181 | 6 ways to sell physical products with Katie Hunt

Hey friends! Last week I got an email asking, “Do people really make money selling paper products and gift items?” I was floored! Based on the latest stats that I saw, the consumer products industry accounts for more than $635 billion with stationery alone raking in $8 billion.

The answer is an astounding yes. There are so many opportunities in this industry to make a good living and build a profitable and sustainable business. Many independent brands are pulling in over six and seven figures annually.

Hear the 6 ways that people are making money selling their physical products in this episode. I break down each one and give a few thoughts on each strategy and give a little bit of advice on choosing a path to get started.

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180 | Exhibiting as an Emerging Artist with Jean Marie Sanchez, Little Feet's Opus

Hey friends! I’m really excited for you to listen in on today’s episode with Jean Marie Sanchez of Little Feet’s Opus. The story behind Jean’s products is truly remarkable - each of them stems from personal stories of the strong women in her life and spreads joy, empowerment and relatable life moments.

Jean made an intentional goal to create products that are both inclusive and diverse. In our conversation, she talked about the ah-ha moment she had where she realized there was space in the market for a line of products.

She shares her experiences in the Emerging Artists section of NSS for two consecutive shows including the pros and cons of exhibiting as an emerging artist versus having your own booth. We also talked about how Jean defines success through the impact she makes on others.

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179 | How to Host an Instagram Giveaway with Becca Stevens & Alison Tsang

Hey friends! If you’ve considered joining the Proof to Product LABS community then you’ll enjoy today’s episode. It’s a really fun sneak peek of what we’re doing inside the LABS community as I shared a snippet of a live Coffee Chat we had with our members on the things that they’re trying within their business.

Our Coffee Chat conversations cover a wide range of topics but in this episode, you’ll hear a small segment from our most recent session focused on Instagram Giveaways. I spoke with two business owners who have experience in hosting giveaways, Alison Tsang of Love Through Letterpress and Becca Stevens of Botanical Bright.

These two generously shared their experiences with recent Instagram giveaways. They touched on their goals, the structure they used for the campaigns, technology tools they used to assist and the outcomes they had. We all shared our opinions on the best time to do a giveaway, group giveaways and strategies to incentivize your customers during the purchasing process.

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178 | 7 Ways to Enhance Your Customer Journey with Katie Hunt

Hey friends! Today’s episode is focused on 7 ways you can enhance your customer journey. Oftentimes we’re so focused on capturing the sale and everything leading up to it. In reality, your customers’ journey begins the moment that they learn about you.

This means the customer journey could start weeks or months before they ever step foot into your store or open your website to look through your shop. That’s why it’s critical to nail down the customer journey so you can create a tribe of raving fans for your brand. Take a listen, jot down some notes and begin to think about some of these tips and how you can implement them in your business to strengthen your customer’s experience.

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177 | Covid Check-in with a Brick & Mortar Shop Owner with Biff Ulm, MN Nice Enough

Hey friends! Today’s guest is a familiar voice on the podcast. This conversation was with none other than Biff Ulm of MN Nice Enough and retail shop Zaiser’s. I had a conversation with Biff earlier this year, pre-COVID (episode 146 if you want to take a listen) and it seems like it was an eternity ago!

I was so happy that Biff agreed to come back on to discuss his personal journey of being a store owner during the time of COVID. In this episode, Biff shares how his store sales have fluctuated this year and how his buying strategies have shifted from larger orders that were further out to smaller, more consistent orders. Biff talked about the new marketing strategies that his team and he have implemented to build relationships with their shop customers.

Be sure to listen closely to the two golden nuggets that Biff shared on not being afraid to fail and making a statement with your products!

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176 | Stop Relying on Social Media to Pitch Your Products with Mei Pak, Creative Hive Co

Hey friends! I am super excited for you to listen in on today’s conversation with Mei Pak, founder of Creative Hive Co. and Tiny Hands. She’s been running her creative, handmade business since 2006 and coaching makers since 2014. She even taught her husband how to start selling personalized art and now makes over $55,000 per month in sales!

Mei is all about creating a consistent income without relying too much on social media. In this episode, you’ll hear the 4 steps for pitching your products to media outlets and the difference of proactive versus reactive marketing.

