046 | Leveraging past work experiences in business with Richele Silva, Richie Designs
Richele Silva is the founder of Richie Designs, a boutique design and letterpress studio located in Long Beach, California. Richele is an art director, stylist, designer and printer. She founded Richie Designs 12 years ago, first as a side hustle while she worked at an advertising agency. Richele’s products are sold at Paper Source, Urban Outfitters and Sugarfina along with hundreds of independent boutiques across the U.S.
On today’s episode we’re talking about leveraging past work experiences in business and the benefits of moving slowly and steadily in your business.
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045 | Taking breaks in business with Caroline Hull, Caroline Creates
TSBC alum Caroline Hull is the founder of Caroline Creates. A designer and owner, Caroline has a background in music and was actually a ballet dancer at the University of Oklahoma before finding her niche in design and podcasting. Caroline has a passion for helping other small business owners like herself through her podcast, Creative Biz Rebellion.
On today’s episode, we’re talking about switching gears in business, the benefit of taking a break to really reassess how you’re feeling about things and she also shares how past experiences shaped who she is and what she’s doing today.
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044 | Overcoming personal & social challenges in business with Heather Haynie & Dani Antol, Rock Paper Scissors
Heather Haynie and Dani Antol are the owners of Rock Paper Scissors, a custom invitation and paper goods shop in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rock Paper Scissors is the go-to destination for locals and visitors alike looking for laugh-out-loud greeting cards, journals, dec accessories, calendars, planners and modern gifts.
On today’s episode we talk about a wide range of topics including what it takes to run a retail storefront, how they divide responsibilities as business partners and what success looks like for each of them. We also got personal. Dani shares her story of battling cancer. We also discuss how Heather & Dani were able to unify their local community after the hateful rallies in Charlottesville.
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043 | Why she scraped her product line & started anew with Renee Griffith, HeartSwell Co
Renee Griffith, the founder of HeartSwell, designs and creates her products using her original hand lettering style, incorporating patterns, colors and textures inspired by her deep love of the ocean and lush landscape where she lives in South Florida. Renee is a TSBC alum who has attended our Paper Camp Conference twice, once when she was starting her business and a second time after she had revised her line and rebranded her company.
On today’s episode we’re talking about why she changed her business name, how she nurtures relationships with customers and the importance of finding your voice within your product and brand.
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42 | Misconceptions around clutter with Beth Penn, Bneato Bar
Beth Penn is a professional organizer, speaker and life hacker. She is the founder of Bneato Bar, a professional organizing service whose clients range from corporations looking for big-picture management solutions to busy individuals simply flooded with email, paper or stuff in their home. Beth has been featured in Real Simple Magazine, Oh Joy!, DesignLoveFest, and more, and has collaborated on projects with Style by Emily Henderson and Apartment Therapy.
On today’s episode we’re talking about misconceptions people have around cluttering and organization, and how to get started with decluttering.
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041 | Overcoming creative blocks with Melanie Karlins, Grey Moggie
TSBC alum, Melanie Karlins of Grey Moggie started letterpress printing in 2008 as a creative outlet while she was in law school, and later taught letterpress classes at a local art center. In 2011 she started selling her products at local craft fairs and picked up wholesale accounts through her Instagram feed. Today, Grey Moggie is Melanie’s full-time job and her greeting cards are sold in stationery and gift shops all over the United States, including Paper Source
On today’s episode, Melanie is sharing how retail craft markets shaped her business and product line, how she overcame creative blocks, and why her definition of success shifts with different seasons in her life.
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040 | Strategies for pitching wholesale buyers with Rebekah Tennis, Wild Ink Press
Rebekah Tennis is the founder of Wild Ink Press, a letterpress studio and retail storefront located in northern California. Rebekah started Wild Ink Press in 2009 and was part of our very first Tradeshow Bootcamp class in 2011. The Wild Ink Press brand offers witty and pretty greeting cards, stationery, and other paper goods that can be found in hundreds of retail shops nationwide including the Container Store, Papyrus, and Paper Source.
On today’s episode, Rebekah talks about the power of slow, organic growth and why it’s okay to not have all your ducks in a row when you’re starting out. She also shares her thoughts on responsiveness, reliability, and why she likes sending catalogs and samples to prospective wholesale buyers.
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039 | Benefits of having a workspace outside of the home with Nicole Block, The Nic Studio & Tyles
Nicole Block is the owner of The Nic Studio a stationery, design and illustration studio. She’s also the founder of Tyles, which is a line of sophisticated, removable wall decor made from cut vinyl! Nic and I first met on Twitter back in 2009 and she’s been a part of the TSBC community since we started in 2011!
On today’s episode Nicole shares how her life inspires her work, the benefits of getting a workspace outside of her home and the logistical challenges she faced when creating a new product category — including how she was turned down by more than 75 manufacturers she approached to help make her Tyles!
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038 | Licensing partnerships with Erin Dollar, Cotton & Flax
Erin Dollar, the owner of Cotton & Flax is an artist and textile designer, focused on creating home goods and bold surface pattern designs. Her background as a printmaker guides her work for Cotton & Flax, and the entire collection of Cotton & Flax home goods are designed, silkscreen printed, and sewn in California.
On today’s episode we’re talking about how Erin licensed her artwork for a line of fabrics manufactured by Robert Kaufman. She’ll share her story of how this licensing partnership came to be, considerations when partnering with other brands and things she learned along the way.
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034 | Why you can't force creative work with Adam Smith, Life is Funny Press
Adam Smith is the founder of Life is Funny Press, a letterpress greeting card company based in Los Angeles. Adam worked a pressman for Sugar Paper before branching out on his own to start Life is Funny Press. Adam’s passion for printing, his family and making products with purpose really shines through in this episode.
