#88: Anne Skoch (Anne Cate)

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:00:00]:
Moving and growing Ankit into Cleveland, it's kind of like a love letter to Cleveland of, you know, communities that we could provide for people. It was a way to showcase that, hey. You know, we this city has supported this business. This is a way we can support the city. So we're really proud to be made in Cleveland. And, yes, we're proud to be made made in America, but Cleveland is in our in our product and in our backbone, in our in our blood. And I just can't wait to see what more we can do to this city and for this city because this city has done so much for us.

Jeffrey Stern [00:00:36]:
Let's discover the Cleveland entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are telling the stories of its entrepreneurs, and those supporting them. Welcome to the Lay of the Land podcast, where we are exploring what people are building in Cleveland. I am your host, Jeffrey Stern, and today I had the pleasure of speaking with Ann Skoch. Ann is the founder of Ann Kate, a made in America accessories brand and manufacturing firm specializing in skyline silhouette purses and pillows. A proud Kent State graduate and Clevelander, she has scaled her business from a sewing machine in her dorm room to a manufacturing studio, employing a team full time to create success with their hands. More than just made in America, Anne Kate is made in Cleveland, where the production staff sews every single product. Anne Kate sells in over 150 small and large stores across the country, works with corporate clients such as Hulu and KeyBank, and distributes thousands of products monthly through their site, Anne Kate dotcom.

Jeffrey Stern [00:01:37]:
Anne's favorite part of her job is bringing joy to her customers through her products. To her customers, the products are more than just a purse or just a pillow. They tell a story that is unique to each person. With that, I love learning about Anne's perspective on how to marry art and business and pursue your passion as a profession. So please enjoy my conversation with Anne Skoch. In prep for this conversation, I was thinking about where the the best place to start would be. And I where I would like to, is I I feel you've uncovered this productive overlap between art and business, through the the nature of the the work that you're doing with with Ancadet and and what you've built there. And so I I'd love to start just kind of exploring those two worlds Mhmm.

Jeffrey Stern [00:02:27]:
In where your your interest in them kinda stem from.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:02:31]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And it's funny because I my hobby became my career, but I've also become passionate about business throughout all of this. So it's kind of been a a ladder of, art being the initial passion and then becoming, you know, a businesswoman also becoming a passion. But, truly, I love to create. And ever since I was a young girl, I was not a sports kid. I painted. I draw, drew.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:03:04]:
I just always loved to bring things to life and had a creative element to everything I did in life. So much so that I would sell little creations I made at craft shows and to family and friends at a very young age. Random things like button rings and necklaces I'd beaded together.

Jeffrey Stern [00:03:24]:
Yeah.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:03:24]:
But at a young age, I learned, oh my gosh. I can make money from the things I created. That was all about like, I was all about that. And so I did that, like, my whole use, just continuously creating and selling and having a vision of building something for myself. So much so that I pursued, fashion and entrepreneurship when it came time to study something in college, not really knowing what entrepreneurship even was. I knew I loved to create, and I made money from things I created. But running a whole business, that was, like, something that was just a foreign idea to me. So, anyway, Ankit grew in college.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:04:07]:
I well, Ankit was started and grew in college, and this whole idea of making money and making a life out of something I've sewed myself was something I was, I I believed in, I guess, I should say. It's something that I I just I saw that I could it was something I could accomplish. So, anyway, so I spent my whole college career. I had this unique idea for Anne Kate of these purses and pillows with skylines on them that just was rooted in the the places I loved and rooted in my passion for creating. And I saw money in that. I saw the emotional connection that could be monetized by all these places. And that's where my love for creating and my hobby truly became my full time career. You know, I made these pillows for my dorm room that was just something fun for myself that people encouraged me to sell.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:05:05]:
And I realized that these places that impacted me also impacted other people. And people were not buying my products because they're cute or they're stylish. They're buying them because there's a major emotional connection with them. So once that clicked, I spent every other waking second of my college career working to take my art and turn it into a business. I think the ability to know, you know, that I wanted to do that led me to a lot more success, that maybe some artists don't have. I was driven, and I knew this needed to be monetized. But with that being said, I I put myself into situations that, ensured that I could get my product out there and then manage the the product, which led me to manage the business. You know, as an artist initially, even now, 6 years later, it's very challenging.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:06:05]:
Being a boss, oh my gosh, the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I had those goals right off the right off the bat when I started, Ian Kate, of growing this into something bigger than just a little hobby. And that is how I tied, you know, the creativity with the business end. Was those that initial initial goal upfront was that I'm gonna make this my career, whether it's right away or whether it's in 20 years. And I was lucky enough to have enough momentum upon graduation to continue pursuing it. And that was 4 years ago I graduated, and now I have a full time staff and, allowing others to also be creative within the business now.

