Proof to Product

Katie Hunt
  • 4.9 (286)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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

  1. 433 | How to Navigate the Seasonality of Retail with Angie Chua, bobo design studio

    7H AGO

    433 | How to Navigate the Seasonality of Retail with Angie Chua, bobo design studio

    Hiring can feel like a huge big leap. It's expensive. It's vulnerable to let other people into your business. And if you've been doing everything yourself, it can also feel maybe unnecessary.  But what if building a team isn't a risk? It's actually a smart move for stabilizing and scaling your business. That's what we're digging into today with Angie Chua of bobo design studio and bobo Palm Springs. You may remember Angie from episode 426 where we talked about what's happening with Amazon right now using AI to scrape websites. Today's conversation is more personal. We're talking about her evolution from the digital advertising world to building a travel-inspired stationery brand and a thriving brick-and-mortar shop in Palm Springs.  Angie shares what it was really like growing her business, the missteps, the hiring decisions, the moments of doubt that we all kind of face, and also the shifts that helped her step into true leadership.  We talk about what happens when you hire your first employee, what it takes to let go of control, the reality of outsourcing to agency, and what that looked like for Angie, including what worked and what didn't, and why having a solid bookkeeper isn't optional if you want to scale a product-based business sustainably.  She also opened up about her commitment to supporting artists from marginalized communities, how she navigates the seasonality of retail in Palm Springs, and what it looks like to practice self-compassion while growing a business. This is a grounded, honest conversation about growth, not a highlight reel, but the real version. Today's episode is brought to you by Digital Lizard, a sponsor of our Paper Camp program, which kicks off this week.  Digital Lizard is a full-service marketing and print partner offering digital and offset printing, sourcing, procurement, and logistics. Our Paper Camp and LABS students get access to a private Proof to Product print portal.  In that portal, you'll get discounted rates and a dedicated sales rep who supports project management from start to finish.  Also, Digital Lizard tends to turn stuff around same day or or next day. Many of our community members use Digital Lizard for product printing, packaging, catalogs, and marketing materials. They offer low minimum quantities and fast turnaround times, which matters when you're managing inventory and cash flow. If you're looking for a reliable print partner, you can learn more about their capabilities at digitallizard.com. You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/433  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    31 min
  2. 432 | From 75 to 400+ Wholesale Accounts in 3 Years, Case Study with Ashleigh Evans, InBooze

    5D AGO

    432 | From 75 to 400+ Wholesale Accounts in 3 Years, Case Study with Ashleigh Evans, InBooze

    Today, I want to share one last case study with you featuring one of our Paper Camp alums, Ashleigh Evans of InBooze. I hope you've enjoyed this series. If you haven't listened, check out the last 3 great stories of founders in our community doing really cool things, links to those below. What I love about this is showcasing how each has done it in their own way and at their own pace. Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program which is now open for enrollment. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit. Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.  Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions.  SIGN UP FOR PAPER CAMP NOW LINKS MENTION IN THIS EPISODE: Ashleigh's website | Follow on Instagram  297 | Building a Handmade Food & Beverage Brand with Ashleigh Evans, InBooze 429 | Fix the Wholesale Foundation Before You Scale, Case Study with Zeba Parkar, Treleaf 430 | From One-Off Orders to Predictable Wholesale Sales, Case Study with Taylor Carroll, The Stray Shop 431 | Growing Wholesale Orders by 400% in Just 5 Months, Case Study with Brianna Reagan, Brianna Reagan Creates You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/432  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    7 min
  3. 431 | Growing Wholesale Orders by 400% in Just 5 Months, Case Study with Brianna Reagan, Brianna Reagan Creates

    FEB 17

    431 | Growing Wholesale Orders by 400% in Just 5 Months, Case Study with Brianna Reagan, Brianna Reagan Creates

    Today I'm sharing another Paper Camp case study, and I'm especially excited about this one because it is from a recent Paper Camp student. Brianna Reagan of Brianna Reagan Creates just went through Paper Camp in August of 2025, so it's only been about 6 months since she's participated in our program, and she has seen some incredible results. She took what she learned, put it into action, and she is thriving. Can't wait for you to tune in. Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program which is now open for enrollment. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit. Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.  Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions.  SIGN UP FOR PAPER CAMP NOW You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/431  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    8 min
  4. 430 | From One-Off Orders to Predictable Wholesale Sales, Case Study with Taylor Carroll, The Stray Shop

