5 Things I'd Tell You About Wholesale If I Wasn’t Afraid to Hurt Your Feelings
Some of the most important wholesale truths are things I don’t say out loud that often.
Not because they’re secret, but because it can feel a little uncomfortable to be direct about what works (and because sometimes the most transformative “tips” sound very basic).
Still, I’ve seen so many makers struggle (unnecessarily) with the same things that I figured it was worth saying these out loud. If I could sit down with you and tell you the real stuff that makes wholesale actually work — these are the five things I’d say.
5 Things I'd Tell You About Wholesale If I Wasn’t Afraid to Hurt Your Feelings
1. You’re using too many words and too few photos.
This is true for 99% of makers. They know it’s important to “tell their story,” so they create long, wordy About pages in their line sheets and on their websites. But you will communicate 100x more with photos and visuals (even icons, drawings, etc.) than you will with paragraphs of text.
Photos of you, your process, your sourcing, your studio — all fantastic. And if you really don’t want your face in the photos, alternatives work beautifully: your hands drawing, a shot from behind as you pack an order, a corner of your workspace.
2. It will take longer than you’d like to grow wholesale (but the benefits are long-lasting too).
I tend toward impatience, so I understand the desire to get instant results. But wholesale simply takes a while to build. It’s a snowball: very slow at first, then building faster and faster.
If you can adopt a long-term perspective — thinking in seasons and years not weeks — you’ll spare yourself a lot of frustration and set yourself up for real momentum.
3. Reorders matter more than first sales.
For whatever reason, most of us think more about new sales than reorders. But relationally, energetically, and mathematically, your wholesale business depends on reorders.
The most important work you can do is cultivating relationships and consistent reorders with the stockists you already have. New stores are great. Returning stores are so, so much better.
4. Your insight and creativity are the fuel for the whole endeavor.
You’re a maker because you’re creative. But when it’s time to grow or sell, some strange corner of your mentality kicks in and you forget the joyful, creative side of what you do.
Stores want to bring in inspiring, exciting products because that’s what gets their customers in the door. And they have a lot of product pitches coming at them. The more you can stand out as something new and wonderful — in your product itself and in the pitch — the more success you’ll have. So don’t neglect your creative and design time. And don’t be afraid to be creative in your outreach approach. Both are smart investments in your growth and make everything a lot more satisfying.
5. It’s not about selling your product to the store. It’s about the store selling your product to the customer.
Your wholesale business grows only when your shops can sell your products easily and enthusiastically. So the more you align your thinking with that reality, the more clarity and ease you'll have.
That’s why signage, store displays, realistic pricing, and good packaging matter so much. It’s not about making your sale. It’s about enabling their sales.
If any of this feels a little blunt, that’s because it is — but only because I want your wholesale journey to feel lighter, clearer, and more successful. They’re the things that let makers stop spinning and start gaining traction.
Wholesale is a craft just like your products are a craft. And when you approach it with intention, creativity, and a willingness to focus on what actually moves the needle, it becomes not just another sales channel… but one of the most stabilizing and rewarding parts of your business.
How We Can Help You Grow Wholesale:
Wholesale In a Box
Our beloved comprehensive course and coaching is your all-in-one way to grow wholesale fast, steady, and long-term. Learn more here.
Getting Started With Wholesale
A free 4-part email course covering the basics of how wholesale works, keys for success, whether it’s right for you, and how to get started. Sign up here.
The Wholesale Reset
Our free email course for more advanced brands — we’ll help you reset your approach to wholesale and take concrete steps forward to change your results. Sign up here.
Line Sheet In an Afternoon
Our minicourse that gives you a 39-page comprehensive line sheet template to mix, match, and modify — along with the guidance, motivation, and help you need to make a great line sheet fast. Sign up here.