistachio Press
Canary & Co.
202 | Community & Coaching in LABS with Janine Kwoh, Kwohtations & Christy Asper, Paper Baristas

MEET MEGAN:

Brown Parcel Press is a letterpress and design shop powered by three women —a mother, a daughter, and a best friend. Our studio is located on a small farm in rural Georgia where we are infinitely inspired by the colors, patterns, growth, and change we see around us. Megan, the founder of Brown Parcel Press, got her degree in Printmaking & Book Arts from the University of Georgia where it was truly "love at first print". She started the company at 21 and has watched it grow slowly and steadily through many seasons of life: city life, country life, & motherhood to become a company that values connection, hard work, & appreciates the beauty in the small and simple moments of life.

Our work has been featured in the New York Times and Garden & Gun magazine, and we have collaborated with Airbnb, Dior, Molly Yeh (from the Food Network), Ace & Jig and State the Label.

CONNECT WITH MEGAN

Website: brownparcelpress.com | Instagram: @brownparcelpress
Facebook: @brownparcelpress | TikTok: @brownparcelpress

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

Transcript for Proof to Product Episode 218

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT

218 | Over 50% Of Her Annual Profit Comes From One SKU With Megan Fowler, Brown Parcel Press

[00:00:03] Katie Hunt We're taking you behind the scenes with entrepreneurs that run product based businesses. There is so much information out there tailored toward service providers. So we have carved out a space just for you, the creative entrepreneur making and selling physical goods, whether you are just starting out or a seasoned business owner. This podcast will shed light on new strategies, inspiration and action steps to help you grow your product based business. Welcome back to Proof to Product, I'm your host, Katie Hunt, and today I have Megan Fowler of Brown Parcel Press on the show Brown. Parcel Press is a letter press and design shop powered by three women, a mother, daughter and best friend. Megan, the founder of Brown Parcel Press, started the company at 21 years old and has watched it grow slowly and steadily through many seasons of life, city, life, country life, motherhood, to become a company that values connection, hard work and appreciates the beauty in the small and simple moments of life. You guys are in for a treat today as Megan shares how leaning into her passions, loving on her customers, and leveraging both our Paper Camp and LABS communities, plus a lot of hard work in the mix, has enabled her to build a thriving business. On today's episode, Megan is sharing how one single product, one single SKU, accounts for more than 50 percent of the company's annual profit. And she also talks about what she attributes her three hundred percent growth to over the last year. Now, before we jump in, I wanted to let you know that we're going to be opening the doors to Proof to Product LABS my twelve month group coaching program very soon. If you are not already on the waitlist, I want you to go to ProoftoProduct.com/LABS and add yourself, because it is such a rich resource for product based business owners, particularly those who might be feeling like they're in the messy middle. That was something I talked about on Episode 216 of the podcast. We have live monthly trainings with guest experts, peer mastermind's. We have share sessions led by LABS members and I offer monthly group coaching sessions all for less than one hundred dollars a month. This may be the last time we open LABS in 2021, so don't miss the boat. Head to ProoftoProduct.com/LABS to join that waitlist. All right, let's jump into today's episode with Megan Fowler of Brown Parcel Press. You're going to want to grab a notebook for this one. Megan had so many quotable nuggets that you're going to want to write them down. All right. Let's get started. Hey, Megan, welcome to Proof to Product.

[00:02:41] Megan Fowler Oh, it's a joy to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

[00:02:44] Katie Hunt I'm super excited. I want to tell the audience a little bit about how this episode came to be before I jump into questions for you. Megan is a Paper Cam alum. She came in 2019 and you reached out to me to tell me about this tremendous growth you've had over the last year. And I was so grateful that you reached out because I keep an eye on everybody. Like, I'm always scoping your, like, social and like, you know, asking for updates in our Facebook group and stuff. But like there's so many of you now that it's hard for me to, like, see and catch all the major wins that you guys are having. So the fact that you reached out and we're like, here's what the exciting things are happening. I was just thrilled. And I sent it to Brittany, my PR gal. I'm like, we have to have Megan on the show. So thank you for, like, being brave and sharing your wins and then also being brave and coming on the show. I'm I'm so happy to have you here.

