Proof to Product Katie Hunt

If you work with independent contractors in your business, you will want to listen closely to this podcast episode. In March 2024, the US Department of Labor issued new stricter guidelines regarding independent contractor workers. 
Today's guest is HR consultant and expert, Kira La Forgia of Paradigm Consulting. She is breaking it all down for us so we avoid penalties and audits. 
We talk about new changes, how they affect you, and how to protect yourself if you currently have team members who may be misclassified. 
You may remember Kira from episode 238 where we talked about how to build your dream team. If you do not yet have a support team in your business, I would start with that episode and then come back and listen to this one next.
Kira has a Future-Proof Your Team workshop that you can get $50 off of if you sign up via our link.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Deciding What to Delegate free workshop. As busy entrepreneurs, one of our biggest challenges is knowing where to dedicate our time and energy. We’re usually so busy doing the work in our business that we have a tough time identifying what we can hand off to someone else. This on-demand free workshop will provide you with 3 simple steps so that you can identify what projects to outsource so that you can stop being the bottleneck in your business.
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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/339 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
 

If you have ever considered exiting your business or even acquiring another person's business, today's podcast episode is for you. My guests today are two of my clients and also friends: Meghan Hopkins Sokorai of And Here We Are, and Kiwi Schloffel of Your Gal Kiwi. 
Last year, Kiwi made the decision that she wanted to exit her product-based business and specifically exit the day-to-day operations of manufacturing. During this episode, these ladies share their individual and collective stories about how the Your Gal Kiwi brand is now under the umbrella of And Here We Are. They'll share how this collaboration came to be, considerations and questions they both had as they structured this deal, and what it means for both brands moving forward.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product resource library. It’s where you can get your hands on our free resources to help you start, streamline and scale your business in your own way and at your own pace.  
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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/338 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
 

One of the things that sets Proof to Product apart from other people teaching about wholesale is the breadth and depth of not only my personal knowledge but also the fact that we bring in a variety of other perspectives from buyers to sales reps to consultants and manufacturers. 
This wide lens allows us to share best practices and current trends that we're seeing in the market currently. We're not sharing one narrow viewpoint about how to sell wholesale. We have amassed decades of knowledge through the collaborations and inclusivity that we foster in our community, supporting thousands of product-based industry leaders. 
This week’s episode is an example of that. Our guest today is Kimberley Yurkiewicz, a 25-year veteran in the stationery industry. She has expertise from a variety of perspectives as a retailer and buyer, as a sales rep, as a manufacturer, and as a Paper Camp speaker. She's also been a previous guest on this podcast.
She was on episode 9 of Proof to Product way back in 2017, and that is still one of our most popular episodes to date. You can go back and listen if you want to hear why wholesale catalogs are an important sales tool. 
Kimberley and her husband, Zach currently own Measure Twice, a paper and gift shop in Brooklyn, which was highlighted as one of New York City's best in New York Magazine last year. Kimberley has long been a proponent of an old-school approach to small business, cheerleading for brick and mortar, and making the effort to steer clear of Amazon. She also thinks it's okay, even essential, to include politics in your business plan. 
On today's episode, Kimberley is sharing the challenges she faced having owned and operated 3 brick and mortar retail shops through challenging times, why she chooses not to use fair when making wholesale purchases, and her preferences for how she likes to be pitched by wholesale brands.
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/337 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
 

Did you know that almost 70% of shoppers abandon their online shopping carts and don't follow through with a sale? 
That means that only 3 out of 10 of your customers who go to your website and load up their shopping cart complete their purchase. The same report from Baymard Institute said that more than $18,000,000,000 in e-commerce sales are lost annually due to abandoned carts.
That is a whole lot of money. And yet, only some independent product brands are utilizing abandoned cart follow-up emails to recapture some of these sales. 
On today's episode, I'm answering a question from our recent round of Paper Camp regarding abandoned cart email automations. If you have ever shied away from sending out these emails, you are going to want to listen to this one and rethink your strategy.
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/336 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
 

Our focus here at Proof to Product is teaching people how to successfully sell their products to the wholesale market. But many of our community members sell through multiple sales channels, including licensing, custom work, direct-to-consumer online sales, and in-person retail markets. 
For today's episode, we're sharing a portion of a recent coffee chat that we hosted inside our LABS program. It was a roundtable on in-person retail markets, and we had 3 of our community members weighing in with their experiences and insights. 
Today, you'll hear from Emily Chiang of Emii Creations, Danella McKinnon from McKinnon Collective, and Kate Pinto from Bean Horse Car Designs. They are sharing their thoughts surrounding the changing landscape in in-person retail markets, along with their best strategies, tips, and advice for people who are considering retail markets.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.  
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails.  And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.  
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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/335 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp
 

The last time Brittany O'Brien was on the podcast was back in 2022, and we were talking about how she scaled her business to 500 wholesale accounts.
Earlier this year, Brittany crossed a new milestone. Her products are now sold in over 1,000 stores, and today, we're going to dig into what the last year and a half has looked like for her. Specifically, we're talking about customer acquisition versus customer retention strategies, fair SEO, and how trade shows have played a part in her substantial growth. 
Brittany is a New York City-based illustrator and the owner of the stationery and gift company, Brittany Paige. Originally a graphic designer in the corporate fashion world, she started her business as a side hustle while working full-time. 
In addition to working on custom illustrations, she also creates witty and empowered goods for the unapologetic girl, including greeting cards, stickers, candles, pen sets, and more. Her products are inspired by current events, city living, and pop culture, and they can be found in over 1,000 retailers worldwide, including Macy's and Paper Source.
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/334 
Quick Links:
Free Wholesale Audio Series
Free Resources Library
Free Email Marketing for Product Makers
PTP LABS
Paper Camp