In one of the most energizing and idea-packed episodes of The Found Podcast to date, I welcomed back Amanda Hofman of Go To Market Studio — and this time, we got tactical.

If you remember Amanda from her first appearance back in Episode 157, we dove into her journey from her very first startup in NYC to founding a merch company that defies boring, bulk-order convention. At Go To Market, Amanda and her team create strategic, meaningful, and memorable branded merchandise for brands that want to stand out and stay top of mind.

This week, Amanda returned to the pod and we wasted no time getting into the good stuff. Since we’re focusing on 2025 marketing trends this month, we decided to do a rapid-fire merch strategy hot seat. I tossed out ideas — a bakery, a coach, a brick-and-mortar boutique — and Amanda came up with instantly actionable merch strategies that work for each one. Her creative brain is next-level.

One of my favorite moments? When she said:

“Imagine five parents at school pickup all wearing your bakery’s t-shirt. The other parents will be like, ‘Huh… maybe we should go there after school.’ It becomes an ecosystem of brand awareness and community.”

This kind of visibility, Amanda explained, is what branded merchandise can do when it’s done well. It builds culture. It creates social proof. It invites people in.

And then there was the T-shirt gun moment — literally. Amanda joked about how people lose their minds over cheap t-shirts launched from a cannon (guilty!) and said:

“You have T-shirt gun energy in your business if you have branded merch. The key is harnessing it strategically.”

We also talked about:

• Why “useful” isn’t always the right question for merch
• What to focus on instead: meaning and message
• How your merch should reflect your brand’s vibe (think: bright and playful vs. warm and minimalist)
• Why consistency = connection

Whether you’re a service-based solopreneur, a product-based business, or running a local shop, this episode is FULL of ideas you can apply right now to your marketing.

Amanda brings big creativity, deep strategy, and so much fun to the conversation. We had a blast with this hot seat format, and I think we may need to bring it back in future episodes…

🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or at mollyknuthmedia.com/podcast.

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P.P.S. Interested in becoming the kind of leader who leads with meaning, not just metrics? Join me this fall for Empowerment Communities with The Restoration Project. Small groups, soulful growth. Learn more at https://www.the-restorationproject.com/empowerment-communities/.