261 | Selling to a National Retail Chain with Krishna Chavda, NANU Studio
Have you dreamt about your products being on the shelves of big box stores? In today’s episode, Krishna Chavda of NANU Studio joins us to share her story of developing her brand, exploring wholesale, and landing her first purchase order from a big box store while exhibiting at New York Now.
Today’s episode is brought to you by 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 waitlist to be the first to know when we open the doors for the next round of Paper Camp!
A Typo Launched a Business
When Krishna first started her business in 2014, it evolved from a typo. Yep, a typo.
Krishna, a graphic designer, was talking with a friend, who was an art professor,, who relayed a story about a student misspelling Van Gogh and Van Goph. This inspired wordplay between Krishna and her friend and morphed into an inside joke about “Van Gopher”. This sparked creativity in Krishna who began drawing famous animals with real people counterparts.
These illustrations quickly became products – posters and cards – leading Krishna to launch her product based business.
Selling Wholesale
Initially, Krishna focused on growing the retail side of her business and selling her products at craft shows like Montclair Art. By 2018, Krishna had turned her attention to launching the wholesale arm of her business.
Krishna launched her products to the wholesale market at the National Stationery Show in 2018. Being her first trade show experience, there are things she would change if she could go back in time. She admits that she would have put more time and effort into the pre-show preparation and also the post-show follow-up with buyers. But, at the time she was working full time in a corporate job and didn’t have the bandwidth to manage both the business and her job.
The following year, she signed up to exhibit again and invested more time and energy into the show. Within that year she also revamped aspects of her business, her product line, marketing and how she was approaching trade shows.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Krishna saw strong growth in her business because she had more time to dedicate to it. She was commuting less from her day job and had quite time to focus. She joined Proof to Product LABS and connected with industry peers who provided a support system and sounding board for Krishna.
Cultural Inspiration
When asked about her inspiration, Krishna acknowledged that when she started her business she shied away from incorporating her heritage into her product line. She had always used bold colors and textiles, but it wasn’t until she became serious about growing her business that she realized the power of sharing her unique experiences and culture through her products. Krishna now uses her products to enhance visibility and heighten education of her culture and to create a more culturally diverse representation to the greeting card industry.
Selling to a National Retail Chain
In February of 2022, Krishna was exhibiting at NY NOW in the GCA village. She struck up a conversation with a man who was into music and casually mentioned that she had music cards in her product line. He was intrigued and thought her products were great so he brought over a friend to look at her line.
It turns out that the music man was a sales rep for a big box store, and his friend was the buyer for a national retail chain of bookstores.
After NY Now, Krishna continued the conversations with these buyers and built a relationship which led to her first purchase order from a big box store – they picked up her Diwali greeting cards. Shortly after, a second purchase order was submitted for Hanukkah cards.
You never know who you’re going to meet at trade shows and Krishna’s experience is not unique! Trade shows have long been a place where connections are made and relationships are built – with buyers, industry peers, sales reps and even press.
All of this to show, you never know where these opportunities are going to come from, but the connections you make and the relationships you build are important in wholesale businesses. If you’re just starting in your business, find a community to connect with and encourage you. These relationships are not only wonderful for support, but also with referrals.
Today’s episode is brought to you by 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 waitlist to be the first to know when we open the doors for the next round of Paper Camp!
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MEET KRISHNA
Krishna Chavda is the illustrator, owner, and self-proclaimed pun queen of NANU Studio, a purveyor of punny and pretty paper products. NANU Studio offers a variety of highly illustrated and vibrant greeting cards, stickers, and art prints that spread joy, connection, and chuckles.
CONNECT WITH KRISHNA
WEBSITE: nanustudio.co | INSTAGRAM: @nanustudioco
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
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