Conversations with the Inspiring Ruby Hannah Martin and Laci Bracewell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby Hannah Martin and Laci Bracewell.

Ruby Hannah and Laci, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Ruby’s Rubbish was created in 2014 in the corner of Hannah’s craft room. As small as the space was, our passion and drive overcame the cramped quarters and we began selling to the local community. Within just a few short months our business had made a big splash into the world of social media; where to this day our following far exceeds the population of our hometowns, combined.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Building a business from the ground up has certainly given us our fair share of curve balls. Now, looking back, we are thankful for each one, because they gave us the opportunity to adapt and grow as people and as a business.

When dreaming of a business, there is no way to truly understand the depths of the decisions that you will face. From finances to employees, to logo colors and policies, our best advice is, breath, stay rooted in your foundation and take it one step at a time. Use these lessons as building blocks, advancing you into a better future than you could have drawn yourself.

Our advice…

Build a solid business foundation with firm roots in who you are, what you believe, what are you working towards. This will insulate you from being forced into a reactionary style of business or leadership; which, slowly but surely takes you to step by step away from the heart of the business.

Be a student of your brand. Study it, study how it will be perceived and be honest with yourself. Put yourself in the shoes of your consumer. Why should they be interested? What set’s you apart? We realize business culture is a big buzzword, but it goes beyond that, it is about the heart of the business. That is what you are selling. In our experience, people are so much more likely to attach to a personality than a product. So, study your brand. What is your personality, what are you really selling?

Follow your passion, that makes the best business sense. There’s a lot to be said for believing in and finding happiness in what you do. That being said, a lot of people build businesses around their passions, but may not be as strong in other areas of the business. Always be looking for talented individuals that can buy into your vision and carry out those areas of weakness, to round out your business and culture. Then, have the courage to delegate.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Ruby’s Rubbish story. Tell us more about the business.
There’s a saying in the south about wearing your heart on your sleeve; as two small-town North Texas girls who like to dream big, we thought, “Why stop with your sleeve?” Drawing inspiration from our Southern roots, love of t-shirts and long evenings around a jug of sweet tea, Ruby’s Rubbish were born!

When you’re sitting around dreaming up this huge business, you are aspiring to build, you always imagine yourself looking back one day and telling the amazing story of how it all began. The thing is though, it isn’t as climactic as most people would imagine. It was less of a “fireworks and the crowd goes wild” moment, and more of a subtle “aha” we’ve been preparing for this business our entire lives. Hannah is a natural born leader and a creative wiz with strong customer instincts. Laci is this crazy out of the box thinker, with a heart for graphic design and advertising.

Every Ruby’s Rubbish branded design is developed out of inspiration from a moment in our lives. From a word or piece of advice we’ve been given, to a silly, laughter filled rambling conversation, the inspiration may come from anything.

As we continue to grow, what we know for sure is, we are having fun, we are meeting wonderful people that we truly appreciate, and in the end, we know that we are a part of something far bigger than a company selling t-shirts; and, we are embracing and enjoying every moment of it.

We know without a shadow of a doubt that our business is not just a business, it is a business ministry. Our particular ministry doesn’t look like your typical ministry platform, but it is a ministry nonetheless. People from all walks of life come to Ruby’s Rubbish through employment, through our retail/wholesale operation, or through contact with someone wearing one of our shirts; it is through those channels that we have developed what we call our Rubbish Family. Whether it be an air hug sent through social media, a simple prayer spoken with new Rubbishers at a trade show, or a conversation at the grocery store over one of our scripture shirts, we know that this business is more than merely a transaction. We call this concept “carrying the thread.” We want to carry the thread, of the heart of our business, into every interaction and to meet people right where they are and to show them love, laughter and to encourage them to step into the future without fear.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
As Christians, we draw most of our inspiration and guidance from the Bible. Studying different books, especially Proverbs, has really given us great wisdom in loving others, through serving, and making sound decisions for our business.

Pinterest has been a great creative outlet for work and life.

Shark tank is our guilty pleasure. It has helped us learned a lot of business rules and terminology.

Contact Info:

• Website: rubysrubbish.com
• Phone: 866-802-RUBY
• Email: hannah@rubysrubbish.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rubysrubbish
• Facebook: facebook.com/rubysrubbish
• Other: pinterest.com/rubysrubbish

Image Credit:
All images are owned by Ruby’s Rubbish LLC

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.