Today we're gonna talk about paid advertising. I have spent years searching for someone that has extensive experience in the e-commerce space, and who understands the unique challenges and needs of micro-businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and small businesses, particularly with paid advertising. What I found in my search was that there were a lot of people who were focused on paid ads, but for service businesses or for larger brands with huge budgets. There were people that only focused on ads, but did not look at the holistic marketing strategy that the ads were pushing to. I also encountered a lot of people who just didn't understand the nuances of e-commerce sales. 

So this is a topic that our community has asked for over and over again, but I never felt like I could find the right expert to put in front of you. Until today—my guest today is Taylor Frame from Focus Funnels. Taylor is the co-founder of Focus Funnels, which is an e-commerce growth shop. He has consulted and worked with over 400 e-commerce companies including several from our Proof to Product community. Focused Funnels has launched and scaled over 100 brands to consistent six-figure months, finding creative solutions for bootstrap founders. 

In addition to the overall success, Taylor's team has managed over $45 million in performance ad spend across a variety of niches. Taylor and his team specialize in working with women-owned e-commerce brands on holistic marketing that ties together both organic and paid advertising efforts. This is key—this is critical to success. As you will soon hear he breaks down complex ideas and strategies into easy-to-understand solutions, which I love. On today's episode, we're talking about trends in the marketing space, how much money you'll need to spend to get started in paid ads, and how to leverage different ad platforms for different outcomes.

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"You are your number one resource." This is a direct quote from today's guest, Michelle Angenent. Michelle is a Paper Camp alum, LABS member, and the fierce founder behind 417 Press, an award-winning letterpress greeting card company and paper goods brand based in Montreal, Canada. 

Always observing life with a dash of humor. Michelle's product line is a direct reflection of the personal challenges she has faced from infertility to ADHD, midlife, divorce, and now midlife dating. Now in her fifties and a happily single mom to teen twins, Michelle is proof that everything is divinely timed for a reason and that it is never too late to pursue your passion. 

Today Michelle and I are talking about navigating divorce as a business owner, overcoming and continually working on our mindset, and what to say when someone asks you proprietary questions about your business.

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I am incredibly proud to share our 300th episode of the Proof to Product podcast! It's just incredible to me that we started this show in May of 2017 with one single goal in mind—to become an invaluable business resource for those starting and scaling product based businesses. I think it's safe to say that we have certainly hit that goal. 

We have produced and published over 150 hours of audio content through this show. Our podcast has been downloaded over 1.1 million times. The Proof to Product Podcast is ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts. Our podcast and programming have helped not only shape the businesses, but also the personal lives of our listeners and our students—and that is something to be proud of. 

We have used our platform to shine a spotlight on hundreds of our Proof to Product students to share their unique stories, products, and business perspectives, and today is no exception. On today's episode, you will hear from several of our Proof to Product students as they share lessons that they learned throughout their business journey, and more specifically, what they wish they had known when they were starting out. 

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Supply chain issues, paper shortages, production problems, shipping delays, and increased labor costs; these are just some of the issues that our community of product-based business owners have faced over the last few years. The problems extend well beyond our community of makers in that they also affect our manufacturing partners, suppliers, and vendors that we work with. 

Today, Ronnie Williams from DeFrance Printing is back on the podcast to share his insights. He and I chatted back in 2018 on episode 60 of Proof to Product about how to save money on printing costs and today he's back to give us an update on paper shortages, shifts in the printing industry, and what we can expect going forward. 

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I completely remember what it was like in the early days of selling wholesale. I felt like I was winging every single decision. I questioned everything I was reading on the internet. And, I was craving a community of other product makers that I could tap into for answers and to share resources.

Way back in 2008, that community didn’t exist so I eventually created it. Since 2011, we have helped thousands of brands across industries and across the globe, get their products on the shelves of stores big & small.  

Our Paper Camp alumni sell to big box stores like Anthropologie, Target, Macys and Barnes & Noble. But, our best customers are the independent brick & mortar retail shops located around the world.  Small businesses, just like all the manufacturers that we support in our Paper Camp and LABS programs.

I very intentionally point this out, because I’m going to be answering some questions I received in an email about the importance of following industry standards, having strong wholesale terms & conditions, and why I never ever want you fulfilling a $25 wholesale order.

