How this hummus startup used stickers to grow 

![Black Market Hummus stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/be8bc47dbbb7be3cbd6cd2789225295b84fc8e06)

Today, we want to introduce you to Nabil Fahel — the man whetting the appetite of the tech elite.

Nabil is the mastermind behind Black Market Hummus, the hottest secret food devoured by the technology world in Canada. Here's what some of the world's greatest tech leaders have to say about his hummus:

   *"Honestly the best hummus I have ever had." -Joanne Wilson, CEO, Gotham Gal Ventures*

   *"As expected, hummus is out of this world good!" -Alex Iskold, Managing Director, Techstars*

   *"Holy smokes this hummus is scary good!" -Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify*

Did you ever think an underground hummus business would have such ferocious supporters?

Every month, he and his team deliver small, hand-made batches of hummus to employees at Google, Shopify, Electronic Arts, Open Text, and other  of other multi-billion dollar tech companies in Waterloo, Ontario.

Best of all, he started his business for under $1,000 (and was profitable in the first month).

![Black Market Hummus Preparing for Shipment](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9614a75e918933ddc873b9de56ecf2d7ebf0b551)

## Word-of-mouth marketing

Nabil never planned to start a hummus business. Instead, [Black Market Hummus](https://blackmarkethummus.ca) started from Nabil bringing his mom's hummus everywhere. When he shared with friends at poker tournaments and tech community gatherings, they'd salivate  — and DEMAND he bring more the next time.

__No paid marketing spend, no SEO, no print advertising budgets...just total word-of-mouth.__

Seeing the potential for more after sharing with friends, it wasn't long until Nabil was secretly trekking unmarked plastic containers of his homemade hummus across international borders to share at a conference. He would give it to everyone...and it worked.

> How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

As the word-of-mouth snowball continued rolling, even diplomats wanted in — one day, a Canadian diplomat got Nabil's phone number and reached out asking for hummus.

Nabil's response, "If you can meet me in 10 minutes, I'll bring you a container of hummus."

The Canadian diplomat didn't even bat an eye.

The Mayor, diplomats, poker friends, conference goers...Nabil couldn't fill orders fast enough, so he thought about how to expand on a shoestring budget. In Nabil's words, "How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

At this point, Nabil didn't even have a name for the business. But after talking with a friend, the name was clear.

"We should name it Black Market Hummus," his friend Tony said. "Street-side deals... international trafficking... it just makes sense."

![Custom-Food-Labels-StickerMule-BlackMarketHummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dabb582f1647222be78cb72249592d4d032c77d0)

## Branding Black Market Hummus

Around this time, Nabil also joined [Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/) to help lead their enterprise partnerships program. As part of their employee onboarding, Nabil was required to create and build a "test" Shopify store. He decided to create one for Black Market Hummus.

With a business name, a website created, and a [free Mailchimp account](https://mailchimp.com/resources/create-your-brand/), Nabil decided to ship only to commercial addresses once a month to save on shipping costs, keep the hummus exclusive, and to make it easy for his customers to spread the word...and the hummus.

> I knew it had to be Sticker Mule."

To brand his hummus and label his containers, [he picked Sticker Mule's die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and soon after that, Black Market Hummus was officially born.

He mocked up a quick design and worked with our expert artists, for free, to revise it to perfection and make it production ready. As Nabil said, "I didn’t even shop around. I knew it had to be Sticker Mule." 

Using [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) was a turning point for Nabil. Using the stickers as labels made his hummus recognizable from across the room — and the name sparked curiosity too.

With beautiful labels now on his hummus, he started to legitimize the brand, increase word-of-mouth sales, and go from "that guy who brings amazing hummus to parties" to "CEO of an exploding hummus business."

Best of all, a pack of 200 die cut stickers cost him 3-5x less than a typical ad spend. He was able to quickly create a brand people would recognize and excitedly share with their social circles.

With his idea validated through the demand of friends, colleagues, and even Canadian diplomats — and now a brand and beautiful design to back it up — Nabil sent a single email to customers who bought his hummus in the past. He announced he was doing a large batch order and was curious who wanted to buy hummus.

__That one email resulted in $1,600 in sales.__

Already, in his very first month of "official" sales, Nabil was profitable.

Today, Nabil's business is still exploding with growth following the same strategy: using Sticker Mule [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on all of his hummus containers, freshly made hummus shipped once a month, and delivery strictly to commercial addresses.

"Reaction from the local community has been incredible," Nabil says.

![Worlds-Best-Hummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2ef6b9712f7192853d5ffa7a9a7002b7e22db7cc)

## How to build a brand people love 

Here are the 3 lessons from Nabil about he grew Black Market Hummus for less than $1,000 into a brand people love:

### 1. Validate 
Validate your idea through friends to make sure there's demand first — and then slowly expand to other social groups, friends-of-friends, and acquaintances to keep validating. Free is okay at the start, but to truly validate you need paying customers — even if they are friends.

### 2. The power of scarcity 
Think of creative ways you can generate demand and scarcity mentality in your customers. For example, Nabil only ships once a month to commercial addresses. This encourages people to place larger orders and share with friends so they don't miss their "window of opportunity." At the start of the business, his website was locked with a password to limit demand and feed the brand’s exclusive "black market" status.

### 3. Get eyes on your brand
On a shoestring budget, get creative with marketing. Nabil used die cut stickers to create brand recognition and save 3-5x on his marketing costs. His customers were eating the hummus at work and at parties so the hummus was already visible — adding branding sealed the deal.

![Black Market Hummus delivered](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5648388f0b0a5bdcff62eabf6e254f5003a9be79)

Visit [Nabil and Black Market Hummus here](https://blackmarkethummus.ca/).

Then order the same stickers Nabil used to grow his brand on a shoestring budget [using your own logo here](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/business-logo-stickers). 

With your stickers you’ll get free online proofs, unlimited design revisions and custom stickers and labels that are weather resistant, waterproof and can be run through the dishwasher.

