Posts in Operations & Sales
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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marketing, Operations & Sales, productGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & Sales, productGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
065 | The importance of knowing your customer with Caroline Vásquez, Paloma’s Nest
065 | The importance of knowing your customer with Caroline Vásquez, Paloma’s Nest

TSBC Alum, Caroline Vasquez is the founder of Paloma’s Nest, a family-run business, founded in 2007, that creates timeless, heirloom-quality pieces and new traditions for modern families to celebrate wedding, baby, home and holiday.

The brand has been featured in countless publications including Martha Stewart, the New York Times, Magnolia Journal and more, and their work has been carried by Anthropologie and Nordstrom.

Today, Caroline combines her education as a professional counselor with her experience and passion for small creative business through Handcrafted Consulting, where she provides education on the marketing, growth and management of online business to clients worldwide. She also serves as the marketing consultant for the web design firm, Aeolidia. All while also running Paloma’s Nest and nurturing her family.

On today’s episode, Caroline talks about the growth of Paloma’s nest, staying true to your brand story in both your messaging and the products you sell, why we need to be proactive in press and marketing outreach and why it’s so important to know who your customer is.

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marketing, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
When to say yes, and when to say no with Katie Hunt
When to say yes, and when to say no with Katie Hunt

I’ve been thinking a lot about boundaries, particularly as it relates to what I say yes to and what I say no to in both my personal and business life. I don’t know about you guys but I have a tendency to take one too much or underestimate how long things will take. I mostly get excited about opportunities, say yes and then find myself overscheduled and stretched thin. I know I’m not alone in this.

But here’s the deal.

We all have the same amount of hours in the day, and as entrepreneurs, we have a lot of different things pulling on us for our time — projects, family, friends, exciting opportunities, the daily grind of running a business. It’s exhausting trying to do all these things, keep everyone happy and yet still have time for ourselves.

When I interviewed Rosie from Sugarfina on episode 64 she stressed how important self-care is, why we need to take action before things are perfect, and we both acknowledged that its difficult to protect our time because as entrepreneurs the running to do list is never-ending. Rosie shared how she decides what to say and what to say no to, and I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things I consider with you

This is something I’m working on, and I’ve definitely been more diligent in protecting my time in recent months. But here are some of the questions I ask myself when I’m considering whether to say yes to something or no to something:

Does this align with my long-term goals?
Does this align with my short-term goals?
What is the time commitment?
What are the benefits for me, my business, my family?
What is my excitement level?

I’d love to hear from your in our Proof to Product Facebook group. What questions do you ask yourself when you’re deciding whether or not to move forward with a project? Weigh in and let me now. You can join our free Facebook group by going to tradeshowcamp.com/join.

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Operations & Sales, pep talkGuest UserComment
064 | Infusing core values in hiring with Rosie O'Neill, Sugarfina
064 | Infusing core values in hiring with Rosie O'Neill, Sugarfina

Rosie O’Neill is the co-founder of Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique that features the finest sweets from artisan candy makers around the world. Rosie and her fiancé Josh Resnick launched Sugarfina in July 2012. The idea for the company was inspired by their third date — when they watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and they were left wondering why their wasn’t candy boutiques for grown ups.

Rosie was named to Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People” list, and Goldman Sachs’ “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs,”. She is disrupting the sweets space with an innovative approach to confections and retail.

Before candy, Rosie played with dolls for 7 years as Director of Marketing for Barbie at Mattel, where she led a global business unit that sold more than 50 million Barbie dolls annually. She received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA. Her favorite candies are Champagne Bears, Peach Bellini and Sparkle Pops.

On today’s episode, Rosie shares her start up story as well as lessons she learned as they scaled Sugarfina into the large brand it is today — with wholesale and retail channels, a bustling online shop, 50 retail locations and a range of licensing collaborations. Rosie offers some really great suggestions — including the importance of self-care, why we need to be careful about which opportunities we say yes and no to and things she looks for when hiring members of her team.

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Operations & Sales, productGuest UserComment
Your products aren’t for everyone. And, that’s ok with Katie Hunt
Your products aren’t for everyone. And, that’s ok with Katie Hunt

There’s a lot of talk on the internet about knowing your ideal customer, but a lot of it doesn’t resonate with me. Maybe you feel this way too?

On Episode 63, Mary Bruno shared how she is her ideal customer. And, that she focuses on creating things that she loves & that she finds funny even if it doesn’t resonate with everyone.

It got me thinking about something I’ve talked about in the past in my emails, but I’m not sure I’ve talked about it on the podcast.

Your products aren’t for everyone. And, that’s ok.

In fact, it’s fantastic. You don’t want to be everything to everyone.

Just like Mary talked about past ideas falling flat, sometimes you’re going to make duds. Or, sometimes what you make is going to appeal to a smaller audience.

You make beautiful products, that are likely handcrafted or personally designed by you. You have your own unique style & aesthetic that you’re continuing to develop.

