We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Prentiss recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you manage your own social media?

The closest I ever came to Facebook and Instagram before the launch of Sunshine Canyon was watching the Social Network in my pajamas. A true luddite, I was crossing my fingers that I could skip it entirely. I kept pitching to friends that maybe I could just be a secret brand that people stumble across in real life and become converts. I famously told my husband in 2000, when I was working at Neutrogena and a Digital Marketing group was created, that I couldn’t fathom why. So getting started on social media was enough to freeze me in my tracks. I couldn’t have even attempted it without the significant hand holding of MBER Creative, who helped me understand the medium, answered all of my questions and even convinced me to star in a reel, which will never happen again…. After a year, I was convinced that I could go it alone and save the monthly expenditure. One look at my feed and it is abundantly clear the exact the day that this happened. My posts became erratic and less principled. I quickly learned that beautiful storytelling that can distill the essence of my brand and back office analytics are essential. Most importantly for me, I stopped doing my creative design work in order to focus on a small Instagram account of just 1,000 followers. It didn’t make sense and it didn’t make me happy. The entire back and forth did allow me to see that a partner is the only way forward for me and well worth the expense.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I have worked in a series of Consulting, Brand Management, and Interior Design jobs over the course of the last 20 years. I always knew I wanted to try something entrepreneurial and in 2021, I opened a small (blink and you’ll miss it) store called Wildflower Nation. It was not necessarily the culmination of a years long retail dream; it was a Covid related impulse to get out of the house and back in the world. I learned two things immediately. To run a successful retail business, you need to really, really love it, almost like a calling. I didn’t feel that way. And I knew I didn’t have the chops to keep it going after my lease ended. I also learned that I loved merchandising, sourcing, and creating a small magical world with my own specific aesthetic – one that I loosely call sweet alpine. I also liked interfacing with the brands I sourced from – looking at their social media, positioning statements, and product assortment. I realized that I wanted to develop my own products and landed on bedding. At Wildflower Nation I offered a line of vintage pillowcases with one-of-a-kind chain stitching. The patterns were nostalgic and fresh and even if they didn’t sell like hotcakes, people reacted to them with such pleasure. I thought I had stumbled about the spark of an idea and I kept thinking about how as a kid, I was so excited about my sheets – not the thread count, or the technology, but how they could make you feel cozy, safe and special. Sunshine Canyon is an extension of that idea – custom bedding with a sense of sophisticated nostalgia and a sense of place in the West.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a huge, huge fan of the How I Built This podcast with Guy Raz. I learn something new, interesting and applicable in every episode. I also was recently really empowered by the Masterclass Creative Living Beyond Fear with Elizabeth Gilbert. It was inspiring, practical and really super charged my thinking and awareness. I took copious notes, listened twice, and still refer back to it.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I don’t have a co-founder, but I have been looking for someone to partner with. In fact, in writing this, I hope to help manifest exactly that – someone who is the star-crossed business partner I have been waiting to meet. (Fingers crossed). I have several friends who are artists or creatives and we often bounce ideas off one another, check in, and offer encouragement. I have learned that I don’t like to work alone. Perhaps, I will write back with an update.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shopsunshinecanyon