Quick Hit: Should I Create My Own Gift Guide For the Upcoming Holidays?

One pattern I've noticed time and time again after working with thousands of product brands across lots of different categories, is that while our products might be different or our tools and platforms might change, all of our core business foundations and fundamentals are not changing. And that's exactly why I wanted to share this short clip from the archive, something that I think is worth revisiting because the takeaways still hold true today. Maybe listening will spark an idea or help you take action on a decision that you've been sitting on. Really, the goal here is to help you take your next intentional step in business. That's what I want for you. Enjoy this clip! You can listen to the full episode with Reese Spykerman of Design By Reese here: http://prooftoproduct.com/224 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp Mentioned in this episode: Take the free quiz! Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

"How did you get your products into so many stores?" Melissa Gullatte hears this question often. Her business, Gracefully Made Art, started with original paintings and wedding invitations. After her first daughter was born, she pivoted to officially licensed collegiate and sorority gifts. She took Paper Camp in spring 2023, thinking wholesale would be a nice side channel. Three years later, wholesale is two-thirds of her revenue and she's in more than 1,000 stores. In this episode, you'll learn: How collegiate and sorority licensing works: applying school by school, getting each product category and every piece of artwork approved, and planning six months to a year ahead of launch How Melissa landed Ole Miss after two years of rejections Why sorority licensing opened up a national market when collegiate products sell regionally How she prices for wholesale first, with royalties of 12 to 20 percent built in, then sets her retail price from there What tactics got her into 1,000+ stores How she keeps retailers reordering, and why fewer SKUs helped her business grow

I know you have a lot on your plate right now. You've got products to make, orders to ship, and about a hundred decisions that you're making every day. I do not take it lightly that you are spending time with me today and I want to thank you for being here. Today's episode is a short, focused, throwback episode designed to give you one thing that you can do today to move your business forward. No fluff, no filler, just ideas that we've shared in the past that will benefit you today. Let's dive in! You can listen to the full episode with Mei Pak of Creative Hive Co here: http://prooftoproduct.com/265 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp Mentioned in this episode: Take the free quiz! Map out your next 90 days here: http://prooftoproduct.com/quiz

How do you decide what to make next, what to cut, and where to put your limited time and money? For Elizabeth Rees, founder of Chasing Paper, the answer has come from her customers for nearly 13 years. She shares how customer feedback shaped her product format, her materials, her wholesale approach, and her newest line, and why she checks every instinct against the data before acting on it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Chasing Paper sold wallpaper in panels instead of rolls from the start, so a customer with a small project could spend $60 instead of $250 and buy in at any budget How launching with two materials, Standard and Luxe, worked like an accidental A/B test, and why Elizabeth discontinued the lower-priced option about nine months in instead of continuing to explain the difference How Chasing Paper treats wholesale as a customer acquisition channel, drop-shipping for retail partners and using those placements to build brand trust Why the trade program, where repeat rate, average order value, and lifetime value run three to four times higher than direct-to-consumer, became the reason to launch fabric Why deepening relationships with the customers you already have can matter more than constantly finding new ones, and why a small team has to be selective about new channels How Elizabeth pairs instinct with data, and why one source of truth for attribution keeps her team from cherry-picking numbers to support a hunch

Dorothy Belshaw has spent more than three decades in the gift, home, and trade show industries. She's led some of North America's biggest markets—from NY NOW to Atlanta Mart, and Las Vegas Market. Earlier this year, Dorothy partnered with industry veterans William Lacey and Karen Olson to acquire NY NOW through Rockview Management Group and bring the iconic 100+ year-old show into its next chapter. In this episode, you'll learn: What changes when a trade show is owned by a small, industry-embedded team instead of a large company What she and her partners changed in their first few months, and how the summer show performed How they're rebuilding category depth, including Home returning as a primary category and Handmade coming back under external jury How multi-line agency partnerships re-engage the reps who are already in stores year-round What NY NOW is doing to bring buyers back from the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, northern Midwest, and eastern Canada Why Dorothy believes buyers can't build a full assortment digitally, and what that means for your booth What support is being built for newer and smaller exhibitors, and how to make an impact in a smaller footprint What the strongest brands at the show have in common: evolving product, early commitment, and follow-up Why Shoppe Object and NY NOW are on different weekends for Winter 2027, and the plan to get back to the same dates