Jeffrey Stern [00:06:49]:
You you mentioned the the moment where, you know, maybe you realized that the the art that that resonated and was important to you perhaps resonated with with other people. What what did it take to understand that you, you know, building art for yourself as a as a customer almost that that that do you do you view yourself as kind of the the consumer of of of the product?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:07:15]:
That is such a funny question because, I always thought that I I was obsessed with my product when I created it. Like, it was so fun and so representative of me. But at the end of the day, I am not our customer. I am more of our end user. So what that means is, we our product is a major gift product. So people are purchasing a Cleveland pillow for someone who moved away from home or a New York City purse for someone who's dreaming of moving to the city. They're purchasing it and giving them as gifts. We always say it's the perfect gift for the the gift for the, person who has everything.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:07:53]:
And so with time, I realized my generation is not my customer, but they're the ones receiving it. So they're my customer is the moms, the aunts, the grandmas, the, friends, the family friends that are purchasing it in a accessible, affordable gift that's unique and gifting it to someone a little, younger, like myself, who is having these major life moments or changes or moving to a new city or getting a new job. So I find that I you know, people in my generation, they absolutely use the product and are humbled and tickled by the product, but they're not the ones buying it. It's an older generation. So that's been an interesting take with our marketing, was how to cater to both of these. Right? Like, how do we get the end user to understand what Ian Keyd is, to appreciate and know what we, what our background is, and how we then market to the older generation that is buying your product. So it's been a, a unique experience. But at the end of the day, I I'm really proud that both, many different women and many different generations can enjoy our product, both by purchasing it and by using it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:09:08]:
As you were piecing together what the the company itself would become, it sounded like it was a a gradual process, the this this transition from from hobby to to business. But was there a particular point, a revelation, some something that happened that had you thinking that you should take it seriously and and build a a company out of it?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:09:33]:
Yes. Truly, I I totally had a moment where I was like, okay. This is what I'm gonna do, and I don't care what's gonna stop me. I'm gonna do it. So like I had said, I have been creative and been selling product for since I was very young. I was got on Etsy when Etsy just started. That was a unique opportunity, and I just I love to monetize the things I created. But I also love that people, like, were were they were impacted by our product.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:09:58]:
It made them feel excited, or I love that just emotion that provoked, whether it was a little purse that I handmade or a product with a city skyline on it. I really I value the connection we made with our customers. So, anyway, when I had this skyline product idea, I had gotten it on my Etsy store, and I was, you know, I believed in it. Didn't really quite know where it was gonna go. Was, of course, working several jobs and, being a college student, a 19 year old, but believed in it. So, got it online and started sharing it and running through this product. At that time, we had only 3 skylines that I designed in Illustrator and was still figuring out our product line, and, you know, it was a true hobby. And, yeah, within a few months of putting that on Etsy, I received a message from a buyer at American Greetings, and they were interested in picking up our product.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:10:57]:
And, oh my gosh, it was like, this is crazy. Like, what? Like, what is wholesale? You know, I can't sew a big order. You know, I was sewing it all in my dorm room. But we did get the order, and it was wholesale to the flagship store in Crocker Park. And, from that moment on, I decided I'm gonna spend every minute working on Aunt Kate. I'm gonna use every resource I can at Kent State. I'm going to connect with individuals, and I'm gonna work hard to grow this business because other people are starting to believe in it as well. So from that moment on, I did.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:11:36]:
And, you know, I I had an amazing amazing experiences throughout my college education. I was featured on national news segments. I won over $25,000 of pitch competitions. I immersed myself in every opportunity, and it it got us where we are today. But it all was from that little message from American Greetings, and, it changed my life. And I'm so forever grateful, so bad that.

Jeffrey Stern [00:12:00]:
That's incredible.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:12:01]:
Mhmm.

Jeffrey Stern [00:12:01]:
And from there, it's it's the crash course in business.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:12:05]:
Right. And a crash course meaning lots of mistakes are made.

Jeffrey Stern [00:12:11]:
So how how did you go about learning how to take what was a hobby into something you know, like, how did you actually fulfill that order? Right?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:12:20]:
Like Right.

