Proof to Product

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and relaxing holiday season. I enjoyed a lot of downtime with my family and also worked on a few things behind the scenes to get Proof to Product ready for 2024.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that I look at as I'm wrapping up one year and starting a new one.

So today's episode is going to focus on your New Year checklist. I'm going to share 10 things that work for me in hopes that they will work for you too.

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!

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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/324

Quick Links:

Free Wholesale Audio Series

Free Resources Library

Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

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Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

The Proof to Product podcast team and I are practicing what we preach and the podcast is taking a winter break! We will be back with a new podcast episode on Tuesday, January 9, and we have some incredible things lined up for you!

While we're gone, be sure to dip back into the archives. We have over 323 incredible episodes to help you strengthen your business.

Have a great two weeks and I will see you on January 9th!

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Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

There is a lot of noise on the internet. Lots of gurus, experts, and other people claim you have to do things a certain way in order to be successful. We see ads on social media telling us there is a magic formula or 5-step process that will make all of our dreams come true.

It seems that a new business coach is popping up on the scene every day with some new system or lived experience that we have to follow.

I firmly believe that there is room for everyone and that we all have unique experiences and expertise to share that can benefit others.

However, I also know that as a consumer of content and someone looking for guidance in your business, it is hard to know who to trust. Especially when you feel like the entire internet is screaming at you about some new method or strategy that you need to implement. It can feel overwhelming.

This brings me to today's podcast topic… a question came up in our community about whether or not you should be doing monthly promotions for wholesale customers.

The answer is no, absolutely not, and we'll get into six reasons why you should not be doing monthly wholesale promotions for your business.

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:

1. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business
2. You'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale.

SIGN UP FOR THE FREE AUDIO SERIES

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/323

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

Hey everyone! I was recently on Shirlee Fisher's podcast, The Tillage Podcast, where we talked about a variety of topics: how to navigate challenges during a crisis, how to make informed decisions with my four-factor framework, how to embrace knowing your numbers as a neutral tool for success and so much more.

I had such a good time that I asked Shirlee if I could air the episode on our podcast, so that's this week's episode!

You can check out more great episodes on Shirlee's podcast, just look up The Tillage podcast on whatever podcast app you listen to. You can also follow Shirlee on Instagram at @thetillagepodcast.

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

It's no secret that wholesale buying patterns and in-person trade shows have shifted substantially over the last few years. Where buyers were once placing fewer, but larger orders a couple of times a year - oftentimes at trade shows - they are now placing more frequent, smaller orders throughout the year both online and at in-person markets.

As someone who talks to both wholesale brands and buyers every single day, I have a unique viewpoint that lets me see some of these industry shifts at scale. I believe that it is really important for all of the wholesale brands in our community to hear from different buyers so that you can make informed decisions for your business, which leads me to share today's guest for the podcast.

Today's guest is shop owner Audrey Woollen of Urbanic. She is the founder and creative director of Urbanic a nationally and internationally recognized stationery and gift brand and independent boutique in Los Angeles.

With 17 years of establishment, Urbanic has developed collaborative signature lines with some of the nation's top designers as well as the development of an Urbanic brand. Audrey has been a board advisor at the National Stationery Show, a judge for the Louie Awards, a trends curator for Top Drawer London and is on the editorial board of Stationery Trends Magazine, as well as consulting for the pitch programs for the Noted Trade show and Paper Fest London. Audrey is considered an industry leader within the stationery and design community.

In this episode, Audrey shares her thoughts on in-person trade shows, the rise of Faire as a digital marketplace, and its effects on how she does business as a brick-and-mortar retail shop. She shares her appreciation for email marketing efforts of wholesale brands and also advice she would give her past self now that she's been in business for 17 years.

This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.

If you've struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we've got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year's worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.

DOWNLOAD NOW

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/321

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

The best products solve a problem or create an emotional connection. The ideas for these products stem from our own pain points or challenges as well as the joys in our lives. That is what our guest today did when she brought a new product to market.

Today's guest is a scientist by training, a creative tinkerer, and a natural show entrepreneur. Zeba Parkar is the owner of Treleaf, a product line that was created from Zeba's own needs as a plant owner and lover during the pandemic.

Zeba was looking for beautiful and functional ways to support her plants, and after trying multiple products, she hopped on a laser cutter and created her own. Over the last 3 years, Zeba has grown Treleaf into a thriving brand, selling products through direct-to-consumer channels and wholesale channels.

Her products can be found in over 150 stores, and she's working with a distributor to expand her reach.

