Liberty screen printer brings Hustle + Heart in the face of early-stage failure
March 20, 2019 | Elyssa Bezner
Liberty-based apparel company Hustle + Heart wouldn’t have found success without failure, said Serena Kotalik.
“[You should] never give up whether you’re starting a business like mine or any other,” said Kotalik, founder of the primarily wholesale, online company, which sells many of its wares through a VIP Facebook group. “With each [failure] I have learned [from it] and gotten past it.”
Hustle + Heart took on many forms before landing on the correct one, she explained, with the store evolving from an Etsy-based brand selling phone cases, to screen-printed graphic tees, to finally, its wholesale and Facebook sales structure.
Click here to request to join the VIP Facebook group.
“I’ve taught myself everything that I could possibly figure out how to do,” Kotalik said. “I read books, I watched webinars, and I read blogs about this entire process until I knew exactly what it was and what equipment I needed.”
The switch to wholesale came in response to competitors copying the store’s original designs as well as a dizzying influx of custom orders, she added.
“Now I can have the boutique owners join my Facebook group and then they can comment [on posts] or order or message me to say what they want and that way they can all have an area where [specific people] can see all my designs,” she said.
Click here to learn more or shop Hustle + Heart.
“My brain is not like the normal person,” laughed Kotalik. “I love the fact that I get to be creative every single day. I constantly think about work and I’m so excited to wake up the next morning because I am just so pumped. That’s what drives me. My days just fly by so fast because I love what I do.”
While running a standard online boutique of her own remains a dream, the wholesale aspect of the business already consumes so much time, said Kotalik.
“I can’t add another business to my life right now,” she said.
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Lei Away staycation: Festival celebrates shared language of Aloha, tiki culture and creativity in KC
What began as a celebration of tiki vibes and tropical aesthetics has danced into an all-out luau that showcases authentic Polynesian traditions, culture and makers alongside local businesses and island enthusiasts, said Johnny Dawbarn. The three-day Lei Away 2024 festival returned this weekend to the Crossroads with events ranging from a talk on the history…
If you build it, they will come: KC leaders pitch downtown baseball to expats eying a return to home plate
Downtown baseball remains a winning prospect for Kansas City — and the Royals — civic and business leaders told a crowd of former residents who are considering a move back to KC, encouraging them to imagine a homecoming of big league proportions. “I think everyone agrees that Major League Baseball is a downtown sport,” Jon Stephens,…
Historic Troost space getting restocked; long-vacant Safeway next on Screenland’s grocery list
A one-story, long-empty, red brick building on Troost is now on the National Register of Historic Places — and set for new uses that reflect the modern-first vision behind its original construction. Redevelopers from Screenland Real Estate Services said the space at 3740 Troost Ave. was one of the first — if not the first…
This beloved family chicken chain is dropping its first new location in decades; Go for its G-Sauce in 2025
Kansas City’s longtime favorite Go Chicken Go is expanding to the Northland — its first new location in nearly 25 years. The hometown staple — a family-owned, third generation business based in Overland Park — is taking over the former Taco Bueno freestanding building at 380 N.E. Vivion Road, for an early 2025 opening. The new…