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
May 4, 2021 • 46min
203 | How to Negotiate Licensing Contracts with Stacie Bloomfield, Gingiber
Hey friends! Considering additional revenue streams for your business? Ever thought about licensing? It’s true that most of the seasoned product based businesses have multiple arms of their business: they might sell wholesale, retail, license art, have a brick & mortar shop or offer drop shipping….. there are a lot of ways to build a profitable, sustainable business. That’s why I brought on Stacie Bloomfield. Stace has an abundance of experience in licensing and has been creating artwork for brands and products since 2009. Her brand, Gingiber, has products sold in more than 800 stores. In 2020, Stacy began educating the creative community about licensing through her course Leverage Your Art AND she published her first book! ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How she didn’t always envision the business she runs today Her path of starting her business How she stumbled across her first licensing deal Why you have to think of pitching as a numbers game What artists need to prepare prior to pitching licensing deals How Stacie approaches her art licensing The pros and cons of licensing your art Best strategies for getting in front of licensing partners How to put your best foot forward when negotiating licensing deals Ranges you can expect for rates for one off designs How she had to adjust her business model in 2020 What she wishes she knew before licensing her artwork Tools and systems she uses in her business FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP203 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Apr 29, 2021 • 12min
202 | Community & Coaching in LABS with Janine Kwoh, Kwohtations & Christy Asper, Paper Baristas
Hey friends! The doors to Proof to Product LABS are wide open. We are welcoming a new class to our community so on the podcast this week we wanted to highlight the growth of our community and how we’ve enhanced the program throughout its first year. In this episode, I am joined by two people you might recognize if you’re a longtime listener of the show, Janine Kwoh of Kwohtations and Christy Asper of Paper Baristas. Both of these ladies are founding members of our LABS program and have been active participants in our monthly masterclasses, group coaching calls and our peer masterminds and coffee chats. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Janine loves most about LABS Her favorite and most impactful masterclass An aha moment Janine has had since joining LABS The benefits of LABs she’s enjoyed most Why she enjoys the community aspect of being in the program Christy’s favorite class in LABS Her aha moment that she had from LABS The benefits that Christy’s noticed from the community and coaching FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP202 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Apr 27, 2021 • 8min
201 | LABS Celebrates One Year with Madeline Hunt
Hey friends! This episode is a little different today. The roles were reversed and I was in the passenger seat as I was joined by my daughter, Madeline for an interview. Madeline asks me some of the most commonly asked questions I get about the Proof to Product LABS as we head toward the one year anniversary of the program. Take a listen to get a peek inside of what we do inside of LABS. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Why Katie started Proof to Product LABS When she started thinking about creating LABS Her favorite part about LABS What 3 things she’s added to the program since it started How LABS is different from Paper Camp FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP201 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Apr 20, 2021 • 13min
200 | The Most Common Thread Among Entrepreneurs (You Might Be Surprised!) with Katie Hunt
Hey friends! Can you believe that it’s the 200th episode of the Proof to Product podcast? Quick confession: I’ve been stewing over this episode and what I’d cover for weeks to celebrate this landmark 200th episode. After grappling with this thought for a while, something happened at home that really put it all into perspective and brought me a lightbulb moment. In this episode, I share that story with you and reveal the one common thread that ties all entrepreneurs together (and it might even surprise you!). ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The common thread that ties all entrepreneurs together A personal story that demonstrates this skill Some of the stories we’ve shared over 200 episodes FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP200 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT If you want support from our community, coaching with me and resources to help you continue thriving as you grow your business, be sure to check out my Proof to Product LABS program. It’s my 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Apr 13, 2021 • 34min
199 | How to make your website diverse, inclusive & accessible with Myrna Daramy
Hey friends! In 2020, conversations around diversity, inclusion and equity rose to the forefront of conversations around how we’re conducting business. Many entrepreneurs in the online space took time to reassess their company values to include more diverse images and copy while weaving more inclusivity into their brand, marketing and customer experience. In this episode, I had on Myrna Daramy. Myrna is a friend of mine and a tech-savvy Digital Media Optimization Specialist who came on to talk about what has been missing from this conversation: technology. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Misconceptions about accessible and inclusive websites What an inclusive website looks like The risks of not having a diverse, inclusive and accessible website How your customer experience can improve by having a more diverse, inclusive and accessible website How she helps online business owners Downsides to overlay technologies How sites like Shopify are affected by accessibility overlay FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP198 Essential Web Accessibility Checklist: https://www.myrnadaramy.com/post-speaking-digital-inclusivity SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Apr 6, 2021 • 36min
198 | Pinterest trends & best practices with Kate Ahl, Simple Pin Media
