We recently connected with Trisha Colby-Schwantes and have shared our conversation below.

Trisha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. 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.

One of my biggest goals, when starting my shop, was to be able to give back. In the past I have been able to participate in auctions put together by other small shops for a cause or a family in need of financial support so that they can spend time with a family member during a medical crisis. This past year, I was able to donate to more organizations than I had ever imagined possible.

I have been able to meet so many amazing humans in the small shop world, both in person and on the internet. The community is loving, caring and sharing. I was introduced to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) through a small shop and one of my reps. This organization was special to them and they shared with me how and why it was important to them. For Rare Disease Day, I held a sale on rainbow zebra leggings with $10 from each pair being donated to NORD.

For another event, I opened a preorder (customers order items from prints I offer and I custom make them) and donated to seven organizations that my reps had each chosen. It is important to me that the organizations that I donate to have meaning to those around me. My reps help support my small shop through word of mouth and social media exposure. They are so supportive it is like they are a part of my family. They chose local organizations such as 4-H, a local cat rescue, an animal rescue and national organizations that help to feed children and support the LGBTQIA+ community.

Lastly, I love to donate locally. I want to instill in my own children the importance of giving back through volunteering, promotion and giving. Each year, my children and I brainstorm ways to raise money for a local organization. Last year, we worked together on a preorder to give back to two local organizations, the Clark County Law Enforcement Association Shop with a Cop Program and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Search and Rescue, an all volunteer organization. Both organizations were. near and dear to them as their father is a Sheriff’s Deputy and has talked to them about what the organizations do. They also got to help the Mounted Search and Rescue team during one of their trainings! For the fundraiser, the kids helped to promote the preorder and their chosen organizations via short videos on my facebook group and made the scrunchies that were sold, while I made the clothing items.

I have found it more successful to donate a set portion of money per item purchased vs a percentage. Having a concrete number helps others to know exactly what part of their purchase will go to the organization. The preorder set-up has worked well for my shop as it doesn’t involve me first purchasing a ton of supplies with the possibility of not selling them all. With a preorder, I first take orders, collect money and then order the fabric needed. It is a win, win for both me and the organization I am raising funds for. This method is sustainable for me financially and the organization receives the donation immediately after the preorder closes and all invoices are paid.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Cluck, Cluck, Craft was created from my love of making and creating things with my hands and encouragement from a friend after a fantastic reception from a craft show I was at in December of 2019. At the time, I was teaching and starting the process of figuring out what I could do for additional income. At the time, we had just moved and I had dreams of making our new home into a small hobby farm but most importantly, I have three children and wanted to make sure I was not taking away from our family time. Being able to work from home seemed like a wonderful option and seemed to be promising with what I was in need of financially.

I made the my shop official in January of 2020 by making vinyl and glitter bows. I registered as a small batch manufacturer and learned all I could about making my products as safe for my customers as possible. I found a company that tested their vinyl and glitters as well as offered custom printing! Soon my bows featured unique prints from designs I had purchased.

After about six months, I was talking to a friend about growing my shop as bows were selling wonderfully but I had to produce so many to make my sales goal, time-wise, it wasn’t feasible. I was also looking to be more inclusive. She encouraged me to start making clothing. After some long conversations, I purchased a serger and started to make grow with me clothing and then added adult sizes.

Four years later, I am loving the creative outlet my shop provides me while I can support other artists by purchasing their designs to custom print on my fabrics and the financial support my customers provide my family. I never thought I would be making products that ship all over the United States! When I look back, I was always excited to attend craft shows with my mom and help her with her booths. She also made many of our clothes when I was younger. It seems fitting that I can now do the same. My kids are bigger and no longer fit into the grow with me sizes but they do love to pick out designs and styles and every once in a while, I get to make something for them.

I love the community the small shop world has offered. It’s a place that builds and supports other small shops and families. I strive to provide unique high quality products in a sustainable manner that last for years.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

My shop started off very small, selling in craft shows and to friends and family. I used the money I had to purchase supplies to make my products. I probably started off with fifty dollars. Thank goodness I was making bows at the time. The cost of supplies was much lower and I could get quite a bit for the little money I had. I did struggle to find suppliers that had their vinyl tested to meet Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines. After some searching and reaching out, I was able to find suppliers on Etsy. Purchasing from a few small Etsy shops helped me to get unique prints but soon I started seeing them with other bow makers. Later, my first year in business, I was fortunate enough to team up with some local handmade small shops and started to purchase custom printed fabric for scrunchies and fabric bows. This was a game changer for me. Ordering with a group of people helped to keep my expenses low and this was the gateway to expanding my shop to include handmade clothing. Again, with the addition of clothing, I started off small. I waited until I had enough to purchase some thread, tags and a serger. I also started with a pattern that didn’t require more than serged seams. Each time I invested to build my business, I took small steps to ensure that I could pay for the new equipment and supplies up front.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started my small shop I didn’t know much about social media. I started a business page on Facebook and then a VIP group. I was able to get people to join via word of mouth and of course, family and friends. I was fortunate enough to get a free consultation on my social media and was told that Instagram is the place to be. I then started an Instagram account. I am not very consistent with posting on any of my accounts and realize that it is an area I need improvement. As my shop grew, I took a leap and started a rep team. They are my hype team on social media and in real life. My team helps to comment on posts, they take photos of my products in use and post them to the facebook group and I am able to use them to post them on Instagram. I have found that growing your numbers on social media are great but the slow growth, for me, has been wonderful for maintaining and the people in my shop group are active supporters.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cluckcluckcraft.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cluckcluckcraft
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/cluckcluckcraft

Image Credits
Emily Piller Trisha Colby-Schwantes Bonnie VandenPlas