The Sourcing Gals

You're doing the editing, the emails, the social posts, the store outreach... and the actual business is waiting. In this episode of The Sourcing Gals, Erin and Jackie break down how they built a team of offshore employees who edit this podcast, run their social media, design jewelry, and support their brands. They cover what it really costs, how they find and vet people with a paid test proje...

Recorded live from a hotel room in LA — on a tripod improvised from a roly suitcase, an upside-down trash can, and a loafer with a protein bar stuffed inside — Jackie and Erin break down every AI tool currently running their business and how differently they each use them. They cover Asana, Claude, Gemini, and more, plus how they each personally manage founder overwhelm, before revealing the real...

You landed the retail PO — congrats, now the real work starts. Erin and Jackie break down what's buried in the fine print (payment terms, marketing allowances, compliance, delivery windows, chargebacks, markdown dollars, returns) and why a good sales rep can pay for itself. If you're about to fulfill your first retail PO, this is the heads-up nobody gives you before you sign.

After years of talking about clients "in air quotes" without ever really explaining what they do day to day, Jackie and Erin finally pull back the curtain. They walk through every service The Sourcing Gals actually offers — from Launch (for founders with an idea who haven't gone to market yet) to Gold Glove (full-service product development through PO and delivery) to their B2B and f...

Most product ideas start as a personal problem the founder needed solved — which is exactly what makes "design for your customer, not yourself" so hard to actually do. Erin and Jackie dig into the founder trap of building for your own taste instead of the market you're trying to serve, using real examples from their own brands, their Abercrombie days, and founders inside their Founde...

Your product is selling. The orders are coming in. So why does your bank account not show it? Erin and Jackie break down the retail math founders skip past in year one — the real difference between revenue and margin, everything that actually belongs in your true cost of goods, and why "sold out" and "profitable" are two completely different things. They also get into how much...

We’re getting a little woo-woo on you in this episode. ✨ We’re talking manifestation, big dreams, trusting the universe, and what it actually looks like to work toward the things you want — even when you have absolutely no idea how they’re going to happen.

Erin and Jackie break down competitive patterning — the systematic, research-driven version of "comp shopping" that was basically their entire job as retail merchandising interns. They walk through how to actually do it (price points, product buckets, materials, construction, and the "aspirational tier" one step above your brand), how AI now gives you a research roadmap before...

Erin and Jackie record their first episode from their new podcast studio and dig into the AI tool they say they use multiple times a week: Accio, an AI sourcing assistant built on top of Alibaba. They walk through exactly how they prompt it — from a bare-bones "find me a hair clip vendor" search to a hyper-specific children's-jewelry material spec — and share a real client example wh...

You finally get a quote from a factory... and then the sticker shock hits. The MOQ is higher than you expected. The price doesn't fit your margin. Now what? In this episode, Erin and Jackie answer a listener's question and break down exactly how they negotiate minimum order quantities (MOQs) and FOB pricing with factories every single day. They explain what drives factory minimums, when it...

Think more detail equals better samples? Think again. One of the biggest mistakes founders make during product development is overwhelming their factory with too much information too soon. While it feels like you're being thorough, it often has the opposite effect—slower development, missed priorities, and more sample rounds. In this episode, Erin and Jackie explain why simplifying your commun...

Is China always the cheapest place to manufacture? Will factories steal your idea? Should you always order the minimum quantity? If you've spent any time researching manufacturing online, you've probably heard advice that sounds convincing—but isn't always true. In this episode, Erin and Jackie play a round of Manufacturing Mythbusters , breaking down some of the biggest misconceptions...

Live selling isn't the future. It's already here. Fresh off three appearances on QVC—including one show where products sold at nearly $7,000 per minute —Jackie shares what she learned from selling live on national television and why founders of every size should be paying attention. From TikTok Shop and Instagram Live to Whatnot, Facebook Live, and QVC, Erin and Jackie break down why authe...

Most founders think their next step is finding a manufacturer. It's usually not. In this episode, Erin and Jackie introduce LAUNCH —The Sourcing Gals' strategic planning framework that helps founders validate, position, and prepare their products before spending thousands of dollars on manufacturing. Using decades of experience in retail product development, sourcing, and merchandising, th...

What does it actually take to launch a product brand successfully? In this special live episode, Erin and Jackie teach a Founder Crash Course for the Columbus Fashion Alliance's Launch Lab program — a community helping emerging founders turn product ideas into real businesses. Recorded in front of a room full of entrepreneurs, this conversation covers everything from finding manufacturers and...

One of the most common things founders say is: "I just need to find a factory to make my prototype." But what if you're not actually ready for a prototype yet? In this episode, Erin and Jackie break down one of the biggest mistakes they see product founders make: jumping into sampling before they've done the foundational work needed to create a successful product. They explain wh...

Half the year is already behind us. Before you jump into Q3 planning, holiday prep, and chasing the next big goal, there's one thing every founder should do first: stop and take inventory. In this episode, Erin and Jackie walk through their own mid-year business review and share the lessons, surprises, wins, and pivots that have shaped the first six months of the year. They discuss the massive...

Most founders spend months perfecting their product—and only a few hours thinking about the packaging. That’s backwards. In this episode, Erin and Jackie sit down with packaging expert Kelley of Hidden Path Creative to unpack the role packaging plays in building trust, increasing sales, getting into retail, and creating a memorable customer experience. From direct-to-consumer brands to wholesale-r...

This week, Erin recorded her very first solo episode — live from China. After flying overseas for a fast-moving cosmetic bag project, she takes listeners behind the scenes of what actually happens during a sourcing and product development trip, why proximity matters, and how seeing samples in person can dramatically improve both speed and quality. From factory visits and material selection to samp...

Most founders think getting into retail is all about finding the buyer. It’s not. In this episode, Erin and Jackie break down what it actually means to be “retail ready” — and why so many products never make it onto shelves, even if the idea itself is good. They walk through the behind-the-scenes process buyers care about most: pricing, margins, packaging, positioning, differentiation, and how you...

Every founder hits this moment eventually: “Should I keep going… or is it time to pivot?” In this episode, Erin and Jackie unpack the difference between a smart, data-driven business pivot and simply getting distracted, discouraged, or bored. They share real examples from their own businesses — from postpartum pajamas evolving into the menopause space to The Sourcing Gals transforming from a digit...

If your current growth plan is to “just do more”… this episode is going to challenge everything about that. Erin and Jackie break down the concept of 10X vs 2X growth — and why working harder is often the exact thing holding your business back. They unpack the framework from 10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and explain how real growth doesn’t come from adding more — it comes from eliminating,...

“Made in China” has become a loaded phrase — but is the reputation actually accurate? In this episode, Erin and Jackie unpack the biggest misconceptions around manufacturing in China and explain why it remains one of the most powerful tools for building a scalable, profitable product business. They share firsthand experience working with factories over the past two decades and break down what Chin...

Everyone talks about “minimum viable product” — but in the physical product world, it’s often completely misunderstood. In this episode, Erin and Jackie break down what an MVP actually is, how it applies to product-based businesses, and why so many founders get stuck overbuilding before they ever launch. They explain the difference between simplifying your product and compromising your brand — and...

Indecision might feel harmless — but in a product business, it’s one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. In this episode, Erin and Jackie break down how hesitation, overthinking, and delayed decisions quietly drain your time, money, and momentum. From dragging out product development timelines to missing key market windows, they’ve seen firsthand how founders lose thousands simply by not...