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
Dec 13, 2022 • 30min
277 | Maximizing online sales on Amazon and Shopify with Grace Hayden | Shopify Simplified
For those just starting out on their commerce journey, selecting a sales platform can sometimes be intimidating. Do they go with something like Amazon or Etsy where there is a built in audience, or should they build on Shopify where they then have to drive traffic to their site? Today’s guest is Grace Hayden, an e-commerce CEO and expert who has built and sold multiple products on platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon. She has over 20 years of retail experience including a degree in retail business. She now helps others build successful e-commerce businesses by focusing on the fundamentals and foundations of retail. On today’s episode Grace runs us through the 5 P’s of e-commerce explaining how they work together to create a strong foundation for your e-commerce business. She shares the pros & cons of selling on a platform like Amazon and she shares two of her favorite Shopify apps that she can’t live without! Today’s episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send or how to plan out your email marketing strategies for wholesale or direct to consumer audiences we’ve got just the tool for you. Grab our free guide that has helped hundreds of product makers plan out a year’s worth of marketing emails in under an hour. We’ll tell you what to say, when to send and help you create an email strategy that works for your specific business. DOWNLOAD NOW You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/277 In today’s episode, we mentioned a Customer Retention training inside of Proof to Product LABS, our 12-month group coaching program that was built for product based business owners who want to streamline their systems and revenue. The doors to LAB will be opening again at the end of December and everyone on our waitlist will get early access to secure your seat. JOIN THE WAITLIST 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
Dec 6, 2022 • 34min
276 | Attracting customers, collaborations & partnerships with Kathy Cano-Murillo, Crafty Chica
Are you casting a big enough vision for your brand and are you considering all of the different ways to attract new customers and diversify your revenue streams as an artist? Today's guest dreamed big from the start—she modeled her business off of creative women such as JLo and Oprah, and she wants us to consider doing the same. On today's episode, Kathy Cano-Murillo of the Crafty Chica and I are talking about how consistently showing up authentically, sharing her ups and downs, and having an abundant mindset have led to the successful career that she has today. We talked about how she has diversified revenue streams and how she attracts customers, collaborations and partnerships. We also discuss Kathy's success with elevating awareness of Latino culture, heritage and her success and expanding access to these products available year round, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month. Kathy is a firecracker and a great example of a seasoned business owner who shows up diligently and consistently does the work and is now reaping the rewards. Today’s episode is brought to you by LABS, our 12-month group coaching program that was built for product based business owners who want to streamline their systems and revenue. We'll be opening up the doors again at the end of the year and everyone on our waitlist will get early access to secure your seat. JOIN THE WAITLIST You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/276
Nov 29, 2022 • 31min
275 | How to Improve Your Customer Journey with Jordan Kentris, A Good Day
Are your marketing & sales efforts focused on customer acquisition or customer retention? This quarter inside of Proof to Product LABS, we’ve been focused on sales strategies with an eye towards customer retention. Meaning, how do we get our existing customers to buy more frequently and in higher volume; and how do we get them to refer their friends? In October, I led a training on customer retention that included some eye opening statistics about why it is so incredibly important to focus on keeping our existing customers happy and I shared specific strategies for how to nurture those relationships. Today’s podcast episode folds nicely into this discussion topic—we pulled an excerpt from a past coffee chat inside of LABS with Jordan Kentris of A Good Day where we talked about enhancing our online customer experience and the steps a customer takes as they interact with us online. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS program. We hope you enjoyed this peek into one of our most popular Coffee Chats inside of Proof to Product LABS. Coffee chats in general are some of our best attended events because members get to share their knowledge, experiences and expertise with each other. Plus, we leave time for live Q&A, connection and collaboration. At Proof to Product, we truly believe that the more we share with one another the faster our individual businesses will grow—and these events are a piece of that. If you want to learn more about Proof to Product LABS, check out the full coffee chat with Jordan, or watch the trainings we mentioned by Myrna and Jessica head to prooftoproduct.com/labs. JOIN THE WAITLIST You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/275
Nov 22, 2022 • 24min
274 | Focusing on SEO led to over 600% growth in website visitors with Ashley Jankowski | The Typeset Co
Ashley Jankowski, the Founder of The Typeset Co., shares her expertise in marketing strategies with a focus on SEO. She reveals how prioritizing SEO led to a remarkable 600% increase in website traffic, climbing from 1,100 to 11,000 visitors in just a month. The conversation dives into the impact of video content, including stop-motion, on audience engagement. Ashley also discusses the delicate balance of content creation and outsourcing, along with the challenges of converting traffic into sales and maintaining a low-stress work environment.
