2025 State of the Product Industry Report
Every founder I know has wondered: How much are other brands making? How big are their teams? Are they paying themselves yet?
And even though we know that every business journey looks different, it's natural to want a peek behind the scenes — especially right now.
The product world is shifting fast.
Rising costs, tariffs, supply chain delays, and changing customer habits are reshaping how we create, market, and sell our products. We’re all recalibrating and figuring out what growth looks like in this new landscape.
So once again, we decided to check the pulse of the industry.
400 product-based business owners generously shared business details for the 2025 State of the Product Industry Report.
We heard from brand new founders as well as seasoned business owners. They shared how much they’re earning, paying themselves, sales platforms they are using, how they’re building teams, and how they’re feeling about the future.
I hope you find these insights not just interesting — but empowering — as you plan your next moves.
Thank you to everyone who contributed. Your openness helps us track trends, spot opportunities, and better support this entire industry.
Grab your favorite ☕️, find a cozy spot, and dig in.
– Katie Hunt
p.s. Remember: what works for one brand may not work for another. Every business has different goals, constraints, and seasons of growth. Your path is your own — and that’s not just okay, it’s powerful. 💪
p.p.s. I’m putting together some additional case studies based on revenue levels and years of experience. Those will be available in our LABS community. Come join us.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you share this report or any statistics within the report, please be sure to credit Proof to Product as the source and link to https://www.prooftoproduct.com/2025survey. We want these survey results to help as many people as possible, but please do credit us appropriately when sharing. Thanks!
For press & interview requests about survey results, please contact Brittney Lynn at brittney@prooftoproduct.com.
Listen to the summary on the Proof to Product podcast:
Who participated?
400 product sellers from a diverse set of backgrounds, business models, revenue streams and experience levels.
Where do you live?
The large majority of participants are North-American based, with a larger representation in the U.S. We also received feedback from product sellers in Canada, Europe and Australia.
⇨ United States: 89%
⇨ Canada: 6%
⇨ Europe: 4%
⇨ Australia: 1%
Do you work full time in your business?
⇨ 68.5% work full-time in their business
⇨ 31.5% do not work-full time in their business
Nearly 7 our of 10 participants are working full-time in their product-based businesses-showing strong commitment to building sustainable brands.
How long have you been in business?
⇨ 89% - 3+ years
⇨ 54% - 6+ years (up from 50% in 2024)
⇨ 11% - 2 years or less (down from 18% in 2024)
The pool of respondents in 2025 includes a larger number of established business owners compared to 2024 participants. Most businesses (about two-thirds) are in the 3-10 year range, meaning they are are established but still scaling — not brand new, but not legacy brands, yet, either.
PARTICIPANT SUMMARY:
⇨ Large majority of participants are from the United States.
⇨ Most participants are full-time founders (almost 70%) with a typical workload of 30-60 hours per week.
⇨ 89% have been in business for 3+ years, indicating a stronger pool of experienced business owners
⇨ 47% are running their businesses alone without support from employees or contractors (down from 61.5% in 2024)
⇨ People are working long hours.
As you continue reading through this report, keep these demographics in mind.
How many SKUs do you have?
Responses varied but the largest number of participants reported having 201 - 400 SKUs, up from last year.
⇨ Most brands surveyed offer between 51 - 400 product SKUs.
⇨ Larger product lines (400+ SKUs) were most common for brands with 6+ years in or $500k in gross revenue.
⇨ Newer businesses (1 - 2 years) averaged fewer than 100 SKUs.
How do you manufacture your products?
⇨ 31.8% use in-house & domestic outsourcing
⇨ 21% manufacture all of their products in-house
⇨ 16.5% domestic & international partners
⇨ 15.5% produce in-house & international outsourcing
⇨ 12.5% outsource manufacturing domestically
⇨ 3% outsource manufacturing internationally
Hybrid manufacturing models (in-house paired with external production) are the most popular. Fully outsourced production (especially done internationally) is somewhat rare — only 3% of participants fully manufacture overseas.
