Quick Hit: Do You Really Need to Know Everything Before You Start?

Today's episode is a short excerpt from a conversation with one of our incredible Proof to Product community members. I love sharing these conversations because building a product brand doesn't follow a single pathway. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy that works for everyone because no two businesses are the same. We learn so much by hearing how other people are making decisions, the ideas that they're testing out, and also how they're navigating both the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship and building a business. Here at Proof to Product, our goal is to help you build a sustainable business, one that supports you long term. Hearing these real stories from other founders helps to reinforce that that is truly possible, because friends, it is.You can listen to the full episode with Megan Fowler of Brown Parcel Press here: http://prooftoproduct.com/218 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

When you're deciding which products to add to your line, you probably think about sales data first. But that's only part of the story.Amita Nair has built Amicreative into a cohesive, intentional brand by making product decisions from four angles: financial performance, design aesthetic, what customers actually want, and whether the product fits her brand voice.In this episode, she walks through how she's learned to say no to products that make business sense but don't fit her story—and why that clarity matters.In this episode, you'll learn:The four lenses for evaluating new products: data, design, customer voice, and brand alignmentWhy Amita chose to add aprons instead of expanding into oven mitts (and what that decision reveals about brand strategy)How licensing and product can coexist—and which one might take priority at different stagesThe role of peer community in making better business decisions and avoiding costly mistakesWhy "I can add this" is different from "I should add this"How starting with a small, cohesive product line scales better than chasing every opportunityReady to build a product line that's both profitable and true to your brand? If you're in the early stages of deciding which products to develop, or if you're mid-line and wondering whether that new category makes sense, LABS gives you access to the peer community and resources you need to make those decisions with confidence. REQUEST YOUR INVITATIONYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/460 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

Over the years, we've had hundreds of conversations on this podcast about what it means to build a sustainable, profitable product brand. And some of those conversations are just too juicy. They're too good to live in the archives. Today, I'm bringing one back. What you're about to hear is a short clip from a past episode. It's a topic that has stuck with me and still feels very relevant today.These throwback episodes are intentionally short and to the point because sometimes you don't need a full deep dive.All right, let's dive in.You can listen to the full episode here: http://prooftoproduct.com/369 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

Today I'm talking with someone I've admired for a long time— artist, author, illustrator, and creative entrepreneur Lisa Congdon.Lisa has been building businesses around her art for nearly 20 years, and in this conversation we talk about something that I think a lot of established brand owners will relate to, and that's what happens when you've built a successful business but you realize it's no longer the business you want to run.Lisa recently made the decision to close her retail business after 20 years, not because it was failing, but because she wanted more time and space to make art and pursue the work that really energizes her.I appreciate how intentional she was about that decision.She didn't just burn everything down and hope for the best, like some of us feel like doing every day, but she looked at her finances and considered other revenue streams.She created a plan and gave herself and her team a runway.We also get into how Lisa developed a recognizable artistic point of view, why making work that actually means something to you can create a stronger connection with your customers, and the difference between trend-driven, trend-agnostic, and trend-informed.There are so many good nuggets in this conversation about building a product brand that works commercially while still staying true to your creative voice and knowing when it's time to make a change.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 usWe need to have clear pricing and terms & conditionsWe need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpointWe 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 SeriesYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/459Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

Over the years, we've had hundreds of conversations on this podcast about what it means to build a sustainable, profitable product brand. And some of those conversations are just too juicy. They're too good to live in the archives. Today, I'm bringing one back. What you're about to hear is a short clip from a past episode. It's a topic that has stuck with me and still feels very relevant today.These throwback episodes are intentionally short and to the point because sometimes you don't need a full deep dive.All right, let's dive in.You can listen to the full episode with Danielle Coke of Oh Happy Dani here: http://prooftoproduct.com/189 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

What happens when one client makes up 85% of your income, and then that client cancels the contract? For Melissa Hyatt, that moment became the reason she built a business with several ways to earn. Melissa shares her path from design director at Waverly Fabrics to running her own stationery and watercolor brand, and how a sketch on a piece of copy paper turned into a line of watercolor kits that has sold more than 1,000 units.In this episode, you'll learn:Why Melissa decided never to rely on one client again, and the five revenue streams she built instead: wholesale, teaching, licensing, art commissions, and direct-to-consumerHow her first wholesale account came from a former Waverly colleague's referral, and why the network you already have mattersWhy she limits commissions and in-person classes to avoid burnout, and how that burnout led her to turn her teaching into a productHow adding a higher-priced product raised her average order value, brought in new types of stores, and led to in-store teaching opportunitiesThe inventory lesson from her first big trade show orders: she under-ordered brushes, shipped a few weeks late, and not one retailer canceledToday's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You workshop. Wholesale is not the only way to make money selling your products. Selling in bulk to retail stores that order multiple times a year instead of relying on one-off direct-to-consumer sales— yes please!Whether you are brand new to wholesale or you've hit a sales plateau, this free 25-minute on-demand workshop will give you actionable steps that you can take to strengthen your wholesale sales and marketing right away.SIGN UPYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/458Quick Links:Free Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