Nov 15, 2022 • 26min
273 | How she found her overseas manufacturing partners with Ashley Jankowski, The Typeset Co
Ashley Jankowski shares her journey from branding agency to product business, discussing challenges of finding overseas manufacturing partners, shifting to new product categories, and expanding with themed sticker displays to meet customer demands.
Nov 8, 2022 • 38min
272 | Creating an entirely new product category with Kristina Schlegel, Make Bake
Do you have a product idea that has never existed before? If so, you may be wondering what it takes to bring an entirely new product to market or how to find suppliers and manufacturers. How do you market and sell something that no one has ever heard about? Kristina Schlegel of Make Bake faced these questions and concerns when she created edible stickers. In today’s episode, she’s taking us behind the scenes of how she broke into a new category, challenges she faced with packaging, and how she sourced her manufacturing! Today’s episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide which will help you map out a year’s worth of marketing emails in under an hour. If you’ve ever struggled with what to say or how many emails to send to either your wholesale or Direct to Consumer customers, then this tool is for you. GRAB THE GUIDE You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/272 If you're currently feeling stretched thin, needing to refocus within your business, or you just want to connect with other product makers who are starting and scaling their sales and marketing, come join us in Proof to Product LABS. We'll be opening up the doors again at the end of the year and everyone on our waitlist will get early access to secure your seat. JOIN THE WAITLIST
Nov 1, 2022 • 13min
271 | Reducing Overwhelm with Hiring & Delegating with Katie Hunt
Feeling overwhelmed in your business? Unearth strategies to reclaim your focus by learning how to delegate effectively. The conversation dives into the benefits of hiring and sharing responsibilities to lighten your workload. You’ll discover practical insights that help you pinpoint what tasks can be passed on to others, making your entrepreneurial journey less stressful. Plus, gain access to a helpful masterclass that further refines your delegation skills!
Oct 25, 2022 • 40min
270 | Opening a Retail Store Front with Lisa DiVito, Tiramisu Paperie
Is a retail store an avenue you’ve been wanting to explore in your product-based business? Lisa DiVito of Tiramisu Paperie joins us today to share her own experience in opening a retail store as an additional revenue stream to her already successful wholesale business. Listen in as she shares what she’s learned through the process and shares advice for anyone looking to open a brick-and-mortar store. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide which will help you map out a year’s worth of marketing emails in under an hour. If you’ve ever struggled with what to say or how many emails to send to either your wholesale or Direct to Consumer customers, then this tool is for you. GRAB THE GUIDE You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/270 If you're currently feeling stretched thin, needing to refocus within your business, or you just want to connect with other product makers who are starting and scaling their sales and marketing, come join us in Proof to Product LABS. We'll be opening up the doors again at the end of the year and everyone on our waitlist will get early access to secure your seat. JOIN THE WAITLIST
Oct 18, 2022 • 35min
269 | Over 150 Retail Markets in 3 Years with Danella Ruth McKinnon, McKinnon Collective
Danella Ruth McKinnon, co-owner of McKinnon Collective, shares her journey in the handmade leather goods industry. Since 2019, they've successfully participated in over 150 retail markets, focusing exclusively on direct-to-consumer sales. Danella offers tips on standing out at markets and effective merchandising strategies. She discusses their decision to avoid wholesale and highlights the importance of email marketing for building customer connections. The couple’s plans for a limited-time e-commerce store in November showcase their innovative approach to holiday sales.
Oct 11, 2022 • 10min
268 | Why I'm not a fan of assorted products with Katie Hunt
If you’re looking to develop a strong product line for your business, I highly encourage you to stay away from assorted products. While some brands can make them work well, I highly despise them. In today’s episode, I’m sharing exactly why assorted products can hurt your business and why you should consider discontinuing any assorted products in your product line. You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/268 Today’s episode is brought to you by our free Is Wholesale Right for You? Masterclass! During this class, I'll walk you through 12 questions to ask yourself to determine if your products and your business are ready to sell wholesale, plus I'll provide tips so that you can move forward with confidence in your next steps. Get access to this free masterclass inside our resources library! GET FREE ACCESS NOW
