069 | Reinventing the letterboard with Johnny & Joanna Galbraith, Letterfolk
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.
Read More
063 | Managing critics with Mary Bruno, Bruno Press
Mary Bruno is the owner of Bruno Press, a printer, artist, and advocate for her local creative community. She grew up in a small town in central Minnesota and learned the love of printing from her father Don Bruno. Mary has an irreverent line of greeting cards that is sold nationwide and she teaches the old school art of letterpress printing the way her father taught her. Mary loves to collaborate with other printers, poets, musicians, kids, designers, you name it. And, we’ll talk about some of those collaborations today.
On today’s episode Mary tells it like it is, shares her story and how she organically grew her business through hard work and learning as she went. We also talked about her personal growth—why she no longer let’s the criticism of one person overpower the praise of hundreds. She also shares about why she’s her ideal customer.
Read More
How to create a wholesale resource page with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt, founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp dives deeper into how to create a wholesale resource section on your website, something she and Rhonda Warren talked about briefly on episode 61. Katie shares what to include in your resource center, how to structure things and why it is important to make it easy for your wholesale customers to buy.
Read More
Choose your manufacturing partners wisely with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt, founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp dives deeper into how to create a wholesale resource section on your website, something she and Rhonda Warren talked about briefly on episode 61. Katie shares what to include in your resource center, how to structure things and why it is important to make it easy for your wholesale customers to buy.
Read More
060 | Ways to save money on printing costs with Ronnie Williams, DeFrance Printing
Ronnie Williams is the owner of DeFrance Printing, which is a full-service commercial print shop located in Southern California. Ronnie grew up in the print industry and is the third generation to own and operate DeFrance. His grandfather began printing in the late 1930s, followed by his father in the early 1970s, and Ronnie was a fixture in the print shop by the young age of five. Ronnie’s background brings a unique perspective, in that he has expertise in both the print process, as well as the outcome.
This episode is a little bit different than most, in that we’re diving into some of the technical aspects of printing, common mistakes that people make in file setup, ways to save money on your print runs, and how DeFrance helps a wide range of industries with packaging, catalogs, marketing materials, and more.
Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have recently expanded their services to include warehousing and fulfillment, helping independent brands with not only printing, but also storage, fulfillment, and distribution of their products. They have particular expertise handling orders for big box stores, such as Paper Source. Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have been strong supporters of our Tradeshow Bootcamp community and advocates for education around the print process. I know you’ll learn a lot from Ronnie!
Read More
58 | Layering in New Products and Working Towards a Freedom Business Model with Chelsea Sonksen, Bossladies Magazine
Chelsea Sonksen is the founder and Editor in Chief of Bossladies, a movement that began with a print magazine in 2016 and has grown into a vibrant in-person and online community of entrepreneurs through her monthly event series, Work Sesh.
On today’s episode we’re talking about the mission behind Bossladies, how Chelsea is layering new products and services that will give her the freedom and flexibility to work from both California and Maine. Chelsea also shares her thoughts on why making a good first impression is so important.
Read More
057 | How exhibiting at a tradeshow got her into Paper Source with Christine Miller, Bundle Designs
TSBC alum, Christine Miller is the creator and designer of Bundle Design — home to cheerful, cheeky greeting cards, balloons, party supplies and Good Day Decals.
On today’s episode Christine shares her journey of turning her hobby into a business, lessons learned from exhibiting at the National Stationery Show and how being at the show opened the door to working with Paper Source.
Read More
055 | Where to skimp and splurge at her first tradeshow with Lisa Sarmento, Tiramisu Paperie
TSBC alum, Lisa Sarmento is the owner of Tiramisu Paperie a sassy brand located in Nashville that sells greeting cards, gift wrap, pencils and other gift items. Lisa has had tremendous growth in her business over the last two years. She attended our Paper Camp conference in February 2016 and describes those two days as the launching point for Tiramisu Paperie. Her products are currently carried in hundreds of retail shops throughout the United States. Lisa works with sales reps nationally and has exhibited at several trade shows including NSS, Las Vegas Market and Dallas Market.
