147 | Expanding Products Enhanced Her Brand with Rebecca Townsend, Seaside Designs

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you ever considered how building a strong brand can make you stand out and ultimately help your business stand the test of time? Today’s guest is Paper Camp alumni Rebecca Townsend. Rebecca is the owner and creative director of Seaside Designs. She literally built her whole business around her love for the beach and sea. Pretty fascinating, right?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The business didn’t always come easy and she’s had to overcome many ups and downs through her entrepreneurial journey. She rode the rocky tides of being a business owner and now she’s riding the waves of success. In this episode, she shares her story of navigating a huge rough patch that made her shut down her business and the story of her resurrecting it and bringing it back to life. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We talk about her experience of overcoming burnout and figuring out a way to work smarter, not harder. She shares her research and development process for products and how she balances the financial risks of expansion (you might be surprised to hear how she does it). Rebecca gives her advice for other business owners who want to expand into new product categories and shares what’s next for Seaside Designs including why she’s decided to focus on sustainable packaging. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ON TODAY’S EPISODE: </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why Rebecca has kept her brand identity the same throughout the years in her business</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How she’s built her brand based on her vision</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The evolution of her product mix</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How she got into wholesale after being discovered by local retailers at craft shows</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Going through