Yarrow Goods
“We would have closed our business if it were not for the help we received from the Marin SBDC. SBDC Advisor Richard Strezo was the first person who believed in us and reassured us that we could make this business work and get the funding we needed to grow.”
Profile
Yarrow Goods is a boutique ecommerce business selling handmade screen-printed t-shirts made in the USA with an emphasis on ethical manufacturing and sustainability principles. Owners, husband and wife, Oliver and Grace Estrada, were successful with two brick and mortar retail stores selling high-end goods when the Pandemic abruptly forced them to close their doors. While weighing their options for what to do next, they found inspiration from Grace’s deep entrepreneurial roots and Oliver’s screen-printing skills to build a high-quality apparel business. In 2020, at the height of the Pandemic, they followed their instinct to do what they love, establishing Yarrow Goods from their spare bedroom.
Challenge
Grace and Oliver had a huge learning curve when starting this business since they had to pivot from a brick-and-mortar model to an ecommerce business. Initially, t-shirt sales were not going well until Grace took a training in Facebook advertising and started building up a following online. Slowly they started to build traction as they did farmer’s markets and maker’s events throughout the Bay Area to build their customer base.
As they grew, they realized that they needed capital to be able to purchase inventory. Most of their sales came from pre-orders, but the time it took to fulfill those orders was too long. Therefore, they came to the SBDC to help them find avenues to raise funding.
At the suggestion of a friend and happy former Marin SBDC client, Grace and Oliver requested to work with Advisor Richard Strezo. This connection made all the difference. Richard shared his wealth of experience with them and acted as a sounding board for Grace, listening to her ideas, helping her analyze their numbers, and staying engaged throughout the process.
Richard advocated for Grace and Oliver at every step of the way, and his advice helped them navigate a challenging time and secure the necessary funding to stay in business. Yarrow Goods has grown beyond projections, and they’re eyeing their next goal, which is to expand operations and grow their product line.
Like many new business owners, Grace and Oliver didn’t have the assets or credit they needed to easily attract lenders. That’s where Richard’s help was key in making introductions and guiding them through the preliminary reviews of the business in a way that would excite lenders about the opportunity to invest in Yarrow Goods. Richard helped Grace analyze the numbers for their business and present them in a compelling way that gave potential lenders evidence for their strong projections.
Results
- $8,000.00 from TMC Community Capital
- $6,000.00 from Fundbox
- $20,000.00 from Shopify
- $4,000.00 from Redwood Credit Union
- $100,000.00 from Pacific Community Ventures
- Increased sales by 20%
