Proof to Product
Katie Hunt
Ranked in the top 1% of ALL podcasts, the Proof to Product podcast is your trusted resource for sustainable business growth - especially if you make and sell physical products!
Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you’re building a business that supports your best life.
If you’ve ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you’re a just starting out on your business journey or you’ve been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you.
Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you’re in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you’ll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity.
Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can’t rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals.
Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she’s here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way.
Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources
Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you’re building a business that supports your best life.
If you’ve ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you’re a just starting out on your business journey or you’ve been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you.
Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you’re in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you’ll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity.
Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can’t rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals.
Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she’s here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way.
Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources
Episodes
Mentioned books
12 snips
Jul 25, 2023 • 35min
303 | What Retail Shops Look for When Buying Wholesale with Ginger Diaz, Feliz Modern & Rancho Diaz
Ginger Diaz, the owner of Feliz Modern and Rancho Diaz in San Antonio, brings a vibrant approach to retail by showcasing art from local and global makers. She shares her journey of overcoming challenges during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of relationships in retail. Ginger discusses her buying preferences, highlighting red flags in manufacturer pitches and what draws her to independent brands. She also reveals how teamwork and tools like Trello and Slack have streamlined operations, enabling her to create joyful shopping experiences.
Jul 18, 2023 • 32min
From the Archives | Scaling to 500 Wholesale Accounts with Brittany O'Brien, Brittany Paige
While we're on a short break for the summer, we're re-airing some of your favorite Proof to Product episodes, including this one with Brittany O'Brien! Deciding to sell wholesale is the first step to scaling your business, but what are the next steps to being successful in it? Brittany O’Brien of Brittany Paige joins us to share the top three contributors to her wholesale success, how she overcame her fear of rejection, and a few tips she has for brands just getting started in wholesale. Plus, she’s sharing a little insight on her experience in growing the retail side of her business while having fun with TikTok! You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/258 Today’s episode is brought to you by Paper Camp, our 4-week program that takes the guess-work out of selling wholesale. When you follow the strategies and methods in Paper Camp, you’ll not only feel more confident but you’ll reach your wholesale goals faster. Come join the waitlist to be the first to know when we open the doors for the next round of Paper Camp! {JOIN THE WAITLIST}
Jul 11, 2023 • 31min
From the Archives | Scaling Wholesale with Beth Roszkowski & Tiffany Grimes
While we're on a short break for the summer, we're re-airing some of your favorite Proof to Product episodes, including this one with Beth Roszkowski and Tiffany Grimes! As a product creator, it’s common to feel that success means building your own storefront and selling retail to earn the most profit for your business. While that’s a great goal to strive for it doesn’t mean you should let other selling options, like wholesale, fall off your radar. In today’s episode, Beth Roszkowski and Tiffany Grimes join us to share how wholesale has allowed them to scale their businesses. I’m excited to highlight the conversations to show how two different brands with different stories still find value, profit, and expansion in their businesses through wholesale. For full show notes, head to prooftoproduct.com/234 Ready to prepare for your own booth at trade shows? Come join us at Paper Camp where we share everything you need to know about selling wholesale and exhibiting at trade shows. prooftoproduct.com/papercamp
Jun 27, 2023 • 1min
We're on Summer Break!
The Proof to Product podcast team and I are practicing what we preach and the podcast is taking a summer break! We will be back with a new podcast episode on Tuesday, July 25th, and we have some incredible things lined up for you! While we're on hiatus, be sure you dip back into the archives of over 300 incredible episodes to help you streamline and scale your business. Plus, we'll even be sharing a few reruns of our favorite episodes as well! If you've been thinking about joining us for Paper Camp to ramp up the wholesale portion of your business, get yourself on the waitlist at prooftoproduct.com/papercamp. Enrollment opens later this summer! JOIN THE WAITLIST Have a great few weeks and I will see you on July 25th! Work with Katie: LABS: community & coaching for product-based businesses Paper Camp: get your products on the shelves of stores big & small Free Resource Library: classes, resources & tools to help you grow your product business
Jun 20, 2023 • 37min
302 | Paid Advertising for E-Commerce Brands with Taylor Frame, Focus Funnels
Today we're gonna talk about paid advertising. I have spent years searching for someone that has extensive experience in the e-commerce space, and who understands the unique challenges and needs of micro-businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and small businesses, particularly with paid advertising. What I found in my search was that there were a lot of people who were focused on paid ads, but for service businesses or for larger brands with huge budgets. There were people that only focused on ads, but did not look at the holistic marketing strategy that the ads were pushing to. I also encountered a lot of people who just didn't understand the nuances of e-commerce sales. So this is a topic that our community has asked for over and over again, but I never felt like I could find the right expert to put in front of you. Until today—my guest today is Taylor Frame from Focus Funnels. Taylor is the co-founder of Focus Funnels, which is an e-commerce growth shop. He has consulted and worked with over 400 e-commerce companies including several from our Proof to Product community. Focused Funnels has launched and scaled over 100 brands to consistent six-figure months, finding creative solutions for bootstrap founders. In addition to the overall success, Taylor's team has managed over $45 million in performance ad spend across a variety of niches. Taylor and his team specialize in working with women-owned e-commerce brands on holistic marketing that ties together both organic and paid advertising efforts. This is key—this is critical to success. As you will soon hear he breaks down complex ideas and strategies into easy-to-understand solutions, which I love. On today's episode, we're talking about trends in the marketing space, how much money you'll need to spend to get started in paid ads, and how to leverage different ad platforms for different outcomes. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. Taylor Frame will join us live in July to teach a training on quick win ad strategies that you can implement right away. He'll be back in August to offer ad audits to our members, so we can measure and track and see what's working and make shifts as we need to. These are member only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below! REQUEST YOUR INVITATION You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/302 Connect with Taylor focusfunnels.com linkedin.com/in/taylor-frame instagram.com/focusfunnels Mentioned in this episode: Proof to Product LABS
