Proof to Product

I’m back with Part 2 of our National Stationery Show recap.  Today you’ll hear from three of our TSBC alumni about what went well at the show for them, where they skimped & splurged in their spending and benefits to being at a wholesale show like, National Stationery Show.   Today’s episode features interviews with Katie from Page Stationery, Monique from Violet Flamingos and Katie from The Good Twin.     Also before we get started,  I wanted to let you know that we’re running our first ever summer session of the Paper Camp E-Course.  This course will help you get your product line ready for wholesale, refine your sales tools, strengthen your marketing and exhibit at shows.  We helped over 800 brands launch or refine their wholesale program. Brands that you’ll find on the shelves of Target, Anthropologie, Container Store, Paper Source and independent boutiques internationally.   Classes start on June 4th! Learn more and register here.   Enjoy Part 2 of our National Stationery Show special series.  

I recently was in New York for the National Stationery Show where approximately 55 of our Tradeshow Bootcamp alumni were exhibiting. And, I thought it would be fun to bring the show to you.  While I was in New York, I chatted with a handful of exhibitors, everyone from first timers to seasoned pros.   This episode is part one of a three part special edition series and it features interviews with Kathryn from Blackbird Letterpress, Kim from Ramona & Ruth, Pippi from E. Frances Paper and Stefanie from Halifax Paper Hearts.   Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that we’re running our first ever summer session of the Paper Camp E-Course.  This course will help you get your product line ready for wholesale, refine your sales tools, strengthen your marketing and exhibit at shows.  This isn’t your ordinary online course where you’re left to do everything yourself. The class runs for four weeks and every week we’ll have a live coaching call with me and special guest experts.  Classes start on June 4th! Learn more and register here.   Enjoy Part 1 of our National Stationery Show special series.

Chelsea Sonksen is the founder and Editor in Chief of Bossladies, a movement that began with a print magazine in 2016 and has grown into a vibrant in-person and online community of entrepreneurs through her monthly event series, Work Sesh.   On today’s episode we’re talking about the mission behind Bossladies, how Chelsea is layering new products and services that will give her the freedom and flexibility to work from both California and Maine.  Chelsea also shares her thoughts on why making a good first impression is so important. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Chelsea’s motivation for starting Bossladies and why she choose publishing as her method for sharing her message with the world Her background as an editorial assistant Why she decided to stop reading other publications for the first six months of Bossladies The mission behind Bossladies How she decides which women to feature and which brands to include in each issue How Chelsea is layering in new products and services while staying true to the mission of Bossladies What Work Sesh is, how she facilitates it, and what the goal is Chelsea’s experience working with a significant number of contractors all over the country How she has found her contractors The way Chelsea decides what questions to ask the women featured in Bossladies How she defines success The advice she would give to a new entrepreneur What’s next for Bossladies & Work Sesh KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I try really hard to take a month before we start designing the magazine, not to actually look at any publications for that month because I find that my design preferences and tendencies get swayed by whatever I'm seeing at that time. I think it's just easier to be original when you have periods of time where you sort of hibernate and block out all of the input.” - Chelsea Sonksen “The Bossladies mission has three parts. It's to inspire, educate, and provide community for the growing group of women who are wanting to create their own businesses.” - Chelsea Sonksen “I feel like that's really important for founders, as you're starting a company, it has to be what you want to be doing and what you want spending your hours doing and the people you want to be spending your hours with.” - Chelsea Sonksen “My company is a people first company.” - Katie Hunt “I love seeing the natural progressions that happen when people come together, when women come together, entrepreneurs. There's just so many things we have in common, and so many ways that we can leverage each other's experiences for good. We can help each other where we feel weak in something, we can leverage other people's skills and experiences, and also give back ourselves.” - Katie Hunt “Communication is always the most important thing and I've learned how to be a more efficient and effective communicator before launching into a project.” - Chelsea Sonksen “I find that whenever it's time to do the interviews, I'm usually in a certain season of life and I'm interested in certain kinds of things. So that's where I start every interview, what are the things that I'm most interested in in that moment and what are their thoughts on those things.” - Chelsea Sonksen “I view success as freedom.” - Chelsea Sonksen “It's really important to study other companies. You have to learn from people that are experts at what you are trying to do.” - Chelsea Sonksen “You have one opportunity to make a first impression, and your branding and what you present of your brand, is that first impression.” - Chelsea Sonksen LINKS:I Love CreativesUpwork CONNECT WITH CHELSEA: Website: http://bossladies.us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bossladiesmag Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bossladiesmagazine/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bossladiesmag PAPER CAMP ECOURSE: Many of you have been patiently waiting for the return of our Paper Camp E-course and I'm excited to tell you that it's here. This is a 4 week online program that kicks off on June 4th.  You'll get new videos to watch each week on your own and we'll have a live Q&A call every week with me and special guest experts.   But you've got to act fast, because registration closes on June 2nd. If you've want to see your products on the shelves of retail stores big & small, if you want to launch or refine your wholesale program, or maybe you want to exhibit at large scale trade shows, this is the program for you! We’ll cover product development, sales tools for wholesale, working with reps, marketing to retailers and exhibiting at shows.     To learn more and register, head to https://tsbc.teachable.com/p/pce. I look forward to having you there! 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 brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!

