We are back with part two of my conversation with Jessica Totillo Coster, covering the State of the Product Industry survey. You can listen to part 1 by heading to prooftoproduct.com/394.

During part two of my interview with Jessica, we cover how product-based businesses are making money in their businesses, including the percentages of those that are selling wholesale vs retail vs licensing. We talk about how many revenue streams product business owners have, their gross revenue versus net revenue, what people are actually paying themselves, and the importance of paying yourself.

Friends, if you are not paying yourself, you should. We have a podcast episode that helps you figure out how to start paying yourself.

We also discuss Jessica and I's thoughts on burnout in the industry, just generally as a whole, but also how to handle balancing real-life struggles while running a business.

I really appreciate Jessica taking the time to sit down with me to talk through this. She was a huge help as I was crunching the data and assessing the numbers. I do think this survey and the data will help all of us grow stronger businesses together.

You can get the full results of the survey at prooftoproduct.com/2025survey.

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/395

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I'm loving all the feedback that we're getting about the State of the Product Industry survey. Last week, we released two podcast episodes. One was an overview of what the report was saying, what the different stats were, and then the second episode I covered 10 opportunities that all of you should be harnessing as we continue into 2025.

Because we got such great feedback, we're going to keep this going. I asked Jessica Totillo Coster to come and analyze the survey data with me. Jessica has been on the podcast several times in the past (episode 195 & episode 319). If you're new to her, she's an e-commerce and email marketing strategist specifically for boutique owners and product entrepreneurs.

She and I share a lot of the same values when it comes to building product brands, so I'm really happy that we were able to have this conversation and dissect some more of the survey data.

If you want the full report, head to prooftoproduct.com/2025survey.

We talked for a long time, so we had to split this into two parts. Today's episode is part one where we discuss the correlation between having a large number of skews to overall sales revenue, the shocking statistics of business owners who don't have their own website, Jessica's thoughts on how product based business owners are using or not using email marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy, and also why it's important to have your own email list, which email marketing platforms are best for product sellers.

They drive the most revenue, and if you're not using email marketing, you need to be. Part two of our conversation will be up on Thursday this week, so tune in to that because we are diving into the financials of product-based businesses, and it's pretty fascinating.

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!

SIGN UP

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/394

Quick Links:

Free Wholesale Audio Series

Free Resources Library

Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

Today's episode continues the conversation about the State of the Product Industry survey that we did. Last episode, I summarized what we learned when 400 product-based business owners shared intimate details about their income, profit, how much they pay themselves, their product line, their team, their sales and marketing strategies. If you have not listened to that one yet, I would suggest starting there, that's episode 392.

Today, I am diving into 10 opportunities that I see for all of you after having spent dozens and dozens of hours crunching the data.

Before we jump in, I want to remind you that now is an excellent time to join us in the LABS community. LABS is our community focused on supporting product-based business owners and helping you build strong foundations, and we bring in all kinds of cool guest experts to share about their business journey.

And fun news! On May 14, Emily Ley of Simplified, who was recently on episode 390 of the podcast, is joining us for a coffee chat in LABS.

LABS is where our community members will have a chance to ask her questions about growing and scaling her business. She's going to share what's worked, what hasn't worked, and offer support and advice for our members as they're growing their business. To attend this program and all of our other live events, head to prooftoproduct.com/labs to enroll.

ENROLL IN LABS NOW

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/393

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Paper Camp

Every founder I know has been wondering at some point or another how much other brands are making, what tech they're using, and how big their teams are. Everyone wants to see what other brands are doing and how they are successful.

Even though we know that every business journey looks different, it's natural to be curious. The product world is shifting so fast. Right now, we're seeing rising costs. We're seeing tariffs, supply chain delays, and changes to consumer buying habits. That's going to ultimately change how we are creating, marketing, and selling our products.

We know that there are a lot of folks pivoting, a lot of people making changes to how things are going.

That is why I wanted to take another temperature check of our industry. We recently collected 400 responses to our state of the product industry survey. We had 400 brands that stretched a wide range of product categories, experience levels, and income levels, and they shared their insights and their business details so that we could create this collective report.

