Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Howell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

When I first started Emily Grace Designs Co. in July of 2020, it was more of a hobby in which I made custom college stickers and t-shirts for my friends. However, one of my friends suggested that I list my products on Etsy. When originally listed my products, they were all made-to-order, as I did not have the capital to have inventory saved up. I think something that a lot of people don’t understand when they are starting a business is that you don’t have to make such a huge investment upfront. It is completely alright to not have full stock or inventory when you are beginning, especially if you would just like to test the waters and see how your business might do. As I made a profit off of these made-to-order products, I then made my first design that I kept inventory for. It was a skeleton design for Halloween, and I figured it would be perfect for the fall season. These shirts became very popular on Etsy and amongst my friends. I then invested the profit that I made from those into creating a Christmas collection of 3 designs that I kept inventory for. The profit from this collection was what allowed me to launch my first full-scale collection in summer of 2021. In summer of 2021, I launched a collection with around 6 t-shirt designs, 3 tote bag designs, and many sticker designs. At this time, I also began doing pop-up markets in the San Antonio area every weekend. I established a connection with my customers, and had many people that would come out and purchase from me multiple times a month. From there, I began doing anywhere between 2-6 pop-ups a week, and I hired a team of 3 part-time employees to help me keep up with the sales that were being made. Fall and Winter of 2021 were extremely successful for my small business, and this time period made me realize that this was something that I would like to pursue as my career. At this point, I was still storing inventory at my parents’ house, and I was taking up pretty much all of their room… I realized that I needed to invest in a larger office/warehouse area if I was going to keep up with the growth that my business was seeing. I acquired an office space in March of 2022, and I thought that it would be plenty of space for my business (it’s around 1,000 SF), but we have already outgrown it!
Throughout this summer, I was trying to figure out how to further expand my business, and I knew that my next step would be a storefront. However, I also wanted to help other small businesses local to the San Antonio area, so I established my second business – Elysia Collective Co.. This storefront will feature all of my products from Emily Grace Designs Co,, but it will also allow other small, female-owned businesses in San Antonio to rent out a space of the store to have a permanent location to display, showcase, and sell their products.
When I first started my business, I never would have thought that my business would come this far. It has been such a crazy journey, and the biggest takeaway from this experience has been that not everyone’s growth is the same when starting out a small business. A variety of factors can influence the success of your business, and if it takes you longer to see the same numbers as another small business does, it is perfectly okay! As long as you love what you do, you’re in great shape.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Emily Grace Designs Co. was established right after I graduated high school in 2020. I originally made custom college t-shirts and stickers for my friends, but my business has expanded significantly since then. I now sell t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, stickers, jewelry, and other accessories. I also now have a focus on every collection, which in the past have included mental health and sustainability. Something that sets me apart from other brands is that I designs and make all of my apparel in-house, and do not outsource the printing. Because I do this, I am able to make my products as affordable as possible for my customers while still sending messages and spreading word about causes that are important to me.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Initially, I was gifted a small heat press from a family friend as well as an iPad for my high school graduation. I was working full-time, and I saved up $200 to invest in a Cricut as well as another $100 for supplies that I needed for my Cricut. This was the only investment that I made in the initial start-up of my business. All of my products initially were made-to-order, so I made no investments in inventory. I would order the blank t-shirt after the order was placed through Etsy. This would lead to longer processing times, but that is what was necessary for me to start my business. All future inventory was purchased with the profits made from other orders.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started my business, I didn’t understand the power of social media with organic marketing. However, about a year into my business I knew that it was something that I had to post more regularly on because it was the easiest way to convert to online sales. The biggest piece of advice that I could give is be consistent in everything that you do on social media! Make sure to post consistently/regularly, and also make sure that your social media feed gives off a consistent feel/aesthetic. This will draw more people to your page and spark interest in your business/products.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://emilygracedesignsco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilygracedesignsco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilygracedesignsco