Today we’d like to introduce you to Ratchet-Face and Taco Bruiseday.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Jessica “Taco Bruiseday” skates on the North Texas Roller Derby team and Rachel “Ratchet-Face” skates in her free time near Omaha, Nebraska. We’re sisters who have been involved in the derby world for about five years now, owning two businesses that cater to the roller derby athlete and the lifestyle that comes with the sport.
One of our businesses, Bout Betties, is a roller derby subscription pack that offers apparel, gear, accessories and stickers each month. Most of the items included are created, drawn or designed by us or other artists we collaborate with from the skating community. We’ve recently dipped our toes into the roller skate manufacturing business by creating a decked out affordable roller skate that we’re excited to start shipping out in November. This coming March will be our 5th year in business, and things are looking a lot differently (and more exciting!) than when we first started.
Roller Derby Athletics is our other business, which we acquired in 2019. We saw a need to keep the business going when the original owner wanted to move onto other things after being in business for seven years. It was a great opportunity to keep providing a trusted resource to roller skaters and roller derby athletes all over the world.
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?
We definitely have experienced a lot of setbacks and obstacles along the way. The products we provided at the beginning have morphed and changed a lot, depending on the needs of the market. Over the years, we’ve had growing pains like overpaying for items or not being able to work with bigger companies due to lack of clout. But each time, we’ve learned how to overcome and carve our own way through it all in a way that felt true to ourselves.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Bout Betties – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Bout Betties is a roller derby subscription pack service that delivers a fun mix of items to roller derby players each month. It’s a mix of larger known businesses or Shops that they may not have heard of on their own. We’re a way to introduce things to people that can easily become their next favorite piece of gear of apparel.
We’re known for designing fun and exciting leggings designs that athletes are able to move in, bout in and exercise in. We’re most proud that we’re building a company that can have a long-lasting place in the derby community by helping to provide or create items that fill a hole in the current niche market.
What sets us apart from others is the willingness to collaborate with others when we need help or want to breathe life into our offerings. We don’t try to do everything ourselves but rely on help from those that are skilled in their areas of expertise like other artists.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Luckily our businesses have continued business as usual, despite 2020 being difficult dealing with covid and the world being shut down. But the hope is that sometime in 2021, we have the opportunity to be able to practice again and have competitive games across the world. We just hope to continue providing valuable gear and apparel that players love using.
With having affordable roller skates now in the market, we’re excited to keep creating more designs that people will love wearing. Skating provides freedom of expression and we’re stoked to be able to help provide that.
Pricing:
- Bout Betties roller skates $125
- Bout Betties subscription $28
- Roller Derby Athletics- Essential plan $66 every 3 months
- Roller Derby Athletics- MVP plan $147 every 3 months
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boutbetties.com
- Email: support@boutbetties.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bout_betties/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoutBetties/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bout_Betties
- Other: https://rollerderbyathletics.com/
Image Credit:
Trouble Clef Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