Instead of feeling like you need to appeal to the masses, I want you to focus on four key areas:

– I want you to focus on reaching your unique customer base — fill a void or provide a solution specifically for the

– I want you to focus on developing your own style, point of view and a strong, extensive product line.

– I want you to focus on creating work that feels good to you, that you’re proud of and that you want to put your name on.

– I want you to focus on making the best decisions for your business, without worrying about what everyone else thinks. I want you to make decisions for your business without looking around at what others are doing in their businesses or feeling like you need to follow the crowd.

I know these things are easier said than done, but the strongest brands, the ones that build profitable, sustainable businesses are creating unique products that they are passionate about. They put their heads down when they are designing and try not to be influenced by others. They also recognize that their work is special and may not resonate with everyone. And, that’s ok.

I’d love to have you weigh in on this discussion in our free Proof to Product Facebook group. How do you stay motivated and create work you love and build a brand that includes that work? How do you tune out the noise and ensure that you’re not being influenced by others when you’re designing new work? Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prooftoproduct/

But you guys. Please remember, that your products aren’t for everyone. And, that is more than ok.

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Operations & Sales, pep talkGuest UserComment
063 | Managing critics with Mary Bruno, Bruno Press
063 | Managing critics with Mary Bruno, Bruno Press

Mary Bruno is the owner of Bruno Press, a printer, artist, and advocate for her local creative community. She grew up in a small town in central Minnesota and learned the love of printing from her father Don Bruno. Mary has an irreverent line of greeting cards that is sold nationwide and she teaches the old school art of letterpress printing the way her father taught her. Mary loves to collaborate with other printers, poets, musicians, kids, designers, you name it. And, we’ll talk about some of those collaborations today.

On today’s episode Mary tells it like it is, shares her story and how she organically grew her business through hard work and learning as she went. We also talked about her personal growth—why she no longer let’s the criticism of one person overpower the praise of hundreds. She also shares about why she’s her ideal customer.

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marketing, wholesale, product, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
Search Engine Optimization vs Conversion Rate Optimization with Katie Hunt
Search Engine Optimization vs Conversion Rate Optimization with Katie Hunt

On this mini episode, Katie Hunt reiterates something Brice McBeth of Reap marketing talked about on Episode 62 of Proof to Product — the difference between search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization.

Here’s what we learned from Brice:

Search engine optimization is driving traffic to your website.

Conversion Rate Optimization is getting people on your website to take action & buy.

Brice shares a lot of great ideas and strategies in episode 62 if you haven’t listened yet I highly recommend it.

There’s so much more to dive into here, so Brice and I will be hosting a free online masterclass next month to talk about why SEO is a hoax. And, how you can be leveraging your existing marketing to get more customers. If you to be notified about the details when we open registration. Head to http://www.tradeshowcamp.com/join and make sure you’re on our mailing list.

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Operations & Sales, marketingGuest UserComment
062 | How he increased online sales of salon chairs by over 950% with Brice McBeth, Reap Marketing
062 | How he increased online sales of salon chairs by over 950% with Brice McBeth, Reap Marketing

Brice McBeth is the founder of Reap Marketing, the only digital agency that hired itself to build an e-commerce business and optimize its own conversations by over 950% on its way to creating a multi-million dollar store that disrupted the salon equipment industry. Brice also wrote about his journey in his book, Salon Chairs Don’t Sell Themselves which is a fascinating read. He speaks and provides education on the topic of Conversion Rate Optimization to help companies, like us, get better results from their current marketing efforts.

On today’s episode, Brice explains the difference between conversion rate optimization and search engine optimization and why you need to be thinking about both. He shares a shocking statistic, that typically 99% of your online shop visitors aren’t buying from you and why slick and sexy websites don’t always sell more of your product.

I wanted to let you in on a secret. We’re going to be doing a free online masterclass with Brice next month, where we’ll talk about why SEO is a Hoax and he’ll teach us some unconventional ways to use great content to get more customers. If you want to be notified about the details when we open registration. Head to tradeshowcamp.com/joinand make sure you’re on our mailing list.

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Operations & Sales, productGuest User
061 | Why she'll never give up custom work with Rhonda Warren, Color Box Design & Letterpress
061 | Why she'll never give up custom work with Rhonda Warren, Color Box Design & Letterpress

Rhonda Warren is the owner of Color Box Design & Letterpress, a letterpress studio located in Dallas Texas. Rhonda has a multi-faceted business. She has a line of paper goods that she sells to both the retail and wholesale markets; as well as a bustling custom invitation arm through which she creates wedding invitations, corporate event invitations and everything in between.

On today’s episode, Rhonda jokes that she accidentally started this business that is still going strong after 13 years. She shares details about the custom side of her business and why relationships with local vendors and word of mouth referrals make up almost 70% of her business. Rhonda also shares information about her team – how she knew it was time to hire, everyone’s roles and why she wished she had hired sooner.

