Proof to Product

Rosie O'Neill is the co-founder of Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique that features the finest sweets from artisan candy makers around the world. Rosie and her fiancé Josh Resnick launched Sugarfina in July 2012. The idea for the company was inspired by their third date — when they watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and they were left wondering why their wasn't candy boutiques for grown ups.

Rosie was named to Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People" list, and Goldman Sachs' "100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs,". She is disrupting the sweets space with an innovative approach to confections and retail.

Before candy, Rosie played with dolls for 7 years as Director of Marketing for Barbie at Mattel, where she led a global business unit that sold more than 50 million Barbie dolls annually. She received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA. Her favorite candies are Champagne Bears, Peach Bellini and Sparkle Pops.

On today's episode, Rosie shares her start up story as well as lessons she learned as they scaled Sugarfina into the large brand it is today -- with wholesale and retail channels, a bustling online shop, 50 retail locations and a range of licensing collaborations. Rosie offers some really great suggestions — including the importance of self-care, why we need to be careful about which opportunities we say yes and no to and things she looks for when hiring members of her team.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• Her favorite Sugarfina candy right now & the most popular flavors with customers
• How much she loves getting to dream up & invent different candies
• Rosie's background prior to Sugarfina
• Her transition to entrepreneurship & how she decided upon luxury candy
• The hurdles at the beginning & how she navigated that
• How her previous position at Mattel helped her start & scale Sugarfina
• What her early goals were for the business
• The experience of adding brick & mortar stores very quickly
• Her first hires & what she looked for in an employee when she first started hiring
• Whether or not she fears hiring people who one day might become a competitor
• The fact that they did not have a business plan when they first started & why she thinks it can be beneficial sometimes not to have one at the start
• Moments and decisions that propelled her business forward
• The criteria she uses for deciding to pursue an opportunity or not
• How she cultivates a positive work culture
• An important lesson Rosie has learned through her entrepreneurial journey
• Rosie's advice on creating your product & getting your product to market
• How she decides when to discontinue a product
• What's next for Sugarfina

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"It's like we get to play Willy Wonka because we dream up and invent all these crazy, fun flavors and cute shapes and fun colors, and then we get to bring them to life." - Rosie O'Neill

"I had always in the back of my head wanted to do something entrepreneurial, but I thought I was going to do it in my fifties. It came way, way, way sooner than I imagined, but I think sometimes you just have those moments of luck where everything kind of comes together and you just don't overthink it." - Rosie O'Neil

"It [Sugarfina] is a dream and I love it but it's also the absolute hardest thing I've ever done and just exhausting at times." - Rosie O'Neil

"I'm really proud of the fact that as we have grown, we have always been able to deliver on that quality and that amazing customer experience, but everything under the surface has just been chaos and a mess." - Rosie O'Neil

"I'm always kind of looking at what's coming up but it's important to take a moment and look back on how far we've come and it's pretty cool." - Rosie O'Neil

"We love to bring in people who one day want to start their own company but they're not quite ready and Sugarfina can be a learning environment for them." - Rosie O'Neil

"I want to make sure that we have an environment where people want to stay because they're continuing to grow, and learn, and feel empowered." - Rose O'Neil

"I am all for people going out and starting their new company if they want to, but stay with us as long as you can and really get to know all the things you're going to need to know to start a business because it's hard." - Rosie O'Neill

"I think sometimes you got to just go for it and be willing to put out something that's not perfect and then learn and continue to perfect." - Rosie O'Neill

"You really need to create a culture where people feel connected to the big picture and like they're really making an impact." - Rosie O'Neill

"I don't care if you have hours that are slightly different than a normal working day, I just care about the output of your work and that's how I'm going to look at things." - Rosie O'Neill

"We have a no assholes policy." - Rosie O'Neill

"You really have to take care of yourself because there is an endless amount of work to do when you run your business." - Rosie O'Neill

"Get your product out in front of the real world as quickly as you can." - Rosie O'Neill

"Even though there's all these great data analytics and all these tools, you can't lose touch of the human connection and I think a lot of companies let that fall by the wayside and you really have got to prioritize that." - Rosie O'Neill

CONNECT WITH ROSIE:

Website: http://sugarfina.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sugarfina/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugarfina/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sugarfina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sugarfina

LINKS:

Sugarfina Rewards

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.

WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT

Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST

If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.

SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

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

There's a lot of talk on the internet about knowing your ideal customer, but a lot of it doesn't resonate with me. Maybe you feel this way too? On Episode 63, Mary Bruno shared how she is her ideal customer. And, that she focuses on creating things that she loves & that she finds funny even if it doesn't resonate with everyone. It got me thinking about something I've talked about in the past in my emails, but I'm not sure I've talked about it on the podcast. Your products aren't for everyone. And, that's ok. In fact, it's fantastic. You don't want to be everything to everyone. Just like Mary talked about past ideas falling flat, sometimes you're going to make duds. Or, sometimes what you make is going to appeal to a smaller audience. You make beautiful products, that are likely hand crafted or personally designed by you. You have your own unique style & aesthetic that you're continuing to develop. Instead of feeling like you need to appeal to the masses, I want you to focus on four key areas: - I want you to focus on reaching your unique customer base — fill a void or provide a solution specifically for the - I want you to focus on developing your own style, point of view and a strong, extensive product line. - I want you to focus on creating work that feels good to you, that you're proud of and that you want to put your name on. - I want you to focus on making the best decisions for your business, without worrying what everyone else thinks. I want you to make decisions for your business without looking around at what others are doing in their businesses or feeling like you need to follow the crowd. I know these things are easier said than done, but the strongest brands, the ones that build profitable, sustainable businesses are creating unique products that they are passionate about. They put their heads down when they are designing and try not to be influenced by others. They also recognize that their work is special and may not resonate with everyone. And, that's ok. I'd love to have you weigh in on this discussion in our free Proof to Product Facebook group. How do you stay motivated and create work you love and build a brand that includes that work. How do you tune out the noise and ensure that you're not being influenced by others when you're designing new work. Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prooftoproduct/ But you guys. Please remember, that your products aren't for everyone. And, that is more than ok.

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

Mary Bruno is the owner of Bruno Press, a printer, artist, and advocate for her local creative community. She grew up in a small town in central Minnesota and learned the love of printing from her father Don Bruno. Mary has an irreverent line of greeting cards that is sold nationwide and she teaches the old school art of letterpress printing the way her father taught her. Mary loves to collaborate with other printers, poets, musicians, kids, designers, you name it. And, we'll talk about some of those collaborations today.

On today's episode Mary tells it like it is, shares her story and how she organically grew her business through hard work and learning as she went. We also talked about her personal growth—why she no longer let's the criticism of one person overpower the praise of hundreds. She also shares about why she's her ideal customer.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• The oldest piece of machinery that she has in her print shop
• Where she learned her love of printing
• Her background prior to starting Bruno Press and how losing her dad lead her to taking over his print shop
• How she decided on the product line she wanted to create
• The backstory behind her logo
• How she essentially fell into wholesale & working with sales reps
• Her personal journey to not letting the criticism of one person overpower the praise of hundreds
• Her first experience at the National Stationery Show
• What the design process looks like for Mary
• Mary's work as an advocate for her local creative community
• How Kid Collab got started
• Mary's advice for anyone just starting out in a product-based business

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

" I inherited my love of big iron machines from my dad. I dig how machines like this were built to last." - Mary Bruno

"This ain't Hallmark. I want to print the cards that nobody else is printing." - Mary Bruno

"Sometimes I feel like if I don't offend someone my shit ain't doing its job." - Mary Bruno

"I didn't know there was other people making cards like me so I felt super alone in that for a long time. I just kept my head down and kept printing and people kept buying." - Mary Bruno

"If I'm not goo goo staring at this card for the next three days then I shouldn't even bother printing it." - Mary Bruno

"A lot of the success that I've had with my business has been because of the support of my community and I don't want to take that for granted and I want to give back and I want to make this community better." - Mary Bruno

"The working with kids thing has been awesome. That's something that fills my cup." - Mary Bruno

"It's interesting when you get into because it's what was presented to you rather than something you sought out because you were so into it. The fact of the matter is that if my dad was a shoe cobbler or like a freaking offset printer my life would be a lot different. Maybe I'd be cobbling some shoes right now. I can't say for sure that I wouldn't." - Mary Bruno

"I say my target audience is me. It has been from day one and it is still. I think that is sort of what defines my work." - Mary Bruno

"I print what I think is cool or funny or needed or lacking in stores or whatever the case may be." - Mary Bruno

"A lot of people helped me along the way and I want to be like that as well for people coming up because hopefully people will continue this forever and snail mail won't ever go away and tangible cards will be a forever thing." - Mary Bruno

CONNECT WITH MARY:

Website: http://www.mcbrunopress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrunoPress/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brunopress/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bruno_Press?lang=en

LINKS:

Kid Collab

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.

WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT

Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST

If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.

SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

On this mini episode, Katie Hunt reiterates something Brice McBeth of Reap marketing talked about on Episode 62 of Proof to Product — the difference between search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization. Here's what we learned from Brice: Search engine optimization is driving traffic to your website. Conversion Rate Optimization is getting people on your website to take action & buy. Brice shares a lot of great ideas and strategies in episode 62, if you haven't listened yet I highly recommend it. There's so much more to dive into here, so Brice and I will be hosting a free online masterclass next month to talk about why SEO is a hoax. And, how you can be leveraging your existing marketing to get more customers. If you to be notified about the details when we open registration. Head to http://www.tradeshowcamp.com/join and make sure you're on our mailing list.

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Take the free quiz!

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

Brice McBeth is the founder of Reap Marketing, the only digital agency that hired itself to build an e-commerce business and optimize its own conversations by over 950% on its way to creating a multi-million dollar store that disrupted the salon equipment industry. Brice also wrote about his journey in his book, Salon Chairs Don't Sell Themselves which is a fascinating read. He speaks and provides education on the topic of Conversion Rate Optimization to help companies, like us, get better results from their current marketing efforts.

On today's episode, Brice explains the difference between conversion rate optimization and search engine optimization and why you need to be thinking about both. He shares a shocking statistic, that typically 99% of your online shop visitors aren't buying from you and why slick and sexy websites don't always sell more of your product.

I wanted to let you in on a secret. We're going to be doing a free online masterclass with Brice next month, where we'll talk about why SEO is a hoax and he'll teach us some unconventional ways to use great content to get more customers. If you want to be notified about the details when we open registration, head to tradeshowcamp.com/join and make sure you're on our mailing list.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• A common misconception people have around digital marketing
• The difference between search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization
• The industry standard for conversion rates on eCommerce sites
• The concept, four pillars of optimization, developed to help guide people through discovering what is going on with their website
• What prompted Brice to do a live case study & how he landed on salon furniture as the product
• The first steps he takes to ensure that a site is focused more on the conversion aspect than about the aesthetics
• Why he had to forfeit some of the aesthetic of the Standish site for functionality
• The common fears of his clients as they make changes to their sites to increase conversions conversions
• Brice's book, Salon Chairs Don't Sell Themselves
• The most important data points to collect through Google Analytics
• What surprised Brice most through the testing they ran on Standish
• How to determine a reasonable amount of time to test something on your site
• Brice's advice for increasing CRO on your website
• The services that Brice offers & how you can work with him

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"CRO and SEO are two different things and they shouldn't be confused with each other." - Brice McBeth

"SEO refers to the practice of writing content on your website for the purpose of getting indexed by search engines like Google." - Brice McBeth

"CRO refers to the process of exploring ways to get more people or to convince more people who are already on your website to do business with you." - Brice McBeth

"There's not really just one definition of what a conversion is, but certainly getting people to engage and become a customer is the endgame." - Brice McBeth

"It seems we sort of glorify this serial entrepreneur, but it can be really difficult, and we forget to glorify the people who can keep it real and have a good of work-life balance." - Brice McBeth

"Nobody comes to a marketing agency and asks for ugly website. Has anybody said, "Hey, I want my website to look just like Wikipedia's website"?. That would be amazing, but you're talking about one of the highest converting websites on the planet." - Brice McBeth

"As long as you know beauty isn't the only purpose driving the design, you can usually get the job done." - Brice McBeth

"We had to really kind of take a hard look at that [the Standish site] and kind of change the aesthetic and forfeit some of the aesthetic for functionality and something that was a little bit more familiar for our audience. " - Brice McBeth

"It [Salon Chairs Don't Sell Themselves] is definitely a story of the journey that we went through to optimize our own conversions and sort of the pitfalls we fell into along the ways and how we got ourselves out of those pitfalls." - Brice McBeth

"People are six times more likely to watch a video than read the same exact content that's written on the page and after having watched the video, they're 65% more likely to buy from you." - Brice McBeth

CONNECT WITH BRICE:

Website: https://reapmarketing.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReapMarketing/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reapmarketing/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reap-marketing/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reapmarketing

Website: http://bricemcbeth.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bricemcbeth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricemcbeth/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bricemcbeth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bricemcbeth

LINKS:

Salon Chairs Don't Sell Themselves

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.

WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT

Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST

If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.

SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

Katie Hunt, founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp dives deeper into how to create a wholesale resource section on your website, something she and Rhonda Warren talked about briefly on episode 61. Katie shares what to include in your resource center, how to structure things and why it is important to make it easy for your wholesale customers to buy. Listen to Episode 61 Here: http://tradeshowcamp.com/prooftoproduct061/ SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

Rhonda Warren is the owner of Color Box Design & Letterpress, a letterpress studio located in Dallas Texas. Rhonda has a multi-faceted business. She has a line of paper goods that she sells to both the retail and wholesale markets; as well as a bustling custom invitation arm through which she creates wedding invitations, corporate event invitations and everything in between.

