Alegria Accessories
Sarah Capehart’s small business journey began during unfortunate circumstances. It was December 2020, she had been working as a sales rep for Premier Designs for almost 23 years, and the company was forced to shut down.
With uneasiness about a career change at this stage in her life, she found herself praying in the middle of the night. She felt a prompting to start her own business to provide jobs for the women of Faith Home. Faith Home is an orphanage in Honduras that her parents founded years earlier to care for abused, neglected, and abandoned children in the area. Through this mission, Sarah had become aware that working conditions for young women there were not good. Many were mistreated, forced to work without pay, and unable to support their families.
As this idea took root in Sarah’s mind, she contacted Premier Designs, and they joined in her mission by agreeing to donate some of their liquidated merchandise. Within a couple days, Sarah was able to find a business manager, hire a law firm, and source enough materials to get started. Though delayed by COVID travel restrictions, she was able to finalize the paperwork and incorporate her business in Honduras in early February, and the work started right away.
Alegria Accessories supports seven women with full-time, salaried jobs in Honduras, and one assistant in the States. Sarah is committed to putting her employees first, so even when times are bad, she makes sure that the women are paid, often at her own expense.
Operating an international business has many challenges. She has had to navigate cultural differences and communication barriers as well as shipping, free trade agreements, and tax laws. Selling a giftable retail item also has challenges. Business is great during the holidays, but slows down considerably at the first of the year. Being able to budget accordingly to offer a steady income for her employees has been challenging, as well as planning for design and production work months in advance.
Sarah is incredibly thankful for resources such as the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help her overcome these hurdles. Sarah’s advisor, Julie Folz, has taught her how to budget for these fluctuations and plan for the future. She’s also connected Sarah to many resources, including grant opportunities and the SBDC Export Specialty Advisor, Andrew Reinke, to learn more about shipping and free trade agreements which has saved her money. “I can’t believe all this help is FREE,” she says.
When asked what advice she would share with other small business owners, she says, “If you have it in your heart to own a small business, know that the good days are going to outnumber the bad. I have often quit my business going down the elevator and then rehired myself going back up. The books are not always up and to the right, so don’t expect that. Your business is not going to be what you thought when you started it. Be willing to change and go the direction the market is telling you. You have to meet a need in the market to be successful.”
She also advises owners to “get involved with networks who want to help you succeed.” For her, the SBDC, E-REP (Evansville Regional Economic Partnership), the Downtown Evansville EID (Economic Improvement District), and the Fair Trade Network have been crucial. Her office is located at Innovation Pointe in downtown Evansville, which provides affordable office space and amenities. She sponsors a CNN (Community News & Networking) event every year, which is a weekly networking event put on by E-REP, and is able to share her story. Though she doesn’t have a storefront, the Downtown Evansville EID allows her to participate in their meetings and pop-up events.
Julie says, “I love working with Sarah! She has innovative ideas, knows her products and supply chain very well and works hard to build her business without compromising her values and mission. Sarah is passionate about jewelry but knows that is just part of owning and operating a successful business. She is a great networker and is always gathering resources and insights that may help her business grow.”
Reflecting on her work and looking to the future, Sarah is proud that her work is making a difference. “You can see the change on the faces of those seven women in Honduras. They are learning to run a business and now have confidence and peace knowing they have a consistent income. They have access to dental care and healthcare.” Alegria Accessories is ending the cycle of poverty for these women and their families. But Sarah doesn’t want to stop there. “We’ll know we are truly making a difference when our customers, our Joy-Creators, can feel that they are making that difference. I would love to see Alegria in 1,000 stores and 100 women working in Honduras one day.”
Learn more about Alegria Accessories on their website, https://alegriaaccessories.com/, or visit them on Facebook and Instagram @alegriaaccessories. Shop online, in boutiques all across the country, or at a pop-up event near you!