In episode 70, hear how Leah Longueville grew the onesie screen printing hobby she started in her spare bedroom when her daughter was a newborn into a thriving lifestyle brand for millennial moms. Over five years later, Polished Prints now sells retail and wholesale plus has its own brick and mortar shop with multiple employees. Leah shares practical tips on how it all happened and how her mindset has shifted over the years in this episode.
Leah Longueville is the Founder + CEO of Polished Prints, a lifestyle brand dedicated to creating products that bring positivity to you, your children and your home. Polished Prints started out as a passion project – a way to bring more inclusive and intentional apparel into the lives of her and her children. With a background in graphic design, Leah would create the artwork and then screen print it by hand onto onesies in her guest bedroom.
Today, Polished Prints has grown into a globally-recognized lifestyle brand with goods sold in retailers over the world. Our full collection of purposeful, everyday wears includes pullovers, t-shirts, and onesies, all of which are made in a sustainably-driven factory committed to protecting the environment and supporting the well-being of its makers.
As the CEO, Leah continues to drive the creative vision of the brand and product development, while also working to grow collaborations and partnerships. Prior to Polished Prints she ran a freelance graphic design and marketing agency designed specifically for small, women-owned businesses with a story to share.
In her free time, you can find Leah spending time with her husband and three children, exploring their new community in the metro-area of St. Louis.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why Leah started Polished Prints
- Where Leah sourced blanks for the brand when she first started
- How not having the pressure to make money allowed Leah to play and experiment with the products and brand of Polished Prints
- How Polished prints grew from a guest-bedroom hobby to having a warehouse space, full-time employees, and brick and mortar shop.
- Leah’s tips for making scary decisions that will grow your business
- Why it is so important to understand your business’ finances
- How Leah started manufacturing her own styles for Polished Prints
- What Leah did to fund her first big production order
- How Polished prints grew their wholesale orders from 4-5/yr to 6-7/day
- The differences between what sells best online versus in store for Polished Prints
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Polished Prints website
- Polished Prints Instagram
- Polished Prints email
- Leah’s LinkedIn
- To The Market ethical supply chain solutions
- Faire wholesale marketplace
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