Proof to Product

I am really excited about our topic and guests for this week because two of my team members, Caroline Hull and Brittney Lynn, are joining me for two special episodes about how to pitch yourself to podcasts. Caroline and Brittney both have experience working in the podcasting world. Caroline owns her own podcast editing company, Wild Home Podcasting, and Brittney Lynn specializes in PR management. Today’s we’re covering everything what to do and what not to do, how to prepare for an interview and what you can do to spread the word once the podcast airs. For some background on the amazing ladies who help me run Proof to Product, Caroline Hull has seen all sides of podcasting. As the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast, she’s been on the receiving side of many podcast pitches. Caroline has also been featured on dozens of podcasts by other people, including Episode 45 of Proof to Product where she talked about the importance of taking a break in business.   Brittney Lynn also knows the ins and outs of podcasting. As my PR manager, Brittney sees all the incoming pitches from people who want to be on Proof to Product. She also regularly pitches media opportunities to her clients for Podcasts and traditional media. You can hear more about the type of work Brittney does on Episode 66 of Proof to Product.  We hope you enjoy Part 1 today and stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday!  ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The best and worst podcast pitches   Advice to make your pitch really stand out  Why you should always relate back to the listener How to personalize your pitch How to handle follow-ups Why you should know exactly who you’re addressing Tips for avoiding acting like a robot  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   ”You can't just go in and be like, hey, my product is awesome and like you should have me on your podcast.” - Brittney Lynn “When I can tell that they've actually listened to the podcast, that’s a really huge thing.” - Caroline Hull “Businesses are built on relationships, so take a little bit more time to customize what you're saying to people and refine the ask.” - Katie Hunt  “Include the topics of what you can talk about on that podcast and how you can bring value because that's really what's going to differentiate you from other pitches.” - Brittney Lynn “Keep it short and sweet and get to the point and go from there.”  - Brittney Lynn “Come at it with the perspective that you’re communicating with another human being. How would you want to be communicated with?” - Brittney Lynn “Just because they come on the podcast doesn't mean that everybody's going to go run and buy their product because that's not what the purpose of our podcast is.” - Caroline Hull LINKS Caroline Website: https://www.wildhomepodcasting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildhomepodcasting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhomepodcasting/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wildhomepodcasting/   Brittney Website: https://brittneyllynn.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneyllynndotcom/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brittneyllynn/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brittneyllynn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brittneyllynn   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Today we’re lucky to have Alisha Cohen on Episode 132 of Proof to Product. Alisha is the founder and creative director of LISH Creative, a content agency for vibrant lifestyle and hospitality brands. Alisha took the leap to found her company in 2016 when she realized she had to leave agency life to break out on her own. Since then, Alisha and her team have created content for some of the world's leading brands including Nickelodeon, Nestle, General Mills, Facebook, Dunkin' Donuts, Delta Airlines, and Benefits Cosmetics.    On today's episode, Alisha shares her start up story and how she grew her business through determination and grit. She tells us how she taught herself to take professional photos using just her iphone and to create engaging content for social media. Alisha and I also talk about tips for preparing for photo shoots, the importance of having a shot list and helpful photo editing apps. We dive into what’s working and not working on social media today, how Alisha has now moved from having an in person team to a virtual team and all of the challenges that go along with that.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Alisha does and what a content agency is  How she got into the field and what she did before content creation Where Alisha gets her grit and drive  How she connects with big brands and what collaboration looks like  The importance of putting out good work, consistently to build your brand Alisha’s number one tip for other creatives What’s working right now in the online space and what’s not  Advice for taking great photos without all the fancy gear  Questions to ask before scheduling a photoshoot Avoiding pitfalls  The fine line between inspiration and replication Reality vs perception of running a small business  What’s next for LISH   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “When you can bring on different team members that specialize in different areas, you are ultimately producing better work for your clients.” - Alisha Cohen   “When you do good work, it's a lot of word of mouth.” - Alisha Cohen   “Businesses are built on relationships, and the contacts you make on a project today may lead to additional work down the road.” - Katie Hunt    “We only put out the kind of work that we want to come in.”  - Alisha Cohen    “I sign contracts that say influencer agreement, so I have to take on that term as much as I don't like it. No one loves the term, but what else do you call it?” - Alisha Cohen    “Social media is evolving so quickly and there's different roles that people are playing and different ways that we can get involved.” - Katie Hunt     “You find what you like and what you don't. Management was definitely something that wasn't my cup of tea. So I kind of just hand it off, and don't really worry about the metrics too much.”  - Alisha Cohen    “It's unbelievable how much trial and error can go into one shot. So don't expect your first try to be awesome.”  - Alisha Cohen    “You want to know what you're going to be using these photos for and what the goal is, and then have a list of everything you want to capture so you don't forget anything. That was my big mistake. I kept forgetting things because I didn't have a list.”  - Katie Hunt     “If you look at our client journey that we have with each person, 80% of the work is the pre-work, is the shot lists and everything. So don't underestimate the time that needs to go into that.”  - Alisha Cohen     “It can be tough to do the virtual thing, especially when you've been in person, and the type of work you is real in-person high touch.” - Katie Hunt   “It is so important to continually post and to continually interact with your community, whether that's reactively or proactively.”  - Alisha Cohen    “One thing I face on social media quite a bit is I think people think my business is a lot larger than it is. It's myself and a handful of contractors, and I want people to realize we're a small business just like them.” - Katie Hunt   “It's a lot different than what you see on the internet, that's for sure.” - Alisha Cohen  LINKS Website: http://lishcreative.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/alishylishy Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/alishyishy   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.    Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.    Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Hey friends, it’s just you and me today on a special mini episode of Proof to Product! This week, I want to talk to you about delegating. There comes a time in most businesses where you are going to want to start hiring a team. For some of us, we hit a wall, we start to realize we're overwhelmed, and we just simply cannot do it all. If you want your business to grow, delegating is a key skill that I want you to have. So I recently did a free master class about delegating where I identified four steps to figuring out what you need to delegate. I realize not everyone is able to watch masterclasses, so I want to run through some of these strategies here. Now, the master class covers these in more depth and I'll show you examples, but for right now, let's run through these key points. Step One: Track your time.  Before you can hire someone, you need to know where you currently spend time in your business. Ideally, I'd like you to spend a week tracking everything you do, and that includes how much time you spend on social media, talking to clients, checking email, engaging with your clients or your customers. Whether you're updating your online site or packaging product, track it. You can use time trackers online, like Toggl, or use a spreadsheet to check off what you're doing throughout the day. It's really up to you how detailed you want to get. I don't want you to analyze the time yet, just track it. As you're doing this, you may see some habits that you can adjust to save you some time. For example, maybe you're spending too much time on social media. Any hands raised? Mine is.  Step Two: Get Organized So in this step, you'll want to organize your time blocks into what I'm calling buckets. Create some very high-level buckets of where you spend your time. This could be product development, marketing, accounting, administration, or even family, personal things. I usually have a bucket for that, but feel free to make these what you want and what suits your life. Add any others that work for your business, too. Use the information you collected in Step One to help you decide what buckets you need and group similar types of projects together. Within these bigger buckets, I want you to break things down into smaller tasks. In the accounting bucket, for example, you might have bookkeeping and taxes, payroll, invoicing, all of those things, right? In the marketing bucket, you'll probably have writing your product descriptions, writing your social media captions, content scheduling, research, advertising that you're doing. All of that would fall under marketing. Get all of your time tracking information organized.  Step Three: Analyze It  This is the step where we look at where you're spending your time and how these buckets fit together. Here are some questions I want you to ask.  What is taking up the most time in your business?  Which tasks do you love to do?  Which ones are your favorites?  Which tasks feel like they drain you?  Which tasks are revenue generating?  Which ones are bringing money into the business? Which tasks do you not need to do yourself? There's a lot of things that we do in our business. Most of the time, most of us are working just one person shop and we're handling all the different things, but there's a lot of things that we're doing on a day to day basis that we could be delegating to somebody else.  Keep in mind that what works for one company may not work for you. So don't jump on the bandwagon and hire somebody for let's say social media marketing just because some of your friends are. Really focus on what is going to make the biggest impact for your business. Once you've determined where you're spending your time and which tasks you want to take off your plate, it is time to think about bringing people onto your team. Step Four: Hiring  It is important to hire people who have specific expertise, especially if it's a project-based thing or they have a very specific role. For example, you would not want to hire a general virtual assistant to take care of your books for you. You would want to hire somebody that has a bookkeeping background, or is an accountant, or has done this for other small businesses. You wouldn't want to hire a social media manager as a full time employee without first trying her out as a contractor. So really focus on hiring the right people in the right roles for your business to make delegating more comfortable for you, and it will make it more successful as you bring on new teams. Delegating can feel scary. It can feel scary relinquishing control, giving other people responsibilities within your business. Start to peel back the layers small. Pick small projects to offload first. As you start to get more comfortable, you'll gain confidence, and then you'll honestly want to outsource everything, including things in your personal life. If you want to learn more, I encourage you to watch my free master class for more information on how to delegate. This is the perfect time of year to start thinking about what kind of team members you will need so that you can hit the ground running and streamline into the new year. You'll be amazed at how much more you can get done when you start delegating to others!  To learn more about delegating, check out our FREE masterclass, DECIDE WHAT TO DELEGATE IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS.   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.    Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.    Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Are you ready for round two? Because we are! This is the second of two special episodes this week, featuring Paper Camp alumni who are taking us behind the scenes of what it’s like to run a manufacturing business and brick and mortar retail shop simultaneously. Yesterday, on Episode 129 we heard from the Los-Angeles based, Katie Wilson. Now today, on Episode 130, I’m sitting down with Meg Sutton, the founder of Belle & Union, based in San Antonio Texas. Meg first shared her startup story back on Episode 7.  If you’re curious about how Meg launched Belle & Union and the motivation behind her products, definitely head back to give that episode a listen. Today we’re diving even deeper into Meg’s business journey. We’re sitting down to talk about how Meg decided to open her brick & mortar shop, how she layered that into her existing business model, and how she keeps perspective through it all.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  -       How Meg balances time between wholesale and her shop -       The importance of great employees -       What Meg does to carve out time for creativity -       Some misconceptions about stocking for retail vs wholesale -       How Belle & Union has evolved over the years -       What Meg wishes she knew before opening her shop -       Choosing your location wisely -       Advice on how to deal with the unexpected -       How diversifying revenue streams has impacted neighborhood visibility -       What’s up next for Meg and Belle & Union   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I need to be better about saying, "Okay, Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 1:00, that's my creative time. But as any creative knows, you can't really force it.” – Meg Sutton   “I'm not a great people manager. I can be a leader. But when it trickles down, like I kind of need somebody else to handle that.” – Meg Sutton   “Having a good support system truly helps, especially as you start to scale your business. You can't do it all. You shouldn't be doing it all.” – Katie Hunt   “I will be the first to admit I have not been the best about figuring out that balance with my time to the point that I know our product line has suffered because of it.” – Meg Sutton   “There are things we're not good at. There are things that drain us. There's things that just we shouldn't have our hands on, or we don't need to have our hands on.” – Katie Hunt   “No matter what your business is. Wholesale, retail, pantomiming on the sidewalk, whatever it is,  know your numbers.” - Meg Sutton   “It's totally appropriate to keep something in the retail space, even if you're not selling it in the wholesale space. I think that's another misconception.” – Katie Hunt   “As hard as this last year has been in retail, I don't regret it. I love having the store.” -  Meg Sutton   “I love the community that we've built, and I want to be able to expand on that even more.” – Meg Sutton LINKS KENDRA SCOTT HOW I BUILT THIS WEBSITE: Belle and Union Co.  FACEBOOK: @belleandunionco   INSTAGRAM: @belleandunionco   TWITTER: @belleandunionco   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