TSBC alum, Christine Miller is the creator and designer of Bundle Design — home to cheerful, cheeky greeting cards, balloons, party supplies and Good Day Decals.     On today’s episode Christine shares her journey of turning her hobby into a business, lessons learned from exhibiting at the National Stationery Show and how being at the show opened the door to working with Paper Source.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Christine was doing before Bundle Design How starting her family influenced her decision to step away from her full time job Starting her business a hobby and a creative outlet after having her son and transitioning it to a business a few years ago Opening her Etsy shop in 2011 and what made her realize that Etsy may not be the best path for her Making the decision that wholesale was the direction she wanted to go The difficulty she faced in establishing her own brand identity and creating products that had a cohesive aesthetic How her style has changed over the years The fears and concerns she had going into her first National Stationery Show and the mistakes she made The importance of sending out mailers and advertising your booth number to anyone and everyone prior to the show The changes Christine made her second year at the National Stationery Show Meeting the Paper Source buyer at the show and how it has been fruitful even years later The advice Christine would give to someone just starting out in a product based business The goals she is setting for herself and for Bundle Designs What’s next for Bundle Designs KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “My mentality is,  "Well, if I just make it people will just buy it." Unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way.” - Christine Miller “When you're developing a line, one of the most important things is to have a unique style, a brand that's recognizable.” - Christine Miller “The biggest fear is no one is going to buy anything.” - Christine Miller “That first year, my mantra was, ‘Okay, I want to make sales but if I don't make sales at least I'm still learning this and I'm making connections and I'll know more for the next year.’” - Christine Miller “Your booth number is your address on the show so you want to make sure that you're telling everyone where you're going to be at all times, add it to your social media profile, your bio. Make sure you're sending out those mailers, include it in the footer of your emails that go out. Don't keep that a secret, shout it from the rooftops where you're going to be.” - Katie Hunt “I never would've made that connection had I not been to the show. I'm sure I could've found out her information another way, LinkedIn or asking around and things like that, but I think her maybe seeing it in person gave it a little bit of an edge when they made their final selections.” - Christine Miller “I've always had the mentality of slow and steady. So, if I'm making steps, even if they're small steps, I'm moving in the right direction then that's what I'm always striving for.” - Christine Miller LINKS:Portfolio CenterNational Stationery ShowPaper CampPaper SourceFarewell Paperie   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE: Website: http://bundledesign.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BundleDesignOnline Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bundledesign/   THE BOOTH BLUEPRINT: If you’re gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn’t break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass. I’m sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end.  To join me for this free workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!   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 brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!

Kelly Parker Smith is a multi-talented business owner and creative artist. Kelly is a rubber stamp designer and manufacturer living just outside St. Louis. She has grown her shop, Hello World Paper Co., with the idea that great products become even better when paired with top-notch customer service, a little surprise and delight, and the perfect packaging!   Kelly is also the co-host of the Creative Biz Rebellion podcast where she and Caroline Hull show other business owners how to build, maintain, and grow a profitable online shop through their podcast and online workshops. In her free time Kelly enjoys painting and drawing on her iPad Pro and is soon to release her second fabric collection with Sweet Bee Designs fabric company.   On today’s episode Kelly is sharing how she juggles multiple arms of her business - manufacturing stamps, designing fabric and mentoring through her podcast. We also talked about time management, prioritizing profitable tasks and setting boundaries to protect our time. Kelly also share three strategies for enhancing your Etsy shop. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: All of the different arms of her business How she got started designing a fabric collection The benefits of trying something new and how it influences all areas of her business How Kelly balances all of the different aspects of her business The way that she maps out her week & how she prioritizes tasks The importance of setting boundaries and saying “no” The responsibilities of Kelly’s office manager and why she decided to hire her from the beginning Why she decided to have a secondary site in addition to Etsy Kelly’s tips on enhancing your Etsy listings Her advice for someone just starting out in a product based business What’s next for Hello World Paper Co. KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “When you feel stuck in one area of your life creatively, it's so important to try something new.” - Kelly Parker Smith “For me, money talks. What do I need to get done first? Who's paying me to do what that I have to get done? Then, when I have that scheduled out for the week, I look at what do I need to do to move forward in my business? Then, I schedule that out.” - Kelly Parker Smith “When our calendar gets so full it doesn't leave a space to breathe. It doesn't leave a space to think and to plan and to really execute on the high priority things.” - Katie Hunt “I don't have notifications on for my Etsy shop, I don't have notifications on my phone for my emails.” - Kelly Parker Smith “Every time I brought somebody on my team, my business grew, my revenue grew, and my sanity came back.” - Katie Hunt “Etsy is amazing. It's a great place to start, it's a great place to be. We'll never leave Etsy as long as it's there, but the thing is that you can't put everything you have into one platform, especially if you don't own it.” - Kelly Parker Smith “You have to think like a buyer.” - Kelly Parker Smith “I went in the direction that my business was telling me to go in. I listened to where the money was coming in, I was very meticulous in my bookkeeping, and I really looked at patterns and what was selling and what was making me profit and what wasn't. I just followed essentially what my business and my customers were telling me.” - Kelly Parker Smith LINKS:Lisa Congdon’s Creativebug ClassesPattern Camp with Jessica SwiftInkwell Press Planner   CONNECT WITH KELLY: Website(s): http://www.helloworldpaperco.com http://www.creativebizrebellion.com http://www.kellyparkersmith.com   Social Media Links: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/helloworldpaperco http://www.instagram.com/creativebizrebellion http://www.instagram.com/kellyparkersmith   Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/helloworldpaperco http://www.facebook.com/creativebizrebellion http://www.twitter.com/creativebizreb   Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/helloworldpaper   Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/helloworldpaper FREE TRADESHOW WORKSHOP: If you’re gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn’t break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass. I’m sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end.  To join me for this free workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register! SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: 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.     ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!

TSBC alum, Lisa Sarmento is the owner of Tiramisu Paperie a sassy brand located in Nashville that sells greeting cards, gift wrap, pencils and other gift items. Lisa has had tremendous growth in her business over the last two years. She attended our Paper Camp conference in February 2016 and describes those two days as the launching point for Tiramisu Paperie. Her products are currently carried in hundreds of retail shops throughout the United States. Lisa works with sales reps nationally and has exhibited at several trade shows including NSS, Las Vegas Market and Dallas Market.   On today’s episode, Lisa shares her personal story of getting laid off from her high level advertising agency and how ‘entrepreneurial gardening’ and motivation from her son prompted her to start this business.  She shares how she connected with sales reps, what she skimped and splurged on at her first trade show and reminds us to not let fear hold us back from what we want in life and business.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Her time at a graphic design agency and how that led to her becoming her own boss How losing her mom allowed to recognize a need for honest cards Her season of entrepreneurial gardening The importance of having an inner circle of friends and family supporting and pushing you The why behind her business and the motivation her son prompted in her Finding and building connections with the right sales reps Lisa’s experience at trade shows & how she decided on which ones to attend The pros and cons of doing a showroom booth with reps versus a booth on your own What she skimped and splurged on at her first wholesale trade show The advice that Lisa would give to someone just starting out in a product based business What’s next for Tiramisu Paperie KEY TAKE-AWAYS: "Just plant the seeds, see what grows. Water it all equally, and whatever you're supposed to do is going to rise to the top." - Lisa Sarmento “I started watching him work, and then it just dawned on me. I'm like, "I think I know why I'm going to do this." Because once he turns 18, all services go away. The college education life he's going to have is going to be different from somebody else. His work or career path is going to be different, so I'm like, "I think I know what I'm going to do. I'm creating this company for him." - Lisa Sarmento “The way I look at my reps is, ‘You're part of my family. Be honest with me and I'll be honest with you. Whatever you need, I'll help you and you help me.’” - Lisa Sarmento “I splurged because I was putting up the stuff by myself.” - Lisa Sarmento “Lighting's super important, but you need to find something that works in your budget and highlights your products in the best possible way.” - Katie Hunt “If you know you want to do it, just do it. Just jump. If you don't try, you'll never know.” - Lisa Sarmento   CONNECT WITH LISA: Website: http://www.tiramisupaperie.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TiramisuPaperieGifts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiramisupaperie/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tiramisupaperie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiramisupaperie SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: 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.   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!