[00:03:32] Megan Fowler Yeah, no, it's it's truly an honor. And we listen to your show in the studio, and it's you're definitely not doing what you do in a vacuum. We really appreciate it. It's been a huge help for us and and a precisely for that reason. We were in the LABS doing something, looking up something for like a wholesale idea. You know, it just felt like I don't know if she knows, like, how how much like Paper Camp influenced what what we've seen in the last year. I also don't know, you know, because of everything that's gone on, how everybody else has done business wise. And so I don't know. I just felt like this is a good thing. I haven't been able to share it with anybody. And so, yeah, we reached out and it was so, so kind of you to have us on.

[00:04:12] Katie Hunt No, I'm super excited to share your story. But before we jump into all those fun details, tell us about Brown Parcel Press. How like how did you get started and tell everybody what you sell to?

[00:04:23] Megan Fowler Yeah, Brown Parcel Press has been and will always be a labor of love. I started when I was really young. I went to school at the University of Georgia not thinking I was going to do anything with art. I thought I was going to go like medical science route. I'm like a psychology geek, human behavior nut, and I really just that was not a good fit. And I came from a really artistic family, but I just thought, honestly, I was like the black sheep, like, didn't didn't think I was very artistic at all. Although I had done some art classes in high school and I was really thinking I was just kind of lost, to be honest. And my middle brother was at college the same time as me and he was in the art school. And I'm a little bit of a type A person, you know, it's like, OK, where's the deadline? When can we cross it? And he said, you know, before you do anything drastic, like, I'm just going to make the suggestion, I think you should just try art school. Like, you've always made good grades. You've always done the right thing. You know, this feels like a maybe like a step to the side. But he's like, I know you. I think you would really do well in this. And I don't know why I listened to him, I guess it was just like a little intuition or something, because I usually don't always take his advice, but I said, OK, I'll try it, because I really was kind of like, I just don't know what to do. And within, like, maybe the first week of art school, it was like a lightning bolt. It was like, this is absolutely where I'm meant to be. I found my people. I found my place. And what's even funnier than that is like not only did I know that art school was right, I remembered in my high school art class we had done a little bit of basically like wood cuts and relief printing. And so I was like, I know I want to be a print maker. And at this point, my middle brother (inaudible) because I followed his advice and he was like, you know, think I know like I am meant to be a print maker. And within that I was like, and I know I'm going to have a lot of press. And so as soon as I could sign up for a letter press class, I did. I had the best teacher. Her name is Margo Ekie and I can't thank her enough. You totally changed my life. But it really was it was like doing that first class. It was like this is what I meant to be doing. And from that moment, I just that was it. That's all I wanted to do. And so I was really fortunate that I had some good friends, good support around me who really encouraged me. And so I started the company while I was still in school. I found a press to rent for fifty dollars a year.

[00:06:53] Katie Hunt Oh my Gosh.

[00:06:54] Megan Fowler Yeah I know. That's was really. It was really. Yeah. It just felt like the universe kind of was helping me along. I was super shy at that point still and everybody was just kind of very generous with Time and Vice and and so that's, that's how I got started. And that was a perfect way to start. I didn't have too much of a mentor around me or another business to look at, but I learned just from doing. And so that was extremely helpful.

[00:07:19] Katie Hunt Oh, I love that. There's so much to be learned just through doing right. I mean, we can study up on things and try to figure out the best strategy. But honestly, it's when we get in the weeds and get our hands dirty and we really do the thing that we learn so much.

[00:07:34] Megan Fowler Yeah, it's like parenting or marriage. You don't know what you need to know until you do it. And then you're like, oh, this is what I need to know now. So how do I figure out what I need?

[00:07:45] Katie Hunt Right. You know, you described your business to me as a niche business and mentioned that you had a tough time understanding that this was a strength for you. Yes. How has your mindset around this changed as you've grown in the brand?