Jeffrey Stern [00:12:20]:
You know, the manufacturing at scale and all these other components.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:12:25]:
Oh, gosh. It they're scaling this business has been the hardest thing we've done, but the most rewarding too. You know, we have been a business that has pretty much been bootstrapped along the way. I threw a $1,000 into a bank account when I started Ankit, and we have just kinda watched that grow. But what's most significant is I was sewing everything in my dorm room, just myself. You know? No no no figure no way of of growth of how I could get past this business of me in a little dorm room to a full scale manufacturing studio or outspreading. That was very hard and especially hard for someone in their, you know, in college to figure out. So I definitely immersed myself in my network, experimented a lot of different avenues of how to take this business to the next level.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:13:16]:
In in the meantime, I sewed everything. I would be up late at night. I would be up early. I would get several hours of sleep maximum a night, and I would just be creating because that's what I had to do, and I I wanted to. But from there, upon, growing, you know, upon graduation and figuring out how to take the business to the next level, I figured there are 2 routes to go. I open up and become my own manufacturing studio or manufacturer, and I keep sewing myself and eventually hire people, or I outsource. But staying domestic was really important to me, and, of course, it's expensive. So looked into said samples made all across the states and, you know, tried to replicate our product, with other manufacturers, but no one could make it the way we could or I could.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:14:06]:
And and at that time so I decided I'm going to open up our a manufacturing studio, a place of work where people can come and produce our product at a larger scale. But that leap from dorm room to manufacturing studio was very challenging. You know? It was, okay. I have to hire. I have operating expenses. I have rent now. I have to buy equipment. How do I do this? So, you know, it's we spent some time.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:14:33]:
We took some of my pitch mint winnings, and and we slowly started building our manufacturing studio. And from there, several months later, I hired my first staff, and I've had several employees since then, but we have become more than just a brand. We our our true identity is a manufacturer. So it takes that vision of that girl in a dorm room and brings it to a major scale. So now we have a full functioning manufacturing studio, full time staff in production that are making our products, fulfilling our products, and truly, you know, bringing, made in America, product into Cleveland here or being in being truly made made in Cleveland. So, you know, it was a hard journey and an expensive one of how am I gonna bring this business to scale, but, something we did successfully. And there's several reasons for that. The main one being our products were not are not a luxury item.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:15:34]:
They are a $10 bag, a $20 bag, and they are made within one minute. So we have the ability, because of how quickly they're made, to sell our products at an affordable price with the Mhmm. With the knowledge to our customers that, you know, it's gonna be unlined. It's gonna be very simple. No pockets. Not very technical. So with that being said, because we can make a product a minute, our kept our cost really low, and we can pay our employees at a livable wage because of that time frame. So it was a unique way to build our manufacturing, but the ability to be a manufacturer has kept our inventory cost very low.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:16:16]:
Most of our products are made to order, and it has allowed us allowed us a whole different avenue of revenue now. So we're manufacturing products that are not Skyline products for brands all around the country. And those are just opportunities that just come by by networking and and just growing Ankit as a manufacturer. So we're making bags for, conventions. We're making pillows for the offices of Hulu. We have a whole different aspect of our business that is not just the Skyline product that we have been able to grow because I took that leap from a dorm room to, open up our own manufacturing studio.

Jeffrey Stern [00:16:57]:
And how now do you think about the the the breakdown, I guess, between your own creative output and what you're you're putting out of the company for for Frank Hayden and what you're bringing in from from others?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:17:11]:
Yeah. In terms of creativity, you know, it's hard. It's something I have stepped away from more than not, and it's my was my favorite part about my running my business is the outlet of creativity. But, of course, there's lack of time for that more now because I'm juggling so many other parts. But, you know, I and Kate, something we did was just we are really strong with our branding, and it's allowed us to it allows me to be creative on a marketing standpoint and with niche customers that come along. So that's kinda where I pull or pour my energy into. But I'm lucky now. We have a lead designer who works for us and brings brings to the table new seasonal products, product upgrades, things that I really didn't have the bandwidth for at the point when we were really scaling the business.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:18:09]:
So that's been really wonderful to, you know, have someone come on that understands the brand and can now take the a piece of that creativity. Almost it became a burden off of me and, you know, bring bring new ideas to life that I would not have been able to to accomplish because I was burnt out or working on something else. So I definitely like to keep the creative aspects with me always, and I I'm still a decision maker on that part. But creating and training a team that can also aid in that has been very valuable, and I'm forever grateful to have that aspect in our team.

Jeffrey Stern [00:18:49]:
You mentioned the the strength of of the brand. Mhmm. I guess, what do you mean? Like, what is a good brand? Mhmm. And how did how did you curate your own?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:18:59]:
Yes. So our branding is really important to Anne Kate, and that was something when I was 19. I'm like, I'm gonna create the brand first before I I had this product, but I'm like, I I believe in the power of a good brand. And truly, it's paid off. 75% of our marketing is just word-of-mouth, and that's through branding. So, you know, on a on a on a physical level, our packaging, you know, we have branded boxes that say, hey, Kate. It's very simple and classic and black, white, touches of pink. You know, people can say, oh, you're, you know, you're very on brand with them not even really knowing, like, what does that mean? But they can see it.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:19:41]:
But, also, you know, it's not just the packaging. It's the experience our customers receive through our marketing, through our website, through the shopping experience, both from online to then receiving a package. All of that has been really important for us to curate. And and truly, I just made it really simple. I I wanted it to be simple but meaningful. And so that's kind of, how I've, you know, created, what I wanted Anne Kate to be. I wanted our products to be simple and meaningful, and they are. So I took what the product holds, the stories, and and it just added a a flare of of classic and timelessness to our packaging and our branding that has then carried through in our marketing efforts, in our our, website.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:20:32]:
And even in myself, like, I, you know, I my middle name's Catherine. I am Ann Cates, but, so many times people come up to me and they're like, oh my gosh. You, you know, you just I can tell you're Ann Kate just from the way you're dressed or and, you know, I'm I'm so much of the brand as well that it has created this whole experience, which is really wonderful for our customers. So much so that then they go and tell other people about it, which has been very valuable. You know, we've kind of branded this when you see an Anne Kate or someone asks you about your bag, and they say, where did you get it? They go, oh, it's an Anne Kate. And that alone, like, it makes me so happy because it tells me that our branding has been successful and that people, you know, are proud to be hearing our product, and they are proud to re to be representing our brand. So it was something that I decided early on that was gonna be, really valuable to our business, and it's paid off. So, you know, in a retail faced business, you need to have strong branding, and and I'm grateful that we, we do.

Jeffrey Stern [00:21:39]:
No. I think that that is the the the strongest representation of of people being supportive and advocates of of the brand is is that I'm recommending to

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:21:48]:
someone else. Right. Yep. Absolutely.

Jeffrey Stern [00:21:51]:
This this maybe then is almost like a a meta question, but has the the brand evolved, at all from when you started it in I don't know. It was as a reflection of of your own development?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:22:04]:
Of course. Of course. Yes. Absolutely. I I without a doubt, our brand has evolved. But at the end of the day, we are selling the same product that we were 6 years ago. It's just a lot better, and our brand is a lot better. But, yes, absolutely.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:22:21]:
Our, you know, our yeah. Our aesthetic, the basics of our brand are carried through today. But over the last 6 years, not only has our, you know, our website been developed much greater, our customer experience, our, you know, our marketing has grown, but our product itself has transformed. Oh my gosh. If you saw our for the first product we ever made, it was nothing like our product now. Our product is much greater quality. It's gonna last a lot longer. It it just is it's a beautiful product.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:22:57]:
But back when I started, it it was a, you know, a simple pretty small, thin piece of fabric sewn on, you know, into a bag. But what's amazing is even then, you know, 6 years ago, the product that we were selling that was very much less quality than what we're selling now, people still bought it. And I I kinda love that that our product has meant something to people when it was poor quality to what it is now. Of course, I'm, yeah, I'm sure the quality has helped our sales process, but the idea is still there. You know? And I I love that that it was impacting people then, and it is now. So, you know, that itself in this whole last 6 years has been really wonderful, and it warms my heart. We have the best customers in the world because they've been supporting us since day 1. But, you know, I've learned a lot.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:23:49]:
I've grown a lot. I running a business, this business has grown a lot just because I've grown a lot. And, you know, I'm excited to see where we can go in the next 5 years because of just the things that I I've learned and I still have potential to learn. The decision to pursue the business right out of college was really hard. I had a lot of people who encouraged me, and we had funding. So there is opportunities. I was living at home. I didn't have loans.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:24:15]:
Like, it all was the perfect storm. But I I really felt strongly that I didn't have work and real world experience. And so I was scared, but I decided to take the leap and and kinda learn along the way and then absolutely use my network to help me. And so, you know, seeing myself then and now have learned a lot and made so many mistakes, 1,000 of dollars of worth of errors. But I I am very proud of what we have done in 6 years and excited to see how I will grow in the next 5 to 6 years of the business as I'm learning along the way. So it's been a whirlwind, but I'm lucky and grateful for, understanding employees who are patient with me when I need to make decisions, and I don't know how to be the best boss. I'm grateful for vendors who I make mistakes with, you know, everything and anything. But at the end of the day, it's all been worth it.