On today’s episode, Lisa shares her personal story of getting laid off from her high level advertising agency and how ‘entrepreneurial gardening’ and motivation from her son prompted her to start this business. She shares how she connected with sales reps, what she skimped and splurged on at her first trade show and reminds us to not let fear hold us back from what we want in life and business.
Read More
052 | Building a team and leveraging systems with Lichia Liu, Gotamago
Lichia Liu is the founder and creative director of Gotamago, a stationery & gifts brand based in Toronto, Canada. A self-taught illustrator, Lichia took a detour from her urban design career in 2013 to start Gotamago when she realized that she needed more authenticity, autonomy and artistic exploration in her work. Besides running Gotamago and being a mom, Lichia is a musician, an urban sketcher, a member of a Japanese Taiko drumming group, and a foster dog parent.
On today’s episode we’re talking about how Lichia left her day job to pursue her passion, how she involves her team in building systems to automate and streamline her business and why she thinks it is important to jump before you feel ready.
Read More
051 | Using reps to enhance wholesale sales with Kim Burks, Ramona & Ruth
TSBC alum, Kim Burks is the founder of Ramona & Ruth is a boutique letterpress studio located in Omaha, Nebraska. Kim started Ramona & Ruth in 2009 with her tabletop letterpress in a spare bedroom of her home. Kim makes simple and thoughtful letterpress greeting cards and a variety of other paper goods including gift wrap, notebooks and planners. Ramona & Ruth products can be found in retail shops across the country.
On today’s episode we’re talking about Kim’s decision to change her business name after being in business for five years, how her design aesthetic has evolved and how bringing on sales reps has enhanced her business.
Read More
050 | How angel investing fueled their business growth with Zoe Scharf, Greetabl
TSBC alum Zoe Scarf is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer at Greetabl–a personal and easy way to make your friends feel super loved. If you’re not familiar with Greetabl, you should be. It’s an impressive gifting service where you choose your packaging, gift and personalize your message and they take care of the rest — getting it in the hands of your recipient. Greetabl has delivered 200,000 happy moments and is continuing to quickly grow.
On today’s episode Zoe shares how they unsuccessfully chased wholesale, struggled with figuring out who their audience was and how impactful their fulfillment relationships have been. We also spent a good amount of time talking about how Greetabl sought funding from angel investors. They achieved three rounds for $50k, $750k and most recently $1.5M — we talked about how the process worked, what they did with the money and she shared some resources for those interested in learning more.
Read More
044 | Overcoming personal & social challenges in business with Heather Haynie & Dani Antol, Rock Paper Scissors
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 were able to unify their local community after the hateful rallies in Charlottesville.
Read More
043 | Why she scraped her product line & started anew with Renee Griffith, HeartSwell Co
Renee Griffith, the founder of HeartSwell, designs and creates her products using her original hand lettering style, incorporating patterns, colors and textures inspired by her deep love of the ocean and lush landscape where she lives in South Florida. Renee is a TSBC alum who has attended our Paper Camp Conference twice, once when she was starting her business and a second time after she had revised her line and rebranded her company.
On today’s episode we’re talking about why she changed her business name, how she nurtures relationships with customers and the importance of finding your voice within your product and brand.
Read More
040 | Strategies for pitching wholesale buyers with Rebekah Tennis, Wild Ink Press
Rebekah Tennis is the founder of Wild Ink Press, a letterpress studio and retail storefront located in northern California. Rebekah started Wild Ink Press in 2009 and was part of our very first Tradeshow Bootcamp class in 2011. The Wild Ink Press brand offers witty and pretty greeting cards, stationery, and other paper goods that can be found in hundreds of retail shops nationwide including the Container Store, Papyrus, and Paper Source.
On today’s episode, Rebekah talks about the power of slow, organic growth and why it’s okay to not have all your ducks in a row when you’re starting out. She also shares her thoughts on responsiveness, reliability, and why she likes sending catalogs and samples to prospective wholesale buyers.
