Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Faaborg.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Donna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea of starting Brand By You came while I was on a flight in January 2014. But August 22nd of the same year was when I finally had all my ducks in a row to open up! In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to start a business during my junior year of college because of all the work involved but I knew I was passionate about it. The idea for the company came from the simple fact that I was just thinking about a lot of good t-shirts designs that related to relevant pop culture references and I was shocked that no one else was making them. Each design that I made was something that I truly wanted to make – even if it was just going to be wearing it. As most businesses, it started rather slowly. I was designing on a free program I found on Google and I was using someone else’s screen printing equipment. Six months later, I started paying graphic designers to make more intense designs and I purchased my own screen printing equipment as well as a direct to garment printer!
By the time I was celebrating one year of business, I was quitting my part-time job at Gap to do this and college full time. Unfortunately, due to later changes from social media algorithm’s, my business and many other small shops took a pretty big hit. I have thus sold my direct to garment printer so that I could do more of my printing on my screen printing machine. Also, within the last year, I have purchased an embroidery machine to turn some of my other ideas into designs suited for jackets and hats. I have different ventures for the business now, even though I don’t have the same amount of business as I used to. Most importantly of all, though, is that I still have fun making new products and designing new things and I am happy that I can still screen print and embroider fun shirts for so many wonderful people!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course not! Nothing is going to come easy but it’s how you drive over a bumpy road that determines whether you make it through or if you break down on the side of the road. My business took a pretty big hit due to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Etsy, and Google changing their search engine algorithm, making it more difficult for small shops like mine who work solely over web-based sales to make an impression on potential customers. Because this change came on so suddenly, I found myself scrambling. At the time, Brand By You was my full-time job and soon, I found myself putting more money into it than I was getting out of it. I have thus tried to scale back my overhead costs as much as possible, moved a different direction on social media, and even took on a different part-time job, which I love. Unfortunately, not every small business sees leaps and bounds in success. I am still creating, just on a smaller scale! My hope is to get it back up to where it once was and I will always try my best to make that happen!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Brand By You – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I make t-shirts, hats, and pins for people who love pop culture references that have to do with things like Disney! I screen print and embroider in-house and all of the designs made are my own that I either designed myself or commissioned a graphic designer to make for me. I try my very best to make apparel and accessories that you cannot find anywhere else. The designs are produced in a way that references pop culture but could easily be worn on any regular day without looking like theme-park apparel. I am most known for my shirt “Mouse Ears and Cold Beers,” and I have it trademarked, which is pretty cool! I am most proud of the fact that I made this company. That sounds so simple that it almost might seem irrelevant. But I am proud that I was able to build something on my own, design things that I liked, and turned those designs into things that people actually liked and wear! For me, seeing my shirts or hats on people in a theme park or to have people come up to me and tell me that they love my shop and my designs are EVERYTHING to me.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I recently started expanding my designs onto pillows, which seems to be making a splash with my followers and customers! At this point, my focus is on to make small changes to boost sales forward. I believe that to be the best move for my business. I want to focus on what I can continue to make in-house and I plan to nurture the products that people truly love and give them more variations of those designs through the seasons. Since I do have my other job, I don’t work as much as I have had in the past with Brand By You. However, since being furloughed from my other job, it has allowed me to give more time to Brand By You, which I am very thankful for because this was always my first true passion! It’s nice to get back to my roots and design things myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandbyyou.etsy.com
- Email: brandbyyoudesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandbyyou/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandbyyou/
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/brandbyyou
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