She talks about leveraging Facebook ads to generate sales and why she recommends learning, testing and DIYing over hiring an agency. We also touched on why you HAVE to know your numbers and ensure that your products are priced correctly before jumping into paid advertising.

This episode is jam-packed with SO much tactical, strategic advice and concrete examples - so grab a notebook and let’s dive in!

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175 | Feeling Fragmented with Katie Hunt

I know 2020 hasn’t been an easy year for any of us so I wanted to share a quick episode with you today about feeling fragmented.

This was a vulnerable episode for me to record, because I’m sharing my personal experience of feeling depleted and unfocused.

But, having talked with close friends, colleagues, clients and members of my communities -- I know I’m not alone in this.

People are tapped out. We’re exhausted. We’re mentally, emotionally and physically drained.

Take a listen to hear my experience with feeling fragmented this year and 5 important things to keep in mind as we continue to navigate through this “new normal”.

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174 | What are 3PLs or Fulfillment Centers with Allen Befort, Givington's

Fulfillment has been a hot topic in our Proof to Product communities lately so I wanted to bring on a special guest to chat about how fulfillment works from the 3PL side of things.

I was joined by Allen Befort of Givington’s, a fulfillment company that pays attention to the small details so you can focus on the bigger picture of your business. Allen jokes that he kind of fell into starting this business with a friend. Seven years later they’ve seen great success and pride themselves on the relationships they’ve built with their customers and the genuine, personalized experience that they can create with their partners.

Allen and I covered a lot of ground in this episode and it's rich with information for anyone who may be considering outsourcing their warehousing and fulfillment process. We went over the logistics of working with a 3PL including how to know if you’re ready, technology integrations they have, questions to ask when interviewing fulfillment centers and common pricing models. We also talk about why it’s critical to build trust and relationships when outsourcing fulfillment.

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173 | Creating Social Change Through Products & Intentional Business Practices with Betsy Garcia, Bloomwolf Studio

Hey friends! I am really excited for you to listen in to today’s episode with Betsy Garcia of Bloomwolf Studio. Betsy was on her way to medical school when she decided she wanted to pursue the small business life and sell her art. Bloomwolf Studio is a Latina owned & operated illustration and design studio based in Orlando that strives to create change through art and messaging.

In this powerful and transparent episode, Betsy and I talk about the mission behind Bloomwolf and how Betsy and her husband Luis actively weave their personal beliefs into their everyday business practices.

Betsy shares details about developing and expanding her product line, including mistakes they made in their first product runs.

We also talked about business finances. At the beginning of 2020, Betsy and Luis set out to increase their annual revenue by 25% and they exceeded this in the first 8 months of the year. Betsy talks about tools they use to track their financial progress and what they’ve done to pivot their business model to stay on track with these financial goals, despite the pandemic.

And, we capped off the convo talking about TikTok. How she’s using it to promote her brand and products, how she gained 7,500 users in her first month on the platform and what she does to plan out her marketing for the year.

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172 | Faire Summer Market Recap with Katie Hunt

Hey friends! Today I want to chat with you about the recent Faire Summer market and share both insights and concerns after leading hundreds of people through what is likely our first of many online trade shows.

I’m happy to report that our Paper Camp alumni community and LABS members had some strong sales during the show. Some received a handful of orders, while others secured more than 40 orders in a two day span. In addition to the cash influx, I was pleased to hear that many in our community received wholesale orders from new stores they had never worked with and many had reorders from past accounts who were reconnecting.

In this episode I’m walking you through pros and cons of these types of shows, why I’m not a fan of discounting your products to get sales and why you should continue your marketing post-show.

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171 | How to Take Professional Product Photos with Your Smart Phone with Chaitra Radhakrishna, PinkPot Studio

Hey friends! With the world being such a visual place, more and more of our customers are relying on product photography to tell them a story. We only have a few seconds to quickly grab our customers’ attention and get them engaged in what we’re selling.

That’s why in this episode I’m talking with Chaitra Radhakrishna. Chaitra is the founder of PinkPot Studio, a Shopify design and photography studio specifically for product-based business owners.

Chaitra shared so much valuable information in this episode about how to nail your product photography. You’ll hear about the 7 different product shots that you can take (and tips on deciding which shots to take). She also shares her 5 step process for taking photos with your smartphone which, spoiler alert: you don’t need to invest in fancy equipment or tools.

Be sure to listen with a notebook handy because she gives us so many insider tips on using the “rule of thirds”, apps she recommends for editing photos and her secret formula for editing photos in lightroom: making the whites low, turning the highlights up, going high on shadows and low on blacks.

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170 | Running a Business Remotely with Christine Herrin, Everyday Explorers Co.

Hey friends! Ever considered what it might be like to run a business remotely? Or even in a completely different country? That’s exactly what today’s guest, Christine Herrin did when she moved to the Philippines for a year while continuing to run her business in the United States.

Christine has such a cool story and was actually chosen to participate in the Adobe Creative Residency Program in 2016 which is where she initially began building her product-based business, Everyday Explorers Co.

Christine and I covered a lot in this episode around what that residency program was like and how she got started in her business. She shares what processes and systems she put in place to run her business while living overseas. She talks about how she leveraged her strong relationship with her manufacturer and outsourced fulfillment while she was abroad.

Christine is a member of our PTP LABS community and a Paper Camp alumni. It’s been so amazing to watch her business grow and evolve. There’s a lot to learn in this episode -- systems, processes as well as how she created a monthly release cycle for her direct to consumer sales channel Listen in for all her tips!

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169 | Strengthening Our Customer Experience with Jordan Kentris, A Good Day

Hey friends! Have you ever considered what it might be like to marry your interests and passions within your business? In this episode, I brought on Jordan Kentris of A Good Day, a bespoke experience studio specializing in custom stationery, events, branding and user experience.

Jordan has taken his love for physical products and his background in User Experience (UX) to create a better customer journey for his clients. We talk about what he’s done to create this process for his customers and the benefits that come with developing a strong focus on customer experience.

He gives us a better look into how you can incorporate this into your email marketing strategy and what data you should be looking for to create change within your business. Be sure to take notes because Jordan shares a few concrete strategies you can implement and his favorite tech tools for tracking customer engagement on your website.

If you want to learn more from Jordan, join us in Proof to Product LABS. He’s one of our LABS members and we have a special Coffee Chat coming up where he’ll answer user experience questions for the group!

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168 | Reframing a 'No' Into a 'Not Right Now' with Tiffany McGraw, Paper Rehab

Hey friends! It’s no secret that putting yourself out there can be a huge hurdle for many entrepreneurs. In today’s episode, I was joined by Paper Camp Alum and LABS member, Tiffany McGraw of Paper Rehab. Tiffany gives us insight into her own experience of overcoming the vulnerability of pitching herself as an entrepreneur by reframing the word “no” to “not right now” in her mind.

Tiffany has a wonderful mission behind her brand which was designed to normalize and focus on mental health care, especially for those in the African American community. She initially started her business to fulfill her dream of seeing herself reflected on greeting cards.

She shares so much wisdom in this episode about how she overcame challenges that she’s faced in her business, mindset changes she made around making a living selling greeting cards and why you need to know your “why” for doing what you do.

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167 | Marketing for Virtual Tradeshows with Katie Hunt

Hey friends! As more and more of you are dipping your toes into the world of virtual tradeshows I’ve been receiving questions on how to build out strategic marketing plans for these events.

That’s why today I am exploring the tactics you can implement to help reach more of your wholesale customers at a virtual tradeshow event. You’ll learn how you can determine if a virtual tradeshow is the right fit for you and your budget. I discuss using a tiered outreach system and all of the different avenues I recommend using (plus tips for optimizing each one!)

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166 | Connecting with Customers with Kate Murray, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress

Hey friends! As we all continue to navigate through this pandemic it’s important that you continue to connect with your customers and build strong relationships with them.

Something as simple as checking in with your wholesale clients or retail customers can go a long way in making them feel cared for. That’s exactly what today’s guest, Kate Murray of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress has done to make sure she’s supporting her customers.

