Proof to Product

Have you ever come home from a long day at your corporate job and realized like, “Okay, so my job is feeding my family, but definitely not my soul.” What do you do? Well, today's Proof to Product guest is telling us how she figured it out. By age 28, Nicole Walters was a highly-paid executive at a Fortune 500 company, managing multibillion dollar accounts, but something wasn’t right. So Nicole quit her corporate job, and she made waves when she quit in front of 10,000 people while live streaming on Periscope. She went on to open her own private business and product development consulting firm, The Monetized Life.    As Nicole’s audience ramped up so did her revenue—she made $11,000 in the first three weeks of working with small business clients full time. Now, when she’s not hanging out with her husband and their three foster kids, she shares her secrets to earning “passive income” with other entrepreneurs through her wildly popular online course, 1K1Day. “I teach people how to add commas to their bank accounts,” says Nicole. “They learn that they don’t have to trade time for money.”   On today's episode, Nicole and I sit down to talk about common mistakes she sees eager entrepreneurs making and why old school sales strategies still work. We also talk about why you can't rely solely on social media for sales, the importance of having multiple revenue streams and why you need to treat your business like a business from day one.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  Common mistakes Nicole sees eager entrepreneurs making Tips on where to focus your marketing time and money The problem of relying on social media platforms  Benefits of sticking with the old school methods What really gets customers in the door How to make a 40-50 hour work week feel like 4 hours The lessons Nicole took from corporate life and applied as an entrepreneur Her strongest marketing tool today Nicole’s favorite success stories How saying no is a form of self care  Advice for brand new business owners and entrepreneurs experiencing growing pains  The importance of acting like a business from the get-go What success looks like for Nicole today KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “If the only place that you're selling is on your social media platform, well guess what? It's not yours. You don't own it.” - Nicole Walters “Word of mouth is still good. So all that matters that you're actually able to get to people who have mouths and are able to spread the word. Old School still works.” - Nicole Walters “Make sure that you're telling your story authentically and being honest about who you are. Because if you do that, if you tell your true story, well guess what? You'll never get it wrong.”  - Nicole Walters “Wear your heart on your sleeve, because it's that same heart that'll put cash in your pocket.” - Nicole Walters “It was time for me to quit and I decided to do in grand fashion. I decided that I wasn't just going to burn the bridge behind me. I was going to singe it and blow away the ashes.” - Nicole Walters “I was ready to become an entrepreneur. So instead of taking those tools to fat cats at multi-billion dollar companies, I'm taking them to everyday entrepreneurs who are using them to feed their families and their souls.” - Nicole Walters “I get to see the change and the transition and the transformation in people's families and livelihoods. Being able to really put money into people's pockets instead of watching it go to a new Gulfstream jet or a new golf membership at a country club, you know, it's really, really rewarding. And I love it.” - Nicole Walters “I’ll be the first one to tell you if I'm doing my job well, guess what? We shouldn't work together forever.” - Nicole Walters “Look at the quarterlies, look at your revenue and your expenses, all of it. There might be certain quarters that are slow, but if you can plan for that and know about that in advance, it just sets you up for the longterm.“ - Katie Hunt “I'm a mom and I'm married and the other side of it is honestly, I couldn't keep up with my business if I didn't get healthy. That's the reality of it.”  - Nicole Walters “There's this misconception of self care, that it’s going and getting a manicure and/or like, you know, or going to get coffee or whatever and it's like self care comes in so many different forms.” - Katie Hunt “I'm allowed to say no to things that don't serve me because if I say no, then I'm taking care of the things that do serve me. And that is a form of self care.” - Nicole Walters “You want to seize opportunities, but at the same time you need to protect your time and your sanity.” - Katie Hunt “Act like a business if you want to get paid like one, get out there and get your legal stuff in order. Make sure that you understand the importance of finances, quick books, getting all that stuff done and I know it's big and scary.” - Nicole Walters “The minute you take a dollar, you are acting like a business and you need to get paid like one.” - Nicole Walters “Sometimes we get in our own way, we overthink things or we don't relinquish control when we need to or we're afraid to bring on more team members to handle things because we think nobody can do it the way we can.” - Katie Hunt  LINKS Website: http://nicolewalters.tv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonetizeThyself/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolewalters/  Periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/NapturalNicole Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/napturalnicole Twitter: https://twitter.com/napturalnicole     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, have you heard of Raddish? It’s a super cool monthly cooking club that empowers kids to build confidence in the kitchen and beyond. Today’s guest, Samantha Barnes the CEO and founder of Raddish, founded the company after working as a middle school teacher. A mom of two, Samantha realized the kitchen was the best place to connect with her kids in a meaningful way, and in true entrepreneurship fashion, she was inspired to start her own company. Samantha’s passion for family is visible in every aspect of her company. As a female founder, she is committed to running results-oriented and flexible company built on autonomy, working smart, and a positive work/life balance.  On today’s episode, Samantha and I dive into her subscription based business model and how it has evolved over time. The two of us talk about her business journey, how the company started out of her garage, how her team has evolved, the logistics of getting her product to market. We also talk about the pros and cons of running a subscription based business, how she learned how to delegate, what she does when she’s feeling burnt out.    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  How Samantha got the idea for Raddish Why she decided to go with a subscription model  The benefits of growing slow and working by trial and error  Creating continuous content and dealing with unexpected hurdles The steps Samantha took to scale up   Her decision to keep her team lean and mean  How Raddish cultivates the customer experience Learning to delegate when it’s not your strength Avoiding shiny distractions for the long term goal Lessons Samantha learned in her business journey Two things she does to stay grounded in the chaos  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “We did not go into it having some large strategy. We learned by doing. We launched on Kickstarter in October and we shipped our first kit in January.” - Samantha Barnes "In the beginning, we were simply finding the right tool and trying to get the right quantity and have it delivered at the right time. And now we're able to go out and we custom-create our tools.” - Samantha Barnes “I live in a small house in Los Angeles. So it had its own challenges. We would have easy ups all throughout the backyard and our production line had to go out into the backyard because we couldn't fit in the garage anymore.” - Samantha Barnes “Because we are self-funded we are really careful about how we grow. Making sure we have the great product, making sure that we're minimizing our churn and really keeping members for longer is important.” - Samantha Barnes “It’s a critical growth step as an entrepreneur. It's like, okay, I need to start delegating more and releasing control so that we can grow and so that we can get more done in a day.” - Katie Hunt “We call our Facebook group users the Raddish army because they come to bat for us, you know, they really want to help families understand exactly how great the product is.” - Samantha Barnes “We're definitely a word of mouth product and started that way, and that is definitely how we got off the ground.” - Samantha Barnes “Delegating is not my strength, it's something I have had to learn and I continue to learn.” - Samantha Barnes “I have the right people in the right seats and I just have the expectation that somebody is going to get that done and I don't micromanage or oversee the process.” - Samantha Barnes “My whole motivation was hiring people that were smarter than me that could teach me things. Take the tasks, run with them, and I trust them to do it well and do what we need to head towards the goal.” - Katie Hunt  “Learning from others and being open to learning and talking to as many people as you can and experiencing as many opportunities is really important. That’s the big picture idea.”  - Samantha Barnes “I mean, I love baths and manicures and pedicures, but if I have free time, I’m thinking what can I do that's really going to inspire me and make me feel better and make me kind of reset. Reading has been a big one for me over the last couple of years because it does feel indulgent too.” - Katie Hunt  LINKS Website: http://Raddishkids.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/raddishkids Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/raddishfoodandfamily/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/raddishkids    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!

On today’s episode of Proof to Product I’m sitting down with a gal I greatly admire, who I have had the pleasure of working with for a few years now through Paper Camp and my Proof to Product Mastermind coaching program. Meet Kiwi Schloffel, the brains and brawn behind Craft Boner, a stationery gift brand with the sole focus of making people chuckle. That’s a common theme in greeting cards, Kiwi takes it seriously. Her goal, in her own words, “Is to make you laugh. Not in the ha-ha-I’m-being-polite kind of way but actual big belly laughs that make your eyes water and give you an annoying stomach cramp because you just can’t stop.”  Over the course of the last eight years, Kiwi opened a retail space then decided to leave that retail space. She expanded her product line to more than 300 SKUs across multiple product categories and then recently discontinued over half of those products. She amassed an Instagram following of over 16,000 people just like that, and today we are talking about all of it. Kiwi and I sit down to talk about the transitions, the fears, and how making these shifts have allowed her to do fewer things even better within her business. Kiwi acknowledges that she's still figuring out her next steps, and that’s why this interview is so important. At the end of the day, no matter how successful, aren’t we all just trying to figure it out? I hope you enjoy this fun episode!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  What led Kiwi to start Craft Boner How she turned her blog into a product based business The first products Kiwi ever sold  Transitioning into wholesale  Balancing the love to create and the reality of outsource to scale How Kiwi decided which skews to keep and how cutting skews can lead to greater freedom The importance of intentional business shifts  Benefits of embracing the way your individual, unique brain works  How Kiwi realized she didn’t want a business empire  Logistics of switching  KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “In my heart I'm just an introvert who wants to make things.” - Kiwi Schloffer “When I moved home I was like, you know what, I'm going to be that millennial cliche. I'm going to live in my dad's basement and try to do my own thing.” - Kiwi Schloffer “It’s something a lot of people don’t realize. When you first start a business, it's so, so slow. You can always find stuff to do, but there's just not usually a lot of money coming in.” - Kiwi Schloffer “When I started in my dad's basement, the dream was always to make this my full time gig. But I honestly never thought it would happen.” - Kiwi Schloffer “I didn't even have any framework. I didn't even know what the ladder was. I didn't even know, I knew what a skew number was, but I was like, I don't know what that has to do with me.” - Kiwi Schloffer “We don't know what we don't know at the beginning.” - Katie Hunt “My experience is never, ever, ever been from a business perspective, it's never been about margins. It has always been about what can I make and how can I make it fun? “ - Kiwi Schloffer “I'd stay up until four in the morning because I had a full time job at that point, and I was like, I can not keep doing this, something has to change.” - Kiwi Schloffer “Business is not one size fits all. It is not a step ladder that we're all climbing with the same steps. It's truly like a rollercoaster with zigzags where we take two steps to the right and then go up and back or whatever.”  - Katie Hunt “I've always approached something like, I can do this myself, and not finding people that can do it for me. So now it's been a weird shift to realize  I can design this thing and someone else can make it. That's crazy. ” - Kiwi Schloffer “I told myself I can figure out inventory systems, the accounting. I can figure out all this stuff. I can hire people, add more products, more overhead, I can be a boss. I can be a CEO, I can manage people, and look at spreadsheets and figure out orders. And I hated that idea.” - Kiwi Schloffer “I still don't have it figured out. I'm still in my exploring phase and figuring out what I like, what I don't like. But it's been really exciting.” - Kiwi Schloffer   LINKS Website: http://www.craftboner.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftboner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftboner/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftboner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/craftboner   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!

