177 | Covid Check-in with a Brick & Mortar Shop Owner with Biff Ulm, MN Nice Enough

Hey friends! Today’s guest is a familiar voice on the podcast. This conversation was with none other than Biff Ulm of MN Nice Enough and retail shop Zaiser’s. I had a conversation with Biff earlier this year, pre-COVID (episode 146 if you want to take a listen) and it seems like it was an eternity ago! I was so happy that Biff agreed to come back on to discuss his personal journey of being a store owner during the time of COVID. In this episode, Biff shares how his store sales have fluctuated this year and how his buying strategies have shifted from larger orders that were further out to smaller, more consistent orders. Biff talked about the new marketing strategies that his team and he have implemented to build relationships with their shop customers.  Be sure to listen closely to the two golden nuggets that Biff shared on not being afraid to fail and making a statement with your products!    ON TODAY’S EPISODE: A rundown of Biff’s shop  Biff’s experience with closing and reopening during the pandemic The safety measures they put in place for the store re-opening How he dealt with managing his team and bringing on additional support How his sales have been this year compared to other years Shifts he’s made within his wholesale buying tactics and strategies What product makers and manufacturers can do to support their wholesale customers Where they’re sourcing products from during this pandemic Biff’s thoughts on seeing manufacturing processes slow down Why he decided to go live daily to reach customers at home What “easy buying” looks like for Biff His views on having a pre-pack RESOURCES: 146 | Leveraging point of sale systems in a brick & mortar with Biff Ulm, MN Nice Enough Zaiser’s Twisted Ware Avochato Hydro Flask    MEET BIFF: Hello! My Name is Biff Ulm. Yes, that is my real name. I am a husband, father, creator, entrepreneur who is inspired by the outdoors and traveling. I own a retail store, Zaiser's, and wholesale company, MN Nice Enough. I am based in the heart of the Lake Country in Northern Minnesota.   CONNECT WITH BIFF:  Website: https://www.mnniceenough.com/ Facebook: @mnniceenough Instagram: @mnniceenough   SLOW STEADY GROWTH ARE HOW STRONG BUSINESSES ARE BUILT Building a business is a long game, won with patience, fortitude, intentional decisions and passion.​ Inside Proof to Product LABS, you’ll receive the support, education and accountability to move your business towards your goals.   ​Join Proof to Product Labs, our 12-month group coaching program built specifically for product based business owners. 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 hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands 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