Now you can access this report at prooftoproduct.com/2025survey. I'm going to take this time on the podcast to walk you through the different sections and explain some of the findings that I had.

I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed. Without your details, without you sharing so openly, we wouldn't be able to track these types of trends, challenges, or even opportunities that we can then supply back to the industry.

Your giving to us allowed us to give back to you, and I appreciate that. Also, I will be doing some further case studies and deep dives into the different revenue levels that were reported in this. This report is pretty long as it is, and I didn't want to bombard it with more. I will be doing these deeper dive case studies in 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. Get connected with more product-based businesses by owners by requesting your invitation below.

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/392

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PTP LABS

Paper Camp

Do you have excess inventory that you have no idea how to move? On today's podcast, we have Melodie van der Baan, cofounder of Max Retail. It's a platform designed to help independent retailers and brands easily sell their excess inventory online.

During our conversation, Melodie shares how she started out as a sales rep, and then how she owned her own retail store in Palm Beach and how the challenges she faced with unsold inventory inspired the creation of Max Retail. She shares how Max Retail integrates seamlessly with popular sales platforms like Shopify, Square, and Lightspeed, and the innovative ways that it gives new life to seasonal or aged inventory through a vast network of e-commerce channels.

We also talk about the importance of inventory management, staying adaptable in uncertain markets, and why a strong partnership between brands and retailers is more crucial than ever.

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. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/391

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Free Wholesale Audio Series

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Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

Today's episode is an important and timely one. It is a conversation about resilience as small business owners and what we can do or how we navigate things when we are backed into a corner by forces outside of our control.

Our guest this week is Emily Ley. She is the founder of Simplified®, a wildly successful brand of planners and organizational tools that many of you know and love. She also happens to be one of our Paper Camp alumni.

You have seen Emily's products in Target, Walmart, Staples, and independent boutiques worldwide. But behind the scenes, like so many product-based business owners, Emily has been navigating massive shifts in things like the global supply chain, rising costs, and now devastating tariffs.

Her company has paid more than $1,170,000 in tariffs since 2017. With the newly announced 150% tariffs as they stand as of recording this today.

She is facing over $1,000,000 more in fees this year alone, and Emily is not staying quiet.

Earlier this month, she filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration, the first legal challenge to these unlawful tariffs, and she's doing it with the support of the New Civil Liberties Alliance. This is a huge moment, not just for her brand, Simplified®, but for every small business owner who relies on international manufacturing to keep their products on the shelves of stores and their teams paid.

In this episode, Emily and I discuss her journey from launching Simplified® in 2008, to finding the right manufacturing partners and, ultimately, becoming an unlikely but powerful advocate in the fight against these trade policies.

We also talk about the emotional toll that this takes, the behind-the-scenes fears and tough decisions, the support from her customers and community, and the risks that were involved in her taking a stand, again, not just for her business, but for all of ours.

Before we dive into today's episode, I want to say that if you are a product-based business owner and you're listening today and you are feeling the weight of these new tariffs, you are not alone. Inside our LABS community, we have been having real, honest conversations about how to navigate this, everything from raising prices to pausing production to exploring new manufacturing options.

If you need support or strategy, or just a sounding board from people who truly understand what you're going through, LABS is here to help. You can learn more at prooftoproduct.com/labs.

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/390

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Free Wholesale Audio Series

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Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

With everything going on in the global economy right now, there have been a lot of discussions about price increases. It's been a hot topic in Paper Camp, in our LABS community, and even in my Advisory Board mastermind.

People are asking about how to raise their prices, if they should raise their prices, and also how to communicate those price increases with your customers, whether you're selling retail or wholesale. And it's a great and valid question. I understand why people are asking it right now. So I'm bringing back an episode that we aired in 2022. It's called How to Communicate Price Increases with Your Customers, and this is honestly more relevant now than when I first aired this episode.

With increasing tariffs and practically everything getting more expensive, a majority of you will need to increase your prices. I want your businesses to survive for the long haul. I want you to thrive. I want you to be building a profitable business that will continue for a long time. Understanding when it's time to raise your prices and how to do that is going to be a critical piece for you maintaining your business. I hope you find this episode helpful.