Welcome! If you’re listening today that means you’re likely interested in applying for our Paper Camp scholarship! Giving back is one of our core values here at Proof to Product and we give back through our time, knowledge as well as financial scholarships. Since 2011, we’ve awarded over $250,000+ in scholarship funds to creative entrepreneurs who sell physical products to the wholesale market.These brands had big dreams of seeing their products on the shelves of their favorite stores and they have obtained huge results.  Our scholarship recipients sell products to Starbucks, REI, Land of Nod, Barnes & Noble, Anthropologie and more.  They’ve built profitable, sustainable companies.  They’ve built businesses that serve the life they want to lead.  And, they are active contributors to our Proof to Product community.   These scholarships are a big deal and we treat them that way. Last round we reviewed 89 scholarship applications and it took my husband and I three days to all the videos, read the applications, review website and ultimately whittle it down to one full tuition scholarship winner. It’s never an easy choice, but we do put a lot of care into our selections. And, today I want to share 5 ways that you can stand out when submitting your Paper Camp application: Tell us WHY and HOW Paper Camp will positively impact your wholesale business. Be specific. Are there certain strategies or tactics that you need help implementing? Be open to sharing what’s working and what’s not working your business. We’ve been where you are and if we know where you’re struggling, we can identify whether we can help. Your story is important. Why do you do you the work you do, what inspires you when you’re creating and what are your goals for the business. You only have 2 minutes in your video to talk about your products, your business needs and where you want to go next. Use that time wisely and connect the dots about how Paper Camp will help you reach those goals. Please do not use this time to tell us about financial or personal difficulties you are facing or have faced. Talk about your dreams & aspirations for the business. Be specific in how Paper Camp can help. If you listen to the Proof to Product podcast, if you’ve utilized our free resource library, if you’re a member of LABS, if you’re friends with Paper Camp alumni… tell us! Particularly if you’ve utilized our podcast and free resources to make positive changes in your business. Our scholarship recipients are proactive, they are resourceful, they understand the value of our community and the educational resources available through Proof to Product. They understand that business growth takes time and hard work… show us you’ve utilized alll the incredible free resources we share to take forward action in your business We want our scholarship recipient to understand the value of what they are winning. Meaning, the value of the education, coaching and community they receive by attending Paper Camp far exceeds the price tag of our tuition. We expect our scholarship winner to show up, ask questions, participate in live calls, connect with other members of our community, to pay it forward in different ways and take advantage of everything Paper Camp has to offer. If you can not be an active participant in Paper Camp, then please do not apply for scholarship. Lastly, please follow instructions carefully. This includes answering all questions thoroughly and changing video settings so that anyone can watch it. If you submit an incomplete application or we can not view your video, we will not consider your application and its always a bummer when this happens.  To sum it up, we want to hear about your business. We want to know why you’re building the business you are, where you need help in your business and how Paper Camp fits into your next steps. Easy enough, right? If you’d like to apply for our Paper Camp scholarship, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com/scholarships. Also, if you’re listening when applications are closed, I strongly recommend joining our email list so that you’re notified of upcoming scholarship opportunities and you’ll get our emails each week with important strategies and tactics to grow your business. Sign up for that at www.prooftoproduct.com/newsletter That’s all I have for you to day. Good luck and thanks for listening!

So many of us are solopreneurs, but have you ever met another small business bad-ass and totally clicked? That’s what happened for today’s guests, Minna Khounlo-Sithep and Jacqueline Snyder, voices behind The Product Boss Podcast. For some background, after Minna had her first child she was inspired to start Lil' Labels, write-on kids labels that are sold at retail giants like Amazon, Walmart and Jet. At the same time, Jacqueline was running her own product based business, Cuffs Couture, and growing her international sales. Jacqueline reached out to Minna in a business Facebook group, and the two totally hit it off. Today, Jacqueline and Minna work together to teach business owners how to grow their product-based businesses with smart strategy and a community around them. In addition to running the podcast, they each still own their own businesses.  On Episode 110, we’re all sitting down to talk about the pros and cons business partnerships, how Minna and Jacqueline divide responsibilities, and what to look for if you’re considering taking on a new partner. We also talk about how Minna and Jacqueline juggle their multiple businesses, and they share their top tips for product based business owners.