In this episode, I share tips on how to practice self-care during a busy season of life or business.

During this episode, best-selling author Seth Godin shares about his latest book, This is Strategy: Make Better Plans. In my conversation with Seth, he shares his motivation for writing this book, the four elements that are critical for an effective strategy, and the importance of identifying and connecting with our smallest viable audience.

In this episode, I dive into why it’s easier to start a business in 2024 but harder to scale a business. I touch on how different marketing is these days, the differences between finding manufacturing partners now vs in the past, changes in technology, decision fatigue, and more.

During this episode, Kiwi Schloffel touches on a variety of topics, such as the importance of staying true to your brand's identity, how to use personal interest to inject authenticity into your business, and more. 

During this episode, we're talking with Tammie Bennett about normalizing the hard stuff and taking responsibility for our business decisions. We talk about not relying on platforms or algorithms or other people's opinions to drive our business decisions.

During this episode, we're talking about how Alyson O’Connor 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.

During this episode, Priyanka Batra shares her love of fashion and how that influences her products, how growing up the daughter of immigrants influenced her career path, and she talks about overcoming imposter syndrome. We also talk about how she jumped into her first trade show too quickly with only 3 weeks to prepare and the lessons she learned the hard way in that experience.

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. 

During this episode, Kiwi Schloffel & Meghan Hopkins Sokorai 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.

In this episode, Beth Roszkowski shares her business journey, why she doesn't want to hire employees, and how she's utilizing independent contractors for project-based and ongoing support for her business.

In this episode, Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles share strategies and tactics to help you avoid burnout and rebuild self-confidence and trust. You will learn what support pockets are and how to use them in your daily living to ease stress and protect your peace.

In this episode, we're talking with Ginny Krauss and Elli Runkles about their burnout story, decision fatigue, building self-trust as a business owner, and also how your definition of “success” as a business owner can change over time.

With the new year right around the corner, my team and I have been making time to really reflect on the past year.

This year has been one of introspection–about our businesses, about the state of the world, and about how we balance our work and personal lives. We’ve been forced to adjust to this new normal, like it or not. But I’m proud to say that here at Proof to Product, we never stopped making progress.

Insurance. It’s admittedly one of the least fun parts of owning a product based business, but it’s also one of the most important.

No one wants to imagine a disaster in their business, but they happen, and it’s best to be prepared. If you’re unable to work, your business gets sued, or your equipment breaks, you’ll be glad you set up a safety net well in advance.

Oftentimes in business, we set our sights on the next big thing–the next product, the next launch, the next program–that we forget to rethink the systems that are already working in our business. But most of the time, those systems could run even better and make us even more profit with just a few small tweaks. Take a listen for my four-step brainstorming exercise to help you identify what’s working in your business and make minor adjustments to improve your systems even further.

The upcoming holiday sales season is upon us! The worldwide shipping delays, supply chain issues and labor shortages have been causing some massive challenges for small businesses everywhere, particularly for physical product businesses. Take a listen to hear my 5 action steps you can take to prepare yourself so you don’t face as many disruptions in your sales as we head into the holiday season.

The messy middle.

It’s not a particularly fun place to be in business.

It can be fraught with feelings of doubt, fear and imposter syndrome. While at the same time, it is a phase of business where tremendous growth happens and confidence builds.

Listen in for encouragement and advice on why focus is what you need.

The challenges of running a business can be numerous. For those living with chronic illness, there are even more nuances to navigate, especially when it comes to listening and working with your body’s natural rhythm.

In this episode, I was joined by Morgan Swank of Morgan Swank Studio. Morgan is a longtime student of our LABS community and a Paper Camp alumni. She and I discussed what led to her decision to start her paper goods brand. Morgan also gives us insight into what it’s like to be a business owner with a chronic illness and her journey of licensing her products in big retail stores.

Storytelling is such a powerful way to connect with your customers. Our current and prospective customers want to know the people behind the brand, why you make the products you do and what your brand stands for.

In this week's all new episode of Proof to Product, I chat withMichelle Knight of Brandmerry. She takes us on the path to discovering how to create a more authentic connection with our customers through storytelling; and how this type of marketing will provide you with more income and impact.