entrepreneurial experience

In July of 2018, I founded my own small business selling headbands that I made by hand. With my passion for graphic design, I created a brand identity for my Etsy shop and social media pages. I hand sew and package all orders to maintain exemplary customer satisfaction. In the past six months, I have expanded products from just headbands to jewelry, t-shirts, and other accessories that I design myself. After almost three years, I have been able to sell over 700 headbands and make over $4,000 that I have been able to use to pay for many of my books and materials while attending DAAP.

branding

Wordmark Ideation

I went through multiple iterations of a wordmark for Branch before I settled on one I really love. I wanted the feel of it to be natural and predominantly gender neutral so everyone felt welcome to shop with me. The name ‘Branch Headwear’ came from a Bible verse, John 15:5. I wanted to keep the literal form of a branch/leaf as part of my final design. I use this design on business cards, hang tags, earring backers, and more.

current branding

social media

Branch Headwear can be found on Etsy, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. The social media aspect of owning a business has been one of my favorite parts of the experience. From my past co-op at Handzy
Shop + Studio, I really learned the importance of daily interaction with customers. Social media marketing
is a huge factor of keeping your business successful. I work hard to have high quality, consistent photography throughout my product listings and posts. I also create graphics for all sales and promotions.

Product Design

t-shirt benchmarking

t-shirt designs

sticker benchmarking

Etsy Success

I started my Etsy shop in July of 2018, after a month of selling over 200 headbands purely through Twitter. Etsy is a well known shopping platform, so I felt it would be the most appropriate next step for Branch. Due to starting college, I had my shop closed in August–September 2018 and August–December 2019. The graph above shows the number of page visits I have received through the past few years. At the end of 2019, I decided to really focus of improving my branding and marketing of Branch. It is reflected above that this attention I paid made a big difference in my numbers. I continue to take local orders through my Instagram page, so the total number for revenue shown above is not 100% accurate. I am proud that most companies only see a 1-2% conversion rate on their online store, but my Branch page has a 4.2% conversion rate for customer purchases. The graphics below are provided to me from Etsy and they help me see more info on how people find my store. Key words such as ‘headband’ and ‘bandeau’ are common search terms, but many customers come directly from my social media pages and Google searches. Branch Headwear currently has a many five star ratings on Etsy.