Proof to Product – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

417 | 8 Ways to Prepare for the Holiday Sales Season Now with Katie Hunt

mardi 28 octobre 2025 • Duration 14:31

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, I'm walking you through a quick checklist to make sure that your online store is buttoned up and ready to handle the traffic and the sales, and any last-minute shoppers that are headed your way.

Before we jump in, I wanted to let you know that our LABS community just got a major glow-up. We switched platforms and have some major upgrades coming to the program. More community connections with businesses at a similar level. More support from industry experts, plus experimentations and case studies, so that you can truly see what is working for other product-based business owners and how to apply similar strategies to your business.

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/417

Quick Links:

Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

How to Get Your Products Noticed by Key Buyers with Sally Diguette, Anthropologie [Replay]

mardi 26 août 2025 • Duration 35:21

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 completely different process and timeline than working with independent retailers. Having worked with thousands of brands, I know that it can feel like an intimidating process to pitch your work to these key accounts.

Through an unpredictable path, Sally landed in the retail industry and has over 14 years of experience in buying, product development, and sourcing.

Sally is an innovative merchant and consultant. She centers her work around relationship building and creative strategy, combining unique product development and sourcing from national brands across a variety of categories. Her passion lies in working with emerging brands in an incubator capacity to build fresh product offerings, solid organizational systems, and a strong team structure.

On this replay episode, Sally shares about the buying process and schedule for Anthropologie. We talk specifically about the timelines that she's working with for both exclusive products as well as ready made products. And she offers advice for how to get your products in front of key account buyers.

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.

328 | An inside look at what Paper Camp is like

mardi 6 février 2024 • Duration 17:09

Have you ever wondered what it's like to attend our Paper Camp program? If so, today's episode is for you!

I am sharing an inside peek into one of our Paper Camp coaching calls. This one is with Alex Gagne of Chez Gagné. Alex has been a longtime member of our Paper Camp community. When she first attended as a student, she had been in business a little less than 2 years.

She was working out of her living room and had designed a collection of 80 SKUs. Alex knew that wholesale was her end game, so she soaked up everything that Paper Camp had to offer and went home and put what she learned into practice.

As you will hear during the episode, Alex has done an incredible job of thoughtfully expanding her product line with an eye toward profit margins, sell-through rates, and intentional partnerships. We talk about the profit margins that she seeks when adding new product categories to her line. We also discuss discontinuing products and the pros and cons of working with big box retail stores among other things. This is just a tiny sliver of my conversation with Alex, and it's a tiny sliver of what the Paper Camp experience is like.

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/328

Quick Links:

327 | How to apply for a Paper Camp scholarship with Katie Hunt

mardi 30 janvier 2024 • Duration 06:42

If you're listening today that means you're likely interested in applying for our Paper Camp scholarship!

Giving back is one of our core values here at Proof to Product and we give back through our time, knowledge as well as financial scholarships.

Since 2011, we've awarded over $275,000+ in scholarship funds to creative entrepreneurs who sell physical products to the wholesale market. These brands had big dreams of seeing their products on the shelves of their favorite stores and they have obtained huge results.

These scholarships are a big deal and we treat them that way. We typically have anywhere from 80-90 scholarship applications every round of Paper Camp. My team and I dedicate several days to view all the videos, read the applications, review websites, and ultimately whittle it down to one full tuition scholarship winner.

It's never an easy choice, but we do put a lot of care into our selections. And, today I want to share 5 ways that you can stand out when submitting your Paper Camp application.

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/327

Quick Links:

Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

326 | The State of Trade Shows in 2024 with Katie Hunt

mardi 23 janvier 2024 • Duration 14:50

I have been doing so much good content for other people and I'm doing my best to bring it back around so that you all have access to it and know about these resources.

Recently, the team of Aeolidia asked me to weigh in with my thoughts on the changing landscape of wholesale trade shows for their blog. The post features comments from Arianne Foulks of Aeolidia, Abby Glassenbeg of Craft Industry Alliance, Morgan Cros, the founder of Original's Duckhead, and myself — all of us shedding light on our thoughts about in-person wholesale trade shows as we head into 2024.

I used this post as a starting point for this week's podcast episode. We're going to dive deeper into my personal thoughts on the state of wholesale trade shows and elaborate on some of my comments made in the blog post.

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.

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/326

Quick Links:

Listen to the free Audio Series

325 | How To Plan Out New Wholesale Product Releases With Divya Guruju, Mellowworks

mardi 16 janvier 2024 • Duration 32:33

I've been thinking a lot about how our past work experience and general lived experience shape how we start and build our businesses. For me, I spent 12 years in the corporate world leading business development and strategic marketing teams for large law firms before starting my product line. That time in my life taught me about project management, budgeting, and how important relationships are in business. These are lessons that I carried into my product brand and also into the way we run Proof to Product today.

Our guest Divya Guruju of Melloworks, spent many years in the corporate world designing menswear in New York City. Today, she's talking about how her time in the fashion industry led her to create her bold, colorful, and modern stationery and gift line.

In this episode, we're talking about how Divya is expanding into textiles and home goods products. She shares how she plans out her new product releases based on logistics she learned in her corporate job. She also shares how Paper Camp provided her with a roadmap for the success she's had with wholesale.

Through Melloworks, Divya sells luxurious wrapping paper, colorful and eye-catching notebooks, fun greeting cards, and cool gifts. All are designed to be color-coordinated for a stunning presentation.

Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You private podcast!

This free 12-part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business.

After listening to this audio series (in less than an hour), two things will be true. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business, and you'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale. Sign up for the private podcast today!

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/325

Quick Links:

324 | New Year Business Checklist for Product Brands

mardi 9 janvier 2024 • Duration 14:32

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and relaxing holiday season. I enjoyed a lot of downtime with my family and also worked on a few things behind the scenes to get Proof to Product ready for 2024.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that I look at as I'm wrapping up one year and starting a new one.

So today's episode is going to focus on your New Year checklist. I'm going to share 10 things that work for me in hopes that they will work for you too.

Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You private podcast! This free 12-part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening to this audio series (in less than an hour), two things will be true. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business, and you'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale. Sign up for the private podcast today!

You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/324

Quick Links: