Proof to Product

By Katie HuntBusiness Entrepreneurship Arts Design

Proof to Product episodes

March 19, 2024334 | Expanding into 1,000 Stores with Brittany O'Brien, Brittany Paige
The last time Brittany O'Brien was on the podcast was back in 2022, and we were talking about how she scaled her business to 500 wholesale accounts.
Earlier this year, Brittany crossed a new milestone. Her products are now sold in over 1,000 stores, and today, we're going to dig into what the last year and a half has looked like for her. Specifically, we're talking about customer acquisition versus customer retention strategies, fair SEO, and how trade shows have played a part in her substantial growth.
Brittany is a New York City-based illustrator and the owner of the stationery and gift company, Brittany Paige. Originally a graphic designer in the corporate fashion world, she started her business as a side hustle while working full-time.
In addition to working on custom illustrations, she also creates witty and empowered goods for the unapologetic girl, including greeting cards, stickers, candles, pen sets, and more. Her products are inspired by current events, city living, and pop culture, and they can be found in over 1,000 retailers worldwide, including Macy's and Paper Source.
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/334
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
35 min
March 12, 2024 333 | Scaling without Employees with Beth Roszkowski, Tiny Hooray
We have shared many incredible business growth stories here on the Proof to Product podcast. One thing that I always try to emphasize is that business is not one size fits all. Every business will look different, operate differently, and have different goals they're working towards.
To build a profitable, successful long-term business, we have to be very intentional about the choices that we make. And that includes where we invest our funds, what type of support we bring into our business, the types of products we manufacture, and the revenue streams that we focus on.
Today's guest is Beth Roszkowski, the one-woman show behind Tiny Hooray, a small but mighty enterprise based in Arlington, Virginia. Beth creates stationery and gifts that say what we're thinking, but may not wanna say out loud. It's the tiny hoorays that keep us going each day and keep us connected to our people.
She's a Paper Camp alumni and a member of my advisory board mastermind. Wholesale is Beth's primary revenue stream, and she's currently working with sales reps and 300 stores, including key accounts and independent retailers.
On today's episode, Beth shares her business journey, why she doesn't want to hire employees, and how she's utilizing independent contractors for project-based and ongoing support for her business.
Today's episode is brought to you by our Deciding What to Delegate free workshop. As busy entrepreneurs, one of our biggest challenges is knowing where to dedicate our time and energy. We're usually so busy doing the work in our business that we have a tough time identifying what we can hand off to someone else. This on-demand free workshop will provide you with 3 simple steps so that you can identify what projects to outsource so that you can stop being the bottleneck in your business.
SIGN UP
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/333
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
32 min
March 05, 2024 332 | Rebuilding Self-Trust and Confidence as a Business Owner with Ginny Krauss & Elli Runkles, Supported CEO (Part 2)
Last week on episode 331, you met my friends Ginny and Elli from the Supported CEO. They very candidly shared their stories of experiencing burnout in entrepreneurship, including what that was like, what they felt, and they shared their journey back from burnout and what they did to get to where they are today.
Today is part 2 in the discussion with Elli and Ginny, and they are sharing strategies and tactics to help you avoid burnout and rebuild self-confidence and trust.
You will learn what support pockets are and how to use them in your daily living to ease stress and protect your peace.
You can sign up for their free training on how to burnout proof your business by going to this link: https://supportedceo.com/burnout
Today's episode is brought to you by a brand new page on our website, where you can access our free and lower-priced products. Head to http://prooftoproduct.com/courses to learn more.
We want to make it easy for you to get the help that you need when you need it most. We have incredible resources including our wholesale audio series or our unlock buyer secrets interview series which sheds light on how the wholesale buying cycles and retailer buying preferences have changed (and is only $27!).
