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

Shana , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At Shana’s Name Banners, my mission is to handcraft meaningful Name Banners that celebrate people and pets with love, creativity, and care—turning a personal passion into something joyful and lasting for others. To me, names are more than just letters—they are who we are. My focus has always been on people’s actual names, not anything else. We are all special and unique just as we are, and I view each Name Banner the same way. Yes, many people may share the same name, but no one is a carbon copy. I want every Name Banner to express that. I usually ask questions about the recipient so I can create something that truly fits them. Everyone deserves to be celebrated.

I also want to honor my daddy, Sherman Everage Jr. Though he is no longer here, I know he would be proud of me—and that’s what keeps me going. My daddy supported me more than anything in a financial way. He wasn’t one to give long emotional speeches, but he didn’t have to. I always knew he was hoping for the best for me. He saw how I struggled in traditional job settings due to certain challenges, but he also saw that I was trying to make something of myself and for myself.

Each Name Banner is more than just a decoration to display. It’s about making someone smile every time they see their name displayed and honored in a special way. My business is a small, local, home-based operation—not a mass-production or online ordering site. Everything is made individually, with personal attention to the person or pet it’s created for.

Shana , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Shana L. Everage, and I’m the founder and sole creator behind Shana’s Name Banners—a small, local, home-based business where I handcraft personalized Name Banners that celebrate people and pets with love, color, and care. Each Name Banner is a one-of-a-kind keepsake made to honor someone’s actual name. The focus of my work is simple but intentional: I create handcrafted Name Banners to honor the uniqueness of a person or pet. I don’t make generic decorations or signs. The name itself is the centerpiece, because names carry meaning and memory. Before creating a Name Banner, I often ask questions about the recipient to help shape the design. I want every Name Banner to feel personal, expressive, and joyful—something you’ll want to keep, not just display for a moment and forget.

Everything I make is done completely by hand. I don’t use machines, templates, or mass-production methods. That makes each Name Banner special. No two are the same—just like no two people are the same, even if they share a name. That’s something I take pride in. I work from home and run this business on my own. I am limited in certain ways, but building Shana’s Name Banners has been a great fit for me. It allows me to grow at my own pace, continue learning, and do something that brings both joy and purpose to my life.

What I’m most proud of is that I never gave up on this. Even when life was hard, I held onto my creativity. This business honors my daddy, Sherman Everage Jr., who supported me in his own quiet but powerful way. He believed in me, and I carry that with me every time I make a Name Banner. If you’re looking for something truly personal—something that celebrates a name with color, style, and heart—I hope you’ll connect with me. My Name Banners are not available for instant online ordering—they are custom-made for each person or pet, right here in my local community. They’re not just decorations. They’re a way to say, “I see you. You matter. And I made this just for you.”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my journey happened in 2009, when I decided to go back to school and enroll in the Entrepreneurial Certificate program at my local community college. This was truly the beginning of me trying to start this business, which was named Shana’s Personalized Crafts at the time. I was really doing well in the beginning and felt like I had finally found something that made sense. After that, I dropped the courses I registered for at that time and did not return.

Years passed, and I was still making Name Banners—mostly for free, because it was still a form of therapy for me. Every once in a while, I’d make a sale, but it wasn’t operating like a full business. Technically, it was more of a hobby at that time—but the intent behind it was always serious, and I always viewed it as meaningful work. In Spring 2019, I tried to pick up where I had left off years earlier. I re-enrolled at the same local community college with the goal of completing the remaining courses needed to earn the certificate. Sadly, shortly after that semester ended, my daddy passed away. He had begun experiencing health problems toward the end of 2018, and things progressed quickly from there. Losing him changed my life and shifted everything at that time. I did not return for the Fall 2019.

Then came 2020. The pandemic shut everything down, including in-person classes. I tried to continue online, but it was a disaster. I dropped out within the first couple of days. On top of that, I had taken financial aid and ended up having to pay back $356.57. I still keep that receipt as a souvenir—proof of everything I tried, and everything I lost along the way. After that, I gave up on trying to get the certificate altogether. I was still on disability, still occasionally making a few dollars from a paid Name Banner. But mostly, I was frustrated—especially because I had wasted a lot of money my daddy gave me trying to do things my way, which wasn’t the right way. The truth is, I just didn’t know what I was doing.

My business was still operating under the name Shana’s Personalized Crafts. I was so focused on making everything look perfect—designing business cards and flyers—but I wasn’t getting any actual business. I didn’t know how to market myself. The only contact information on my materials was an email address I shared with my mother. I had no phone number listed, no Facebook, no Instagram—nothing. And even though I was technically operating as a Sole Proprietor, I didn’t have any of the proper legal paperwork in place. I was trying to build something, but I didn’t know how to make it official or sustainable. What I did know was that I wasn’t trying to be like the big box brands. That was never the goal. I just wanted to do something meaningful in my own way.

By the time I contacted SCORE, I had already renamed my business Shana’s Name Banners—because that’s what I truly specialize in. SCORE has been around since 1964, offering free business mentorship to small business owners through volunteers from many different professional backgrounds. I had heard of them years ago at the local community college I attended and reached out for guidance. When I contacted SCORE, I was honest. I shared that I had spent 13 years trying and failing, and I made sure they understood not just the business challenges I faced, but the health-related ones too. I wasn’t looking for shortcuts—I just wanted support that made sense for where I was.

That marked a real turning point. Since then, I’ve been slowly building better habits—setting up proper contact methods, learning how to present myself, and gaining a clearer understanding of what it really takes to manage and maintain a business. Shana’s Name Banners still isn’t fully sustainable yet, but I’m working gradually at making that happen. One step at a time. I’m still learning. I’m still growing. But I’m no longer trying to figure it out all by myself. And that has made all the difference.

How did you build your audience on social media?

To be completely honest, I’m still in the process of building my audience on social media. I didn’t start using social media for my business until just last year, in the summer of 2024, when I set up both a Facebook business account and an Instagram business account. Before that, I relied on business cards, flyers, and word of mouth. I was heavily encouraged to start learning how to share my work online.

Right now, I mostly post pictures of my handcrafted Name Banners. I’ve done a few Reels, but I haven’t jumped into all the other trends or features people use. I’m still learning how to do the basics, and I’m taking it one step at a time. I’ve been very fortunate to have a wonderful Case Manager named Corbin. They’re much younger than me and have helped me a lot when it comes to learning how to navigate things like social media. Their patience and support have made a real difference.

My advice to others is: Start where you are, and don’t feel like you have to do everything at once. You don’t need to follow someone else’s blueprint. I never tried to fit into a mold—I’ve always done things in a way that works for me, and I stand by that. You don’t need fancy tools or viral moments to grow. What matters most is being consistent in your own way—even if that means posting just once or twice a week. Be real with your audience and let your work speak for itself.

Shana’s Name Banners is a small, local, home-based business where every piece is handcrafted with care—not something mass-produced or available for instant online ordering. That’s what I’m doing with Shana’s Name Banners, and little by little, and in time, it will find its way to the right people.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shanasnamebanners
• Facebook: @shanasnamebanners

Image Credits

1. Shana’s Name Banners
2. Vanessa Sharp