Over the years, we've had hundreds of conversations on this podcast about what it means to build a sustainable, profitable product brand. And some of those conversations are just too juicy. They're too good to live in the archives. Today, I'm bringing one back. What you're about to hear is a short clip from a past episode. It's a topic that has stuck with me and still feels very relevant today.These throwback episodes are intentionally short and to the point because sometimes you don't need a full deep dive.All right, let's dive in.You can listen to the full episode with Morgan Harper Nichols here: http://prooftoproduct.com/206 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

What did it cost you to not do Paper Camp last round?Not what it costs to join the program — we'll get to that. I'm talking about the other number. The invisible one.The wholesale orders you didn't land because your pricing wasn't dialed in. The reorders that never came through because you weren't sure how to follow up and you didn't know what to say, or when to send it. The stores that passed on your line because your minimums didn't align with industry standards.The nights you spent Googling "how much should I charge for ___" instead of just knowing the answer off the top of your head or having a place to go and ask.Those missed opportunities cost you real money. But they don’t show up on your profit and loss statement. No one sends you an invoice for the money you left on the table.In this podcast episode, we're putting a number on it.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.ENROLL NOWYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/457 Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

Thirteen years in business. Nearly 700 wholesale accounts. And the biggest shift Rachel O'Neill of Loftipop made this year was admitting her wholesale business was being run like a D2C channel.If you started in direct-to-consumer and layered wholesale on top, this episode will feel familiar. Rachel came into Paper Camp with a thriving business at Loftipop and left with major enhancements: separate pricing logic, a leaner product line, and a strategy built around the retailers she already has.In this episode, you'll learn:Why wholesale is not an extension of your D2C business — it's a separate model with its own pricing, margins, and rulesHow Loftipop added 60 accounts in the 6 months after Paper Camp, growing from 690 to about 750Why Rachel discontinued SKUs that were still selling — and why she felt "so much lighter" afterwardHow to run channel-by-channel margin math before keeping a product in your wholesale catalogWhat it looks like to nurture current retailers — email outreach, direct mail, and consistent touchpoints — instead of only chasing new accountsHow staying open to change, 13 years in, became the shift that moved her whole business forwardFrom the episode:"The biggest takeaway is that your wholesale business is not D2C. We came into wholesale thinking it was just an extension of our D2C... it's actually a whole separate business model and strategy." — Rachel O'Neill"If you're serious about wholesale, it's 100% worth the investment. In terms of numbers, we've already made our money back and more." — Rachel O'NeillPaper Camp is currently open for enrollment, which only happens twice a year!SIGN UP FOR PAPER CAMP NOWYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/456Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

"My business is too young for this." If you've ever said that about wholesale, this episode is for you. Sherry Lam joined Paper Camp with fewer than 20 SKUs, a handful of inconsistent accounts, a full-time day job, and a brand-new baby — and decided that was exactly the right moment to build her wholesale foundation. She went from 3 shaky accounts to more than 50. This is her story, in her own words.In this episode, you'll learn:Why Sherry started wholesale with fewer than 20 SKUs — and how starting early with the right foundation paid offHow she grew from 3 inconsistent accounts to more than 50 while working a day job and raising a babyHow doing wholesale correctly early on turned a "maybe this is a hobby" question into a real revenue streamHow to vet whether Paper Camp is right for you: free resources, the podcast archive, and talking to alumni before you investWhy she came back and took Paper Camp a second time — and what had changed, from Faire's growing role to new outreach normsWhat the alumni community looks like after the course ends, especially for solo foundersAbout Sherry:Sherry Lam is the founder of Sherry's Palette, where she designs greeting cards, enamel pins, art prints, and more. She built her wholesale business from 3 accounts to over 50 while working a full-time day job — and she's offered to be a resource for anyone on the fence about Paper Camp.Paper Camp is currently open for enrollment, which only happens twice a year!SIGN UP FOR PAPER CAMP NOWYou can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/455Quick Links:Free Wholesale Audio SeriesFree Resources LibraryFree Email Marketing for Product MakersPTP LABSPaper CampMentioned in this episode:Take the free quiz!Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz