Proof to Product

Today's episode is a look at what is going on with independent retail shops right now. 

I sat down with my friend Jen from Tiny Turns Paperie. She's one of our Paper Camp speakers and a longtime advocate for small businesses.

We talk honestly about some of the hardships that shop owners have been facing during 2025: everything from operational curveballs to tariffs and other things that have i...

Today, I'm sharing a case study and an analysis that I originally shared with our LABS members. 

The reason I'm doing this is, one of the most valuable things that we can do as a product-based business owner is look outside of our industry for inspiration, ideas, and new ways of thinking about our own business. 

When we study how other industries structure their revenue models, how they build ...

On today's episode, we are digging into the financial side of running a creative product business and I've invited someone that I deeply trust with both my personal and business finances. 

It's Mary Beth Storjohann from Allora Wealth. Mary Beth and I have worked together since 2016 and she has guided my husband and I through everything from financial planning for the family to long-term business strategy. 

I know you are deep in preparation for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Q4 holiday sales season. So I want to make this a real quick episode, but I want to make it tactical and actionable for you. 

I want to talk about setting your holiday shipping deadline and where you should be updating your website to reflect the shipping deadlines. This is something we're talking about in depth in our LABS program.

One of the things we've been talking about in our LABS program is Q4 sales strategies because we are heading into the holiday season which as you know, is one of the busiest times of year for product-based business owners. 

Today, I want to talk about one really powerful marketing strategy that often gets overlooked, but it's a good way to help drive sales for Q4. 

That strategy is being your ...

Friends, you know that I am all about simplifying and systematizing your business, but I'm also about taking risks and experimenting within your business.

When we run these experiments, sometimes we have to adjust our thinking and our normal processes to make it happen. 

That's what we're talking about today: taking risks, experimenting, and releasing a new product category during an off-cycle...

Today, we're talking about getting your website ready for the biggest sales season of the year Q4.

I know this time of year can feel super hectic. Between prepping for holiday markets and promotions, fulfilling orders, and managing inventory, the last thing you want to do is lose sales because of a preventable website issue or overlooking something that you hadn't really been paying attention to. So today,...

According to Experian, Black Friday 2025 spending in the US is predicted to reach over $12 billion in online sales alone, and global spending is forecasted to be between $80 and $82 billion. 

That's a lot of money. 

Despite consumer caution and economic pressures here in the United States, this represents an 8 to 10% increase over last year. 2024's Black Friday buying season totaled almost $11...

I'm going to give a little tough love: some of you are new to selling wholesale, and it shows. I am seeing a lot of people using direct-to-consumer strategies when they're launching their wholesale program and then feeling frustrated when the orders don't come in.

Here's the thing: it's not your products that aren't a great fit for them, and you're not doing anything wrong. 

It's that wholesal...

I don't know about you, but I do a lot of my best thinking in the shower, in the car as I'm driving kids around, or doing pickups and drop-offs. 

I've got these little breaks between taking kids to different places, and that's actually where I do a lot of my coaching with my Advisory Board clients. We're talking back and forth on Voxer, they're dropping questions in my phone, and I'm responding back. 

If you are anything like my clients in LABS, you may be wondering, how do I plan for the future when the world feels upside down? More importantly, what should I be focusing on next? 

Today, I'm sharing a short clip from one of our recent coaching calls inside of our LABS Community. LABS is the space where product-based business owners come together to get clarity, build connections, and practical strategi...

I am recording this episode the same week that we are running week three of Paper Camp, which is our marketing week.

Marketing week is where we talk to buyers about their buying preferences, how they like to be pitched, how much follow-up is too much, etc. 

I often see a lot of our students, and even non-students, struggling with this concept of "I'm putting myself out there and I'm not hearin...

Do you struggle with the idea of selling your products? 

I am hearing from a lot of creative entrepreneurs who are telling me that they feel uncomfortable with in-person sales. They're worried about how they'll be perceived. They don't want to be seen as pushy or overbearing by their customers. 

I'm hearing this with online sales too, but it's particularly heightened right now with in-person s...

Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 400 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast.

There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in.

Today's episode is a look back at an interview I did with Paper Camp alum Ashley Sutton of Hustle and Hope on the topic of grants. A lot of grants for small businesses are due during the f...

Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 400 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast.

There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in.

Today's episode is a look back at one of our most downloaded episodes, discussing how to utilize abandoned cart email automations to drive more sales. 

The holidays are coming up, and it's...

Hey, friend. I'm pulling an amazing episode from the archives with over 400 episodes here on the Proof to Product podcast.

There is a gold mine of information for you to help you grow your business, and, frankly, it can be hard to take it all in.

Today's episode is a look back at guest Sally Diguette, a home and lifestyle buyer with Anthropologie.

Pitching large retailers is a com...

Have you been thinking about joining us for Paper Camp, but aren't sure if this program is a good fit for you? 

Or maybe you're a new listener of the podcast, and you're thinking, what the heck is this Paper Camp program that I keep talking about? This episode is for you. 

I'm answering the top questions that we get asked about our wholesale program to help you decide if it's the right fit for...

I'm back again today to share interviews from our Paper Camp alumni who exhibited at Shoppe Object. On Tuesday, I shared my conversations with our alumni who are exhibiting in NY Now. 

Today, we're focusing on the exhibitors that were at Shoppe Object. This is a wholesale trade show that was happening in New York City this past week, and I spoke with:

I am back from a whirlwind trip to New York City where over 40 of our Paper Camp alumni were exhibiting at Shoppe Object and NY Now. These were two independent wholesale trade shows that happened to be taking place in New York over the same days. I was able to navigate between both shows and meet with a lot of our different alumni. It was such a treat to visit with everyone and to see all their gorgeous new products on...