Posts in pep talk
153 | Coaching with Katie Hunt: How to Set Financial Goals for Your Business

Hey friends! You might know that you need to set financial goals for your business. But maybe you feel like you have absolutely no idea where to start. Maybe you feel overwhelmed even thinking about it? Whatever the case, if that sounds like you then you’re in for a treat with today’s live coaching session. I caught up with Paper Camp alumni, Jessica Baskin to give her the low-down on setting financial goals for your business.

Jessica got real about the financial mindset challenges she’s been facing and together, we broke them down. I offered her a few actionable steps she could take to get her more aligned with her numbers. We talked about how she could get clear on who she’s speaking to which would improve her marketing efforts (and in turn get her closer to those financial goals).

This conversation uncovered a few of the best practices for determining what your highest and best use products (or services) for your business. Of course, I also gave Jessica some homework around her financial goals where she’ll be taking a look at the good, better and best financial number goals. This is essential because if you know your goals, you know exactly what to aim for.

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152 | Chasing the Bright Side with Jess Ekstrom, Headbands of Hope

Hey friends! With the current state of our world, I thought it’d be great to bring someone on the podcast who radiates optimism and confidence. In this episode, you’ll be hearing my conversation with Jess Ekstrom, founder of Headbands of Hope and the author of Chasing the Bright Side.

Jess and I dive deep into how she’s built her business and it’s growth over the past eight years. Through her years in business, she’s learned how to find new solutions to support her customers on both the retail and wholesale side.

We also talk about how she’s had to pivot her business during this time which prompted her to host a virtual conference. She shares how she got the co-founder of Netflix to speak at her conference (pretty cool, right?!) She also talks about why she believes in “throwing darts and seeing what sticks” in her business.

We get into what it truly means to chase the bright side. She gives her advice about maintaining your childlike optimism throughout life. Jess and I discuss how to use downtime to recenter yourself (which can bring forth more creativity and innovation!)

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151 | Proactively innovating through tough times

Last week I shared how I’m getting back to basics and what I’m focusing on in my business right now. And, today I’m bringing some of my mastermind clients back on the show to talk about how they are proactively taking steps to diversify and strengthen their business.

Today’s episode features Lisa Sarmento from Tiramisu Paperie, Kiwi Schloffel from Craft Boner and Sara McNally from Constellation & Co. and Snail Mail Superstar

Some key take-aways that I want to point out from today’s episode:

This episode is a great example of how different companies have been affected by covid-19.

It is also a great reminder that while there are a lot of things happening around us right now that we CAN NOT control. There are a lot of things we do control. We do have power to make changes to our products, shift our messaging and pivot how we’re supporting our customers.

I’m really proud of these ladies, and everyone in my mastermind group for being agile and creative in how they are doing business right now. We all need to keep pushing forward — and they are doing just that.

Be sure to check out our #papercampalum hashtag on Instagram to see new products, promotions and behind the scenes of the small businesses in our Paper Camp community.

I’ve also included the links to today’s guests in our show notes -- thanks for supporting small businesses!

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150 | Getting Back to Basics

Hey friends! As much of the world is currently in isolation and practicing social distancing, I wanted to encourage you. I hope this episode will help you find direction in this uncertain time and remind you to keep pushing forward. To be completely honest, my head was spinning with things that I wanted to say but I know we’re all facing completely different circumstances.

None of us have ever faced something like this before and we’re all going through something different from one another. Business advice isn’t a one size fits all and what works for one person may not work for someone else so today I want to share what I’m doing in my business in case it’s relatable or helpful for you.

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149 | Let's encourage one another with Katie Hunt & Friends

Kristen Ley recently asked me and our peer mastermind group to come together for a free webinar to support & encourage other small business owners. It was such an amazing conversation that I asked Kristen if we could rerun the audio version here on our podcast, so today’s episode is just that.

