We recently connected with Taihjeem Denney and have shared our conversation below.

Taihjeem, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

I recently started to donate 10% of my sales to various organizations following the 2024 election. I choose a different organization each week, usually one that I feel serves marginalized groups. So far I’ve donated to Planned Parenthood, Jasmyn, and the ACLU.

Taihjeem, 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?

I’m a mother of two small boys. I started Scrumptchie as a fun way to make some extra cash while I took care of my kiddos, and it quickly spiraled into its own business once I saw how popular my products were. I never thought things would grow as much as they did. I initially just wanted to make some fun and unique scrunchies with strong elastics to hold all of my hair. From there I’ve expanded my line from just scrunchies into things like headbands and claw clips. Most of the new products were made because my customers wanted them and I really value their feedback. It helps me to come up with new ideas and expand my business even further. I’m most proud of being able to grow this business from a small table with a couple of bins full of scrunchies, into a full blown pop up shop with more elaborate displays. People should know that when they shop with me that they are getting accessories that are hand crafted, designed, and chosen by me to give them the best quality. My brand is dedicated to high quality while offering a totally unique selection.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I sew all of my fabric items; scrunchies, headbands, etc. So I had to teach myself how to sew and do it in a highly efficient way so that I could produce a high quantity in the shortest time possible. When I started I had no idea what I was doing, so my first few months I was producing at a much slower rate. Over time I realized that if I was going to keep up with demand, I’d have to do things differently. So I started to examine each step of my process and find ways to make it go by faster. The thing that really sped me up was doing batches based on my color of thread (so I wouldn’t have to switch it out) and then doing each step of the process in a big batch instead of making one scrunchie from start to finish at a time.

I also have designed my own original claw clips. That was hard in a different way, as I had to find a manufacturer to make them. I did a lot of googling to try and find someone who could make them. I hit a lot of dead ends because I wasn’t really sure about what I was looking for, and trying to find manufacturers in the US is almost impossible. After stumbling onto an instagram account that also makes hair claws called ThePeachFuzz, I was able to use the resources she gave to find someone on Alibaba. I was hesitant to use Alibaba at first, but once I realized it was just a social media for manufacturers to sell on, I was a lot more comfortable. There were a lot of messages back and forth and research before I settled on one, but now I’ve found one that I go to with all of my designs. I didn’t know how much thought went into designing something like a claw clip. You have to figure out the size, the logistics of the shape, the exact colors, the materials, and what type of claw you want it to have. It was a bit of a learning curve, but my manufacturer was so nice and helpful through the process.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Quality. People always tell me how much they love the quality of my scrunchies and headbands. I focus a lot on providing items that are high quality. That way, when I have a happy customer, they tell their friends. I do pop up markets every week, and that’s another great way to get out there and interact with customers. Creating a personal connection with shoppers brings them back over and over again, even if it’s just to say hello. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had regulars come back with their friends and the friend tells me how much the customer loves my stuff. And then they buy things! The word of mouth that comes with providing a high quality product is unmatched.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Scrumptchie

Image Credits

Taihjeem Denney