059 | Suann Song, Appointed on launching a brand through Kickstarter, the process for redesigning her website and why fresh products are at the core of a successful product based business

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! SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! 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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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