Today’s episode features feedback from me, Kristen Ley of Thimblepress, Tonya Dalton of Inkwell Press, Jenn Jett of The Well Summit and Myrna Daramy of Myrna & Co.

We discuss how we’re handling COVID-19 in our own businesses, recommendations for other small business owners, how to serve your customers, what to prioritize right now and we even share how we’re navigating working from home with children.

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Special Edition | Greetabl Rolls Out Platform Partner Program

I was on the phone with Zoe Scharf of Greetabl this morning and  we decided to hit record on our conversation.

As you may remember, Zoe is one of our Paper Camp alumni and she was on episode 50 of Proof to Product telling her start up story, then she came back for episode 88 where she talked about email sequences and how they love on their clients.

Today we’re talking about a new program that Zoe and the team at Greetabl are launching to support small business owners and independent makers called The Platform Partner Program.

Listen on for details about how the program works, how you can apply and what Zoe feels optimistic about during this Covid-19 pandemic.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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! 

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131 | Deciding what to delegate with Katie Hunt

It’s just you and me today on a special mini episode of Proof to Product! This week, I want to talk to you about delegating. There comes a time in most businesses where you are going to want to start hiring a team. For some of us, we hit a wall, we start to realize we're overwhelmed, and we just simply cannot do it all. If you want your business to grow, delegating is a key skill that I want you to have. So I recently did a free master class about delegating where I identified four steps to figuring out what you need to delegate. I realize not everyone is able to watch masterclasses, so I want to run through some of these strategies today on the podcast. Now, the master class covers these in more depth and I'll show you examples, but for today, let's run through the key points on Episode 131! 

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122 | Four key take-aways from Paper Camp

I’m recording this on a Sunday evening, just two short days after I finished hosting our 16th Paper Camp conference and I’m just now getting a chance to reflect on everything we did at Paper Camp and the amazing feedback we had from our students.  In this episode, I want to share some of their key take-aways with you here on this episode.

But first I want to preface this conversation by saying we cover a lot of ground at Paper Camp.  This is our signature program and we’ve helped over 1,000 small businesses on how to get their products on the shelves on their favorite retail shops.   We talk about product development, sales tools for wholesale, sales strategies - working with reps and tech solutions like Faire, marketing to wholesale buyers and the nuts and bolts of exhibiting at shows.

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121 | The Joy of Missing Out with Tonya Dalton

Do you ever sit down at the end of a long day of work, after checking box after box off your to-do list and still think, wow, I have so many more things I should get done. This feeling of overwhelm is common for small business owners and mompreneurs alike and it’s the reason today’s guest, Tonya Dalton, was inspired to write her new book, The Joy of Missing Out. 

You may remember Tonya from Episode 26 of Proof to Product, where she shared her start-up story of founding inkWELL Press and how she built systems and processes for both work and home. Since then, Tonya has been featured on Real Simple, Entrepreneur, Inc., Apartment Therapy, Lauren Conrad, and HGTV. In 2019, Tonya received the  Enterprising Woman of the Year Award and was named North Carolina's Female Entrepreneur to Watch by The Ladders. Tonya is truly a productivity expert and has made it her mission to help other women reduce and remove the overwhelm in their lives through her inkWELL Press products, liveWELL Method Course, Productivity Podcast, and book that comes out October 1st. 

On today's episode, Tonya takes us behind the scenes of The Joy of Missing Out. She shares her motivations for writing the book, why she chose to weave stories in as lessons, and the power of saying yes and no. I also discuss a personal story of my own that Tonya shares in her book. If you’re looking for ways to reduce overwhelm in your life and carve out more time for the things that matter most, this one's for you!

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108 | Shifting our definition of success with Ginger Lyons, Buffalo Girls Salvage

Hey friends, welcome back to Proof to Product! Today’s guest is Ginger Lyons, a serial entrepreneur who believes positive attitude, abundance mindset, and perseverance are the keys to a successful business model. A military veteran, Ginger is the creator behind Buffalo Girls Salvage, a jewelry design company that transforms salvaged copper, metal and bullet casings into beautiful, handmade pieces.