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE:  What inspired Minna and Jacqueline to start their own businesses The evolution and importance of celebrity endorsement How Minna and Jacqueline met  Moving from online, becoming friends, and deciding to partner up Hesitancies of forming a partnership Dividing responsibilities How Jacqueline and Minna balance their individual businesses with The Product Boss The importance of implicit trust  Questions to ask yourself before finding a business partner Strategies for dealing with day to day stressors Shifts Jacqueline and Minna have seen in the industry  Alternatives to tradeshows and advice for scaling your business What’s up next for The Product Boss KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I dug in and I figured it out, and I had the tenacity of a pregnant woman going to give birth. So the rest from there just was it seemed easy.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I'm very much a book learner. So it was in my mind that I could just learn all about Amazon. I was already a fan of Amazon, so I basically schooled myself on Amazon.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I was in my 20s and going out and wanting to dance and have no purse. I always hated having to put my purse under like a jacket in the corner at bar. And so I created Cuffs Couture, which were fashionable, chic wrist wallets.” - Jacqueline Snyder  “We started a business without realizing we were starting a business, and yeah. She's not a serial killer. So at least a good thing, right?” - Jacqueline Snyder  “We get so many ideas going as entrepreneurs. We just know how to do things. We kind of know how to execute or figure it out along the way. And then on top of it, we really did have a great connection.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “We approach things very differently, and the thing is we get along really, really well. But I think the key is we trust each other implicitly.” -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “Big brands are not as agile as a smaller entrepreneur. We can try something today and if it doesn't work tomorrow, we can shift gears, or we can try again in a different way.” - Katie Hunt “My biggest thing with being a partner is like, "Am I doing enough? Am I showing up and handling my role? Am I doing enough?” - Jacqueline Snyder  “It's highly psychological, lots of mindset, and you have to be able to see that other person as a full partner that has all these fears and joys too. So you're always trying to balance that out.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “We're complete opposites as far as personality wise or approaches. But we definitely have the same love for so many things. We love our families. Our why is exactly the same.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “I don't think I would work well with a partner. Maybe I'm too bossy, I don't know. Too decisive. But I think that's why I find partnerships so fascinating because when you have two of the right people together, amazing things can happen.” - Katie Hunt “The face of product entrepreneurship and a product business is really changing, which is why you can see why stories are so important. Learning how to sell with your story and those personal brands is more important than ever before.”  -  Minna Khounlo-Sithep “The opportunities have shifted for product based businesses, and the customer has changed quite a bit too. So it’s an interesting dynamic how we have to adapt as product based business owners.” - Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://www.lillabels.com; http://www.theproductboss.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/lillabelsco; http://instagram.com/theproductboss   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!

Do you remember when you first started your business? How about your first card? Do you ever go back and look at work you were doing in those early stages and wonder, what was I thinking?! I know from experience it can be cringe-worthy or just hilarious, but that’s the beauty of the business journey! Today on Proof to Product we’re welcoming Paper Camp alum, Alicia Heater of Slightly Stationery, to share her business beginning. When Alicia started Slightly Stationery, it was with the belief that women be encouraging and loving to each other through the timeless art of handwritten notes (Oh, and that these handwritten notes should make people chuckle, and also be super cute, too.) Today, continuing this spirit of mutual support, a portion of all Slightly Stationery proceeds go to the Malala Fund to help girls around the world receive a good education. On Episode 109, Alicia talks about how she started her first line, the changes she made along the way and what she learned at Paper Camp. We discuss the financial challenges of business and why giving back is a key  part of Slightly Stationery’s mission and values. Alicia also shares the importance of taking advice, not being afraid to start over, and what it’s like today to have cards in more than 400 stores throughout the U.S. including Paper Source and Anthropologie. We hope you enjoy this fun episode, and that it inspires you to look back at how far you’ve come in your business journey too!