Blog - Products To Profits

Managing Your Project Simply Ok. Let's get real here. You can have the best intentions in the world BUT if you don't manage your day-to-day actions in your projects, you'll never get to your goals. As entrepreneurs we all need a simple system for organizing the amount...

Using Packaging to Build Value

Using Packaging to Build Value Imagine that you have an account that sells $1,000,000 of your product per year. Pretty amazing right?! Now imagine that they call you. They are upset. Frustrated..... You can feel that this is NOT a good phone call. And oh crap, it's...

Hidden Clues to Faster Buying Cycles

Blog, Sales

Hidden Clues to Faster Buying Cycles There is very real thing called "buying cycles" that make your business grow faster if you can read the clues to uncover them. It's not the same as "buying signals" so never confuse the two Product Business Show Every other Monday,...

Interview with Creator of GoGo Gift Bags

Interview with Creator of GoGoGiftBags In this episode of the , we will hear from Erin Borges, creator of the GoGo Gift Bag, who is selling in all Target stores nationwide and it's only her first year in sales!We hope you will enjoy the show, posted below. Every other...

[Panel Video] Design as an Asset: How Design & Money Intersect

Blog, Business Planning, Events, Inspiration

Design as an Asset How Design & Money Intersect A spirited discussion about design's true impact on your business' speed and finances. You'll learn where the actual real-world value of great product design, user experience and branding fit in your business...

Fast Track Your Product Business While Keeping Your Soul

Blog, Events, Investors, Marketing, Merchandising, Product Development, Sales

Fast Track Your Product Business While Keeping Your Soul Yes! You can grow a creative physical product business to multi-million dollar sales while keeping your soul. In this fast-paced evening talk Amy Wenslow will unlock the four areas where product...

WeWork Creator Awards

Blog, Events

WeWork Creator Awards Whether you are brand new in business, an artist doing new work, a non-profit or a well established company. --- this year's WeWork Creator Awards has a category for you. WeWork will be giving out awards totaling $20 million dollars. Deadline to...

Essential Simplicity

Essential Simplicity I've been noticing since last November that many people are moving to simplify their lives right now. From purging closets and email to business processes and commitments, simplicity is front and center as a trend. Essential Simplicity is my...

Sales Funnels for More Sales More Easily

Blog, Retailers, Sales

Sales Funnels for More Sales More Easily We hope you will enjoy the show, posted below. Every other Monday, we host the Product Business Show. Your host is Amy Wenslow, CEO of Products to Profits. Amy brings over 23 years of experience to help you grow your Product...

Amazon's Push Into Brick & Mortar Retail

Blog, Marketing, Merchandising, Retailers

Amazon's Push Into Brick and Mortar Retail. A few weeks ago we hosted a show about e-Commerce and how over 87% of sales are still made offline. That's why so many online sellers are looking to sell to stores now. And it's only one of the reasons Amazon's bid to buy...

Generating Connection and Rapport

Business Planning, Innovation, Patents & Trademarks

Generating Connection and Rapport Last week at the National Hardware Show we got to judge the inventions area. We also met with clients, our team and new people. One glaring thing stood out. Whoever creates genuine, lasting, professional connections will do better....

Profitable Products 101 | A Glimpse Into Product Development and Sales

Profitable Products 101 | A Glimpse Into Product Development and Sales On April 26th. 2017. Celia Cho, from her very own Law Office, came and interviewed, Amy Wenslow, CEO of Products to Profits. Many topics are included in this interview, from 3 things every...

The 7 Shark Tank Secrets You Need to Know

Blog, Business Planning, Investors, Marketing, Sales

The 7 Shark Tank Secrets You Need to Know - Since the show debuted in the summer of 2009, ABC's Shark Tank has gotten countless entrepreneurs interested in pitching to investors. The concept is simple, but also not very easy. In many cases, the "sharks" of the...

Walmart Made in America 2017

Blog, Retailers

Walmart has put out an open call for new products that are Made In America. That means you can apply to pitch your product to them in Bentonville, AR! Your product MUST be Made In America. To be eligible you'll need to register on their website and be selected. We...

Product Business Building - Define Your Version Of Success Before Going To Market

Part 10 of the interview: Product Business Building - Define Your Version Of Success Before Going To Market Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 10 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which...

