393 | 10 Opportunities for Product-Based Businesses: State of the Product Industry Survey with Katie Hunt
Today’s episode continues the conversation about the State of the Product Industry survey that we did. Last episode, I summarized what we learned when 400 product-based business owners shared intimate details about their income, profit, how much they pay themselves, their product line, their team, their sales and marketing strategies. If you have not listened to that one yet, I would suggest starting there, that’s episode 392. Today, I am diving into 10 opportunities that I see for all of you after having spent dozens and dozens of hours crunching the data. Before we jump in, I want to remind you that now is an excellent time to join us in the LABS community. LABS is our community focused on supporting product-based business owners and helping you build strong foundations, and we bring in all kinds of cool guest experts to share about their business journey. And fun news! On May 14, Emily Ley of Simplified, who was recently on episode 390 of the podcast, is joining us for a coffee chat in LABS. LABS is where our community members will have a chance to ask her questions about growing and scaling her business. She's going to share what's worked, what hasn't worked, and offer support and advice for our members as they're growing their business. To attend this program and all of our other live events, head to prooftoproduct.com/labs to enroll. ENROLL IN LABS NOW You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/393 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp
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392 | Revenue, Teams, Tariffs, and Trends: The State of the Product Industry in 2025 with Katie Hunt
Every founder I know has been wondering at some point or another how much other brands are making, what tech they're using, and how big their teams are. Everyone wants to see what other brands are doing and how they are successful. Even though we know that every business journey looks different, it's natural to be curious. The product world is shifting so fast. Right now, we're seeing rising costs. We're seeing tariffs, supply chain delays, and changes to consumer buying habits. That's going to ultimately change how we are creating, marketing, and selling our products. We know that there are a lot of folks pivoting, a lot of people making changes to how things are going. That is why I wanted to take another temperature check of our industry. We recently collected 400 responses to our state of the product industry survey. We had 400 brands that stretched a wide range of product categories, experience levels, and income levels, and they shared their insights and their business details so that we could create this collective report. Now you can access this report at prooftoproduct.com/2025survey. I'm going to take this time on the podcast to walk you through the different sections and explain some of the findings that I had. I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed. Without your details, without you sharing so openly, we wouldn't be able to track these types of trends, challenges, or even opportunities that we can then supply back to the industry. Your giving to us allowed us to give back to you, and I appreciate that. Also, I will be doing some further case studies and deep dives into the different revenue levels that were reported in this. This report is pretty long as it is, and I didn't want to bombard it with more. I will be doing these deeper dive case studies in our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. Get connected with more product-based businesses by owners by requesting your invitation below. REQUEST YOUR INVITATION You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/392 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp
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391 | Selling Your Excess Inventory with Melodie van der Baan, Max Retail
Do you have excess inventory that you have no idea how to move? On today's podcast, we have Melodie van der Baan, cofounder of Max Retail. It's a platform designed to help independent retailers and brands easily sell their excess inventory online. During our conversation, Melodie shares how she started out as a sales rep, and then how she owned her own retail store in Palm Beach and how the challenges she faced with unsold inventory inspired the creation of Max Retail. She shares how Max Retail integrates seamlessly with popular sales platforms like Shopify, Square, and Lightspeed, and the innovative ways that it gives new life to seasonal or aged inventory through a vast network of e-commerce channels. We also talk about the importance of inventory management, staying adaptable in uncertain markets, and why a strong partnership between brands and retailers is more crucial than ever. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below! REQUEST YOUR INVITATION You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/391 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp
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390 | How Trump's Tariffs Are Affecting Small Business Owners with Emily Ley, Simplified®
Today's episode is an important and timely one. It is a conversation about resilience as small business owners and what we can do or how we navigate things when we are backed into a corner by forces outside of our control. Our guest this week is Emily Ley. She is the founder of Simplified®, a wildly successful brand of planners and organizational tools that many of you know and love. She also happens to be one of our Paper Camp alumni. You have seen Emily's products in Target, Walmart, Staples, and independent boutiques worldwide. But behind the scenes, like so many product-based business owners, Emily has been navigating massive shifts in things like the global supply chain, rising costs, and now devastating tariffs. Her company has paid more than $1,170,000 in tariffs since 2017. With the newly announced 150% tariffs as they stand as of recording this today. She is facing over $1,000,000 more in fees this year alone, and Emily is not staying quiet. Earlier this month, she filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration, the first legal challenge to these unlawful tariffs, and she's doing it with the support of the New Civil Liberties Alliance. This is a huge moment, not just for her brand, Simplified®, but for every small business owner who relies on international manufacturing to keep their products on the shelves of stores and their teams paid. In this episode, Emily and I discuss her journey from launching Simplified® in 2008, to finding the right manufacturing partners and, ultimately, becoming an unlikely but powerful advocate in the fight against these trade policies. We also talk about the emotional toll that this takes, the behind-the-scenes fears and tough decisions, the support from her customers and community, and the risks that were involved in her taking a stand, again, not just for her business, but for all of ours. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to say that if you are a product-based business owner and you're listening today and you are feeling the weight of these new tariffs, you are not alone. Inside our LABS community, we have been having real, honest conversations about how to navigate this, everything from raising prices to pausing production to exploring new manufacturing options. If you need support or strategy, or just a sounding board from people who truly understand what you're going through, LABS is here to help. You can learn more at prooftoproduct.com/labs. You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/390 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp
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389 | Communicating Price Increases to Your Retail and Wholesale Customers with Katie Hunt
With everything going on in the global economy right now, there have been a lot of discussions about price increases. It's been a hot topic in Paper Camp, in our LABS community, and even in my Advisory Board mastermind. People are asking about how to raise their prices, if they should raise their prices, and also how to communicate those price increases with your customers, whether you're selling retail or wholesale. And it's a great and valid question. I understand why people are asking it right now. So I'm bringing back an episode that we aired in 2022. It's called How to Communicate Price Increases with Your Customers, and this is honestly more relevant now than when I first aired this episode. With increasing tariffs and practically everything getting more expensive, a majority of you will need to increase your prices. I want your businesses to survive for the long haul. I want you to thrive. I want you to be building a profitable business that will continue for a long time. Understanding when it's time to raise your prices and how to do that is going to be a critical piece for you maintaining your business. I hope you find this episode helpful. Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below! REQUEST YOUR INVITATION You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/389 Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp
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
New Zealand