[00:07:59] Megan Fowler That's a great question. It's changed. I would I mean, it's not dramatic to say 180 change, but it's been a it's been a substantial shift in that for a really long time. I didn't have a lot of confidence in what we were doing. I had one. I started pretty slow and my business has shifted a considerable, considerable amount. When we started, I was doing a lot of commission work, wedding invitations. I really had my hands on a lot of different pots because I wasn't sure, like how I was going to make a living, how was all going to work. The designs I was doing was they were a little bit minimal, not text heavy in terms of greeting cards or anything. So, yeah, it has been a tremendous shift in terms of how I felt about what we were making and whether there was a market for it. From when I started to now, the biggest boost in confidence and sort of like confirmation that I was on the right path was honestly at Paper Camp. You know, I knew that we had a very devoted and loyal customer base, but it was small and I was looking for ways to get to that next level. By this point, I'd really come to terms with the fact that I got an art degree, not a business degree. And so in order for me to game, you know, level up my game, essentially I was going to have to do some work on the like, read some books, take some seminars, do something to sort of figure out what was working and what wasn't working for our company. And so when I went to paper camp, I really, honestly didn't know if we were going to be a wholesale company. I didn't know if that was a right fit. And I really appreciated that. You sort of said, you know, it's OK if you don't know when you come, you can learn some information and talk to some people who are doing this and figure out if this is a good fit for you. And when we had our one on ones, I sat down with Rachel of Pistachio Press and we had a good meeting. And then later I sat down with Kimberly. She's a rep for Canary & Co. And she said one of the most important things that anybody has said to me in my business, and she just said, like, I just I know that this is what you do. You go and you take cards and you and you show stores. And I said, can I just show you these cards? Said, I don't know if anybody will buy these cards. And the reason I'm saying all this is because the majority of our cards, I would say 90 percent of our greeting cards, which we have maybe at this point, sixty SKUs don't have a single word on them or in them. So they're all blank. And I just didn't know how that was going to work in the market. And she said, "it's okay for you to do wholesale," she said, "I want you to understand this, you are great at what you do and I love what you do. And just so you know, you're not going to be in every store and that's OK. It's OK for you to be in a few stores or to start small and to form relationships." She's like, "but I guarantee you, the stores that are going to like your product are going to love your product. And she said they're going to place higher orders and they're going to place more frequent." So she said, "your strategy may not be getting in as many stores as possible. Your strategy may be taking your time and finding the right stores." And that could not have been more right on.

[00:11:15] Katie Hunt I am near tears over here. I one, Kimberly Yerkwitz is amazing. She and she's so knowledgeable about this industry. And she's also just an amazing cheerleader for everyone. And in a practical, meaningful way to you, she's not going to like (inaudible). Exactly. But this also makes me super happy because we're in the midst of Paper Camp right now as we as we're recording this. I'm in week two of our online course and there's so many people that are like my product, slightly different. And, you know, and I keep telling them, you can do whatever you like. I want you to focus on what you're great at and what you're driven to do. I don't want you trying to, like, fit yourself or your products into these, you know, industry standard buckets. I do want you to be aware and knowledgeable about our industry standards and, you know, for things like pricing and packaging and all that. But like when it comes to your art and how you create what you create, that's where you shine as an artist and designer. And I want you to lean into that. So thank you so much for sharing that story. I think it's a great reminder to all of us that we need to focus on our core strength and also what we might be working towards, the goals we might be working towards. My are definitely different than somebody else doing similar types of things with that.

[00:12:33] Megan Fowler Absolutely. Yeah, I think that is a message I would love to get out there because that's definitely been true for us. And, you know, just to add one more thing to that, I knew that something was working because I knew that we kept experiencing sales year after year and it was slow, steady growth, which I know you are a big advocate for.

[00:12:55] Katie Hunt Huge fan of.