I feel it is important for you to understand that our community focuses our energy and efforts on the indie shops, so my feedback is coming from that perspective!

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Just follow your instincts that seems to be the thread throughout today's podcast episode. Paper Camp alum, Ashleigh Evans of InBooze, joins me to talk about how she started a handmade, locally sourced food and beverage brand from her home in 2018. The company has since expanded into a team working out of a commercial kitchen, warehouse, and a retail space, and they ship products to stores nationwide.

On today's episode, Ashleigh talks about regulatory requirements for the food and beverage industry, why you need trusted mentors surrounding you as you're building a business, and she shares a fun story about how being included in Oprah stocking stuffer guide crashed her website.

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I recently spent the day with many of our Proof to Product students at the *Noted & SF Now trade show in San Francisco, CA. Seventy-four of our Proof to Product LABS members and Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at this show - which means our community accounted for 62% of all exhibitors. Pretty incredible!

Our community members won awards, secured major orders with key accounts, launched new products, connected with distributors and they grew their confidence as business owners.

It’s such an honor and privilege to know that our community & programming played a small part in getting them there.

We also hosted a Proof to Product Meet-up for networking, connection and fun. Thanks to everyone who joined us! We really do have the most amazing community of kind, thoughtful, funny, and generous people. 

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Welcome part two of my interview with Sam Kramer of Near Modern Disaster! If you have not yet listened to part one, make sure to check out episode 294 first! Sam gave us an update on her business and shared four things that have been critical to her business growth. In this episode, Sam and I are talking about how mental health is essential to being a smart and intentional business owner, and why every entrepreneur needs a hobby that they aren't monetizing! 

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You have heard me talk about this time and time again, but there is no singular pathway in business! Even though we may all be running physical product-based businesses, we each embark on a different journey working towards different goals and making different choices along the way. 

One of my favorite parts about the work I do is seeing the transformation as folks continue their entrepreneurial journey, and in my position, I am lucky enough to have a lot of candid and confidential conversations about what that evolution includes, both the good and the bad. I wanted to bring you into one of those important conversations with both a friend and client of mine, Sam Kramer of Near Modern Disaster. 

You may remember Sam from episode 2 of Proof to Product, which we recorded way back in 2016. So much has changed since then in Sam's life and in our business.  Since that podcast aired, Sam moved to Florida, outgrew two studio spaces, and increased her team, including bringing her husband on full-time as the studio manager. Not only has her product line grown, but her confidence in her products has as well. Today is part one of a two part series. On today's episode, Sam is sharing some updated stats about how many stores she's carried in the number of skews she sells and how her wholesale program has evolved. She also shares four things that have made the biggest impact on her business growth.

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As you’re getting ready for upcoming trade shows, I want to share how you can create a simple, but effective way to turn your trade show leads (people you meet at the shows) into new wholesale customers.

Spoiler alert: the success of what I’m teaching you hinges on one singular thing: the follow-through. You have to do the work to see results. In this episode, I’m sharing what you should do while you’re on-site at the trade show to make the post-show follow-up easier and more profitable in 5 simple steps.

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We all have big goals, dreams and plans for our businesses. In order to meet those milestones, we need to take action. What do you do when you look at your to-do list and everything starts to feel really just overwhelming? 

Today's guest is Ashley Brown of Routines and Things and this episode is an excerpt from a recent Coffee Chat that she led inside of our Proof to Product LABS program on time management. Ashley is our resident routines expert, teaching us how to establish and sustain routines in our life and our business, so that we're less stressed and more fulfilled. 

On today's episode, you'll hear Ashley speak candidly about how she personally handles task management, as well as energy management in her life and business. We talk about mindset work, delegating and outsourcing, and how to conserve and restore our energy.

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Many entrepreneurs are high achievers! We work hard. We go above and beyond. We care deeply about the work we do, whether it's for ourselves or for others.

So when things don't go as planned or are even outside of our control, we can sometimes feel like we're failing. Today's guest is Paper Camp Alum Alyssa Manoleas, who makes and sells hand illustrated greeting cards and gifts through her brand Grey Street Paper.

Prior to running her business full time, Alyssa worked as a fashion designer in New York, a job that she was great at. She was climbing the corporate ladder, earning more money, gaining titles, but despite being excellent at her job, she was furloughed and then laid off in 2020.

On today's episode, we're talking about the mental shift of moving from corporate to entrepreneurship. Alyssa candidly shares how she felt like a failure when she was let go from her corporate job, and how she had to carefully work through the grief tied to that. She also shares how she came out better on the other side with a profitable thriving business that allows her to make a bigger impact. Alyssa also shares the methods that she's using to work towards her goal of 500 wholesale accounts, and why Paper Camp was the best investment that she's made in herself and her business.

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Think back to when you started your business. Was choosing a name an easy or difficult task for you?  I’m terrible at naming things—particularly my own projects, so this is something I labored over for too long.

In today’s episode I’m replying to a question from Tiffany, one of our community members who is struggling with naming her business. She’s unsure whether to name it after her personal name or create a unique business name. I’m going to run through some pros & cons of each, plus share 7 tips for naming your business if it is not your name.

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Way back in 2008, when I had my stationery brand I purchased a light box off of Amazon, borrowed my sister’s DSLR camera and spent hours reading photography tutorials on blogs to learn how to use the camera and to get ideas for what my shot list should include! When I say hours, I literally mean dozens of hours were spent trying to learn how to take product photos that would make my brand look polished & professional. And, the results… Well, they were ok.  Not great, but ok.  

Then in 2010, I hired a professional photographer to take product photos for me. It was a big investment for my small business but I knew that if I had stronger photography, that I would likely sell more of my product and it would give me content to post on social media. Even with the professional photographer, there were still several aspects of the shoot that I was responsible for like a shot list, styling, and making sure we got everything shot that we needed. I remember feeling a lot of pressure to get it right, because I was investing a lot of time and money into this photo shoot.

Fast forward to today and thankfully there is a less expensive & convenient way for you to get your products photographed, styled and edited by professionals. Meet soona, a creative technology company that helps over 15,000 commerce brands with photo and video production.  They are disrupting the industry with their innovative services, creative process, and use of technology.

Today’s guest is Rikin Diwan, who handles sales & marketing at soona. We’re talking about their scaleable creative process and how soona is alleviating pain points for ecommerce brands that need digital assets to sell more of their products. If you’ve struggled with product photography… this episode is for you.

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Research has shown that you have about 8 seconds to capture people’s attention when they come to your website.  That’s the average attention span for your website visitors, and that’s not a lot of time!  If you fail to articulate what you sell, who those products are for and how you’re different from your competitors, you may have lost your chance to convert that potential customer. We have to be intentional about how we’re interacting & connecting with our customers so that we’re not only keeping their attention, but also converting them to customers.

Today’s guest is Arianne Foulk, of Aeolidia, a web and graphic design agency.  Arianne and her team work exclusively with brands with a penchant for design and they have launched thousands of online shops.  She loves having a problem to solve, and has focused throughout her career on building online homes for fascinating people.

You may remember Arianne from episode 114 of Proof to Product where we talked about abandoned cart emails. 

On today’s episode we’re talking about common mistakes she sees product business owners making with their e-commerce site, SMS marketing strategies, and why you need automated email flows—like welcome and abandoned cart sequences—to better nurture and retain your current customers.

If you’re a LABS member, Arianne will be joining us in April to lead us through achievable ways to optimize your e-commerce website for more sales. She’ll also be back in July to do website audits for our LABS members! Keep an eye on our events calendar so that you don’t miss these exciting trainings live!

If you’re not already in our LABS program, head toprooftoproduct.com/labs to learn more.  As a reminder, all past LABS trainings are available as replays (and we have a really rich archive of trainings)—but only active LABS members are able to attend our trainings live and ask questions.

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Does the economy have you worried? I know that the words inflation and recession have been hot topics in several small business groups that I'm in, and I know that people are worried. Today, Jess Van Den of Create and Thrive joins me to talk about how small businesses, particularly in the handmade space, can prepare for and survive through these types of economic downturns. 

Jess is the founder of Create and Thrive, a community for handmade product makers where she teaches them how to craft the business they've dreamed of. Since 2013, Jess has helped 1000’s of makers to create a thriving and profitable handmade business. Jess teaches what she knows. She owns and operates a successful jewelry business selling online and wholesale to shops. 

On today's episode, Jess shares how she accidentally started two businesses with a startup story that is oddly similar to my own! Then we dove into talking about recession, inflation, and what business owners can do to adapt during these times. We specifically talk about ways to diversify your revenue streams, why you need to be auditing your expenses, and the importance of surrounding yourself with a trusted community.