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What prompted Alicia to start her stationery line Why she pivoted from custom wedding invitations to greeting cards Following your heart and making decisions based on your strengths Starting from scratch Taking advice and knowing where to improve How to hone in on your audience When Slightly Stationery releases new product Mistakes Alicia made when she first started with wholesale Changes she made to her business after Paper Camp The importance of patience and persistence Differences between big and small company buying cycles    The steps Alicia took so she could start pulling a salary from her company   How she chose a philanthropic organization to give back to What Alicia is most proud of in her business KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I was doing a lot of custom work and not making any money on it, so I wondered is there's something out there that I can design one time and sell it a whole bunch times?”  - Alicia Heater “It's an experiment in those early years in business. How do I want to structure this? How can I make it sustainable for the long term? And profitable and make it my full-time gig.” - Katie Hunt “When you’re buying a card in a store, you're buying it because this is perfect for this one person. I had this thought of like I'm trying to design for everybody, so I wasn't designing those kind of cards.” -  Alicia Heater “I scrapped the idea of trying to design cards that are going to be so generic and good for everybody, because then they're not really special for any one person, and those are the ones that sell.” -  Alicia Heater “When it feels like you’re selling the same thing as everybody else, you need to really find what's unique about your products, and really promote that.” - Katie Hunt “When I turned that filter off of my ideas, it opened up a lot of things.”  - Alicia Heater “People will pick up a card for the way it looks, if it’s cute, but they'll buy it because of what it says.” -  Alicia Heater “I had no idea, so I went and did a bunch of Google searches on like how to sell wholesale and learned so much more about that when I did Paper Camp” -  Alicia Heater “Right after Paper Camp, I went out and was working harder at going to get more reps rather than going to get more stores, and it really empowered me to go do the right things. It was a chain reaction.” -  Alicia Heater “Now they're emailing me, and Anthropologie's like, ‘Oh, this card’s doing so well for us. Can we carry some more stuff, too?’ and I'm like, hmm. Let me think about that for a second. Yes!” -  Alicia Heater “Being able to have a business where I can do what I like doing, and it pays the bills, too, is really incredible, and I feel really blessed to have that, so I'm proud of that.”  - Alicia Heater “Even when you're not making much money, you can still give back.” -  Alicia Heater LINKS Website: http://www.slightlystationery.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slightlystationery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slightlystationery/ Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/slightlypaper     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, welcome back to Proof to Product! Today’s guest is Ginger Lyons, a serial entrepreneur who believes positive attitude, abundance mindset, and perseverance are the keys to a successful business model. A military veteran, Ginger is the creator behind Buffalo Girls Salvage, a jewelry design company that transforms salvaged copper, metal and bullet casings into beautiful, handmade pieces.   Since 2012, Ginger’s company has been inspiring women and honoring law enforcement officials through creative designs. She is also passionate about investing in mainstreet America, supporting small businesses and coaching female entrepreneurs.   On today's episode, Ginger and I talk about her incredible “backward” business journey. She shares what it was like to have a storefront, employees, national manufacturing network and the opportunity to appear on Shark Tank, and why she pivoted her business to stay true to her ‘why’. We talk about how our definition of success often changes over the course of time, how entrepreneurship is always a choice, and the importance of sharing our journey to help others.   I hope you enjoy Ginger's story of growth, strategic pivoting, and the lessons she learned along the way!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Ginger’s first business What she learned about herself from her experience in the military Her job as a main street manager in Texas The types of products and core customers at Buffalo Girls Salvage Why Ginger treats her wholesale and shopify accounts as two separate companies The materials and process that goes into creating jewelry   Advice for entrepreneurs trying to do it all Fears Ginger had about expanding her team and ensuring quality control Ginger’s backward business journey Important questions to ask yourself as a small business owner How Ginger said “no” to Shark Tank and stayed true to her “why” What’s next for Ginger, Buffalo Girl Salvage and how she’s encouraging more women entrepreneurs KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I think some of us were just born with it. And we discover later in life that's what it is. But there's this feeling of entrepreneurship.” - Ginger Lyons “As an entrepreneur in general, I love the idea that we can all contribute to ... I know it sounds cliché, but the American dream. I love that we can all make an impact.” - Ginger Lyons “As a main street manager for a city in the state of Texas, I discovered how important main street is in America. We need small businesses and we need to keep them alive. ” - Ginger Lyons “If I can give any advice ... it’s start asking for help as fast as you can, and getting help in the things that you know you can afford to get. Even in the smallest details, it's important to have others alongside you and not be the-everything-girl.” - Ginger Lyons “As entrepreneurs, we're doers. We want to do all the things and it's hard to give up control.” - Ginger Lyons “It's hard to give up the control. In the early stages we worry about paying somebody else and we worry about delegating and having the management skills to manage another person too.”  - Katie Hunt “I believe in the main street, and I believe in us bringing up boutiques, and helping our fellow entrepreneurs develop their businesses. We have to do as much as we can in the US so that we can build up that together.”  - Ginger Lyons “That’s just life as an entrepreneur. We’re faced with adversity, we’re faced with challenges, we’re faced with tons of decisions and we just have to choose to keep going.”  - Katie Hunt “I firmly believe we are all born with what our path is in life. And our job is to figure out what that is. And so if you spend too much time looking at the path of everyone else around you, you are never going to find the success that you were supposed to find for yourself.”  - Ginger Lyons “If you're being told “no”, fine. Move on. Seriously. Just get over the “no’s”. And put yourself in positions to do hard things that are uncomfortable.” - Ginger Lyons LINKS Website: https://buffalogirlsjewelry.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buffalogirlssalvage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buffalogirlssalvage/   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!

Welcome back to Proof to Product, all you small business hustlers, and creative entrepreneurs! Today we have a great episode in store for you with guest Jeanetta Gonzales, a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, and illustrator. Jeanetta began her career as a graphic designer working for corporate companies such as WedMD, Mattel and The Disney Store. She later parlayed her digital and fine art skills into surface design working as a textile designer and style guide designer for consumer products and creating illustrations and art that she licenses to manufacturers for products sold online and in major retail stores. On top of all of this, Jeanetta also runs her own online store where she sells her art on print items, mugs, fabric, home decor items and more. On today’s episode, Jeanetta shares her experience with licensing and tells us why you have to be in it for the long game. We talk about why relationships are so important in business, why it’s necessary to create art and products with a unique point of view, and her goal to spread joy through a variety of creative means. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Common misconceptions that creative entrepreneurs have about licensing their work Tips for people that are putting together their portfolio How Jeanetta defines her artistic style and keeps it original The importance of experimenting What it took to overcome fears of failure and success Her 10 year journey of learning and creating When Jeanetta started to see traction in own design work What she learned from tradeshows Being okay with not being perfect Pivoting from her day job and shifting into licensing Jeanette’s favorite products to produce Her advice for other creative entrepreneurs and what’s coming up next KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I don't really think it's necessary to spend a whole year working on a portfolio or something like that. It's fine if you just have several collections that you're really proud of and get them out there.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “You don't want to be a copycat. You really just want your own work and your own vision and you're own visual point of view to come through.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “I really encourage people to experiment a lot, because that's where the happy accidents happen and that's where you're going to find the things that you really love to do.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “I always had this fire in me since I was a little kid to just do something different. To kind of go against the norm and it took me a long time to really get there.”  - Jeanetta Gonzales “Even if you do a show and you're ready for that, and you put heart and soul into it, it's never perfect. You're never going to be as ready as you think you want to be.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “Just when we start to get comfortable in one thing, that's where things take a little bit of a turn. It's part of the growth process, but it is uncomfortable and there is that underlying fear, am I making the right choices?” - Katie Hunt “I’m a firm believer that things happen on the time frame they should. Yeah sure, we could go back and change things, but would we still be where we are today if we did?” - Katie Hunt “In my own journey I've had to go around and around a lot, but it's all good. Now I'm older I can definitely see how it's all coming together.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “It is a long game. You just have to see how that plays out, and just know that if you're going to commit to something like licensing that it's not an overnight thing.” - Jeanetta Gonzales “So much is relationship based. If people know they like you and can trust you and you'll do a great job, it's going to open the door for more licensing opportunities.”  - Katie Hunt “When we know where we want to go, it makes it easier to build that path to get there.”  - Katie Hunt LINKS Website: http://JeanettaGonzales.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nettdesigns Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nettdesigns/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeanettag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nettdesigns     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 on Proof to Product we’re welcoming Paper Camp Alum, and founder of Chez Gagne, Alex Gagne! Alex attended our Paper Camp Conference back in February of 2015 before debuting her wholesale line at the National Stationery Show. Since then, Alex has gone on to expand her product offering, add new team members, and achieve her vision for the Chez Gagne brand.   Chez Gagne is a paper and gift brand that offers greeting cards, wine and spirit tags, mugs, wine glasses, candles, and rocks glasses. Alex currently sells to 1,500 stores throughout the world, works with sales reps nationally, and exhibited at six trade shows this winter alone. With more than 93% of Alex’s annual revenue coming from wholesale, much of her time is spent planning, prepping and traveling across the country for trade shows.   On today’s episode, Alex is sharing with us how she does it all. We talk about how greeting cards became more than just her creative outlet and how Alex made the jump from paper goods to other products. We also how Alex decides which new product categories to pursue, challenges she faced in her business journey and key factors to Chez Gagne’s exponential growth. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Why Alex switched from software to stationery How she decides to move forward with a product line Her theory on making things nice or funny Incorporating optics and organization into merchandising Alex’s process for research, development, manufacturing and pricing Why everything Alex produces is something she uses The importance of managing your margins Challenges of storing hard goods vs stationery Tactics for mitigating risk and designing sustainable products How Alex grew to 1,500 active accounts in 4 years Future plans and products Alex has in the works KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “It's strange to look back now, but I've actually always made greeting cards for people. I've always sent Valentines Day cards. And that's been something that I've done for years.” - Alex Gagne “It came full circle.I found something I was able to communicate my sense of humor with, as well as greet people and make them laugh.” - Alex Gagne “Our business is based on the model of, "If you can't make it nice, make it funny." So we have a little bit of everything.” - Alex Gagne “Everything we've ever brought into the line has been something that I want to use. We will never bring anything into the line that is something that I wouldn't use. That, for me, is totally disingenuine.”  - Alex Gagne “The agility of being a business owner is a very special thing, in that we can decide to move forward with something or we can decide to cut it from the line. We can't always do that in corporate America.” - Katie Hunt “There's only so much risk you want to take with a new product category.” - Alex Gagne “We pulled our best selling phrases from our greeting cards, and put them on mugs. And now we're putting them on wine glasses, they're on rocks glasses, they're on candles.” - Alex Gagne “As a business owner. I don't want to put anything out there, that I know is never going to be used again. We're producing so much crap as a society, that it's hard sometimes to put out gift items, because you feel like it's going directly to a landfill.” - Alex Gagne “Bottom line is, people want to have an experience these days. They don't necessarily need a lot of junk in their lives, but they want to have an experience, and I think people have an experience with our products.” - Alex Gagne “Once we get something set up, then we can turn, and focus on other aspects. But it's always shifting.” - Katie Hunt “It's been a lot of hustle. It's been a lot of late nights, and I'm really fortunate to not have to really do that as much anymore. There was definitely a time there, where I was staying up until 2:00 in the morning, every night, reaching out to retailers, finishing out orders, just trying to make it work.” - Alex Gagne “It's hard to delegate. I am a control freak. And I think being a letterpress printer is probably really a good indication of that.” - Alex Gagne “The brand perception for people who are very wary of curse words, or snark and sassy humor, has been a challenge for us. But it's also been a reason we've done incredibly well.” - Alex Gagne LINKS Website: https://www.chezgagne.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/chezgagne/about/?ref=page_internal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chezgagne/?hl=en   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!

Katie Hunt walks us through how she swapped her Instagram handles during the Proof To Product rebrand and shares three lessons she learned in the process. Find us @prooftoproduct on Instagram and tell us what you thought of the episode! And check out our new site and resources at www.prooftoproduct.com