[00:12:56] Megan Fowler Yeah, because that's that's how it's been for us. And it's just worked great. So I knew something was right. But I just in terms of making that leap to wholesale, just wasn't sure. And the things that I've sort of learned in the last year and a half is it's kind of like when you're in middle school and you want to be liked by everybody. You know, I think as a as a business, at first you want to be liked by everybody, but it's such a empowering thing to own that you're not going to be liked by everything. And that's actually wonderful because your people will find you and you will find your people and you're sort of filling a void. You're filling something that they are looking for a need. And so that's really what you should be sort of excited about and cultivating in your business.

[00:13:35] Katie Hunt I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that. Something really unique about your business is that 50 percent of your profit every year comes from one singular product. Can you please share what that product is and how long have you been selling it or a version of it?

[00:13:55] Megan Fowler Yeah, at first, honestly, I thought this was a weakness because I was like, what happened? Oh yeah. So this product is a letter press calendar and I recently had a twenty year old tell me, like people know that they don't need to know the date. Right. Like it's on their phone and on their watch. Right. Like they don't need a calendar which I had to laugh about, but it's a letter usually it's garden themed and we started making this in the first year. We did. It was two thousand eleven. And, you know, that sounds like big world, like it's a calendar, but I can't begin to, like, emphasize this enough. This calendar is like a huge undertaking for us and it has been from the beginning. And we did it like we've never cut corners with it. And I think that's why it's become what it has become essentially. Thirteen prints. We usually we started out small. So I think our first year we did this was like when I was like back on Etsy in 2011, I think we did maybe one hundred and fifty that first year and sold out like in no time. And then that was when I was like feeling like, OK, this is something, this is like the first product I made where I had like serious traction, lots of comments and feedback, especially like going to craft shows. People were just like at our table asking about this. So one that's just a great indicator for like seeing how your customers are responding, like when they like something, they'll let you know and listen to them. So the next year we doubled it and then the year after that we doubled it. And so, you know, right now, this year, we're in the middle of printing it. And I think we've got forty five colors that will have to print over 13 pages and we do it on a Vanderhook and a Heidelberg. So one of them is pretty slow. One of them's a good bit faster. It's me and my mom and my best buddy, Catherine. And we trim it all on a guillotine and are in my studio basement. I mean, it is like it takes a month to design, two months to produce. We collate everything by hand. We wrap every single one like it is handled with so much care and love. And that's intentional. And I'll tell you, this may be like a little, I don't know, not woowoo! But maybe just like I don't know how to say it. You know, when I, I didn't set out to, like, make some calendar that I thought was going to be a big deal. But honestly, it has become a huge deal, and especially in this time, because what I am realizing is that, you know, there are people everywhere and with pandemic, with distance even more so now we're connected by these really small things and in these really small ways. But they end up being important. So everyone who has one of these calendars is turning a page on the same day, and they're experiencing that moment in the same way. And I really think long and hard about this design for months in advance. So I love making it. And so I think, you know, I hope that's what comes through. But honestly, the feedback that we get from it has, like, it just fuels us so much. So I almost can't imagine ever not making this product. It's just something that we get so excited about. And we have to be careful not to try to always like top, top ourselves each year. But, yeah, it's it's we love it.

[00:17:20] Katie Hunt Well, I, I can hear the passion in your voice for this and hearing to the details and the the the minutia, not minutia in a negative way. But like the step by step, the care, the love, the attention that you show to this product is so fascinating and wonderful to hear. I love too what you said about everyone turning the page at the same time, you've put a lot of care and attention into not only how you're designing your products, but your customer service and your packaging and your communication, like how are you trying to or continuing to evolve your customer experience to keep loving on your customers, I guess.

[00:17:59] Megan Fowler Yeah. Oh, man. I hope I answer this question okay. It's something that we struggle with and talk about a lot because, you know, especially when it was just me with like two little kids and I was the one wearing all the hats before I brought help in. It was really a problem because I was staying up late trying to hand tie all these orders. And what I was hoping to give my customer was the experience that like when they opened the box you cared for, you are seeing I value that you are spending your money with me. And it felt like this also feels a little weird to say, but it's like there's a bond that is created in that transaction. I created something that you have said has value and I'm going to honor that exchange that we're having. So I really wanted to be intentional about how we package each order. At the same time, I honestly, I'm not really allowed to package most of our orders in our studio anymore because I take so long and I'm just not quick and efficient at it. But that is a challenge. We because we have a good number of repeat sales from month to month, season to season, year to year. We don't want what we're doing to become stale, but we also have to keep our margins in mind. So that's something we've gotten a lot better about, especially after Paper Camp is really sort of defining and getting clear about, OK, we want this experience, but what are the ways in which we can minimize our valuable time and maximize impact? So, yeah, there are a few things that I get really sticky about and like we have to do this part of it, I think a handwritten note we always include. But there are other ways in which we've streamline the process.

