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

LeeAnn, 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?

Growing up, I spent most Summers and some holidays in Arizona. My parents divorced when I was young and my Dad and grandparents lived in Arizona. I would spend a lot of my time during the day with my grandma who I called Mamaw. We were very close and I could talk to her about anything and everything.

I have always enjoyed making things and being creative. She was also a crafty person and taught me how to knit and make jewelry. Around the end of 2011, and the beginning of 2012, she got sick. It was very sudden and in May 2012, she passed away from cancer. Her name was Judy Lee Weeks and I named my business Judy Lee & Co as a way to honor her and keep a piece of her with me always. There isn’t a day that she isn’t on my mind so by naming my business after her, it almost feels like this is something we are doing together.

LeeAnn, 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?

I have always been a creative person and have grown up with crafty people in my family. I have always been the type to see something in a store and say, “I can make this myself”, and that’s what I would do. I’ve always enjoyed painting, drawing, and crafting and while my grandma taught me a few things, my mom was also one of my biggest inspirations when it came to creating things. She is a very talented person and I learned how to paint, bake and decorate cakes, and so much more just by watching her. After I moved away, I didn’t focus on being as creative as I did when I was younger. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago when a friend and coworker of mine asked about printing something for her kids. I grew up in UPS Stores because my Dad and grandparents owned them and my first job was in a UPS Store. So, naturally, when she asked how to accomplish what she was trying to do, I told her “Go to the UPS Store”. That worked for a while, but she would have projects that required more attention to detail than they could provide. I offered to help, and eventually, I helped with everything from formatting to printing to finishing touches. About that same time was when my mom gave me her hand-me-down Cricut and I got back into making designs and t-shirts and smaller projects for myself. Once I had enough “hobby” business, I thought why not turn this into a legitimate business, and so I did.

I have especially enjoyed servicing other local small businesses. Some of the things I offer are things like logo design, business cards, thank you cards, loyalty cards, and other miscellaneous branded materials.

Another one of my favorite parts of my business is helping someone take an idea in their head and mold it and turn it into a final, successful product. It is a very rewarding feeling to me and is what makes this all worthwhile.

I also enjoy smaller projects. I love to monogram kids’ outfits, backpacks, etc. Embroidery is my newest venture and it has been so much fun. There are so many different options and I love to be able to provide a fully customizable experience for clients from beginning to end.

I offer so many different products and services that no two days are ever the same. From koozies to kid’s shirts, fanny packs, license plates, business cards, invitations, stationery, you name it. I love taking someone else’s problem and finding a solution for them, whether that be something as small as making a sticker, to something as large as a wholesale order for 600 earrings cards or 50 sweatshirts.

Wholesale orders are probably the most fulfilling thing I offer. What makes me most proud is seeing someone achieving success from the products I have provided for them. Seeing their faces and receiving messages from them about how happy they are is very rewarding to me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The greatest influx of new clients for me has come from in-person events and word of mouth. I love doing vendor events and interacting one on one with other like-minded businesses as well as potential new clients. Since a lot of what I do is geared toward other businesses, in-person events are key to being able to explain the scope of what I can offer. Word of mouth has been a huge deal for me too. It is heartwarming when I receive a message from a new customer telling me they heard about me from a friend or another local business. That says to me my referring client valued the product I provided enough to refer me to someone else.

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

I make almost everything I offer in-house. I do enjoy the process of designing and planning, but the best part for me is producing the product myself. There are certain things I outsource, and I do source most of my blanks from other wholesalers, but I press my clothing myself, and I print, cut and finish all printed materials myself. That is the “fun part” for me. Don’t get me wrong, every new venture has its challenges. I can’t begin to tell you how many pages of paper, sheets of vinyl, and t-shirts I’ve gone through just trying to get things just so or trying to find the quality I prefer. But once I do “get it right” and find that perfect finished product, it’s one of the best feelings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.judyleeandco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judyleeandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judyleeandco
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/judyleeandco Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/judyleeandco