To get you started, we'll [take $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />


Black Market Hummus is the first HaaS (Hummus as a Service) business and has created a successful brand for less than $1,000. 

De que forma um blog viral usar autocolantes

- __About Space Beards:__ Space Beards is a popular Tumblr blog (30,000+ followers) that replaces the hairy beards of celebrities (past and present) with cosmic galaxies created by Joshua Arter.
- __How he uses stickers:__ Space Beards went viral early on. Josh uses galaxy styled mustaches and beards as stickers to continue growing traffic and bringing attention to the popular site.
- __Results:__ Space Beard stickers have driven traffic and awareness for the site as it continues to grow beyond this galaxy.

>It was the perfect storm of internet gold: beards plus space.

At first, Josh Arter's popular Tumblr blog "[Space Beards: The Facial Frontier](http://spacebeards.com/)" was just a joke that Josh shared with friends. Those friends said he should start a blog so Josh set up a Tumblr site.

Within a few months, it was featured on major sites including Mashable and The Daily Dot. Then, it was featured as a trending blog on Tumblr Tuesday's "Blogs you should be following."

He knew he was on to something when his traffic took off through organic shares and went viral, "It was the perfect storm of internet gold: Beards plus space."

![SpaceBeards Stickers for a Viral Blog](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9b77fb9d2e89b8fd39169adb0369c0349b2363e1)

So he took his galactic momentum and set up an online shop with t-shirts, phone cases, and coffee cups.

##Building a constellation
As part of his strategy to keep growing traffic, he printed off stickers with Sticker Mule of the space beards he posted on Tumblr.

When asked about how a digital blog bridges the gap between online and offline worlds, Josh says, "The key is to stay true to yourself. If you have a strong brand, stick to it and keep it consistent across all channels."

Josh wasn't content to just make stickers that were selfishly self promotional. Instead of stickers with a URL or his name, he made the stickers as whimsical as the blog itself. Each design is a die-cut sticker in the exact shape of the beard design. With rich, full color on quality vinyl, the stickers are as original as Josh's blog.

"The Space Beards stickers are essentially the blog logo, but like the characters Space Bearded on the site, each sticker represents a different look at the cosmos, keeping the Space Beards offline brand fresh yet familiar."

"I wanted to give away something others could put up around town to gain organic, local traffic to my site. Friends gave them to their friends, I see them around town and in bars."

> People will walk up when they see the sticker and say 'Hey I love that site!'

When traveling around Milwaukee, the center of his bearded galaxy, Josh (and now many others) has space beard stickers on his car, laptop, and bike helmet. And when he's traveling, he brings a stash of stickers and puts them up around cities in prominent places.

"Space is infinite, the chances of creating a viral blog just the same, discovering a Space Beards sticker wild on the street is just as fun. People will walk up when they see the sticker and say 'Hey I love that site!'"

Others asked to have their own stickers and placed them in famous spots around the U.S including Seattle's infamous Market Theater Gum Wall.

![Eddie-Murphy-SpaceBeards](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eae63e21ea97127ed4f03a8f91f722b173a1b063)

##An Ever-expanding Universe

Josh attributes the stickers to increasing blog traffic, stoking interest, and driving sales of his other products like t-shirts.

"Stickers definitely brought in more traffic. In Milwaukee, some of the stickers are used in hip parts of town… The stickers stand out because of their shape and unusual mix of color."

Josh has found other ways to promote his blog and keep it trimmed and fresh.

>Stickers definitely brought in more traffic.

Last November, Josh partnered with a blog about Milwaukee mustaches (yes, there is a blog for everything) for a Movember event. The theme of the party? Facial hair for a good cause! It was complete with custom shirts. The party was an easy way to promote his blog within his community.

At the event, [mustache stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/mustache-stickers "Custom mustache stickers") were available for attendees to pick up to show their beard love and to continue to boost traffic to the site.

An altruistic artist, Josh has shared his artistic power away through a space beards app for iPhone and iPad.

##Why Sticker Mule?
He originally heard about Sticker Mule through a friend. “All he could talk about was quality” and said that they last forever.

Before Space Beards, Josh used Sticker Mule for another blog "[Thanks for the love MKE](http://thanksforthelovemke.tumblr.com/)" — a website that showcases the city of Milwaukee through photos taken by residents to give a more intimate view of the city.

"I love the city and wanted to show it off. It's underrated and a well kept secret."

The stickers he made for the MKE blog have become a common sight throughout the city.

> The quality, reordering, and turnaround time is the best in the business.

"At one of our meetups, we handed out stickers and ran a campaign for people to take a photo involving their sticker and their favorite Milwaukee spot. It ended up being a broader campaign as people threw them up around the city in general.”

With two popular blogs that use stickers to drive traffic, Josh exclusively uses Sticker Mule because of "the quality, easy reordering, and turnaround time is the best in the business".

<ButtonCta text="Try the best in the business for $1" href="https://www.stickermule.com/samples?ref=blog" />

The viral Tumblr Space Beards shares their experience, advice, and strategy for bridging the online/offline gap with readers. 

15 designs incríveis de autocolantes de transferência

Since launching [transfer stickers or vinyl decals](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) we've seen thousands of incredible designs. Transfer stickers are significantly more difficult to create at every stage from proofing to artwork creation to manufacturing. 

The weeding process is extremely intricate and so our teams have worked closely with our customers to produce their designs. And while we've created [videos and guidelines](https://www.stickermule.com/support/how-do-i-design-a-transfer-sticker) to help, Sticker Mule is proud to reproduce and improve on most transfer design artwork for free. We offer unprecedented design freedom and our free proofing process makes ordering a breeze. 

Since soft launching, we’ve already produced transfer sticker designs for hundreds of customers that were turned away from other vendors. 

