Super Rad Cape Co.

This week we check out a super rad company out of Eugene, Oregon...meet the Super Rad Cape Co.!

1. How and when did the inspiration for Super Rad Cape Co. come about?
The idea for Super Rad Cape Co came about during the 10, 000 lakes festival in 2007. I had made 4 capes for the people that I was traveling with as a surprise group costume to win their approval! It was my first time meeting my boyfriend's friends and I wanted to make a good impression, you see. To my surprise and excitement, they loved the capes and immediately accepted me as one of them! On the Saturday night of the festival, we were all wearing our capes at the Cornmeal show and the MC (the Wizard), comes up and says that he loves our capes and was wondering if we were selling them in the backwoods campgrounds. We said no, but thank you for the compliment, and thus the spark was ignited! About a year later, we had begun making more capes for friends and in 2010 we had our first major vending event with String Cheese Incident at Horning's Hideout in Oregon! I see still see capes from that show and remember making all of them! 

2. What were the main struggles you faced when starting your business? The main struggle we faced when starting our business was time and money. For the first 3 years, I worked multiple jobs totaling over 50 hours a week on top of making capes in my spare time. All of my money went into the business and there was never any extra left at the end of the year for next year's vendor fees/material. This year I finally quit my job and am seeing the rewards of being able to sew and travel full time.


3. What are the top rewards of running your own business and working for yourself? The top reward of running our own business, is that we reap the rewards of our own hard work, not our bosses. We have passion unending for the art we create, the people we meet, and the music we all enjoy together in the sacred space of a music festival! It is just the best feeling I can think of to make something with my own two hands and have it received by someone who I know will cherish it for years.

4. Top 3 Best Sellers from Super Rad Cape Co.? What are your personal favorites? Our top 3 best sellers are our Phishman capes and messenger bags, sequined hooded cloaks in any design, and totem animal themed sequin capes. My personal favorite thing that we sell are our brand new men's psychedelic button up party shirts because they look so super rad on people! My favorite designs to make, however, are our super abstract ones like the worm hole and ghost orchid.


5. Where can we find Super Rad Cape Co. ? You can find Super Rad Cape Co at many west coast festivals and Phish lots. We never miss a Horning's Hideout (although I heard it will be a couple of years before SCI plays there again), or Hangtown Halloween Ball! When we aren't out on tour hanging with all of you lovely people, look us up online at www.superradcapeco.com or follow us on Facebook! We'd love to hear from all of you and enjoy epic pics of you in your Super Rad Cape! Cheers!

Dope on a Rope Soap

Our first small business we're checking out is Dope on a Rope Soap. Formed by a husband and wife team, Dope on a Rope Soap is a small business doing BIG business around the nation as well as worldwide. Here's a glimpse in to their business and how they are helping to pave the way for other small business and entrepreneurs...

 

1. How and when did the inspiration for Dope on a Rope Soap come about? Funny you should ask! It was Thanksgiving of 2008. Jason was in the shower (where all great ideas come to him), and behold, the idea hit him like a lightening bolt. A hemp leaf-shaped soap...made with hemp oil...on a hemp rope...called...DOPE on a ROPE! Much to our Thanksgiving company's dismay, he came running out of the shower with many questions - "Has Dope on a Rope Soap been made yet?!"..."What should it smell like?"..."Where would we sell it, and how do we make this work?" We both had jobs at the time - Jason was a full time wild land firefighter, and I (Jenny) was working odd jobs here & there to help make ends meet. The idea stayed with Jason for months, until one day in the summer of 2009...he lost his job. At the time, it was a devastating loss to us, as we had moved out to Colorado for his job, and bought a house less than a year before. I still remember pulling in to the driveway that afternoon, and seeing Jason standing there with a beer in his hand. I could tell something was wrong, he wasn't supposed to be home this early. I rolled down my window as he handed me the beer with a sticky note on it, which read "This is the first beer towards the rest of our lives." He told me how he had lost his job, and we cried together, and yes, we thought it was the end of the world. And then he told me he had a plan. We would start a company. We would introduce the soap in to the world, and we would make it work! We began testing different soap recipes and Dope on a Rope Shapes, and the rest really is history...

 

2. What were the main struggles you faced when starting your business? There were many! Honestly, we found it difficult to find legit people whom we trusted to give us advice on how to start the business, and do it right the first time. We were looking for someone who had most if not all of the answers to our questions about everything, from how to price the soaps, to what areas we should invest money in (advertising? branding? employees?), to what structure our business should be. Of course, no one out there has all the answers for your particular business, but we did find a really good free resource - our local Small Business Development Center. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide a vast array of technical assistance to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. You can get one on one consulting at no cost, and they are nationwide. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner seeking guidance, we highly suggest checking out your local SBDC. You can find one here. Figuring out taxes and accounting was also a struggle when starting our business. We will say this...good accountants are GOLDEN!

 

3. What are the top rewards of running your own business and working for yourself? There are many! "Freedom" comes to mind right away. We can basically make our own schedule. Creativity. New ideas are always popping in to our heads & working for ourselves allows us to create, experiment, and bring our ideas to fruition! One of our mottos when we came together was "To live no ordinary life." Working for ourselves basically frees us up to, well, live. We are able to live how we want and when we want. The sense of fulfillment we have gained from starting and running our business is nothing short of amazing. We are grateful everyday for the opportunity to do this, to live our dreams, and to have such an awesome & strong support system in place through our customers, friends, and family!

4. Top 3 Best Sellers? What are your personal favorites? Currently our #1 top seller is the Northern Lights Dope on a Rope Soap, hands down! #2 would be our Trout Soap on a Rope in green, and #3 would be the Maui Wowie Dope on a Rope Soap. Jason's personal favorite is our Northern Lights bar or Dope on a Rope shape, because the hemp seed oil helps to moisturize his dry mountain skin, and the Peppermint & Eucalyptus oils make him tingle! My personal favorite is the Blue Dream Dope on a Rope Soap, because the combination of the sweet basil and peppermint essential oil smells out of this world.
 

5. Where can we find Dope on a Rope Soaps? Although we do not have a brick and mortar store, you can shop on line at www.dopeonaropesoap.com . We're also on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/dopeonaropesoap . We are at a variety of farmers markets in Colorado and Florida, as well as music festivals throughout the year. Our schedule & a list of shops nationwide that carry our soap can be found at http://www.dopeonaropesoap.com/where-to-find-our-soaps ! We can also be reached at dopeonaropesoap@gmail.com .