In your own words, what does your company do?
Goods that Matter creates everyday design goods, with extraordinary impact. Each Matter product is handmade in the U.S., of eco-friendly materials, & donates 10% of proceeds to unique social and environmental causes based locally and around the world.
We are proud to be the first Benefit Corporation in the state of Louisiana and to have donated $64,103 to date to our partner causes! Our product line includes organic teas; coconut soy wax candles; cards; felt kitchen mats & sponges; all-natural bath & body products; organic beeswax food wraps; & more. Each product is made locally and raises funds for a correlating social or environmental cause including disaster relief, environmental & wildlife protection, women’s health, racial equity, cultural groups, mental health, and ending gun violence.
I’m passionate about reducing plastic waste & the growing effects of climate change – we also carry a curated selection of eco-home goods that eliminate plastic waste in our day-to-day lives. These include beautifully designed reusable bottles, cups, utensils, razors, straws; bamboo jar lids, toothpaste tablets, wool dryer balls, and many more. These selected products match our ethos in that they are also produced ethically and with the environment in mind.
All of our goods are available online & at our brick & mortar shop, The Good Shop, in the Lower Garden District neighborhood of New Orleans. We also sell some of our products wholesale to boutiques around the country and our candles to Whole Foods stores in Louisiana.
We create at least 2 new products of our own product line per year & are always on the lookout for smart, eco design goods that match our plastic waste-free mission.
📈 Monthly revenue: $10,500
📈 ~% Churn: N/A
📈 ~% Net profit: 25%
📈 Funding: Revenue
📈 Initial cost/investment to start the company: $6,000, kickstarter for first batch of birdsoaps
📈 Number of team members: 2
📈 Number of founders: 1
📈 Started 2010, November
How does the company make money?
💰 Our store in the Lower Garden District in New Orleans, The Good Shop
💰 Our online shop – goodsthatmatter.com
💰 Wholesale to shops around the country often via Faire, Bulletin, & Tundra
💰 Our top selling products are currently our candles (retail $24-38), each scent gives to a unique cause. We also wholesale our all-natural bug spray ($10), wool sponges & dish mats ($9,$25), cards ($5), & notebooks ($7).
3 strategies that have worked to attract and retain customers?
✅ We include a thank you/discount card for repeat customers in our online shipments.
✅ Our newsletter & social media helps us stay in touch with our customers and keep them aware of our newest products and any special promotions.
✅ Creating useful blogposts on our website – including our speedy version of kintsugi ceramic repair, recycling resource list in New Orleans, Fave women-owned businesses in N.O., & how to easily remove wax from candle jars.
3 things that you’ve learned about hiring and retaining great talent?
✅ Ensuring that you have the right fit for the opportunity that you’re offering and employee’s skillset (design sense, paying attention to detail while making are the most common issues for me).
✅ Separating types of tasks per employee/skillset so that they don’t get overwhelmed with too many varied kinds of tasks.
✅ Keeping our workspace organized and optimizing workflows per person within our space helps reduce stress for both employees and myself, creating good vibes for our studio & making it an enjoyable place to be.