Here are 15 awesome transfer sticker designs:

### 1. _I'm Local_ by Corey Sweeter



![Im Local Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2110006d8a5c0da0c1b8e3221b6d0b91f4751afc)



### 2. _Intricately_ by JoAnn Barron



![Intricately Transfer Vinyl Decal Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/affd9f7321857bbcfc744cf55060e08603e60012)




### 3. _Impact Ink_ by Giv Parvaneh



![MtVernonTX ImpactINK-Transfer Decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d57f6f7c762af4f6a4a82a49481367af7af109cf)



### 4. _Cody Mack Putters_ by Keith Cansler



![Cody Mack Putters Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/4a8b3a303f52cda4d6040cbd19f7d89c95b0981c)




### 5. _Focus on the Beer_ by Ryan Hannigan



![Focus on the Beer Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e77ddb5c1dd0c537dc8e6f52a37505c9b5f448a0)




### 6. _Vox_ by Kim Steins



![Vox Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6c6479e31b8744009645381303fd1e559967f15f) 




### 7. _Dove_ by Julia Sprow



![Dove Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5bae7210c9efe9b9a9b86daa22606d44e1ee3075) 




### 8. _Honestly Co_ by David Horne



![Intricate vinyl decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a634e2a03a3c004081503b9b6557cf18103ea5ea) 




### 9. _Threatwave_ by Karen Sears



![ThreatWave Transfer Sticker Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e3bfe250ab5506d6df6e1e21063ca0ea43709452)




### 10. _Sasquatch_ by Haden Farrell



![Sasquatch Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/007e73875d47a6cb066fc80a7cd9f1c2f992338f)




### 11. _Tigger Welding_ by Tyler 



![Welding Transfer sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dec2125160b7785b6eb5091f419e969712fbd4a4)




### 12. _TriLion Studios_ by Brian White



![Tri Lion-Intricate-Decal](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/493e6c760524178ea1fedae68b97de2b84ad74f8)




### 13. _Smile_ by Traveling Chris



![Traveling Chris Transfer Design Vinyl](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ed74361382c621c3f5a279ec8d1ca67891a2949b)




### 14. _I/L_ by Greg Dundas



![IntricateVinylDecalTransferSticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ce4ab889c3b4a7063ea379914300cda97a1ff4f8)




### 15. _TrainEat_ by Mario



![TrainEat Transfer Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5da4c5a98d1bb7beabfaf36351cc6db6d2db9e75)

If you want to try your hand at creating [custom transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers), why not start today with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Transfer stickers can be tricky to design. Check out these 15 incredible transfer sticker designs. 

How Wordnik used stickers for Kickstarter rewards 

- __About Wordnik__: Wordnik is the world's biggest online English dictionary, by number of words. 
- __How they use stickers__: As a nonprofit, Wordnik is always looking for innovative ways to drive donations and engagement like their Adopt-a-Word program. Most recently, Wordnik has used stickers in different support levels in their Kickstarter campaign.
- __Results__: Wordnik has seen hundreds of words adopted and they raised over $50,000 in their successful Kickstarter campaign to add a million missing words to the dictionary.

> Stickers are a perfect reward for any Kickstarter campaign. 

When Erin McKean stepped off of the TED stage in March 2007, she had done the seemingly impossible: [make the job of a lexicographer sound actually exciting](https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary).

She gave a vision to the English language that goes beyond the confines of paper and online dictionaries. The way paper and digital interact has to be different than how we think of it now.

That was the start of Wordnik, the world's biggest online English dictionary.

As a lexicographer (for those unwilling to look it up, a lexicographer is a person who compiles dictionaries), Erin worked for years on the New Oxford American Dictionary (which is the dictionary used by Mac OS X and Kindle.) Although dictionaries may seem dull and dry, they are living databases that are the output of thousands of individual decisions, including the actual words being used (and allowed), what goes into updating it, and the format it's published in.

## Making words more lookupable

The problem? The English language is composed of millions and millions of words (and possible words)! Far too many to fit into a paper dictionary. And further to complicate matters, words are being added and created in English faster than dictionaries can be updated. With a few colleagues, Erin formed Wordnik with the goal of making every word in the English language "lookupable" – including the 52% of unique English words that aren't currently in any dictionary.

The philosophy of Wordnik is simple: people learn words best by example and so any word used in a sentence, even in casual use, gets a page. If a word is looked up that doesn’t have any information, not even a sentence, the word still gets a page that is updated as more information becomes available—including the number of times the word has been looked up! "If you’re curious about a word, some information is always better than no information," says Erin. This way people can find out information about a word even before a traditional definition has been written.

> If you’re curious about a word, some information is always better than no information.

One of the hidden gems of Wordnik is its lists feature. It has more than 40,000 lists (see [words that make us hungry](https://www.wordnik.com/lists/words-to-describe-the-taste-of-food) or [crayon colors](https://www.wordnik.com/lists/crayola-old-style)), some hundreds of words long. And while Wordnik is a brilliant place to inspire a writer, the team had an equally smart idea when they launched a Kickstarter campaign.


## Finding one million missing words 
Erin and her team started a [Kickstarter campaign](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1574790974/lets-add-a-million-missing-words-to-the-dictionary/description) to achieve their goal of: __Finding a million words that haven't been included in major English dictionaries and give them each a home on the Internet.__

With a goal of raising $50,000, the Wordnik project set out to [create reward levels for an online living dictionar)](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1574790974/lets-add-a-million-missing-words-to-the-dictionary/description)--something that you can't exactly hold in your hand! Without a physical product, it can be difficult to come up with meaningful rewards for crowdfunding campaigns. 

The Wordnik team came up with brilliant rewards that fit perfectly with their target audience, project positioning, and let their backers participate in the creation! 

![Wordnik custom stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/35d4cd1d1c383198df22a159c84615ee27eb6001)

## Your reward: an excuse to talk about words 

Wordnik found a way to literally put words into their backers’ hands using stickers from Sticker Mule. For backers pledging $10 or more, Wordnik offered a complete set of stickers, including a sticker for the Semicolon Appreciation Society (literature lovers unite!).

