Conversations with Catherine Hildner and Allison Carter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Hildner and Allison Carter. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Cat Hildner (@kittymeowboutique) & Allison Carter (@allisoncartercelebrates) met one sunny, spring morning in 2019 at a business conference for creatives. Even though they both lived on opposite sides of the country (Cat in Chicago, IL – Allison in Seattle, WA) they quickly became friends in business and continued to meet in person due to their mutual love for in-person events.

Every event they attended, while amazing, was always geared towards service-based industries, bloggers, or influencers. As product-based business owners, it was always a challenge to specifically apply what they learned at these events to their own businesses.

It was over dinner in Nashville at a mastermind retreat in the summer of 2021 they decided NO MORE. Allison said, “Let’s plan our own event, specifically for product-based businesses!” Long story, and a bunch of cocktails short… The Ultimate Product Party was born.

The Ultimate Product Party (UPP) is the ultimate event for product-based business owners who are looking to scale their business and sell more products. Hosted in Scottsdale, Arizona at the gorgeous Clayton House event space (previously an abandoned postal storage warehouse – which is a match made in heaven for a product-based business!) with 20+ speakers and educators from all over the country.

Each speaker is going to cover a different area of running and growing a product-based business. From legal, licensing, affiliate marketing, bookkeeping, email marketing, branding, manufacturing, and SO MUCH MORE, UPP is coming in hot to give you all the tools you need to have a well-rounded, solid foundation for your product biz.

You’ll leave the Ultimate Product Party, a 2-day event, with a plan of attack in achieving your next business goals, new ideas to diversify your revenue, a solid understanding of your brand voice and aesthetic, and a kick-ass network of women who get your life as a product-based business owner and want to support you.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Planning an event of this magnitude is like planning a two-day wedding! As a first-time event, coming off a time in the world where some people are still afraid to travel due to Covid, it’s been a challenge to get people over the hump and ready to invest in themselves and their businesses.

We believe in the need for this event SO much and aren’t afraid to put our money where our mouth is, and encourage others to do the same. Building that know, like, and trust factor takes time, and investing in an event that requires travel can be scary! But we also know from experience, that nothing big comes from staying in your comfort zone!

Planning an event in two different parts of the country and relying on texting, Voxer, Facetime chat and texting 24/7 have also been a big challenge but we’re scrappy AF gals and are determined to make this the new go-to the annual event for business owners!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Cat Hildner is the owner and designer behind Kitty Meow® Boutique – where you can shop beautifully designed paper, party, and gift goodies based on your mood: WITTY or SWEET! The Kitty Meow® brand is fun, FIERCE, & designed to make women feel confident, empowered, and courageous enough to take the bull by the horns in life with thoughtful details. She has been recently named one of the Top 10 Designers to Watch in 2022 by Stationery Trends Magazine.

Cat has taken her product-based business from 0-700 stores in under 3 years, in the middle of a pandemic no less! Taking what she’s learned in that process, Cat coaches other product-based businesses to grow and scale their own unique line of products. She is also a co-host of the Dreams to Plans, teaching creative entrepreneurs to take their dreams and turn them into an action plan. Cat is a wife, mom to three little kiddos, based in the Chicagoland area.

Allison Carter is a Seattle mom of two and believes that every occasion, big or small, deserves to be celebrated. As the founder and CEO of Allison Carter Celebrates, she helps make busy moms’ lives easier and a hell of a lot more fun, especially when it comes to celebrating special occasions and holidays. Her monthly subscription box, Memories in Moments: Unwrapped, brings the celebration straight to your door with holiday-themed crafts and activities planned, prepped, and done for you.

Allison also shares her expertise with other female-owned businesses, helping them scale and gain massive visibility and credibility through simple PR strategies. Allison and her business have been featured in Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, Buzzfeed, Real Simple, and more! She’s currently planning her first in-person event, Ultimate Product Party, which is all for product-based businesses looking to scale and sell more products! She’s Bravo obsessed and never turns down a girl’s night with scratch margs.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
We are expecting some huge shifts within the creative industry, especially for product based, small business entrepreneurs. Covid has changed the game for many small businesses, forcing them to pivot and make serious changes to survive or unfortunately get left behind. With the explosion of TikTok for product businesses, it’s important to show up on all these free platforms, from the comfort of your home no less, but it’s even more important to step outside your comfort zone. In person events are back on, baby! If you combine growing and trending social media strategy with good ol’ fashioned networking you’re going to see massive results in your business. The whole point of Ultimate Product Party is to marry the two strategies! We have no intention of “getting left behind” so we’re constantly innovating and encouraging others to get on board for their own business.

Pricing:

• VIP Ticket: $897
• General Admission Ticket: $597

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@ultimateproductparty.com
• Website: www.ultimateproductparty.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ultimateproductparty
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ultimateproductparty

Image Credits
Karly Kreative Photography and Vanessa Ronowski Photography