If you haven’t seen the most adorable sister duo, then look no further than Megan and Emily! Megan and Emily co-founded their own sticker line where they sell their stickers on Etsy and locally within the Raleigh-Cary area. Megan has become one of my good friends at Meredith College, she is also my best friend Laurie’s Lil Sis through Meredith’s Big Sis/Lil Sis program! I have also learned a lot about her sister Emily who has Down syndrome and is breaking barriers everyday as a person with the disability. Today, I am letting both Megan and Emily take the wheel as I will be interviewing them about their journey with Sundae Sisters Co, life as sisters, and future aspirations for their business.
Tell me a bit about yourselves!
We are Sundae Sisters Co! I (Megan) had the idea to change my old Etsy shop to better include Emily. With Covid, she did not get as much work experience through her school and was also having trouble finding a job. Individuals with special needs are already severely un-employed, but adding a global pandemic on top did not help. So I started designing stickers and Emily does all of the packaging. We started around Mid-May and have sold over 250 stickers!
Megan, I know you are currently in college. What school do you attend and what are you studying?
I am a rising Sophomore at Meredith College in Raleigh,NC and I am studying Child Development in hopes of becoming a teacher.
Emily, I know you recently just graduated from high school – congrats! What are your next steps?
I will continue packaging for Sundae Sisters Co, which I love doing. I check everyday to see if I have new orders to package. I was also recently hired as a volunteer for Esteamed Coffee in Downtown Cary,NC! I will start training this summer. I also love participating in Gigi’s Playhouse Raleigh programs such as yoga, ballet, and social skills. I am also on a competitive cheer team at Inspire Athletics, we are called the Superstars.
Share a fun fact about each of y’all!
We share this fact because we are both huge Disney fans! If you ever are going to Disney World or Disneyland, contact us for tips! Megan’s favorite rides are Everest and Flight of Passage. Emily’s favorite rides are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Flight of Passage.
Tell me a bit about Sundae Sisters Co and the mission behind it!
Our mission is to spread happiness and kindness to others through our designs while also showing the importance of employing individuals with special needs. Many businesses don’t employ people with special needs because they don’t see all or their abilities, so we want to show people that they are valuable employees.
What made y’all choose to start Sundae Sisters Co?
I (Megan) have always loved being crafty. I already had an Etsy shop but kind of sold very random things. I also knew Emily was graduating soon and with Covid, she was going to have trouble finding a job. So I rebranded my Etsy to better include her with something she could easily ship, but also something I love to sell! It’s a win-win for both of us because we both have an outlet we enjoy within the business.
So, tell me about y’all’s design process – how do y’all brainstorm your super fun and adorable designs?!
We get a lot of requests which we love getting, please send them in! We also get lots of inspiration from social media and pictures we take. We love taking pictures of plants and different landmarks.
Speaking of designs, please tell me both of your favorite designs!!!
Megan’s favorite design right now is the Retro Van Sticker because she loves the colors! Emily loves the Lucky Few sticker which is a symbol for Down Syndrome!
I know you both work together as a team to execute both designing and sending off stickers to their new homes. How do y’all make the magic happen?!
Megan handles designing the stickers, printing (which we do in house), listing each item, and keeping everything organized. Emily is in charge of all shipping which includes writing each thank you note by hand, gathering the stickers for each order, packaging, weighing, adding the stamp, and putting it in the mailbox! She also will sometimes prep things like envelopes or supplies for our vendor events.
You both have visited local farmers markets, such as in Cary, to showcase your business. Do y’all have any dream markets that y’all want to showcase at?
There are lots of different markets in the Triangle, it’s overwhelming sometimes. We loved being at Food and Flea in Downtown Cary in June, we hope to be back a few more times this fall just in time for the holidays! We would also love to have our stickers sold in local stores in boutiques, that is something we are working on now!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that y’all donate some of your profits to a different charity each month. Giving back is SO important. How does charity play a role in Sundae Sisters Co’s mission?
So many charities have benefited our family, such as North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance, Gigi’s Playhouse Raleigh, Miracle League, Esteemed Coffee and more! We think it is so important to give back to the community as they have given to us. We are trying to donate every month as well as have a sticker that donates profits to a specific charity each month.
I am so inspired by y’all’s business! What would y’all say to someone who is looking to start their own business someday?
Just go for it! Take it slow and don’t over-invest so you don’t get in over your head. Then re-invest the money you make or a portion of it back into your business to help it grow.
Y’all are both strong advocates for inclusion and acceptance of everybody. Tell me about your experiences as advocates!
I think our parents have always instilled in us that it is important to fight for what is right and to be inclusive of everyone, no matter their walk of life. Everyone is different and that is what makes us unique individuals. Being apart of the disability community is fun and exciting, but it can also open doors to show the hard parts of having a disability. This has made us want to fight even more to share the message that everyone should be included and given the same opportunities. For example, I (Megan) was inspired by NC State’s Victory Day game that they did with Gigi’s Playhouse. It was an inclusive night where individuals with Down Syndrome got to experience practice and a game of football with the NC State Football team. So, I created my own version of that at my High School. Inclusion events like these become a ripple effect to show others that individuals with special needs are just like everyone else, they just want to have fun and make friends!
What is in the oh-so exciting future of Sundae Sisters Co?
Well, we hope to get lots more orders. Just these past few weeks, our orders have quadrupled. We would love to do more markets and maybe have a few more friends with special needs help us. If we grow even more, we would love to have others help us with packaging so they can learn work skills too. We would also love to have our stickers available in stores, this way we could get our designs and mission out to a larger community!
Lastly, if you each could tell yourself one thing before you started Sundae Sisters Co, then what would it be?
I think we both would never have imagined it being as successful as we have been in our first month of being open. We are so thankful to each and every person who has supported us; whether it was just a like, comment, sharing us on social media, placing an order or visiting us at a market.
I cannot wait to see ALL that Megan and Emily do moving forward and I hope you do, too!
XOXO – Katie <3