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.
Read MoreYour business has a lot of moving parts. It’s easy to let opportunities to make a little extra money (or eliminate sneaky expenses) slip right past your radar. So how can you optimize your revenue and minimize those “leaky pipe” expenses? The answer is right on your website!
In this episode, I’m talking to e-commerce conversion expert Reese Spykerman about all the hidden places you can find extra money in your business. She’ll share her tips for crafting a beautiful and functional e-commerce website, and we’ll chat about a few of the trends we’re seeing in the online business world right now.
Read MoreYou want to develop a new product, but how do you know how much to spend on supplies? It can be tricky forecasting for upcoming product drops, especially for products you’ve never sold before. But with the right data, you can make educated estimates about your upcoming products to order supplies and budget with confidence.
In this episode, I’m sharing a sneak peek into one of our monthly coaching calls inside the Proof to Product LABS program. During these calls, I answer pre-submitted member questions about how to run - and grow - a product-based business. In this call, I helped members forecast their spending for project development and budget for upcoming launches - even years in advance.
Read MoreDo you feel like social media is a chore? Many people I talk with find Instagram to be draining but know it’s an important part of their sales and marketing so they keep posting and creating content. But what if using Instagram could be a way for you to begin meaningful conversations with your audience?
In this episode, I’m joined by Natasha Samuel, host of The Shine Online Podcast and an Instagram Strategist that helps small businesses shine online. Natasha shares Instagram trends you should pay attention to, how to use video to showcase your products, strategies specifically for product based businesses and why even introverts can create videos with confidence.
Read MoreIf you’re like many of the people in our LABS and Paper Camp communities, you’ve pondered the idea of opening a brick & mortar shop for your business. In this episode, you’ll hear from Jen Palacio, owner of Tiny Turns Paperie, a brick & mortar shop in Somerville, MA.
Jen uncovers what brought her to the idea of opening her own brick & mortar shop and some of the misconceptions people have about owning a physical store. She talks about how she intentionally set boundaries and the shifts she made during COVID to ensure her business survived. She also shares her thoughts looking back and why she wishes she had prioritized hiring a team sooner.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThink visibility is your problem? It’s probably not! In this episode, I am welcoming back third-time guest, Brittney Lynn, CEO of the Human Connection Agency. We break down the core fears people have about being visible and how to make the most out of your visibility.
Brittney drops so many gems from her public relations knowledge about pitching, how to prioritize visibility and why the world needs your message. She and I chat about how PR has been during the pandemic and how you can use PR to reach your goals whether that be growing your brand authority or getting more sales for your business.
Read MoreIf you’ve been itching to grow your business then you’ll love today’s inspiring episode with Megan Fowler of Brown Parcel Press. In 2020, Megan’s business exploded and she saw over 300% growth. Even more impressive, just one SKU accounts for over 50% of her business’ annual profits.
In this episode, Megan shares how she leaned into her passion and ultimately started her now thriving business. She talks about her strategies for loving on her customers and how she’s leveraged both our Paper Camp and LABS communities (along with a lot of hard work and determination) to build the business she has today.
Read MoreWhether you’re in the infant stages of your business or you’ve been running it for 10+ years, you may have had the thought at one point or another of making an exit.
Selling your business can be an appealing thought, but is it right for you? In this week’s episode, I had a conversation with Chelsea Clarke of Blogs for Sale and Her Paper Route. Chelsea explains everything you need to know about selling a business and her tips on how to prepare your business for an eventual sale.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreConsidering making an exit from your corporate career? If you feel like you’re almost ready to make that jump then you’ll want to take a listen to this episode to know exactly what to prepare for as you make the leap!
In this week’s episode, I chat with Desiree Perez of Paper Anchor. Desiree made this transition herself in January of 2021 and she takes us through her journey of how she knew she was ready to do it, how her experience has been so far and what she’s preparing for now as she is in the process of hiring her first employee.
Read MoreAre you ready to put money back into your pocket? In this episode, I am uncovering how you can do just that by increasing your products’ profit margins.
I will walk you through everything that you need to know about profit margins from a micro-level. As a business owner, you’ll want to observe the profit margins for many reasons but it can be especially important when it comes to knowing what sells, what should be discontinued and to help fuel your strategic decision-making.
Read MoreStorytelling 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.
Read MoreOne big lesson I learned over the past year: the importance of routines! I crave a routine and to be honest, before now, I don’t know if I ever realized how deeply I needed routines. When we were thrown into the pandemic and our school, work and household routines were constantly in flux, I saw the influence that routines had.
In this episode, I’m chatting with routine expert, host of the Routine & Things Podcast and founder of Routine & Things, Ashley Brown. Routine & Things is a product based business company that equips women to consistently live their happiest life one routine at a time. She opens up about how she began this business based on her personal struggles as a stay-at-home mom.
Ashley shares her insights into why she decided to hire a graphic designer for her products instead of creating them herself. She talks about her experience with gaining press and her strategy for getting her brand featured in the media. We also talk about the incredible giveback program she did with She Rises for Mother’s Day.
Read MoreDream with me for a moment: what could happen if you committed to posting daily on TikTok for 2 months straight? Could you perhaps significantly grow your visibility, traffic to your website and even sales?
In this episode, I’m talking to Kyle Sommer of Sommer Letter Co. She's someone who did exactly that and her results were pretty incredible. Kyle and I dive deep into her TikTok growth including how she’s grown her website traffic by 30% and increased daily sales by 15%+. Kyle reviewed her stats after we recorded and found her stats to be even better than she shared in the episode with a 40% increase in website traffic and increased daily sales being 25%!
She shares her story of how she got started on TikTok and why she decided to commit to 2 months of daily posting as a test. We also chat about how the platform is different from Instagram, her content strategies (plus what hasn’t worked in her experience) and of course the analytics that she monitors to track audience and financial growth.
Read MoreAre in-person trade shows worth it right now? This is a question that came up in my community recently in my LABS group coaching call. Jodi, a member of Proof to Product LABS was feeling unsure of where to focus her efforts: trade shows? A big marketing push?
In this episode, I am going over my 4 ideas for this client to help her meet her goals within her budget. As more things begin to reopen it’s no surprise that many are wondering where they should invest their time and energy.
You’ll hear why you should first get clear on your bigger picture goals. I also go over my ideas for the suggested opportunities she could pursue along with the pros and cons of each.
Read MoreThink back for a minute to April of 2020. We’re all on lockdown from the pandemic and figuring out new routines and ways of life. Now, imagine that you’re launching a business for the first time all while homeschooling your children and your business is taking off very quickly.
This was the reality for Tiffany Grimes, founder of Posterity Paper. After winning the Minority Business Women’s Grant her business accelerated - she was able to collaborate with brands like A Beautiful Mess and Kids Made Modern.
In this episode, she shares her startup story of launching her business in 2020. She also gives information about the grant she won and the importance of community and connection when growing your business. Tiffany shares a wealth of information about her first year in business so you definitely don’t want to miss out on her story!
Read MoreClosing one chapter and deciding to put an end to things is never easy. Whether that’s discontinuing a product line that was close to your heart or even shutting down your business entirely. In this episode, I had a conversation with Tammie Bennett of Show Up Society.
Tammie is a creative entrepreneur and mindset coach who closed down her business at the height of its success. In fact, during the pandemic, her business, Tiger Pocket Press tripled and had tremendous growth but that success didn’t change her mind about where she was headed next. She followed her intuition and decided to close her product based business so she could help people through coaching.
She shares how she prepared for that transition and how she made the final decision to make this big change. She gives her candid advice for how she communicated this change to customers, got rid of inventory and the process of closing down that business. We also explored the work she’s doing now to help creatives ditch overwhelm, procrastination, fear of failure, and imposter syndrome.
Read MoreHow 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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