So...We Made Swag!

I guess the cool kids call it "swag."

One of the ideas that's been bouncing around in my head since before Backyard Bash Co. even launched was creating apparel. Every time I saw another small business with someone proudly wearing their logo, I thought it was so cool! So naturally, one of the first things we did was make shirts and sweatshirts...for ourselves and our immediate family members.

You know, our unpaid employees...I mean, volunteers who have been helping us deliver games, lift tables, brainstorm ideas, share social media posts and listen to us talk about Backyard Bash Co. approximately every five minutes.

They deserve the first round.

But then I started thinking...

What about the people who have been supporting us? Our friends, our customers, our followers. The people who share our posts, the people who tell their neighbors about us, the people who believe in two teachers chasing a dream.

Wouldn't it be fun if they could be part of Backyard Bash Co. too?

There's just one tiny problem.

Ordering shirts in bulk is expensive. Like...really expensive.

For an established business, it makes sense. For a business that's seven or eight weeks old and currently putting every extra dollar back into inventory, marketing and new ideas...

Not so much.

We simply couldn't afford to purchase dozens of shirts, hoodies, hats and mugs hoping people would eventually buy them. Besides, knowing our luck, we'd order 25 medium T-shirts only to discover everyone wanted navy blue large hoodies instead.

So while on vacation, a good friend told me about a print-on-demand service. Basically, they handle every thing. Someone orders, they print it, they ship it. We don't have to store inventory in our garage, guess what sizes people want or spend thousands of dollars before selling a single item.

Honestly, it felt too good to be true.

The best part? It costs us absolutely nothing upfront.

Now, we're certainly not getting rich selling T-shirts. In fact, we make a pretty small amount on each purchase. But here's the thing...the money isn't really the point. The exposure is.

Every hoodie worn to the grocery store. Every t-shirt at a baseball game. Every coffee mug sitting on someone's desk. Every hat at the beach. That's another chance for someone to see our name.

For a brand new small business, that's priceless.

Advertising is expensive. Really expensive.

So every person who chooses to wear Backyard Bash Co. is helping us advertise in the best possible way, through real people who genuinely support what we're building.

Now, I completely understand that some people may look at the prices and think they're a little higher than expected.

Trust me...

We wish they were lower too. Because we'd love to offer affordable merchandise just like we strive for affordable rentals.

Our hope is that as we continue to grow, we'll eventually be able to order larger quantities ourselves, lower prices and maybe even offer local pick up or optional shipping to save people money.

That's the dream.

But for now, this was the smartest way for us to make merchandise available without taking on a huge financial risk. Every purchase, no matter how big or small, helps us in more ways that one.

It helps spread the word. It helps people recognize our brand. It helps us continue building something we're incredibly proud of. And most importantly, it reminds us that people believe in what we're doing.

So if you've purchased a shirt, hoodie, hat, mug or anything else from our little pop-up shop...

Thank you.

Every time we see someone wearing Backyard Bash Co., it's honestly a pretty surreal feeling. Who knew a simple sweatshirt could make two teachers so ridiculously excited?!

Backyard Bash Co. Swag

Happy "bashing" everyone!

With coffee, chaos & big dreams,

Julie & Maria