As a young person in San Francisco, Fallyn Smith goes to a lot of festivals and events.
It was really frustrating when I was leaving a festival, stomping through plastic and knowing theres a solution.
The solution she envisioned?
Smith & Starr set out to create a hydration pack that is stylish as well as functional. Photo courtesy of Smith and Starr.
A fashionable hydration purse.
A way to carry water without wasting plastic or looking like youre going on a hike.
If it got enough votes, it would get produced and she would get a cut.
Smith shared her submission on Facebook, encouraging people to vote.
Our team has compiled alist of creative waysyou can fatten your bank account this week.
This is a long list, so dont get overwhelmed.
Well keep it updated as offers changes or expire.
Realizing its potential, Alexander, 30, thought Smith should bypass Quirky and produce the purse herself.
So Smith removed the post and contacted the handful of friends whod expressed interest in helping with the project.
So they took it one step at a time and focused on making a single sample.
They also took online classes about running a successful Kickstarter campaign.
They hired a patternmaker to design the purse, then looked for a factory to manufacture it.
Hoping to have their purse made in the USA, they usedMakers Rowto search for options.
But none of the samples they ordered were up to par.
The factory in LA told us we had to go to China, says Smith.
They werent making quality bags at a price we could afford.
She poked around on Google, then hired a factory to make a sample.
In October 2016, theylaunched a $30,000 Kickstarter campaign.
They found that interest and hit their target in 35 days.
A few months later, they launched their website and started selling bags directly to consumers.
In the year since, theyve sold about 1,000 hydration purses and earned a gross profit of $85,000.
Marketing That Matters
The majority of Smith & Starrs business has been from repeat customers and referrals.
I think the novelty is really something thats helped us, says Alexander.
It catches your eye when someone pulls a spout from their strap.
Another key factor in the companys success?
Unlike other fashion brands, Smith & Starr has a mission beyond helping customers look cool.
Hydration is the key to it all, and not enough people are staying hydrated.
We made it easier; you dont even have to tilt your head back to drink.
Weve realized that at every single event, theres a lack of water, says Alexander.
So we offer to bring free cold water and fun swag and be the ultimate hydration station.
Thats been a good guerrilla marketing tactic.
Finding the Balance…
They spend about 20 hours per week on Smith & Starr.
We talk a lot about wellness and want to ensure were living up to that, says Smith.
We do need to rest and take breaks sometimes…
There is that hustle mentality, but we definitely celebrate our wins.
They admit there have been lows and times one or the other wanted to give up.
But theyve continued to hold each other accountable.
It wouldnt have been possible to get this far without having each other, says Alexander.
We have big dreams, but were also just taking it one day at a time.
Susan Shain is a freelance writer and digital nomad.
Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