This week on Proof to Product we’re bringing you not just one, but TWO episodes with two special Paper Camp Alumni who are sharing what it’s like to run a manufacturing business and brick and mortar retail shops simultaneously. Today on Episode 129, Katie Wilson, founder of The Good Twin, and owner of two Los Angeles-based retail shops, Crush and Touch, returns to the show to share what it’s like to be a buyer, how being a retailer has changed over the years, and how she markets her own wholesale line to other buyers. You might remember Katie from Episode 6 of Proof to Product where she first shared her startup story with us. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, it’s definitely worth heading back for a listen. Katie’s had an amazing business journey, and over the years, she has been a contributor to many tradeshow recap episodes, a frequent speaker at our Paper Camp conference and an incredible mentor to many in our industry. We’re thrilled to have Katie back today to share more of her experience and we hope you take away some great nuggets of advice. Coming up tomorrow, Episode 130 with Meg Sutton of Belle & Union. ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  -       Katie’s first shop -       What inspired her to expand -       The types of products sold at Crush and Touch -       How Katie decides what to stock -       Dealing with concerns about competition -       Forging a unique experience for customer retention -       Calculating risk -       The importance of knowing what you want & need -       Making the most of handiwork & imagination -       Startup costs and maximizing labor hours vs dollars -       Planning for the best and the worst -       The do’s and don’ts of pitching and presenting to stores -       Reframing failure to make improvements    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I smash everything in, and I get it all done, and I really love it, but it's amazing how much your hours in a day can expand if you need them to.” -  Katie Wilson   “Sometimes when we want to do something, we kind of undermine ourselves in terms of how much work, how much time, how much energy this really, truly takes.” – Katie Hunt    “I actually carry nail polish, because I'm a big proponent of nail art is actual art.” – Katie Wilson   “It's a very fun little baby, but it's a totally different side of my brain that I have to access to run it.”  ¬- Katie Wilson   “I love the things that I make, but I'm really passionate about a lot of the things that my friends make, or other people that I admire make.” – Katie Wilson    “I'm okay with a healthy amount of financial risk. But in terms of the entrepreneurs that I know, I would say that I tend to go small and steady versus just jumping in with both feet.” – Katie Wilson   “My mantra is, always play the long game. You want to make sure that you know what's right for you, that you know what you need, and what your expectations are out of your businesses, and what you need to survive, and also what you need to be happy. Because those are two different things.” – Katie Wilson   “That initial push is a lot of money, and you got to stock that store, and even if you're doing bonkers business, that's a slow game to earn that money back.”  ¬- Katie Wilson    “I always plan for my absolute worst month, and I say like, "Okay, if I can run on this, then I can do anything,” – Katie Wilson.    “I'm living out here. I'm just trying to do my thing, and not to hurt your feelings, but I have days when I'm back there, I'm not wearing lipstick. Don't call me. I don't want to see you right now. I'm not public ready.” – Katie Wilson    “If you are going out and leaving samples, or if you're mailing samples to stores, only send two to three at most. Do not send your entire product line, especially if you're selling something other than paper products.” – Katie Hunt   “Following up is key. And so is taking cues.” – Katie Wilson   “Just remember that everyone's human, the buyers are human, we're human. Sometimes we need those reminders.” – Katie Wilson   “That not so good stuff is how we make improvements, and it's how we build stronger business. So they're not failures. It's just another way to expand what we're doing and do it well.”  - Katie Hunt       LINKS Website: http://thegoodtwin.co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodtwinco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodtwinco/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegoodtwinco   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

Being a product based business owner takes a lot of creativity on all fronts- in your designs, in operations, your marketing and how your reach people and tell your story. Now there are so many different platforms and technologies it can be hard to know where to start or which platform to choose. On today’s Proof to Product episode with Dani Nagel, the founder of Dazey LA, we sit down to talk about the importance of finding platforms that work best for your creativity and that start your kind of conversation.  Dani founded Dazey LA as a fashion brand focused on empowering women through conversation and community. She intentionally built a business that supports her personal values. Each design is hand drawn by Dani and then manufactured to order in Los Angeles, California.  On today's episode, Dani and I talk about how her corporate and startup experience shaped her business perspective. We discuss sustainability, community building, and how Dani built Dazey LA from the ground up. Dani talks about how transparency and showing behind the scenes processes of her marketing and product development has helped her business. And we dive into Dazey LA's ambassador program, which tools they use, how they structure it, and how it has helped them build the retail side of their business.