    FEB 12

    430 | From One-Off Orders to Predictable Wholesale Sales, Case Study with Taylor Carroll, The Stray Shop

    I'm back sharing another case study with you featuring one of our Paper Camp alum, Taylor Carroll of The Stray Shop. Before we dive in, I wanted to remind you about the free workshop that I'm hosting on February 18th at 10:30am Pacific Time. This wholesale buying season has been really eye-opening.  I've been in this industry for 17 years and I've worked with tens of thousands of brands. I've seen a lot of the same patterns show up again and again. Usually, these patterns tie to missed opportunities, outdated strategies or even small changes that we can make to enhance our sales. In this free workshop, I'm going to talk about how you can land consistent wholesale orders without over-relying on Faire without using bad wholesale pitches or discounting.  I'm going to share strategies, templates, you name it, and we're going to answer your questions live. I'm also going to tell you about our upcoming Paper Camp program which we will be opening for enrollment soon!  You can RSVP for this free workshop at http://prooftoproduct.com/RSVP  LINKS MENTION IN THIS EPISODE: Taylor's website | Follow on Instagram You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/430  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    6 min
  5. 429 | Fix the Wholesale Foundation Before You Scale, Case Study with Zeba Parkar, Treleaf

    FEB 10

    429 | Fix the Wholesale Foundation Before You Scale, Case Study with Zeba Parkar, Treleaf

    Today I want to share a case study with you featuring one of our Paper Camp alum, Zeba Parkar of Treleaf.  Before we dive in, I wanted to tell you about a free workshop that I'm hosting on February 18th at 10:30am Pacific Time. This wholesale buying season has been really eye-opening.  I've been in this industry for 17 years and I've worked with tens of thousands of brands. I've seen a lot of the same patterns show up again and again. Usually, these patterns tie to missed opportunities, outdated strategies or even small changes that we can make to enhance our sales. I will also say the market is changing. Things are happening in the economy and in the world, and that's affecting sales and we can't be using the same playbook.  In this free workshop, I'm going to talk about how you can land consistent wholesale orders without over-relying on Faire without using bad wholesale pitches or discounting.  I'm going to show you what you should be doing and how you can optimize.  I'm also going to tell you about our upcoming Paper Camp program which we will be opening for enrollment soon!  You can RSVP for this free workshop at http://prooftoproduct.com/RSVP  LINKS MENTION IN THIS EPISODE: Zeba's website | Follow on Instagram  320 | The Challenges Of Bringing A New Product To Life With with Zeba Parkar, Treleaf 388 | Leveraging Funding to Expand Your Business with Zeba Parkar, Treleaf You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/429  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    7 min
  6. 428 | How She Added 200 New Stores in 2.5 Years with Lesa Muehlstein, Birdie Mae Designs

    FEB 3

    428 | How She Added 200 New Stores in 2.5 Years with Lesa Muehlstein, Birdie Mae Designs

    Our Paper Camp alumni are doing incredible things and growing their wholesale businesses in a very intentional and meaningful way. Today's guest is Lesa Muehlstein from Birdie Mae Designs, and she is no exception.  I've been keeping tabs on Lesa's progress ever since she attended Paper Camp in early 2022.  Lesa added 200 new stores within 2.5 years of attending Paper Camp, and as she will share today, that number is even higher now.  Lesa came to Paper Camp in early 2022 and before our 4 weeks were up, she had secured 5 new stores, bringing her total count to 15. During that time, she also raised her prices and refined her sales system. August 2023, she messaged me to say that she was now in 100 stores and that her brand had been featured in a national magazine in August 2024. Just one year later, she shared that she was in 200 stores! This growth did not happen overnight and it was not without its challenges, but it is worth celebrating Lesa's successes every step of the way. On today's episode, Lesa shares her startup story and we talk about inventory and product challenges, particularly balancing how much inventory to order when space and cash flow are constraints. She shares what sales data she's tracking and how she uses that data to make decisions in her business, including what to discontinue or what to buy more of.  We also talked about the benefits of wholesale, specifically how we can systematize the sales, production, and fulfillment of wholesale orders in a way that makes the business work around personal responsibilities. Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit. Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.  Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you'll get early access to enroll. SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/428  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    34 min
  7. 427 | Nurturing Relationships with Key Accounts & Independent Retailers with Kate Murray, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress

    JAN 27

    427 | Nurturing Relationships with Key Accounts & Independent Retailers with Kate Murray, Quick Brown Fox Letterpress

    One of my favorite things to do is to shout out our student wins and community wins from the rooftops. And part of that is also bringing people back to share their story.  Today's episode is with my friend Kate Murray of Quick Brown Fox Letterpress. She is back on the podcast to share where she's at now and all the new things that are happening in her business. Last time Kate and I talked here publicly was August of 2020, which feels like a lifetime ago. As we all know, business can significantly shift in five years and a lot has changed for Kate.  She opened her own retail store and she's got a new leadership role with the Greeting Card Association.  In our conversation today, Kate shares her journey of launching a storefront, how she balances wholesale and retail operations, and the innovative ways that she's nurturing relationships with both key accounts and independent retailers.  She shares about some exciting wholesale collabs she's doing in the next year and the importance of patience for these types of collaborations to actually come to fruition. Sometimes it's really about playing the long game with wholesale, which I know can be frustrating at times, but it is a really important reminder to us that good things do take time to develop. Today's episode is brought to you by our Paper Camp program. Paper Camp is our wholesale coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know to build strong wholesale foundations. Over the course of 4 weeks, we tackle your product line, sales tools, and marketing plan, and we even talk about how to exhibit at trade shows if that's what you want to do. We start with your product line and go into everything from how often you should be releasing new products to ensuring that your numbers are sustainable for the wholesale market and their price for profit. Then we move into sales tools you must have for selling wholesale so you make a strong first impression with buyers like catalogs and your terms and conditions. Then, we cover marketing strategies and ways to reach various store owners.  Each week's teachings build on the previous week, and we host weekly live engaging coaching calls to answer all of your questions. We will open enrollment for our next round of Paper Camp soon, and we sell this program out every time we run it. Join the wait list and you'll get early access to enroll. SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/427  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    30 min
  8. 426 | Amazon is Listing Brands' Products Without Consent, Angie Chua, bobo design studio

    JAN 20

    426 | Amazon is Listing Brands' Products Without Consent, Angie Chua, bobo design studio

    You may have seen on social media that Amazon recently scrapped dozens of small business e-commerce websites and added people's products to the Amazon Buy for Me platform. This is a new platform that Amazon rolled out and they did this without consent from the brands.  Now, as you can imagine, this has created a lot of outrage from small businesses that sell online and who intentionally chose not to sell on Amazon. To find your products listed on Amazon when you did not choose to do so, that's a lot to swallow, right?  But it also creates a lot of logistical headaches. So as an example, items were listed on Amazon with incorrect photos or product descriptions. Discontinued or no longer in stock items were listed and many brands did not even know that their products had been added to Amazon until they heard about it on social media and searched for their brand.  My guest today is Angie Chua of bobo designs. Angie has been vocal on social media, sharing information and the steps that she's taken to protect her products and brand. This is a developing story, but Angie shares what she's learned, the steps she has taken to remove her products from Amazon and we talk about why this is bad for small businesses.  There's a lot of folks out there that are thinking, isn't this great visibility for small business? And the answer is, no, it's not.  If you are looking for a community of folks who are talking about current events that affect product businesses in real time, come join us in LABS. We have trainings, templates,  coaching calls and all the things, but we also share solutions for real time issues and we also celebrate real time wins. So if you're looking for that kind of community, join us! REQUEST YOUR INVITATION You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/426  Quick Links: Google Form for if your catalog was on Amazon without your consent Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp

    28 min
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4.9
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Katie Hunt
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    512
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©Proof to Product & Katie Hunt
  • Show Website
    Proof to Product

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