Domestic production (assumed to be in the U.S. due to the large number of U.S. participants) whether in-house or outsourced remains strong amongst participants.
Manufacturing trends by years in business & revenue level:
Responses showed that the longer a business is operating, the more likely they are to diversify production methods to balance out cost, quality, scalability and volume of inventory needed. Newer businesses outsourced less frequently than experienced business owners.
When we compared manufacturing trends with revenue levels and years in business — the patterns were similar. Businesses with annual gross revenue under $100k created more of their products in-house compared to brands with revenues over $500k. As revenue grew, participants diversified production to scale operations and maintain margins.
Have you been impacted by President Trump’s tariffs?
Answers were split pretty evenly on this one — 49% said yes and 51% said no impact.
However, we solicited responses for this survey for two weeks in early April 2025 — when the tariff situation was changing rapidly and almost daily. There were a lot of unknowns when folks were completing this survey.
I would be curious to ask this question again in 6 months, once the ripple effects of the tariffs kick in. Those who manufacture overseas know that they will have immediate decisions to make. But those manufacturing domestically, may not see the effects of rising supply and material costs for a couple more months.
Basically, the tariffs by President Trump and his administration are a developing situation and I want people to be paying close attention to their production costs so that they can make informed decisions as everything unfolds.
How have you been impacted by President Trump’s tariffs?
"My materials are sourced from China, my US suppliers also buy from China. Prices have gone up, and I have had to increase my prices to match costs."
(Under $100k Revenue, 3–5 years in business)
"I'm a small designer and finding trustworthy overseas manufacturers is really hard. I'm looking for alternatives with low MOQs because the service is inconsistent."
(Under $100k Revenue, 3–5 years in business)
"Our luxury packaging materials are now out of budget due to excessive tariffs. There are not high quality alternatives made in the US."
(Mid $100k Revenue, 6–10 years in business)
"Product that I print on is made in China. I order through a USA third party who have increased their prices."
(Mid $100k Revenue, 6–10 years in business)
"90% of my products that I don't manufacture in-house are manufactured overseas. With tariffs rising, I may not be able to continue manufacturing overseas."
(Over $100k Revenue, 6–10 years in business)
"One of our best-selling product lines is manufactured overseas. Without U.S. alternatives at the right quality and cost, we may have to discontinue it."
(Mid $100k Revenue, 6–10 years in business)
Resources:
⇨ Podcast Episode: How Trump's Tariffs Are Affecting Small Business Owners with Emily Ley, Simplified®
⇨ Podcast Episode: How & when to discontinue product with Katie Hunt
⇨ Podcast Episode: How to decide which product to manufacture next with Katie Hunt
⇨ Podcast Episode: Increase your profit margins with Katie Hunt on Product Powerhouse Podcast
⇨ Product Development Tools: Production Schedule Planner & Profitability Calculator
Trim your to do list
This LABS training provides three simple steps to reduce your overwhelm with time-saving techniques & outsourcing solutions. Available exclusively within our LABS community. Join now!
How many people are on your team?
Contractors
⇨ 60% of participants have no contractors
⇨ 18% have 1 contractor
⇨ 14% have 2 contractors
⇨ 4% have 3 contractors
⇨ 2% have 4 contractors
⇨ 2% have 5+ contractors
Employees
⇨ 73% of participants have no employees
⇨ 0% have 1 employee
⇨ 15% have 2 employees
⇨ 7% have 3 employees
⇨ 1% have 4 employees
⇨ 5% have 5+ employees
noteworthy: 47% of participants are running their business alone without any support from contractors or employees. This is approximately 15% lower than 2024 survey stats, meaning more people are seeking the support of team members — which we love to see!
Average team size by years in business:
⇨ Established brands with 15+ years of experience have the largest teams, which makes sense. In addition, these seasoned businesses have diversified support, utilizing both employees and contractors.
⇨ Businesses in the 1-2 year range had the smallest teams and relied on contractors more than employees.
⇨ The biggest jump in team size was between 3-5 year businesses to 6-10 year businesses — where the average amount of team support doubled. Businesses in years 6-10 often see a lot of growth and therefore need more support, so this doesn’t surprise me.
