Proof to Product

Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 375 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast. There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in. Today's episode is a look back at Paper Camp alumni, Brittany O'Brien's journey growing her stationery and gift company, Brittany Paige . In episode 258...

Have you been thinking about joining us for Paper Camp , but aren't sure if this program is a good fit for you? Or maybe you're a new listener of the podcast, and you're thinking, what the heck is this Paper Camp program that I keep talking about? This episode is for you. I'm answering the top questions that we get asked about our wholesale program to help you decide if it's the right fit for you....

If you're listening today that means you're likely interested in applying for our Paper Camp scholarship ! Giving back is one of our core values here at Proof to Product and we give back through our time, knowledge as well as financial scholarships. Since 2011, we've awarded over $275,000+ in scholarship funds to creative entrepreneurs who sell physical products to the wholesale market. These bran...

Hey, friend. This week, I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 375 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast. There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in. So whether you are a new listener or you've been around for a little while, this one is a must-listen. It features Ginger Diaz, a two-time ret...

I love using our platforms, particularly this podcast, to highlight our community members and all of the cool things they are doing within their businesses and lives. I also love to bring folks back for updates, a "where are they now" situation. So today's guest is Jodi Kostelnik of The Neighborgoods . Jodi was previously on episode 233 which aired in January of 2022. In that episode, she shared r...

Have you ever thought about licensing your art, but have no idea where to start? Licensing can be a really great supplemental revenue stream for your business. Nowadays, there are lots of folks looking for art to apply to their products. This week, we have Bonnie Christine on the show. She's an internationally renowned surface pattern designer, an entrepreneur, and an award-winning online educator...

This week, we have Arianne Foulks from Aeolidia back on the podcast. Arianne was on episode 114 talking about abandoned cart email sequences, and she also came on for episode 288 where we talked about SMS and email marketing strategies. Today, Arianne and I are talking about 2025 trends for e-commerce marketing. Arianne is a founder, speaker, and Shopify Partner who has focused her career on build...

Happy New Year, friend. I hope that you were able to take a break over the holidays. I know the last month of the year is always pretty busy for all of us, whether it's personal stuff or we're getting our shops and businesses ready for the end of the year. I hope that you have plenty of time for some rest and relaxation. We're back on the podcast with a new episode, and this week's episode is a re...

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 7, 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 370+ incredible episodes to help you strengthen your business. Have a great two weeks and I will se...

If you're considering exhibiting at trade shows this upcoming sales season, you are going to love today's episode. My guest is Amy Loewenberg, who is the Director of Buyer Relations for NY NOW . Amy is a seasoned veteran in the gift, home, and lifestyle industry, and she's an advocate for independent buyers and sellers. Amy leverages her unique experience on both sides of the aisles to drive growt...

Hey, friend. I'm back with part two of my interview with Victoria Venturi from Paper Epiphanies . If you have yet to listen to part one, that was episode 371 . In part one, Victoria shared about her business growth, including what it was like shifting from a business model that was 90% wholesale to a business driven by 90% retail today. Now, she's finding a middle ground between the two. Today, we...

Today's guest is Victoria Venturi, the founder and CEO of Paper Epiphanies , the coolest card store in the world. In less than a decade, Victoria has grown Paper Epiphanies from an idea into a global brand. Paper Epiphanies, also affectionately called PiPH, opened its flagship concept store in 2021, and they are expanding into the aviation space. They opened their 1st airport boutique in the Portl...

Today on the podcast, I have the pleasure of talking about sales reps with Kelly Bristol from Just Got 2 Have It . I can't believe it's taken me this long to have Kelly on the show because we have known each other for a very long time, and she has a wide range of knowledge that I'm excited for you to hear. She is the Vice President of Business Development at Just Got 2 Have It, a B2B sales rep age...

I'm coming to you on the heels of having a cold, and I'm here to remind you to take care of yourself. A lot is going on in the United States this week. Plus, this time of year is hectic for all of my product-based business owners. I know you are working so hard and are likely wearing yourself out. I thought now would be a good time to share simple ways to practice self-care before and during a bus...

Earlier this year, we conducted a state of the product industry survey . We had 925 people respond. We found that 15% of respondents are not utilizing email marketing to reach their audiences. My jaw fell to the floor! I've talked about why email marketing is so important in previous episodes. The number surprised me because email marketing has the highest ROI of all marketing channels. For every...

I feel like today's guest needs no introduction, but it would be a complete disservice to not share all of his accolades. Today, I'm talking with Seth Godin . He's an author, entrepreneur, and most of all, a teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 22 best-selling books, including The Dip , Linchpin , Purple Cow , Tribes , and This is Marketing ,...

Is it harder to start a business or scale a business? This was a question that someone posed over on Threads recently, and it got my wheels turning. In 2024, scaling is harder. It is easy to start a business these days. However, most don't have the grit to keep going long-term and scale the business. During this episode, I dive into why it's easier to start a business in 2024 but harder to scale a...

Have you ever sold out of your inventory in a few days? Today's guest did that when they were launching their embroidery kits to the wholesale market through Faire. Riki Inge of Rikrack had stocked up inventory. She'd prepped her Faire shop. She went live, and everything completely sold out in just a few days. While most people would see this as a good problem, it highlighted a lot of issues with...

I am excited to share today's episode with you because we have a fun guest. It's Brock Johnson . If you're not familiar with Brock, he is an Instagram expert who has coached thousands of entrepreneurs and creators on how to grow on Instagram, and he's been doing it since 2018. In 2021, his personal following blew up, thanks to his strategy of using Reels, and he has grown at a rate of approximatel...

We are back with another compilation episode with our Paper Camp coaches. If you missed last week's episode, you can check it out by going to episode 362 . In this episode, I'm taking a different approach and asking a different set of questions. These questions are directly aimed at our coaches who are wholesale buyers that run retail storefronts. Today's questions focus on tips for pitching produ...

We are in the final week of our signature program, Paper Camp . In Paper Camp, we teach product-based business owners how to get their products on the shelves of their favorite stores, big and small. Paper Camp is an insanely comprehensive coaching program focusing on foundational and growth strategies for selling wholesale. During Paper Camp, we answer hundreds of business owners' questions about...

I love staying connected to our community while they're out exhibiting or attending trade shows throughout the year. One update that caught my eye this summer was from Biff Ulm of Nice Enough Stickers about his experience at the Las Vegas gift show. Now Biff is no stranger to the podcast. He's been sharing tips about leveraging point-of-sale systems back on episode 146 , and we did a COVID check-i...

Is it possible to have a thriving business and not be on social media? In episode 309 , Brigida Swanson from Yardia joined me to discuss what it was like for her to leave social media. We talked a lot about choosing contentment over business growth, and this episode was a listener favorite. We decided to invite Brigida back onto the podcast to check in and see how things are going 1 year later. Br...

We have all heard that we need to showcase our authentic selves for our businesses, but what does that actually mean? What does that look like in our business? This week's podcast episode features a recent portion of a coffee chat hosted by Kiwi Schloffel held inside of our private LABS program . LABS is our membership for product-based business owners where we talk about how to work smarter, not...

We are gearing up for our next round of Paper Camp and we are so excited! This is our wholesale intensive program, and I wanted to do something fun for this week's podcast episode to celebrate this milestone and the fact that enrollment for Paper Camp is currently open. I asked our past Paper Camp students to answer 1 question: How have you and your business grown since participating in Paper Camp...