We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Graceful Grady. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Graceful below.

Graceful, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I have to be honest, coming up with the name of my company wasn’t too difficult, nor was the brand name. I enjoy putting on my thinking cap and trying to come up with fun and unique names, which is right up my alley. It’s stated that sometimes the answers we are looking for are right under our nose. Example, I wanted a name that is fun and easy to remember, so I asked myself why not just go with National Dimples Day and so I did. In addition, when the popularity (I hope) of National Dimples Day continues to grow, we will be in a position that allows us to dominate the top position on every media outlet.

After thinking long and hard on the logo, again I went with simplicity. I came up with Dimpuls, which I decided will also be the brand name. I added a twist (I like to be different), I spelled it D-i-m-p-u-l-s.

Finally, for the store, I again went with the K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) formula. I wanted something that was easy to remember, so I went with simply…The Dimple Store.

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?

What started out as an inquiry immediately became a passion. I felt for those of us with dimples deserved a day of acknowledgment and what became of that…National Dimples Day on July 9th.

According to a 2019 meta-analysis in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, around 1 in 5 people have dimples. Yes, it’s a small community but a community with global presence. I wanted to represent that global presence on our website, so I made sure to show “Dimples Nation” for all to see. In addition, I welcome everyone to send their photo displaying their dimples and we will post it (along with name and the flag of their country). Visit www.nationaldimplesday.com

There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain where he said, “Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life.” As I continue to work on National Dimples Day, I have to agree. After graduating from Demple University (Dimpledelphia, PA) and majoring in Dimpleology, I’m glad I can finally put my PhD as a Dimpleologist to work. I have so much fun when I meet people and let them know we now have our own holiday. You can’t believe the smile and laughter when I hand people information about the holiday. FYI, actually Georgia Tech/B.B.A. at Georgia State University.

I have and still run into some non-believers but that’s okay. For example, before I even built a website, I reached out to a certain profession for collaboration, I was laughed at by the gatekeepers and assistants. Funny, now that same profession is referencing National Dimples Day in advertisements.

We have great things in the works. Currently, we are working on our Inaugural Dimpled Emmy® Awards Giveaway. We were able to get permission for trademark use of Emmy® Awards by the association. I reached out to the Emmy® Awards to get permission on their trademark and after reviewing our information they granted us use. This will be the first time ever that Primetime Emmy® Awards nominees with dimples will be a subject of discussion. You can visit the website at www.nationaldimplesday.com to see the 2023 dimpled nominees.

As stated, we also plan on having a Dimples Festival. The goal for the festival is 2 years. I’ve narrowed the choice of location down to 3. I’m personally working on the names for the drinks (Shirley Dimple, Dirty Dimple, Harvey Cleft-Chinbanger, as examples).

I’m always trying to come up with ways to help spread the word for National Dimples Day, my first attempt was entertainment, and it went well with me getting trademark use of the Primetime Emmy Awards. So, what’s next…how about sports. What will that sport be? Well, it has dimples and it’s right under our nose (literally if playing it correctly). The answer is GOLF!

Since we started an online store selling apparel and accessories (www.thedimplestore.com), we have been compared to another company with somewhat of a similar logo. That will be a dream come true, they do extremely well globally. The craziest thing I’ve heard was that there was something on social media going around about voting on which logo was the sexiest…Dimpuls (our logo/mascot) or Smiley. If this is true, I think you know my answer. What do you think?

Lastly, because of rapid acceptance and acknowledgment of National Dimples Day, there is a possibility of looking into raising capital for future endeavors.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I put together the initial capital like most small businesses and that is bootstrapping. FYI, it’s stated that 80% of companies around the world are bootstrapped. It’s also stated that 90% of bootstrapped businesses survive market challenges and grow. Yes, my fingers are crossed!

I work long hours to use the funds from my other jobs just to pursue my dream of making National Dimples Day one of the best, unique, and fun holidays to celebrate.

I do have interest in raising capital, which is on the agenda for 2024.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One way to market your business is still face to face marketing, which is an effective way to connect with customers on an emotional level and to build trust. I can give two examples. During Covid while stuck at home I decided to design poker T-shirts to make some money. Fast forward a couple of years, I’m walking to my appointment and a lady saw my T-shirt and approached me to find out where she can buy it, I told her of course…pokert-shirts.com. I had to ask her what she liked about it and she stated that her son plays poker and believes she doesn’t favor his lifestyle nor his decision to be a poker player. She said she believed the design was a perfect gift to bring them closer. In case you are curious, the design is named Poker Grows the Best Pot.

One of my favorite marketing success stories for National Dimples Day happened when I asked a young lady if she has dimples and she answered yes but wanted to know why I wanted to know. I went on to explain to her who I am and all of a sudden she had this big smile on her face, and she continues to say she was very familiar with National Dimples Day. She told me that her and her coworkers decide on a holiday every Friday to celebrate, and it just so happened National Dimples Day was a holiday they selected. She said she remembers because they went around looking and asking coworkers if they have dimples. Hearing that made my day and it helped me get charged up to continue to pursue my mission in spreading the word.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nationaldimplesday.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nationaldimplesday
• Other: https://thedimplestore.com https://pokert-shirts.com