Form & Function: The Art Of Packaging Your Products

Blog, Innovation, Merchandising, Product Development

Packaging Products | Form & Function: The Art Of Packaging Your Products Part 9 of the interview: Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 9 of 10 Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which...

Using Social Media To Help Your Business Thrive

Blog, Marketing, PR

Using Social Media To Help Your Business Thrive Part 8 of the interview Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 8 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which offers a wide range of...

Why A Shared Coworking Space Is Good For Small Business

Why A Shared CoWorking Space Is Good For Small Business Part 7 of the interview: Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 7 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which offers a wide range...

The Keys To A Successful Investors Pitch Meeting

Blog, Marketing, PR

Part 6 of the interview: Investor Pitch - The Keys To A Successful Investors Pitch Meeting Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 6 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which offers a...

Using Crowdfunding To Launch Your Small Business

Blog, Investors

Part 5 of the interview: Crowdfunding - Using Crowdfunding To Launch Your Small Business Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 5 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which offers a...

Choosing A Pricing Strategy That Works For Your Small Business

Blog, Sales

Part 4 of the interview: Pricing Strategy - Choosing A Pricing Strategy That Works For Your Small Business Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 4 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm...

Tallying Up Your Small Business Expenses

Tallying Up Your Small Business Expenses Part 3 of the interview Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 3 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which offers a wide range of services in...

You Don’t Have To Be Good With Numbers To Be Great At Financial Management

Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 2 of 10. Part 2 of the interview: You Don’t Have To Be Good With Numbers To Be Great At Financial Management Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which...

Consumer Product Business - Featuring Products To Profits [Intuit video series]

Blog, Patents & Trademarks

Part 1 of the interview: Consumer Product Business - Featuring Products To Profits [Intuit video series] Intuit Quickbooks came to interview us about what makes product businesses tick. This is part 1 of 10. Products To Profits is a marketing consulting firm which...

Influencer Marketing - What It Is, Resources & How-To's

Blog, Marketing, PR, Sales

Facebook Twitter Influencer Marketing - What It Is, Resources & How-To's Influencer Marketing, also called word of mouth advertising, is one of the things that drives business growth now. Just look at the statistics in the illustration in this email....

A Primer on Patents

What is a patent and why do you need it? Patent law is an area of the law that can seem shrouded in mystery. Even a basic knowledge of patents and their implications can be hugely beneficial to an entrepreneur or inventor. IP attorney Raz Messerian describes a...

What You Need to Know About Crowdfunding

Blog, Investors, Sales

What You Need to Know About Crowdfunding | Products to Profits What is making crowdfunding successful now? Is it a great marketing team? Tons of backer incentives? Or just an amazing product? The answer is: "All of the above!" Campaigns that have been successful in...

#1 Strategy Question: "What do I do next?"

#1 Strategy Question The number one strategy question we get asked is, "What do I do next?" Everyone with a product is at different stages, so the first step in the process is to figure out where you are. Keep your emotions neutral, focus on the actual project and...

The Truth About Ramping Up Your Product

Blog, Business Planning, Inspiration, Retailers, Sales

Question: What's a typical "Ramp Up" of a product look like? The truth is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach in bringing your product to market. If you ask me, I’d say that it really depends on a lot of factors. Factors such as the product itself, product...

Social Media Week Recap

Blog, Events, Marketing, PR

Social Media Week (SMW) is a gathering of C-level executives, entrepreneurs, marketers, bloggers, journalists, and tech professionals from around the globe. Keynote program speakers share the industry's best practices, latest trends, insights, tools, and content and...

Packaging: 3 Things You Probably Missed

Blog, Merchandising, Product Development, Retailers, Sales

We use packaging to replace the things you have to say to get somebody to buy your product. That means the presentation of your product can make or break a sale. When there are similar products on the market, use your packaging to make your product stand out among...

The Perfect Project Collaboration Tool for Your Business

Blog, Business Planning, Product Development

This past month we have committed ourselves to finding and testing a project collaboration tool that works for our business. Project collaboration tools are great for businesses of all sizes. Features such as task management, timelines, and integrated email...

Why Won't They Sign Your NDA?

Blog, Business Planning, Investors, Product Development

Why Won't They Sign Your NDA? As you go through the process of getting your product ready to launch, you'll find yourself reaching out for help from a variety of people/ advisers. You may want them to sign your Non-Disclosure Agreement and they may want you to sign...

Juggling a Day Job and a Startup | Products to Profits

Juggling a Day Job and a Startup Your version of a "day job" might be being a mom, running your own existing company or being an employee. Many, many, many people launch new startup or product while they are doing a "day job". When I left the corporate world...

Elements of an Awesome PR Pitch

Blog, Marketing, PR

Elements of an Awesome PR Pitch Every business needs public relations (PR) and marketing, but not everybody knows how to go out and get it. On top of that, many businesses don't even really understand the differences between publicity and more direct...

Carving Out Quality Focused Time for Your Project

Creating the perfect environment for maximum creativity requires space, structure and time. Physical and mental space lets us connect seemingly random things. With that being said, when you work on your project, make sure you bring focused attention and energy to the...

Trade Show Followup? What to do NOW! - Products to Profits

Being at a trade show is a great way to get into conversations with buyers. But, it is only one step in the process of selling. A ton of exhibitors get so worked up about prepping for a trade show and showing up that they forget about the work that needs to be done...

Leaders of Transformation Podcast - Turning Your Creativity Into a Marketable Product

Blog, Inspiration, PR

We love doing podcasts with super-cool, vibrant people. Luckily, we get to talk with some of the behinds-the-scenes thought leaders and action takers from almost every industry. In this interview Nicole Jansen asks questions all about creativity, overcoming adversity...

Re-Purpose Periscopes for More Leverage in Online Marketing

We spontaneously experimented with something this past week and it turned out to be pretty cool! The strategy let us take a live phone call (that we were already doing) and re-purpose it into a live Periscope broadcast, YouTube video, a blog post and tie it together...

Setting Up Your Best Year Yet

Blog, Product Development

Our commitment to every business owner we work with, and creative person we inspire, is to expand their ability to produce results. On one of our recent live Q&A phone calls, we gave 4 steps to creating a compelling, magnetic game in business. This is the process we...

Humanitarian Interview: Reaching Out So That Everyone Wins

Blog, Inspiration, Marketing, PR

Humanitarian Interview: Reaching Out So That Everyone Wins If you are wondering if you, your business, or your community can make a difference, I can assure you that you definitely can. I live my dreams everyday by helping people realize their creativity....

Protogami: Plastic Engineering & Design at Your Fingertips

Protogami: Plastic Engineering & Design at Your Fingertips Injection plastic molding techniques continue to provide us endless possibilities in the product development world. From prototype to mass production, plastics are being used at every stage of development....

Loving My Life's Work with You

Blog, Inspiration

Loving My Life's Work with You When I stop to think about what we get to do, who is around us..... I feel so very appreciative. What a profound blessing to be in a dance with people and their creativity. One of our clients is about to show his product for the very...

6 Obstacle Busters to Keep You Motivated & Moving

Blog, Inspiration

How you move through obstacles determines the richness in your life as well as the richness in your bank account. So, what exactly is an obstacle? How do we spot one? An obstacles in my thinking, is anything that I perceive that stops or prevents me from having what...

What's Your 90 Day Goal? [Power Coaching Audio]

What's Your 90 Day Goal? | Products To Profits Are your commitment levels dropping this time of year? We will be sharing a few powerful activities to get you in action about your goal! In case you missed it, listen in to this week's Power Coaching...

Who are Your Business Advisors?

Who are Your Business Advisors? Who are you asking for perspective on growing your product related business? Do you ask anyone?! Your clients? Customers? Friends? Guy down the street that has never owned a business, much less built a successful product?...

Terms and Conditions: Watch Out for High-Risk Deals

Blog, Business Planning, Sales

Terms and Conditions: Watch Out for High-Risk Deals Evaluating deals around your product is tricky business. Overlooking one small detail within a contract can get you into hot waters. You can wind up with tons of inventory that won't sell quickly, having to operate...

Don't Get Your Money Tied Up in Inventory at the Wrong Time!

Blog, Business Planning, Sales

Don’t Get Your Money Tied Up in Inventory at the Wrong Time! So many businesses run into this problem. They order massive quantities, thinking that things will hit off right away, but that is rarely the case. Sitting inventory is sitting money. Then comes the...

The Breakdown: Social Promotion Contests

Blog, Marketing

The Breakdown: Social Promotion Contests Social promotion contests have become a staple of all kinds of launches and marketing. They can be used for your own product launch, a crowd funding campaign or as part of a grant process. We learned some very cool,...