In this episode, Zeba shares about the early success of her business, including how she fulfilled orders 1 by 1 on a shared maker space laser cutter to now having a warehouse space that supports multiple laser cutters, a team, and her production space to service again the direct to consumer and wholesale customers. We also talk about the challenges of bringing a new product to life and how she's legally protecting her brand and the products that she creates.

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 and conditions.
• We need to clearly communicate and add value at every touchpoint
• We need to focus on building strong relationships with those wholesale customers.

And all of that becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to what our buyers need.

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.

Purchase Unlock Buyer Secrets Today

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/320

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

The podcast is taking a break this week so that our team can celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and friends. We will be back next week with an interview with Paper Camp alumni & LABS member Zeba Parkar of Treleaf who is going to share what it was like bringing her laser-cut wood trellises to market — a brand new product in the plant category.

If you're traveling this week, I'd love to keep you company. Be sure to dip back into the archives.

We have over 319 incredible episodes to help you streamline and strengthen your business.

In episode 318, I talk about how you can build your sales engine for the business.

In episode 307, I share two wholesale metrics that you need to be focusing on.

In episode 298, I share why you should never ever accept a $25 wholesale order.

Lastly, I want to remind you that there are millions of small brands competing for attention and your dollars this holiday season. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to shop small this season so we've put together a robust gift guide featuring almost 300 brands from our Proof to Product Community.

You can download this gift guide by going to www.prooftoproduct.com/giftguide

This gift guide truly has something for all your friends and family — plant lovers, readers, foodies, kids & babies, jewelry, apparel, plus a whole self-care section that includes eye pillows, mental health support decks, and more.

Many of the brands provided exclusive discount codes that you can use for your online purchases. When you shop from the Proof to Product gift guide, you know that you're supporting individuals, families and putting money back into local communities.

Happy Thanksgiving week to all our friends in the US who celebrate. I'll chat with you next week!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

We recently did a two-part series on the State of Retail where I talked to two independent brick-and-mortar retail shop owners [episode 1] [episode 2]. This is important because we teach all of you how to sell wholesale to stores like Katie & Jen's shops and it is important that you understand the challenges that they are facing and how they are adapting to the market and how that will trickle down and affect you as a manufacturer.

Today I want to expand on that conversation with a colleague of mine, Jessica Totillo Coster of E-Commerce Badassery. Jessica is an ecommerce and email marketing strategist. You may also remember her from episode 195 of Proof to Product. Jessica works exclusively with product-based business owners — many of whom are also Paper Camp Alumni & LABS members.

Jessica and I have a unique perspective on what's happening in the product space right now — observing trends with sales, marketing and spotting issues before they become widespread. And, that's what our focus is on today's episode. We're sharing what we're seeing on the sales & marketing front for product-based businesses - what's working, what's not and sharing advice that you can implement right away.

This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.

If you've struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we've got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year's worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.

DOWNLOAD NOW

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/319

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

Today I'm popping in with a call to action and that is… I want you to shop small this holiday season.

To make this as easy as possible for you, we've put together a robust holiday gift guide featuring almost 300 independent brands from our Proof to Product Community.

The Proof to Product gift guide includes a wide range of products including candles, apparel, jewelry, accessories, puzzles and games, home decor as well as gifts for pet lovers plant lovers, kids & babies and more.

There is truly something for everyone inside the Proof to Product gift guide.

Download your copy of the gift guide at www.prooftoproduct.com/giftguide.

Links:

PTP Episodes 316 & 317: State of Retail

PTP Episode 318: Why You Need to be selling everyday

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

You know we like to keep things real with you here at Proof to Product and the truth is, there will be a lot of businesses that will close their doors over the next year.

There will be lots of reasons for this.

Some business owners will decide that they no longer want to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

Some will not be able to keep their doors open due to financial strain.

Some business owners will shut down entire revenue streams to focus on something new. Maybe even under a new brand.

Some doors will close because the business owner's life circumstances have changed.

So many unique and different reasons why this will happen. But we're about to see a cycle of small business closures.

Everyone I talk to in business right now is trying to reduce costs - for services, software, team and more.

But there is another side of this coin. It's something that will keep your business stable and strong. It is where you should be focusing your time, energy and effort.

It's selling.

Selling your products should be the main focus in your business always, but particularly right now.

During today's episode, we are discussing how you can make sure you are selling every single day. You'll learn why you need to sell every day and three actionable ways you can make sure you are doing so.

Today's episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe.

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/318

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