What is the first role that you hired for?
When we conducted the 2024 survey, I receive a lot of questions about the types of roles & responsibilities that people were hiring for on their teams. So we added it to this year’s survey and asked folks that had employees and contractors — what did you hire for first?
⇨ Production and fulfillment are the top two positions coming in at a collective 46% of all responses.
⇨ Followed by Sales (in-house and outside sales teams) then general assistant support
Future hiring plans:
When asked about hiring plans for the next year, its a mixed bag.
⇨ 18% plan to hire more support
⇨ 48% do not plan to hire more support
⇨ 34% is unsure.
"I'm still doing it all myself. I would love to hire, but I can't afford it yet."
(Under $100k Revenue, 1–2 years in business)
"Hiring help is on my dream list, but right now I need every penny to stay in the business."
(Under $100k Revenue, 3–5 years in business)
"Hiring is hard. I know what I need, but finding good people and training them has been way harder than I thought."
(Mid $100k Revenue, 6–9 years in business)
"I can’t keep doing everything. I need managers, not just helpers."
(Upper $100k–$300k Revenue, 6–9 years in business)
"Hiring managers who can run things without me was the best and hardest thing I’ve done."
(Over $500k Revenue, 10–14 years in business)
How many hours per week do you work (on average)?
⇨ 31% of respondents are working more than 41 hours per week (same as 2024)
⇨ 29% are working 31 - 40 hours per week. (up from 25% in 2024)
⇨ 6% are working under 10 hours per week. (down from 9% in 2024)
People are still working a lot.
60% are working more than 30 hours per week, with several reporting upwards of 60+ hours.
Even though 2025 participants report having more support from team members this year compared to last, they are still working long hours.
Friends, please take care of yourself. Working 40-60+ hour weeks consistently is not sustainable and you will burn yourself out. 🫶🏼
Noteworthy: As the years of business experience and annual revenue rose, the number of hours worked by the business owner dropped below 40 hours per week, specifically for those who reported having employees and/or contractors.
Resources:
⇨ Podcast Episode: Scaling without employees with Beth Roszkowski
⇨ Podcast Episode: Updates on Independent Contractor guidelines with Kira LaForgia
⇨ Podcast Episode: How to have tough conversations with your team with Tatiana O’Hara
⇨ Free Workshop: Deciding what to delegate in 3 simple steps with Katie Hunt
what do wholesale buyers want & need from
brands?
How do you make your money?
⇨ 86.5% of respondents sell wholesale (up from 79% in 2024)
⇨ 99% of respondents sell direct to consumer (up from 98% in 2024)
⇨ 25% of respondents utilize 6 or more revenue streams (down significantly from 87% in 2024)
Noteworthy: Businesses under 2 years noted retail in-person markets as their top revenue diving revenue stream. Businesses 3+ years ranked wholesale online as the revenue stream bringing in the highest amount of money.
Which revenue streams bring in the most money for your business?
highest revenue generating sales channels for all participants
⇨ Wholesale Online — mostly Faire (32%)
⇨ Retail Online — mostly Shopify & Etsy (21%)
⇨ Retail In-person Markets (20%)
LOWEST revenue generating sales channels for all participants
⇨ Coaching (1%)
⇨ Referrals (0%)
⇨ Drop Shipping (0%)
*These three were also the least utilized revenue streams by all participants
How do revenue streams compare to years of experience & revenue levels?
⇨ According to the responses, wholesale gains importance over time and with increased revenue. It’s the dominant sales channel for brands with annual gross revenue over $100k
⇨ Faire becomes increasingly important for businesses in the 3-5+ year range, with many relying on Faire for reach and sales.
⇨ Direct retail - online, Etsy, in-person markets - are used by brands across all revenue levels and years of experience, however these sales channels are critical revenue sources for businesses under $100k.
⇨ Businesses with $500k in annual gross revenue reported larger diversification into things like custom work, licensing, and larger wholesale projects
noteworthy: I will be doing a deeper dive summarizing and comparing data points based on revenue levels and years of experience in our LABS community. Come join us!