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  The spirit and inspiration behind Dazey  LA How Dani uses her clothing designs to start a conversation Making the switch from corporate life to full-time freelance  What Danielle learned working for a start-up company How Dazey grew out of Dani’s studio apartment  Using Instagram to tell the real Dazey LA story  Coping with copy-cats and look-alikes  Dazey’s daily marketing tactics Why Danielle decided to start an ambassador program  How the ambassador program took off  The size of the Dazey  team today   Dazey’s make to order model and zero-waste goals Advice for new product designers and what’s up next for Dani & Dazey  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Every step of the way with Dazey, I've just been very intentional about aligning my messaging and my values along with my brand and my aesthetic. And somehow it worked out.” - Danielle Nagel “I really try to design things that I want to wear, and I want to promote. I just follow what feels right to me. I try to stay true to myself in everything that I do.”  - Danielle Nagel   “So through Instagram Story I just started to transparently share the highs and lows of running a business, the fun behind the scenes, and all the nitty gritty I remember wishing I could see when I was working for these corporate companies.” - Danielle Nagel   “When we're just starting out, we want to look bigger than we are because we want to be taken seriously, and we want people to purchase our products. But then it gets to a point to where maybe we want people to know we're small and nimble.”  - Katie Hunt   “At the end of the day, I feel like my art stands on its own, and my messaging and branding is really strong. I know that the sharing transparently has been what has helped my business grow.” - Danielle Nagel   “At my corporate job I was always trying to push the rules, always getting in trouble. So it's really fun having control of my own brand and be able to say, "Screw it, I'm going to share everything. I'm going to share designs before they're released. I'm going to share how I made them."  - Danielle Nagel   “When I started Proof to Product, I felt like if we all get together and share what we know all of us will thrive. All of us will grow stronger together. And now, we've got this great amazing community.” - Katie Hunt   “We use our platform as a space to create conversation, and we really want that to be a back and forth conversation. We design along with our audiences. I ask their opinions.” - Danielle Nagel   “I'm okay with sacrificing crazy profit margins to be able to have a company that aligns with my values, and create something our community really cares about, that’s a great conversation starter.” - Danielle Nagel   “I'm always chasing what's next and what's new. So whenever I get to refresh the brand it's so exciting for me.”   - Danielle Nagel LINKS Website: http://www.dazeyla.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dazeyla Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dazey_la/ https://www.refersion.com/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

If you were following our rebrand earlier this year, you probably remember that there were two technical pieces that really scared me as we were rolling out the rebrand.  The first was switching over our Instagram handles and making sure that we were keeping our larger account as our primary account for Proof to Product going forward.   You can hear how I did that here on a past podcast episode. The second thing was switching over our email accounts. And I don't know why this made me so nervous. I think it was because we were on the Google platform and we had so many files in Google Drive -- calendars, files, etc. I felt like it wasn't just switching the emails, it was also making sure all of those files migrated over to wherever we needed it to go. I basically wanted everything packaged all nicely under our new Proof to Product domain. After several months of dragging my feet, I made the switch in two phases..  I did it myself in Google Suites and it took me less than an hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how simple the process was, so I want to share the steps with you here: Adding the new domain to your existing Google Suite Account Sign into your G Suite Account Add your new domain as a secondary domain in your account.  You will need to verify that you own the domain and the steps are different depending on who you host with. Once verified, make the new domain your primary account in G Suite. Changing our Team Emails Go into the Users section of G Suite (in your admin panel) Select one user at a time.  You’ll have to manually do this for each person and repeat the process. Once in their user profile, you’ll see their name@ your old domain.  Click the drop down menu that shows your old domain and choose the new domain for the email. Click “OK” to save the new email. After you click Ok, it will ask you if you want to add an alias so that any emails that are sent to the old domain (tradeshowcamp.com in our case) will be forwarded to the new domain (prooftoproduct.com in our case).   Say Yes.   Once you make this switch any emails sent to your old domain or your new domain will still go to that individual.   Everyone will also still have access to their old emails, Google drive files, Google calendars and anything else that had access to previously within your Google Suite. Key-take aways: Leverage help.  The G Suite Customer Service was incredibly helpful and provided solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Don’t be intimidated by Tech.  Block off time to do the hard things that make you nervous.  You may be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is