[00:19:39] Katie Hunt That's amazing. All right. We kind of teases at the beginning of the episode, but you had tremendous growth during the pandemic and like your business grew three hundred percent in the last year. What do you attribute this growth to?

[00:19:55] Megan Fowler Yeah, I did not see that coming, to be honest. I really was trying to brace for the conversations that we were having between me and my team was let's just try to make it this year. Like, let's just try to not think if we can just not think we'll be happy. And then by September that just shifted to like, OK, how are we going to actually fill these orders? How are we going to meet this demand, especially with schooling from home? And that that they know? To be honest, I think it was a little bit of a right place, right time. We can't deny the fact that last year everybody was at home shopping and I. I think people that were already sort of tuned in to letterpress paper, handmade goods, small businesses were really looking for ways to support those things. And we have just for so many years, I feel like because of all of our little details and how we really you know, this is backpedaling just a little bit. But I I actually believe in a high level of transparency with our business. So when you sign up for our newsletter, like we're I try never to spam. I know you have to send out those regular newsletters, but I don't send out a newsletter if it if I'm not clear on what the intention is. And sometimes the intention of that newsletter is, you know, not being too wordy, but letting people know what this is actually like, what they're actually supporting, how this actually gets done. So all those little sort of seeds that we had planted, I think were really it was just kind of like a hard time for the world. And I think people that were creating stationery or ways to connect really benefited from people sort of opening up to that type of product and saying, like, I see this, I want to do more of this. I want to write more letters. And so by the time people are really picking up on our stationery and we launched the calendar last year, it like I cannot even begin to tell you what that day was when we launched that calendar. I mean, I was crying just seeing like order after order after. I mean, I just couldn't believe it. And I was I was it was really a very, very special moment for our business. And then it just sort of carried through. And then to be honest, you know, at the beginning of this year, it was a hard little minute not to be like, you know, have a little bit of imposter syndrome. Like, not to be like that was just a fluke. Like, I don't know why that happened, but maybe that's not going to continue. And it has. And I have to remind myself, that wasn't luck. That was hard work, and that was people showing up. And we did what we needed to do to to make it all work. And we've learned a lot along the way. So we have the skills now to continue that growth.

[00:22:34] Katie Hunt I'm over here shaking my head because I know people can't see me, but I am shaking my head. Yes, yes, yes. About the success was hard earned. It was something that was a long time in the making. It's because you've consistently put such care and consideration into all of your products and how you market them and how you communicate with your customers. The whole you know what you said about imposter syndrome too. I just for ease of your own mind, that is a very common thing with when we come off of a high where we see success that maybe we weren't expecting in in the magnitude that we expected it. It's hard not to say, OK, was that just like a one hit wonder with that, which is clearly not. This calendar has been your best selling product for twelve years now or ten years now. But but my point is, just like these are the emotional waves we go through as entrepreneurs where it's like, oh, they really do like what I'm doing. And then like, is this sustainable or is it going to go away? And that scarcity mindset flips in a little bit along with imposter syndrome. What have you done to kind of re rejig your brain on that?