Jessica McSweeney is the owner of Little Well Paper Co, a letterpress greeting card company aimed at celebrating and deepening the connections between loved ones. Prior to starting Little Well she taught herself calligraphy and offered wedding calligraphy and invitation services. Jessica’s calligraphy work has been featured in The Knot, Southern Weddings Magazine, and Once Wed. Jess attended Paper Camp in fall 2016 when Little Well was just a spark of an idea, and she launched to the retail and wholesale markets in fall 2017.   On today’s episode we’re talking about shifting from a service based business to a product based business, her vision for Little Well Paper Co., and why relationships are critical to building a successful business. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How she got started her calligraphy business & Little Well Paper Co. Taking online courses to learn calligraphy The impact relationships within the wedding industry had on her business What the calligraphy side of her business looks like now What prompted Jessica to create Little Well Paper Co. The most challenging part of adding a second brand and a new business model How she manages both the retail side and the wholesale side of her business Fostering relationships with her wholesale customers Her decision to do New York Now last minute & her experience sharing a booth The advice she would give to someone just starting out in a product based business What’s next for Jessica McSweeney & Little Well Paper Co. KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I'm a big believer that business is 90% relationships.” - Jessica McSweeney “To me, to have a card that can be a vehicle to help somebody else start a conversation with someone they love about something that might be really hard like that is just the best thing.” - Jessica McSweeney “So many of the logistical things were things that if I hadn't gone to Paper Camp, I would have no idea about.” - Jessica McSweeney “I felt if I don't change this, I will be way more uncomfortable than if just taking this leap of maybe this won't work out, this new venture.” - Jessica McSweeney “It's important to have a brand voice that carries through everything, that brings in retail people and wholesale people alike.” - Jessica McSweeney “Make sure that what you're doing is something that feels good for you that you can be passionate about that also is not something that is already saturating out there.” - Jessica McSweeney   CONNECT WITH JESSICA: Website: http://www.littlewellpaperco.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/littlewellpaperco Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/littlewellpaperco SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: 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.   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!

Megan Auman is a designer, metalsmith, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a multi-faceted business around her passion for art, commerce, and visual content creation! (Which is just a fancy way of saying she's obsessed with Instagram and Pinterest.) In addition to running her Megan Auman jewelry line, she runs the site Designing an MBA, where she writes and teaches about the intersection of art and business.   On today’s episode we’re talking about product photography and why you should be leveraging pinterest to get more sales. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: A common mistake that Megan sees product-based business owners making around marketing strategies When she started her jewelry line and how it lead to her starting her Designing an MBA program Her product photography & the importance of having high quality photos of your products Megan’s tips on preparing for a photo shoot The editing software that Megan uses How she is leveraging her product photography and Pinterest for sales Some of Megan’s struggles when she first got started on Pinterest How she measures conversions and the effectiveness of her Pinterest strategy Utilizing Pinterest scheduling apps to batch content Megan’s experience with Pinterest ads The advice she would offer to someone just starting out in a product based business What’s next for Megan KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “It's really easy to get sidetracked just by all the information online about running a business, and trying to know what applies to you and what doesn't.” - Megan Auman “You have to show your customers how it fits into their lives, otherwise they're not going to buy it.” - Megan Auman “Your life will be so much easier if you batch your photography, whether that's product photography or social media photography, it doesn't matter, the easiest thing is to batch.” - Megan Auman “Shoot like crazy and then pick your best ones and delete everything, because it's better to have a lot of options when you're editing.” - Megan Auman “Shoot from far away and then get in and shoot the detail, and shoot somewhere in the middle. Shoot from those different distances and you going to have a lot more options.” - Megan Auman “One of the reasons that people get frustrated with Pinterest, is sometimes they just pin their product photography directly from their online shop, which is good, but it's not ultimately the best way to use it, especially if your price point is higher.” - Megan Auman “If you're starting out and you're only putting your images with your images, and no one else is pinning your content, Pinterest isn't showing it to anybody.” - Megan Auman “As soon as you start putting your content across other boards with other people's pins, it greatly increases the chances that Pinterest is going to show them to other people.” - Megan Auman “More often than not, stuff doesn't go viral immediately, people call it the Pinterest lag.” - Megan Auman “The biggest challenge with Pinterest ads is that, they're better at keyword targeting than audience targeting.” - Megan Auman “You really cannot compete if you don't have that email list and you're not using it regularly.” - Megan Auman LINKS: Afterlight: https://afterlight.co/ Snapseed: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapseed/id439438619?mt=8 Retouchup.com: https://www.retouchup.com/ Viraltag: https://www.viraltag.com/ Tailwind: https://www.tailwindapp.com/   CONNECT WITH MEGAN: Website: http://designinganmba.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/meganauman Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/meganauman Twitter: http://twitter.com/meganauman Market Your Selfie: http://www.marketyourselfie.com Megan Auman's Pinterest for Makers class on CreativeLive   SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: 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.   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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 this episode, Katie shares how she overextended herself in 2016 and how it caused her to refocus her priorities and make some difficult decisions about her business.     If you’ve ever felt stuck, stretched thin or pulled in too many directions, this episode is for you.  Katie talks about how she realized she was over scheduled and how she fixed things — including discontinuing manufacturing, pushing pause on speaking at conferences and asking for help / investing in a team.

Lichia Liu is the founder and creative director of Gotamago, a stationery & gifts brand based in Toronto, Canada. A self-taught illustrator, Lichia took a detour from her urban design career in 2013 to start Gotamago when she realized that she needed more authenticity, autonomy and artistic exploration in her work.  Besides running Gotamago and being a mom, Lichia is a musician, an urban sketcher, a member of a Japanese Taiko drumming group, and a foster dog parent.   On today’s episode we’re talking about how Lichia left her day job to pursue her passion, how she involves her team in building systems to automate and streamline her business and why she thinks it is important to jump before you feel ready   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What Lichia was doing before she started Gotamango & how that lead her to start her business The first time she was reached out to by a retailer who wanted to carry her line & what her reaction was When she decided to leave her full time job Where Lichia gains inspiration for her work How she makes time for designing while trying to balance the rest of Gotamago How becoming a mom has changed her routines and schedules within her business Lichia’s team & the systems she has in place that allow her to step back and prioritize her family The types of canned email responses that she has written How her team grew slowly over time Some of the challenges that she faces being a Canadian exhibitor at U.S. based shows How preparing for her second National Stationery Show is different from preparing for her first The advice she would give to someone who is just starting out in a product based business What’s coming up for Gotamago KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I was working on weekends and I thought, what am I doing? I really need to be grabbing this creative force that I have inside of me and giving it a chance.” - Lichia Liu “It's just such a different feeling when you know that strangers who don't know you at all are really liking your products, it gave me a lot of confidence.” - Lichia Liu “Everything I've done is pretty much a reflection of what I've been going through in my life.” - Lichia Liu “I was kind of a workaholic before I had my baby.” - Lichia Liu “Leading up to the baby being born, I really took time to start to systemize everything and delegate it out.” - Lichia Liu “Because I feel so much emotional attachment to my products that I'm not the best person to be dealing with things when things go wrong.” - Lichia Liu “The first lesson I learned was that when you take your stuff across the border you have to have all your forms filled. So make sure you get your forms filled.” - Lichia Liu “If I had waited until I thought it was perfect, I would have spent way more time on getting it to what I thought people wanted rather than actually making a good product that people actually will want.” - Lichia Liu LINKS: Website: http://gotamago.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/shopgotamago Instagram: http://Instagram.com/go.tamago Twitter: http://twitter.com/shopgotamago SUBSCRIBE TO PROOF TO PRODUCT: 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.   ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds 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!