Jeffrey Stern [00:25:16]:
I I would love to get to some of the learnings and reflections you have in retrospect and and what is exciting you about the future. But just in in the present state, you know, all the the brand and marketing, you know, kinda manifests in in customers and distribution. And I'd love to understand, you know, what it what it looks like today, and how Mhmm. How the how the distribution side of it has evolved over time.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:25:38]:
Yes. So, when E and Kate started, it again, like I said, we're in a little dorm room. I was selling on Etsy. It was a whirlwind. We are now we sell directly on our website, anandkate.com, and that's about a lots to about 50% of our business. We are only an online retailer. We do not have a retail store, and that's by by strategy. You know, we just have grown our presence through National PR Online, and it keeps our overhead low in terms of heavy retail space and inventory, etcetera.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:26:09]:
But then on top of that, the other half of our business is, wholesale. And within that wholesale sector, it includes corporate clients, and then retailers around the the country. So we sell in about 200 stores around the country. And what that means is we sell a store, a pro a, you know, a batch of product, and then they resell it for double or more the price. So we're selling to clients like Oncominggoods.com, Wayfair, the Art Institute of Chicago, small clients, big clients, everything in between. We work with corporate clients like New York Life and Hulu and KeyBank to give our products a platform and to distribute for other events, a whole different variety of things. So, yeah, so we you know, it's amazing to see my little Etsy store turn into a a national business. This wholesale sector was not something I necessarily knew much about when I started the business, but, it's something we've capitalized on because there are many, many more opportunities to become more national quicker by allowing other retailers to sell your product.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:27:23]:
Plus, I love the you know, we have great relationships. It's a big relationship based industry, and it's been wonderful to meet and connect with stores that sell our product because it's, you know, it's a lot of times small businesses helping small businesses, and there's both success from both ends. So that's kind of you know, that's been a whole new aspect of our business over the last few years to grow, is our wholesale channels. But everything, you know, everything is made to order essentially at our Ian Kate manufacturing studio. So once we get an order, then we process it. Then it goes through production. Sometimes it can take up to 3 weeks, but our clients are aware of that. It has allowed us to provide a lot of opportunities for individuals on a more consistent basis.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:28:13]:
Of course, there's busier times of year, the holidays. You know, 50% of our business comes from from the holiday season, but we have developed a a strong enough client base now that we can provide full time jobs year round that this distribution, more nationally has allowed us to.

Jeffrey Stern [00:28:30]:
The the follow-up the the the one that comes to mind with what you've just talked about is, how do you think about competition and, like, differentiation? You know, and and part of it, I imagine, is is the brand, but I imagine it's a highly competitive space.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:28:48]:
The product a product based industry is hard versus service or software. But, you know, we have a few niches that we've capitalized on. And I'm excited because we have, in my eyes, barely met, like, 1% of our customer base. So much of our growth has been organic. And, what would I could handle, you know, as I've been sowing and as then my staff can sow and produce, You know, we can only handle so much growth at a time anyway as we are, you know, developing and growing this brand. But, yeah, we compete on many different levels, but we have our niches to make us strong. On one side, you know, we can compete with other small business on a general level. On another level, we can compete with people making other city based product, you know, cheese boards with skylines on it, city t shirts, those can be con com considered competitors.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:29:43]:
I you know, on a specific level, yes, there are other products that have skylines on them. But at the end of the day, I found a really big niche within the fact that we are an accessories brand. You're not really gonna find a purse that has a city skyline on it. And if you do, it's nothing like ours. So that off the bat, there was really nothing in that industry or in that, I guess, that, retail category. On top of that, we are made in America, we are women owned, and we are very affordable. So, those niches on top of a product that means something, you know, that's our our meta. Our big competition is products that mean something.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:30:28]:
Homesick candles, that's a competitor. You know, there there was a million other products that try to capture that sense of home or that sense of a, a city. But, you know, the the fact that our products are are truly made here and they're affordable has been a huge asset to keeping Ankit relevant and keeping Ankit just on the map in terms of, the gift industry. At the end of the day, our products are unique. They're eye catching, and it's not hard to sell our product once it's in front of a customer. You know, oftentimes, that's why our word-of-mouth marketing is so strong. It's because it's so different. It captures the eye.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:31:08]:
So, you know, competition's hard. At the at the end of the day, we, of course, always try to stay on top of unique ways to to stay on top of our product. But price point and our our background of our brand has been important to that.

Jeffrey Stern [00:31:22]:
It's it's hard to do justice through this medium of audio to something visual, so we'll definitely link,

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:31:31]:
you

Jeffrey Stern [00:31:31]:
know, ways to see it.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:31:32]:
Yeah. Yes. You can find us on Instagram. We are at annekate, and it's Anne with an e and Kate with a c. So a n n e c a t e. And that's our website too, yankate.com.

Jeffrey Stern [00:31:46]:
So you mentioned the, you know, the next 5 years and how exciting, it is for you. So, you know, I'd love for for you to unpack that. What what about it is exciting? Where where do you see the opportunity for for growth? And, yeah, just kinda take us through what that looks like.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:32:04]:
Yes. The next 5 years, everything is always exciting when it comes to growth, but it's daunting too. It's scary. Right now, we're, like, treading a weird, like, weird place of alright. We're at, like, quarter of a $1,000,000 in revenue last year. How do I take that and become a $1,000,000 business in a year? We're having a lot of growing pains, and, it's something I'm, you know, kind of been having to integrate strategy more into the business. Before it was like, okay. Our products just sell itself, kind of.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:32:35]:
You know? So, that has been, you know, taking this business to the next level. As a 26 year old, It has been hard. But long term goals, something we've just started doing over the last 2 years was developing other product that was not Skyline product. Clear bags, belt bags, summer holidays, summer collections, seasonal collections, products that are affordable and still unique that are eye capturing, then still provoke emotion, whether it's you know, it doesn't have to be a skyline, but a design that says, wow, that's so unique or I love that. I need to, you know, have that coordinating to my outfit. So we started developing very, very minimally, other product lines, and it proved to be very successful. Our we had built up customer base, and and it it it they they ate it up. They, began shopping other products.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:33:29]:
But at the end of the day, our customers are still coming to our website for a Skyline product, and then they're shopping our other products. So it's kind of like a secondary, conversion. But that's our end goal is to continue to grow Anne Kate to be this affordable accessories brand, within the gift industry that creates unique designs, that mean something to our customers. So on a very, you know, broad level, that's our goal. But in the next, you know, year or 2, we're gonna start really ramping up production. We're beginning to get secure more PR nationally. I wanna, you know, take that 200 stores and become 500 stores. I want to grow in the corporate gift industry.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:34:11]:
I really want to continuously getting our product out there on a more national level. You know, I have a staff of 4 right now, and I'm looking to continuously double that or, you know, triple that. But it's it's been a staffing, stepping stone process of we have to secure more accounts and more business before we hire more manufacturing. But we have to make sure we have a strong manufacturing team before we get more orders. So, navigating that has been really hard, but I I believe in Anne Kate, and I believe in our our ability to create success with our hands through our manufacturing and and, you know, change the world 1 person at a time. But, you know, at the end of the day, I just I love that our products are more than just a purse or a pillow. They tell a story for our customers. They mean something.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:35:02]:
And that's the continuous goal of Ann Kate.

Jeffrey Stern [00:35:05]:
As you try to navigate the the growth, I'm curious, you know, how much of it is you working through, you know, these challenges on your own trial by fire? Where you know, where do you see counsel and mentorship? How how do you how do you try and navigate those?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:35:22]:
Yes. Well, the you know, talking back to how much has the brand grown versus I've grown, Oh my gosh. Like, 6 years ago, always, like, every stress that had come up, I felt like I could not handle it. And I've definitely toughened up and been able to become a very a lot stronger in terms of decision making and and issues that arise. But in terms of, my network, I'm really grateful, because I immersed myself at when I was in college at Kent. I have a really strong network and alumni network that I still stay in touch with. So primarily primarily, I definitely use that network, to advise, to reach out when errors, come up, to just have on, to aid and to learn from. But other resources the best other resource in that I use is the Cleveland community, especially the small business ecosystem and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:36:21]:
Chances are the mistake you made, someone else also made, and they figured out how to get through it 10 times better than you did. So I've been really lucky. I I to connect with not only my clients, businesses selling my product, but also other colleagues and friends in just running their businesses or working hard for themselves to to throw ideas off of, to learn from, to connect with. That has been really rewarding and has aided in in our growth. And it helps me when I'm in a really burnt out phase of running the business or exhausted and can't think, out of the box, it helps me get past that and and spark new ideas to grow to this next level that I have reached and will reach, continuously.

