We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ReCooped PNW a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
ReCooped , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Sustainability can feel unattainable for most people, especially when you live in a fast paced world. In our own personal lives, we have this trouble too. To help us live more sustainably, we wanted to create an easy and convenient solution that we can depend on. We have a friend who is a firewood producer and one day, we noticed that he was throwing away a sort of plastic material that wasn’t exactly pretty, but it was very sturdy. We didn’t like seeing all of that plastic go into the garbage so you can say that we “rescued” it and took it home. After some brainstorming, Vicky made a bag that we ended up absolutely loving. We put the bag through several tests and uses and we realized how durable and convenient they were. We realized that we had something special on our hands and we should make an effort to share them with people.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hi! We are Vicky Manivanh and Michelle Holm. We’re the owners of ReCooped PNW based in Everett, WA. We make sustainable bags that are 100% handmade with recycled plastic. We want to help people live more sustainably. The problem with sustainability is that when people hear that word they’re not sure of what do do or where to start. We want to offer people a direct solution to living sustainably. We want to help people live their best “green” life!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Before coming into this, we both knew how to sew and we enjoy making things. Another quality we have in common is our love of problem solving. Combining these common interests led us towards the creation of our sustainable bags. Common interests aside, our friendship gave us a really good base for teamwork. We call ourselves the “tortoise and the hare.” Michelle is the hare. She’s always ready to go and can act and think very quickly on her feet. Vicky is the tortoise. She’s a planner and likes to think things over thoroughly. Our work styles complement each other in the best way and allows us to bring our products to fruition. We also very optimistic people. We always see the bright side of our failures. Not being overly critical of ourselves gives us space to be creative and helps us stay motivated to persevere through the challenges of small business ownership.
Our three pieces of advice for people who are early in their journey of entrepreneurship are 1) never be afraid to pivot away from your original plan, 2) find ways to streamline your work, and 3) don’t procrastinate on challenges! Take action immediately. Things are always changing in a small business, but that’s a part of the fun of owning and operating one. The best thing you can do for yourself is to give yourself some grace and don’t get in your own way.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Streamlining production has been the biggest area of improvement for us. Because we hand make all of our bags, how much we can produce is based on how fast we can sew. It took a lot of trial and error, but we finally figured out how to increase production by 100%, which is amazing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.recoopedpnw.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoopedpnw
Image Credits
First photo of owners: Natalka Kolosok Ears & Nose photography Seattle, WA Product photos: RecoopedPNW