We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jean Ross a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jean , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
At the time I wanted to start a business for Christian dance ministries. I prayed and ask God to reveal to me on what the business name should be. I waited and waited, the wait was long. Then one night I woke up from a dream and in the dream, there was a young lady who kept saying that you are covered by grace. I was fully aware that this was in response to my prayers. It was clear that no matter what we do we are covered by His grace and I wanted the business to have that same grace.
Jean , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I initially started this business, my hope was to provide garments for dance ministries across the world. It was much harder than I could have ever imagined. Trying to work a full-time job, being a student, learning how to run a business, learn to sew, being a wife, it was hard. One of the challenges I faced, was that the fabric was never the same. A fabric I ordered in January, was never available 6 months later. I found myself frustrated by this process. So with time, I shifted over to t-shirts and accessories. Fast forward to 2020, Covid-19, was a time to reset. Everyone in the free world was confined to their homes and with nothing but time on my hand, God spoke and said it was time to rebrand and refresh Covered By Grace, I took this time to ensure the business was standing in the right position. With the help of some family, we created a check list and began to make the business what it is today. I learned how to communicate the brand to others. I took time to better understand how Photoshop was my friend. I understood what I wanted the message to be from Covered By grace. I understood that Covered By Grace would be in a season of giving out more, then receiving, CBG provides our Confirmation of the day (COTD), every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. These text messages and social media post are designed to encourage and inspire everyone during their daily walk.
One of the issues we address is providing Christian rock tees that can be worn in the office, at church, and at the gym.
I’m most proud that I’m staying the course, despite how hard it gets. My goal is to share the word of God with everyone who comes in contact with Covered By Grace, whether it’s through one of our t-shirts, mugs, mousepads or blankets—products that reflect our faith—or something else.
Covered by Grace’s is a Christian online store whose mission is to provide Christ-centered clothing and accessories.
Our goal is to inspire, encourage, and spread God’s Word. We are a Christian brand that aspires to be more than a logo; we want to be a lifestyle that encourages believers to share their faith with everyone they meet.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
I sell only through my website. I use GoDaddy and Shopify to help me manage the site, but I also work with a dropshipper for some of my products. For those products, I fulfill orders myself because it requires more time and space to produce/store the inventory.
Choosing to use drop shipping allowed me to have more time to create my designs and less time managing the printing, shipping, and supplies. Drop shipping has its advantages and disadvantages; for one, I pay more for the product, but I avoid having to purchase extra space to house all my inventory.
Another pro, is there is no cost with utilizing drop shipping,
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I stay in touch with our customers using communication tools such as MailChimp and Klaviyo to send emails and promotions. I send our confirmation of the day via text message on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and throughout the year offer a ray of discounts and specials.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopcoveredbygrace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imaginethatljy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coveredbygracecbg
- Twitter: @shopcbggarments
Image Credits
Simply Sonja Elaine Penn