On today's episode Rhonda jokes that she accidentally started this business that is still going strong after 13 years. She shares details about the custom side of her business and why relationships with local vendors and word of mouth referrals make up almost 70% of her business. Rhonda also shares information about her team - how she knew it was time to hire, everyone's roles and why she wished she had hired sooner.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• What Rhonda was doing before Color Box Design & Letterpress
• How she first go into letterpress by accident
• Where she gets her inspiration from
• How Color Box marries three different design styles and aesthetics into one brand
• Her team's roles & how she splits up responsibilities
• How her business & products have shifted over the years
• Her experience with certain products being a good fit for retail but not wholesale
• The need to educate consumers, store owners, & wholesale customers on what a product is and how it is supposed to be used
• What Rhonda loves about custom work
• The importance of networking and how she meets people and establishes relationships
• How she balances all three arms of her business -- custom, retail, and wholesale
• Rhonda's advice to those just starting out in custom work
• How she defines success
• The advice she would give to someone just starting out in a product-based business
• How she knew it was time to hire a team

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"I fell into letterpress by accident." - Rhonda Warren

"We're kind of an eclectic brand, which is how we marry it together." - Rhonda Warren

"We come up with ideas and at the end of the day we honestly don't know who came up with the idea and who finished it." - Rhonda Warren on how she designs with her team.

"You don't have to sell everything to both wholesale and retail. If it doesn't work for your margins to wholesale it, you don't need to sell it there." - Katie Hunt

"It's a little bit of trial and error, trying to explain your product when you're not there to explain it." - Rhonda Warren

"I love getting to hear about an event and then having that come to life in someone's mailbox so it's an introduction to the event." - Rhonda Warren

"I don't think we'll ever give up that [custom] side of the business just because we all love it and it's the money maker." - Rhonda Warren

"The [wedding] planners are key just because of the repeat business." - Rhonda Warren

"If the clients happy, I'm happy." - Rhonda Warren

"It's good to step out there before you think you're really ready to do it." - Rhonda Warren

"When you need to hire people you should hire people. It's only going to help you. It's scary at first but it always gets easier." - Rhonda Warren

"As we would get where we just couldn't handle it all then we would bring on another person." - Rhonda Warren

CONNECT WITH RHONDA:

Website: www.colorboxletterpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColorboxDesignLetterpress/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorboxletterpress/

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.

WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT

Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST

If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.

SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

Katie talks about the importance of building relationships with your manufacturing partners. She shares some of her own experiences, fears and missteps when searching for her own print partners. The risks she faced and what you should look for when reaching out to new manufacturing partners. Want to join the conversation in our free Proof to Product Facebook group? Join us: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prooftoproduct/

SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

Ronnie Williams is the owner of DeFrance Printing, which is a full-service commercial print shop located in Southern California. Ronnie grew up in the print industry and is the third generation to own and operate DeFrance. His grandfather began printing in the late 1930s, followed by his father in the early 1970s, and Ronnie was a fixture in the print shop by the young age of five. Ronnie's background brings a unique perspective, in that he has expertise in both the print process, as well as the outcome.

This episode is a little bit different than most, in that we're diving into some of the technical aspects of printing, common mistakes that people make in file setup, ways to save money on your print runs, and how DeFrance helps a wide range of industries with packaging, catalogs, marketing materials, and more.

Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have recently expanded their services to include warehousing and fulfillment, helping independent brands with not only printing, but also storage, fulfillment, and distribution of their products. They have particular expertise handling orders for big box stores, such as Paper Source. Ronnie, and the team at DeFrance, have been strong supporters of our Tradeshow Bootcamp community and advocates for education around the print process. I know you'll learn a lot from Ronnie!

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• The history of DeFrance Printing and how long Ronnie's family has owned it
• Their core clients and the type of work they do for them
• All of the different print methods DeFrance offers
• The fulfillment services that they offer
• Paper Source's specific rules and regulations as to how things need to be shipped
• Ronnie's favorite projects to print
• The things that people should figure out before reaching out to a printer
• Some common mistakes he sees people making when submitting art files
• A Pantone color versus a CMYK color and what the benefits are to both
• Turnaround times and the expectations people should have
• When he recommends getting proofs versus not
• The materials, other than paper, DeFrance prints on
• The types of products they are getting the most inquiries on right now
• How DeFrance prints gift wrapping
• Some cost-cutting or cost-saving tips to maximize print runs
• Products outside of the stationery world that DeFrance prints
• What's next for DeFrance Printing

