We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grace Dille Krass a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

I currently donate 5% of profit sales to Braver Collective, a healing community built by survivors, with survivors, and for survivors of sexual abuse and trauma.

This is a cause that’s close to my heart, as my dad is the founder and CEO, and a survivor himself. I’ve been able to watch and contribute to Braver’s growth and it’s truly been the honor of my life.

The ultimate goal of Braver Collective is to build a welcoming, accessible, digital space where people of all ages and experiences can find and share stories, resources and support for their journey. There isn’t anything currently like it in the digital sphere, and I think it’s going to bring such positive change to the world.

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

Hi, I’m Grace Dille Krass. I grew up in Chicago, but have lived in Dallas for the last decade.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawing and creating. I went to school for Studio Art & Graphic Design at Baylor University. After college, I began my career as a Graphic Designer and then was later promoted to a Creative Director.

While working full time, I started my company, Maddon and Co, on the side. It began with just 6 greeting card designs (hand-drawn and printed by myself). After I got a little taste of creating something of my own, my instincts just kicked in and I started drawing more and more cards. I couldn’t stop creating, and I also quickly realized I was born with the entrepreneur gene.

I eventually wound up where I am today…selling an offering of greeting cards, vinyl stickers, art prints, candles, apparel, notepads and trucker hats. I draw or design all of my product myself. Most of my product is also eco-friendly and also handmade.

Overall, my goal for everything I sell is for it to just bring a little more joy into your life or put a smile on your face…bringing a little light into the world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m definitely a perfectionist at heart, and have found myself living by the mantra of “if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all”. In running a small business, I quickly found out that just isn’t possible, and actually ends up hurting you in the long run.

I was so hesitant to start/try a new product or social media strategy because I was scared it wouldn’t be perfect, and I would fail. The truth is, you just have to start somewhere, and it’s never going to be perfect on your first try. But the good news is, after you fail a few times, you will eventually get it to a place where you’re proud of it and it’s perfect in its own way.

For example, I taught myself how to pour candles. I had to do a ton of research and when I went to try my first set of candles, it was all a mess. The wax had tons of air bubbles in it and the scent wasn’t strong enough when I burned it. Instead of letting that deter me, I just kept trying. Eventually, I’ve gotten my candles to a place where I love them and burn them in my house every day, but it took me failing those first few times to get there.

Lose the fear you’re going to fail, because you’re going to. But if you have the guts to fail, you’ll eventually succeed. That’s what will set you apart.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I manufacture the majority of my products. Those items include my greeting cards, hats, candles, art prints and apparel.

I have a background in Studio Art & Graphic Design so I had some base knowledge of creating a greeting card from college, but a lot of what I learned was just self-taught.

I’ve watched TONS of youtube videos and did A LOT of research. After that, it was a lot of trial and error. If you’re going to manufacture your own product, I recommend doing research on pricing. There are a lot of websites out there that do “custom this or that” but some are very pricey. Usually the “mom and pop” businesses will actually give you a better rate, so don’t just click on the first link that pops up on Google.

Another piece of advice I would give is to lean on your peers. If you see someone creating something you like or would want to create, DM them on instagram and ask to pick their brain. Of course don’t copy them, but I’ve found that small business owners just want to help other small business owners. I love giving tips & tricks to anyone who ever reaches out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maddonandco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddonandco/