This week’s podcast episode features Kirstie Lee from A Jar of Pickles. We talk about everything from balancing a corporate career while building a product brand to hiring your first employee, expanding into wholesale, building a devoted direct-to-consumer audience, and why treating your business like one big experiment has opened doors to opportunities that Kirstie never even planned for.
Read MoreThis week I'm sitting down with returning guest Audrey Woollen of Urbanic and we're talking about navigating a huge business transition. About a year ago, Audrey decided to close her retail shop and we'll talk about that today. Audrey opens up about the difficult decision it was to close after being open for nearly two decades.
Read MoreToday's episode is a really practical conversation for anyone that is preparing for wholesale trade shows, especially if you're newer to exhibiting or you're trying to decide whether trade shows are the right next step for your business. I'm joined by Karen Sawyer-Meehan of Pier Six Press.
Read MoreThis episode I am joined by Paper Camp alum Andrew Fegler, the founder of That's So Andrew.
He discusses everything from the nuances of authentic allyship to making intentional decisions about suppliers and partnerships. Plus, with over 25 trade shows under his belt, Andrew gives us an insider look at the regional vibes, buyer dynamics at these major wholesale events, talking through lessons he's learned, financial strategies, and the impact of human connection in business.
Read MoreThis episode is an excerpt from our coaching call in Paper Camp that was centered on exhibiting at trade shows. I asked Paper Camp alums Karen Sawyer-Meehan of Pier Six Press and Alyson O’Connor of Rust Belt Love to come and share their experiences with the 47th round of Paper Camp.
Read MoreDuring this episode, we’re chatting with Lib Ramos and Jessie Tyree Jenness about craft shows and digging into what organizers are actually looking for when you apply for these shows, how exhibitors can decide if a show is worth it, and how to also measure ROI following a show.
Read MoreDuring this episode, Paper Camp alum Kate Murray of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress. Kate shares the importance of playing the long game in wholesale, how she balances wholesale and retail operations, and the innovative ways that she's nurturing relationships with both key accounts and independent retailers.
Read MoreDuring this episode, Karen Sawyer-Meehan of Pier Six Press shares her journey from art school and retail sales, her honest take on ethical selling, why genuine connections matter more than ever in retail, and how learning to trust your own unique artistic voice has transformed both her business and her confidence.
Read MoreIn this episode, past Paper Camp alumni share what their experience was like at Shoppe Object’s summer 2025 trade show.
Read MoreIn this episode, past Paper Camp alumni share what their experience was like at NY Now’s summer 2025 trade show.
Read MoreIn this episode, wholesale expert Katie Hunt shares how product-based business owners can know if they are ready to exhibit at a wholesale trade show.
Read MoreDuring this episode, Zeba Parkar and I discuss her approach to finding funding for her business and different loan options that she looked at, including Shopify Capital, and lines of credit options.
Read MoreDuring this episode, Amy Loewenberg and I talk about how NY NOW is innovating the trade show experience. We discuss everything from adapting trade shows to post-pandemic buying trends to the importance of sustainability, and the emerging focus on multi-sensory shopping experiences based on customer psychology.
Read MoreDuring this episode, Priyanka Batra shares her love of fashion and how that influences her products, how growing up the daughter of immigrants influenced her career path, and she talks about overcoming imposter syndrome. We also talk about how she jumped into her first trade show too quickly with only 3 weeks to prepare and the lessons she learned the hard way in that experience.
Read MoreHey 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.
Read MoreHey 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.
Read MoreHey 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!)
