Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Wasserman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m originally from Sacramento but became an Angeleno when I moved to attend the University of Southern California. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur and originally thought I’d start my own nonprofit someday.
Prior to starting States Made, I was at Omaze. I started there in 2014 when it was just a handful of folks in a Venice loft– a very classic startup beginning. The two co-founders are incredible entrepreneurs (and wonderful humans) and really took me under their wing. I got a front row seat to the ups and downs of running a company—the excitement of something taking off and the tough decisions and late nights.
In 2015, I had the opportunity to start the company’s first new revenue stream, Omaze Made, which is a merchandise fundraising platform. We’d partner with celebrities to create limited edition t-shirts and each shirt sold would benefit a given nonprofit. It grew incredibly quickly–we smashed through all of our revenue targets in 2016. I learned so much and had so much fun doing it. Especially during and after the 2016 elections, it was so clear how powerful a simple t-shirt could be. People now wanted to wear what they believed in– I knew merchandise could be an incredible fundraiser and awareness builder for organizations.
I hadn’t worked in apparel prior to launching Omaze Made, and I was really surprised by both the lack of transparency in the supply chain and how difficult it was to find American made goods. So I saw a couple of opportunities in the market. First, I knew that, if executed correctly, nonprofits, political campaigns and social good organizations could gain a lot from merchandise. I also saw that there were very few people focusing on providing American made goods to these organizations—a lot of nonprofits and all political campaigns and organizations have to use American made goods. I was ready to take the leap and try my hand at entrepreneurship and I knew I could build something valuable in this space.
I’m someone who grows the most by throwing myself off a metaphorical cliff and seeing if I can climb back up and that’s exactly what I did! I really didn’t know what I was getting myself in to, but I’ve been figuring it out!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was a pretty hard adjustment for me to go from a vibrant office culture to working alone. I’m someone who gets energy from other people.
I also made some hard, early mistakes that I’m still paying for, but I learn through missteps. I really tried to do too much in the beginning. Originally, I started actually manufacturing my own goods as well as helping organizations develop and run merchandise e-commerce stores. It was too much and I couldn’t execute the way I wanted to. Focusing was really the key to get the business moving.
Please tell us about States Made Apparel.
States Made help organizations like nonprofits and political campaigns create quality American-made merchandise that their supporters actually want. We help them create designs that will sell and we source products that people will wear—none of those scratchy, ill-fitting shirts! I think what really sets us apart is that we are truly a partner to these organizations, not a just vendor. We want their merchandise strategy to be integrated into their marketing and fundraising strategies as a whole.
Plus, we take a headache out of creating merchandise by handling their online store, printing, fulfillment, customer service and helping with marketing and design. We are helping these organizations reach and engage with millennials, who are less likely to make a traditional donation but will buy a shirt or a hat or a tote bag. Our generation wants to engage more deeply with the organizations we support and merchandise is a great way to do that. You can purchase a shirt, which raises money for the cause, but also each time you wear the shirt, you’re raising awareness.
I’m proud that we’ve been able to support other woman-owned businesses along the way—from printers to manufacturers to our partners. I’m excited to continue to do that as we grow.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I was a pretty energetic kid– I drove my parents and my siblings a little crazy. I thought I was pretty talented when it came to the arts– singing, acting, songwriting — as it turns out, not so talented. But I did have a lot of enthusiasm. I would put on a lot of plays in my bedroom and get my dad to co-star with me. I’d sell tickets to my mom and siblings– the whole thing. It was mostly improv but we usually practiced a bit before.
One time I was doing a costume change in my closet (naturally) and my dad was still on “stage”. He was messing the whole thing up and had forgotten his lines. I was laughing and tried to get back on stage but my closet door wouldn’t open. So that audience (mom and siblings) heard me laughing and laughing and then just crying. I had laughed so hard (and was trapped in the closet) that I peed my pants. It was hilarious and embarrassing and just makes me thankful that my family humored my creative endeavors.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.statesmadeapparel.com
- Phone: 9162017578
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/statesmade
- Facebook: facebook.com/statesmade
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