Posts in Operations & Sales
085 | Three seasons of business with Katie Hunt
085 | Three seasons of business with Katie Hunt

Happy New Year, friends! On this episode I’m sharing the three phases of business that every business goes through – often multiple times. These three phases include: growth, maintenance and streamlining phase.

Growth is when we’re adding new products, services, systems. We’re in building and expansion mode. One misconception about the growth phase is that its reserved for the early years of business. But, in reality, the growth phase can happen in the beginning, middle and even the end of our business life cycle.

Maintenance is when we take a look at everything we’ve been building during the growth phase and we realize we need to stop adding ‘new’ and instead optimize what we’ve already created. This could include diving deeper into a specific product category or giving a team member additional responsibilities. Maintaining and optimizing our existing products, services and internal processes is a really important step, but often overlooked.

Streamlining is where we clear the clutter from our business — products that aren’t selling or that no longer fit our brand aesthetic; reassessing our client on boarding process for custom work, or our outreach to wholesale accounts we think we’d be a good fit for. The streamlining phase can be a really powerful one, in that you’re creating white space and removing things that are not pushing your business towards your goals.

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6 things I wish for you as we finish 2018 with Katie Hunt
6 things I wish for you as we finish 2018 with Katie Hunt

As we head into the holidays, the Proof to Product team and I will be taking a break. While we’re gone, I want to encourage you to go back and listen to some of this year’s most popular episodes. I’ve included links to our top 5 episodes at the bottom of our show notes here so you can find them quickly & easily.

But all in all, we covered a lot of ground in 2018 talking about business finances, licensing opportunities, marketing strategies, selling wholesale, finding manufacturers, exhibiting at shows and the ups and downs of running a business.

Our guests were vulnerable, I was vulnerable. In fact, there were a few episodes I was nervous to air — it felt too raw – but we did it anyway! Because that’s what this show is about… sharing our struggles, successes, and strategies so that all of us can continue to grow our businesses in a way that feels good to us.

I’m really proud of how Proof to Product has grown and I’m overwhelmed (in a good way) when I receive messages from all of you or read the reviews you leave for the show. I appreciate you listening and am so glad that the show has positively influenced your life and your business.

As we head into the holidays and 2019, I want to share some important reminders and six things that I wish for each and every one of you…

I want you to continue to make intentional decisions in your business. Decisions that get you closer to your business goals. Decisions that reflect the season of life that you’re in. And, decisions that further ignite your passions even more.

I want you to make time for yourself and the things that bring you joy in life. As an entrepreneur it is easy to overwork ourselves. We love what we do and we should. But, I want you to carve out time over the next few weeks for play. For hobbies. For time with friends and family.

I want you to spend some time reflecting on the progress you’ve made this year. Remember that success doesn’t happen overnight. It happens little by little, step by step. But we need to celebrate our progress along the way. You worked hard this year and you deserve to be celebrated.

Friends, I want you to remember that you set the rules for your business. You decide what products to sell, whether to sell retail, wholesale or both. You decide whether to go to shows or hire a team. You hold the power, never forget that.

I want you to remember that if you’re in an uncomfortable state of change, that this usually means you’re in a growth period and that you’re onto something exciting and new. Don’t let fear hold you back. Try it out and see what happens. If it doesn’t go as planned you can always change direction and try again.

And, I want you to remember that we see you doing amazing work and pouring your heart and soul into your products. This entrepreneurial journey can be tough but also very rewarding. Remember that you’re not alone. We see you.

I want you to know that i’m grateful for you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season surrounded by family and friends.

I’ll be back with a new episode on January 8th. Until then, happy holidays and happy new year.

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084 | Intro to licensing art with Jennifer Morgan, A Fresh Bunch
084 | Intro to licensing art with Jennifer Morgan, A Fresh Bunch

Jennifer Morgan is the brains behind A Fresh Bunch, a creative licensing agency where designers and clients collaborate and create something big together. Jenny began her journey into creative licensing in 2002 when she founded Hen and Barley Press, her own successful wholesale stationery business focused on personalized stationery goods.

Jennifer soon realized just how much of her time was spent on everything in her business except design, and discovered many other creative people in the industry were burnt out just like her. Inspired by the opportunity to bring designers and clients together, Jenny founded A Fresh Bunch in 2010.

On today’s episode, Jenny shares how she shifted away from wholesale manufacturing and into creative licensing. She talks about misconceptions that artists have about licensing and provides overview of how licensing works, who it is for, and how a licensing agency, like A Fresh Bunch can help artists diversify their revenue streams.

