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

Elisabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I launched Pretty Prissy Merch around my birthday in January 2022 and the idea came to me while I was recovering from major surgery (abdominal myomectomy) that I needed to have. For about 11 years, I knew that I had uterine fibroids but I was always nervous about having the surgery because of the recovery time, which is about 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, one fibroid multiplied to 3 and after my surgery when I woke up, my doctor told me that I had 18 which truly blew my mind. I am a very independent person however when I had my surgery, it was equivalent to having a C-section and I needed help getting around for the first few days because I wasn’t quite able to utilize my abdominal muscles. I stayed at my mom’s house and I started to feel a little down at times because I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do. On the night of December 31st (New Year’s Eve), my church usually has what we call “Watch Night Service” and my mom and I were watching the service in her living room. The main topic of my Pastor’s Sermon for the upcoming year was “Hope”, which sparked the idea for my first shirt.

He referenced my favorite scripture in the Bible which comes from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” That was it! I immediately picked up my laptop and started creating a t-shirt first, then socks and a coffee mug with the caption “I am Hope!” and they referenced Jeremiah 29:11. I didn’t have to figure out too much because I already knew that I wanted to create my website through Spring (formerly Teespring) because they make the experience as effortless as possible. After I created the first 3 products, my creative juices were flowing, and I wanted to continue creating other products that would not only encourage others but also uplift them.

I am a 3rd grade Math/Science teacher during the day and I returned to work on my birthday (January 10th) but before I left for work I did a video promoting the site and asked my friends and family to purchase at least one product as a birthday present to myself. Whenever I have an idea for a shirt, I head over to the backend of my site and start creating then I post to social media to promote them.

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?

My name is Elisabeth Johnson and I am a 3rd grade Math/Science teacher in Houston, TX by day. I love what I do because I’m able to mold young minds and be a mentor to them which is part of the reason I started Pretty Prissy Merch. It began as a form of encouragement for myself while I was recovering from a major surgery that I needed. I first started with t-shirts, then I created socks, coffee mugs, tumblers, pillows, etc. I feel that there is a product for everyone whether you’re religious or not.

One day I posted one of my products to a few of my social media pages and one of my former high school teachers commented that she thought the shirt was hilarious and would purchase it. When she bought it and posted a picture of her wearing it, I was so elated! I get excited when those individuals that helped me be who I am today go out and support my products. It feels so good to know that I’m able to bring a small form of encouragement or light into their lives just by creating a t-shirt.

What sets me apart from other companies is I try to make sure my products are diverse and that my clients have several options to choose from. On my site, you’ll find products for those that may be religious, those that are civically minded, and some products are meant to make the person wearing the shirt and the person reading the shirt laugh. Our motto is “Be pretty. Be prissy. Be YOU!” because no matter who you are, what nationality you may be, religion, creed, etc. you should ALWAYS remember to be yourself.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Through my website, I sell through Spring (formerly Teespring). I chose this platform because all I needed to do was create my shirts and Spring did the rest. They create the shirt and ship it out, which was easier for me. The first thing I like the most about Spring is that they offer you the option to design t-shirts on their platform, which, not every company provides. Second thing, Spring allows you to get started with no upfront costs and makes it fairly easy to design and sell custom items. A pro is that I can earn as much as I want by promoting my designs through social media. All processes (order, shipment, payments) are done by Spring upon any purchase; you have to just make a design for the product and nothing else. One of the cons is that you do have limited space on the front and back of the shirt for your design. Of course, this makes it easier for Spring to create the t-shirts, but you can’t get super creative creating unique sleeve designs or anything like that.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me the most was being consistent with social media ads, sending out targeted emails, and word of mouth from my customers. I’ve found out that interaction is key as well, my customers are more inclined to be repeat customers when they see that I interact with them through social media. That can be something as simple as thanking them for a compliment on a product and promptly answering their questions and/or concerns. This is also another great way to have them spread the word about my brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prettyprissymerch.com

Image Credits
Personal picture: John King with Kaleidoscope Media Group

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