[00:23:40] Megan Fowler You know, I think the best thing that's happened, I think that scarcity mindset, I hadn't put that word to it, but I think that's definitely what it is. I think the another big, like, pivotal moment for me in terms of re gearing up for this year and continuing to think like, OK, this is where we're at now. We have leveled up. So we're here now. So act like you're here now. But really realizing like it's actually I think as a business owner, especially if you're like a one person business or you're really small team, everything about your business feels slightly emotional because you're so involved in it. It's really it's sometimes it's hard not to feel like it's personal, but I think it's important to remember that, like your business, one is not you. And two, it's not about you, like what you what your goal is as you're creating things to share with others. So as soon as you can take the focus off of you, it kind of allows you to get out of your own way and say, OK, I may be like second guessing myself or like stuck on some of these negative emotions, but I don't have time for this. Like, how can I serve my customer better? How can I see, you know, and also just like digging into the data, sometimes if you need some facts to sort of strengthen what your questions or concerns are, it's you're still going to have weaknesses for sure. So just like say, OK, now I know my strengths. Like if you're have anxious energy, like, turned your weaknesses and say, OK, what can we do about this? And also conducting experiments in our business has been really big. So whether that's like a marketing experiment or introducing a new product or like introducing it in a new way, it's been a really healthy shift for us to say we've got our sort of like our bread and butter, we know what works. And so this allows us to say, OK, so we can, like, try a little something new here. Maybe we can add like a little extra spice, see how everybody likes it. And it's not going to ruin our business the way that we've set this business up as like we can sort of real time pivot on these extra things that we're trying and know that it's not like we can we can just approach it as an experiment and then we can look at that experiment and say, yes, let's do more or no. OK, that's not a failure. That's just something we learned. Now, what?

[00:25:55] Katie Hunt I love hearing this, Megan, and I want to point out to that this privilege of being able to play an experiment with time in our lives. Yes. And and like you said, setting that foundation so you know that you've got the cash flow, you've got the sustainability, you've got the, you know, systems in place that you can afford to play. And if it falls on its face, then it's OK then it's not going to go under. And I think this is a really important message to share because there's a couple of extremes here that I just want to touch on. There's people at the beginning of business who, in my opinion, are experimenting a little too much. We have to experiment to some degree at the beginning because we're trying to figure out what our path is. But we don't want to be shifting gears and trying to many things. We want to really focus and dig a little deeper. And then there's people that are like more established who forget about the playing and experimenting and the having fun in their business because now it's become such an engine and such machine. And so I love that you brought this up and and that it is a piece of your business because it's an important piece of staying creative and fresh and feeling good about what you're doing.

[00:27:09] Megan Fowler Yeah, yeah. I think the key component is I really want it to be very clear that this is not like an overnight thing that happened. And if you could have seen where we started, you know, I mean, it's just I think that's why I appreciate and enjoy transparency from other companies, because for such a long time, I would look at other companies and think, like, how are they doing this? Like, what are their numbers like? Am I just not doing something correctly? Like what is what is it that I'm missing? What I see now is that all those little bumps in the road, all that slow, steady growth allowed us to get to where we are today to feel like we can show up for work and succeed, like we kind of learned the lessons we needed to learn along the way. And there is no shame in going the pace that your business needs to go. I know that's a hard thing for somebody here at the beginning, especially when you start to feel that like scarcity mindset or like I like that I have to pay some bills. The best thing I can say is like I've had second jobs, I've had third jobs. You know, to do this, I've had times where I just needed to be a mom. Like it is looked like so many things. There have been so many hours. But I can also honestly say it has absolutely been worth it because it's you know, I really feel like this is kind of what I was meant to do. And and so, you know, just approaching it with that like can do. I always said, you know, our business is the little engine that could and I think, you know, I would love to see more people sort of like flying that flag out there, one, because I think it's helpful for others to see. Like, you're not failing if you're not able to make a full time income from your side hustle or your your passion and business within the first three years, like you're not failing. Maybe your business is just needs that time.

[00:28:59] Katie Hunt Yeah. Oh, time is a key indicator. It takes a long time for us to grow these businesses and establish them in a way that feels good to us. And very clear that you are like in the zone right now, which I love hearing. So congratulations to you on all of your success. You know, if you could go back in time to when you started, what advice would you give yourself now, knowing all that you know?