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083 | Exhibiting at craft shows with Danni Hong, oh hello friend
083 | Exhibiting at craft shows with Danni Hong, oh hello friend

Danni Hong is a designer, business owner, and lover of all things paper. She started oh, hello friend in 2008 and has been hustling ever since at craft shows and trade shows worldwide! Her ultimate goal thru her business is to convey joy thru oh hello friend products and brighten someone’s day.

Danni attended Tradeshow Bootcamp’s Paper Camp prior to exhibiting at her first wholesale show, but she has a lot of experience exhibiting at craft shows near and far which she talks about in today’s episode. We also talked about Danni’s journey of scaling up and scaling down. She shares her experiences exhibiting at craft shows near and far. She also talked about her experience opening a brick and mortar shop and how she decided which products to carry in her store. Danni also discussed what it was like operating three different arms of her business.

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082 | Hiring a team with Sarah Parrott Bianculli, Parrott Design (Part 2)
082 | Hiring a team with Sarah Parrott Bianculli, Parrott Design (Part 2)

Sarah Parrott is the founder of Parrott Design Studio and this is Part 2 of her interview. If you missed Part 1 which was Episode 81, I recommend you head back and listen to that one first.

Here on Part 2, Sarah talks about hiring a team, how she started slowly delegating and fears she had around letting go of things in her business, we talked about her multiple revenue streams and the pros / cons of having multiple businesses, navigating tough seasons in life while owning a business and how Sarah’s definition of success for her business has changed over the years.

As background, Parrott Design Studio is a letterpress studio in Sebago, a lake town in Western Maine. The studio was established in 2007 by Sarah Parrott with a small Print Gocco, an inexpensive and easy to use screen printing tool that originated in Japan. That same year she took her first course in letterpress, learning to use a Vandercook press.

In 2008 she purchased her own press, an 1898 Golding Jobber platen press. At the time there were no courses to learn on that type of press, and she spent a year teaching herself how to use it. She fell in love with the centuries-old artisinal printing technique and the process of feeding the press one piece at a time, one color at a time. In 2010 she left her job as an event planner to pursue Parrott Design Studio full time. Sarah is one of our original Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni. She attended our very first round of Tradeshow Bootcamp classes in 2011 before exhibiting at the National Stationery Show in 2012.

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marketing, Operations & Sales, pep talkGuest UserComment
080 | Using personal savings to grow a $23M business with Christina Stembel, Farmgirl Flowers
080 | Using personal savings to grow a $23M business with Christina Stembel, Farmgirl Flowers

Christina Stemble is the founder of Farmgirl Flowers, which she started 7 years ago from her living room table. She invested $49,000 of her personal savings to start the business and Farm Girl Flowers is projected to hit $23M in revenue for 2018.

Christina disrupted the floral industry with new options for consumers, less waste and higher quality products. Farmgirl Flower arrangements are designed by hand, in-house in San Francisco California.

On today’s episode, Christina is sharing why it is so important to know your numbers, the struggles of scaling and how she’s pivoted more times that she can count. We also talked about how she’s been proactive about business education and why she focuses on caring about people, but not what they think about her.

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079 | Leveraging influncers to sell products with Alison Prince
079 | Leveraging influncers to sell products with Alison Prince

Alison Prince is an e-commerce expert and a woman on a mission. She is a business-savvy determined woman who knows how to create something amazing out of nothing. Over the last seven years, Allison has started eight e-commerce businesses, many of which are multi-million dollar brands. She’s sold everything from apparel to technology to household items — she’s sold everything under the sun — growing dollars into millions and pennies into thousands.

On today’s episode, we talk about how Allison built her deal of a day website and then leveraged best selling products to create their own site and brand. She also shares how she leverages influencers to sell her product and why testing your product is the most important thing you can do in e-commerce.

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Operations & Sales, marketing, productGuest UserComment
078 | Working with a fulfillment house & sales reps with Taylor Elliott, Taylor Elliott Designs
078 | Working with a fulfillment house & sales reps with Taylor Elliott, Taylor Elliott Designs

Taylor Elliott is the founder of Taylor Elliott Designs, a fun desk accessory and gift company. Taylor started this company as a side hustle while working a full-time job, but through a lot of hard work and persistence, she has grown this into a thriving gift company whose products are sold in more than 450 stores nationwide.