At the next level, backers pledging $25 or more could “Adopt A Word”. These backers got the set of stickers, plus a special word adoption sticker with space to add a word of their choice.

> Stickers are a perfect reward for any Kickstarter campaign.

They're a simple, low-cost way to deliver something physical. Stickers can serve as delightful marketing tool that doesn’t feel like marketing. Backers can get involved quickly at any level. With the right design, your stickers will be placed on laptops, notebooks, and other spots that are seen every day.

![Smart kickstarter reward ideas like stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6b61c1ca6ee9db435af3cede1fd00ce0bc205944)

## More sticky reward ideas
Every project is different and coming up with ways to use stickers for your own campaign might be tough. Here are a few ideas to inspire your own:

__Reward level stickers:__ Reward your smallest and biggest backers with a sticker that shows your logo and their level of support. It creates a sense of community and encourages larger pledges.

__Themed pack of stickers:__ Get more creative than a logo with a set of designs themed to go along with your product.

> People want something they can hold in their hands. Stickers give people an excuse to talk about their love for words and Wordnik.

With the help of 726 backers, Wordnik successfully raised $58,407 (nearly $10,000 more than their goal). The team continues to add thousands of words each day and has made stickers a staple of their promotion strategy to "get the word out". 

> Stickers are an inexpensive and fun way to make people feel good about what you do. I don’t think any of us ever get over our little kid love of stickers.

Today, Wordnik uses five different stickers to promote their efforts, reward backers, and to raise additional donations with the Adopt-A-Word program. Backers and donors proudly display their "I Love Words" stickers at home and on their cars. 

For more creative ideas for using custom stickers, buttons, magnets and more, [check out our gallery of uses](https://www.stickermule.com/uses).

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

Wordnik raised more than $50,000 on Kickstarter. Now they're using stickers to add more than a million missing words to the dictionary. 

Como manter a cultura da empresa

- __About Unified:__ [Unified](http://www.unified.com/) delivers technology and services to connect marketing data sets and optimize investments across the customer journey.  Unified’s software empowers Fortune 500 companies and agencies to drive marketing success in the context of their business goals.  The Unified Platform transforms fragmented marketing data into actionable intelligence and real-time activation. 	 
- __How they use stickers:__ Stickers serve as a cultural element to represent teams, new product releases, and track training progress for new hires. 
- __Results:__ Unified has been named a "Best Place to Work" by AdAge, NYC Business, and others.

> We use Sticker Mule stickers for many different things, and all of them bring a unique aspect of fun to the culture here.

How do you create and continually develop a great company culture? That’s what Jesse Channon found himself asking when he joined Unified. As the SVP of Revenue at Unified, Jesse uses a simple, yet surprising way to bring teams together, recognize great work, and onboard new employees: [custom stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers).

He ditched the stale, conventional methods that other companies use (think trust falls and awkward team building exercises) for a creative method to drive achievement and camaraderie. 

Jesse’s idea to use stickers first came from the many [different versions of the Github Octocat](https://octodex.github.com/).

## Stickers as culture

At [Unified](http://www.unified.com/), stickers are used as a cultural element.

"We use Sticker Mule stickers for many different things, and all of them bring a unique aspect of fun to the culture here. It's a fun internal game."

The company collects and connects fragmented marketing data in actionable insights for Fortune 500 companies. It has grown quickly and serves hundreds of customers. Most recently, they secured $30 million dollars in Series B funding.

That success has meant a growing number of employees. 140 people on various teams are spread across the U.S. in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Growing companies and startups often fight over top talent by offering benefits that "one up" the competition (think yoga, free massages, and pet friendly offices). And while Unified offers a range of competitive benefits, it has found that small ideas, like this one, can create a culture that sticks.

Team members place [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) on their laptops, monitors, bags, and coffee mugs to show them off.

> All in all, StickerMule has helped Unified to have some of the best laptop art in the industry.

Jesse and the Executive Team share the five key ways stickers are making a company culture that sticks:

### 1. Team Representation
Many of the teams have designed their own stickers to signify and represent who they are. Some designs are mascots, "totem" animals, and completely random creations. Although the team stickers have clear representation (the sales team's custom sticker is distinct from the account management team's), designers hide easter egg messages and secret meanings known only to their fellow team members.

### 2. Product Releases
Towards the end of a project, Project Managers will design a sticker that best defines the new feature or product and the benefits it delivers to the customer. Many times the initials of team members, or other personal touches are hidden within the stickers. These product releases serve as a way to recognize the work of individuals and teams.

### 3. Training Qualifications
As stickers have filled the laptops of seasoned staff, new hires will soon get their own. A new series of training stickers will show qualifications and accomplishments in several different areas. In particular, these will signify expertise in certain products and areas for the sales and account management teams.

### 4. Office Locations
With four offices, Unified has team members spread out across different cities. It's common for sticker swaps to take place when one team visits another. This can create perspective and encourage conversations about other team members around the world.

Jesse shares, "I'm often traveling back and forth between Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. It’s amazing to see how stickers have spread from one location to another."

### 5. Conferences & Hackathons
Jesse has also seen stickers designed for specific conferences and hackathons (a multi-day event when teams meet to engage, collaborate, and develop). The design may represent the theme of the event, location, and date. 

"It's created a fun environment that makes others ask, 'What is it that they have?'"

> It’s ingrained as part of the culture here, something we’ll continue doing into the future.

## Building a sticky culture
Jesse is proud of starting the sticker craze here. He’s often asked by new hires if he is "the guy with the stickers". Lately, he’s been repurposing Banksy art (he’s a huge Banksy fan) and customizing them to a team.

The stickers have served an external purpose as well. The stickers often are an easy conversation starter. Customers and clients will ask about them in meetings. And sometimes, clients will ask for a sticker of the more original designs.

"It’s ingrained as part of the culture here, something we’ll continue doing into the future."

