We’re looking forward to introducing you to Brandi Silver . Check out our conversation below.
Brandi , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
I usually wake up at 5 am to get ready to go to my full time job as a Technical Designer in the apparel industry. If there’s an influx of orders for my small business, I try to process a few orders before leaving for work.
Once I get off from my full time job, I head straight to the post office to drop off orders. From there, I try to prioritize time to exercise & running errands before going home to process more orders. In between processing orders, I’m answering customers emails, creating new products or packaging products. Quite boring, I know. Lol
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Brandi, the owner of Pin & Proper. I specialize in enamel pins, greeting cards and other small gifts. Pin & Proper is my love letter to RnB, hip hop, pop culture & HBCUs. My business has been featured on Pop Sugar, Buzz Feed, MADE in Greensboro, WXII12 News & Target’s Lab X Black History Month Showcase.
The funny thing is this was never supposed to be a business. After the unexpected passing of my father, I began to collect things in an attempt to ward off the overwhelming grief. My dad was my everything. He passed the day after my birthday while I was in the midst of leaving one job & starting a new one. Needless to say, my plate was full & grief was suffocating me.
My pin collection was birthed during this time. Let’s back up to the day of my father’s funeral. On the way to the church, Tupac Shakur’s Keep Ya Head Up came on the radio. At that point, the song was 22 years old. What are the odds that song would come on while I was on my way to say my final goodbyes to my dad? I felt like it was a little message from him.
I became obsessed with finding a pin that said Keep Ya Head Up. I wanted to wear it as a reminder. In my quest to find this pin, I found pins that looked nothing like Tupac. Then an idea sparked. I should create what I’m looking for. I mean how hard could it be? I started researching overseas manufacturers, different metal types and how to design my own enamel pins. I took my skills from my degree in Fashion Merchandising & Design, Adobe Illustrator & leapt! The only issue was the MOQ (minimum order quantity) was 100 pins. I didn’t need 100 pins so I figured I needed to sell the other 99 pins. I decided to place the pins on Etsy.
As filler, I decided to include the handmade greeting cards I was known for. Then another idea came along, design the greeting cards digitally and have them printed vs. hand making. This would prove to be a major time saver. The rest is history. Pin & Proper has seen highs that I could never imagine. This little Etsy business took care of me when I was laid off from my full time job for over a year and a half. For that, I’m forever grateful!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents & my first boss taught me the most about work. My parents worked hard to provide for me. They also instilled in me a good work ethic. I often think of them and their sacrifices when I feel like throwing in the towel.
Also, my first job was at a movie theater. My manager always rolled up his sleeves to help do every job in that theater when we were busy. Even cleaning the bathrooms. He could’ve easily sat in his office with his feet up while we scrambled w/ large crowds. Instead, he stepped up to the plate and helped. That spoke volumes to me. Shout out to my old boss, Heath. I’ve expected every boss since then to have the same work ethic.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Most definitely! I was laid off from my job 6 months before COVID in 2019. After countless applications and no real traction finding a job, I was on the brink of giving up. At the start of 2020, I’d been laid off for 4 months. Unemployment had stopped and I was living off my savings. I was applying all over the country. I started having imposter syndrome. I was ready to give up!
Finally, I’d landed a small store merchandising role that required me to travel to stores and set up for a few brands. Then here comes COVID-19! I never got to start the merchandising job because everything and everyone was on lock down due to this deadly virus. Store visits were canceled. Again, I was ready to give up!
Once I realized COVID-19 would last more than 2 weeks, I panicked. Here I was again, essentially jobless. Others started to get laid off. There was no way my small business would bring in income. No one needed pins or greeting cards. Fortunately, I was wrong. Everyone began to shop small, to shop Black owned & woman owned. My business blew up starting the summer of 2020.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They would probably say I’m a perfectionist and anal about my businesses appearance. I totally agree. Pin & Proper is my baby! Appearance is everything. I pay extra for premium cards to attach the pins to. While the consumer probably trashes that expensive pin card after purchase, I’m adamant that the premium card is used.
My philosophy is you’ll never get in a big box retailer if your products don’t already look the part.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When have you had to bet the company?
Back at the beginning of 2020, I was jobless and decided to bet on myself and my company. I decided to do a pre-order of a pin that would be manufactured overseas. Then COVID hit shutting down manufacturing. I had to reach out to every single customer and tell them I’d provide a refund if they didn’t want to wait. Because I had no clear date on when their orders be made or shipped. Not one customer requested a refund! They all understood and waited. For that, I’m forever thankful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://paperbybrandi.etsy.com/
- Instagram: @pin_and_proper
- Other: TikTok: @pin_and_proper
Image Credits
Still Shots Photography