On today’s episode, Taylor talks about why she decided to use a fulfillment house to store and ship her products, what questions she asked when she was choosing a partner and what her priorities were for outsourcing this piece of her business. She also talks about how she’s brought on 40 sales reps and how working with them and attending markets with her reps has enhanced her business.

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marketing, wholesale, Operations & Sales, tradeshowsGuest UserComment
077 | Investing in professional development with Tanya Wheeless, Happy Grace
077 | Investing in professional development with Tanya Wheeless, Happy Grace

TSBC Alum, Tanya Wheeless is the founder of Happy Grace and author of three workbooks on soulful living. She has leveraged her decades of experience as a CEO, senior executive in the NBA, and community leader to teach women how to live the good life while struggling to balance work and family.

In 2016, Tanya saw a need in the market for physical products that busy women could use daily to motivate and center themselves. With that, Happy Grace was born! She took all of her coaching goodness, combined it with her love of paper and created a beautiful line of guided journals, inspiration decks, lip balms and more. When she’s not working, you can find her traveling the globe with her husband and son.

On today’s episode, Tanya shares why she never wanted to be an entrepreneur, how she’s weaved both products and services into her business and why she prioritizes and invests in professional development.

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076 | Creating an independent location business with Kaye Putnam
076 | Creating an independent location business with Kaye Putnam

Kaye Putnam is a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with hundreds of clients from global brands to solo business owners, she developed The Clarity Code. She believes that When you have a clear brand, that your clients love and respect, they will be willing to pay premium prices for your work. Kaye believes that a strong brand gives you the clarity and confidence to scale your impact and income. When she’s not transforming brands, she’s exploring the world with her husband and two little ones. They love eating their way across their home of Naples, Italy.

On today’s episode, we talk about key components of a strong brand, how Kaye has created a location independent business and she shares a branding exercise that you can do right now!

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075 | Shifting from wholesale to licensing with Shelley Seguinot, I'm Inkpressed
075 | Shifting from wholesale to licensing with Shelley Seguinot, I'm Inkpressed

TSBC alum, Shelley Seguinot began her creative journey in 2013 when she opened I’m Inkpressed, a wholesale stationery company specializing in children’s products. As the paper industry evolved and she saw the digital market expanding, she adjusted her business to focused her effort on the art licensing world. She now licenses her art to various companies that put her work on a wide range of products.

On today’s episode, Shelley shares how she left a 20-year career in law enforcement to start her businesses. She tells us how she got her first licensing deal, fears she had when she first started licensing her art and why it’s so valuable to find mentors and community if licensing is something you want to pursue for your business.

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wholesale, Operations & Sales, productGuest User Comment
074 | Your products & services need to solve a problem with Elle Drouin, Styled Stock Society
074 | Your products & services need to solve a problem with Elle Drouin, Styled Stock Society

Elle Drouin is the founder of three businesses that she currently runs — wonderfelle MEDIA, Styled Stock Society and she’s the human behind @mochiandthecity. After several years working as the Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy for e-commerce businesses, Elle launched her own business to focus on helping other women build brands that are as profitable as they are pretty. Elle currently runs the Styled Stock Society, a stylish stock photography membership for women entrepreneurs, as well as works as a commercial photographer for beauty and lifestyle brands.

Elle’s dog Mochi is a 4 year old maltipoo model and influencer with over 100,000 Instagram followers. Elle and Mochi have been featured on Entrepreneur, CNBC, the Today Show, and a number of other media outlets. They’ve collaborated with brands like American Express, Disney, Google, and The Ritz-Carlton and also use their platform to raise awareness for organizations like the Humane Society and local shelters.

On today’s episode we talked about the benefits of using stock photography, strategies, processes and tools for streamlining social media and and why we need to focus on solving a problem as we build our products and services.

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072 | Etsy strategies with Danielle Spurge, The Merriweather Council
072 | Etsy strategies with Danielle Spurge, The Merriweather Council

Danielle Spurge is a maker and craft business consultant who loves iced lattes and pop music. Through her work at The Merriweather Council, Danielle teaches creative people how to turn their crafty tendencies into profits. On her blog and podcast, Danielle aims to inspire and support makers in business and share insights from her eight years of experience selling handmade work online. Danielle believes in celebrating the reality of gainful self employment through craft and wants to help more artists, crafters and designers share their work with more confidence.

On today’s episode we talk about Danielle’s journey of starting her business, how she manages both a product and service based business and she shares why Etsy is a great platform for makers.