Since 2012, Ginger’s company has been inspiring women and honoring law enforcement officials through creative designs. She is also passionate about investing in mainstreet America, supporting small businesses and coaching female entrepreneurs.

On today's episode, Ginger and I talk about her incredible “backward” business journey. She shares what it was like to have a storefront, employees, national manufacturing network and the opportunity to appear on Shark Tank, and why she pivoted her business to stay true to her ‘why’. We talk about how our definition of success often changes over the course of time, how entrepreneurship is always a choice, and the importance of sharing our journey to help others.

I hope you enjoy Ginger's story of growth, strategic pivoting, and the lessons she learned along the way!

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102 | Logistics of Our Rebrand with Katie Hunt, Proof to Product

Welcome to Part 2 of a three-part series exploring Proof to Product’s exciting new rebrand. On Part 1, which was Episode 101, guest host Caroline Hull and I talked about why I decided to change my business name from Tradeshow Bootcamp to Proof to Product, and all the fears I had going into the transition. So if you haven't caught that episode yet, I encourage you to go and start there!

Today, on Episode 102, Caroline and I are diving into the logistics behind the rebrand, from the business formation and legal decisions to marketing planning and building Proof to Product’s new website. Tomorrow, on Episode 103, I share our marketing plan, how we’re rolling out the new name and the best parts of our beautiful new website.

Our audience has been such an important part of this process, and I’m so excited to share all of these new changes with you. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of this three-part series and join in to celebrate with us!

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101 | Why I Rebranded to Proof to Product with Katie Hunt

Hey friends, can you believe it?! This is Proof to Product’s 100th Episode! It’s been amazing to watch this podcast, which began as a creative way to connect with members of the stationery community, grow into so much more – a platform, resource, and launching point for stationery and creative entrepreneurs alike.

Over the last year and a half, we’ve heard some incredible, inspiring startup stories from entrepreneurs making physical products, just like you. We have talked about successes and struggles, mindset shifts, and the importance of taking action to reach your goals. Entrepreneurs like Katie Wilson of The Good Twin, Rachael Hetzel of Pistachio Press, Mary Phan of Very Mary Inspired, Ronnie Williams of DeFrance Printing, Taylor Elliot of Taylor Elliott Designs, Natasha Case of Coolhaus, and Viola Sutanto of Maika Goods, just to name a few, all shared their stories, struggles and advice of growing and thriving in business.

To celebrate this 100th milestone, we’re revisiting our favorite episodes and the Proof to Product lessons that continue to inspire our lives and business. We’re honored to share the personal stories of our amazing audience members and hope you enjoy this special edition episode!

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100 | Listeners help us celebrate episode 100!

Hey friends, can you believe it?! This is Proof to Product’s 100th Episode! It’s been amazing to watch this podcast, which began as a creative way to connect with members of the stationery community, grow into so much more – a platform, resource, and launching point for stationery and creative entrepreneurs alike.

Over the last year and a half, we’ve heard some incredible, inspiring startup stories from entrepreneurs making physical products, just like you. We have talked about successes and struggles, mindset shifts, and the importance of taking action to reach your goals. Entrepreneurs like Katie Wilson of The Good Twin, Rachael Hetzel of Pistachio Press, Mary Phan of Very Mary Inspired, Ronnie Williams of DeFrance Printing, Taylor Elliot of Taylor Elliott Designs, Natasha Case of Coolhaus, and Viola Sutanto of Maika Goods, just to name a few, all shared their stories, struggles and advice of growing and thriving in business.

To celebrate this 100th milestone, we’re revisiting our favorite episodes and the Proof to Product lessons that continue to inspire our lives and business. We’re honored to share the personal stories of our amazing audience members and hope you enjoy this special edition episode!

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