From the Archives | Katie Wilson, The Good Twin on trendsetting, sticking to your core values and the importance of slow sustainable growth

Jan 4, 2018

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Happy Holidays friends! This episode with Katie Wilson of The Good Twin is a crowd favorite and I'm so excited for you to listen to it again! Katie is one of our TSBC alumni and she has such a unique story and fresh perspective on small business life. Katie is inspiring in how she runs her business; balancing her love of art and creativity with savvy business smarts.

I love sharing the stories of our alumni because it reminds us that there is no singular one way to run our businesses. Katie reminds us that it's ok to do our own thing, to forge our own path and to not fall into the comparison trap. A #peptalk we all need at times. Enjoy the show!

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Katie Wilson is the owner of The Good Twin, a stationery company known for its playful illustrations and hand-rendered type. Katie's story is a unique one in that The Good Twin is her second successful business in the stationery industry. On today's episode, Katie and I will talk about the pros and cons of being ahead of trends, the importance of slow sustainable growth and why we should never ever compare ourselves to other people's businesses.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

[01:00] Katie's story & how she started The Good Twin. [04:30] Reflecting on brands that came before her in the stationery industry.[06:30] Getting back to the night time hustle of designing.[09:30] Winning the Paper Camp scholarship.[11:00] Exhibiting at NSS was a big scary unknown, lots to learn.[13:30] Katie's inspiration when she's creating new products[16:30] Being on the front end of a trend, the pros and cons[21:30] Finding manufacturers for new product lines.[22:00] Determining how much product to order & how much money to invest.[26:00] Manufacturing overseas & the debate of whether to go overseas.[30:00] Keeping open lines of communication with your buyers[32:00] Working with big box stores & how that helps fund new products for her business.[34:30] Appreciate your peers in the business, rely on them for support & share information.[35:30] Having slow, sustainable growth is essential. Don't compare yourself to others.[34:30] Building a business takes time, don't rush it.[38:00] What's next for The Good Twin[40:00] Deciding What to Delegate Course

[36:30] Focusing on the higher level, revenue generating projects and hiring for the rest.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

" Sales rep knowledge is so valuable. They are on the ground with people just really getting it done." - Katie Wilson

"You think it's fun to be on the front end of a trend, and be the cool kid. It's not." - Katie Wilson

"It is scary to lay out that cash, out way at the beginning for something that you're not sure if it's gonna sell." -Katie Hunt

"If you can't make your margins work on a reasonably small amount, you probably shouldn't be making the products." -Katie Wilson

"If you shine, I shine." - Katie Wilson

"Having slow, sustainable growth is so essential." - Katie Wilson

LINKS:

Dude & Chick Crow & Canary Greenwich Letterpress

Paper Camp Pinnacle DeFrance Printing Mama's Sauce Belle & Union Co.

TSBC Deciding What to Delegate Course - Free!

MEET KATIE WILSON:

Katie Wilson is the owner of The Good Twin, a stationery company known for playful illustrations and hand rendered type. With the help of her right hand pug, Peggy Day, Katie (who is really a twin, and a good one at that) has grown her Los Angeles based brand into a full line of greeting cards, office supplies, and enamel pins. She has over ten years of experience in the paper goods world, working as an illustrator, shopgirl, and co-founder before striking out on her own in 2014. After attending Paper Camp in September 2015, The Good Twin debuted at the National Stationery show in 2016.

Website: http://www.thegoodtwin.co/

Facebook: @thegoodtwinco

Instagram: @thegoodtwinco

Twitter: @thegoodtwinco

JOIN THE TSBC FAMILY:

Interested in learning more about launching or refining a wholesale line or exhibiting at trade shows? Join us for our next Paper Camp conference in Los Angeles. Get more details and register at www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp

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.