I Accidentally Started a Business with my Cricut Maker

It started with roller bottles.  I just wanted an easy way to label glass roller bottles filled with essential oils without bugging my friend to cut some for me all the time.  So my husband bought me a Cricut Maker.  And I made my own roller bottle labels 

Then I discovered heat transfer vinyl so we started making out own shirts.  Mostly, I started making onesies for my expectant mom friends.  It was a fun way to give personalized gifts. 

Last Summer, my friend Haley and I, decided to fundraise for a well for a community in need.  I thought it would be beneficial to sell tank tops to raise that money.  Not only did it give our friends and family something tangible for their donations but it would also help raise awareness.  So based on the scripture John 13:35 which says, 

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." 

We came up with the slogan "Love Well" to use as our anthem for the fundraiser.  I know in the context of the Bible this verse is speaking about Christians loving on Christians but the Bible also tells us to love our neighbors.  And I thought about how watered down the word love is.  We love chocolate, pasta, and cheese.  We love and we marry and then we divorce because the feeling isn't there.  So what kind of love would show people that there is a God in Heaven that loves them?  It is not enough to love, but we must love well.

So we came up with our design for our first "Love Well" tank.  If we love people well down here, it ought to point to a greater love coming from above.  

So we began our fundraiser and as word spread we started getting feedback about what other things people wanted.  Our fundraiser ended and we hadn't reached our goal.  So, I thought that it would be nice if we could run a fundraiser year round...

which leads us to my company: Love Well Apparel

We are now an online store with tank tops, tees, and various other paraphernalia for the whole family.  We have one goal: to consistently give away our net profits to causes that we feel truly exemplifies loving well.  

For 2019 our goal is to raise $10,000 to fully fund a well for a community in need.  In the past we have worked with Generosity Water  and plan on working with them again.  In 2016 we combined our efforts with a few like minded people and funded the renovation of a well in Uganda.  I can't tell you how happy and proud I was to receive our report from Generosity. 

All this started with with my Cricut Maker and a little bit of vinyl.
All the links I will post below are affiliate links which means that if you click on them and make purchases I will get a commission.

My husband bought me the Cricut Maker but Cricut has an assortment of machines.  So if you just want to do labels and stickers, one of the smaller and cheaper machines might work best for you.
Cricut.com
While Cricut does have its own vinyl, I find that its usually more cost effective to buy from a third party such as Expressions Vinyl

Until February 18th you can get 15% off your entire order by using code: PATRICK19

Good luck and happy crafting!