Jun 13, 2023 • 35min
301 | You Are Your Number One Resource with Michelle Angenent, 417 Press
"You are your number one resource." This is a direct quote from today's guest, Michelle Angenent. Michelle is a Paper Camp alum, LABS member, and the fierce founder behind 417 Press, an award-winning letterpress greeting card company and paper goods brand based in Montreal, Canada. Always observing life with a dash of humor. Michelle's product line is a direct reflection of the personal challenges she has faced from infertility to ADHD, midlife, divorce, and now midlife dating. Now in her fifties and a happily single mom to teen twins, Michelle is proof that everything is divinely timed for a reason and that it is never too late to pursue your passion. Today Michelle and I are talking about navigating divorce as a business owner, overcoming and continually working on our mindset, and what to say when someone asks you proprietary questions about your business. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product resource library. It’s where you can get your hands on our free resources to help you start, streamline and scale your business in your own way and at your own pace. GET FREE ACCESS You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/301 If you are ready to learn more about wholesale, I encourage you to download my free audio series, Is Wholesale Right for You? This free 12 part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening to this audio series (in less than an hour), 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 private podcast today! SIGN UP Connect with Michelle WEBSITE: 417press.com INSTAGRAM: @417press FACEBOOK: @417press PINTEREST: @417press Mentioned in this episode: Proof to Product resource library Is Wholesale Right for You New York Now
Jun 6, 2023 • 11min
300 | Lessons Learned from Successful Entrepreneurs
In a milestone celebration, entrepreneurs share powerful lessons learned on their journeys. They emphasize the importance of adaptability, self-care, and the value of community support. Insights highlight the significance of perseverance, follow-up, and recognizing the various seasons of business. Listeners gain wisdom from real experiences, including early misconceptions and the need for continuous education. These reflections offer an inspiring roadmap for anyone looking to navigate the challenges of starting and scaling a product-based business.
May 30, 2023 • 32min
299 | Supply Chain Issues, Paper Shortages & What to Expect Going Forward with Ronnie Williams, DeFrance Printing
Supply chain issues, paper shortages, production problems, shipping delays, and increased labor costs; these are just some of the issues that our community of product-based business owners have faced over the last few years. The problems extend well beyond our community of makers in that they also affect our manufacturing partners, suppliers, and vendors that we work with. Today, Ronnie Williams from DeFrance Printing is back on the podcast to share his insights. He and I chatted back in 2018 on episode 60 of Proof to Product about how to save money on printing costs and today he's back to give us an update on paper shortages, shifts in the printing industry, and what we can expect going forward. Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You audio series! This free 12 part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening to this audio series, 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 private podcast today! SIGN UP You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/299 Connect with Ronnie Defranceprinting.com Instagram: @defranceprint Facebook: @DeFrancePrint Mentioned in this episode: Indigo Xante Kluge French Paper Neenah Paper Keaykolour Mohawk Paper
May 23, 2023 • 16min
298 | Why You Should Never Accept a $25 Wholesale Order with Katie Hunt
I completely remember what it was like in the early days of selling wholesale. I felt like I was winging every single decision. I questioned everything I was reading on the internet. And, I was craving a community of other product makers that I could tap into for answers and to share resources. Way back in 2008, that community didn’t exist so I eventually created it. Since 2011, we have helped thousands of brands across industries and across the globe, get their products on the shelves of stores big & small. Our Paper Camp alumni sell to big box stores like Anthropologie, Target, Macys and Barnes & Noble. But, our best customers are the independent brick & mortar retail shops located around the world. Small businesses, just like all the manufacturers that we support in our Paper Camp and LABS programs. I very intentionally point this out, because I’m going to be answering some questions I received in an email about the importance of following industry standards, having strong wholesale terms & conditions, and why I never ever want you fulfilling a $25 wholesale order. I feel it is important for you to understand that our community focuses our energy and efforts on the indie shops, so my feedback is coming from that perspective! Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You audio series! This free 12 part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening to this audio series, 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 private podcast today! You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/298
May 16, 2023 • 36min
297 | Building a Handmade Food & Beverage Brand with Ashleigh Evans, InBooze
Just follow your instincts that seems to be the thread throughout today's podcast episode. Paper Camp alum, Ashleigh Evans of InBooze, joins me to talk about how she started a handmade, locally sourced food and beverage brand from her home in 2018. Her company has since expanded into a team working out of a commercial kitchen, warehouse, and a retail space, and they ship products to stores nationwide. On today's episode, we talk about regulatory requirements for the food and beverage industry, why you need trusted mentors surrounding you as you're building a business, and she shares a fun story about how being included in Oprah's stocking stuffer guide crashed her website. This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers. If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year. DOWNLOAD NOW You can view full show notes and more at www.prooftoproduct.com/297
