On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about wholesale with my guest Emily Kerr-Finell.
Emily is a mission-driven entrepreneur and the founder at Wholesale In a Box and Making Faire Work. A seasoned wholesale strategist, she has helped 2,000+ people start and grow small businesses. Her approach to business has been featured by The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, The Makers Summit, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
This episode is sponsored by Hobbs Bonded Fibers.
Making batting in the USA for almost 50 years.
We begin this conversation with Emily explaining how she co-founded Wholesale in a Box with her husband about 10 years ago to help makers transition their businesses into independent brick-and-mortar stores. The company originally provided software and training services, but later shifted to focus solely on training and coaching as Faire emerged as a dominant marketplace.
Emily explained the fundamentals of wholesale and how it allows makers to build relationships with multiple retailers over time. She clarified that while starting to sell wholesale is relatively easy, the key challenge is maintaining consistent growth over years to build a diversified network of stockists. Emily addressed concerns about profitability, noting that while makers cannot negotiate above 50% of retail price, they can focus on reducing costs through volume purchasing or process improvements to make wholesale more profitable in the long term.
Next, Emily explains why businesses should keep a close eye on profitability when selling wholesale, especially when selling on platforms like Faire where there are many different kinds of fees.
Emily recommended trade shows primarily for established brands with 100-300 stockists, noting that the typical $8,000-$20,000 investment often doesn’t pay off for newer businesses.
We talk about the evolution of Faire over time. Emily explains that Faire started as a well-funded venture with generous perks for brands and sellers but transitioned around 2022 to focus on profitability, resulting in stricter policies and less favorable terms for sellers. We talk about Faire’s fee structure, and we discuss strategies for success on the platform, including the importance of strong product photos, clear listings, and consistent performance metrics. Emily advised that brands new to wholesale should start locally before considering Faire and recommended building relationships with retailers both inside and outside the Faire platform.
And, of course, I ask Emily to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Emily recommends:
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Mead composition notebooks
- Tessuti Athina top sewing pattern
Keep up with Emily and Wholesale in a Box on the Wholesale in a Box website and on Instagram.
