In this episode, we're talking with Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles about their burnout story, decision fatigue, building self-trust as a business owner, and also how your definition of “success” as a business owner can change over time.
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With the new year right around the corner, my team and I have been making time to really reflect on the past year.
This year has been one of introspection–about our businesses, about the state of the world, and about how we balance our work and personal lives. We’ve been forced to adjust to this new normal, like it or not. But I’m proud to say that here at Proof to Product, we never stopped making progress.
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Insurance. It’s admittedly one of the least fun parts of owning a product based business, but it’s also one of the most important.
No one wants to imagine a disaster in their business, but they happen, and it’s best to be prepared. If you’re unable to work, your business gets sued, or your equipment breaks, you’ll be glad you set up a safety net well in advance.
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Oftentimes in business, we set our sights on the next big thing–the next product, the next launch, the next program–that we forget to rethink the systems that are already working in our business. But most of the time, those systems could run even better and make us even more profit with just a few small tweaks. Take a listen for my four-step brainstorming exercise to help you identify what’s working in your business and make minor adjustments to improve your systems even further.
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The upcoming holiday sales season is upon us! The worldwide shipping delays, supply chain issues and labor shortages have been causing some massive challenges for small businesses everywhere, particularly for physical product businesses. Take a listen to hear my 5 action steps you can take to prepare yourself so you don’t face as many disruptions in your sales as we head into the holiday season.
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The messy middle.
It’s not a particularly fun place to be in business.
It can be fraught with feelings of doubt, fear and imposter syndrome. While at the same time, it is a phase of business where tremendous growth happens and confidence builds.
Listen in for encouragement and advice on why focus is what you need.
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The challenges of running a business can be numerous. For those living with chronic illness, there are even more nuances to navigate, especially when it comes to listening and working with your body’s natural rhythm.
In this episode, I was joined by Morgan Swank of Morgan Swank Studio. Morgan is a longtime student of our LABS community and a Paper Camp alumni. She and I discussed what led to her decision to start her paper goods brand. Morgan also gives us insight into what it’s like to be a business owner with a chronic illness and her journey of licensing her products in big retail stores.
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Storytelling is such a powerful way to connect with your customers. Our current and prospective customers want to know the people behind the brand, why you make the products you do and what your brand stands for.
In this week's all new episode of Proof to Product, I chat withMichelle Knight of Brandmerry. She takes us on the path to discovering how to create a more authentic connection with our customers through storytelling; and how this type of marketing will provide you with more income and impact.
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How often do you take a step back to look at and soak in the goodness of how far you’ve come? That’s exactly what guest Morgan Harper Nichols encourages us all to do as she joined me to chat about the inspiration behind her new book, How Far You Have Come.
In this episode, we talk about how she was diagnosed with autism in her thirties after seeing a TikTok about it last year.
Morgan and I also dive into setting boundaries and upholding them, how she maintains being true to herself on Instagram and why she’s a big advocate for collaboration.
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Hey friends! The doors to Proof to Product LABS are wide open. We are welcoming a new class to our community so on the podcast this week we wanted to highlight the growth of our community and how we’ve enhanced the program throughout its first year.
In this episode, I am joined by two people you might recognize if you’re a longtime listener of the show, Janine Kwoh of Kwohtations and Christy Asper of Paper Baristas. Both of these ladies are founding members of our LABS program and have been active participants in our monthly masterclasses, group coaching calls and our peer masterminds and coffee chats.
You’ll hear their experiences with LABS — which trainings have been most impactful and how LABS has helped them grow their business and connections with colleagues.
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Hey friends! This episode is a little different today. The roles were reversed and I was in the passenger seat as I was joined by my daughter, Madeline for an interview. Madeline asks me some of the most commonly asked questions I get about the Proof to Product LABS as we head toward the one year anniversary of the program. Take a listen to get a peek inside of what we do inside of LABS.
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Hey friends! Can you believe that it’s the 200th episode of the Proof to Product podcast? Quick confession: I’ve been stewing over this episode and what I’d cover for weeks to celebrate this landmark 200th episode.
After grappling with this thought for a while, something happened at home that really put it all into perspective and brought me a lightbulb moment.
In this episode, I share that story with you and reveal the one common thread that ties all entrepreneurs together (and it might even surprise you!).
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Hey friends! This week marks the 10 year business birthday of Proof to Product! It was 10 years ago that I opened up enrollment for my first program that is now Paper Camp. I didn’t have a website, email list and Instagram wasn’t even a thing yet.
Things have sure come a long way since then and I am so glad that I trusted my gut and stuck with it. Since 2011 we’ve helped thousands of product based business owners get their products on the shelves of their favorite retailers, big or small!
In this episode, I am walking you through the 10 lessons I’ve learned over the last 10 years in business.
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Hey friends! I am so excited for today’s interview with Dani Coke of Oh Happy Dani. If you lived through the year of 2020 and are active on social media, I’m willing to bet that you’ve seen Dani’s beautiful and impactful art making waves across the internet.
Dani is an illustrator, social justice advocate and entrepreneur. Her illustrations aim to make complex issues more digestible and provide practical ways to help others make a difference in their spheres of influence. Dani also is the founder of a social media agency, So Happy Social where she helps positive mission-based brands use social media for good.
In this episode, Dani and I chat about what 2020 was like for her as her illustrations began to go viral online. She gets into how she stays inspired to create, her process for creating new illustrations and how she holds boundaries with her audience. Her episode is a strong reminder that art is powerful and can inspire change and positive action in the world.
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Hey friends! It’s no secret that grief is hard. It comes with so many unexpected feelings and emotions.
My guest in this episode, Janine Kwoh, the owner and artist behind Kwohtations is no stranger to grief. Her own loss is what inspired her to create a product line to comfort people dealing with the pain of losing a loved one.
In this episode, we chat about her business and how she took it from a hobby to side hustle to her full-time gig. She also shares her experiences running her business as a one-woman show.
Janine and I chat about her process (she actually letterpress prints each card on an antique printing press and hand paints them all). She even shares her advice for other entrepreneurs and how lack of knowledge can sometimes be a benefit as a business owner!
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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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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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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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Hey friends! Are you ready for copy that converts? If you said yes, which I am sure you did then I am positive you’ll enjoy today’s episode. I had a conversation with Prerna Malik, a certified conversion copywriter and co-founder of Content Bistro.
Prerna has mastered the recipe for writing copy that balances persuasion and personality with the scientific precision of conversion science to ensure that you are maximizing sales.
Prerna shares some of her BEST copywriting tips (and mistakes to watch out for!) She goes in-depth on how to use tools such as heat mapping to measure if your copy is working for you. You’ll hear what you should look for when hiring a copywriter including what you should have in place beforehand. She also shares why your copy needs personalization to be effective.
If you’ve got copy that just isn’t giving you the results you desire then you’ll definitely want to hear this episode.
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