Proof To Product

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/006 Katie Wilson is the owner of The Good Twin, a stationery company known for its playful illustrations and hand-rendered type.  Katie’s story is a unique one in that The Good Twin is her second successful business in the stationery industry. On today's episode, Katie and I will talk about the pros and cons of being ahead of trends, the importance of slow sustainable growth and why we should never ever compare ourselves to other people's businesses.     ON TODAY’S EPISODE: [01:00] Katie’s story & how she started The Good Twin. [04:30] Reflecting on brands that came before her in the stationery industry.[06:30] Getting back to the night time hustle of designing.[09:30] Winning the Paper Camp scholarship.[11:00] Exhibiting at NSS was a big scary unknown, lots to learn.[13:30] Katie’s inspiration when she’s creating new products[16:30] Being on the front end of a trend, the pros and cons[21:30] Finding manufac

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/005 Sara McNally is the owner of Constellation & Co., a letterpress studio and retail shop based in Seattle.  She attended Paper Camp in 2013 prior to jumping into wholesale and doing her first trade show.  On today’s episode Sara talks about juggling a manufacturing business and retail shop, utilizing interns and falling in love with letterpress.     ON TODAY’S EPISODE: [01:00] From design school to Constellation & Co. [04:30] Falling in love with letterpress and following a dream.[06:30] Jumping into wholesale, moving away from custom work.[09:30] Product development & adding new product categories.[12:30] How running a retail shop has changed the way she manufactures products[16:00] Starting the Constellation & Co retail shop[20:00] Managing a manufacturing business & retail shop in tandem[22:00] Roles & responsibilities of the Constellation & Co staff.[23:30] Hiring for family hel

For full show notes and access to additional resources for this episode, visit: prooftoproduct.com/004 Kristen Ley is the sole owner and founder of Thimblepress, a lifestyle brand that focuses on creating products and experiences that make you smile and want to celebrate life's moments, big and small. Kristen created Thimblepress out of her garage in 2012 and the company has seen tremendous growth since then. She now has a team of 15 full-time and part time employees and the company occupies 7000 square feet that includes 2 brick and mortar retail locations. Kristen’s products are now sold in over 1500 retail stores internationally and she continuing to work with brands to create unique collaboration and partnership opportunities!  Kristen attended Tradeshow Bootcamp in 2013, prior to launching to the wholesale market.  On today’s episode we’re talking about hiring from within, fostering a team environment, things to consider when entering professional partnerships and how she fell into business backwards.  

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

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] Gett

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 i

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