Proof to Product

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/003 Lindsay Henry, the founder and creative director of Inklings Paperie opened up shop in 2011 via Etsy and launched the wholesale market in 2015. Her paper products and party goods can now be found in more than 200 retail shops, including Target, Paper Source, and Anthropologie. On this episode we'll talk about creating excellent client experience, slow but thoughtful growth, and why both of us need to make more time for self-care. ON TODAY'S EPISODE: [01:30] Inklings Paperie story moving from custom work to wholesale[06:40] Utilizing customer feedback when creating new products for retail[08:00] Benefits of spending time with wholesale customers[09:00] Working with big box stores[10:45] Hiring help to package orders & scale her business [12:40] Finding staff in unexpected places[14:00] Why Lindsay waited a year from attending her first show to exhibiting for the first time [15:20] LIndsay's definition of success [16:40] Setting boundaries while having a home-based business[17:30] Prioritizing self-care and realizing it is a work in progress.[19:20] Two pieces of advice Lindsay would tell herself if she was just starting out again [20:00] Focusing on customer experience resulted in over 8,000 five-star reviews on Etsy.[21:40] Nurturing wholesale customers [22:35] What's next for Lindsay and Inklings Paperie KEY TAKE-AWAYS: "Having a great product is just the beginning. Making your customer experience exceptional will set you and your business apart." - Lindsay Henry "Gauge the market and see where you fit in" - Katie Hunt "Build a brand that people can believe in and stand behind." - Lindsay Henry "We look at every order not just as a transaction but as someone who is inviting us to be a part of their life events." - Lindsay Henry "Keep the big picture in mind." - LIndsay Henry LINKS: The National Stationery Show The Louie Awards Love Marks by Kevin Roberts *some links may be affiliate links MEET LINDSAY HENRY: Lindsay Henry is the Founder and Creative Director at Inklings Paperie, a stationery and lifestyle brand based in Canton, Michigan. Lindsay worked as a freelance designer and brand strategist for non-profit organizations and global brands until she launched Inklings in 2011, opening up a little shop on Etsy. In 2016, Inklings made its NSS debut and was recognized by the Greeting Card Association with a Louie Award and the 2016 Consumers' Choice Award. Inklings products are now carried by nearly 200 retailers internationally including Target, Paper Source and Anthropologie. Website: inklingspaperie.com Facebook: @inklingspaperie Instagram: @inklingspaperie Twitter: @inklingspaperie JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Interested in learning more about launching or refining a wholesale line or exhibiting at trade shows? Join us for our Paper Camp conference this September in Los Angeles. Get more details and register at www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by me, 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.

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/002 Sam Kramer, the head boss lady at Near Modern Disaster got her start in business in 2009 and amped things up in 2014 when she began selling wholesale, did her first trade show and she expanded her product line into greeting cards, mugs, notepads and enamel pins. On today's episode, Sam talks about her process for developing new products, the importance of releasing new products regularly and how working with sales reps has helped her scale her business. Sam attended Tradeshow Bootcamp's Paper Camp in 2013 prior to launching her wholesale program. ON TODAY'S EPISODE: [01:30] Near Modern Disaster's story[03:00] Treating your business like a business[05:00] Realizing help was out there. She didn't have to grow this business alone.[07:00] Inspiration, design process & product development.[13:00] Expanding into new product categories.[16:30] Working with sales reps & building a partnership.[22:00] Getting on a regular release schedule.[24:30] Moving her business to a different state & how she prepped.[28:00] Near Modern Disaster in Buzzfeed.[31:30] What's next for Near Modern Disaster KEY TAKE-AWAYS: "I realized there were resources to help me. I didn't have to try and create this business by myself without help." - Sam Kramer On product development: "you need to look at the numbers and make sure the margins are here." -Katie Hunt "I've been scared to hire because that requires trusting others and delegating" - Sam Kramer "You need to have your house in order before you start reaching out to reps." - Katie Hunt "You need to keep things fresh for the buyers" - Sam Kramer LINKS: Paper Camp Near Modern Disaster Papillion Press Fig. 2 Design Buzzfeed MEET SAM KRAMER: Near Modern Disaster is a one-lady operation fronted by Sam Kramer. Sam has been working under the name since 1999 - and Near Modern Disaster has gone through many incarnations over the years. (It was a killer Geocities page back in the day.) Its current (and most memorable) form as a line of greeting cards has been around since January of 2009 when Sam posted her first Valentine's Day cards on Etsy. She initially touted the line as "cards for people you want to make out with" a sentiment that still stands. Though 2009 was the initial start for the stationery line, it was more of a hobby than a business until 2014 - the year Near Modern Disaster debuted at the National Stationery Show in NYC. AKA the year shit got real. Since 2014, Near Modern Disaster has grown from a line of greeting cards to a small gift line - adding different items over the years like notepads, coffee mugs, and enamel pins. You can now find Near Modern Disaster products in about 250 stores nationwide - and a dozen or so stores across Canada. Website: nearmoderndisaster.com Facebook: @moderndisaster Instagram: @moderndisaster Twitter: @moderndisaster JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Interested in learning more about launching or refining a wholesale line or exhibiting at trade shows? Join us for our Paper Camp conference this September in Los Angeles. Get more details and register at www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by me, 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.

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/001 Jen Pham-Corbett and Lisa Towns, the founders of Farewell Paperie attended Tradeshow Bootcamp's very first Paper Camp conference in 2012, when it was just a handful of us sitting around on the living room floor of a bed and breakfast, and since then, they've had a ton of growth in their business. They've exhibited shows, expanded their product line. They've hired a team, and they've worked with sales reps. They've also been TSBC speakers for the last few years. These ladies are super smart business women and fantastic mentors to others in the creative field. ON TODAY'S EPISODE: [01:30] Farewell Paperie's story[05:00] Moving from custom work to off the shelf products[06:30] Launching to wholesale & reaching out to retailers[10:30] Exhibiting at their first trade show, SF Gift[11:30] Taking risks in business. When to jump and when to get to work[13:30] Product development strategies and deciding which ideas to move forward. Missteps made in the process.[19:30] Expanding beyond paper products into party ware.[23:30] Organic growth and creating a cohesive line.[24:30] Tips for managing a team & how Jen & Lisa knew it was time to hire.[31:00] Employee manuals & team systems.[35:30] Benefits of having a business partner, leveraging each other's strengths & splitting responsibilities.[47:00] Exit strategies, legalities & business formation[50:00] Diversifying revenue streams KEY TAKE-AWAYS: "Jump in feet first, not head first." - Lisa Towns On product development consider "is this the right price point that we can sell this, do we have the margins that we need, how much inventory can we handle" - Lisa Towns "There's so much hesitation and fear of failure, that people hold themselves back." - Jen Pham-Corbett "When you delegate parts of your business, it opens up things that can provide a much bigger return for the business." - Jen Pham-Corbett "At the end of the day, each of our products passes through three or four sets of hands and we have to pay every single one of those sets of hands to do that, so we have to factor that into the costs. Looking at it that way has changed the way we develop our product completely." - Jen Pham-Corbett "Sometimes there's stuff that we love to do and we totally want to do it but we just can't do it because we can't make the margins on it." - Jen Pham-Corbett "We probably should have hired a long time before we did, but we resisted because we thought about how we can afford to bring someone on? - Jen Pham-Corbett On business partnerships: "You have to want the same goals and you have to want the same things for your brand." - Jen Pham-Corbett LINKS: Paper Camp National Stationery Show Farewell Paperie's retail shop Asana for proect management Google Sites for operations manuals MEET JEN & LISA: Farewell Paperie is a letterpress and design studio in sunny Seattle, Washington. Since 2009, Lisa G. Towns and Jen Pham-Corbett have been serving up letterpress paper and entertainment goods with their signature smart snark style a little sassy and a lot of truth. Every design is meant to be a souvenir from life's little inside jokes. On our fleet of antique printing presses, including a 1905 Chandler & Price named Bill, and two Heidelberg Windmills named Helga and Blanche, the Farewell Paperie team puts handmade love into pops of colorful typography and friendly messaging that feels like you're saying it in person. The Farewell Paperie line is carried in over 700 retailers internationally, including Paper Source, Papyrus, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Powell's Books and more. Website: www.farewellpaperie.com Facebook: farewellpaperie Instagram: @farewellpaperie Pinterest: farewellpaperie Twitter: @farewellpaperie JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY: Interested in learning more about launching or refining a wholesale line or exhibiting at trade shows? Join us for our Paper Camp conference this September in Los Angeles. Get more details and register at www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by me, 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.

Proof to Product is a Podcast taking you behind the scenes of product-based businesses that have built their brand from small online shops to selling through huge retailers and international boutiques like Target and Paper Source. Each week, business owners and industry experts share their struggles and successes as they've made difficult but critical transitions to grow their companies. You'll gather inspiration, discover new resources, and learn new ways of scaling your business. Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by founder, Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses by helping them up-level, scale and build profitable, sustainable companies. Find show notes and additional resources at prooftoproduct.com