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"Most people carry low inventory because they don't want to prepay for all the cards, not knowing whether the order's coming. When they get one that's 500, 1000, 4000+ , they then come to us, and we can print the job, sleeve it, package it, UPC barcode it again, and get it out to Paper Source in time. It's something we do very regularly, and our bindery guys have it down pat. " - Ronnie Williams

"You can market your business, create new products, and sell more product, while we worry about all the other work and get it off your back, so you're not up until midnight or 1:00 a.m., sleeving cards the night before it's got to go," - Ronnie Williams

"They don't see the value in [our services], until they start doing it themselves, and then they realize the time it consumes. It's the same as when people are printing for themselves. It's amazing that they can learn these trades and they can do it, but at some point it does cross over and start to consume their time, rather than allow them to grow the business." - Ronnie Williams

"Greeting cards, letterpress, and foil are still some of my favorite. I do get on press still every once in a while. I was just on press last week, doing some art prints." - Ronnie Williams

"I just love the process of seeing how it comes together and gets completed." - Ronnie Williams

"Specs are very important, to make sure we're talking "apples to apples" to each other." - Ronnie Williams

"I find that you're not just a printer. You're not just taking the jobs as they come and just pushing them out. You're trying to make sure that you're maximizing the time,the money, and the effort and energy that everyone's putting forth to create the best possible product." - Katie Hunt

"The first time we produce or make anything, we like an extra day or two to make sure we're double-checking." - Ronnie Williams

"Paper adds up to a lot of money in this process, and so if you're in love with a high-end paper, it's going to make the job more." - Ronnie Williams

"I've seen you try to bend over backwards to help people make their dreams come true. " - Katie Hunt

CONNECT WITH RONNIE:

Website: http://www.defranceprinting.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeFrancePrint

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defranceprint/

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

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WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

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SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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

Suann Song is a graphic designer and founder of Appointed, an American-made brand of carefully designed desktop products that make utility look luxurious. Prior to starting Appointed, Suann conducted an exhaustive but unsuccessful search when she tried to find refined and well-made desktop products that are manufactured in the US, so she decided to create her own. In March 2015, Suann launched Appointed through a kickstarter campaign reaching her goal of $25,000 dollars in the first five days.

On today's episode, Suann is sharing what it was like to launch a brand and product line through Kickstarter. She's also sharing some behind the scenes info on why she's redesigning the Appointed website and what that process has looked like. Suann also reminds us that relationships and fresh product are at the core of a successful product based business.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• How Suann got started in this creative field
• Transitioning from a service-based business with Simple Song Design to a product based business with Appointed
• Why she chose to launch Appointed with Kickstarter and what the process was like
• What surprised her about the Kickstarter campaign
• How her background in PR has helped her strategize and build momentum
• The motivation behind launching a brand new website for Appointed
• Why she decided to outsource the whole website -- the redesign and the development
• Her experience being on the "other side" of the design process
• Missteps that Suann sees product-based business owners make when they're redesigning their websites
• How she is sharing the news of their new website with wholesale clients versus with retail clients
• Suann's advice for product-based business owners who are just getting started

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"I got the idea for Appointed about five years ago where I saw a need in the market for just gender neutral, really well-made, American made products." - Suann Song

"I spent a solid year of researching, finding manufacturers, figuring out how much money I would need, figuring how much money I would need in year one, two, and three." - Suann Song

"If the Kickstarter was going to be a flop, and I literally put everything out there, invested in a video, produced a video, put all of the information on the Kickstarter page, and if people weren't going to support it, then I thought, 'Okay, maybe this isn't a good idea.'"- Suann Song

"I think that there is definitely a market for men in stationery paper goods, office." - Suann Song

"I really believe people buy from people." - Suann Song

"Business is all about the relationships we're building. You never know when somebody in your life is going to come back in and be a buying customer or have a referral for you." - Katie Hunt

"We're very proudly American made, every single component of our products." - Suann Song

"It was really important that we show the depth of our story, but it really is about the user experience and making it enjoyable, easy, and most importantly, convenient." - Suann Song

"You have to keep it fresh. You have to have something to talk about, and not for the sake of just doing that, but you just need to keep your product line relevant and interesting and release new products." - Suann Song

LINKS:Kickstarter

CONNECT WITH SUANN:

Website: https://www.appntd.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/appointedco

http://instagram.com/suannsong

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplesong/pins/

BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass.

I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this FREE workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

SUBSCRIBE

To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.

WRITE A REVIEW

Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies.

FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT

Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST

If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.

SHARE

Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!

ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Take the free quiz!

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