Read More
037 | Why this Canadian company exhibits at U.S. tradeshows with Sarah Edmonds and Tammy Lawrence, Banquet Atelier & Workshop
Sarah Edmonds and Tammy Lawrence are the owners of Banquet Atelier & Workshop, a Vancouver-based design studio. All of Tammy and Sarah’s products are conceived, designed, printed and produced in Canada with a fine attention to affordability and environmental sustainability. They offer screen printed signed and dated prints, stationery, textiles as well as clothing and jewelry. They’ve also licensed work and collaborated with large brands such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Terrain, Anthropologie, Land of Nod and others to create exclusive products and designs.
On today’s episode we’re talking about taking risks with new products and why it took them over 4 years to bring their textiles to market. We also discuss why you need to follow your passions when making business decisions and why this Canadian company chooses to exhibit at US wholesale shows.
Read More
036 | Outsourcing product manufacturing with Cara Underwood, Underwood Letterpress
Cara Underwood is the owner of Underwood Letterpress which is a lifestyle brand offering custom work and stationery & gift products to the wholesale and retail markets. Cara attended Paper Camp in 2014 when she was undergoing a transition in her business – shifting from custom work and deciding whether wholesale was something she wanted to go into. Since then, Underwood Letterpress’ greeting cards, paper goods and gift items can be found in stores nationwide. Cara and her products have been featured in major design publications including Domino Magazine, Design Love Fest, Apartment Therapy and Martha Stewart Weddings.
On today’s episode we’re talking about outsourcing manufacturing, building relationships and living life with no regrets.
Read More
035 | Discontinuing wholesale with Gia Graham, Betsywhite Stationery
Gia Graham is the founder of Betsywhite Stationery. Gia started her first stationery business in 2005 and has been undergone major transitions over the last 12 years. She’s renamed and rebranded her business, shifted from custom work to ready-made products, ramped up wholesale to the point she was working with big box stores and multiple reps and most recently she’s scaling back and slowing down.
On today’s episode we’re talking about how Pinterest helped her business, the importance of faking it until you make it, and why she chose to discontinue her wholesale line.
Read More
034 | Why you can't force creative work with Adam Smith, Life is Funny Press
Adam Smith is the founder of Life is Funny Press, a letterpress greeting card company based in Los Angeles. Adam worked a pressman for Sugar Paper before branching out on his own to start Life is Funny Press. Adam’s passion for printing, his family and making products with purpose really shines through in this episode.
Adam came to Paper Camp in 2014 before jumping into trade shows. He currently sells his products via wholesale, retail and custom channels.
On today’s episode we’re talking about leaving a full time job to pursue entrepreneurship, a dad’s perspective on juggling family & business, plus why it’s important to not force yourself into creative work that doesn’t feel right.
Read More
022 | Prioritizing personal happiness with Emma James & Bailey Rivera, Antiquaria
Emma James and Bailey Rivera are the owners of Antiquaria. These savvy business women have made some big transitions in their business over the last 7 years. They started selling vintage pieces, hand calligraphic work and now focus their product line on stationery products such as gift wrap, notebooks and greeting cards.
They attended our Paper Camp E-Course in 2013 prior to launching wholesale. Their products are currently carried in Anthropologie, BHLDN, Paper Source, Terrain and independent boutiques internationally.
On today’s episode, they’ll tell their story of starting the business, talk about how pivoting at different points strengthened their business model and how prioritizing their personal happiness has enabled them to grow too. They also shared nuggets about what inspires them when creating new products as well as logistics for how they determine which product categories to tackle next.
Read More
021 | Outsourcing product packaging with Stephanie Clarke, Dahlia Press
TSBC alum, Stephanie Clarke is the founder of Dahlia Press, a boutique design and letterpress studio that offers custom design for events, as well as, a wide variety of stationery accoutrements for the retail and wholesale channels. Stephanie participated in our Paper Camp E-Course in 2014 before selling wholesale and exhibiting at the National Stationery Show.
On today’s episode, Stephanie and I are talking about how her business transitioned from a side hustle into a full time gig, how sales reps have enhanced her business and she shares her system for outsourcing packaging of her products.
Read More