Hey friends! Are you ready to start getting more results from your Pinterest strategy? Then you’ll love this conversation with guest, Kate Ahl. Kate is the owner and CEO of Simple Pin Media, a Pinterest management and marketing agency. Kate and her team have worked with over 600 Pinterest accounts and consulted with thousands of people about how to best use Pinterest for their business or brand. In this episode, she talks about some of the upcoming trends she’s seeing for Pinterest and how to rethink your Pinterest strategy to inspire and inform pinners. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Mistakes ecommerce businesses make on Pinterest How to start building traction on Pinterest when starting out How Pinterest has changed their ecosystem Why you want pins to be evergreen How much time you need to invest to get results from Pinterest Why people have hang ups with Pinterest Which analytics you need to pay attention to How you can use UTM codes to track pins that lead to sales When you should consider outsourcing Pinterest management The advantages of using Pinterest over other platforms Trends on Pinterest in 2020 and 2021 What you should know about repurposing Reels and TikToks on Pinterest FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP198 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Mar 30, 2021 • 13min
197 | 4 Virtual Roles to Hire in your E-Commerce Business with Katie Hunt
Hey friends! I recently sat down and had a conversation with Micala Quinn on her show, the Live Free Podcast to have a conversation about how virtual support professionals could support e-commerce and product based businesses. I wanted to bring a piece of that conversion to my podcast. In this episode, I am exploring the 4 areas of your business where virtual, freelance support could make a positive impact for you. If you’ve been wondering how you can get some remote, flexible, rockstar team members to support you while you grow your business then tune in! ON TODAY’S EPISODE: 4 areas in your business that would benefit from help Hiring help dependent on your business model and needs A mistake I’ve seen from business owners when hiring for a virtual role FOR FULL SHOW NOTES AND RESOURCES, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP197 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT If you want support from our community, coaching with me and resources to help you continue thriving as you grow your business, be sure to check out my Proof to Product LABS program. It’s my 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Mar 23, 2021 • 40min
196 | When should you outsource social media with Andréa Jones, OnlineDrea
Hey friends! How are you feeling about social media these days? Is it lighting you up? Does it leave you feeling heavy? I personally have been on both sides of the pendulum and thought my guest in this episode would be perfect to help you determine if it’s time to outsource social. I had on Andréa Jone of OnlineDrea to walk us through everything we need to know. She explains the pros and cons of hiring a social media agency versus hiring a VA or freelance social strategist. We chat about what you need to know before you hire and how she tests potential hires with paid projects! ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The biggest mistakes ecommerce brands make on social media Signs it might be time to outsource your social media The pros and cons of hiring an agency vs. a freelancer How her agency helps clients formulate KPIs How to make your hiring knowledgeable people What a test project looks like when hiring someone for a role Her onboarding process and how she gets to know clients and their brands FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP196 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Mar 16, 2021 • 39min
195 | Using Email Marketing to enhance your customer journey with Jessica Totillo Coster, Ecommerce Badassery
Hey friends! By now, you probably know that email marketing is very near and dear to my heart. It’s a stronger marketing tool than any social media platform, it’s less risky than paid advertising and it gives you a chance to speak human to human to your customers. In this episode, I was joined by Jessica Totillo Coster of eCommerce Badassery. Jessica is an ecommerce and email marketing strategist that works with boutique owners and product based entrepreneurs. She helps scrappy female entrepreneurs take actionable steps and strategies to scale their business. You’re going to want a notebook handy as you listen today because Jessica shares some great tips and insightful examples that you can leverage as a part of your strategy. We covered a lot: everything from how email marketing fits into your customer journey to attracting the right people, nurturing those customers and engaging current customers so they continue to purchase from you. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Boundaries they’ve had to learn from using ClubhouseStrategies ecommerce brands an use to entice people to sign up for their email listThe best practices for welcome sequencesTips for communicating with your email list consistently for an eventual purchaseStrategies to keep customers coming back for moreMistakes product based businesses make when it comes to their customer journey and email process FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP195 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion. Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals. Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
Mar 9, 2021 • 14min
194 | Hiring Soon? Do this first with Katie Hunt
I see how hard you have been working, but are not alone! Today’s episode is all about how to prepare for hiring help for your business. In this episode, I talk about some of the strategies that I use in my own business before bringing on new team members. As you explore the idea of bringing on help later this year, this quarter or even this month you’ll want to make sure you are hiring right. Whether you are hiring your first team member or your tenth, whether you’re planning to hire employees or contractors — today’s episode includes pre-work — so things you’re going to do before you even advertise the job you’re hiring for. Flag it, come back to it, take notes and be sure to use the four T’s framework to guide you along the way. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Different forms that help comes in Pre-work you need to be doing before hiring The four T’s framework from Adrienne Dorison & Mike Michalowicz Next steps after using the four T’s framework FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, RESOURCES AND A TRANSCRIPT, HEAD TO BIT.LY/PTPEP194 SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT If you want support from our community, coaching with me and resources to help you continue thriving as you grow your business, be sure to check out my Proof to Product LABS program. It’s my 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners: https://www.prooftoproduct.com/labs FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/prooftoproduct/ JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list. Be sure SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!
