Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Rummel.
Lindsey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been a creative person. I am known for being one to give a hand made gift for every occasion.
Golden Monkey Designs got started when I decided to design a bunch of onesies for my son to wear home from the hospital. I started making onesies for all of my friends’ baby showers, and soon after, all of my friends and family were asking me if I could make something for them.
Our name comes from my son. When I was pregnant, a good friend of mine told me that Corbin’s birth year was the year of the monkey and because he was a boy being born in the year of the monkey, he would have great luck. He is a Golden Monkey! What better inspiration than our beautiful boy?!
I started with an Etsy shop, just getting a few orders here and there. Mostly having fun and using this business as my creative outlet. It is seriously so fun! Well, when Hurricane Harvey hit, I felt so strongly that I needed to give back. I’m from Louisiana and have seen more than my share of hurricanes in my life. My grandmother lost her home in “The Great Flood of 2016”, so I have personally seen what it is like to lose everything. I created two donation shirts. “Come Hell or High Water” & “Texas Strong.” I donated every penny of profit from those shirts. I was able to donate $10,000! I asked my business page and friends and family on Facebook if they personally knew a family that was affected by Hurricane Harvey and donated $1,000 to 10 different families. It is definitely one of the most rewarding things I have ever done! I worked tirelessly for six weeks (all while having a baby full time). My friends and family volunteered and would come over to help me every chance they got. Especially my sister and one of my good friends. It was so much work, but so worth it.
From there, my business started booming. I started to realize that “Wow! This could really be a big thing!” I did a lot of research to see what the next step was. Was there a machine that would make these shirts faster than I could by hand? There are a lot of options to choose from, screen printing, direct to garment printing, and sublimation, among others. After much deliberation, I decided direct to garment was the best option for me. I took the plunge and bought a DTG machine. This machine has come with a lot of learning curves. I had to mess up so many shirts to dial it in. But I am finally honing my craft. This has allowed me to print intricate designs on any color shirt. I can literally print someone’s picture on a shirt. I may or may not have printed a few mug shots. Haha!
I am still a one-woman show. I design everything, answer all customer service messages and questions, order every shirt, prep all of the shirts, print them, handwrite notes, package, and ship everything. It’s a lot, but I love that my hands touch every part of the process.
Currently, I am working on launching my own website. I will still have my Etsy shop, as a lot of people use Etsy as a platform to shop for custom gifts. But, I am prepping for the next step and more growth. I am so grateful to be where I am with my business.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh, the struggles!
The biggest struggle for me, in the beginning, was time management. I have always been baffled by people’s ability to work from home. In fact, every time someone would tell me they work from home, I would think in the back of my mind that they were really screwing off most of the day. BOY WAS I WRONG! Haha! I quickly learned to adjust my schedule (around my little one) so that I could meet my deadlines. This means that when the baby slept, mommy did not sleep. Mommy worked like a lunatic to get all of her orders filled. I never thought that I would be such a hard worker, but I honestly work so much harder for myself than I ever did for anyone else. (Sorry former employers! It’s true!)
Another struggle that I have faced is customer service. I have always been good with people and honestly great with customer service. Luckily I haven’t had too many crazy encounters, but I do have to practice patience a lot. I call or text my friends that also own their own businesses to be my sounding board often. It’s nice to have a network. I have learned that a lot of times, it’s best to just sleep on it. Then in the morning, I’ll have a clear head and can give a professional response.
Another obstacle that I have faced is this fast-paced, Amazon Prime driven world we live in. I am so guilty of this. I love to shop on Amazon Prime, and I love knowing that I can get something in 2 days if I need it. Unfortunately, people are so used to this turnaround time that they expect it with hand made goods. I’m good, but I’m not that good! Haha! I started out with a 1-2 week turnaround time and realized after a while that people don’t want to wait that long for anything really. I decided to change my turnaround time to 3-5 business days and have seen great feedback in the numbers. I work well under pressure, so I still manage to get everything out on time unless something crazy happens.
One of the other struggles that I have encountered is a learning curve. In order to stay relevant in this business, you have to keep trying new things. I had to figure out everything initially with my software and equipment when I got started. I do not have a design background, so I am self-taught. (Thank you YouTube!). With each new process, DTG, this new website, new designs, new trends, etc. there is so much to learn. There is a lot of frustration involved, but when it’s all said and done, I can sit back and say, “I made that!”. And have my super proud moment.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Golden Monkey Designs is a custom shirt shop. Each shirt is designed by me as well as made to order by yours truly.
I have a variety of items available. From holiday wear, custom gifts, on-trend sayings, music quotes, etc. Your go-to graphic tee.
One of the things that I specialize in is Boss Babes. I have so many friends that work their own business, whether it is selling makeup, shampoo, skin care, weight loss products, etc. And all of them want to wear something that is empowering or that helps them build their business. So, I have a lot of Boss Babe wear. I also have a lot of mom-related shirts as well since a lot of those boss babes tend to be moms. I can definitely relate since I as well am a boss babe as well as a mom.
Another specialty is custom clothing for events. I have a lot of shirts that can be worn as matching family vacation shirts, family pictures, etc. One of the things that I find myself doing is designing a long weekend or week’s worth of shirts for Disney vacations, cruises, etc.
One of the things that I am most proud of is how much my brand has grown from customer service. I work really hard to make sure that everyone is happy. I do a lot of online shopping, so I know what it feels like to receive something and be over the moon excited about it as well as getting something in the mail and it is a disappointment. I never want anyone to be disappointed when they open one of my packages, which is why I try to go the extra mile every time.
One of the best things about what I do is seeing people so excited when they receive their items. Being able to make someone’s event, memory, trip, baby announcement, or life events in general special is such a good feeling.
As a company, I think what sets me apart is that I really make it a point to make my customers happy. I’m not just here to take their money. I’m here to have an experience with them, and a lot of times, that experience turns into a relationship where they come back. I try my best to give them what they want, make them feel beautiful & empowered. I try to make everyone feel special when they open their packages, and I want customers to feel like they matter because they do. They are supporting my small business and my FAMILY.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, Houston is a great city to start a business. Houston has a booming population and tons of resources. I am a web-based business, so I don’t have a brick and mortar, but there are so many opportunities to network, advertise, and more.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3001 Haeckerville Rd Cibolo, TX 78108
- Website: www.goldenmonkeydesigns.com
- Phone: 2259396846
- Email: goldenmonkeydesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/goldenmonkeydesigns
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/goldenmonkeydesigns
Image Credit:
https://www.facebook.com/sistersandmistersphotography/
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