SUMMARY
Taylor and Kelly sit down with Betsy Maurer, owner of On Brand Promo, a Central Minnesota promotional products distributor she’s run as a solopreneur for the past five years, on top of thirteen years working in the industry. Betsy walks through how her business started small under a different name, Betsy Branding, and how she landed on a name and identity that reflected what she actually believed in rather than her own name.
The conversation moves into the practical side of promotional products: why custom branding usually costs about the same as a stock item once you plan for lead time, why samples matter before any order goes out, and why buyers are increasingly choosing fewer, better items over cheap products in bulk. Betsy shares real examples from working with Moxie directly, including a sock order gone right and a mixed-up shipment that got handled fast because the client spoke up.
Betsy also gets candid about running a business around five kids, working a part-time job two days a week just to get out of the house, and building a client base entirely through referrals and community involvement without ever running an ad. The episode closes with her rapid-fire answers on the advice that still sticks with her most: it’s okay to say “I don’t know,” and the best way through fear is to do it afraid anyway.
CHAPTERS
Takeaways
Promotional products work best when they’re chosen around your specific audience and budget, not picked at random off a catalog.
Custom branding rarely costs significantly more than a stock item. The real investment is time, so plan ahead.
Always ask for a sample before committing to an order. A vendor who won’t send one is telling you something.
Betsy built On Brand Promo entirely through referrals and community relationships, without ever paying for advertising.
Buyers are shifting toward fewer, higher-quality promotional items instead of ordering cheap products in bulk.
Speaking up when something goes wrong gives a good vendor the chance to fix it. Staying quiet just means you’re stuck with it.
Key Topics Covered:
Rebranding from Betsy Branding to On Brand Promo
How to choose promotional products your audience will actually use
The good, better, best model for presenting product options
Why custom branded merch doesn’t have to cost more
The importance of requesting samples before ordering
Sourcing promotional products from Minnesota-based suppliers
Growing a solopreneur business entirely through referrals
Balancing business ownership with raising five kids
Community involvement as a long-term business strategy
