Quick Hit: Does Cold Mailing Your Products to Retailers Work?

Today's episode is a short excerpt from a previous conversation I had with one of our amazing Paper Camp students.I really love using this podcast to spotlight the incredible things that our students are doing because there is so much value in hearing how other product brands are navigating wholesale in real time. These episodes are also a great reminder that there is no singular path to success when it comes to selling wholesale. You get to decide what works best for you and your brand. Today you're getting an inside look at how one brand does things which will surely spark ideas for you. You can listen to the full episode with Alex Gagné of Chez Gagné here: http://prooftoproduct.com/106 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

Today's conversation is for anyone who has ever looked around their home, their studio, or their storage unit and thought: “we officially have too much inventory and we are running out of space.” Today we're talking about what happens when your business starts to outgrow your space and how to know when it might be time to make a move. Whether you're currently packing orders from your dining room table, juggling multiple storage units, or debating if a warehouse or even a 3PL is the step for your business, then this episode is going to highlight some options for you. I'm joined by two guests, returning guest Jodi Kostelnik of The Neighborgoods, who shares candidly about her experience moving from a multiple floor studio space into a warehouse space that was much better suited for supporting her team, her inventory and her business's growth. Jodi is a longtime Proof to Product member and a Paper Camp alum, and she shares generously in this episode like she has before.We're also joined by Samantha Rubenstein of WareSpace, a company creating flexible warehouse solutions that are specifically designed for small businesses and specifically designed for product brands that are shipping and storing inventory. We talk about the operational bottlenecks that happen as a product brand grows, the shifts in mindset that come with investing more money in space and logistics, and the practical considerations around things like cost, logistics, staffing, and general scale. One of the things I really appreciate about this conversation is that it highlights something I talk about a lot here on the podcast, that there is no one specific way to grow your business. There's no one specific roadmap to follow for success. Different businesses need different solutions and have different challenges. Today's episode highlights what has worked for Jodi as she has grown.I love that she's sharing the different things that she's done along the way to help her business grow even faster. If you have been feeling squeezed by your current setup or you're wondering what's next in your stage of growth, what that might look like for your brand, then I think today's episode will give you a lot to think about. If you would like to set up a tour of WareSpace locations in your city, head to http://prooftoproduct.com/warespace. Proof to Product listeners can get 2 months free rent when they sign a 12 month lease agreement if you use our link. Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You workshop! This free 25 minute workshop will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening, two things will be true. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business, and you'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale. Sign up for the workshop today!SIGN UPYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/448This episode contains affiliate links. You can view our affiliate disclaimer here.Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

One pattern I've noticed time and time again after working with thousands of product brands across lots of different categories, is that while our products might be different or our tools and platforms might change, all of our core business foundations and fundamentals are not changing. And that's exactly why I wanted to share this short clip from the archive, something that I think is worth revisiting because the takeaways still hold true today. Maybe listening will spark an idea or help you take action on a decision that you've been sitting on. Really, the goal here is to help you take your next intentional step in business. That's what I want for you.Enjoy this clip!You can listen to the full episode here: http://prooftoproduct.com/256 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

Did you know that it costs up to seven times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain a current customer? Yes, seven times! We spend so much time, money and energy chasing new customers, new followers, new email subscribers, new stockists. And meanwhile, we have people who already bought from us, the ones who already know us and like us. They trust our brand and most of us are barely talking to them. So today we're going to fix that and talk about why customer retention is so important.Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners. Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you’ll get early access to enroll.SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLISTYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/449 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

Today's episode is a short excerpt from a previous conversation I had with one of our amazing Paper Camp students.I really love using this podcast to spotlight the incredible things that our students are doing because there is so much value in hearing how other product brands are navigating wholesale in real time. These episodes are also a great reminder that there is no singular path to success when it comes to selling wholesale. You get to decide what works best for you and your brand. Today you're getting an inside look at how one brand does things which will surely spark ideas for you. You can listen to the full episode with Ginger Diaz of Feliz Modern & Rancho Diaz here: http://prooftoproduct.com/303 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

Today I want to talk about SKU numbers because a question that I often get asked is how many SKUs should I have before I start selling wholesale? Unfortunately, the answer is it depends. Which I know you all want like a solid number and we do give some solid recommendations and guidance for like how much we want you to have in Paper Camp and also how many you should have before you start exhibiting at trade shows. But I wanted to do this solo episode on the podcast about this topic because there is a lot of nuance and I want to break down what that nuance is and so you can apply it to your own business.Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit.Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners. Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you’ll get early access to enroll.SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLISTYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/448 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

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 soon 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 soon. We only run Paper Camp twice a year, so if you are wanting to learn how to start with wholesale, click here to join the waitlist (we sell out every time!). Have a great week and we'll see you soon!

Today's episode is a short excerpt from a previous conversation I had with one of our amazing Paper Camp students.I really love using this podcast to spotlight the incredible things that our students are doing because there is so much value in hearing how other product brands are navigating wholesale in real time. These episodes are also a great reminder that there is no singular path to success when it comes to selling wholesale. You get to decide what works best for you and your brand. Today you're getting an inside look at how one brand does things which will surely spark ideas for you. You can listen to the full episode with Lauren te Velde of Paper Farm Press here: http://prooftoproduct.com/311 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

This week I'm sitting down with returning guest Audrey Woollen of Urbanic and we're talking about navigating a huge business transition. About a year ago, Audrey decided to close her retail shop and we'll talk about that today. Audrey opens up about the difficult decision it was to close after being open for nearly two decades. We talk about the challenges and emotions of stepping away from something that you've built from the ground up. We talk about hustle culture ane the process of rediscovering creativity and purpose outside of traditional business models. We also talk about what she does and does not miss about running an in-person store, the pressures of being responsible for a large payroll, and the power of pausing to reflect on what you really want in both life and business. Friends, if you are grappling with any sort of change, if you're feeling stuck or questioning your next move, then I really feel like this episode is kind of a permission slip to follow your intuition and to honor your evolving needs and really kind of just explore what's possible when you give yourself the space to grow.This episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. We are doing something new coming up in LABS in July, it’s called CEO Week. We're going to help you lock in your focus for Q3 and give you the steps you need to take immediate action on things that really have been requiring your attention for a while. We're going to push your business to the next level and we’d love to have you join us. We start in mid-July!REQUEST YOUR INVITATIONYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/447 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp

One pattern I've noticed time and time again after working with thousands of product brands across lots of different categories, is that while our products might be different or our tools and platforms might change, all of our core business foundations and fundamentals are not changing. And that's exactly why I wanted to share this short clip from the archive, something that I think is worth revisiting because the takeaways still hold true today. Maybe listening will spark an idea or help you take action on a decision that you've been sitting on. Really, the goal here is to help you take your next intentional step in business. That's what I want for you.Enjoy this clip!You can listen to the full episode with Skye Waterson of Unconventional Organisation here: http://prooftoproduct.com/396 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper Camp