If you think stickers could help build _your_ company culture, why not start today with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Na Unified, os autocolantes personalizados servem como elemento cultural para representar equipas, lançamentos de novos produtos e acompanhar o processo de formação de novas contratações.

Brewing interest in Radio Roasters' specialty roasts 

- __About Radio Roasters:__ [Radio Roasters](http://www.radioroasters.com/) is a small batch roastery in Georgia that provides single origin coffees through online sales, stores, and subscription delivery.  
- __How they use stickers:__  In shipments and in stores, Radio Roasters' "brew method" stickers do the job of educating future customers, marketing the business, and letting coffee lovers share their passion.
- __Results:__ The stickers have begun a small and effective word-of-mouth campaign about Radio Roasters.

> I wanted to involve the community and educate people how coffee is made, sourced, and brewed."

Every day, we receive hundreds of new sticker designs for printing. Most of them are artistic or clever. But there are a few that really catch our eye because they blend design with brand marketing.

A set of stickers from Radio Roasters is one of the few that really stand out. Designed by TNKR Design, Radio Roasters' stickers show various brew methods for coffee. Subtly printed on the stickers is the website address and after a quick look we had to learn more about the small batch roastery based in Atlanta.

![Coffee Brew Method Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/fbeae8473f4b5d7f67ee96ab30241cd323401579)

The man behind Radio Roasters is Chip Grabow. An NPR producer for 15 years, Chip moved to Atlanta to work at CNN. Although he edits scripts at CNN by night, during the day he’s busy roasting specialty grade coffee and building a business.

In 2011, when Chip moved from the West Coast to Atlanta, he was surprised by the small number of specialty coffee shops and roasters. He decided to combine a passion (love for coffee) with a dream (running his own business) to launch Radio Roasters. He had a jump start with the help of some friends who roast in other parts of the country.

## Brewing involvement and education

All new businesses face the difficult decision of branding and marketing. Chip quickly found one answer, "We have a great designer who did our branding and created our brew method stickers."

But marketing wasn't as easy. 

> Great coffee is different.

The answer came from the mission to involve and educate. Carefully sourced beans and small batch roasts are just the start. His goal to educate consumers also includes showing people how to make and enjoy a single cup of coffee.

"From the beginning, I wanted to involve the community and educate people how coffee is grown, sourced, and brewed."

That started with a single page and a few images describing techniques to brew a great cup of coffee with different [brewing methods](http://radioroasters.com/brewing-tips). While making the page, his designer made unique circle designs featuring the method: Clever Drip, cone drip, Chemex, and Aeropress.

Each method features a short paragraph about the method's history and specific steps. The result is unique, "Great coffee is different."

Soon after, the brew method stickers were made.

> Stickers were an obvious way to help. People always love stickers.

![Radio Roasteries Georgia](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e13b66f450931079ae412f121222f68005c78d3a)

## Broadcasting the goods

A consistent design and unique colors make the set stand out. At local stores like [Sq/Ft Decatur](http://www.sqftdecatur.com/), where Chip's roasts are sold, he places a few stickers next to the bags. The color and design draws attention and, he hopes, subtly begins the education process. Chip adds, "Good design is helpful."

But it also creates a sudden interest in making (and drinking) coffee in new ways.

Casual coffee drinkers often only know one or two methods of brewing coffee, such as a standard drip coffee maker. These stickers show four lesser-known methods that improve the richness and taste, which open the door for "the switch" to take place.

The Switch has been described as "when a particular mix of events and emotional energy exists, a customer will choose a different product to use." 

Although small and simple, the stickers are, in part, accomplishing that job — giving a casual, novice, or even "pro" coffee drinker an opportunity to choose Radio Roasters' coffee over their old favorite.

Add to that the fact that stickers are easy to hold and use just about anywhere.

Chip explains, "People love stickers as a kid. You love collecting them and holding on to them."

## Tuning in for more

The bulk of his business is built around a subscription service to encourage customers to buy and have on hand only the freshest beans and to consistently try new varieties. Customers can pick from different coffee origins and bag sizes.

Coffee changes by the season and so each quarter, Radio Roasters features a different origin or variety. When customers buy through his subscription service, they get stickers thrown into each shipment.

> Cool brands are always the ones who give you cool, free stickers."

As the subscription business has grown, the stickers have had a growing impact. A customer might place a sticker on a notebook they bring to work or they'll place it on a coffee mug they bring to a meeting.

"We’ve had people ask our customers, 'How do I get these stickers?' We always tell them to say, 'You have to order Radio Roasters Coffee'. Recently someone saw a Radio Roasters sticker on a colleague’s laptop and asked about it. So they gave them an extra shot because they knew he liked coffee."

As the subscription business grows online, Chip is looking to expand to other stores in and around Atlanta. Stickers have been a pragmatic, economical way to naturally pull people towards Radio Roasters.

"Although we’re just starting, the stickers have definitely increased interest. We’ve had a great response on Instagram. People comment and ask where they can get them. We tell them 'you have to order!'"

"They respond, 'I know where I'm ordering next time!'"

If *you* want to try ordering with Sticker Mule, get started with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701" />

Radio Roaster's "brew method" stickers educate future customers, market the business, and let coffee lovers share their passion. 

Growing beards and a brand with Texas Beard Co. 

- __About Texas Beard Co.:__ Started in February 2014, Texas Beard Company makes high quality, all natural, man-made beard products.
- __How they use stickers:__ With just two types of stickers, they have been able to label their entire product line including beard oil, balm, and wax products. Promotional logo stickers have also been a great tool to spread brand awareness. 
- __Results:__ What started as an experiment is now a busy company adding new products and fulfilling hundreds of orders a day for their happy and bearded customers. 

> I saw an opportunity, did my research, and started creating what became our first two products."

Great entrepreneurs look for opportunity and try to get ahead of the next big thing. And yet, at times, the best ideas are staring you right in the face...or, in this case, on your face. That's how Ryan Olson, a bearded software developer, started and founded Texas Beard Company.

![Texas Beard Co Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/82e4ca79ccb9972fbc38cb2f547dd744ab083809)

"I saw an opportunity, did my research, and started creating what became our first two products."

Together, owners Ryan, Aaron, Adam, and Shayne (all coworkers and friends) formed Texas Beard Company. Since then, handmade beard care products have become a full-fledged business with thousands of happy customers. As happy Sticker Mule users, we chatted with Ryan about the experience and the company. Here are the lessons he has to share:

Here are his three lessons:

1. Shape your business out of your own needs and expertise 
2. Launch fast and make it yourself
3. Delight & Surprise for Brand Awareness

## Shape your business out of your own needs and expertise 

Except Adam (the "token beardless guy" on the team), Ryan, Aaron and Shayne are their own best customers. They researched different ingredients and their benefits. Next, they tested the formulas on themselves and made changes to what became beard oil and beard balm.

They created the product and formula that Ryan had been looking for on Day 1. Next, they reached out to friends and other coworkers to get their feedback. They gathered comments and feedback on the products' scent and use, and then launched the product line officially.

> It was a bit of an experiment to see if we could move product.

As software developers, Ryan and the guys work by day at an e-commerce software company developing tools and resources that allow other small businesses to launch stores. That experience gave them a huge jumpstart out of the gate and helped them build the store overnight.

"It was a bit of an experiment to see if we could move product. We had the experience building online stores but not running one."

![NightCapBalm](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/db2806de2f55130f078553d94be99d4fe278bd92)

## Launch fast and make it yourself

It can be tempting for new, small businesses to get stuck on the "startup checklist" and delay building the actual business. It’s easy to spend too many hours building a website, creating a logo, branding, finding the best suppliers, and best prices. All are important, but they can drain a business of its momentum if done slowly. Texas Beard Company is a great example of why it’s important to work out of your expertise so that you can move fast and start selling.

Aaron, the artistic one of the bunch, designed a logo that perfectly captured the brand, its products, and its target customers. Next, the team ordered glass droppers and tins. To bring the branding and the product together, they used Sticker Mule to create custom [beard oil stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/beard-oil-stickers "Custom beard oil stickers") to label their beard care products.

Ordering custom stickers and using them as labels gave them the ability to order as needed at the start. From the beginning, the logo and stickers have become a prominent part of the entire production process.
All of the products use the same sticker for labeling. This single use has made it easy to keep branding consistent. Best of all, it has allowed them to save thousands by placing bulk orders for a single design and making reorders quickly.

> It was a creative solution for packaging. We used one sticker for all four uses."

Texas Beard Company has taken "do it yourself" to the extreme. All of the products are handmade by family members out of a home garage and has completely overtaken two rooms of the house. Although it started as a weekend project, making the oils and balms is now a full time job for two people.

At the start, Ryan recalls visiting Farmer's Markets to generate sales and awareness before online sales took over. "It was time consuming, but it was important. Customers were able to smell the scents and try it out. It's a lot easier online though to make sales."

## Delight & surprise for brand awareness

With nearly all sales coming through the online store, Texas Beard Company has found a way to still engage with customers and spread the brand without the in-person connection at a Farmer's Market. "We put promotional logo stickers in with every order. It's a nice surprise for customers when they open up the box."

> Stickers are a nice surprise for customers when they open up the box."

The stickers have helped with brand awareness too. While many customers will naturally tell their friends, some will need your help through stickers, referral credits, or other creative ways. If your product meets a need and creates happy customers — like Texas Beard Company — it's important to make it as easy as possible for them to share their experience. "People put the logo on their [cars](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers), [coffee mugs](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers), [hard hats](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/hard-hat-stickers), or [laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers)." The business has expanded beyond Texas and sells in every state and more than 26 countries.

![Beard Oil Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e31f92a0425326592137ccedb0b3f72eb5d1d701)

## What's next 

In the past year, the team has created new scents (including a seasonal scent), added mustache wax and other grooming products. As Texas Beard Company grows, so does its customer’s love for the brand. The team is now making t-shirts, trucker hats, and more. While the business continues to grow naturally, Ryan, Adam, Aaron, and Shayne plan to delight customers in new ways and with new products.

There are countless ways to delight _your_ customers and grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

A Texas Beard Company usar autocolantes personalizados para etiquetar toda a sua linha de produtos, incluindo óleo para a barba, bálsamo e produtos à base de ceras.

Pour your own beer with iPourIt 

- __About iPourIt:__ iPourIt is a unique patented technology that allows customers to pour their own beer. The system consists of a management workstation, meter, valve, iPourIt board, RFID wristbands and RFID readers. Pubs and their customers can sell and order their beer by the ounce.
- __How they use stickers:__ They use stickers to create custom branded RFID wristbands for their clients. It's been a fast and easy way to make clients happy with extra service and a unique look.
- __Results:__ As the company grows, it has been able to offer its growing client list the ability to make the iPourIt system their own.

iPourIt is a self-serve beer and wine company. They use RFID (radio frequency identification) wristbands and cards to activate beer taps to let the patrons pour their own beer (and then add it to their tab automatically). Today, more than one million ounces of beer go through the system per month at pubs, bars and breweries around the U.S.

Despite the explosive growth of microbreweries and beer gardens across the U.S., beer drinking is still very much a simple activity—and it’s gone unchanged for centuries. 

It’s quite fitting, actually, that the unchanging, monotonous way we drink beer is what inspired Brett Jones to question the very way we all pour and drink beer. In 2011, Brett was at a restaurant for a playoff game that gave him an idea. 

"It took 15 minutes to find out the beer I wanted wasn’t available… then 15 more minutes to get a terrible beer... and finally another 15 more minutes to get the right one."

Out of frustration Brett told his friend, "It’d be nice to be able to pour my own. Why can’t I pour my own?"

The answer to that question was the start of iPourIt — a patented technology that allows customers to pour their own beer.

> It’d be nice to be able to pour my own. Why can’t I pour my own?"

![Pouring beer with custom stickers on RFID wristbands](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/243cabd2bad254a970c7b0388b940fa93e88b536)

And it’s not surprising that his background in technology is providing the solution.That terrible experience at the pub disrupted his twenty year career in I.T. as a software developer on network and system integrations, and sent him headlong. 

Brett spent six months developing the system and took another six months to sign his first client. The technology took another year to develop fully before it became a full fledged company, with a sales staff, etc, etc.

In the early days, each RFID wristband had a screen printed iPourIt logo. Brett and his team soon kept getting feedback from their clients who wanted to have their own logo on the wristbands. 

> Clients really wanted their own branding.”

It was difficult to make a two-color screen printed logo for most clients and the result was low-resolution at best. iPourIt found that it was better (and saved money) to order blank wristbands and then order custom stickers with each client's logo. More importantly, the quality of each sticker was high-resolution and full color, allowing the team to make the wristbands for any client. Clients then apply a sticker to each wristband once.

"It's a wet environment. And the custom stickers from Sticker Mule hold up great. We have clients that have been using them for almost two years and they still look great."

![Man using RFID bracelet to pour his beer](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ecc7eb4680d1fba6643f8cc10202d755ba6c6a77)

Sticker Mule’s die cut stickers are made with a thick, durable vinyl with a UV laminate that protects from scratching, water and sunlight.

> Before we made clients use a template, but now we let the client do the work and send it to Sticker Mule."

Five years on, iPourIt Inc. has raised more than $2,000,000, pours over a million ounces every month through its system and has more than 50 clients at pubs, breweries and yard houses around the country.

## 3 reasons iPourIt chooses Sticker Mule

Ordering [custom samples](https://www.stickermule.com/samples) in small numbers of stickers has been helpful to smaller clients or to show a client how their wristbands would appear before installing a system. 

And for larger clients with many taps and customers, [buying in bulk](https://www.stickermule.com/support/can-you-provide-a-discount-for-a-bulk-order) has made it cost-effective to brand their wristbands. 

Sticker Mule's [reorder feature](https://www.stickermule.com/reorder) has also helped larger franchise clients as well. With reorder sharing and a faster turnaround, reordering has made the process of adding more wristbands fast and easy.

Beer drinkers love iPourIt because it describes each brew on a display, makes it easy to pour just a few ounces from each tap, and the ability to later rate and track what was poured. 

![Smart bar tending with an ipourit display system](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/29d1533b68befa97501469db24332b6ffaca944a)

But the clients love it too. Besides being able to brand it themselves, bars, breweries, and restaurants have benefited from the data that iPourIt generates. They can easily see which brews are most popular and use definite metrics to prove what is in or out of season. 

Recently, Brett and the team have developed the ability to allow restaurants and breweries to allow customers to reserve a pint of beer in advance. 

For example, if a restaurant brings in a very rare brew once a year. iPourIt’s client can email their customers that describes the brew and a link to reserve their ounces or pints.

"It’s a big improvement over waiting in line hoping that you’ll get a pint before the keg runs dry. With our system, no one can take their reservation."

At the heart of iPourIt is the answer to Brett’s original question, "Why can’t I do it myself?"

## Do it your way

Want to make your own custom stickers, labels, magnets or buttons? Get started with $10 credit when you create your account. 

With custom samples, multiple design discounts and fast, free shipping, you'll have your own custom products before you know it.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

iPourIt é uma tecnologia exclusiva patenteada que permite ao cliente servir-se da sua própria cerveja. Utilizam autocolantes para criar pulseiras RFID personalizadas.

Planting the future with GDCC 

- __About Green Dream Clothing Co.:__ A lifestyle brand that plants a tree for every article of clothing sold, Green Dream is "bridging the gap between inner city and country club lifestyles."
- __How they use stickers:__ Stickers are used to promote the brand, be sold online, and for student ambassadors to get the word out on college campuses. Stickers are also used in  packaging and on boxes.
- __Results:__ Stickers have been an easy, cost effective way to do marketing and promote the vision. The stickers have been effective on college campuses (like CU Boulder) and allow millennials to engage with the brand in a meaningful way. 

College graduates often grapple with the seemingly binary decision to either "do good or make cash." A 2014 graduate from Indiana University at Bloomington, Adam Swartz has chosen his own path: doing good by launching a lifestyle brand that is as cool as it is eco-centered.

With a slick logo, cool tees and strapback hats, the style of Green Dream speaks for itself. Beneath the look, the upstart brand and vision is far bigger: a greener future.

![Green Dream clothing company uses custom stickers to promote their brand](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/573bb2a740d99914e37f34d36b061585a07bda27)

When I chat with Adam on the phone for the first time to talk about how he uses stickers in his business, it's clear that he's passionate about that vision — and he's rooted it in thoughtful intentionality.

"My generation is interested in causes that matter — we're into a better environment. It's not an afterthought or an added bonus— we all care about the environment deeply from the start."

For every article of clothing (or pack of stickers) sold a tree is planted. Green Dream partnered with Plant-it 2020, a nonprofit foundation that performs worldwide tree-planting and more, to make it happen. "It's easy to latch onto the GDCC brand ‘cause there is a genuine interest in a sustainable future."

![How to use stickers to promote your brand in public](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/88d002e8570b9945ac7c156cecd9d11b9f8a7c60)

On the business side, Adam is getting the word out about Green Dream using branded custom stickers.

> It's a cheaper way to do marketing and promote the message.

After graduating, he moved from Indiana to the eco-friendly and all around great city of Boulder home of CU Boulder -- Colorado's largest college campus.  He's found college students to be great ambassadors for the brand and spreading the message. 

> Students know the stickers — they've seen them around.

