Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Mink.
Tiffany, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Getting into this world actually happened by chance! I worked for the Vans Warped Tour back in 2009, 2010 and in between those summers, I freelanced in music marketing for the shoe company Vans. I moved out to California from Tennessee to pursue that career path, but a corporate hiring freeze left me in a new state with a much higher cost of living and trying to make ends meet. I’ve always been a creative person- which I contribute to my dad as an artist and photographer, so I started up an Etsy shop where I was making bracelets to help foot the bills. Bracelets then became airbrushed t-shirts and hand-painted shoes. Honestly it was just a fun way to make some extra money on the side to keep me out on the west coast. Everything changed when I came up with and released the Neverland Beanie. I spend so much of my time in Disneyland and it randomly hit me- how can I wear a hat like Peter Pan’s without ya know, wearing a hat like Peter Pans. It sparked the idea of a green beanie with a red feather and it had never really been the same after that! My initial order was for 80, an amount that I honestly thought it would take a while to move, sold out in a few hours and I knew there was something there. I had found this community full of people just like me who were Disney fans, but also wanted wearable, subtle fashions. That beanie dropped in 2011 and fast forward to 2018 where it’s still our number 1 item!
I started doing screen-printed t-shirts shortly after that. My goal was to create tops that were fun and trendy, but that you felt like you could wear outside of the Disney parks. Ultimately shirts that didn’t have to scream that you were a Disney fan, but shirts that felt more like a secret handshake if someone got the reference. That became the heart and soul of what we do at Whosits now! From the outside it seems like such a niche market, but I’m ultimately making apparel for the fans just like myself and it’s pretty amazing.
Has it been a smooth road?
I actually haven’t encountered too many obstacles and it’s been a pretty gradual, natural process. The toughest moments have honestly been in the production and financial side. Finding companies to work with that you can trust is invaluable when it comes to running your business, particularly if you’re in the retail space. You’re dependent, in a way, to other people and that’s been challenging for me to learn how to navigate. You start to pick your battles and realize that not every detail is the end of the world. If a hat manufacturer dyed your green fabric a shade lighter, no one else is going to know but you.
As for the logistical side, things like estimated self-employment tax were just more costly things I learned along the way instead of knowing up front. My biggest advice on that? Hire a CPA.
As far as advice for other ladies out there- know that it’s possible and it doesn’t come naturally. I didn’t have a mentor or people to turn to for help. I figured it out, and failed, along the way and for me, I honestly thinks that’s what it takes. You have to actually want to do the work and the research. And be completely ready that you’re going to be taking risks that often won’t work out. It’s what you do at that juncture that determines everything else.
And ultimately bring something different to the table that is uniquely yours. If you want to start a shirt company, what about your company, your designs, your message makes you different from everyone else? You have to find the answer to that before you can even get going.
We’d love to hear more about Whosits & Whatsits.
My role at Whosits is CEO so I have my hand across every aspect of our business. I keep the books, I oversee marketing, I’m concepting designs- I wear just about every hat that you can think of when it comes to operating a business!
The market we’re in has grown substantially since Whosits & Whatsits started, but we maintain the same clear company identity. Making fun, trendy magically-inspired apparel for the grown-up super fans out there. One of the biggest things that’s sets us apart from other companies in this space is our women’s selection. I really focus on women’s styles and cuts and particularly size inclusion. Most other boutique apparel companies similar to ours don’t even offer women’s cuts at all. I do a lot of research to find cute plus size options for our customers because I truly think every girl deserves to feel as confident as she can be.
We also offer a lot of custom manufactured pieces, like our hats, that you can’t get elsewhere. We’re not just finding blanks and throwing embroidery on them, but we use manufactures to make items that will only ever be exclusive to us.
The most incredible part of it all is that people have included our company in life-time memories. Just recently a couple wore our Dreams Come True tee for their baby announcement! People are choosing to wear Whosits & Whatsits to the Disney parks where they will create unforgettable memories and take all of these photos that they will revisit and that to be has been the most rewarding part of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.whositswhatsits.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/whositswhatsits
- Facebook: facebook.com/whositswhatsits
- Twitter: twitter.com/whositswhatsits
Image Credit:
Richard Mink, Tiffany Mink, Madeline Barr Photo
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