Adam came to Paper Camp in 2014 before jumping into trade shows. He currently sells his products via wholesale, retail and custom channels.
On today’s episode we’re talking about leaving a full time job to pursue entrepreneurship, a dad’s perspective on juggling family & business, plus why it’s important to not force yourself into creative work that doesn’t feel right.
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033 | Sourcing new manufacturing partners with Samantha Barsky, Noteify
Since 2010, Samantha Barsky, the founder of Note•ify has combined her love of travel, photography, and entrepreneurship into making paper and textile goods. She has had success growing her business through a wide range of sales channels including Etsy, craft shows, her own website, as well as licensing and collaborations.
On today’s episode, Samantha talks about sourcing new partners for manufacturing and how tough it is, leveraging passive income streams, and the importance of starting small when branching into new products.
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032 | Running a debt-free company with Jeanette Champion-Fanning, Sweet Perversion
TSBC alum, Jeanette Champion-Fanning is the founder of Sweet Perversion a quick witted line of stationery and gift products. Jeanette got her start on Etsy in 2006 and has had over 20,000 sales there. She attend Paper Camp twice, once was to refine her wholesale program, and the second time was to figure out whether wholesales shows like the National Stationery Show were right for her.
She’s had a lot of growth over the last few years and on today’s episode we’re talking about gaining momentum in business, running a debt-free company and owning our mistakes in business.
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031 | Licensing with Heather Lins, Heather Lins Home
Heather Lins is the founder of Heather Lins Home, a textile and home goods business. Heather comes from a design background and has a fascinating story of starting her business before she even had products to sell.
On today’s episode we’re talking about licensing opportunities, simple strategies for pitching the press and why hard work and being busy doesn’t always equate to being productive.
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029 | Overlapping a day job & side hustle with Sean McCabe, SeanWes
Sean McCabe is the author of Overlap: Start a Business While Working a Full-Time Job. He has helped tens of thousands of students with his courses on copywriting, client work, pricing, and marketing. On a daily basis, he runs seanwes.com: a learning community for entrepreneurs looking to do fulfilling and meaningful work.
On today’s episode we’re talking about getting unstuck in your business, overlapping a day job and a side hustle and the power of masterminds.
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028 | Money misconceptions & financial accountability with Mary Beth Storjohann, Workable Wealth
Mary Beth Storjohann of Workable Wealth is an author, financial planner and accountability coach working to help clients in their 20s-40s make smart, educated decisions with their money. I met Mary Beth at a conference last year and was so impressed how she spoke about money from a place of confidence and power. We were honored to have her speak at our Paper Camp+ conference and I’m excited for you to listen to this episode.
Today we’re talking about money misconceptions and fears, common reasons people seek out a financial planner and why it’s important for you to know your numbers.
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026 | Building systems & automations at work and home with Tonya Dalton, inkWELL Press
Tonya Dalton is the owner of inkWELL Press and host of Productivity Paradox. Tonya is a productivity expert who believes that too many women feel overwhelmed with all that they have to do each day. She helps women use productivity to pursue their big goals and end each day feeling satisfied and successful.
On today’s episode we’re talking about systems, automations and prioritizing at both home and in your business. She’s an amazing business woman who tells us her story of building her business from her kitchen table. She shares strategies and provides details about her new online course, the new liveWELL method.
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025 | Avoiding the comparison trap with Debbie Lee, Penelope's Press
On today’s episode I’m interviewing Debbie Lee of Penelope’s Press, a letterpress print studio founded in Chicago and now based in Southern California. Debbie opened her business in 2009 selling on Etsy and doing custom wedding work, then later launched to the wholesale market. She shares her important story of how getting sick forced her to scale back in her business and gave her a newfound perspective of how she was spending her days. She talks about her struggle to say no to new opportunities, why her family is at the center of her business decisions and why she didn’t let comparison deter her from her path of slow growth.
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024 | Pivoting in business with Adina Segal, Bunny Bear Press
Adina Segal is the owner of Bunny Bear Press, a letterpress studio based in Seattle, Washington. Adina attended Tradeshow Bootcamp in the fall of 2013, prior to exhibiting at the National Stationery Show in 2014 in a shared booth with The Ladies of Letterpress. Since then, Adina has rebranded, built out her product line and is focused on turning customers into good friends.
On today’s episode, Adina is sharing the evolution of her business, including why she underwent a complete rebrand and redesigned all of her products. We also discuss shifting her focus to do one thing and to do it well and how she’s keeping herself accountable by sharing her goals on her blog.
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23 | Misconceptions around productivity & goal setting with Jon Acuff
New York Times Best-selling author, Jon Acuff has written five books including his most recent, FINISH which focuses on goal setting and follow-through . Jon has helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, Staples, and the Dave Ramsey Team. He’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at companies such as Microsoft, Nissan and Comedy Central.
On today’s episode we’re talking about misconceptions around productivity and goal setting, how to set yourself up for success and why it’s ok to let yourself be bad at certain things!
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022 | Prioritizing personal happiness with Emma James & Bailey Rivera, Antiquaria
Emma James and Bailey Rivera are the owners of Antiquaria. These savvy business women have made some big transitions in their business over the last 7 years. They started selling vintage pieces, hand calligraphic work and now focus their product line on stationery products such as gift wrap, notebooks and greeting cards.
They attended our Paper Camp E-Course in 2013 prior to launching wholesale. Their products are currently carried in Anthropologie, BHLDN, Paper Source, Terrain and independent boutiques internationally.
On today’s episode, they’ll tell their story of starting the business, talk about how pivoting at different points strengthened their business model and how prioritizing their personal happiness has enabled them to grow too. They also shared nuggets about what inspires them when creating new products as well as logistics for how they determine which product categories to tackle next.
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