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When I talk to people about their business, they often say they “fell into business” or became an “entrepreneur by accident”. It’s a common story, especially in the creative online space that we all work in. These people solved a problem, likely for themselves, and then that solution led to something greater… whether it be a new business, new product or revenue stream.

One thing I always like to remind these entrepreneurs of… is that even though the idea or the initial spark of the solution may have been an accident, building, growing, sustaining that new business, product or program is never an accident. It is an intentional choice to continue and that intentionality is what leads to success and greatness over the long haul.

Today I want to share one of my stories… about my own “happy accident.”  I made an intentional decision that some considered to be a rash decision—it was scary, but necessary and the outcome has truly been beautiful.

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I’m back from a whirlwind trip to New York where over 50 of our Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at New York Now and Shoppe Object - two wholesale trade shows. It was such a treat to visit with everyone and to see their new products on display. Both shows were buzzing with buyers, press and brands looking to collaborate. The energy was high and orders were being written.

You know… at Paper Camp we like to talk about how selling wholesale is a marathon, not a sprint.  And, exhibiting at wholesale trade shows is just one way to get your products in front of your buyers.

Exhibiting at a trade show is no small feat though. There are endless decisions, logistics and shows are a big investment of time, energy and money. When done well, the payoff of exhibiting comes not only through sales at the shows, but also new contacts we meet, conversations we have and face time with our buyers, which is where the long term benefits come into play.  Those face to face connections with current and prospective accounts are priceless.

Today’s episode is a compilation of short interviews I conducted on the show floors in New York. At New York Now I talked with Ashley Sutton of Hustle & Hope who shared how in within one year of selling wholesale her products are carried in Home Goods & TJ Max, Divya of Mellowworks who launched her Home Decor line at the show, and Desiree of Paper Anchor who moved from the Emerging artist kiosk to her own booth this year. At Shoppe Object I interviewed Jana of The Completist who traveled from the UK to showcase her new collection of desktop and paper goods and Katie of The Good Twin who shared what it was like moving from NY Now to Shoppe Object.

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How did you decide that it was time to start wholesaling for your business? This is one of my favorite questions to ask my coaching clients, our Paper Camp students, and even our guests here on the podcast, because even though there are a lot of similarities between our stories, everyone's journey is so different. 

In some cases like mine, deciding to sell wholesale was a very intentional and deliberate choice. For me, I knew when I started my stationery business, that wholesale would be the best business model for me. I had already dabbled in custom design and I didn't love it. I had an Etsy shop that was bringing in a decent volume of orders, but it felt like a slow grind. They were small orders one by one. 

I was intrigued by wholesale, although I was a bit naive too! The idea of selling in higher volume, building relationships with other business owners—that felt right for me and it felt right for where I was in the season of life that I was at at the time. 

Now some people get into wholesale because they feel like they have maximized their retail direct to consumer sales channel and they want to diversify. Other people got into wholesale because they were approached by stores and asked if they sold their products wholesale, so they figured out what that meant and how to sell wholesale on the fly. Whether it is an intentional or an accidental decision to move into selling wholesale, the most successful brands are those that have a strong wholesale foundation, meaning their product sales, marketing, and operations are ready for wholesale. 

Today on the podcast, I want to share some of the biggest mistakes that I see new product brands making when they enter wholesale. And I will share our four part wholesale framework that we teach at Paper Camp so that you can avoid making these common mistakes and ultimately sell more of your products.

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How well do you know your customers and I'm not talking just their demographics or their buying preferences; I'm talking about their lifestyle, their desires, and why they make the choices that they make. Our guest today is Monica Sharma-Patnekar from Business with Monica. She is walking us through her three part framework for getting to know our customers better, so that e-commerce brands can build stronger connections and sell more of our products.

Monica is an e-commerce brand mentor and consultant, a purpose driven brand marketing and strategy professional with 17 years of global experience building brands. She's worked across different sectors and companies from Fortune 500 to starting and scaling companies as well. Monica offers high touch coaching and mentorship to small businesses, conscious ecommerce, and product based business owners. She is Dutch by birth and Indian by Heritage, global by choice and education. She's a creative thinker, a dancer, a chai fanatic, and a mom of two girls. I know you're going to learn a lot today from Monica.

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