407 | Alumni Spotlights: Before & After Paper Camp

Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 400 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 guest Sally Diguette, a home and lifestyle buyer with Anthropologie. Pitching large retailers is a completely different process and timeline than working with independent retailers. Having worked with thousands of brands, I know that it can feel like an intimidating process to pitch your work to these key accounts.  Through an unpredictable path, Sally landed in the retail industry and has over 14 years of experience in buying, product development, and sourcing.  Sally is an innovative merchant and consultant. She centers her work around relationship building and creative strategy, combining unique product development and sourcing from national brands across a variety of categories. Her passion lies in working with emerging brands in an incubator capacity to build fresh product offerings, solid organizational systems, and a strong team structure. On this replay episode, Sally shares about the buying process and schedule for Anthropologie. We talk specifically about the timelines that she's working with for both exclusive products as well as ready made products. And she offers advice for how to get your products in front of key account buyers. Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well: We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers. And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, it's only $27 bucks.  Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

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. The next round of Paper Camp is open for enrollment right now.  If you're listening to this on release day, we will close enrollment tomorrow, August 20th. If you are looking to scale your wholesale strategy and build a system that drives sales, this is the program for you. You won't want to miss it. SIGN UP FOR PAPER CAMP NOW You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/410  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

Last week, I hosted a brand new workshop based on shifts that I’ve been seeing in the wholesale industry. The program was called Landing Consistent Wholesale Orders: without over-relying on Faire, bad pitches, or discounts and it was incredible. Over 150+ of you joined us live! The chat was booming with questions, convos, and ideas. It was so much fun and super valuable for any product-based business owner looking to scale the wholesale side of their business. Several of you have already caught the replay, but I wanted to share the workshop  – in its entirety – here on the podcast for those of you who want to listen on the go. Here’s what I covered: Why your pitch isn’t the problem and the real reason that stores aren’t replying to your pitches. The subtle fear that is hurting your wholesale outreach and how to reframe it into confidence The strategic shift that makes Faire actually work and why most product brands miss it. Now, I did have slides with this presentation, so if you want to watch it, you can do so at prooftoproduct.com/rsvp. This podcast episode and the replay will be up for only a few more days so listen while you can. Also, this is your reminder that our wholesale coaching program Paper Camp is now open for enrollment! There are literally no other wholesale programs that have been around for as long as we have and none that have the success rate that we've had with our students. And the reason is we focus on results. But also our secret sauce and the main reason that we're still here making an impact after tens of thousands of students in more than 45 rounds of this program is because we care deeply about our students and our community members.  We want you to build a business that is going to thrive and give you a wonderful, rich life to live. We want to help more independent brands get their products on the shelves of stores. Head to prooftoproduct.com/papercamp to learn more and enroll now. Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

I'm back again today to share interviews from our Paper Camp alumni who exhibited at Shoppe Object. On Tuesday, I shared my conversations with our alumni who are exhibiting in NY Now.  Today, we're focusing on the exhibitors that were at Shoppe Object. This is a wholesale trade show that was happening in New York City this past week, and I spoke with: Stephanie Clarke from Dahlia Press Nancy Yusko from Dear Beni Meghan Sokorai from And Here We Are Jen Palacio from Tiny Turns Paperie Once again, great job to everyone who exhibited at these shows and to everyone who participated in this interview series. I appreciate you taking the time with me on the show floor.  I know that these shows take a lot of hard work, a lot of determination, money, and grit to execute. If you are thinking about exhibiting at a trade show as part of your wholesale growth strategy, then you absolutely must join us for Paper Camp. We have a ton of experience exhibiting ourselves, and we have guided tens of thousands of brands through the process.  In fact, we have a lot of people who come to us after they've exhibited at a trade show on their own, and it didn't go the way they wanted it to. They ended up with low sales, a lot of stress, and little confidence in how they were presenting their brand.  After Paper Camp, our alumni frequently report higher sales, higher average order values, and stronger reorder rates than non-alumni. Round 46 is currently open for enrollment at http://prooftoproduct.com/papercamp  We only run this program twice a year, and we sell out every single, single time. This coaching program will take you through step-by-step of everything you need to know to build out a successful wholesale business. ENROLL NOW IN PAPER CAMP You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/409  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

