Proof to Product

If you want to hear from someone who has more than 18 years of corporate retail buying experience and who knows what buyers are looking for when they are shopping on Faire, you are in luck because today's guest on the podcast is Kristin Fisher of Bocu . Kristin owns the gifting brand, Bocu , and she is also a retail strategy mentor for brands and independent retailers, as well as the host of the B...

The Proof to Product team is practicing what we preach and we are going on summer break for the next two weeks! We will be back in your ears mid-July and we are so excited about our upcoming episodes. In the meantime, we are gearing up for another round of our Paper Camp program which will start at the end of August. We only run Paper Camp twice a year, so if you are wanting to learn how to start...

Every day, I hear from product-based business owners who are curious about other people's business models, revenue streams, team structure, tech stack, how much revenue they're not only earning but what profit they're taking home, and how much they're paying themselves. Although we know that every business is different, it is completely natural to want to see behind the scenes and the curtains of...

Every day, I hear from product-based business owners who are curious about other people's business models, revenue streams, team structure, tech stack, how much revenue they're not only earning but what profit they're taking home, and how much they're paying themselves. Although we know that every business is different, it is completely natural to want to see behind the scenes and the curtains of...

What if you lived in a different state than your business? Meaning, all of your products, your inventory, your team, and your operations were in a completely different state. For today's guest, Rachel Kroh of Heartell Press , this is her every day now. She lives in Washington with her family, while her team of 5 works remotely across the country. They're shipping cards and gifts to more than 1,000...

We've been telling you a lot of stories here on the podcast about brands making big scary shifts in business, and part of the reason we're doing this is to normalize that it's okay to pivot when you need to. In episode 342, Alyson O'Connor shared how she shut down a 6-figure revenue stream so she could focus on a revenue stream wholesale that better fit the day-to-day life she wanted. In episode 3...

Running a business sure is a roller coaster, isn't it? We have our ups and downs. We have to balance the future forecasting and envisioning while also putting out the day-to-day fires in front of us. It takes a lot of grit and determination to be an entrepreneur, particularly when you're building something that aligns with your personal interests and values. Today's guest is Tammie Bennett from th...

A wholesale catalog's purpose is to sell your products, tell your story, and build a relationship with a buyer when you can't be there with them in person. Ultimately, the goal of your wholesale catalog is to sell your products, and it's important to build your catalog with your retailer in mind. Today I'm going to go through five quick tips for creating an effective wholesale catalog. Today's epi...

Have you ever wanted to make a transition in your business, but you resisted because the thing you wanted to move away from brought in the largest chunk of revenue for your business? I have definitely been there, and so has today's podcast guest. Alyson O'Connor is a classically trained visual artist specializing in nature-inspired illustrations, stationery, and gifts. She runs Rust Belt Love with...

We are seeking 1,000 product-based business owners who are willing to anonymously share their details for the 2024 State of the Product Industry Report: www.prooftoproduct.com/2024survey The data will help you make stronger decisions in your business. It will help you better understand the industry and your competition. It will help you identify growth opportunities. The results will benefit us al...

I love using the podcast to spotlight our different community members and their unique businesses and stories because we know that no two businesses are the same. We all have our lived experiences and interests that play into the types of businesses we create and how we choose to run these businesses each day. Today's guest is Paper Camp Alumni Priyanka Batra from My Darlin' , a colorful Brooklyn-...

I know what you're thinking. Why are we talking about holiday gift guides when it's only spring? I know. But just like how product development cycles require advanced planning, so does pitching the press and getting your products featured in holiday gift guides. Today's guest is Nora Wolf from Wolf PR , a boutique public relations firm that she founded in 2011. Wolf PR specializes in furniture, te...

If you work with independent contractors in your business, you will want to listen closely to this podcast episode. In March 2024, the US Department of Labor issued new stricter guidelines regarding independent contractor workers. Today's guest is HR consultant and expert, Kira La Forgia of Paradigm Consulting . She is breaking it all down for us so we avoid penalties and audits. We talk about new...

If you have ever considered exiting your business or even acquiring another person's business, today's podcast episode is for you. My guests today are two of my clients and also friends: Meghan Hopkins Sokorai of And Here We Are , and Kiwi Schloffel of Your Gal Kiwi . Last year, Kiwi made the decision that she wanted to exit her product-based business and specifically exit the day-to-day operation...

One of the things that sets Proof to Product apart from other people teaching about wholesale is the breadth and depth of not only my personal knowledge but also the fact that we bring in a variety of other perspectives from buyers to sales reps to consultants and manufacturers. This wide lens allows us to share best practices and current trends that we're seeing in the market currently. We're not...

Did you know that almost 70% of shoppers abandon their online shopping carts and don't follow through with a sale? That means that only 3 out of 10 of your customers who go to your website and load up their shopping cart complete their purchase. The same report from Baymard Institute said that more than $18,000,000,000 in e-commerce sales are lost annually due to abandoned carts. That is a whole l...

Our focus here at Proof to Product is teaching people how to successfully sell their products to the wholesale market. But many of our community members sell through multiple sales channels, including licensing, custom work, direct-to-consumer online sales, and in-person retail markets. For today's episode, we're sharing a portion of a recent coffee chat that we hosted inside our LABS program. It...

The last time Brittany O'Brien was on the podcast was back in 2022 , and we were talking about how she scaled her business to 500 wholesale accounts. Earlier this year, Brittany crossed a new milestone. Her products are now sold in over 1,000 stores, and today, we're going to dig into what the last year and a half has looked like for her. Specifically, we're talking about customer acquisition vers...

We have shared many incredible business growth stories here on the Proof to Product podcast. One thing that I always try to emphasize is that business is not one size fits all. Every business will look different, operate differently, and have different goals they're working towards. To build a profitable, successful long-term business, we have to be very intentional about the choices that we make....

Last week on episode 331 , you met my friends Ginny and Elli from the Supported CEO. They very candidly shared their stories of experiencing burnout in entrepreneurship, including what that was like, what they felt, and they shared their journey back from burnout and what they did to get to where they are today. Today is part 2 in the discussion with Elli and Ginny, and they are sharing strategies...

The topic of burnout is popping up a lot in my business circles. People are tired, and they are struggling with decision fatigue. Many people I talk to are questioning whether to even continue with their business or whether they should make an exit, but these types of conversations typically happen behind closed doors, or worse, they don't happen at all, and people end up struggling alone in silen...

If you're looking for ways to be a stronger leader within your business or you're considering expanding your team, please block off some quiet time to carefully listen today. Our guest for this episode is Tatiana O'Hara , a team and leadership development consultant who helps successful yet overwhelmed online business owners create the structure needed for their team and daily operations so that t...

We are gearing up for the 43rd 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...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to attend our Paper Camp program? If so, today's episode is for you! I am sharing an inside peek into one of our Paper Camp coaching calls. This one is with Alex Gagne of Chez Gagné. Alex has been a longtime member of our Paper Camp community. When she first attended as a student, she had been in business a little less than 2 years. She was working out of her...

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...