The Best Marketing Systems for Your Business Needs

The Best Marketing Systems for Your Business Needs In the US, it used to take about 5-7 "touches" with a potential customer to close a sale. However, NOW most businesses find it takes between 9 to 11 "touches"! Wow. (We'll talk more about what the heck a touch is...

Bring Your Idea to Life - How to be a Crowdfunding Campaign Winner

Bring Your Idea to Life - How to be a Crowdfunding Campaign Winner Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way to raise funding for projects. Thanks to crowdfunding, many products have been developed and successfully put on the market. It has never been so...

Role of a Sales Manager

The role of a sales manager is often confused with a sales representative's role. Sure, the ideal sales team member is expected to be able to think strategically, negotiate well, and be great with people. What separates the Sales Manager is their ability to lead the...

Connect with Media to be Highly Successful

Getting ready to pitch to media can be a bit daunting for some and may come naturally for others. Here are some of the no-cost ways we've gotten quoted over and over in Entrepreneur magazine. Make yourself a good source for the article that the journalist intends to...

How to Build Your Dynamic, Balanced Business Team

I've noticed something recently. Every elite team in any area has similarities. Whether you are looking at teams behind a booming product based business or the French women's relay team winning the 4x400m Relay Euro Championships there are keys traits. It even...

Making Your Product with Less Stress

Mastermind less stress when making your product Making your product with less stress is every ones desire. Here is one of my key inside secrets to getting speed with your product and consistent momentum. Watch this 3 minute video if you want to do things in business...

Line Extensions are Opportunities

Blog, Business Planning, Marketing, Merchandising, Product Development, Retailers, Sales

Line Extensions are Opportunities"Line Extensions" is a phrase many people with new products haven't ever heard. What you need to know about them is that they present many kinds of opportunities. What IS a line extension? It's any product you add to your main flagship...

Having Adventures & Picking Products | Products To Profits

Blog, Innovation, Inspiration, Marketing, Merchandising

Having Adventures & Picking Products | Products To Profits One of the things that surprises me time and again is how quickly my intuition can guide me to the perfect chance to grow, stretch or have an adventure. It's been proven to me over and over that what my first...

Moguls & Overwhelm | Products To Profits

Innovation, Inspiration, Product Development

Moguls & Overwhelm Have you ever been stuck in a snowbank? Or a ditch? Or felt like you're in quicksand? There's a lot to be learned from being stuck. Years ago I was skiing with my boyfriend. We had gone to Lake Tahoe for a week. He was an expert skier form...

The Science & Art of Pricing Products

Blog, Business Planning, Marketing, Merchandising, Retailers, Sales

The Science & Art of Pricing Products Yesterday we had a client meeting that went very long. It was all about pricing for 16 sets of jewelry. These are the first pieces coming off production of a very, very special line. That conversation was to be the foundation...

Leaps of Imagination

Leaps of Imagination | Products To Profits Every day I see a million small improvements to be made in just my immediate sphere. If I listened to it, my mind chatter would talk to me about the fish tank to add plants to. The papers to look at, act on, shred or...

Creating Yourself Through Creative Business

Blog, Innovation, Inspiration

Creating Yourself Through Creative Business When I was a very little girl, maybe 6 years old, I lived in a little college town. There were only about 4,000 people in the whole town. But there were three colleges. Artists were all around. And all types of professors....

Creating the Extraordinary

Blog, Inspiration

Perfection - Mythical perfection. That striving to translate the vision we start with into the end product through man handling and sheer will of the creative process. My sophomore year of art school a professor taught me about the folly of this in one sentence....

Starting Off 2015 Strong

As we come closer to the start of the new year, it is very important to create a foundation for starting off the year with a clear mind and clean slate. If you haven't cleaned off previous years' business goals then you may start 2015 with funky feelings about where...

Using Video to Promote Your Product

Business Planning, Marketing, Merchandising, PR, Sales

Oftentimes, an invention or product is not seen because they don’t get the visibility they need. Creating a phenomenal video as your presence and to support can greatly increase your product’s visibility and appeal. Whether you are going for retail sales, corporate...

Creating Product - Cost-Saving Keys of Creating Product

Cost-Saving Keys of Creating Product There's a great quote that I love called "Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." If you're just running around doing things without understanding what they will give you strategically, it will be an expensive path...

The Million-Dollar Question | Products To Profits

Blog, Business Planning, Innovation, Investors, Patents & Trademarks, Product Development

Question - Do you want to license your product or build a business? When you're deciding whether you want to license or build a business, there are several different criteria that we always use with clients and anybody that's considering working with us What do you...

What's Your 2014 Year End Desire? | Products to Profits

Blog, Business Planning, Innovation, Inspiration

What's Your 2014 Year End Desire? | Products to Profits December is a time when some people let go of their dreams for the year. Even if the goal hasn’t been completed they start to wind down, to compromise on their dreams. Maybe it seems like they are...

Startup Finances [Interview]

Business Planning, Investors, Product Development, Retailers, Sales

Startup Finances [Interview] The process of going from idea to start-up business to big enough for an IPO (initial public offering) is filled with adventures. When starting up, you should look at what kind of entity are you looking to create. Many people choose...

Clear Your Way and What About Targeting Markets? | Products To Profits

Blog, Business Planning, Marketing, PR

Clear Your Way and What About Targeting Markets? Working with Your Own Resistance & How to Clear It How do you go from loner to leader? We allow the opportunities that we’re willing to have in my experience. If you’ve been resisting that idea of team – meaning you...

How To Trade Show: That is the Question!

Blog, Business Planning, Marketing, Merchandising, Retailers, Sales

How To Trade Show: That is the Question! Before you decide to exhibit at a show I want you to be clear who you’re selling to, consumer or business? Make sure it’s a fit for the trade-show. The, who you’re selling to could be a business. It could be that you want to...

Function, Packages, and Products oh My!: Function Decisions

Blog, Merchandising, Patents & Trademarks, Product Development, Retailers

Function, Packages, and Products oh My!: Function Decisions There are two levels of Function Decisions… Packages and products Product Where the decisions come from are a little different for each of these. In general, it should always come from the perspective of your...

Pre-Selling the Crowd: Thoughts on Crowdfunding

Blog, Business Planning, Investors, Marketing, Sales

Crowdfunding is such a fascinating emergence. It’s actually coming up as what’s called the new asset class. If you’re looking for funding for your project it has a lot of buzz behind it right now. Crowdfunding, for anyone who hasn’t heard about it, is a way of having...

It's About Permission | Products To Profits

Blog, Business Planning, Inspiration, Product Development, Uncategorized

The reason this has come up as a topic, is because there are so many people I’ve talked to that we never really fully give ourselves permission to be the fully creative passionate person that we’re meant to be in the world. I went through that myself. Today...Let me...

Following Through On Your Intentions! (Your Product)

What’s critical now for many people is to follow through on their intentions. And being a new year! Let work a bit with following through. I’ve been thinking about this a lot this morning as I was thinking and what came to me is that we’ve all heard ‘The Secret’ and...

Ready, Set, Go! Goal Setting

Blog, Business Planning, Inspiration, Sales, Uncategorized

Ready, Set, Go! Goal Setting Goal setting is something that 90% of the population goes through at the beginning of the year and I recommend shifting how you set your product goals and anything related to your product or product business. Keep in mind the time frames...

Your Photo Shoots: Part Two: Lifestyle Shots

Blog, Business Planning, Innovation, Marketing, PR

Your Photo Shoots: Part Two: Lifestyle Shots Today I wanted to follow-up with part two on Product Photography. Here are a few of my thoughts when you need to do a Lifestyle photo Shoot. Lifestyle shots – I know you might be wondering what this is. Well, it primarily...

Your Product Photo Shoots: Different Kinds and Why

Blog, Business Planning, Inspiration, Marketing, PR, Sales

Your Product Photo Shoots: Different Kinds and Why One of the things that’s on my mind is photography for your product. We just recently had a two-day photo shoot, so I'd like to share - how you do photography shoot that make a difference and some details that go...

A Moment with Marketing!

Blog, Business Planning, Inspiration, Marketing, PR, Sales

When it comes to taking your idea from the idea stage, putting it into a product and trying to get it into the marketplace - that marketing is key. The best product- poorly marketed, isn’t going to do nearly as well as a poor product that’s brilliantly marketed....

Mastering Your Language

This is very important, when you’re starting a business - how you talk to yourself. I can’t stress this enough. If you’ve read Think and Grow Rich, you know that your thoughts create your reality, and if you’ve watched The Secret you’ve heard that. Everybody’s heard...

Getting Unstuck!