Proof to Product

Tonya Dalton is the owner of Inkwell Press and host of Productivity Paradox. Tonya is a productivity expert who believes that too many women feel overwhelmed with all that they have to do each day. She helps women use productivity to pursue their big goals and end each day feeling satisfied and successful.   On today’s episode we’re talking about systems, automations and prioritizing at both home and in your business. She’s an amazing business woman who tells us her story of building her business from her kitchen table and gives more details on the new course that she is offering through inkWELL Press. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Tonya’s background prior to starting inkWELL Press The motivation and inspiration behind inkWELL Press The systems Tonya put into place to take her kitchen table hobby into a huge business How her background as a teacher helped her set up systems & run her business efficiently What overwhelm is & how to overcome it Common pain points Tanya sees in entrepreneurs when it comes to productivity in systems and automations The need to come up with an action plan to meet your goals Creating priority lists instead of to-do lists How Tanya breaks down her priorities for the week Preventing “urgent fires” from popping up by prioritizing Systems she has built into the inkWELL Press team What success looks like to Tanya What’s next for inkWell Press KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “That is really what started inkWELL Press, was figuring out what were the things I was passionate about? How was I going to make these things work so I could do something that fulfilled me?” -  Tonya Dalton   “One of the mistakes a lot of people make is they think, "I need to create all the systems all at once and try to implement them" and then because that becomes so overwhelming, it just falls apart.”  -  Tonya Dalton   “Overwhelm is not having too much to do. It's not knowing where to start.” -  Tonya Dalton   “People get really caught up in more is more, and so often less is more.” -  Tonya Dalton   “Productivity is velocity, and that means you're moving in one direction, instead of trying to move in all the directions.” -  Tonya Dalton   “It's really important that you are always making an action plan and stopping to assess.” -  Tonya Dalton   “We need to be focused on the things that are going to have the biggest impact, and make the most strides in your business.” - Katie Hunt   “To me, success looks like harmony.” -  Tonya Dalton   “My definition of productivity is not getting more things done in less time. It really is getting the important things done.” -  Tonya Dalton   LINKS: The liveWELL method course: http://inkwellpress.com/course Podcast: http://inkwellpress.com/podcast   CONNECT: Website: http://inkwellpress.com    Instagram:  http://instagram.com/inkwellpress Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellpress Twitter: http://twitter.com/inkwellpress JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY:   Do you enjoy listening to our Podcast and learning from our guests as they discuss how they grew their businesses? Interested in learning more actionable steps that you can implement into your business? Check out our Business Camp E-Course. 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 today’s episode I’m interviewing Debbie Lee of Penelope’s Press, a letterpress print studio founded in Chicago and now based in Southern California. Debbie opened her business in 2009 selling on Etsy and doing custom wedding work, then later launched to the wholesale market. She shares her important story of how getting sick forced her to scale back in her business and gave her a newfound perspective of how she was spending her days. She talks about her struggle to say no to new opportunities, why her family is at the center of her business decisions and why she didn’t let comparison deter her from her path of slow growth.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What motivated Debbie to start letterpress printing How she balances marketing to different audiences The things that inspire Debbie when creating new products and how she comes up with new concepts Her cross-country move & how she prepared Balancing being a mom and being a business owner The importance of not letting comparison deter your growth or your priorities Making the tough decision to pull back when her stress was impacting her health, her business & her family The importance of saying no Debbie’s advice for a young entrepreneur starting a product based business How she handles the concern of copycats or people taking inspiration from her work What’s next for Penelope’s Press KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “All these things in my life have brought me to the point I'm at.” - Debbie Lee   “There's always a little backstory to every item that I sell.” - Debbie Lee   “It was really important for me to stay grounded and to know what my focus was and what my goals were for my business and for my family.” - Debbie Lee   “Everyone's businesses are different. Everyone's circumstances are different.” - Katie Hunt   “Time is not going anywhere. I have plenty of time to grow my business. There's no race. The race is with myself.” - Debbie Lee   “I think it's important to know what you can handle.” - Debbie Lee   “It doesn't define us to be busy every second. You're not better because you're busier than the next.” - Debbie Lee   “Be friendly and give back.” - Debbie Lee   “During the thick of it, when I'm tired, and I don't want to be doing this anymore and I tell my husband I'm going to shut down the business, I think why I got in the business in the first place.” - Debbie Lee   “Just because everybody's doing something doesn't mean that you need to be doing that thing too, even though it's trendy.” - Debbie Lee   “We shouldn't look at each other as competitors. We should look at each other as colleagues and leverage each other's strengths and knowledge and experiences to better what we're doing in our own business.” - Katie   “You have art that needs to get out there, and by you being scared that somebody's going to copy you, that doesn't do anything. You don't gain anything from that.” - Debbie Lee   “For those that are creating new work and trying to figure out their own unique voice and their own aesthetic, just be cautious of looking around too much and make sure that you are really trying to hone in on your unique voice instead of mimicking somebody else's work.” - Katie   CONNECT:   Website: http://www.penelopespress.com Facebook: @penelopespress Instagram: @penelopespress Pinterest: @penelopespress Twitter: @penelopespress   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Do you enjoy listening to our Podcast and learning from our guests as they discuss how they grew their businesses? Interested in learning more actionable steps that you can implement into your business? Check out our Business Camp E-Course.   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!

