Proof to Product

By Katie HuntBusiness Entrepreneurship Arts Design

Proof to Product episodes

October 08 Quick Hit: Should I Create My Own Gift Guide For the Upcoming Holidays?
I know you have a lot on your plate right now. You've got products to make, orders to ship, and about a hundred decisions that you're making every day.
I do not take it lightly that you are spending time with me today and I want to thank you for being here.
Today's episode is a short, focused, throwback episode designed to give you one thing that you can do today to move your business forward.
No fluff, no filler, just ideas that we've shared in the past that will benefit you today.
Let's dive in!
You can listen to the full episode here: http://prooftoproduct.com/419
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
6 min
October 06463 | How NY NOW’s New Ownership is Reimagining the Experience For Brands and Buyers with Dorothy Belshaw
Dorothy Belshaw has spent more than three decades in the gift, home, and trade show industries. She's led some of North America's biggest markets—from NY NOW to Atlanta Mart, and Las Vegas Market.
Earlier this year, Dorothy partnered with industry veterans William Lacey and Karen Olson to acquire NY NOW through Rockview Management Group and bring the iconic 100+ year-old show into its next chapter.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What changes when a trade show is owned by a small, industry-embedded team instead of a large company
What she and her partners changed in their first few months, and how the summer show performed
How they're rebuilding category depth, including Home returning as a primary category and Handmade coming back under external jury
How multi-line agency partnerships re-engage the reps who are already in stores year-round
What NY NOW is doing to bring buyers back from the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, northern Midwest, and eastern Canada
Why Dorothy believes buyers can't build a full assortment digitally, and what that means for your booth
What support is being built for newer and smaller exhibitors, and how to make an impact in a smaller footprint
What the strongest brands at the show have in common: evolving product, early commitment, and follow-up
Why Shoppe Object and NY NOW are on different weekends for Winter 2027, and the plan to get back to the same dates

Today's episode is brought to you by our Retailer Roundtable interview series.
To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things well.
We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us
We need clear pricing and terms and conditions
We need to build strong relationships with our customers

All of that gets easier when we listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series gives you a window into what buyers want and need from you, and it's only $27. You can get access to it at prooftoproduct.com/roundtable.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/463
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
39 min
October 01 Quick Hit: Is My Business Serving Me What I Really Want?
Today's episode is a short excerpt from a conversation with one of our incredible Proof to Product community members.
I love sharing these conversations because building a product brand doesn't follow a single pathway.
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy that works for everyone because no two businesses are the same.
We learn so much by hearing how other people are making decisions, the ideas that they're testing out, and also how they're navigating both the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship and building a business.
Here at Proof to Product, our goal is to help you build a sustainable business, one that supports you long term. Hearing these real stories from other founders helps to reinforce that that is truly possible, because friends, it is.
You can listen to the full episode with Brigida Swanson of Yardia here: http://prooftoproduct.com/309
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
8 min
September 29462 | The 5-Day Exercise That Sets Your #1 Business Priority Every Quarter with Katie Hunt
Most product-based business owners do their strategic planning late at night or in the car with ten spare minutes. Or they make a big list of everything that needs fixing and try to work on all of it at once.
Either way, a few months go by and it's hard to tell whether the business is headed where you want it to go.
In this episode, I walk you through a five-day exercise, about 30 minutes a day, that ends with one clear priority for your quarter and a plan to get there.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The two patterns that keep owners from planning — the Firefighter, who's too busy reacting to look up, and the Juggler, who makes a little progress in five directions instead of real progress in one
Why looking back at the last 90 days, not the whole year, is the first step before you plan anything
How to take your business temperature by rating your product line, your sales and marketing, and your systems and operations from one to five, and why your lowest score usually points to your biggest opportunity
Why you pick one priority for the quarter, not three or five, and the question that helps you choose it
How to break that priority into three monthly milestones and a first step small enough to take in the next 48 hours
How LABS members are using the exercise to make real progress in their business

Today's episode is brought to you by Proof to Product LABS, our membership for product-based business owners who want to keep growing after the basics are in place.
Inside LABS, you get coaching, our full training library, and focused sprints throughout the year to help you make real progress on one thing at a time.
CEO Week, which is what I'm walking you through today, is one of those sprints.
We also have an upcoming Black Friday / Cyber Monday sprint so you go into the holidays with a plan.
We're opening enrollment to LABS this week, and our next CEO Week kicks off October 12th. Come do it with us!
JOIN US IN LABS NOW
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/462
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
20 min
September 24 Quick Hit: How Do I Decide What New Products to Add to My Line?
I know you have a lot on your plate right now. You've got products to make, orders to ship, and about a hundred decisions that you're making every day.
I do not take it lightly that you are spending time with me today and I want to thank you for being here.
Today's episode is a short, focused, throwback episode designed to give you one thing that you can do today to move your business forward.
No fluff, no filler, just ideas that we've shared in the past that will benefit you today.
Let's dive in!
You can listen to the full episode with Betsy Garcia of Bloomwolf Studio here: http://prooftoproduct.com/173
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
7 min
September 22461 | How to Use Faire Without Paying Commission on Every Order with Katie Hunt
I've been having a lot of conversations lately, both private and public, about Faire.
Some of you love the platform. Some of you hate it.
And a lot of you are somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out your next move.
Should I get on Faire?
Should I get off?
Should I let it run on cruise control?
There's a lot of noise right now, and a lot of nuance to every situation.
Here's the part that gets missed: most of our Paper Camp students and alumni sell on Faire, and most of them are not paying commission on the large majority of their orders.
There's no trick to it. They use Faire as a checkout, not as a sales strategy.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What Faire genuinely does well
Why I have no problem with Faire's commissions
The two best ways brands use Faire
The four things Paper Camp alumni specifically do consistently with Faire that helps keep more money in their pockets
How one Proof to Product client pulled abandoned cart and past order data to build a personalized three-day campaign for a single store, and landed a $2,500 order
The one question to ask every time Faire rolls out something new