Jeffrey Stern [00:37:11]:
One of the things, that I wanted to ask you about was as as you've grown and your responsibilities have shifted, you know, a little bit away from, you know, the actual maybe creative part of the process, you know, and where we where we started talking about that intersect between art and, and business has, like, pursuing your passion as a profession, has it soured it at all? Or, you know, how do you feel about it?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:37:40]:
That's a great question. And, it is not the easiest thing to have your hobby and your passion become your full time job. And not only, like, a full time job, that you're working 40 hours a week. Right? Like, you're easily breathe, this business, like, 80 hour weeks. You know? So it's not just like, oh, I'm doing my hobby, like, full time. It's like, I'm only doing this.

Jeffrey Stern [00:38:01]:
Right.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:38:02]:
So, yeah, it's it's, it's really great, but it's also really hard. And even I tell my staff this, I'm running my dream job. I love what I do. I it's been rewarding and fulfilling to, like I say, create success with my hands on a sewing machine. But at the end of the day, working you know, there are days I don't wanna come to work. Right? Like, working still is hard. So, you know, I, yes, I am very fulfilled. I love my career and my hobby that became my career.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:38:35]:
But, yeah, I, I it took me a while, the first few years of doing it full time, to find other ways to, other outlets. Because, yes, my my hobby was kind of stripped of me in terms of something I could use as an outlet, but it it's still it's still something I love, this whole creating, this the sewing. But I've had to find other outlets to decompress and to allow myself to step away from work. So, yeah, it's, you know, it's hard. I wouldn't change what I do and wouldn't change taking my hobby and turning it into a career. But, yeah, it it soured my my love for creating. I just have had to find other outlets. And Other outlets.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:39:23]:
And sometimes I'm still looking for them. Sometimes it's like, alright. You know? Sometimes I just have to go home and, like, do nothing, like, and watch Netflix. Like, that's an outlet. Terrible. It's not a hobby, but, yeah, I have it's had had to be unique, and it's definitely something I'm still kind of finding what else I can do besides my you know, the hobby that I created and and the work. But, you know, I wouldn't change it for anything. But, yeah, it's definitely, definitely sour, the the love.

Jeffrey Stern [00:39:54]:
Well, in reflection, what what have been some of the the kind of learnings and and takeaways you've had from from this whole process?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:40:04]:
Yes. I, you know, failing was something that was not easy up front, especially, like, the 1st year I full time ran the business. We sold a $100, and I didn't have a profit at the end of the year. That was, you know, things I was like, wow. This really sucks. But, anyway, just so I I've learned to, over the last few years of making a lot of mistakes and failing, learn to really take those and and take them as good things. So there's been a lot that's been learned, and I'm a lot stronger throughout out, you know, throughout this whole process. But, gosh, there's been a 1,000,000 things that I've learned.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:40:45]:
I I think I struggled. I I well, I know I struggled a lot because I was young. A lot of people did not take me seriously my first few years of 22, 23 running a a business, they weren't really willing to take a risk on me. That was a challenge. I have learned how to definitely manage stress a lot better, how to be a boss. That is something like, oh my gosh. I never never, as a creative person, never knew how I was gonna figure that out, how to hire employees older than me, how to fire employees. Lots lots of, learn learning experiences there.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:41:25]:
And then learning, you know, being a manufacturer. How do I especially as a woman in manufacturing, you know, how do I do that? That was that was hard. But a lot of networking and speaking to other people in the industry aided that growth. But there's been challenges. You know, COVID came along. Supply chain management was a nightmare. Cost now are through the roof. How do I raise my prices and tell my clients and and do it yet again? You know, 6 months later, the prices are still going through the roof.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:41:58]:
Navigating all of that was was and is has been challenging. But now, you know, I I feel like it's not a how am I gonna get through this. It's a, alright. Let me digest this, whatever it is that comes around, and let me figure out how to move past it right away and make a decision and stay true to that decision and keep pushing forward. That's kind of how I've dealt with, you know, experiences that come up that are not ideal, like packages worth $10,000 getting stolen and and and by you, you know, in in the middle of shipments and things like that. We just roll with it. It won't be the first, and it won't be the last. And definitely having outlets of family and friends to express these the stressors, the successes in in the downfalls has been an asset to me, personally and on a business level.

Jeffrey Stern [00:42:53]:
Know knowing what you know now, right, this new wisdom, are there things that, in retrospect, you you would have done differently?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:43:01]:
Oh, yes. You know, in the grand scheme of things, I wouldn't change my path and how I got here. I like I said, I've learned from my mistakes, and they have made me so much stronger. And and Kate has grown because of those mistakes. But, yeah, would I have not spent, you know, 5 grand on this marketing efforts or would I have not, you know, hired this person? There were, yes, there are things that came along that I would change or mistakes that I would love to go back and not relive. But in the grand scheme of things, I the path that got me here, I wouldn't I wouldn't wanna change it. We, you know, we grew through a lot of trial and error, and I'm grateful for that.

Jeffrey Stern [00:43:45]:
Are there any important parts of of the business of your journey here that that we haven't touched on yet that you would like to share?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:43:55]:
I love what is so important to ink, Kate, is that we're creating our product. Yes. But we're creating a product that represents, you know, a bigger thing, and that thing can be different for each person. It's a story. It's a a memory. It's a moment, a place in time. And I really I I think that's the best thing about running the business is that, you know, there's there's a little background and a little different story for every single person that's been very rewarding for Anne Kate, and for me. It makes it really fulfilling to hear people's stories of why they're buying our product.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:44:33]:
And as silly as it may be, you know, it it really is heartwarming. But, alternatively, you know, Cleveland is at our backbone. Gosh. We could not run this business literally without Cleveland because Cleveland you know, our our product is not only represented or the city is not only represented in the product with the literal skyline on our product, but it is the reason why, you know, Anquet grew. It started with Cleveland. It represented Cleveland and the customers. They came through to showcase their love for the city, and that has only grown and multiplied then now to other cities and to places around the country and world. So I'm really, you know, moving and growing Ankit into Cleveland.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:45:17]:
It's kind of like a love letter to Cleveland of, you know

Jeffrey Stern [00:45:21]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:45:21]:
Communities that we could provide for people. It was a way to showcase that, hey. You know, we this city has supported this business. This is a way we can support the city. So we're really proud to be made in Cleveland. And, yes, we're proud to be made made in America, but Cleveland is in our in our product and in our backbone and our in our blood. And I just can't wait to see what more we can do to this city and for the city because the city has done so much for us.

Jeffrey Stern [00:45:51]:
Yeah. Cleveland is the reason, as Kid Cudi would say.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:45:55]:
Oh, yes.

Jeffrey Stern [00:45:57]:
Well, I I think that's a a good place to to segue into our our closing question for for everyone on the show, which is which is about Cleveland. And it is for your favorite hidden gems in the city.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:46:12]:
I love it. Well, there's so many. My fiance and I are in Tremont right now, and it gosh. I just love everything about the city, especially the neighborhood. But, my favorite gem in terms of food is a true hole in the wall Italian place called Bruno's Restaurant. It is on, West 44th near Clark Fulton neighborhood, and it is the best Italian food you will ever eat. So that's my favorite, place for food. But if you're looking for some good drinks, the Litery Tavern in Tremont is just to die for.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:46:49]:
Great neighborhood spot, a true hidden gem. People, you know, people always look for a good cocktail bar, and we have wonderful ones in Cleveland, but the literary tavern is the best.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:02]:
Awesome. Well, Anne, thank you so much for for coming on and and for sharing your story.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:47:07]:
Absolutely. Thank you so much. It it's so wonderful to be a part of this. Cleveland is amazing, and there are so many opportunities. And I'm lucky to, be running our business here. It's been a whirlwind, and I wouldn't change any, any second of it, and I wouldn't be anywhere else running my business. So thank you.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:28]:
Yeah. Of course. If folks have anything they wanted to follow-up with you about, what would be the the best way for them to do so?

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:47:34]:
Absolutely. Anyone can email me at annne@ankate.com. So happy to connect with people and, and would love to love to connect on anything.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:47]:
Awesome. Well, thank you again.

Anne Skoch (Anne Cate) [00:47:49]:
Thank you.

Jeffrey Stern [00:47:52]:
That's all for this week. Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's show. So if you have any feedback, please send over an email to jeffrey@layoftheland.fm, or find us on Twitter at podlayoftheland or @sternjefe, j e f e. If you or someone you know would make a good guest for our show, please reach out as well and let us know. And if you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes or on your preferred podcast player. Your support goes a long way to help us spread the word and continue to bring the Cleveland founders and builders we love having on the show. We'll be back here next week at the same time to map more of the land.