We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abi Swanson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Abi, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
This brand sentibyabi came originally from my small obsession with rewatching snapchat memories and looking through old videos, I alway love to go back and remember the happy moments traveling and with friends. I wanted to use the brand as a reminder for people to see the phrases on my clothing and remember those small moments. I want people to remember the moments that make us feel alive and loved. Then, the Lord continued to refine this mission to not only remind us of those moment but especially the moments when we experienced the love of God for ourselves. He is the reason for everything and the only way we are able to experience love. His heart and my heart through this brand is to bring people back to His love to experience it more and share it with others.
Abi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a college senior with a very business minded family, but I got the final push to get started from my senior thesis. I decided to research how to market to Gen Z using social media and created the brand to apply that research. I make inspirational and faith-based hoodies, t-shirts, and now totes! I believe that my social media accounts and every design I create is an opportunity to spread the gospel and encourage people! I have been so blessed by the stories of people telling me how the message on the hoodie encouraged them and/or someone around them. I have had a mother message me saying that she believed the “Made in the image of God” hoodie would help bring her daughter out of mental illness. I have also had people find my social media and want to order from all over the world which truly has built so much confidence in the plans God has put in my heart! I want to encourage people around me to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit if they have similar dreams because the Lord can make something incredible out of whatever we give Him!
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I have tried to get my catalog on so many different platforms like Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, Etsy, TikTok, and my website. I would say that if you are just starting out, it may be helpful to take it one step at a time. That is if you are doing it part-time. Otherwise, most platforms can include repurposed content like photos and videos, I use shopify for my website and every other catalog is connected to that. Shopfify is 100% my favorite. I have used WordPress, Wix, and squarespace for other projects, and shopify is very helpful or ecommerce brands.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I signed up for a pop up event two nights before it was happening. I was also a full-time student and working part-time, so I had very little extra time. I ended up staying up all night long cutting and peeling vinyl and heat pressing 30+ hoodies in two days. That does not seem like that much, but it was exhausting. I then sold almost all that inventory the first day and went home that evening to print another 15 hoodies. This was the most exhausting but exciting weekend craft fair. I had to do a similar thing the next weekend for another pop-up. I guess the part that felt the most difficult was when my family and friends around me were relaxing in the hot tub and going out for dinner while I was at home studying for accounting exams and making hoodies. I am grateful for the opportunity to sacrifice something to get where I want to be, and I want these experiences to continue to remind me and others that it takes sacrifice and resilience to really succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sentibyabi.com
- Instagram: sentibyabi