You’ve built a business that’s working, and an audience that digs what you do. (Congrats!)

You’ve got some ideas for products, product expansion seems like a smart move for growth, and you’d like to make it happen. But you don’t have time (or frankly, the interest) to also become an expert in product strategy, development, manufacturing, sales, and distribution.

You could hire and manage four different experts who specialize in different facets of product business. Or you could hire one expert to guide you on all of it.

As the founder of Em & Friends, I’ve created or creative-directed over a thousand products that turned our customers into evangelists, led a team of writers and designers, attracted millions of dollars’ worth of global press with a marketing budget of zero, and gained a decade-plus of experience manufacturing domestically and abroad.

I built the brand from the ground up as an entirely self-funded company, and for its first five years, I also served as CEO. Name an experience in the world of products, I’ve navigated it—from building a warehouse in another state, to working with thousands of retailers worldwide, to re-sewing 15,000 handles onto an entire shipment of malfunctioning tote bags, to learning what it takes to sell an artist-driven brand (twice!).

I’ve had a lot of success—and I also made a lot of exhausting and expensive mistakes along the way. This experience is not uncommon; no matter how smart you are, in the world of making and selling physical goods, the learning curve is steep, and there’s so much to know.

But with me on your team, you won’t have to learn anything the hard way.

Kate Bowler, multi- New York Times bestselling author and host of Everything Happens

“When we decided to launch a product collection, Emily was our first call for help. Without her expert guidance in what to make and how to make it, we would have given up in frustration. Having access to her knowledge and ideas in this process has been a game-changer.”

Some of the ways I can support you:

  • Tailored, 1:1 support and access to the kind of expertise that can only come from someone who’s successfully walked this path themselves.

  • A customized education on any aspect of the product business, from margins to creative development to delivery logistics

  • Thought partnership for viable, innovative, sellable product ideas

  • Evaluating product concepts and determining costs and markups

  • Strategic planning to help make sure you don’t end up with a storage unit full of unsellable widgets

  • Sourcing quality, ethical, fairly priced manufacturers in the US and/or abroad

  • Guidance and feedback for you and/or your team on the specifics of designing and writing products

  • Ensuring your packaging sells your products and doesn’t accidentally cause them to fail

  • Expert creative and strategic feedback on your sales and marketing copy

  • Insight into what retailers look for, how to work with retailers, and how it’s different from e-commerce customers

  • Guidance on setting up fulfillment in-house or at a 3PL

  • Helping you evaluate your company, workload, and task list and hone in on what’s working and not working (numbers-wise, and you-as-a-person-wise), to create more space and sustainability in your life and business

Cathy Zhang, founder & designer, Easy Sunday Club

“Emily is a thought leader, a mentor, and a nurturer in one rare package. Having gone through different masterminds and coaching programs over the years, it became easier for me to spot those who are great at marketing but whose programs fell short in substance and relevance, versus those who were successful practitioners in the industry and are genuinely driven (and qualified) to help others. To me, Emily is the real deal. She is someone I wish I had in my corner when I first started my product business, but am so grateful to have 7 years later as I navigate my next business and life transition. After one session with her, she helped me find clarity in the areas I was stuck and gain the confidence that I will figure it out. I can't wait to work with her more!”

When you work with me as an ongoing client, you’ll also get access to all the resources I’ve developed for both beginners and folks with established product-based businesses, like:

  • A vendor agreement for manufacturers that would have saved me tens of thousands of dollars (no joke) in my first few years in business

  • A detailed, comprehensive manufacturing price request checklist, to ensure you get the exact product you want without wasting time and money

  • Spreadsheets to help you calculate the true cost of a product 

  • A step-by-step guide to the whole shebang (if this is your first rodeo)

“Hey Emily, why are you doing this?”

It’s really simple: I want to offer the kind of guidance and support I needed when I was building Em & Friends, but didn’t exist. I hired plenty of consultants over the years, but each one specialized in one or two aspects of what I needed to know: how to prepare a wholesale collection and work with retailers, or how to put together a warehouse, or how to exhibit at a trade show. There was nobody I could work with who could help with all of it, from manufacturing to sales, and nobody to learn from who’d actually done the thing I was doing, at the scale I was doing it.

Now I’m that person, and I want to share everything I’ve learned, because I know how isolating, overwhelming, time-consuming, and disheartening it can be when you’re trying to figure it all out on your own.

Craig Hetzer, former Publisher, Knock Knock

“Emily quite simply knows a ton about how to make, design, manufacture, market, sell, and distribute gift product. Most importantly, she has the rare ability to step back and critically assess a product from all angles—from concept to design and form, including its effectiveness in communicating and appealing to customers. And, she is not only highly skilled at working with writers, artists, designers, manufacturers, and sales teams, but motivates and cheers them on throughout the process.”

How does it work?

Below are two baseline options for working with me, as a starting point. I also work with clients in customized ways (i.e., in-person intensive, fractional executive, retainer); we can work together to create a plan that best suits your needs. Inquire about this here.

All sessions are conducted over Zoom.

My 3-month consulting package includes:

  • One 90-minute onboarding session

  • Five 60-minute sessions (can be scheduled at any intervals in the 3 months)

  • Access to all my templates, checklists, manufacturers, and resources

Investment: One payment of $4,000, or 3 payments of $1,400.

A one-time, 60-minute call:

  • A great option if you just have one or two questions for me. We can cover a lot in an hour!

Investment: $550