SIGN UP
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/332
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
24 min
February 27, 2024 331 | Back From Burnout with Ginny Krauss & Elli Runkles, Supported CEO (Part 1)
The topic of burnout is popping up a lot in my business circles. People are tired, and they are struggling with decision fatigue. Many people I talk to are questioning whether to even continue with their business or whether they should make an exit, but these types of conversations typically happen behind closed doors, or worse, they don't happen at all, and people end up struggling alone in silence, which is not what I want for any of you. That all changes today.
Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles are sharing their journey back from burnout on the podcast. What it felt like, how they knew something needed to change, what type of help they sought out, and how they've gotten to their recovery point today where they're helping other business owners.
We also discuss decision fatigue, building self-trust as a business owner, and how your definition of "success" as a business owner can change over time.
Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles are the cofounders of Supported CEO. Their mission is to help busy entrepreneurs thrive in both life and business without burning out by becoming a more supported version of themselves.
Ginny and Elli have over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience. Both of them had previous businesses before coming together to cofound Supported CEO in 2023. They are also both Americans who have had the unique experience of living abroad for over a decade. Ginny lives in Germany, and Elli lives in Portugal. They are also the hosts of the Supported CEO podcast.
Today's episode is brought to you by a brand new page on our website, where you can access our free and lower-priced products. Head to http://prooftoproduct.com/courses to learn more.
We want to make it easy for you to get the help that you need when you need it most. We have incredible resources including our wholesale audio series or our unlock buyer secrets interview series which sheds light on how the wholesale buying cycles and retailer buying preferences have changed (and is only $27!).
SIGN UP
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/331
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
37 min
February 20, 2024 330 | How to Have Tough Conversations with Your Team with Tatiana O'Hara, T. O'Hara Consulting
If you're looking for ways to be a stronger leader within your business or you're considering expanding your team, please block off some quiet time to carefully listen today.
Our guest for this episode is Tatiana O'Hara, a team and leadership development consultant who helps successful yet overwhelmed online business owners create the structure needed for their team and daily operations so that they can focus on scaling sustainably.
As a corporate leader turned business coach, she has helped dozens of leaders optimize and build their teams and learn essential leadership skills that have yielded 100 of 1,000 of dollars in sales growth.
Overall, if you're ready to stop being the doer of all the things and you're ready to build a business that doesn't run you, Tatiana is your gal.
In this episode, we're talking about mistakes that folks make when they are hiring, how to identify appropriate KPIs, (key performance indicators for the individual roles you're hiring for), and how to have tough conversations when managing a team.
Tatiana also shares her personal story of laying off her higher team after having her first baby last year. It's a relatable story about how life circumstances shifted her priorities and her goals for the business, something I'm sure many of us have experience with.
Today's episode is brought to you by our Deciding What to Delegate free workshop. As busy entrepreneurs, one of our biggest challenges is knowing where to dedicate our time and energy. We're usually so busy doing the work in our business that we have a tough time identifying what we can hand off to someone else. This on-demand free workshop will provide you with 3 simple steps so that you can identify what projects to outsource so that you can stop being the bottleneck in your business.
SIGN UP
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/330
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
Deciding What to Delegate free workshop
Mentioned in this episode:
Take the free quiz!
Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz
37 min
February 13, 2024329 | How These 9 Businesses Have Grown Since Attending Paper Camp
We are gearing up for the 43rd round of Paper Camp and we are so excited!