Adam's student ambassadors or his "The Street Team" carry stickers with them around campus at all times. "It's a cheaper way to do marketing and promote the message." They'll give away free stickers to students who proudly stick them on their [laptop](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers), [phone](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/phone-stickers), or [cars](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers) — anywhere that is seen every day by others. 

"The street team always gets great feedback. Students know the stickers — they've seen them around. When someone says, ‘Ah, I love that sticker' an ambassador can give them one right then and there."

The stickers vary from pure marketing to promoting green messages ("Plant Trees") to inspirational words ("Good Vibes Only" and "Dream Louder").

Every sticker features Green Dream's memorable logo, an upside down umbrella — which is full of its own meaning, "Unlike an umbrella that blocks out rain, wind, or hail, our umbrella is flipped upside down allowing for these experiences and thoughts to fall in and help shape who we are, what we dream of, and where we dream of going."

Beyond the street team and word of mouth marketing, Adam's logo stickers are an important part of the customer experience. In keeping with his eco-centric and sustainable mission, old boxes are reused and given a new look with die cut stickers fixed on the outside. And after they've opened their box, inside they'll find a Plant Trees sticker Adam used to secure the tissue wrapping paper. 

![Use stickers to to close wrapping paper](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/b1fcc7e0be73894542e439c183173069ca24ffd5)

After that package is received, the stickers frequently are spotted on social media, on street signs around the country. 

"Friends are always sending me pictures whether it be from London or my old college campus. The support is real."

Stickers have also been a [product in and of themselves](http://www.greendreamcloco.com/shop-1/stickers). Every sticker pack sold also plants a tree — and seeds for the brand to continue to grow.

There are countless ways to promote your own clothing company, product, or brand using stickers. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses" />

How to use custom stickers to do good, promote a greener future, and grow a clothing business. 

El Cambio grabs attention with circle stickers 

* __About El Cambio:__ El Cambio Trading Co. is a sustainable clothing company, whose mission is to promote art, charity and sustainability through fashion. 
* __How they use stickers:__ They used stickers to get the word out about the company before formally launching a new website and brand.  
* __Results:__ Within a few months, Alex turned his Etsy store into a known brand with a social media presence.

> I always carry our logo stickers around with me."

What is the best way to start a clothing company? 

For two college students, the answer is simple; do it while studying, traveling the world, with a partner that you’ve never met in person, and with a mission that goes beyond the clothing.

Alex began selling his hand drawn designs and tanks through an Etsy store. After selling out of all of the designs, he decided to make it into a company. Through a friend, he found Sami and asked her to help with his social media presence and to create an online shop.

Without investors or startup cash, they were looking for a way to grab attention for the new company. He wanted to start right away without paying for a large advertising campaign.

![how ElCambio turned its Etsy store into a brand](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/42218b2c426bb52b53256567556c210cf25ea767)

## Getting the word out (without going broke)

Alex and Sami realized that the answer was staring them right in the face. The best way to get the word out was to make it easy for their friends, family, and even strangers to connect with the brand and tell others about it.

They wanted something that was easy to give out, inexpensive, and could be seen by lots of new people.

> It was our version of a business card! We'd hand them out to friends, people we met, anyone that asked about the design.

After designing a new logo from scratch, Alex and Sami put their logo on circle stickers.

Before launching the new website, they were handing out El Cambio Trading Company stickers, placing them around the world, and giving them to friends.

"We ordered our stickers from Sticker Mule before we ever bought business cards," says Sami. "In fact, it was our version of a business card! We’d hand them out to friends, people we met, anyone that asked about the design."

People loved the stickers and started spreading the word by snapping pictures of the stickers and tagging it with #ECTC. Soon, the stickers were showing up all over social media with photos of the stickers on [water bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/water-bottle-labels), [laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers), lightposts, and more.

Each sticker, photo, mention, and hashtag helped Alex and Sami launch their new clothing company.

## Generating conversations and sales

With word spreading, El Cambio started selling their unique tanks online through their new website.

To drive referrals and sales, each order gets a few stickers inside the box. El Cambio also uses their stickers as tape to get all of the packaging together. From the wrapping of the tank, to the outside of the package, their message goes everywhere the packaging goes. The stickers added the benefit of giving people confidence in El Cambio as an established company. 

> The reality is you only wear a shirt once in awhile but if you put a sticker on something you use every day it gets in front of more people and generates conversations.

Although giving away something free helps spread word about your business, it can be tough to give away the actual product for free.

Handing out stickers with a logo is a great way to leave customers (and future customers) with something of value without breaking the bank. "I always carry our [logo stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/logo-stickers) around with me," says Sami. "They are in my bag right now! When people ask what I do, I simply grab one and say, 'Here’s a sticker, check it out!'"

## A global idea localized

These two college students launched their clothing company. But, it is much more than cool designs on tank tops, El Cambio Trading Company is a sustainable clothing company whose mission is to promote art, charity, and sustainability through fashion.

Started by Alex Kinczel in 2014 , each El Cambio design represents a different international charity and has been inspired by Alex’s years traveling the globe with his school LIU Global. 10% of the profit from each sale is donated to the charity represented by the design. “We believe that businesses have the responsibility not to exploit, but to give back to the earth and those who we work with,” says Alex.

Currently, Alex and Sami sell their tanks online, but they’ve found success selling the shirts on the ground as well at festivals and markets.

Anyone that stops by gets a free sample of their logo as a sticker or button. Giving visitors something to take with them is an easy way to help someone who is interested but not ready to buy right away. They ask visitors to take the sticker, put it on something they own, and then tell people about it if they ask.

## What's next

As the business grows and graduation looms, Alex and Sami plan to keep using stickers to grow and grab more attention as they look into growing their business into brick-and-mortar spaces and other online stores.

Their plan is to sell new designs as stickers and to use them in a photo contest to generate more interest through word of mouth and social media.

There are countless ways to promote your own clothing company, product, or brand using stickers. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help you grab attention.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

Within a few months Alex turned his Etsy store into a known brand with a social media presence using circle stickers.