Suann Song is a graphic designer and founder of Appointed, an American-made brand of carefully designed desktop products that make utility look luxurious. Prior to starting Appointed, Suann conducted an exhaustive but unsuccessful search when she tried to find refined and well-made desktop products that are manufactured in the US, so she decided to create her own. In March 2015, Suann launched Appointed through a kickstarter campaign reaching her goal of $25,000 dollars in the first five days.

On today's episode, Suann is sharing what it was like to launch a brand and product line through Kickstarter. She's also sharing some behind the scenes info on why she's redesigning the Appointed website and what that process has looked like. Suann also reminds us that relationships and fresh product are at the core of a successful product based business.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

How Suann got started in this creative field
Transitioning from a service-based business with Simple Song Design to a product based business with Appointed
Why she chose to launch Appointed with Kickstarter and what the process was like
What surprised her about the Kickstarter campaign
How her background in PR has helped her strategize and build momentum
The motivation behind launching a brand new website for Appointed
Why she decided to outsource the whole website -- the redesign and the development
Her experience being on the "other side" of the design process
Missteps that Suann sees product-based business owners make when they're redesigning their websites
How she is sharing the news of their new website with wholesale clients versus with retail clients
Suann's advice for product-based business owners who are just getting started

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"I got the idea for Appointed about five years ago where I saw a need in the market for just gender neutral, really well-made, American made products." - Suann Song

"I spent a solid year of researching, finding manufacturers, figuring out how much money I would need, figuring how much money I would need in year one, two, and three." - Suann Song

"If the Kickstarter was going to be a flop, and I literally put everything out there, invested in a video, produced a video, put all of the information on the Kickstarter page, and if people weren't going to support it, then I thought, 'Okay, maybe this isn't a good idea.'"- Suann Song

"I think that there is definitely a market for men in stationery paper goods, office." - Suann Song

"I really believe people buy from people." - Suann Song

"Business is all about the relationships we're building. You never know when somebody in your life is going to come back in and be a buying customer or have a referral for you." - Katie Hunt

"We're very proudly American made, every single component of our products." - Suann Song

"It was really important that we show the depth of our story, but it really is about the user experience and making it enjoyable, easy, and most importantly, convenient." - Suann Song

"You have to keep it fresh. You have to have something to talk about, and not for the sake of just doing that, but you just need to keep your product line relevant and interesting and release new products." - Suann Song

LINKS:Kickstarter

CONNECT WITH SUANN:

Website: https://www.appntd.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/appointedco

http://instagram.com/suannsong

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplesong/pins/

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!

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