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

Ayanna, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry is getting consistent access to people that can be convinced to purchase for the first time and then building a relationship so that they become return customers. A small e-commerce business always has to work hard to be visible in a space where there are many similar options. Being unique to set yourself apart only makes a difference when you can get in front of people to show that uniqueness. Because today’s shopper is so reliant on the internet and specifically social media to find the items they are looking for, every company is vying for their attention. It takes the right mix of funding and content to break through all of the noise.

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

Lately when I think about who I am I have been coming to grips with the fact that I am an introvert living in an extrovert’s world. I was always in the “in” crowd, but felt like the odd man out of the group all the same. My interests were always focused in a slightly different direction. My friends joined the drill team in high school, I was a flag girl. When pole dancing classes became all the rage in Atlanta, I took up belly dancing. Self-expression for me centered around moving to the beat of my own drum which was sometimes weird to even me. I subconsciously moved away from what was popular and trending.

Despite all of that, from as far back as I remember, I was still the “t-shirt girl”. Whether I was put to work for my family reunions or making paraphernalia for the sororities and fraternities on Auburn’s campus, folks came to me. When I left my apparel technical design management position after about 17 years in the industry, a custom tshirt company was a natural progression to accompany the graphic work I was already doing on the side. The introvert in me could relate to the desire to be expressive without having to be verbal. The right t-shirt allows this to happen. The weird girl in me required that I put a “slant” on popular ideas so that the viewer has to figure out the true meaning of the designs. This at a minimum makes the design memorable, at maximum an irresistible conversation starter. needthattee.com was birthed out of making these types of t-shirts available, and as I made sales, I paid attention to what was being bought the most. It quickly became obvious that this strategy appealed to the members of my sorority the most so members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated became my niche customer. I hear from my customer base all the time that they come to me for tees because I they can expect to find something that no one else has.

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

This statement covers two of the questions: I had to pivot my business at the beginning of the pandemic. The demand for tshirts was way down as the news of this virus that was taking over the country hit the air waves. I remember I had been thinking through what new products I could add to my assortment to generate sales right as the news hit. I found and mocked up these cute fanny packs and put them in my private Facebook group to see if the members liked them. If they could have picked them up and threw them back at me, they would have. Masks. They wanted masks. I had already decided that I would not produce masks because it meant that I would have to sew them myself and after having sewn 25 of them to donate to a project for the sorority, I knew there was no way I would be able to keep up with the demand. I knew that one of my overseas suppliers sold them, so I decided to sell through them so that I could give my customers what they were asking for.

I took around 550 orders of masks in the month of April 2020 alone. That was awesome until I realized 75% of them were lost in the mail because the mail transit system collapsed. I spent the following two months communicating with my customers, tracking individual orders, filing claims with the post office and working with my supplier who was helpful as they could be. I answered hundreds of the emails and refunded many orders. The supplier recouped a percentage of what I lost, which was helpful, but I still took a significant hit. Thankfully, a large portion of my customers were understanding, but many had no sympathy for what could not be controlled. I was insulted, my business was questioned, transactions were disputed, it was a nightmare. I couldn’t promote anything else because customers would get in the comments calling my business into question. I got super anxious when it was time to check emails after tracking all of the orders each night. It was debilitating.

At the end of the second month, I gave up and refunded the orders that were still pending so I could move on with the business. I had stayed in communication, did everything I could to get the masks to my customers and remained professional. It was time to cut my loses for the sake the business and myself. I sent a “love letter” to my customers through my email list and social media accounts thanking them for their patience and understanding and got back into the business of tshirts.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had to pivot my business at the beginning of the pandemic. The demand for tshirts was way down as the news of this virus that was taking over the country hit the air waves. I remember I had already been thinking through what new products I could add to my assortment to generate sales right as the news hit. I found and mocked up these cute fanny packs and put them in my private Facebook group to see if the members liked them. If they could have picked them up and threw them back at me, they would have. Masks. They wanted masks. I had already decided that I would not produce masks because it meant that I would have to sew them myself and after having sewn 25 of them to donate to a project for the sorority, I knew there was no way I would be able to keep up with the demand. One of my overseas suppliers sold them, so I decided to sell through them so that I could give my customers what they were asking for.

I took around 550 orders of masks in the month of April 2020 alone. That was awesome until I realized 75% of them were lost in the mail because the mail transit system collapsed. I spent the following two months communicating with my customers, tracking individual orders, filing claims with the post office and working with my supplier who was helpful as they could be. I answered hundreds of the emails and refunded many orders. The supplier recouped a percentage of what I lost, which was helpful, but I still took a significant hit. Thankfully, a large portion of my customers were understanding, but many had no sympathy for what could not be controlled. I was insulted, my business was questioned, transactions were disputed, it was a nightmare. I couldn’t promote anything else because customers would get in the comments calling my business into question. I got super anxious when it was time to check emails after tracking all of the orders each night. It was debilitating.

At the end of the second month, I gave up and refunded the orders that were still pending so I could move on with the business. I had stayed in communication, did everything I could to get the masks to my customers and remained professional. It was time to cut my loses for the sake the business and myself. I sent a “love letter” to my customers through my email list and social media accounts thanking them for their patience and understanding and got back into the business of tshirts. As exhausting as it was, I came out of it a more resolute business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.needthattee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneedgency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theneedgency
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theayannacard/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@needthattee.com