News - Brand Audit
This is my first time conducting a self audit of my business and although time consuming, I did find the process super helpful. What you measure will vary depending on the goals you set - for me it was important to better understand how I was progressing towards curating a shop with brands that represent and are a reflection of my core values.
One of the key takeaways having recently completed a year long business accelerator program with EForAll is goal setting is pointless unless you have a means by which to evaluate and measure the progress you have made (aka SMART goals)
How does the Brand Audit work? First step was to contact all (58) brands currently represented in the shop. I contacted brands directly and requested each complete an online survey. The survey questionnaire included straight forward Yes/No questions specific to the core values I wanted to measure and two paragraph questions. For those brands which did not respond, I conducted my own online research to find the information needed.
Core Values - Defined
Women Owned - Business is owned by a woman
Based in MA - Business is headquartered in Massachusetts
Based in New England - Business is headquartered in the following states - Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and New York
Based in the USA - Business is headquartered in the United States of America
Handmade/Small Batch - Products sold by the brand are handmade by the primary owner or their staff in house. Handmade can be either the actual physical making of the product or the design of said product is by the brand owner. Small batch means the actual production of the product is done on site or out sourced locally
Sustainability - Sustainability can be incorporated into a small business in a number of different ways. This question was opened ended - brands were asked to elaborate on what steps they have taken as a small business owner to incorporate sustainability into their brand stories.
Give Back - Brands were asked to explain how their business gives back to their community with what impact.
Sustainability - Highlights
I endeavor to use renewable energy in the shop (solar panels on shop roof), recycling wood dust/shavings as compost, buying sustainably sourced wood as much as possible and using smaller pieces of wood to make products like handmade chopsticks.
I wrap my soap in recyclable paper, use glass jars for my scrubs, and try to minimize my use of plastic. My soap is made without palm oil because of the environmental impact. I also save boxes and packaging materials that I receive in my supply orders and reuse them when shipping my products.
I look to minimize waste by using upcycled mesh which is sitting in a warehouse waiting to go to landfills. I take this mesh along with remnant durable fabric to create my handmade products.
Recycled water use in studio (pump sink, bucket system), reclaimed clay, only firing full kilns for reduced electrical use
Give Back - Highlights
From a give back perspective, my business donates 10% of sales to nonprofits that serve LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities in need.
Our mission is to help women feel confident in the skin they're in. We strive to create a community that nurtures and fosters kindness, generosity, and compassion. Each year we donate a portion of our profits to local women's shelters to help support women, mothers, and children in need.
We support our area communities by sponsoring school activities, volunteering time, supporting local fellow small businesses and supporting local causes.
Our mission is to create beautiful and sustainable pieces that bring a smile to my customers faces, which in turn creates long lasting relationships. We have supported Dana Farber and it’s mission to cure cancer.
Results - Next Steps
For the most part I am pleased with the results. Moving forward I will continue to carefully evaluate and research brands prior to bringing their products into the shop. I hope to improve the % listed for the “Based in MA” I was somewhat surprise that the percentage was not actually higher…..although I suppose it does make sense as of the 58 brands in the shop, 28 are local consignment brands and the remainder are brands I wholesale directly.