Adina Segal is the owner of Bunny Bear Press, a letterpress studio based in Seattle, Washington. Adina attended Tradeshow Bootcamp in the fall of 2013, prior to exhibiting at the National Stationery Show in 2014 in a shared booth with The Ladies of Letterpress.  Since then, Adina has rebranded, built out her product line and is focused on turning customers into good friends. On today’s episode, Adina is sharing the evolution of her business, including why she underwent a complete rebrand and redesigned all of her products. We also discuss shifting her focus to do one thing and to do it well and how she's keeping herself accountable by sharing her goals on her blog.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: What led Adina to start her own business How she decided upon the name “Bunny Bear Press” for her business Getting started in hand lettering and when she started incorporating it into her products The products that Bunny Bear Press offers Her decision to focus on one product on a time and do that really well before expanding into other product offerings The catalyst behind re-designing her greeting card line Adina’s inspiration behind the re-design of the Bunny Bear Press products How sharing her goals publicly and providing  status updates every month has affected her business What’s next for Bunny Bear Press KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I made a decision to just focus on one thing and do that really well. Then once that builds momentum, it'll afford me the opportunity and ability to kind of expand out into some other items, because I feel like doing all these different things, you get spread really thin.”  - Adina Segal   “I think before I was just making things to be pretty. I wasn't really making them for a specific person.” - Adina Segal   “It's like having that written history of your friendship, I think it's a beautiful thing.” - Adina Segal   “I decided to get really clear about what my goals were for the year, and not only that, break it down in such a way that I was checking back with myself, periodically every month.” - Adina Segal   “Being able to actually tally mark everything, I am being very honest with myself about how much work I did that month for trying to reach my wholesale goals.” - Adina Segal   “But I need to not let the crickets make me quit.” - Adina Segal   “The only time you lose and you fail at something is when you quit and you walk away.” - Adina Segal   “If nobody knows you, they're not going to buy from you.” - Adina Segal   CONNECT:  Website: http://bunnybearpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bunnybearpress/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bunnybearpress/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bunnybearpress/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bunnybearpress/   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Do you enjoy listening to our Podcast and learning from our guests as they discuss how they grew their businesses? Interested in learning more actionable steps that you can implement into your business? Check out our Business Camp E-Course.   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.

New York Times Best-selling author, Jon Acuff has written five books including his most recent, FINISH which focuses on goal setting and follow-through .  Jon has helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, Staples, and the Dave Ramsey Team. He’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at companies such as Microsoft, Nissan and Comedy Central.   On today’s episode we’re talking about misconceptions around productivity and goal setting, how to set yourself up for success and why it’s ok to let yourself be bad at certain things!   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The biggest misconception that people have about productivity and goal setting Jon’s career path and how he wrote five books & made the New York Times best-seller list How his life has shaped what he writes about in his books Why he wrote Finish Why Jon thinks that perfectionism kills productivity The benefits of being bad at certain things The role data and measurement play in reaching goals Jon’s thoughts on whether utilizing past data is helpful The social media platform that Jon thinks is most effective in growing your business Mapping out action steps to get to his bigger goals When do you need to plan and at what point do you just need to jump in and start things Jon’s advice to to product-based business centers who struggle with the follow-through on projects The two main forms of motivation The balance between money and passion How shame influences setting goals, reaching those goals, and running businesses Accountability and its influence on goal setting The role that luck plays in growing a business KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “I would say one of them is the myth of the huge, massive, scary goal. People say, "Aim for the moon, because even if you fail, you'll land amongst the stars," but that's not what really happens, either in research or in real life.” - Jon Acuff   “Most people grade on a pass/fail scale when it comes to goals.” - Jon Acuff   “Grow something or build something, that even if it's not wildly successful, your life is better.” - Jon Acuff   “Starting is fun, but the future belongs to finishers." - Jon Acuff   “When you go to a race, you stand at the beginning or the finish. The middle is pretty lonely. That made me want to write a book that would help somebody get through the middle.” - Jon Acuff   “Every book I've ever written hasn't been perfect. I like to say it this way. Amazon has never sold a perfect book. They have just sold millions of books by brave, imperfect people.” - Jon Acuff   “The longer you wait to get something perfect, you're going to miss your window of opportunity.” - Katie Hunt   “Perfect to me means you're not trying hard enough and you're not doing new things.” - Jon Acuff   “You have a choice, shame or strategy. Shame says I should be able to get it all done and then when you can't, you feel ashamed. Strategy says, these three things, I'm not even going to care about them.” - Jon Acuff   “What I like about data is, data tells the truth. Data is not swayed by emotion.” - Jon Acuff   “If you're a small business, there's actions you can do every day, even as you plan.” - Jon Acuff   “Almost every business I work with undercharges. Especially if it's a small business.” - Jon Acuff   “The balance is, you don't get to do the passion very long if the profit isn't there.” - Jon Acuff   “The problem is, a lot of us have trouble starting goals because we've lied to ourselves so many times that we don't even believe it.”  - Jon Acuff   “We're not supposed to do this alone. Running a business is a very isolating experience”. - Jon Acuff   CONNECT:   Buy Finish:  http://amzn.to/2jpW7XZ   Jon’s Website: https://acuff.me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjonacuff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonacuff/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jonacuff/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonacuff   You can purchase Jon's Books on Amazon using the links below: Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck Quitters: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Do you enjoy listening to our Podcast and learning from our guests as they discuss how they grew their businesses? Interested in learning more actionable steps that you can implement into your business? Check out our Business Camp E-Course.   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.

Katie Hunt, founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp takes a minute to thank the TSBC speakers who have helped shape Tradeshow Bootcamp into what it is today.

Emma James and Bailey Rivera are the owners of Antiquaria. These savvy business women have made some big transitions in their business over the last 7 years. They started selling vintage pieces, hand calligraphic work and now focus their product line on stationery products such as gift wrap, notebooks and greeting cards.   They attended our Paper Camp E-Course in 2013 prior to launching wholesale.  Their products are currently carried in Anthropologie, BHLDN, Paper Source, Terrain and independent boutiques internationally. On today’s episode, they’ll tell their story of starting the business, talk about how pivoting at different points strengthened their business model and how prioritizing their personal happiness has enabled them to grow too. They also shared nuggets about what inspires them when creating new products as well as logistics for how they determine which product categories to tackle next.