We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylor Dubose a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of SUS is to reduce the amount of waste in landfills throughout the world. We do so by reusing plastic and other items from landfills, oceans and waterways, to create our products. SUS was inspired by witnessing the environmental impact of overflowing junkyards and landfills at a young age. As a child, I wanted to help solve this problem and reuse materials. These thoughts and goals drove the mission to reuse materials and tackle the plastic waste problem, and SUS was established in 2020. We make certain all of our products are made sustainably with reusable, recycled, or biodegradable materials.

We strive to make our products accessible to all. We recognize the price tag of sustainable items out there can be costly, but we have made affordability one of our Core Values here at SUS to ensure all people have access to our products.
My father was the first person in his family to attend and graduate with a college degree. Being of Black/African American descent and coming from an underserved community, this was a monumental step forward. It was an inspiration for myself, knowing I could conquer any future challenges with perseverance. My goal to start a sustainable business with the ability to provide less expensive sustainably made products to as many people as possible was a dream early on in life. It has been fueled by determination, dedication, taking pride in my ancestors, and honoring the planet around me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Directly out of college I entered the field of product management. I have been in product development/management for over 6 years and that experience has led me to pursue an initiative that positively impacts the world around me. I want to help reduce our environmental footprint on Earth while creating seriously fun products. The truth is 95% of plastic never gets recycled in the US. We want to help change that.

The core problems that we solve are access to sustainable products, affordability, and a strong warranty. SUS is a small business that is minority owned based in the US. Our main products are bags and backpacks that are made out of recycled plastic bottles. We support and sell our products on our website and small local businesses in the US. We offer bags and backpacks from a commuter backpack to tote bags that you can take with you on a walk. Our products are certified made of recycled materials, biodegradable,

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

It took me several years to start the business from saving money with every paycheck to not taking trips with friends. Excluding our crowdfunding projects, all funding for SUS has come directly from myself, family, or friends. We are a bootstrapped business which allows us to grow how we would like in order to pursue our mission and goals. A perspective that I really appreciate is that it is ok to grow your business slowly and intentionally. Keeping that in mind, no matter what size we are, I know we can make an impact.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started SUS in March of 2020, which was arguably one of the worst times to start a business but I actually think it was a great opportunity to take the time to work through our business plan and create a path to be successful in the long run. The start of COVID and lock down was a tough time mentally for everyone. I was furloughed and wasn’t sure if I would get my position back …so I decided to put my head down and start SUS. Prior to our launch I was spending early mornings, days and nights writing the business plan, finding the right partners to work with, and seeking our the right team. I remember times where I’d fall asleep at my desk deciding on product designs. As you can imagine, a desk is not the most comfortable bed.

While we have a ways to go on our journey I am proud of SUS and our teams ability to grow in an unprecedented time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.susmade.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sus_made/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SUSMade1/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzblZcJs1NjQobcOZQAsRqQ , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1iY6I2XxYA&authuser=2 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1M2amM4Gk&authuser=2
• Crowdfunding page: https://igg.me/at/19bottle