• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Thursday, January 26, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

2020 Survivor Story: Tumbleweed Turns Online

The pandemic gave this small retailer a chance to show clients that shopping small is a different experience.

by Skyler Rossi
February 16, 2021
in New Builders
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tumbleweed Founder Emeli Novelo

No one knows how many of the 24 million small businesses in the United States have closed, but the number, when tallied, is likely to surpass one million. Some tiny companies have turned a corner and head into 2021 shaken and changed, but alive. Times of E reached out to incubators across the United States, who connected us to entrepreneurs whose companies survived. Ten entrepreneurs shared their stories with us. You can find others in the series at Rest of the US. Thanks to gener8tor, Arlee Community Development Corp., E For All, and Arrowhead.

Like many retail shops last year, Deming, N.M.-based Tumbleweed adjusted to the pandemic by turning rapidly to online sales. The shop promotes female-owned businesses by selling their products in categories including clothing, jewelry, cards and pins.

Founder Emeli Novelo started the company in 2019, but 2020 was the first year of business for the brand. “We all know that the first five years of any business is extremely difficult,” Novelo said. “So throwing COVID-19 in your first year of business was very rough.”

Step one once the pandemic hit was to create a full website and online presence, which the brand hadn’t done yet, she said. “I really had to put my hustle hat on and learn how to do that on my own,” she said. 

All of her operations changed to online and occasional pop-up shops in Las Cruces, N.M. She did about $33,800 in sales last year. Now, she said, the shop is starting to see sales return to pre-pandemic levels. 

Novelo made it a point to try to create a similar friendly, personable experience for her customers online as she did in her Deming store. Go to her website, which she created using web platform Wix, and a message pops up personally greeting you. She said she was able to establish strong connections in their community by focusing on customer service and transparency.

“One of the biggest compliments we get is, ‘I feel like I know you,’ because they follow us on Instagram and we are so transparent that they feel like they know everything about us which is amazing to be able to convey that,” she said.

Now, she’s working on opening a second location in Las Cruces. She’s hoping the community of customers she established in 2020 continues to flourish in person once things go back to normal.

“I think 2020 caused people to really see small businesses and put a spotlight on small businesses,” she said. “That gave us an opportunity to really run with it because people were making an effort to shop smaller, and they were able to see what all these small businesses are about.”



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Skyler Rossi

Skyler Rossi

Related Posts

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

by Nina Roberts
January 25, 2023
0

Regina Trillo is the founder of Nemi Cactus Sticks, made with Mexican nopal. Photos: Nelipot Project, collage: Nina Roberts. Authentic...

TK

With A New Way to Make Furniture, Locally, Baru Has Nearly $1M In Revenue After Two Years

by Nina Roberts
December 23, 2022
0

Tino Go is the founder of Baru. Could “decentralized manufacturing” be the next industrial revolution? Tino Go, the founder of...

Vermont Farmer Creates A New Drink Category With Roots In The Past

Vermont Farmer Creates A New Drink Category With Roots In The Past

by Nina Roberts
November 23, 2022
0

Matt Sayre is the founder of Shrubbly, a sparkling shrub drink made with aronia berries. Photo collage: Nina Roberts The...

The Passion of The Christian Hip Hop Entrepreneur James Rosseau

The Passion of The Christian Hip Hop Entrepreneur: James Rosseau

by Lori Ioannou
November 10, 2022
0

James Rosseau of Holy Culture Radio, bringing Christian hop hop to the forefront. Since its beginnings in the 1980s, Christian...

a red triangle with the words System Hacked on it

Cybersecurity Best Practices for Small Businesses

by Elizabeth Macbride
October 20, 2022
0

There's a new and booming market for cyber protection and cyber insurance services for small businesses.  The market started to...

More Americans Are Embracing Entrepreneurship

More Americans Are Embracing Entrepreneurship

by Elizabeth Macbride
October 6, 2022
0

Evidence continues to build that Americans are re-embracing the idea of entrepreneurship as a career, path to wealth and a...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • With A New Way to Make Furniture, Locally, Baru Has Nearly $1M In Revenue After Two Years

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023
Editor’s Note: We Are All Jacinda Now

Editor’s Note: Burnout World; Dark Web’s Criminal Minds; Small Biz Gets Stuck w George Santos

January 23, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
Four Sources To Tap For Cash When You Don’t Want To Give Equity Away

Four Sources To Tap For Cash When You Don’t Want To Give Equity Away

3 years ago
Fund of the Week: Lightship Capital

Fund of the Week: Lightship Capital

3 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?