Proof to Product

Hey friends! It's no secret that putting yourself out there can be a huge hurdle for many entrepreneurs. In today's episode, I was joined by Paper Camp Alum and LABS member, Tiffany McGraw of Paper Rehab. Tiffany gives us insight into her own experience of overcoming the vulnerability of pitching herself as an entrepreneur by reframing the word "no" to "not right now" in her mind. Tiffany has a wo...

Hey friends! As more and more of you are dipping your toes into the world of virtual tradeshows I've been receiving questions on how to build out strategic marketing plans for these events. That's why today I am exploring the tactics you can implement to help reach more of your wholesale customers at a virtual tradeshow event. You'll learn how you can determine if a virtual tradeshow is the right...

Hey friends! As we all continue to navigate through this pandemic it's important that you continue to connect with your customers and build strong relationships with them. Something as simple as checking in with your wholesale clients or retail customers can go a long way in making them feel cared for. That's exactly what today's guest, Kate Murray of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress has done to make s...

Hey friends! Does being an entrepreneur ever make you feel overwhelmed? Maybe you're having tons of business success and checking things off of your to-do list but you still don't feel satisfied at the end of the day. I'm a firm believer in creating strategic plans and taking action in business. Sometimes, however, our mindset, boundaries, personal beliefs and the stories we tell ourselves can mak...

Hey friends! Have you ever wondered what it might be like to turn your hobby into a business? That's exactly what today's guest, Amber Kemp-Gerstel did and today she came on to talk about her journey in the crafting industry. Amber is a powerhouse. Not only does she have a blog called Damask Love but she also runs YayDay Paper Co., selling digital products and leveraging a subscription model. You...

Hey friends! I know right now has been a very confusing time for so many of us... I actually brought on Meg Sutton today for a hot seat episode to really dive deep into where she should be focusing in her business. You might be familiar with Meg as she has been on the podcast a few times before and is a long time client of mine. Meg Sutton is the boss lady and doodler behind Belle and Union and As...

Hey friends! Does Pinterest sometimes feel like just another social media platform you have to keep up with? I'm here to tell you this: it's so much more than that. Pinterest is a powerful search engine, much like Google and by leveraging your Pinterest strategy, you could potentially be bringing tons of traffic to your website. That's why I wanted to bring on Diana Keeler. Diana has worked for an...

Hey friends! Did you know that when someone lands on your website you only have 5 seconds to capture their attention? That's not a lot of time, so I wanted to bring on an expert to help you better understand how you can maximize those 5 seconds and get people to stick around longer. Whether you've been in business for many years or are just getting started you're in for a treat with this guest, Je...

Splitting your company into two sister brands is not for everyone. However, it could be an option for you if you are finding yourself with very different product offerings (and a discrepancy in exactly who you're targeting). That was the case for today's guest, Stephanie Clarke. Some of you might remember Stephanie as she's been on the podcast before. If you need a refresher, make sure to go back...

We spend years growing our product lines, working hard to add more SKUs and expanding into new product categories. But at what point is it too much? How much product is too much? On today's Proof to Product episode, Katie Hunt talks explains when you should consider discontinuing product. She also offers strategies for what to do with your discontinued inventory to recoup some costs. ON TODAY'S EP...

Slow and steady growth is how strong businesses are built. This is something that I strongly believe and is exactly what today's guest, Stephanie Harvey has done as she has grown her business. Stephanie Harvey is the artist and entrepreneur behind exit343design. She's a Paper Camp alumni who's been in the business since falling in love with screen printing during college in 2007. What first starte...

This week, we are amplifying the voices of black artists and business leaders by re-running three of our previous episodes. Have you ever come home from a long day at your corporate job and realized like, "Okay, so my job is feeding my family, but definitely not my soul." What do you do? Well, today's Proof to Product guest is telling us how she figured it out. By age 28, Nicole Walters was a high...