Resources:
⇨ Podcast Episode: Changing landscape of retail markets with Emily Chiang, Danella McKinnon & Kate Pinto
⇨ Podcast Episode: Expanding into licensing with Betsy Garcia, Bloomwolf Studio
⇨ Wholesale Coaching Program: Join the waitlist for the 46th round of Paper Camp
Is wholesale right for you?
This free 25 minute workshop is packed full of concrete action steps that will help you get started with wholesale. Sign up here!
Annual Gross Revenue:
⇨ 40% report 2024 annual gross revenue less than $50k per year (down from 48% last year)
⇨ 42.5% bring in over $100k in annual revenue (up from 36% last year)
⇨ 3.5% report annual revenue over $1M (up from 3% last year)
noteworthy: Our Paper Camp Alumni had higher representation in the $100k - $500k revenue brackets and reported profit margins of 51 - 60% (compared to non-alumni in the 30-50% range). Our alumni were also less represented in the lower revenue brackets (under $50k).
How do your overall sales compare Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024?
⇨ 44% Higher Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 42% Lower Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 15% Same Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
Annual Net Profit:
⇨ Over half (52%) reported less than $25k net profit
⇨ 22.7% reported $51k - 200k in net profit
⇨ Only 3.5% reported over $300k net profit.
How much are you paying yourself?
Overall stats:
⇨ 28% of all participants are not paying themselves from the business
⇨ 37% are paying themselves under $25k
⇨ 30% are paying themselves $25k - $100k
⇨ 5% are taking home $100k+ a year from their business
Is your business your primary source of income?
⇨ 25.5% Yes
⇨ 74.5% No
Do you have other sources of income?
87.5% of all participants have other sources of income for their household.
Majority of the folks who have other sources of income are NOT relying on their business as their primary source of income.
What are your other sources of income?
⇨ 78% share costs with a spouse, partner or roommate
⇨ 19% have a part time job
⇨ 15% have a full time job for another company
⇨ 3% have multiple businesses
Resource:
⇨ Podcast Episode: How to pay yourself as a business owner with Katie Hunt
⇨ Podcast Episode: Budgeting & Forecasting for Product Development with Katie Hunt
⇨ Podcast Episode: Bookkeeping strategies with Greg Higdon
3 day sales campaign
Need a cash injection? One of my clients made $8,000 using my
3-day sales strategy.
This rinse & repeat system can be used to drive wholesale and DTC sales. This training available exclusively within our LABS community. Join now!
What website platform do you use for sales?
Private DOMAIN websiteS
⇨ 74% use Shopify (up from 66% last year)
⇨ 12% use Squarespace (down from 14% last year)
⇨ 3.5% use Wordpress (down from 5% last year)
⇨ 3.5% use Wix (down from 5% last year)
⇨ 2% use “Other” (down from 7% last year)
⇨ 5% do not have their own website (up from 3% last year)
“Other” website platforms included Showit, Big Cartel, Big Commerce, Etsy, Square and Weebly.
Noteworthy: The 5% without a website surprised me given that online retail and online wholesale ranked as the two of the most profitable revenue streams. Upon closer look, these folks are utilizing third party platforms like Faire, Etsy, Amazon and social media shopping platforms in lieu of their own website.
Third-PARTY SALES PLATFORMS
In this question, we asked participants to select all of the third party platforms they utilize for their business.
⇨ 76% sell on Faire (up from 69% last year)
⇨ 51.5% sell on Etsy (up from 50% last year)
⇨ 23% sell on Instagram / Facebook Shops (down from 31% last year)
⇨ 10% sell on Google Shopping
⇨ 7% sell on Amazon (same as last year)
⇨ 5% sell on TikTok Shop (down from 6% last year)
⇨ 9.5% do not sell on any third party platforms (down from 13% last year)
Many folks reported selling on multiple third party platforms.
How did your Faire sales compare Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024?
We asked only those selling on Faire, whether sales are up, down or the same year over year.
⇨ 42% higher Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 38% lower Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 20% same Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
How did your Etsy sales compare Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024?
We asked only those selling on Etsy, whether sales are up, down or the same year over year.
⇨ 23% higher Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 54% lower Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
⇨ 23% same Q1 2025 than Q1 2024
Noteworthy: If you’re selling on multiple platforms, I want to encourage you to do an audit. Review your sales data for each platform and identify which platforms are delivering the highest quality clients and highest volume of sales — then focus your efforts there.
If selling on multiple platforms is working for you - great, keep going! But, sometimes we can spread ourselves too thin. And, knowing that 46.75% of respondents are working alone — I want you all to be careful about where you’re allocating your time and energy.
Utilizing too many third party platforms is an area where I commonly see brands over-extending themselves. Focus on the sales channels and sales platforms that are driving the most revenue and the highest caliber customers. 💰
What email service provider do you use?
⇨ 31% use Klaviyo (up from 24% last year)
⇨ 16% use Mailchimp (down from 20% last year)
⇨ 16% use Flodesk (same as last year)
⇨ 11% use Shopify Email (up from 9% last year)
⇨ 1% use Convertkit (down from 2% last year)
⇨ 1% use Zoho One (up from 0.4% last year)
⇨ 0.3% use Constant Contact (down from 1.5% last year)
⇨ 0.3% use Active Campaign
⇨ 12% selected “Other” and wrote in Omnisend, Aweber, Mailerlite, Squarespace Email, Faire emails
13% don’t do email marketing (down from 15% last year) 😮😰. I’ll come back to why this is a huge opportunity in a minute!
for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average ROI of $42.
Which marketing strategies & tactics do you use for your business?
In this question, we asked participants to select all of the marketing tactics they utilize for their business. The top 5 in order of how many participants selected them are as follows:
⇨ Email Marketing
⇨ Retail In-Person Markets
⇨ Wholesale Trade Shows
⇨ Direct Mail Marketing
⇨ Paid Advertising
Least utilized were hosting a podcast, affiliates for others & your brand and SMS marketing.
Which marketing strategy has driven the most sales?
We asked everyone to select the their top lead generator.
These were the top 5:
⇨ Email Marketing
⇨ Retail In-Person Markets
⇨ Wholesale Trade Shows
⇨ Partnerships & Collaborations
⇨ Paid Advertising
Which social media platforms do you use for business?
⇨ 97.5% of respondents use Instagram (up from 95% last year)
⇨ 73% use Facebook (up from 66% last year)
⇨ 48% use Pinterest (up from 40% last year)
⇨ 28% use TikTok (up from 24% last year)
⇨ 18% use Threads (up from 7% last year)
⇨ 10% use YouTube (same as last year)
⇨ 8% use Blue Sky
⇨ 3% use X / Twitter (same as last year)
⇨ 1% use Reddit (same as last year)
Which social media platforms drives the most sales & customers to your shop?
When asked about #1 source for new leads the top three responses remained Instagram. Facebook & Pinterest.
Noteworthy: This is a good reminder to track your customer data and understand how and where people are finding you. Then, we can use that data when deciding where to allocate your marketing dollars and time. Let’s find out which platforms or methods are bringing in the most new customers and spend more time there!
Resources:
⇨ Podcast Episode: SMS & Email Marketing Strategies with Arianne Foulks
⇨ Podcast Episode: Utilizing Abandoned Cart Emails to Drive Sales with Katie Hunt
⇨ Podcast Episode: Market Trends for Product-based Business Owners with Jessica Totillo Coster
⇨ Podcast Episode: Using SEO for Product Forecasting & Development with Jessica Freeman
Get your products on the shelves of stores big & small!
How would you characterize your overall business growth so far in 2025?
⇨ 47% Steady
⇨ 22% Growing at a good pace
⇨ 22% Declining slowly
⇨ 4.8% Declining rapidly
⇨ 4.5% Growing Rapidly
Have you considered closing your business in the last 6 months?
⇨ 30% Yes
⇨ 70% No
What is your current biggest struggle as the human behind the brand?
Top three struggles that product based business owners are facing include:
⇨ 29% Work-life balance (including care-taking responsibilities)
⇨ 25% Current events / state of the world
⇨ 16% Burn out / mental health
Resources:
⇨ Podcast Episode: Normalizing the hard stuff in business with Tammie Bennett
⇨ Podcast Episode: Task Management vs Energy Management with Ashley Brown
What is your primary focus for your business in 2025?
When asked about their plans for this year, respondents noted acquiring new customers, strengthening their marketing and sales systems as the top priorities.
Don’t forget to nurture your existing customers. Customer retention is super important, especially for wholesale!
community & collaboration
You don’t have to build your business alone! Our LABS community was built specifically for product based business owners looking for strategic support & camaraderie. Come join us!
1. Crossing $100k Gross Revenue is a key Milestone
58% of businesses are still under $100k/year — but growth accelerates after that.
There is no easy button to hitting 6-figures in revenue. The money comes when your business foundations are strong — and this often correlates with improved profitability, operational systems and stronger confidence. Be strategic about how you’re driving revenue, focus on best performing sales channels & allocate your resources where you have growth opportunities.
2. Net Profit Grows Slower Than Gross Revenue
Over half (52%) of participants report less than $25k in net profit for the business (revenue - expenses).
Profit is the number that matters most. Focus not just on revenue growth, but also on raising profit margins and tightening operational costs to strengthen overall profit. It is particularly important to pay attention to your numbers this year — pricing, costs and margins — and be prepared to make adjustments as requires. This podcast talks about strategies for increasing profit margins.
3. Most Founders Are Underpaying Themselves
65% of participants are paying themselves less than $25k/year — or nothing at all.
This is a tough one and I get it. I didn’t pay myself from the business for a couple of years because I was reinvesting profits back into the brand but I also had a corporate salary to lean on. Also, the economy right now is unpredictable. Whether you start by taking a small % of monthly sales or a flat monthly stipend, it is important to get in the habit of paying yourself monthly. This podcast shares how you can get started paying yourself.
Also, consider setting personal salary goals that align with revenue milestones and have this drive your overall business planning / strategy. When you know what you’re working towards, you’ll get there faster.
4. Full Financial Independence is Still Rare
Only 25.5% of participants rely solely on their business as the primary source of income.
Everyone’s personal circumstances are different, so do what is best for you. There is no shame in taking an outside job or finding outside income sources. I had overlap with my corporate job for 4 years! Within the business, focus on building the strong foundations to grow your profit and be careful to not overextend yourself.
A common challenge that showed up in this year’s survey is that people are splitting their time between too many sales & marketing channels, which makes it difficult to get traction. Be mindful of that.
5. Wholesale Is important for Sustainable Growth
Businesses earning $100k+ reported wholesale sales (particularly online wholesale - Shopify & Faire) as a primary revenue driver.
Don’t jump blindly into wholesale. But, expanding B2B sales is an opportunity to create higher average order values and steadier cash flow for the business.
Most participants at the higher income levels are successfully diversifying within wholesale by selling online, in-person at trade shows, through sales teams and/or via direct outreach. Again, be careful to add things in strategically. But also, be proactive if you pursue wholesale.
6. Years in Business Matter — Dramatically
Businesses with 6+ years experience reported:
Higher revenue
Higher net profit
Paying themselves a salary
While we can’t speed up the clock, it is important to note here that consistently showing up matters. Success is built day by day and decision by decision. We know that overnight successes aren’t reality, so keep plugging away and proactively tell people how they can buy your products.
7. hiring speeds up growth
47% of participants are running their business alone without any support from contractors or employees.
This number dropped 15% from last year’s survey, meaning more brands have support - yay! Hiring contractors is a bridge between solo founder life and hiring a full-fledged team.
Start with flexible, part time support (even a few hours a week helps!), then as revenue levels grow, consider shifting to hiring core employees. Brands earning over $100k in revenue are utilizing contractors and employees to grow faster.
8. Education, community & mentorship accelerate success.
Paper Camp and LABS alumni surpassed non-alumni survey participants in many areas:
Revenue: PTP Alumni ($101 -200k) vs Non-alumni (Under $25k)
Profit Margins: PTP Alumni (40 - 59%) vs Non-alumni (30 - 39%)
Full-time in Business: PTP Alumni (79%) vs Non-alumni (65%)
Survey respondents who participated in Paper Camp and/or LABS were consistently ranked ahead of non-alumni — earning more, staying in business longer, maintaining higher profit margins and committing to their businesses full-time. Find yourself a community of like-minded business owners who are working towards similar goals. It will positively enhance your business, your business relationships & you’ll reach your goals faster.
"I feel more confident in my business systems and clarity in direction compared to last year! I attribute that to Paper Camp, the PTP podcast, and LABS – thank you!"
(Mid $100k Revenue, 6–10 years in business)
9. REDUCE RELIANCE on third party platforms
Over-dependence on third-party sales and marketing platforms (like Etsy, Faire, Instagram) showed up among newer businesses.
Survey respondents expressed heavy reliance on third-party platforms for brand visibility, customer communication and sales, which puts them in a vulnerable position. If Etsy, Faire or Instagram were to shut down or remove access, tomorrow — what would happen to your business?
Building out your online shop and email list are critical, must-have tools that all product brands need in their toolbox in 2025. Your email list is an asset that you fully control — and email consistently converts better than social media. With online wholesale and retail ranked “most profitable” revenue streams, its important that you have a seamless experience for customers to purchase, that you control. Brands without websites and/or those who are not sending emails are leaving money on the table and missing out on sales.
10. participants are cautiously hopeful - but tired.
Many respondents — especially in the 1 - 5 year business stage or earning under $100k in revenue — reported feelings of burnout, overwhelm and emotional fatigue alongside mentions of feeling “hopeful for future growth”.
A noticeable theme was fear about tariffs, supply chain issues, political instability and just generally trying to “do too much”. Hope and resilience are strong, even amid deep fatigue and uncertainty.
External stresses (mainly economic/political fears) are weighing heavily on the day-to-day decision-making. Also, it seems that business owners are torn between balancing their own personal drive & ambition to grow the business with real-life hurdles (personal & professional).
A gentle reminder, to prioritize your mental, physical and emotional health. Also, slow steady growth is proven to be the most sustainable path forward… give yourself the space to do what you need to do!
To sum it up, the product industry rewards consistency, strategic scaling, and smart financial management — not overnight success.
The path to profitability can feel long and challenging — but strong business foundations are must. Layer in strong operations, smart pricing, strategic sales channels and think about the long game when making decisions in your business.
Also…
There are a million ways to grow a product based business and this survey is a really good reminder that what works for one brand may not work for another. Everyone is working towards different goals, with different time, budget and energy constraints. Your path may look different than the details described here, and that’s okay.
You do what works best for you. Always.
If you’d like to receive further updates and analysis regarding the survey, please make sure you’re on our email list.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
If you share this report or any statistics within the report, please be sure to credit Proof to Product as the source and link to https://www.prooftoproduct.com/2025survey. We want these survey results to help as many people as possible, but please do credit us appropriately when sharing.
For press inquiries or interview requests about survey results, please contact Brittney Lynn at brittney@prooftoproduct.com.
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a seasoned business strategist with over 25 years experience coaching large corporations & entrepreneurs on sales & marketing strategies.
Since 2011, Katie has helped more than 33,000 product brands successfully launch and grow their wholesale programs through Proof to Product. You'll find her client’s products stocked on the shelves of Target, Nordstrom, Container Store, Urban Outfitters, Starbucks and independent boutiques around the world.
With her guidance, Katie’s clients have…
» Increased wholesale revenue by 149% in one year
» Fulfilled a single PO for Barnes & Noble to the tune of $160k
» 10x wholesale revenue in a single month
» Hit yearly sales goals by October & took a month OFF!
She values simplicity in business and has a knack for breaking down complicated strategies into simple steps so that you have stronger sales, higher profit & more support.
Podcast: prooftoproduct.com/podcast | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