[00:29:22] Megan Fowler Oh, it's you know, it's the answer probably wouldn't be that much different than what we've already been talking about. I think I would say I think when you're either young and young, just in years or young in a new career or trying something on, you almost feel like you need to know everything before you know it. You had an episode with I think you are interviewing Janine from Quotations and oh man, my heart just like melted listening to that episode one because she's just thoughtful and amazing. But, you know, she was talking about how she didn't know how she was supposed to do it. So she just did it like how she was making square cards and, you know, just like hand painting her thanks. It was like, I don't know how to colors. This is just so I think, embracing that when you're starting out, the things that you don't know are actually your advantage. Like, that's how I ended up making the cards that I'm making is that I didn't know how to make a good, like, jargony card. Like, I I'm very verbal, but I'm like earnest, authentic, verbal. I'm not like. Snarky, funny, verbal, and it's like, you know, how can I how can I make cards when I don't have the right thing to say? And it was just kind of being like, well, I would make I'm going to make a card that I haven't seen that I would want to see. And I don't know if this is going to work. But, you know, we we've tried a lot of stuff and it took all those experiments and all of that, not knowing to get sort of to where we are and to find that voice and so that not knowing can actually be your strength. I mean, you know, there's only one you. And so there's only one way that you're going to sort of bring cards or whatever product it is that you have into this world and that's your way. And you need to be confident and find your way in that. And you don't need to know, like you don't always need to be looking at what other people are doing to figure out what you have to say.

[00:31:23] Katie Hunt Absolutely. Oh, Megan, I love that. Love, love loved it. All right. Let's tell everyone what's next for Brown Parcel Press. What do you guys have coming up that you want to share with our audience?

[00:31:34] Megan Fowler Oh, yeah. So yesterday was a big day for us. We just created a new product line where we are branching out of the paper world and we launched linens. So we are doing linen tea towels and linen napkins. And that has that was not an experiment. I mean, it is an experiment, but that was a very calculated decision and has been several years in the making. And we're really excited and and proud about that. And so, yeah, that was really fun. Learning about manufacturing from a different angle, being so used to putting everything in the house to trusting somebody else to do that. So that that's been a big thing for us. And of course, our calendar's coming out very, very soon. So we're excited about that.

[00:32:15] Katie Hunt Awesome. I can't wait to go check both out both lines. Awesome. Well, where can people find you online if they do want to check out your calendars and your tea towels, your napkins and all the amazing things you're doing?

[00:32:24] Megan Fowler Yeah, we are at BrownParcelPress.com and that's like Parcel is on like a package and we are at BrownParcelPress on Instagram and TikTok.

[00:32:36] Katie Hunt Fantastic will include all those links in the show notes to so people can easily grab them. Megan, thank you for your time today. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insight and your journey. I think it's so important for people to hear and you did such a great job of articulating the not only successes, but the struggles you've had along the way and how you how you worked through those. So thank you for sharing all the that. Amazing this with us today.

[00:33:00] Megan Fowler This has been a treat and an honor. Thank you so much, Katie.

[00:33:02] Katie Hunt I am grinning ear to ear after that interview with Megan Fowler. Seeing such incredible transitions and the confidence growth in my students, it just lights me up. Megan has built an incredible business, and while it hasn't been easy, she's definitely experienced bumps in the road. Like all of us, Megan stayed the path. She focused on slow, steady growth, and she made her decisions about her products. She sought out support and education from our Paper Camp community and our LABS program. And I'm just so proud of her. And I loved hearing her story today. So, Megan, thank you again for coming on the show today and sharing your story. Friends, we are not meant to build these businesses alone. We're not meant to make decisions in a silo and we definitely don't need to reinvent the wheel. There are people out there like me who want to help you succeed. We want to give you the shortcuts and the solutions that you need to make starting and scaling a business easier. If you're looking for support, be sure to join the waitlist for my Proof to Product LABS program. This is where we focus on sales and marketing and operational strategies to help you simplify and run your business with more ease. Plus, we'll connect you with some really amazing people like Megan. So head to ProoftoProduct.com/LABS to join that waitlist and I hope I'll see you in the community soon. Have a great week, everyone. I'll be back soon with the new episode.