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Operations & Sales, marketing, productGuest User
060 | Ways to save money on printing costs with Ronnie Williams, DeFrance Printing
060 | Ways to save money on printing costs with Ronnie Williams, DeFrance Printing

Ronnie Williams is the owner of DeFrance Printing, which is a full-service commercial print shop located in Southern California. Ronnie grew up in the print industry and is the third generation to own and operate DeFrance. His grandfather began printing in the late 1930s, followed by his father in the early 1970s, and Ronnie was a fixture in the print shop by the young age of five. Ronnie’s background brings a unique perspective, in that he has expertise in both the print process, as well as the outcome.

This episode is a little bit different than most, in that we’re diving into some of the technical aspects of printing, common mistakes that people make in file setup, ways to save money on your print runs, and how DeFrance helps a wide range of industries with packaging, catalogs, marketing materials, and more.

Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have recently expanded their services to include warehousing and fulfillment, helping independent brands with not only printing, but also storage, fulfillment, and distribution of their products. They have particular expertise handling orders for big box stores, such as Paper Source. Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have been strong supporters of our Tradeshow Bootcamp community and advocates for education around the print process.  I know you’ll learn a lot from Ronnie!

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wholesale, product, Operations & SalesGuest User
059 | Launching a brand through Kickstarter with Suann Song, Appointed
059 | Launching a brand through Kickstarter with Suann Song, Appointed

Suann Song is a graphic designer and founder of Appointed, an American-made brand of carefully designed desktop products that make utility look luxurious. Prior to starting Appointed, Suann conducted an exhaustive but unsuccessful search when she tried to find refined and well-made desktop products that are manufactured in the US, so she decided to create her own. In March 2015, Suann launched Appointed through a kickstarter campaign reaching her goal of $25,000 dollars in the first five days.  

On today’s episode, Suann is sharing what it was like to launch a brand and product line through Kickstarter.  She’s also sharing some behind the scenes info on why she’s redesigning the Appointed website and what that process has looked like.  Suann also reminds us that relationships and fresh product are at the core of a successful product based business.

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Operations & Sales, product, marketingGuest User
057 | How exhibiting at a tradeshow got her into Paper Source with Christine Miller, Bundle Designs
057 | How exhibiting at a tradeshow got her into Paper Source with Christine Miller, Bundle Designs

TSBC alum, Christine Miller is the creator and designer of Bundle Design — home to cheerful, cheeky greeting cards, balloons, party supplies and Good Day Decals.

On today’s episode Christine shares her journey of turning her hobby into a business, lessons learned from exhibiting at the National Stationery Show and how being at the show opened the door to working with Paper Source.

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product, Operations & Sales, wholesaleGuest User
056 | Enhance your Etsy Shop with Kelly Parker Smith, Hello World Paper Co.
056 | Enhance your Etsy Shop with Kelly Parker Smith, Hello World Paper Co.

Kelly Parker Smith is a multi-talented business owner and creative artist. Kelly is a rubber stamp designer and manufacturer living just outside St. Louis. She has grown her shop, Hello World Paper Co., with the idea that great products become even better when paired with top-notch customer service, a little surprise and delight, and the perfect packaging!

Kelly is also the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast where she and Caroline Hull show other business owners how to build, maintain, and grow a profitable online shop through their podcast and online workshops. In her free time Kelly enjoys painting and drawing on her iPad Pro and is soon to release her second fabric collection with Sweet Bee Designs fabric company.

On today’s episode Kelly is sharing how she juggles multiple arms of her business – manufacturing stamps, designing fabric and mentoring through her podcast. We also talked about time management, prioritizing profitable tasks and setting boundaries to protect our time. Kelly also share three strategies for enhancing your Etsy shop.

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product, pep talk, Operations & SalesGuest User
055 | Where to skimp and splurge at her first tradeshow with Lisa Sarmento, Tiramisu Paperie
055 | Where to skimp and splurge at her first tradeshow with Lisa Sarmento, Tiramisu Paperie

TSBC alum, Lisa Sarmento is the owner of Tiramisu Paperie a sassy brand located in Nashville that sells greeting cards, gift wrap, pencils and other gift items. Lisa has had tremendous growth in her business over the last two years. She attended our Paper Camp conference in February 2016 and describes those two days as the launching point for Tiramisu Paperie. Her products are currently carried in hundreds of retail shops throughout the United States. Lisa works with sales reps nationally and has exhibited at several trade shows including NSS, Las Vegas Market and Dallas Market.

On today’s episode, Lisa shares her personal story of getting laid off from her high level advertising agency and how ‘entrepreneurial gardening’ and motivation from her son prompted her to start this business.  She shares how she connected with sales reps, what she skimped and splurged on at her first trade show and reminds us to not let fear hold us back from what we want in life and business.

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product, wholesale, tradeshows, Operations & SalesGuest User