A few weeks ago I posted a poll on Instagram asking how many people out there were also feeling pulled in too many directions. More than 50 responses came in, 100% agreeing they felt overwhelmed and overscheduled. It might be the time of year, it might be the season of business, but I think we can all agree we need to find a way to create some blank space on the calendar. To handle this situation,  I asked my friend Kelly Higdon of Calibrate Your Year to join me on Episode 126 of Proof to Product.  For some background, Kelly is a former psychotherapist turned business coach who helps entrepreneurs grow their business without the soul suck. She believes that a successful business is one that contributes to a happier life and when she isn't working, she's traveling with her family, dabbling in art and listening to live music. On today’s episode, Kelly and I talk about burnout. We talk about knowing you're enough within your business, and Kelly share how she manages to block off over 200 days a year for rest and family time. Yep… you read that right… 200!!!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Misconceptions people have about building downtime into their life & business The unintended side-effects that can come from hustling too hard Looking back on make it or break it moments Why it’s important to always, continuously check-in with yourself Steps you can take to safeguard your wellbeing and balance business  How to embrace minimalism Questions to ask yourself in critical moments Tips for prioritizing relationships  Why you should schedule life before business  What Kelly’s working on for 2020  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I exhibited at a trade show five days after I miscarried because I felt like I had to be there, which is so ridiculous. In hindsight, I should have taken time for myself to rest and heal and take care of my body and my family.” - Katie Hunt  “Life presents things. Your health will present things, your relationships will present things. And then you have to decide, based on your values, based on who you are, what needs to shift to sustain a good life.” - Kelly Higdon “I was teaching and speaking at conferences all over the place, running through airports with my breast pump. It was insane and I got to the end of the year and realized this is not sustainable. I can't keep doing this.” - Katie Hunt  “There are lots of different ways to serve, lots of different products to create. So it’s really about getting down to the essence of what you want to do and what you want to be known for.” - Kelly Higdon “Planning ahead, I know what days I have to fit my business into. From there I can figure out when I'm going to host events, what the launch cycle looks like for that. And it has to fit into those spaces.” - Kelly Higdon “I will tell you straight up, I'm a recovering workaholic. It is an addiction. I have to just always be aware of that.” - Kelly Higdon “Define whatever it is that you want to have a good life. And deconstruct it to find that number your family needs to live a good life.” - Katie Hunt “I'd rather have simple businesses that provide a good living than wreck myself.” - Kelly Higdon “People, when they don't address who they are as a person, they'll repeat this in all their relationships, particularly in their business.”  - Kelly Higdon LINKS Website: http://calibrateyouryear.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHigdonLMFT/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/kellyhigdoncoaching   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

As product-based business owners and entrepreneurs, so many of us are under constant pressure to juggle the design and operations sides of our businesses. It can be hard to focus on both moving product and creating the designs for that product, especially when we’re juggling online, wholesale and licensing accounts. Turns out, you don’t always have to do it all. Today’s Proof to Product guest, Erin McManness, is a Paper Camp alumni who’s lived every side of the business and decided to stick to the parts that are most fulfilling for her. I’m excited for you to hear her story.  Erin is an illustrator working in Atlanta, Georgia. She's been freelancing full time for five years under her brand Paper Raven Co., which started as a small greeting card line and now includes licensing for an assortment of cards, gifts, fabrics, and home décor. Erin incorporates her values and love for the environment in her work by printing all of her cards on 100% recycled paper in the United States. She also donates $1 from every sale to her reforestation partner, One Tree Planted. Over the course of her career, Erin has collaborated on projects with companies like Macy's, Target, Trader Joe's, Publix, and Aldi. In October, she's releasing her second book, The Art Starts In The Heart: An Inspirational Guide To Making Meaningful Art. On Episode 125, Erin and I sit down to cover all of the above. We talk about how Erin has built the licensing arm of her business, the pros, and cons of flat rate and royalty payments and why she's made the decision to ramp up her licensing arm and slow down on the wholesale side. We also talk about Erin's new book, so enjoy! ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  - The inspiration behind Paper Raven Co.  - How Erin’s evolved from one stationery line, to multiple product categories, licensing and more - What it’s like to collaborate and design for big brands - The importance of going out and asking for what you want - The difference of working with both smaller and larger brands  - Advice on how to navigate negotiations and creative collaborations - How to trust your gut and choose the right projects  - Flat rate fees vs royalties  - The 3 questions Erin asks herself before choosing to work with brands - Making room for life beyond work  - Why you should double check a company’s tracking & metrics before signing a royalty deal - What inspired Erin to make the switch to 100% recycled paper products and partner with One Tree Planted - How to research, evaluate and choose ethical companies to work. with - Tough decisions, book celebrations, and what’s next for Erin    KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “You need to go for what you want and if you want something, tailor your portfolio and go ask for it.” - Erin McManness  “At tradeshows, and Instagram, too, you never know who's watching. You never know who's paying attention to you or where the next great opportunity will come from.” -  Katie Hunt  “I love to work with smaller brands because they can be really flexible and they're not this big, huge company. There's a lot of creative freedom and things like that.” - Erin McManness “My rule is that if I get excited and I listen to my body, and my body is like, ‘Yeah, whoa, let's go. This is so exciting, I'm so inspired by this,’ I'm like, "Yeah, let's do it." - Erin McManness “Saying no is difficult for a lot of people, myself included. But when we say yes to everything, we run ourselves ragged and we’re not focused on the things that are really the most important.” -  Katie Hunt  “I really try to be intentional about structuring my business with what brings me the most joy, what I absolutely love doing.” - Erin McManness “I was ready to move on, but I was so worried about proving that I was a financial success out on my own that I just hustled and hustled and hustled, and I put things off to the side.” - Erin McManness “I realized making art is really what I want to do. Making the art is the most important thing to me.”  - Erin McManness “I just want it to be me, I don't want an empire. I just want to be happy, make art, make things that make other people happy.” - Erin McManness “I try to do my research about companies that I work with. Are they ethical? Do they have practices that I can be proud of to be associated with?”  - Erin McManness “It’s super important that there are shared values between us and those we're partnering with or collaborating with.” – Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://www.ShopPaperRavenCo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperraven.co/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperravenco/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/paperravenco/ https://onetreeplanted.org/   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

You’ve likely heard me say this here on the Proof to Product podcast and in our emails, but I’m a firm believer that relationships are they key to running and building a successful business. Everyone from our team, to our customers, to our colleagues, to our vendors plays a significant role in our personal growth as well as the development of our company. Your relationships with wholesale buyers, are no exception.   BUT HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT STORES? HOW DO YOU CONNECT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL WITH THE BUYER? HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A STORE IS A GOOD FIT FOR WHAT YOU SELL?   These are common questions, so let me share some ideas:   FOCUS ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. I often hear people say that they want to be in hundreds of stores. But, I’d argue that it is more beneficial (especially in the beginning) to work with a smaller group of stores that order from you regularly. It’s much easier to provide great customer service and build meaningful relationships with a smaller pool of customers. And, it gives you time to refine your internal systems and build a strong foundation so that if you do grow your wholesale line to a point when you have hundreds of stockists, you’ll be able to keep up. Set realistic goals when you’re starting out and remember that fewer customers isn’t necessarily a bad thing.   GO BEYOND THE WEBSITE. The internet is a fantastic place to research potential wholesale partners, but there is so much more to a business than just their website. How is the store showing up on social media? Who are their customers? What other brands do they buy from or do they engage with on social media? Which shows are they attending and talking about? What types of products do they feature? I’m not advocating stalking, but the more you know about a potential shop the more effective your first point of contact will be. You’ll also have a clearer idea if your products would work in that store.   START A CONVERSATION. Again, don’t stalk. But don’t be afraid to engage with people in your industry, particularly shops you admire. Comment on their social media, like their posts, send an email introducing yourself and your line. Or, send a note (on one of your cards!) and let them know you’ve enjoyed their emails / social media posts / their window display was cool. Relationships take time to build and I know you’re busy juggling one thousand other things on a daily basis. But, if stores don’t know about you, they aren’t going to buy from you.   And that brings us back to relationships.   These stores are your customers. Focus on customer experience, building real connections and delivering on your promises.   Be professional, polite and use every point of contact as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your buyers.   At Paper Camp we'll dive deeper and explain how to identify the right stores for your products, then we'll provide you with strategies for how to reach them.  Our Paper Camp E-Course starts on September 30th and we'd love to have you. Enroll or join the wait list at www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp.   SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. 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.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!  ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!