I am back from a whirlwind trip to New York City where over 40 of our Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at Shoppe Object and NY Now. These were two independent wholesale trade shows that happened to be taking place in New York over the same days. I was able to navigate between both shows and meet with a lot of our different alumni. It was such a treat to visit with everyone and to see all their gorgeous new products on display.  Both shows were buzzing with buyers, press, and brands that were looking to collaborate. The energy was high, and buyers were there to write orders, which was refreshing. At Paper Camp we talk about how selling wholesale is a marathon, not a sprint. Exhibiting at wholesale trade shows is just one way to get your products in front of buyers. It's not the only way, but it is a very powerful way.  So today's episode is a compilation of short interviews that I conducted on the show floor at NY Now. On Thursday, we'll release a separate set of interviews that I did at Shoppe Object.  At NY Now, I interviewed: Lindsy Liu of Happy Little Paper Co Kyndra Bailey of Kyn You Believe It Kathleen Kurjanowicz of James Point Stationery Jaha Knight of Dakari Moon Andrea Hetzke of Librarian Candle Co. If you are thinking about exhibiting at a trade show as part of your wholesale growth strategy, then you absolutely must join us for Paper Camp. We have a ton of experience exhibiting ourselves, and we have guided tens of thousands of brands through the process.  In fact, we have a lot of people that come to us after they've exhibited at a trade show on their own and it didn't go the way they wanted it to. They ended up with low sales, a lot of stress, and little confidence in how they were presenting their brand.  After Paper Camp, our alumni frequently report higher sales, higher average order values and stronger reorder rates than non-alumni. Round 46 is currently open for enrollment at http://prooftoproduct.com/papercamp  We only run this program twice a year and we sell out every single, single time. This coaching program will take you through step-by-step of everything you need to know to build out a successful wholesale business. ENROLL NOW IN PAPER CAMP You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/408  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

We are currently in the middle of the biggest wholesale buying season of the year, so naturally, it is both a fun and easy time to share wins from our community and talk about our upcoming wholesale coaching program, Paper Camp.  This is where we teach you everything you need to know to successfully sell wholesale and we've got a pretty strong track record with tens of thousands of folks coming through the program.  Today, I want to hand the mic to four of our Paper Camp alumni to share their experiences of what their business looked like before they attended Paper Camp and what it looks like now after putting in lots of work.  We did this type of episode of Before and After Paper Camp series earlier this year and you guys ate it up.  These individuals came to Paper Camp to strengthen their wholesale sales and marketing systems. They actively participated in the program. They asked questions about how to apply what they learned to their particular business, and they soaked up everything there was to learn.  They put in the reps and did the hard work, and it wasn’t always easy.  In this episode, you'll hear from: Morgan Swank of Morgan Swank Studio | Follow on Instagram Jessie Tyree Jenness of Root & Branch Paper Co | Follow on Instagram Brenna Daugherty of Brenna Daugherty Illustration| Follow on Instagram Ashleigh Evans of InBooze | Follow on Instagram Before we jump in, I wanted to tell you about a free workshop that I'm hosting on August 12th at 9:00am Pacific Time.  Wholesale buying season has been really eye-opening. As someone who has been in the wholesale game for over 17 years and I've worked with over 35,000 thriving wholesale brands, I have a really unique viewpoint to spot mistakes, missed opportunities, and more importantly, I can troubleshoot and find solutions for those that are facing a sales slump. The market is changing and our strategies need to shift with it. In this free workshop, I'm going to talk about how you can land consistent wholesale orders without over-relying on Faire without using bad wholesale pitches or discounting. RSVP for this free workshop at http://prooftoproduct.com/RSVP  You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/407  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

I'm curious, have you been thinking about niching down or focusing in on one product type? But maybe you're nervous about making that transition or having all your eggs in one basket?  This is exactly what Kate Talcott did and she reaped the benefits and then some.  Kate is our guest this week, and I'm excited to share her story. Kate is one of our Paper Camp alumni and her business is called Splatter & Bloom. She sells watercolor kits that give you instant creativity boosts without any of the hassle.  Before joining Paper Camp, Kate was in zero stores and now her products are carried in nearly 70. She didn't always focus on selling watercolor kits, though. During this episode, you'll hear Kate share about the challenges she faced evolving her product line, the pivotal moments that led to her distribution of her watercoloring kits into 60-plus stores, and her experience of going viral on TikTok.  You'll also hear her talk about burnout and her experiences with that, which is super important for us to talk about. I know you're going to love this one.  Before we jump in, I wanted to tell you about a free workshop that I'm hosting on August 12th at 9:00am Pacific Time.  Wholesale buying season has been really eye-opening. As someone who has been in the wholesale game for over 17 years and I've worked with over 35,000 thriving wholesale brands, I have a really unique viewpoint to spot mistakes, missed opportunities, and more importantly, I can troubleshoot and find solutions for those that are facing a sales slump. The market is changing and our strategies need to shift with it. In this free workshop, I'm going to talk about how you can land consistent wholesale orders without over-relying on Faire without using bad wholesale pitches or discounting. RSVP for this free workshop at http://prooftoproduct.com/RSVP  You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/406  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

