146 | Leveraging point of sale systems in a brick & mortar with Biff Ulm, MN Nice Enough
146 | Leveraging point of sale systems in a brick & mortar with Biff Ulm, MN Nice Enough

Hey friends, have you ever considered how you could leverage point of sale systems for trend tracking and buying decisions? Biff Ulm, founder of MN Nice Enough came on the podcast today to share how he uses technology to help grow his business and how he relies on the help of sales reps to ensure his store is stocked with products that are a fit for his customers.

Biff has a rich background in the product based business industry and has seen all sides of it including owning his own brick and mortar business, selling eCommerce, doing wholesale, as well as creating his own products. He’s done it all and has a vast wealth of knowledge in this line of business.

In this episode, we talk about everything from the challenges he’s faced from having multiple streams of revenue, what numbers he tracks, how he cultivates wholesale relationships and the importance of studying what bigger brands are doing in their businesses.

Read More
Operations & SalesKatie HuntComment
145 | Transitioning From Etsy to Your Own Website With Rebecca Inkrote, Bex Marie
145 | Transitioning From Etsy to Your Own Website With Rebecca Inkrote, Bex Marie

Today’s guest Rebecca Inkrote has a fantastic story that I can’t wait to share with you guys. She gives her insight on the best ways to transition from a third party platform to your own website (plus how to build brand recognition and steps to make it go smooth).

Rebecca got her start in the creative entrepreneur space when she started making soaps as a hobby. It quickly turned into a business that brought her into Facebook groups with other handmade business owners and it was there where she recognized how much she could help entrepreneurs in this space.

As a graphic designer, she was well versed in the areas of technology and found this niche of hers to be an area she could stand out in. In this episode, Rebecca shares how she stumbled into this path, the growing pains one can face when transitioning from a third party platform to their own website and the benefits of having your own eCommerce website.

Read More
Operations & Sales, marketingKatie HuntComment
144 | Coaching with Katie Hunt: When should I launch to wholesale?
144 | Coaching with Katie Hunt: When should I launch to wholesale?

Hey friends! We’re going to be switching things up a little for today’s episode. I’ve decided that once a month we’ll be airing a live coaching session with one of my coaching clients or a Paper Camp alumni on the podcast. It’ll be a short, hot seat format coaching session where the guest will talk about what they’re working on and what they need help with. I’ll be giving them my candid off the cuff advice, recommendations and even some homework because we’re all about taking action!

For our first live coaching episode, I was joined by Paper Camp alumni, Shirlee Fisher of Quiet Lines Design. She has a few hesitations and questions about the timing of her launch and the wholesale market. We work through the three things she needs to prepare and make ready before the launch so she can launch her products confidently.

In this episode, we chat about lining up your launch with the release cycles of the stationery industry, why having 40+ SKUs will help you get more customers and why sometimes you have to wait until things are ready.

Read More
tradeshows, wholesale, productKatie HuntComment
Special Edition | NY Now & NSS 2020 (Part 2)
Special Edition | NY Now & NSS 2020 (Part 2)

Part 1: Last week I took a whirlwind trip to New York to visit with more than 40 of our Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting at NY Now and the National Stationery Show. It was so exciting to see everyone’s hard work live and in person — their new products were innovative, their booths were beautiful and their confidence was shining through. It was awesome.

While I was there, I was able to grab some time with a handful of our alumni to talk shop about the show, goals they set and how they plan to follow-up after the show.

We’re breaking this into a two-part series. The first part features several of our veteran exhibitors from the Paper Camp family including Rebekah from Wild Ink Press, Christina from Public School Paper Co, Beth from Little Goat Paper Co, Jeni from E. Frances Paper and Juliana from Good Juju Ink.

In Part 2 on Thursday, we’re sharing interviews with Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting in the emerging artists’ section as well as first-time exhibitors! Today’s show features Rachel from Hazel & Dolly, Chandler from Joy Paper Co, Lisa from Rhino Parade, Janine from Kwohtations, Tammie from Tiger Pocket Press and Juana from Loteria Press.

Read More
tradeshows, wholesale, productKatie HuntComment
Special Edition | NY Now & NSS 2020 (Part 1)
Special Edition | NY Now & NSS 2020 (Part 1)

Last week I took a whirlwind trip to New York to visit with more than 40 of our Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting at NY Now and the National Stationery Show. It was so exciting to see everyone’s hard work live and in person — their new products were innovative, their booths were beautiful and their confidence was shining through. It was awesome.

While I was there, I was able to grab some time with a handful of our alumni to talk shop about the show, goals they set and how they plan to follow-up after the show.

We’re breaking this into a two-part series. The first part features several of our veteran exhibitors from the Paper Camp family including Rebekah from Wild Ink Press, Christina from Public School Paper Co, Beth from Little Goat Paper Co, Jenn from E. Frances Paper and Juliana from Good Juju INk.

In Part 2 on Thursday, we’re sharing interviews with Paper Camp alumni who were exhibiting in the emerging artists’ section as well as first-time exhibitors! Today’s show features Racheal from Hazel & Dolly, Chandler from Joy Paper Co, Lisa from Rhino Parade, Janine from Kwohtations, Tammie from Tiger Pocket Press and Juanna from Loteria.

Read More
tradeshows, wholesale, productKatie HuntComment
143 | Bootstrapping Success with Cecily Moore, The Paper Curator
143 | Bootstrapping Success with Cecily Moore, The Paper Curator

For Cecily Moore, her business, The Paper Curator, started as a blog and over time, transitioned into a product based business. She first began her journey while working at a job and trying to find the next step in her career. She thought, “why not start a blog?” From there she began to document the creative endeavors she pursued in her everyday life before launching her first products.

She gives us a breakdown of her first craft show experience, her Paper Camp journey and what she’s learned from attending the show. We chat about how putting ample effort into her research and development has helped her build a sustainable business. 

Today’s episode dives deep into what it means to bootstrap your business and build everything from the ground up. She talks about how she decides whether to invest in equipment to help her create her products, how bootstrapping has integrated into her wholesale strategy and budget and what it’s been like scaling her handmade products into wholesale. 

Read More
tradeshows, wholesale, productKatie Hunt Comment
142 | The Hourly Rate of Exhibiting at a Trade Show with Katie Hunt
142 | The Hourly Rate of Exhibiting at a Trade Show with Katie Hunt

Hey friends, when you’re building your wholesale business there’s no doubt that you’ll be headed to trade shows to get your product out there and in front of the right buyers. The reality is, trade shows are expensive and you don’t want to waste a single minute while exhibiting. 

In this episode, I reverse engineer what it really costs to exhibit at a trade show from an hourly rate perspective. This will help you to realize how much every hour counts while exhibiting and the importance of using your time to connect with others, write orders and doing market research. It’s not the time to be admiring other people’s products or talking to your booth neighbors (there’s plenty of time to do that during break down or set up or even after hours). I talk about why you need to know your numbers, how Paper Camp helps attendees to know where to save money and where to splurge during shows and the importance of preparation.

Read More
tradeshowsKatie HuntComment
141 | Bookkeeping Strategies with Greg Higdon, Grow the Books
141 | Bookkeeping Strategies with Greg Higdon, Grow the Books

Does the thought of bookkeeping make you feel uneasy? I know that for so many creatives, knowing your numbers and doing your bookkeeping can feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why I brought on today’s guest because let’s face it... The reality is that even though numbers aren’t always our favorite, they are essential for knowing your business’ financial health and profitability.

Today you’ll hear from Greg Higdon, founder of Grow the Books, a bookkeeping company for small businesses. Greg helps entrepreneurs with a done for you service but he also helps those who want to DIY to understand what they need to know about reconciling their numbers.

We explore the topic of bookkeeping and how you’ll know when it’s time to outsource this task to someone else. We also talk about what questions you should ask before hiring a bookkeeper, the importance of setting aside time to do your bookkeeping and why sometimes you need to have someone outside of your business looking at the numbers. 

Read More
Operations & SalesKatie HuntComment
140 | Adding products to a service based business with Robin Long, The Balanced Life
140 | Adding products to a service based business with Robin Long, The Balanced Life

Today we’re so happy to have Robin Long on for Episode 141 of Proof to Product. Robin is the founder of The Balanced Life,  a website that provides quick and effective Pilates workouts for busy women. Robin made the transition from the traditional teaching model of working in studios, gyms and training private clients to serve her clients online. 

On today’s episode, Robin shares how she shifted from the more traditional service offering into a successful membership model for her service based business. She tells us why she has decided to grow her business slowly and organically - ensuring that she’s building a business that fits her lifestyle and brings her joy. 

Robin and I dive into how she’s used drop shipping to add additional income streams to her business and why she decided to create physical products for her service based business. She opens up about her experience with building her team including why going on maternity leave has helped her to put more strategic systems in place. We talk about setting boundaries, hesitations she had before moving to a membership model and her advice for someone who is just getting started in business. 

Read More
productKatie HuntComment
139 | Letting go of sales reps, employees & downsizing her product line with Kristen Ley, Thimblepress
139 | Letting go of sales reps, employees & downsizing her product line with Kristen Ley, Thimblepress

Happy 2020 friends! For our first episode back in the New Year, my friend Kristen Ley of Thimblepress is back on the show. Kristen was first featured on Episode 4 of Proof to Product back where we talked about how she fell into business backwards and discussed tips on partnerships and collaborations. That episode was recorded back in early 2017 and since then, Kristen has done a lot of soul searching and ridden the waves of transition and upheaval in both her business and personal life.

On today's episode, Kristen bravely shares what she learned from her journey. She talks about why she decided to let go of all her sales reps, say goodbye to 15 employees, downsize her warehouse and office space and discontinue over a hundred SKUs in the Thimblepress line. Kristen not only shares her journey of reevaluating what she wanted to get out of her business, but also how she implemented those changes.

Today's episode is a heartfelt one full of advice, wisdom and encouragement for anyone feeling stuck in their business or worried about the changes they need to make. Friends, remember this is your business. You set the rules and at any time you can decide to go a different way. I hope Kristen's story helps you and I hope you enjoy it.

Read More
Operations & Sales, productKatie HuntComment
138 | Shifting the maker mindset with Genesis Duncan, Graphic Anthology
138 | Shifting the maker mindset with Genesis Duncan, Graphic Anthology

When we first start our businesses, more often than not, we don’t have the big picture idea of what our brand or business will look like down the road. So many of us embark on this so-called maker’s journey, where we truly discover our strengths, opportunities, and long term vision for our business. Lucky for us, one of our talented Paper Camp alumni, Genesis Duncan of Graphic Anthology, is joining us today on Episode 138 of Proof to Product to share her experience and advice for other makers on the path. 

Based in Portland, Oregon, Genesis started Graphic Anthology in 2010 with just three art prints and an Etsy shop. Almost a decade later, her product line has grown to include a wide range of greeting cards and gift items that focus on joy, simplicity, and strengthening relationships with those you love most.

Today's episode is a powerful one and I know it will resonate with many of you. We talk about how Genesis started her business as a creative outlet and hobby, and why she had to shift her mindset and step into her role and title as an entrepreneur and business owner. Genesis also shares how adding a line of Spanish greeting cards was not only beneficial to her business, but also her personal development.

Read More
Operations & Sales, productKatie HuntComment
137 | How I juggle day to day work & family life with Katie Hunt
137 | How I juggle day to day work & family life with Katie Hunt

Hey Friends, in episode 136 I walked you through how I do my annual strategic planning for the business. I got into the weeds sharing what reports I look at, how I analyze that data and then how I schedule things out to ensure that I’m not overloading myself, my team or my family with my grand plans! Ha!

Now that we’ve covered the question about big-picture planning, I want to circle back on the requests I received to share how I manage my day to day flow of family life & business life. For episode 137, I'm sharing what my day to day looks like with four young children (currently ages 3 to 9 years old), a growing business and an active family life.

I talk about strategies I use to make my shortened workdays more productive including batching tasks, delegating more and not checking my email a million times a day. And, the biggest tip I can offer is to remain flexible -- because my day to day is constantly changing and I'm guessing yours is too. What works for me now, wouldn't have worked a few years ago and may not work for us one year from now. But, give yourself space and permission to make changes as you go.

Read More
pep talk, Operations & SalesKatie Hunt Comment
136 | How I do my annual strategy planning with Katie Hunt
136 | How I do my annual strategy planning with Katie Hunt

Hey friends, I have been getting a lot of requests from people curious about how I map out my annual plan for the business, and how I work my family schedule into that. I’m going to be honest, balancing a busy family schedule and a very busy business schedule can be hard. There's a number of things that I need to consider and weigh in on when I'm making decisions in my business. And that really ties into how I plan my year because I don't want to overload myself with too many things, only to do all of them less than stellar. I want to do my best at everything.

In this episode, I get granular about how I do my big picture, strategic planning each year for my business so that I'm not overloading myself, my team or my family. I talk about what reports I look at, how I analyze what's working and what's not working to decide which programs, products and services we'll offer the following year.