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: How Emma & Bailey first met The history of Antiquaria and the pivots they have made in their product offerings What inspires you when you're developing new artwork and new products Emma & Bailey’s thoughts on how much inventory to order & how much they keep on hand The importance of knowing your numbers and ensuring you maintain your profit margins How Emma & Bailey share the responsibilities of Antiquaria from different cities Working through transitional periods together How they make their packaging stand out while also still being conservative with production costs How they define success in their business What’s next for Antiquaria KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Bailey and I are really good at knowing when to make changes and not being scared to do it.” - Emma James   “The cost of expanding, adding a new product, is super expensive, so we try to be smart and conservative about where we expand” - Emma James   “It's okay to start small. And as your business grows and you start to hone in on your numbers, and you start to see what your selling patterns are, that's where you want to reassess and start to increase your production amounts, your volume.” - Katie Hunt   “We're all running businesses, and therefore, we need to look at the hard costs, and we need to be paying ourselves, and we need to be thinking about things like retirement, or just scaling the business, and all of these different things that, when you're just starting out, it might feel a little overwhelming.” - Katie Hunt   “We have to make sure our margins work on every new product.” - Emma James   “When there's something that's not working for one of us, we actively work for a solution to it.” - Emma James   “How can we get all the information that's needed on there without having to pay for an additional labor or people and the labor of putting it on? That's just a graphic design challenge.” - Bailey Rivera   “If you're not making money on this, you shouldn't be selling it. It's not a viable business at that point.” - Katie Hunt   “I want to both fulfill my creative desires and create a very successful business that can continue to grow.” - Bailey Rivera   “Success for us is getting reorders and knowing that, not only buyers like our stuff, but people are going into stores and picking our products over all of the other products in that store.” - Emma James   “Success for me is having a healthy work, life balance.” - Emma James   MEET EMMA & BAILEY   Emma has a BFA from Parsons the New School for Design, The New School for Design, and worked as a trend forecaster for several years before co-founding Antiquaria. Emma loves art, design, horses and resides in Austin, Texas with her daughter, Sydney.   Bailey has a BS in Retail Merchandising from the University of Texas at Austin and was a stylist in her former life. Bailey gets teased endlessly for being the old lady of the duo she loves to knit, garden, and bake homemade bread (yum!). Bailey lives in Littleton, Colorado with her husband and two cats.   CONNECT: Website: www.shopantiquaria.com/ Facebook: @antiquaria Instagram: @antiquariadesign   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Our Paper Camp E-Course is now enrolling!  If you’d like to see your products on the shelves of your favorite retail shops or if you’re considering exhibiting at large scale wholesale shows, join us this fall for our virtual Paper Camp course.  Get more details and snag your seat here.   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, Stephanie Clarke is the founder of Dahlia Press, a boutique design and letterpress studio that offers custom design for events, as well as, a wide variety of stationery accoutrements for the retail and wholesale channels.  Stephanie participated in our Paper Camp E-Course in 2014 before selling wholesale and exhibiting at the National Stationery Show. On today’s episode, Stephanie and I are talking about how her business transitioned from a side hustle into a full time gig, how sales reps have enhanced her business and she shares her system for outsourcing packaging of her products.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Stephanie’s background as a designer in a corporate environment Starting Dahlia Press as a side hustle while she worked a corporate career The benefits of keeping a full-time job while growing Dahlia Press Current product offerings and how this has changed over the years How Tradeshow Bootcamp prepared her for NSS Working with sales reps and how they have enhanced her business The complexity of working with more sales reps as Dahlia Press has grown The importance of communication & camaraderie with your sales reps and your entire team Stephanie’s process for outsourcing packaging Starting new team members, regardless of role, in the fulfillment process to help them understand the whole process of getting product in customers’ hands Stephanie’s advice to someone wanting to start a product based business How she makes the decision to retire products What’s coming up for Dahlia Press KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Really, those six years, I don't think I've ever touched any of the money that was coming in from Dahlia Press, it just went right back into the business. Then, when I was going out on my own, I had a nice little cushion.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I love working with the reps who are out of state and areas that I just don't have a reach. They're the ones who have the relationships with the buyers, they understand the dynamics of the stores that are next door to one another and who's buying what, and how to deal with that.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I try to kind of spoil my reps. They're working hard for me. I want to make sure that they know I appreciate what they do.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I feel like that sense of communication and camaraderie is important in all relationships in business, you don't necessarily have to send them all gifts, but it's important to stay in contact.” - Katie Hunt   “Having that time to actually have those conversations [with sales reps or retailers], it helps you in your planning and determination of what you're going to be offering, and what product categories you want to go into, and how you can better serve your audience, and give them the things that they need.” - Katie Hunt   “Outsourcing your packaging is probably the simplest thing you can do.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I think everyone needs to have a good understanding of not only how the product works, and it goes together, and the whole process of getting them from A to B.” - Stephanie Clarke   “Do research as to where you fit in the market and how you can make your products unique and stand out. See what's out there and where there are holes and try to figure out how you can fill those as best as possible.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I think taking that time to figure out what your voice is and how to really stay true to that, it's important.” - Stephanie Clarke   “I think that is the benefit of having the full-time job and doing this on the side when you're starting a business, not putting the pressure on yourself to be everything all at once. You can have that time, that flexibility and that's huge.” Stephanie Clarke   "If it's not moving, and I'm sitting on a stack of those cards, and I'm not getting good feedback on them, and no one seems to be missing them, then, yeah, it's time to let it go.” - Stephanie Clarke   “Really take a good look at your line before you start your next catalog and decide like, ‘Okay, this one doesn't need to be included.’”- Stephanie Clarke   MEET STEPHANIE CLARKE:   Located in Seattle Washington, Dahlia Press is a boutique design and letterpress studio founded in 2008 by designer Stephanie Clarke. After years of providing happy couples and families with custom invitations and announcements, in the summer of 2014, Dahlia Press began a small line of greetings and social stationery in order to expand their current offerings. Today their growing line includes over 200 greetings, and incorporates a variety of stationery accoutrement such as wrapping paper, notepads and gift tags.   In addition to her stationery company, Stephanie is an accomplished commercial designer. With 15 years of design experience, Clarke has an extensive portfolio of impactful visual identities, logo strategies, interior store environment design, brand websites and digital content for several top companies in the United States, including Starbucks, ThaiFusions, ExOfficio, and Marmot among others.   CONNECT: Website: http://www.dahliapress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dahliapress/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliapress/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dahliapress/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dahliapress   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Our Paper Camp E-Course is now enrolling!  If you’d like to see your products on the shelves of your favorite retail shops or if you’re considering exhibiting at large scale wholesale shows, join us this fall for our virtual Paper Camp course.  Get more details and snag your seat here.   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.

Katie Hunt, founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp has hosted 13 live events over the last five years for Tradeshow Bootcamp and even more when she was in the corporate world. Today's mini episode focuses on four key tips for hosting live events:   1. Focus on your content first 2. Be mindful of your budget 3. Involve your audience in the planning proces 4. Set realistic goals for your event.   If you're looking for more information about how I plan Paper Camp and build live events into my business model, check out my interview with Tara Gentile on Profit Power Pursuit podcast. Look for episode 96 at www.taragentile.com/podcast

TSBC alumni, Julie Richardson started Julie Ann Art in 2008 as a side hustle and has seen great success over the last nine years.  She got her start on etsy where she’s had almost 70,000 sales to date!  Julie also sells to the wholesale market.   On today’s episode, we’re talking about building community with customers, how she handles copy cats and why she’s focused on creating products with purpose.   ON TODAY’S EPISODE: The start of Julie Ann Art as a side hustle while she worked a corporate career The catalyst for Julie Ann Art becoming a full-time job Julie’s decision to start wholesaling & what caused her to go in that direction The benefits of craft shows Her inspiration for new designs & sayings for her products Making the decision to move forward on new products Dealing with people who copy her work Nurturing her online following to make them really feel a part of the Julie Ann Art brand Making the transition to outsourcing work What’s coming up for Julie Ann Art KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   "...It's a combination of doing the hard work and trying to be as strategic as we can, but there is an element of luck to it, as well.” - Katie Hunt   “Some people are like, "Ugh, craft shows are so much work," but to me, I feel like they are my bread and butter, because there's nothing like seeing a person's reaction to your product.” - Julie Richardson   “If you've seen my stuff, I go a little outside the box, and I enjoy doing that. It's a little risky, but I would rather take the risk than be the same as everything else.” - Julie Richardson   “If it's one thing that I've learned through all of this, it's that regardless of what they're doing, my business is just fine. I'm doing okay. They're not taking me down.” - Julie Richardson   “I feel like I know so many of them, people that I have never met, because of what I have shared with them and their response to it.” - Julie Richardson   “We needed to know that what we were doing had a purpose and was good for something that we're passionate about.” - Julie Richardson   MEET JULIE RICHARDSON:   Julie Richardson created Julie Ann Art in 2008 as a creative outlet on the side of a corporate 9-5 job. With her refreshingly honest take on life's occasions in greeting card form, people began to take notice. What began as a hobby organically grew to a budding business thanks to the support of a wide social media fan base. Today, Julie Ann Art products are sold internationally, and can be found in stores across the country.   CONNECT: Website: https://julieannart.com Facebook:  https://facebook.com/julieannart Instagram: https://instagram.com/julieannart Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/julieannart/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/julieannart   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Our Paper Camp E-Course is now enrolling!  If you’d like to see your products on the shelves of your favorite retail shops or if you’re considering exhibiting at large scale wholesale shows, join us this fall for our virtual Paper Camp course.  Get more details and snag your seat here.   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, Victoria Venturi is the founder of Paper Epiphanies, a paper and lifestyle brand that empowers women. Prior to being her own boss, Victoria worked in PR Marketing for really large brands such as FOX, Disney, Warner Bros., and Hilton Hotels. On today’s episode, we’re talking about balancing wholesale and retail outreach, how to build relationships with the press and the importance of honing your message and articulating the why of your business. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Victoria’s background in stand-up comedy and public relations The beginning of Paper Epiphanies The mission and vision behind Paper Epiphanies Focusing on your core audience and accepting that her products are not for everyone The value of knowing your why Paper Epiphanies business model & launching both retail and wholesale simultaneously Why it was important for Victoria to launch wholesale from the beginning The differences in marketing to wholesale clients and retail customers Creating cohesion in your brand How to approach press outreach Victoria’s best practices in following up with media contacts Call to actions for day to day life in business How Paper Epiphanies has navigated transitional times of major growth The benefit of adding rep groups slowly Victoria’s advice for up and comer entrepreneurs in the product space What’s next for Paper Epiphanies KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   "I wanna write for women and I 90% of my buyers are female, so, I don't care if I'm alienating men. Screw 'em like this is a line for women, about women." - Victoria Venturi   “I think for me the company really came full circle when I launched Kiss My Pumps, 'cause I was able to have that fun irreverent side with our greeting cards, but then also really tap into that mission, and that why for our company, which is empowering women.” - Victoria Venturi   “There’s some people that don't like our brand and that's okay because we’re not for everyone.” - Victoria Venturia Venturi   “It's really important to have an authentic voice and know why you're doing what you're doing.” - Victoria Venturi   “It doesn't have to be some huge over powering existential point, it just has to be your why. What motivates you, and what makes you unique.” - Victoria Venturi   “Every decision you make should be driving back to that same goal, or that same mission, or whatever it might be.” - Katie Hunt   “I would say that saying no to things is almost more important than saying yes, or deciding on how to say no to things is more important because every day we're inundated with opportunities but choosing, which ones are the right ones.” - Katie Hunt   “A media list with 10 people that's well thought out that has specific references to articles is way more effective than a hundred-person media list where you're just sending blank mass emails.” - Victoria Venturi   “Grow your business at your pace, with what you're comfortable with, and success is year over year growth-- doesn't matter if it's five dollars, or if it's 500% year over year growth.” - Victoria Venturi   “...each time you have one of these new projects you learn how to do it better, and it's not as scary. As you grow the things you do down the road you're gonna be amazed at yourself.” - Victoria Venturi   MEET VICTORIA VENTURI:   Victoria is the founder of Paper Epiphanies.  Prior to launching Paper Epiphanies, Victoria was a communications and marketing executive and spent more than ten years launching successful campaigns for big brands including FOX(r), American Idol, GLEE, Disney(r), Nickelodeon(r), Warner Bros.(r), Hilton Hotels and many more. Spoiler alert: she may have spent a few years dabbling in stand-up comedy on the side. In 2014, she followed a life-long dream to create a lifestyle and paper goods company. Her vision? A beautiful and feminine line of stationery and office goods that pushed the envelope and didn't need to play by the rules.  Thus, Paper Epiphanies was born! Victoria lives in Portland, OR with her husband and fur baby, Twinkie.   Paper Epiphanies is a two-time Louie Award winner, including the recipient of the coveted Rising Star Award. Paper Epiphanies can be found in more than 500 stores around the world.   CONNECT: Website: www.paperepiphanies.com Facebook: @paperepiphanies Instagram: @paperepiphanies Twitter: @paperepiphanies   JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Paper Camp is all SOLD out, but we’ll be opening up our Paper Camp E-Course in the next few weeks!  Join the waitlist online here to get all the details!   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.