Today I wanted to answer a great question that I received from a student. It's a simple one on the surface, but it opens the door to an important conversation about how we are approaching wholesale as product-based business owners.  Here's the question Lindsay asked: I just opened on Faire recently. Am I supposed to be pitching my products? I'm a total newbie.  The simple answer here is yes. You should always be pitching your products proactively to stores. But there's a lot more to unpack here, and that's what I want to do on the podcast today.  Before we do, I want to invite you to a free workshop that I'm hosting on August 12th at 9am PT. This is a brand new workshop that I recently put together.  This summer's wholesale buying season has been very eye-opening for me. As someone who has been in the wholesale game for over 17 years and I've worked closely with tens of thousands of wholesale brands that are thriving. It gives me a unique viewpoint to spot mistakes and missed opportunities.  But more importantly, it allows me to open up solutions and potential opportunities for those of you who are facing a sales slump. The market is changing, and our strategies need to shift with it. In this free workshop, I'm going to talk about how you can land consistent wholesale orders without over-reliying on Faire, without sending out bad wholesale pitches, and without discounting.  If this sounds like something you want to participate in, you can RSVP for this free workshop, at http://prooftoproduct.com/rsvp  You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/405  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

It is that time again. We are now accepting Paper Camp scholarship applications.  If you have wanted to attend our wholesale intensive coaching program, but you need a little help with tuition, now is your time to shine. We award one full tuition scholarship for each and every round of Paper Camp. Since 2011, we have awarded more than $345,000 in scholarship funds to students. This has enabled us to provide support to a lot of up and coming product brands that you know and love. People that are making huge strides in the industry. I'm talking Inklings Paperie, Ladyfinger Letterpress, E. Francis Paper, Brainstorm and dozens of other brands that were past scholarship recipients. They showed up in Paper Camp, asked their questions, and implemented what they learned.  Ultimately, they did the hard work and now they have built incredible brands that make a huge impact in our world and in our industry.  Our scholarship applications do take a bit of time to fill out. There are questions to answer and even a short video component to complete. We typically receive anywhere from 80-90 scholarship applications for every round of Paper Camp.  It takes my team and me several days to review each application, and honestly, it's such a challenge to whittle it down to just one scholarship winner. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, head to prooftoproduct.com/scholarships and get your application in today. Applications will close this Friday at 5pm Pacific Time. You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/404  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

One of the highlights of our Paper Camp program is the weekly coaching calls that we host by me and our guest experts. You not only get to ask questions about that week's curriculum and content from Paper Camp, but you also get to hear firsthand from industry experts.  These are wholesale experts: large-scale wholesale manufacturers, retail shop owners, sales experts, trade show exhibitors, all of the people that are deeply embedded in the wholesale world.  This week on the podcast, I wanted to share a snippet of one of our calls from Marketing Week. This is the week in Paper Camp that we traditionally talk with shopkeepers to find out how they like to be pitched, how much follow-up is too much, do they want to see samples before they buy, and so much more. This is your chance to ask all of your burning questions of our guest experts and to hear direct feedback. This excerpt is a conversation with Victoria Venturi of Paper Epiphanies and Katie Wilson of Crush & Touch. These are two shopkeepers who are getting pitched all of the time from brands and vendors that are just like you.  Victoria and Katie are providing feedback on how they like to be pitched, including the best way for vendors to capture their attention, methods that they use most when placing orders, and red flags that they see in wholesale pitches.  They talk about whether they want to receive samples and about follow-up and how much follow-up is too much.  This is just a small portion of the incredible value that our Paper Camp students receive during their time in our program.  I am incredibly grateful for people like Victoria and Katie and our other speakers that come back to share their knowledge and preferences with us.  These calls are my favorite part of Paper Camp. Speaking of Paper Camp, we will be opening enrollment for the next round very soon. This is a program that we only run live twice a year. It is not a course you do on your own. We are there to hold your hand and help you through it, answering questions for your specific brand and circumstances.  I wanted to let you know that we have some new, exciting surprises to share with you during this launch round, including a free event that you won't want to miss. I'm not quite ready to spill all the tea yet, but everyone who is on our Paper Camp waitlist will be the first to hear about this live event and the new incentives that we're offering.  You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/403  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp