MTDipaolo

MTDipaolo is a homegrown business that sells home-made decor and refurbishes and recycles some decor from outsource companies. This company was founded by me, Tonya Dipaolo who fell in love with the process of refurbishing and creating wedding decor right from my backyard, while planning my wedding. Although my wedding was delayed due to the COVID -19 outbreak, I made and customized every piece of the wedding decor, saving myself an arm and leg, and making the wedding as unique as can be. I realized my love for this and wanted to give other couples the opportunity to save money while still making their wedding special and rare. Upon stumbling through this passion, I have expanded even further into home decor, and other popular items.

We specialize in wedding and home decor, but adjust our inventory based on demand. During the current COVID-19 outbreak we have opened our inventory up to many products including facemasks, in order to support our customers. We try and incorporate items from our own backyard as much as possible, such as bamboo, in order to leave as small of a carbon footprint as we can, one of our founding missions. We primarily use, and strictly so now, postal service shipping as our primary way of getting products to our customers, providing a safe alternative to shopping for recycled and crafted decor.

 The money raised would also allow the company to open a storefront when things go back to the new normal.  This will allow brides to bring their items in to be purchased or shop and help collaborate on their custom piece.  This would give the company an opportunity to purchase items from customers and reuse and recycle them.  This would allow other brides and someone having any event to obtain items at a cheaper price. 

We would also set forth our advertisement on three main platforms. Facebook being the first as there is a larger user base for the audience we are trying to connect with. We will be able to buy continuous ads, ads for specials and deals, and conduct giveaways in order to gain more followers. Essentially the same process could be replicated on Instagram. Another platform we want to tackle is Snapchat. Snapchat has been growing significantly in the advertisement world. Five years ago, you could open the app and never see a single ad, now it's inevitable. This will give us access to the younger audience. Snapchat offers simple ads, videos, as well as filters users could use.

 We would further use the money in order to obtain materials and technology in order to make our future products more environmentally sustainable. We can grow such things as loofah plants, bamboo trees, and grape vines, and incorporate these materials into our decor. We plan to use the money to better outsource for materials to recycle, and partner with other small businesses, especially as small businesses struggle during this unprecedented time.

This would mean ample opportunities to get this business running off the ground, and still stay true to our company's values. During this time companies such as ourselves need support the most and want to be able to support our community by giving them a safe way to shop in a way that holds true to their consumer ship.