We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathryn Hager a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kathryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

First, I do believe that failures are wins in some way and you have to fall at times to really figure things out.

I think at the beginning I priced my items based on what I thought people would pay for them and that wasn’t always enough to make a good profit to allow for growth. I still struggle with undervaluing myself but am much more knowledgable about margins and how to markup items that I print and sell.

Next, there are a ton of people who want to collaborate and partner with products, merch or even giveaways. I have had to learn to make sure my “yes” is the best yes for our brand and company. I’ve had a lot of yes’s that did not work out and I was left with the financial fail . Better contracts, better communication and expectations is best before getting into any partnership or collaboration.

The last thing is spend more time discerning a decision. I am naturally a impulsive person and that’s matched with lots of passion for what I do. I don’t always make the best decision because I don’t do enough research. I do believe there is a healthy balance in this because research doesn’t guarantee a win and being an entrepreneur, that means you are taking risks and following the vision you have for the brand + company.

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?

Hi! Kathryn Hager here, owner and founder of Ramble and Co. I started screen printing as a side gig and a way to pay for my last year of college in 2009. I printed only custom orders and didn’t print any of my own designs. After years of doing this, I was able to pay of debt and master the art of screen printing. (still not perfect just to clarify) I worked full time in oil and gas after college while still printing but at this time I had started to playing around with my own designs. In 2012-2013 I decided to rent a small booth space in a mercantile in my hometown. Month after month turned into years of growing this side business. I left my full time well paying job in 2015 to start my full time screen printing business. I opened my first store front in 2016 and that has lead to where I am today.

The shop was primarily filled with local inspired goods and a small mix of inspirational tees. Year after year that need for the inspirational side of Ramble grew. I don’t have a background in fashion, design, or retail. I grew up on a produce farm. I would say that I have stumbled into the fashion/apparel industry but we are more than that. We encourage women from all walks of life and have a mission to inspire women.

Our apparel is high quality and is printed to make you feel good in the words you are wearing. It’s not just about the looks about how it makes you feel. It’s our desire that the words you are wearing lift you up, bring you joy and bonus if they help someone else along the way.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Yes, this business in some form was a side hustle for 6 years before I went full time. During that time I worked to payoff debt so that when we made the decision for me to leave a well paying job we would have less overhead and monthly payments.

I definitely worked way more than 40 hours a week to make this dream a reality. I love working for myself and raising three daughters in this environment. Once I decided to go full time and open a retail location I started thinking about apparel and merchandising differently. I love story telling, listing to peoples stories, and connecting with women who have been inspired by our brand + products. It’s my goal that our store, through products and designs, invites people into a community that welcomes them.

Key milestones for Ramble was 1) opening our retail location 2) showing up daily through social media 3) saying yes to the right partnerships 4) working hard to get connected and in front of our target demographic / audience.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This is a hard one. I go, go, go and it’s often hard to stop and reflect. The one story I can think of perseverance was when I applied to be a vendor at Magnolia’s Silobration event in Waco, Texas. We were denied twice in a row but my gut said that we were meant to be there. Instead of asking and having a “I hope you accept us” mindset I flipped the script. On my third time of applying I was much more forward about how my products and designs would be exactly what their customers were looking for at the Silos. We received our first yes to be a vendor at Silobration in 2019 have been a vendor every since.

It is one of our best pop-up events and we have met some of the most amazing people.

Don’t let the no stop you. I do believe those first two no’s were meant to be but I wasn’t going to give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shop.rambleandcompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rambleandcompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rambleandcompany

Image Credits
I am also a photographer so all images are owned by Kathryn Hager at Ramble and Co.