We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Pickering. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.

Anna , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

AP was started in December 2020 and honestly, I had no clue what I was doing. I thought this business would be a pretty rad way to make an impact and jumped right in. My decision to begin stamping jewelry was driven by the struggle I felt while heading to college at the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic. I grew up raising Brahman cattle, spending nearly every day in the barn, and constantly being stretched thin with extracurriculars. When I went to college, I felt like I had lost my purpose and felt isolated during that first semester.

During Winter break, I learned about stamping jewelry and as I began researching, I realized that not only did it look like fun, but I could use it as a medium to create the purpose I’d been searching for. The first year I treated it as a hobby, using my jewelry as an excuse to set a table up at cattle shows and make a little extra money. By my second year, I began taking myself more seriously, designing my own graphic tees, stickers, and other accessories. I feel that these agriculture-based designs are what truly helped my brand my business. Throughout my third year in business, I’ve added a boutique and now offer clothing, shoes, and bags. My vision for my business has grown from a small jewelry shop to creating a one-stop shop for women and men in the agriculture industry. One day, I’d love to add more men’s accessories, and helpful products like herd management journals, stock show planners, and more.

I am someone who jumps in with both feet, so I won’t deny a lot of the WHY of AP Brand Designs came after I decided that I would stamp jewelry. I looked for ways to make my business stand out and realized I could do so by focusing on a stock show and animal production-oriented audience. In doing this, I became even more passionate about the people in these industries. Everyone welcomed my business with open arms and was eager to support my new venture. While I still consider this to be part-time, as I am currently searching for a marketing and communications position, I hope to one day give back to the industry through scholarship programs and educational opportunities for others who want to follow their passion and start a business.

The AP brand is one that I hold close, as it was originally my Brahman cattle brand designed by me & my dad. While in college, I decided to repurpose the brand for my little biz. Although the brand serves a new purpose, you can still catch us set up at a cattle show nearly every weekend. AP was founded on the idea that everyone has their own brand, and helping others brand themselves is our purpose.

Anna , 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?

Howdy! My name is Anna Pickering and I am 21 years old. I graduated from Texas A&M University in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science: B.S. in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and a minor in Agricultural Leadership and Development. I began AP Brand Designs in December 2020, stamping jewelry out of my freshman dorm room. Today, I offer stamped jewelry, boutique-style clothing and shoes, graphic tees, custom graphic designs, and branding services. My top priority is that my customers leave my shop feeling better than before and that my design clients feel confident in their brand identity. I want to help people brand themselves both personally and professionally, serving as a one-stop shop for those in the Agriculture industry. I feel that what sets AP Brand Designs apart is my customer service and one-of-a-kind designs. No piece of jewelry is ever alike, nor is any graphic item. Truly the aspect of AP Brand Designs that makes me most proud is the relationships I’ve developed over the past three years. Between managing part-time jobs, school, and owning a small business; it was often difficult to find balance while getting everything done. However, the connections that I made with other business owners and agriculture advocates whether it be in person or online helped make navigating life as a small business owner a breeze.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients through social media, monthly newsletters, customer incentives, and more. Through my monthly newsletters, I reaffirm my brand and offer monthly incentives such as discount codes, early access, freebies, and more. With this, social media is my number one mode of communication. I try to stay engaged with customers through messages, posts, and comments. I also offer my followers incentives and they get a front-seat show to anything and everything AP Brand Designs. With this, I try to be transparent. While I want to affirm the quality of my products, I also address any mistakes made throughout the creative process and communicate any delays that may arise.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My personal brand helped me to build my business’ reputation regarding my target audience. Because I grew up in the Agriculture industry, I had many connections and friends who were willing to offer their support when I started my business. This being said, networking within the boutique and small business industry proved to be more challenging. I built my reputation by not only being open about my business journey but also by not being afraid to reach out to other business owners. I’ve always been big on community over competition, and finding other business owners who had this same mindset made the journey so much smoother. I also grew my reputation through participating in giveaways, and small business groups, traveling to new shows, and promoting my small business on social media. All of this comes back to having a good base- your branding. It took me about a year to nail down what I truly wanted my brand to reflect, and once I defined that people could see what AP Brand Designs stood for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://apbranddesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apbranddesigns/
• Facebook: AP Brand Designs