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

Alright, Brittany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think there is a lot that goes into being a successful businesswoman, but I’ll start off by saying it is a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. It begins with showing up and putting in the time. I learned what it means to have a strong work ethic from my parents when I was very young. I also worked a variety of jobs before I started Baylor Twine, each of which required a great deal of time and attention outside of the normal “9-5 workday.” 

Through my position at a printing company, I learned customer relation skills, time management, and how to quickly set up marketing displays in an array of locations across the northeast. My corporate positions taught me to meet unrealistic deadlines, create and manage clothing inventory through the development of spreadsheets in addition to learning how to interact with clients, co-workers, and managers. Together each of these employment opportunities prepared me for the entrepreneurial life I am now leading.

One thing that has been consistent from the early days of Baylor Twine until now is my cycle of creating→failing→reflecting→learning→improving→succeeding. I could give countless examples of this cycle, such as the first time I set up a pop-up at a festival and did not realize the great distance between the vendor parking lot and my assigned vendor spot. I was unprepared and had not packed my wagon resulting in hand carrying all my clothing from my car to my vendor spot.  From this experience I learned to carefully read each contract as it relates to the logistics of each event and now I always pack my collapsible wagon. 

Other examples include experimenting with the ice dye technique or attempting to affix buttons or snaps to a hoodie. There is always something to learn. Without creative thinking, persistence, and a willingness to learn from each “failure” I would not be where I am today. My motto is, reach out to friends and family when things get tough.

Being a small business owner, my customers are my world. I owe everything to them and their loyalty to my brand. As a result, I do everything I can to make their experience the best it can possibly be, whether that includes interacting with them in person at a market or chatting with them via email or Instagram. It is important for them to know that I am the designer, creator, and shipper of each item. If I mess something up on a customer’s order, which happens of course, I do everything I can to make it right, even if that means making something from scratch again and paying for overnight shipping. Because of my loyal customers I have been able to build Baylor Twine into the successful business that it is today, so taking care of my customers is extremely important to me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up on a farm in northern Ohio. My family and I spent a lot of time outside and creativity was always encouraged around my house. My mom is very artistic, so I get a lot of my inspiration from her! Believe it or not, I did not know how to sew until 2020! Shortly after the pandemic began, I purchased my first sewing machine. A friend who worked at JoAnn Fabric had access to a clearance sale and I was able to snap up my first machine for $25. I began by making masks which I sold online and to family and friends. I quickly received a sizable number of orders, and soon after was ready to graduate from making masks to clothing!

I received my first Cricut machine as a gift and immediately became fascinated with  the world of making custom T-shirts and sweatshirts. My sewing skills improved with each project I undertook, and before I knew it, I was upcycling crewnecks with sewn on vintage patches from thrift stores, hand tie dying, and selling my shirts at markets! It was so much fun, and I became hooked on sewing!

After one post on Instagram of a pair of reverse tie dye sweatpants that I created for fun, my account began filling with requests for similar items. Shortly after that post I “officially” went into business. I began making clothing that was unique and one-of-one. This was something that I instantly fell in love with, and I discovered that others appreciated my designs as well. I started selling my clothing at pop-ups and markets and in a short time, I was sewing and dyeing shirts around the clock.

Fast forward to 2024, I am approaching my fourth anniversary of Baylor Twine. Last year was my best year of business to date (Yay!), and I cannot wait to return to my favorite markets in the spring and show off all the new clothing I have made!

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I currently use Squarespace to sell directly from my Baylor Twine website. I also receive numerous sales from posting my merchandise on Instagram. While I use these platforms to sell some of my products, I would say they represent less than half of my total sales. Selling at markets, festivals, and pop-ups still represents the majority of my sales.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Word of mouth is huge for any small business.  Making high-quality products that people like and taking care of customers is what I feel has built Baylor Twine’s reputation. Many people have stumbled upon me randomly at a market, and after making a purchase return to buy other items in the future, whether for themselves or as gifts for friends and family. This is why I love being at markets…to meet customers, answer any questions they have and build relationships. I can proudly say, I have never spent any money on advertising. However, I have grown my Instagram base year after year thanks to exhibiting at markets and having my customers share clothing I have made, enabling me to reach entirely new audiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.baylortwine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baylor.twine/?hl=en

Image Credits
The professional photos were taken by Jake Olson