Today's episode is brought to you by our Retailer Roundtable interview series.
To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things well.
We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us
We need clear pricing and terms and conditions
We need to build strong relationships with our customers

All of that gets easier when we listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series gives you a window into what buyers want and need from you, and it's only $27. You can get access to it at prooftoproduct.com/roundtable.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/461
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
22 min
September 17 Quick Hit: Do You Really Need to Know Everything Before You Start?
Today's episode is a short excerpt from a conversation with one of our incredible Proof to Product community members.
I love sharing these conversations because building a product brand doesn't follow a single pathway.
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy that works for everyone because no two businesses are the same.
We learn so much by hearing how other people are making decisions, the ideas that they're testing out, and also how they're navigating both the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship and building a business.
Here at Proof to Product, our goal is to help you build a sustainable business, one that supports you long term. Hearing these real stories from other founders helps to reinforce that that is truly possible, because friends, it is.
You can listen to the full episode with Megan Fowler of Brown Parcel Press here: http://prooftoproduct.com/218
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
7 min
September 15460 | Building a Cohesive Product Line with Amita Nair, Amicreative
When you're deciding which products to add to your line, you probably think about sales data first. But that's only part of the story.
Amita Nair has built Amicreative into a cohesive, intentional brand by making product decisions from four angles: financial performance, design aesthetic, what customers actually want, and whether the product fits her brand voice.
In this episode, she walks through how she's learned to say no to products that make business sense but don't fit her story—and why that clarity matters.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The four lenses for evaluating new products: data, design, customer voice, and brand alignment
Why Amita chose to add aprons instead of expanding into oven mitts (and what that decision reveals about brand strategy)
How licensing and product can coexist—and which one might take priority at different stages
The role of peer community in making better business decisions and avoiding costly mistakes
Why "I can add this" is different from "I should add this"
How starting with a small, cohesive product line scales better than chasing every opportunity

Ready to build a product line that's both profitable and true to your brand? If you're in the early stages of deciding which products to develop, or if you're mid-line and wondering whether that new category makes sense, LABS gives you access to the peer community and resources you need to make those decisions with confidence.
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/460
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
44 min
September 10 Quick Hit: How Can I Practice Self-Care During a Busy Work Season?
Over the years, we've had hundreds of conversations on this podcast about what it means to build a sustainable, profitable product brand. And some of those conversations are just too juicy. They're too good to live in the archives.
Today, I'm bringing one back. What you're about to hear is a short clip from a past episode. It's a topic that has stuck with me and still feels very relevant today.
These throwback episodes are intentionally short and to the point because sometimes you don't need a full deep dive.
All right, let's dive in.
You can listen to the full episode here: http://prooftoproduct.com/369
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
7 min
September 08459 | What Happens When You Build a Successful Business You No Longer Want to Run with Lisa Congdon
Today I'm talking with someone I've admired for a long time— artist, author, illustrator, and creative entrepreneur Lisa Congdon.
Lisa has been building businesses around her art for nearly 20 years, and in this conversation we talk about something that I think a lot of established brand owners will relate to, and that's what happens when you've built a successful business but you realize it's no longer the business you want to run.
Lisa recently made the decision to close her retail business after 20 years, not because it was failing, but because she wanted more time and space to make art and pursue the work that really energizes her.
I appreciate how intentional she was about that decision.
She didn't just burn everything down and hope for the best, like some of us feel like doing every day, but she looked at her finances and considered other revenue streams.
She created a plan and gave herself and her team a runway.
We also get into how Lisa developed a recognizable artistic point of view, why making work that actually means something to you can create a stronger connection with your customers, and the difference between trend-driven, trend-agnostic, and trend-informed.
There are so many good nuggets in this conversation about building a product brand that works commercially while still staying true to your creative voice and knowing when it's time to make a change.
Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:
We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us
We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions
We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint
We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers.

And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, it's only $27 bucks.
Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/459
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
36 min

About Proof to Product

From the publisher's feed

Ranked in the top 1% of ALL podcasts, the Proof to Product podcast is your trusted resource for sustainable business growth - especially if you make and sell physical products!

Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you're building a business that supports your best life.

If you've ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you're a just starting out on your business journey or you've been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you.

Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you're in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you'll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity.

Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can't rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals.

Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she's helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she's here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don't have to learn things the hard way.

Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources