Katie Hunt: Founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp

Katie Hunt of Tradeshow Bootcamp was one of my first PR clients that I started working with late last year and I’m so honored to be a part of her incredible team.

If you aren’t familiar Katie, Tradeshow Bootcamp offers educational workshops (both online and in person!) to creative entrepreneurs who want to learn how to sell wholesale, exhibit at tradeshows, and learn about a variety of business topics.

She’s coached over 700 brands, some of who have products in Anthropologie, Hallmark, Target, and more. The TSBC alumni community and the support they have for one another is exceptional and I feel super lucky to get to be a part of it.

P.S. Katie just launched Paper Camp+ On-Demand, an online program to help you streamline, systematize, and scale your business. Definitely check it out if you’re a creative entrepreneur!

Katie Hunt | Founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp

Show notes

In today’s show, you’ll learn:

Why she doesn’t schedule meetings before 10am.
How her and her husband tag team the mornings.
What she prioritizes on her to-do list.
Her experience in her corporate job in the law industry and the transition working as a creative entrepreneur.
How Tradeshow Bootcamp came to be and what motivated her to start this business.
The moment she felt ready enough to finally leave her full-time corporate job and take her business full-time.
Why she doesn’t outsource her social media management for the TSBC brand.
One of her biggest struggles she’s had running a business and being an entrepreneur.
Her fears about outsourcing and hiring a team.
What she asks her kids every day and why it’s one of her favorite part of her days.
A big misconception people have about being an entrepreneur.
Decision fatigue and how it affects you as a business owner.
What she’s the proudest of from building TSBC.

Katie Hunt is the founder of Tradeshow Bootcamp, a business strategist, and mentor to creative entrepreneurs. She’s connected hundreds of creative entrepreneurs through her in-person conference Paper Camp and online courses she offers.

She is a firm believer in professional development, surrounding yourself with community and pushing ‘go’ even when you might not feel 100% ready.

Earlier this year Katie also launched her podcast, Proof To Product, which debuted at #19 on iTunes in the Arts category and most recently hit 50K downloads since its launch in May. Proof to Product takes listeners behind the scenes of growing a product-based business. Guests share their successes, struggles and how they’ve made difficult but important transitions in their business to continue growing.

Katie has taught classes for CreativeLive, The Savvy Experience, Seanwes Conference, Be Sage Conference, Unique Camp, and Makers Nation. She frequently speaks about strategies for creating a product line, selling wholesale, business planning and the importance of community for entrepreneurs.

Key takeaways from this episode

Recognizing that I needed help was one of the biggest struggles I had while growing @Tradeshowcamp. - Katie Hunt Click To Tweet

“In the entrepreneur world, we’re so quick to be hard on ourselves and not give ourselves enough grace.” – Katie Hunt

We're so quick to point the flaws instead of our successes. - Katie Hunt of @tradeshowcamp Click To Tweet

“We’ve got people selling in Anthropologie, Target, & Paper Source.” – Katie Hunt

“We’re all small businesses, we all face the same challenges.” – Katie Hunt

“I view social media and email marketing as a conversation with my audience.” – Katie Hunt

“The minute I hired my first person, my world opened. My business grew, my revenue grew. It was astounding.” – Katie Hunt

A misconception people have about being an entrepreneur is that it's easy. - Katie Hunt of @tradeshowcamp Click To Tweet

“I love the work I do. I have a purpose. I’m making an impact. I feel rewarded as a person. But being an entrepreneur is hard.” – Katie Hunt

“We need to be more forgiving if we don’t get all of the things done.” – Katie Hunt

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be an overnight success and that’s exhausting.” – Katie Hunt

Links to resources

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