In this episode, Kate shares her story of how she got started in the printing industry. She talks about how she saved an old letterpress from the scrapyard and spent three months bringing it back to life. Kate and I talk about the various trade shows she’s done and her different revenue streams. She also discusses the biggest challenges she faces within her business and her plans for expanding her product line beyond just stationery.

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165 | Gaining Focus and Overcoming Limiting Beliefs with Jessica Eley

Hey friends! Does being an entrepreneur ever make you feel overwhelmed? Maybe you’re having tons of business success and checking things off of your to-do list but you still don’t feel satisfied at the end of the day.

I’m a firm believer in creating strategic plans and taking action in business. Sometimes, however, our mindset, boundaries, personal beliefs and the stories we tell ourselves can make executing those plans harder than necessary. In this episode, I was joined by Jessica Eley, a mindset coach that helps high-achieving entrepreneurs get where they want to go (while enjoying the path there).

We explore the practices and strategies you can use to boost your confidence and change your mindset. Jessica shares why it might be success that’s actually holding you back in business and why you must always remind yourself that you have options!

Jessica and I discuss pushing forward, what to do if you’re feeling stretched thin and taking the time to understand what you truly want to be doing.

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164 | Building a Multi-Faceted Creative Business with Amber Kemp-Gerstel, Damask Love

Hey friends! Have you ever wondered what it might be like to turn your hobby into a business? That’s exactly what today’s guest, Amber Kemp-Gertstel did and today she came on to talk about her journey in the crafting industry.

Amber is a powerhouse. Not only does she have a blog called Damask Love but she also runs YayDay Paper Co., selling digital products and leveraging a subscription model. You might recognize her from NBC’s TV show, Making It (she was a finalist in 2018) or from being the host of Disney Family Sundays on Disney+.

In this episode, she talks about how she got into her business and how she was able to start working with big brands in the industry. She shares some tips for how she sends pitches and why you have to make it really easy for people to say, ‘yes!’

We also talk about why representation matters and how the creative community can step up to uplift other artists, crafters and makers of color. This is very important work that we’re taking seriously at Proof to Product and I appreciated her for sharing her thoughts and opinions about how we can take steps forward with grace (even though we may make mistakes along the way).

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163 | Coaching with Katie: Which Revenue Stream Should I Focus On?

Hey friends! I know right now has been a very confusing time for so many of us... I actually brought on Meg Sutton today for a hot seat episode to really dive deep into where she should be focusing in her business.

You might be familiar with Meg as she has been on the podcast a few times before and is a long time client of mine. Meg Sutton is the boss lady and doodler behind Belle and Union and As her company has evolved and COVID has changed the economy, she’s felt unsure of where she should be focusing her time and energy to ensure long-term stability for her business.

We take a look into her numbers including income percentages, expenses, the challenges she’s facing and her future goals. We did an exercise and I gave her some of my best advice to help her gain some clarity around what channels of her business she should make her priority.

The chat I had with Meg revealed some things that she could focus on and think about over the next few months. I advised her to take a deep look at what she could do to cut down expenses in her brick and mortar shop and why she should do some forecasting when looking into her next brick and mortar location. I know many seasoned business owners are facing similar situations to what Meg is going through right now so I wanted to share this conversation in hopes it could inspire you and help bring clarity for you in your own business!

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162 | Pinterest Strategies with Diana Keeler, A+ Pins

Hey friends! Does Pinterest sometimes feel like just another social media platform you have to keep up with? I’m here to tell you this: it’s so much more than that. Pinterest is a powerful search engine, much like Google and by leveraging your Pinterest strategy, you could potentially be bringing tons of traffic to your website.

That’s why I wanted to bring on Diana Keeler. Diana has worked for and contributed to some of the biggest editorial outlets in the world and now works with retailers and editors to capture the attention of new readers and potential buyers on Pinterest.

Today Diana and I talk about playing the long game of Pinterest. We talk about everything from how to get started, why you need to optimize your pins and keywords and what tools to use to create a consistent pinning strategy. We also chat about the Verified Merchant Program that Pinterest recently rolled out and why you should consider investing in advertising on Pinterest.

If you’re ready to up your Pinterest strategy or want to learn how to bring over more people to your website from Pinterest then this is the episode for you!

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