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. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/389

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Free Wholesale Audio Series

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Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

Let's talk money. Money is a necessity in business, but it can also be a pain point, particularly for product-based business owners because our investments, overhead, and risks are generally heightened compared to service-based businesses.

We not only need to make money, but we also need to spend money for future expansion and growth. But where does that money come from? How are people doing this? We get this question a lot when we talk with our students.

Many brands in our industry are self-funded, meaning that they use their own money for start-up costs and then they reinvest those revenues or profits back into the business.

Another option is grants. We talked with Ashley Sutton of Hustle and Hope in episode 374 about how she has utilized grants to grow her business, and grants are funding that we do not need to pay back.

Today, we're gonna talk about leveraging debt and funding as a means to expand your business. I do not want to glorify going into debt for your business, but I do believe and know firsthand that there are responsible ways to leverage debt and essentially use other people's money for strategic growth within your business.

And that's why I asked Zeba Parkar from Treleaf to come back on the podcast. Zeba was on the podcast for episode 320, where we talked about the challenges she was facing in bringing a new product to life.

She does these incredible laser cut trellises and modern plant accessories that she manufactures in-house in her studio and warehouse, and she has a whole team and a lot of equipment.

Since then, she has expanded her business even more, and some of that has been done through funding from outside sources.

Zeba and I catch up on what's been happening in her business since late 2023, since we last talked on the podcast, including how she did 13 trade shows in 2024. We discussed her approach to finding funding for her business and different loan options that she looked at, including Shopify Capital, and lines of credit options.

We also talked about hurdles that she came up against when she started applying for this type of funding and she shared things that she wished she had known before she started applying for different types of funding.

Today's episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product resource library. It's where you can get your hands on our free resources to help you start, streamline and scale your business in your own way and at your own pace.

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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/388

Quick Links:

Free Wholesale Audio Series

Free Resources Library

Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp

It has been almost one year since we conducted our 2024 State of the Product Industry survey, and we are back doing it again. So from now until April 11, our 2025 State of the Product Industry Survey is open, and we wanna hear from you and all of your physical product-based business owner friends.

You can head to prooftoproduct.com/2025survey to share your responses with us, and I encourage you to do it sooner than later and then help to spread the word.

As a recap, in last year's survey, we found out a lot of information. We asked about annual revenue, take home pay, the revenue streams that people were utilizing, how much help people have within their business, tech tools that they use day in and day out, and so much more.

Last year, we had 925 people respond, and this year, our goal is over 1,000 participants. We're going to dive into many of the same questions and topics that we tackled last year, and I want to do a year-over-year comparison of how things have shifted.

We have also added new topics and questions based on some of your feedback, including how many people are full-time in their business or whether it's a side gig.

We're also asking whether the business is the primary source of revenue for the owner, how businesses are adjusting for tariffs and current economic conditions, whether sales are up or down compared to last year, plus future plans for sales, marketing, and operational strategies.

Head to prooftoproduct.com/2025survey to take the 10-minute survey and please share with any other product-business owner friends!

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PTP LABS

Paper Camp

When should I release new products to the wholesale market, and how do I align my release cycles with wholesale buying seasons?

I get these questions and more about product release cycles all of the time. In fact, this has been a hot topic in this round of Paper Camp, our coaching program about wholesale.

If our Paper Camp students are asking about release cycles, I know that many of you have similar questions too. So we're going to talk about wholesale release cycles today on the podcast.

Before we dive in, if you missed this round of Paper Camp, I highly recommend that you join the waitlist for the next round, which will run later this year. You can get on that waitlist at prooftoproduct.com/papercamp.

Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you our four-part framework for building a profitable and sustainable wholesale business.

Over the course of four weeks, we will ensure that you have your wholesale foundations in place, and we'll tackle growth strategies for your product line, your sales tools, wholesale marketing, and even trade shows.

Every week's lessons build upon the next, and we lay out clear milestones so that you know where to focus first, second, and third. Plus, we do weekly coaching calls, and you get to connect with other product creators in our class community. It's an incredible combination of coursework, coaching, and community that's truly built to help you thrive with wholesale.

SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/386

Quick Links:

Free Wholesale Audio Series

Free Resources Library

Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

PTP LABS

Paper Camp