057 | Christine Miller, Bundle Design on turning her hobby into a business, lessons learned from the National Stationery Show and how exhibiting at NSS opened the door to working with Paper Source

TSBC alum, Christine Miller is the creator and designer of Bundle Design — home to cheerful, cheeky greeting cards, balloons, party supplies and Good Day Decals.

On today's episode Christine shares her journey of turning her hobby into a business, lessons learned from exhibiting at the National Stationery Show and how being at the show opened the door to working with Paper Source.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

• What Christine was doing before Bundle Design
• How starting her family influenced her decision to step away from her full time job
• Starting her business a hobby and a creative outlet after having her son and transitioning it to a business a few years ago
• Opening her Etsy shop in 2011 and what made her realize that Etsy may not be the best path for her
• Making the decision that wholesale was the direction she wanted to go
• The difficulty she faced in establishing her own brand identity and creating products that had a cohesive aesthetic
• How her style has changed over the years
• The fears and concerns she had going into her first National Stationery Show and the mistakes she made
• The importance of sending out mailers and advertising your booth number to anyone and everyone prior to the show
• The changes Christine made her second year at the National Stationery Show
• Meeting the Paper Source buyer at the show and how it has been fruitful even years later
• The advice Christine would give to someone just starting out in a product based business
• The goals she is setting for herself and for Bundle Designs
• What's next for Bundle Designs

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"My mentality is, "Well, if I just make it people will just buy it." Unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way." - Christine Miller

"When you're developing a line, one of the most important things is to have a unique style, a brand that's recognizable." - Christine Miller

"The biggest fear is no one is going to buy anything." - Christine Miller

"That first year, my mantra was, 'Okay, I want to make sales but if I don't make sales at least I'm still learning this and I'm making connections and I'll know more for the next year.'" - Christine Miller

"Your booth number is your address on the show so you want to make sure that you're telling everyone where you're going to be at all times, add it to your social media profile, your bio. Make sure you're sending out those mailers, include it in the footer of your emails that go out. Don't keep that a secret, shout it from the rooftops where you're going to be." - Katie Hunt

"I never would've made that connection had I not been to the show. I'm sure I could've found out her information another way, LinkedIn or asking around and things like that, but I think her maybe seeing it in person gave it a little bit of an edge when they made their final selections." - Christine Miller

"I've always had the mentality of slow and steady. So, if I'm making steps, even if they're small steps, I'm moving in the right direction then that's what I'm always striving for." - Christine Miller

LINKS:Portfolio CenterNational Stationery ShowPaper CampPaper SourceFarewell Paperie

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE:

Website: http://bundledesign.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BundleDesignOnline

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bundledesign/

THE BOOTH BLUEPRINT:

If you're gearing up for trade show season and need help creating a beautiful booth that doesn't break the bank, I want to invite you to my free masterclass. I'm sharing my three secrets to maximize your trade show investment and keep wholesale orders coming in long after you trade show end. To join me for this free workshop, head to www.theboothblueprint.com to register!

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ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!