When you visit Soul & Swag’s website, you’re greeted by four little words that not only serve as a promise to their clients, but as an emphatic declaration to life itself:
Wake Up, Kick Ass.
Cola Svec and Angie Svec are the mom-and-daughter dynamic duo responsible for dishing out those to-do-list beat-downs and annihilating client expectations on behalf of Soul & Swag.
“We’re a seasoned start-up, women-owned company that has more than 40 years of experience in the promotional products industry,” said Angie Svec. “We started Soul & Swag because we knew the marketplace was ready for change. By pushing the envelope and ruffling a few feathers, we help businesses build their brand with ideas and experiences that are unique and purposeful.”
For their clients, those experiences start the moment they walk through the doors. “When you visit our studio, we treat you to a VIP experience,” said Svec. “We believe you should be excited to be here and feel like you have backstage concert tickets or have just arrived at a beautiful resort.”
Their modern, yet rustic studio space exudes creativity at nearly every touch point. So, it’s not surprising that no idea is ever off the table.
“To set our clients apart, we embrace and support every crazy idea, thinking deeply, absorbing the world with complete awareness and totally thriving on people challenging our creative thoughts.”
“From start to finish, we want the entire order journey to be wonderful. We ask questions about the person, the business and their entire story.”
With just the right design elements and creativity, Soul & Swag helps their clients craft an authentic story that builds an emotional connection with their audience.
“Simply put,” said Svec, “we are designers of storytelling.”
Winning Insights from Our Winner:
Best Practice Tip for Small Business Owners
“There’s a saying, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. So, we believe in defining our culture.
We focus on the whole person. We care deeply for our employees and provide them with an environment of trust, empowerment, clear goals, purpose, fair compensation, shared wins, authenticity, and appreciation. Plus, we give them the freedom to make mistakes so they can learn and ultimately develop from that experience.”
The Value of Chamber Involvement
“As we continued to develop our business, we wanted the opportunities available through the
Omaha Chamber to help us learn more about this incredible community. If you don’t look around your own backyard, you might feel as though you’ve been living under a rock. We make our membership matter by meeting people and learning their story. Business is something you naturally manifest once you embrace this beautiful city.”
Giving Back to the Community
“We started a monthly ‘Soul Purpose’ event where we give our time to a local non-profit, charity or organization. Each month, a member of our team selects the place, day, and time, and we build it into our calendar to assure we can put a little awesomeness and inspiration into our amazing community. And while we might now always have the financial means to make a difference, we can always offer our time and goodwill.”
Exceptional Customer Service
“Always be open, honest, and vulnerable because it allows for people to be real. It’s also important to express gratitude. We like to write daily gratitude notes for our clients and show appreciation for their time. Even our proofing notes, order acknowledgments, and invoices have delightful messaging to our customers to keep them informed and smiling.”
Overall Operating Philosophy
“We are completely team oriented in every aspect, but we each wear different captain hats. If someone isn’t good in a certain area, the next woman steps up to fill that weakness. For example, I don’t like accounting, but my daughter is good at it and likes it – therefore, she handles that part of the business. On the other hand, I’m fulfilled by writing and curating designs for clients. So, for those areas, I take the lead. It takes the team within the company, along with the people outside of it, that can help you check off all the boxes that are ‘required,’ so you can keep working away at the things that drove you to start the business in the first place.”
Many thanks to our generous sponsor!
Premier Bank is the sponsor of the Small Business of the Month award. View more information or nominate a small business online.
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