Proof to Product  By  cover art

Proof to Product

By: Katie Hunt
  • Summary

  • Ranked in the top 1% of ALL podcasts, the Proof to Product podcast is your trusted resource for sustainable business growth - especially if you make and sell physical products! Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you’re building a business that supports your best life. If you’ve ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you’re a just starting out on your business journey or you’ve been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you. Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you’re in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you’ll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity. Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can’t rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals. Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she’s here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way. Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources
    ©Proof to Product & Katie Hunt
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Episodes
  • 343 | 5 Tips for Creating an Effective Wholesale Catalog with Katie Hunt
    May 21 2024

    A wholesale catalog’s purpose is to sell your products, tell your story, and build a relationship with a buyer when you can’t be there with them in person. Ultimately, the goal of your wholesale catalog is to sell your products, and it’s important to build your catalog with your retailer in mind. Today I’m going to go through five quick tips for creating an effective wholesale catalog.

    Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:

    • We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us

    • We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions

    • We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint

    • We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers.

    And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, it's only $27 bucks.

    Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

    You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/343

    Quick Links:

    Free Wholesale Audio Series

    Free Resources Library

    Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

    PTP LABS

    Paper Camp

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    13 mins
  • 342 | Replacing a 6-figure Revenue Stream with Ready-Made Products for Wholesale with Alyson O'Connor, Rust Belt Love
    May 14 2024

    Have you ever wanted to make a transition in your business, but you resisted because the thing you wanted to move away from brought in the largest chunk of revenue for your business? I have definitely been there, and so has today's podcast guest.

    Alyson O'Connor is a classically trained visual artist specializing in nature-inspired illustrations, stationery, and gifts. She runs Rust Belt Love with her husband Nick in Buffalo, New York. Alyson draws and designs, and Nick prints, often on their 100-year-old letterpresses. After closing their retail stationery during the pandemic, they launched their wholesale line of heart center greeting cards and gifts in 2021. Alyson made an even tougher decision to close the wedding arm of her business, which we'll talk about today. Rust Belt Love’s products can now be found in over 1,000 stores worldwide.

    Alyson is a Paper Camp alum and a member of my Advisory Board mastermind. She's an active member of the Greeting Card Association of America,and she's the committee chair of the industry's Louie Awards.

    Today, we're talking about how Alyson pivoted away from a 14-year career making custom wedding invitations, and how she replaced her 6-figure custom revenue stream with ready-made products sold to the wholesale market. Alyson candidly discusses the transformation of her business model in response to the challenges that the pandemic brought on, including how and why she embraced a wholesale approach. This strategic shift wasn't just about business survival, though. It was also driven by a desire to regain control over her work-life balance, especially given the demands of family life.

    Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:

    • We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us

    • We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions

    • We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint

    • We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers.

    And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, its only $27 bucks.

    Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

    You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/342

    Quick Links:

    Free Wholesale Audio Series

    Free Resources Library

    Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

    PTP LABS

    Paper Camp

    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • Bonus | State of Product Industry Survey
    May 9 2024

    We are seeking 1,000 product-based business owners who are willing to anonymously share their details for the 2024 State of the Product Industry Report: www.prooftoproduct.com/2024survey

    • The data will help you make stronger decisions in your business.
    • It will help you better understand the industry and your competition.
      It will help you identify growth opportunities.
    • The results will benefit us all.

    BUT... in order to make this report truly successful, we need you to do the following:

    1. Fill out the State of Product Industry survey at prooftoproduct.com/2024survey
    2. Share the survey link with your product peers.

    In exchange for your participation, we’ll share the report with you when it is ready. All physical product-based business owners are invited to apply. No brand is too big or too small.

    We want to hear from people making a wide range of products and in various stages of business.

    Thanks in advance for your participation and for sharing this opportunity with your product peers!

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    4 mins

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