This week, we are amplifying the voices of black artists and business leaders by re-running three of our previous episodes. When we first start our businesses, more often than not, we don't have the big picture idea of what our brand or business will look like down the road. So many of us embark on this so-called maker's journey, where we truly discover our strengths, opportunities, and long term...

This week, we are amplifying the voices of black artists and business leaders by re-running three of our previous episodes. Today we have a great episode in store for you with guest Jeanetta Gonzales , a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, and illustrator. Jeanetta began her career as a graphic designer working for corporate companies such as WedMD, Mattel and The Disney Store. She later parlayed...

Hey friends! Are you making sure to pay yourself for your work? There's often a big misconception that only new business owners struggle with how to pay themselves for their time, effort and expertise. However, it's no secret that both new and experienced entrepreneurs run into this problem from time to time. I wanted to make things a little easier for you so in this episode I shared two simple st...

Hey friends! Are you ready to get back time in your business to work on the projects and tasks that you really love? The ones that will help you to move the needle further toward your goal? If you've been busy doing all of the things then you might be wondering if now is the right time to hire in your business. That's why I brought on Natalie Gingrich from The Ops Authority. Natalie has been in op...

How amazing does it sound to have someone else take over your packing and shipping needs? Think about it… How many hours a day (or even a week) could that save you? Having a fulfillment warehouse that takes care of this for you could lend you time in your busy schedule. It might even be able to save you money in the long run. In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking about that with Paper Cam...

Earlier this week, my friend Kristen Ley of Thimblepress and KristenLey.com and I hosted a free webinar where we talked about taking our business temperature. As small business owners so much of our time is spent working with our head down working on the most urgent and pressing things that need our attention. Taking your business temperature means that you're intentionally making time to stop and...

Hey friends! Are you ready for copy that converts? If you said yes, which I am sure you did then I am positive you'll enjoy today's episode. I had a conversation with Prerna Malik, a certified conversion copywriter and co-founder of Content Bistro. Prerna has mastered the recipe for writing copy that balances persuasion and personality with the scientific precision of conversion science to ensure...

Hey friends! You might know that you need to set financial goals for your business. But maybe you feel like you have absolutely no idea where to start. Maybe you feel overwhelmed even thinking about it? Whatever the case, if that sounds like you then you're in for a treat with today's live coaching session. I caught up with Paper Camp alumni, Jessica Baskin to give her the low-down on setting fina...

Hey friends! With the current state of our world, I thought it'd be great to bring someone on the podcast who radiates optimism and confidence. In this episode, you'll be hearing my conversation with Jess Ekstrom, founder of Headbands of Hope and the author of Chasing the Bright Side. Jess and I dive deep into how she's built her business and it's growth over the past eight years. Through her year...

Last week I shared how I'm getting back to basics and what I'm focusing on in my business right now. And, today I'm bringing some of my mastermind clients back on the show to talk about how they are proactively taking steps to diversify and strengthen their business. Today's episode features Lisa Sarmento from Tiramisu Paperie , Kiwi Schloffel from Craft Boner and Sara McNally from Constellation &...

Hey friends! As much of the world is currently in isolation and practicing social distancing, I wanted to encourage you. I hope this episode will help you find direction in this uncertain time and remind you to keep pushing forward. To be completely honest, my head was spinning with things that I wanted to say but I know we're all facing completely different circumstances. None of us have ever fac...

I sat down with my financial planner, Mary Beth Storjohann today to talk about financial relief and resources for small businesses available through the CARES Act. Today we're talking about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (also called EIDL), the Paycheck Protection Program (also called PPP) and the Deferral of Payment of Payroll Taxes. This is an ever evolving situation right now, so Mary Beth i...

Kristen Ley recently asked me and our peer mastermind group to come together for a free webinar to support & encourage other small business owners. It was such an amazing conversation that I asked Kristen if we could rerun the audio version here on our podcast, so today's episode is just that. Today's episode features feedback from me, Kristen Ley of Thimblepress, Tonya Dalton of Inkwell Press, Je...