Read More
pep talk, Operations & SalesKatie HuntComment
135 | The economics of selling products with Michelle Loretta, Sage Wedding Pros
135 | The economics of selling products with Michelle Loretta, Sage Wedding Pros

Remember your high-school economics class? Okay good, because today’s episode is going to be nothing like that. Today we’re making numbers, margins, pricing and market metrics fun with Michelle Loretta, a business consultant, financial strategist and founder of Sage Wedding Pros. Before launching her own business, Michelle worked as an accountant for Deloitte, sales and marketing manager for DDLA and merchandiser for Coach. Since then, she’s applied her corporate and entrepreneurial expertise to wedding businesses worldwide and launched herself onto the live-event space as a frequent speaker at professional conferences. 

Through Sage Wedding Pros, Michelle also produces her own next-level summit known as The Be Sage Conference. I have had the privilege of attending twice, once as a speaker, and it truly is an amazing program. For those of you who don’t want to miss it, Michelle’s next conference is coming up in Austin in February of 2020. 

On today’s episode, Michelle and I talk about business planning, the economics of selling products and how financial decisions in your business affect your operational plans. Promise, whether you’re creative or business minded, this episode will inspire you to start drafting all of your next big business plans. 

Read More
Operations & Sales, productKatie HuntComment
134 | How to pitch yourself to podcasts with Caroline Hull & Brittney Lynn (Part 2)
134 | How to pitch yourself to podcasts with Caroline Hull & Brittney Lynn (Part 2)

Okay, so did you catch Episode 133 (Part One) with Caroline Hull and Brittney Lynn on Tuesday? We talked about the dos and don’ts of pitching and podcasting. Caroline and Brittney shared real stories, tips, and advice from their experience in the podcast world. If you missed it, definitely push pause and go back and listen to that episode first, because today we’re catching up right where we left off. 

 Today, Brittney, Caroline and I are sitting down to continue our conversation about podcasting. We’re talking about how to pitch yourself, how to prepare for a podcast interview, and how you can support the show when your episode airs!

Read More
pep talkKatie HuntComment
133 | How to pitch yourself to podcasts with Caroline Hull & Brittney Lynn (Part 1)
133 | How to pitch yourself to podcasts with Caroline Hull & Brittney Lynn (Part 1)

I am really excited about our topic and guests for this week because two of my team members, Caroline Hull and Brittney Lynn, are joining me for two special episodes about how to pitch yourself to podcasts. Caroline and Brittney both have experience working in the podcasting world. Caroline owns her own podcast editing company, Wild Home Podcasting, and Brittney Lynn specializes in PR management. Today’s we’re covering everything what to do and what not to do, how to prepare for an interview and what you can do to spread the word once the podcast airs.

For some background on the amazing ladies who help me run Proof to Product, Caroline Hull has seen all sides of podcasting. As the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast, she’s been on the receiving side of many podcast pitches. Caroline has also been featured on dozens of podcasts by other people, including Episode 45 of Proof to Product where she talked about the importance of taking a break in business.  

 Brittney Lynn also knows the ins and outs of podcasting. As my PR manager, Brittney sees all the incoming pitches from people who want to be on Proof to Product. She also regularly pitches media opportunities to her clients for Podcasts and traditional media. You can hear more about the type of work Brittney does on Episode 66 of Proof to Product.

 We hope you enjoy Part 1 today and stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday! 

Read More
pep talkKatie Hunt Comment
132 | Creating great photos & social media content with Alisha Cohen, LISH Creative
132 | Creating great photos & social media content with Alisha Cohen, LISH Creative

Today we’re lucky to have Alisha Cohen on Episode 132 of Proof to Product. Alisha is the founder and creative director of LISH Creative, a content agency for vibrant lifestyle and hospitality brands. Alisha took the leap to found her company in 2016 when she realized she had to leave agency life to break out on her own. Since then, Alisha and her team have created content for some of the world's leading brands including Nickelodeon, Nestle, General Mills, Facebook, Dunkin' Donuts, Delta Airlines, and Benefits Cosmetics. 

On today's episode, Alisha shares her start up story and how she grew her business through determination and grit. She tells us how she taught herself to take professional photos using just her iphone and to create engaging content for social media. Alisha and I also talk about tips for preparing for photo shoots, the importance of having a shot list and helpful photo editing apps. We dive into what’s working and not working on social media today, how Alisha has now moved from having an in person team to a virtual team and all of the challenges that go along with that. 

Read More
product, Operations & Sales, marketingKatie HuntComment