Posts in Operations & Sales
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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marketing, product, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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marketing, product, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & Sales, productGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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marketing, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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product, Operations & SalesGuest UserComment
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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Operations & Sales, pep talkGuest UserComment
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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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