This is our wholesale intensive program, and I wanted to do something fun for this week's podcast episode to celebrate this milestone and the fact that enrollment for Paper Camp is currently open.

I asked our past Paper Camp students to answer 1 question: How have you and your business grown since participating in Paper Camp?

The responses we received were incredible. In this episode, you're gonna hear from 9 women who represent a small sampling of our community. They sell a wide range of home decor, jewelry, embroidery, stationery, and consumer gift products. They sell their products to stores big and small across the world.

Some came through Paper Camp several years ago while a couple just attended our last round in fall 2023, and yet each of them took advantage of everything that Paper Camp had to offer: the coaching, the community, and the coursework.

They implemented what they learned, and now they are seeing incredible results. Check out the links of everyone featured below and be sure to head to this link to enroll in the 43rd round of Paper Camp. Class starts on Monday, February 19th!
Businesses featured in this episode

Chelsea Ward, Sketchy Notions: Follow on Instagram

Christy Asper, Paper Baristas: Follow on Instagram

Riki Inge, Rikrack Embroidery: Follow on Instagram

Sandra Alcorn, Petals & Pins: Follow on Instagram

Shelley Schmidt, Sunny Day Designs: Follow on Instagram

Kate Murray, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress: Follow on Instagram

Nellys Siria, Cocoa Loves Grey: Follow on Instagram

Keli Change, PärdēPress: Follow on Instagram

Ashley Sutton, Hustle and Hope: Follow on Instagram

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/329

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
18 min
February 06, 2024 328 | An inside look at what Paper Camp is like
Have you ever wondered what it's like to attend our Paper Camp program? If so, today's episode is for you!
I am sharing an inside peek into one of our Paper Camp coaching calls. This one is with Alex Gagne of Chez Gagné. Alex has been a longtime member of our Paper Camp community. When she first attended as a student, she had been in business a little less than 2 years.
She was working out of her living room and had designed a collection of 80 SKUs. Alex knew that wholesale was her end game, so she soaked up everything that Paper Camp had to offer and went home and put what she learned into practice.
As you will hear during the episode, Alex has done an incredible job of thoughtfully expanding her product line with an eye toward profit margins, sell-through rates, and intentional partnerships. We talk about the profit margins that she seeks when adding new product categories to her line. We also discuss discontinuing products and the pros and cons of working with big box retail stores among other things. This is just a tiny sliver of my conversation with Alex, and it's a tiny sliver of what the Paper Camp experience is like.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/328
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
18 min
January 30, 2024 327 | How to apply for a Paper Camp scholarship with Katie Hunt
If you're listening today that means you're likely interested in applying for our Paper Camp scholarship!
Giving back is one of our core values here at Proof to Product and we give back through our time, knowledge as well as financial scholarships.
Since 2011, we've awarded over $275,000+ in scholarship funds to creative entrepreneurs who sell physical products to the wholesale market. These brands had big dreams of seeing their products on the shelves of their favorite stores and they have obtained huge results.
These scholarships are a big deal and we treat them that way. We typically have anywhere from 80-90 scholarship applications every round of Paper Camp. My team and I dedicate several days to view all the videos, read the applications, review websites, and ultimately whittle it down to one full tuition scholarship winner.
It's never an easy choice, but we do put a lot of care into our selections. And, today I want to share 5 ways that you can stand out when submitting your Paper Camp application.
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/327
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
January 23, 2024326 | The State of Trade Shows in 2024 with Katie Hunt
I have been doing so much good content for other people and I'm doing my best to bring it back around so that you all have access to it and know about these resources.
Recently, the team of Aeolidia asked me to weigh in with my thoughts on the changing landscape of wholesale trade shows for their blog. The post features comments from Arianne Foulks of Aeolidia, Abby Glassenbeg of Craft Industry Alliance, Morgan Cros, the founder of Original's Duckhead, and myself — all of us shedding light on our thoughts about in-person wholesale trade shows as we head into 2024.
I used this post as a starting point for this week's podcast episode. We're going to dive deeper into my personal thoughts on the state of wholesale trade shows and elaborate on some of my comments made in the blog post.
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/326
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
16 min
January 16, 2024 325 | How To Plan Out New Wholesale Product Releases With Divya Guruju, Mellowworks
I've been thinking a lot about how our past work experience and general lived experience shape how we start and build our businesses. For me, I spent 12 years in the corporate world leading business development and strategic marketing teams for large law firms before starting my product line. That time in my life taught me about project management, budgeting, and how important relationships are in business. These are lessons that I carried into my product brand and also into the way we run Proof to Product today.
Our guest Divya Guruju of Melloworks, spent many years in the corporate world designing menswear in New York City. Today, she's talking about how her time in the fashion industry led her to create her bold, colorful, and modern stationery and gift line.
In this episode, we're talking about how Divya is expanding into textiles and home goods products. She shares how she plans out her new product releases based on logistics she learned in her corporate job. She also shares how Paper Camp provided her with a roadmap for the success she's had with wholesale.
Through Melloworks, Divya sells luxurious wrapping paper, colorful and eye-catching notebooks, fun greeting cards, and cool gifts. All are designed to be color-coordinated for a stunning presentation.
Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You private podcast!
This free 12-part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business.
After listening to this audio series (in less than an hour), two things will be true. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business, and you'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale. Sign up for the private podcast today!
Listen to the free Audio Series
You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/325
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
34 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