Today we’d like to introduce you to Buzz Busbee.
Buzz, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have worked as a graphic design and art director for more than 15 years. I got my start in retail design working for Starbucks Global Creative inside Starbucks Corporation in Seattle. And I now run my own branding design studio in Atlanta. In 2016, my husband and I decided to start an apparel brand. Its name is ABETTERBUZZ Brand Goods.
I knew the types of clothes I liked and how I like clothes to fit me. I like to be comfortable, but I like to look good too without having spent a ton of money on a luxury brand. After several years of thinking about it and having friends tell me that my work would translate well to apparel, we decided to take the leap.
We planned, designed and were in production initially for about a year, and launched our first line of products in Spring of 2016.
It’s started as somewhat of an experiment. Building your own Brand and business from scratch. It’s different from designing your own identity for your company… which is an extremely tough challenge. There’s so much more that goes into it than just design.
There are business projections to make, marketing and promotion, bookkeeping, capturing all the wonderful data that’s out there. I know what I’m good at doing, but it’s a lot of fun learning how to do the other stuff as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wish the road were smoother! Actually, it’s what has helped us understand our brand, learn from our mistakes, and become a better company. We are a small (but mighty) team. Right now, there are only 2 of us that captain the ship.
We both have full-time jobs we work at during the day, then focus on ABETTERBUZZ at night. We have had an unbelievable response in our first 2 years, and we are trying to figure out how to capture that, introduce ABETTERBUZZ to people that don’t know who we are and grow the brand while still maintaining our core values and vision.
Please tell us about ABETTERBUZZ Brand Goods.
ABETTERBUZZ’s is creating a culture inspired by urban and rural adventure.
Our products are bold, graphic design inspired apparel and goods. Our mission is to create high quality, affordable goods that our customers are proud to wear and display, while giving back to the communities we work, live and play in.
Additionally, as part of our “Live Bold” program, we give $1 of every purchase back to organizations that fight tirelessly for our communities daily. Currently, we are partnering with Lost ’n Found Youth, a non-profit organization in Atlanta, GA that provides permanent housing for homeless LGBTQ youth in Atlanta.
We have a big following in the LGBT community and we want ABETTERBUZZ to be approachable and affordable for everyone. ABETTERBUZZ is not exclusive, it’s inclusive.
ABETTERBUZZ isn’t a luxury brand. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. Don’t get me wrong, we take design very seriously, but we like to have fun with the Brand. I think that’s what people like about ABETTERBUZZ and draws them to us. We are creating a culture that people want to be a part of and feel good about it.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think if we had to start over, we would have started ABETTERBUZZ Brand Goods sooner than we did… maybe even a couple years earlier. We toyed with the idea for a couple years but hesitated to pull the trigger. But I’m a firm believer that “everything happens for a reason.”
Pricing:
- Most of our tees are $28
- Most of our tanks are $25
- Most of our hats are $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abetterbuzzbrandgoods.com
- Phone: 404-295-1616
- Email: hello@abetterbuzzbrandgoods.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/abetterbuzzbrandgoods
- Facebook: facebook.com/abetterbuzzbrandgoods
- Twitter: @abetterbuzz
Image Credit:
Christian Trippe, Just Toby
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