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071 | Combatting worry, fear and anxiety with Amber Rae
071 | Combatting worry, fear and anxiety with Amber Rae

Today I sat down with Amber Rae, an author, artist and speaker. Her recent book, Choose Wonder Over Worry invites you to live your truth, befriend your emotions, and express your gifts. Her writing has reached over 5 million people in 195 countries, her public art has spread to over twenty countries, and she’s spoken to and collaborated with brands like Kate Spade, Apple, Amazon, and Unilever. She’s been featured in The New York Times, TIME, Fast Company, BBC, ABC World News, Tim Ferriss’s blog, and more. Previously, Amber helped launch six best-selling books as Chief Evangelist of Seth Godin’s publishing experiment.

On today’s episode, Amber shares strategies for combating worry, fear and anxiety and infusing more wonder and creativity into our days.

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070 | Licensing and collaborations with Lillian Farag
070 | Licensing and collaborations with Lillian Farag

Lillian Farag is a free-form and free-spirited artist, with a love for all things playful and expressive. Pulling inspiration from colors found in life and nature, she adds her own twist and perspective to each aspect of her work.

Along with offering unique hand-painted leather accessories and products, Lillian Farag works on collaborations with both leading industry and boutique brands including: Papyrus, Urban Outfitters, Oh Joy!, Osh Kosh, Flagpole Swim, Talking out of Turn, as well as her recent artist collaboration with Anthropologie.

On today’s episode, we talk about her multiple revenue streams, licensing & collaborations as well as growing pains of being an entrepreneur.

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069 | Reinventing the letterboard with Johnny & Joanna Galbraith, Letterfolk
069 | Reinventing the letterboard with Johnny & Joanna Galbraith, Letterfolk

Johnny and Joanna are the husband-and-wife co-founders of Letterfolk, a contemporary American brand whose mission is to create meaningful products inspired by simpler times. Letterfolk started in June 2015 while the couple searched for a unique way to capture their daughter’s monthly baby milestone photos. They designed a modern, versatile letter board that was tailored and repurposed for today’s home. Letter boards are now a staple of social media art direction, home decor, and milestone photography.

As Letterfolk has grown, so has the brand vision and product offerings. Letterfolk products are proudly made in the United States with premium materials, craftsmanship, and processes.

On today’s episode we’re talking about how Johnny & Joanna reinvented the letter board market, their thoughts on copy cats and how they leverage social media to nurture their customers and share their company story.

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marketing, wholesale, product, tradeshows, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
068 | How to find a literary agent & pitch publishers with Kate Woodrow, Present Perfect
068 | How to find a literary agent & pitch publishers with Kate Woodrow, Present Perfect

Kate Woodrow is the founder of Present Perfect, a full service literary agency serving clients from across the globe. Kate launched the agency in 2015 with the goal of advocating for artists and creatives in publishing and is recognized as an industry leader in design-driven nonfiction work. Kate specializes in developing visually arresting books that offer a unique perspective across a wide range of topics, particularly art, lifestyle, personal growth, and anything with a practical bent.

Before becoming an agent, Kate was an acquisitions editor at Chronicle Books where her experience spanned 10 years and hundreds of books and gift products. Bringing that many projects from a simple brainstorm to the bookshelf gave Kate a keen sense of what makes a book commercially successful and how to be a professional collaborator.

On today’s episode, we’re talking about the process for finding an agent, how to create your pitch, and how to find the right publishers. If you have ever wanted to write a book or wondered what the process was like, this episode is for you.

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067 | Why success sometimes leads to failure with Don Hejny, Nerdwax
067 | Why success sometimes leads to failure with Don Hejny, Nerdwax

Don Hejny is the inventor of Nerdwax, a wax based product that keeps your glasses in place. Nerdwax was launched on Kickstarter in 2014 and featured on the hit television show Shark Tank the following year. Nerdwax is handmade in Nashville, TN and shipped all over the world. On today’s episode, we talked about managing risk, running a debt-free business and why Don strives to work smarter, not harder.

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066 | Gaining visibility for your brand with Brittney Lynn
066 | Gaining visibility for your brand with Brittney Lynn

Brittney Lynn a PR and marketing strategist who works with online entrepreneurs worldwide. She’s also the host of Day in the Life podcast. Brittney has nearly 10 years of experience working in the online marketing industry, and has a passion for helping others grow their reach, their revenue, and impact through strategic PR.

On today’s episode of Proof to Product, we talked about the importance of building a brand story, how to find the right media opportunities for you, and strategies for gaining visibility for your brand.

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