4 Key Considerations for Wholesaling Your Art with Katie Hunt (#138)

There are so many ways you can sell your art and so many
different avenues for earning money from your talents. I’ve
highlighted a wide variety of options for earning money from your
art on The Art Biz podcast, but today’s conversation is a first.
I’m joined by Katie Hunt, the founder of Proof to Product, to
learn more about wholesaling. She has helped thousands of brands
get their products on the shelves of large retailers like Target,
Nordstrom, The Container Store, and Starbucks, as well as
independent boutiques around the world.


In this episode, Katie shares basic basic information about
wholesaling your art. What is it? Who is it for? Who is it not
for? What’s the difference between wholesaling and retailing?
Where does licensing fit in? Katie is a wealth of information,
and generously gives four considerations for wholesaling. And
stay with me to the end of our conversation, where Katie reveals
the four things she takes into account when making business
decisions.


Highlights




Key differences between wholesaling and retailing. (4:20)




The importance of selling in larger quantities at a lower
price in wholesale. (6:53)




How is licensing different than wholesaling? (12:20)




What type of artists are a good fit for wholesaling? (13:41)




Focusing on one revenue stream at a time — before
wholesaling. (17:58)




Foundational checkpoint number one — Is your product line
strong? (20:20)




Are your sales tools in place? (26:20)




Outreach and marketing — detailing your artwork and your
terms and conditions. (29:18)




Step number four — solidifying your operations and systems.
(31:07)




Handling criticism and rejection when wholesaling. (32:38)




Paper Camp and other resources for artists considering
wholesale. (35:52)




4 considerations Katie bases every decision on. (40:50)




First posted:
https://artbizsuccess.com/hunt-wholesaling-podcast


This Week’s Assignment


This week’s assignment has 2 options. Option 1 is to review
Katie’s 4 considerations for wholesaling to decide whether or not
it’s a direction you want to go. If you want to see those again
in a list, visit this episode at artbizpodcast.com. Katie’s
format is so straightforward and she is clear that wholesaling
isn’t right for everyone. If you know that wholesaling isn’t for
you, go for option 2, which is to write out her list of
considerations for making business decisions and keep it nearby.
Adjust it to your needs and revisit it often to stay on track.


Mentioned




ArtBizAccelerator.com




Art Biz Podcast Episode 16 with Maria Brophy




Proof to Product free class




Labs




Paper Camp




Proof to Product Podcast




Katie on Instagram




Resources




Show notes, images, and listener comments




How to Price Your Art free report




Art Biz Connection artist membership




Quotes




“There are so many ways we can sell our art, and each one
requires a different foundation.” — Katie Hunt




“With wholesale, we’re talking about a very different system
of the sales process, the marketing process, even the
fulfillment process.” — Katie Hunt




“Artists don’t have to wholesale everything they make. They
can create a special segment of their product line that is
for wholesale.” — Katie Hunt




“Before you take the plunge into wholesaling, you need to
know you have an audience.” — Katie Hunt




“The more we experience with the pitching process and putting
ourselves, our art and our talents out there, the stronger we
become.” — Katie Hunt




About My Guest


Katie Hunt is the founder of Proof to Product, the host of a
podcast with the same title, and a business strategist who
supports product-based business owners. She has helped thousands
of brands get their products on the shelves of large retailers
like Target, Nordstrom, The Container Store, and Starbucks, as
well as independent boutiques around the world. Katie’s work has
been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Entrepreneur as well as
dozens of business podcasts. She brings experience, education and
a love of learning into her programs. Her strengths lie in
connecting people & bringing ideas to life – brainstorming,
making a plan and implementing.