We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Boonlorn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Jennifer , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.
I always laugh and get nostalgic when I think about the manufacturing side of my business. I have interviewed and visited so many factories along the way of building Soul Carrier.
I would literally pound the streets of NYC as well as LA, dragging my bags and sketches, in suit case, as I called upon fabricator after fabricator, in search of an outlet that could manufacture my bags. In the early stages of Soul Carrier, it was hard for manufactuers to take me seriously, I had a vision, however I barely had a thriving business, which meant my brand wasn’t very attractive to these manufacturers.
Arizona, California, NYC, New Jersey, Minnesota and Leon, Mexico – they all received phone calls and visits from me as I sought to vet and find an aligned factory.
I would ask everyone in my network if they had manufacturing contacts, I would Google the heck out of handbag factories, and then I would fly out to personally meet with the factories and make sure they were legitimate places of business. I could not have Soul Carrier stand for integrity, authenticity, and treating others with kindness, and then have my product be made in a place that treated their employees poorly or used unethical manufacturing practices. Therefore, who I aligned with was of supreme importance.
I remember calling on one factory, and as I pulled out the Soul Carrier sample bags, for them review, a trail of gold glitter went everywhere! My niece, who was probably 5 or 6 at the time, had gotten into my suitcase and hidden her craft supplies amongst my bags. The factory was not amused, however it made me smile. I have always had the intention to “shed light” and to come from and stand in love for all those I interact with. The glitter was a reminder of what I have always set out to do: be a light and remind others to tap into the light that is inside all of our individual souls.
While doing business, you will interact with, and have the opportunity to partner with, all sorts of people; however it is up to you to define your values and then have the courage to live out those values, even if it means walking away from an opportunity or deal.
Another manufacturing story that makes me shake my head and smile at how small a world it is, is this next story. A couple, from New York City, who had manufacturing capabilities in Leon, Mexico, had reached out to me after finding Soul Carrier online. I flew to this couple’s showroom in Manhattan, had them make bag samples, and then told them I wanted to see their factory in Leon, Mexico. They refused to let me come down to tour the factory. I then told them I would never give them a purchase order without first touring the factory, thus we partied ways. However, this couple had now educated me that Leon, Mexico was handbag manufacturing capital, so I flew down to Leon, pounded the pavement and found my own Mexican handbag fabricators.
Then years later, a student whom I mentored, was in Mexico City on vacation, and met someone with manufacturing contacts. I had a Skype meeting with the contact in Mexico and they were laughing so hard because they already knew of Soul Carrier, they had made bag patterns of my styles, and we both realized that it was because of the New York couple, who would not let me come down to tour their factory. The reason they didn’t want to me personally tour the factory was because they did not own the manufacturing plant, like they told me they had, they were merely middle men who were up-charging American designers for using a factory they had discovered.
That manufacturing story taught me that it is a small world, even when it comes to GLOBAL matters! You have to act with ethics and integrity, because everyone is connected, and in the end we truly are ALL in this human experience together. My last few production runs have been with this Leon, Mexico factory, who I had the small-world-global connections-run in with. This factory is amazing and they treat their employees with such love and care – every time I visit, they are honoring someone’s birthday with cake and balloons, fun music is blasting and two meals a day are provided to all employees daily. The employees are joyous and bring their A game to the table. The factory has passed all sorts of manufacturing standards and it shows in their craft and business practices.
Soul Carrier’s tag line is “For Your Journey” and it is such reflective metaphor for my own personal journey to build this brand and find an aligned partners in the process.
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 Jennifer and I am the owner and founder of Soul Carrier, a collection of women’s handbags and accessories sold online and at resort locations across the nation. We are proud to be associated with Four Seasons, Silver Oak Winery, The Estate Yountville, Eau Palm Beach, The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island, The Fairmont Princess, Camelback Inn, Andaz, The Beverly Hills Hotel, and the like.
We use interesting textile and genuine leather in our designs. We seek to empower all our customers to ask themselves the question “Where Do I want To Go?”, while encouraging them to come within and listen to their soul to find the answer.
I am most proud of the people I have helped inspired along the way with my story and journey. I am also most proud of the beautiful relationship and connections I have built within the hospitality and spa industry.
I want to be remembered as the girl who used her creativity to bring more love and light into the world, someone who stood for kindness and integrity while designing sleek and sophisticated products.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
One of my favorite humans, Kristin Boyd, is also a fellow business owner and entrepreneur, check out Vim and Vigor Candles, https://vimandvigorcandleco.com/
Kristin, and I are chasing the same markets (spa boutiques and hotel gift shops), and we have many of the same contacts.
Several times a year, Kristin and I will put together a “gratitude box” for our wholesale accounts at the spa boutiques and hotel gift shops. The gratitude box is full of items we have curated from other entrepreneurs and small business owners. It allows us to send our appreciation to those who place purchase orders from our brands, as well as help our fellow business friends get in front of key decision makers and market their own product and brands. Everyone wins and it feels soulfully synergistic.
Kristin and I call ourselves the “Dynamic Duo” – we feed off each other’s energy and we are constantly business problem solving, and brainstorming all while giggling and having the time of our lives.
Kristin and I will Face Time or leave 30 second video messages for our business contacts – they love our spirit and energy and it is a fun way to stay in front of our contacts while also showcasing our personality and brand. Not everything has to be so serious and somber when it comes to being professional.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Google! LinkedIn. Networking with fellow business friends. Cold Calling and asking who the spa director or gift shop buyer is. It’s amazing what a heavy dose of tenacity and research skills can produce. The information is always out there – you just have to be willing to hustle and work for it ;-) Also it is wise to have a well organized CRM – I use Pipedrive.com or an Excel Spread Sheet/Directory that has everyone’s information neatly organized. Your next purchase order is also just one email or relationship away from where you stand today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soulcarrier.com
- Instagram: @SoulCarrier
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulCarrierHandbags
- Linkedin: Jennifer Boonlorn
- Other: https://www.azfamily.com/shows/good_morning_arizona/jaimes_local_love/jaimes-local-love-soul-carrier/article_b6846c6e-0cbd-11ec-aa69-7f3ac644e92e.html
Image Credits
Jessica Van https://shay-studios.com/ Laurie Nicoud https://thecreativeclique.com/