Proof to Product

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...

I have been doing so much good content for other people and I'm doing my best to bring it back around so that you all have access to it and know about these resources. Recently, the team of Aeolidia asked me to weigh in with my thoughts on the changing landscape of wholesale trade shows for their blog. The post features comments from Arianne Foulks of Aeolidia, Abby Glassenbeg of Craft Industry Al...

I've been thinking a lot about how our past work experience and general lived experience shape how we start and build our businesses. For me, I spent 12 years in the corporate world leading business development and strategic marketing teams for large law firms before starting my product line. That time in my life taught me about project management, budgeting, and how important relationships are in...

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and relaxing holiday season. I enjoyed a lot of downtime with my family and also worked on a few things behind the scenes to get Proof to Product ready for 2024. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that I look at as I'm wrapping up one year and starting a new one. So today's episode is going to focus on your New Year checklist. I'm goi...

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 9, 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 323 incredible episodes to help you strengthen your business. Have a great two weeks and I will see...

There is a lot of noise on the internet. Lots of gurus, experts, and other people claim you have to do things a certain way in order to be successful. We see ads on social media telling us there is a magic formula or 5-step process that will make all of our dreams come true. It seems that a new business coach is popping up on the scene every day with some new system or lived experience that we hav...

Hey everyone! I was recently on Shirlee Fisher's podcast, The Tillage Podcast , where we talked about a variety of topics: how to navigate challenges during a crisis, how to make informed decisions with my four-factor framework, how to embrace knowing your numbers as a neutral tool for success and so much more. I had such a good time that I asked Shirlee if I could air the episode on our podcast,...

It's no secret that wholesale buying patterns and in-person trade shows have shifted substantially over the last few years. Where buyers were once placing fewer, but larger orders a couple of times a year - oftentimes at trade shows - they are now placing more frequent, smaller orders throughout the year both online and at in-person markets. As someone who talks to both wholesale brands and buyers...

The best products solve a problem or create an emotional connection. The ideas for these products stem from our own pain points or challenges as well as the joys in our lives. That is what our guest today did when she brought a new product to market. Today's guest is a scientist by training, a creative tinkerer, and a natural show entrepreneur. Zeba Parkar is the owner of Treleaf , a product line...

The podcast is taking a break this week so that our team can celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and friends. We will be back next week with an interview with Paper Camp alumni & LABS member Zeba Parkar of Treleaf who is going to share what it was like bringing her laser-cut wood trellises to market — a brand new product in the plant category. If you're traveling this week, I'd love to keep y...

We recently did a two-part series on the State of Retail where I talked to two independent brick-and-mortar retail shop owners [ episode 1 ] [ episode 2 ]. This is important because we teach all of you how to sell wholesale to stores like Katie & Jen's shops and it is important that you understand the challenges that they are facing and how they are adapting to the market and how that will tri...

Today I'm popping in with a call to action and that is… I want you to shop small this holiday season. To make this as easy as possible for you, we've put together a robust holiday gift guide featuring almost 300 independent brands from our Proof to Product Community. The Proof to Product gift guide includes a wide range of products including candles, apparel, jewelry, accessories, puzzles and game...

You know we like to keep things real with you here at Proof to Product and the truth is, there will be a lot of businesses that will close their doors over the next year. There will be lots of reasons for this. Some business owners will decide that they no longer want to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Some will not be able to keep their doors open due to financial strain. Some bus...

Today's episode is part 2 of a two-part series on the state of independent retail right now. If you missed last week's episode, I encourage you to check that one out first . In that episode, Katie Wilson of Crush & Touch and Jen Palacio of Tiny Turns Paperie shared feedback on their summer 2023 sales season, how they are preparing for 2023 Q3 holiday season, how the current economic climate is...

Over the last few months, I've had a lot of private conversations with store owners about the state of independent retail. They've confided in me about a wide range of challenges that they are facing - individually as well as collectively. Things like the economy, less foot traffic in their stores, staffing and cash flow limitations - have forced them to rethink how they are running their business...

We are excited to host Jesse Regis from Virgins on Fire Candle Company and today, we talk to him about the evolution of his brand, the importance of finding community , and why your product is not for everyone. There is a quote by Amy Poehler that we've used at our events in the past, and it really encapsulates today's discussion. She said, "Find a group of people that challenge and inspire you, s...

News recently broke that Shopify was closing Handshake, its wholesale sales platform, and investing as a shareholder in Faire. Today's episode is bringing you the news mixed in with a few of my thoughts on the topic. I will be doing a deeper analysis and sharing some research I've done within our LABS program - so definitely look for that if you're one of our LABS members. As you listen today, ple...