XOXO, Sierra - Gifts for Readers and Writers

XOXO, Sierra is a stationery and lifestyle brand that has grown up very, very quickly.

There's room for a bold, new brand like ours.

Writers aren't stereotypes, though many brands treat us as such. With the same black and white notebooks and gifts going around every year, writers are eager for something new. A lot of merch for readers is either made for a few specific franchises or is just plain boring. It's not made for the growing Gen Z reader demographic that wants fresh, fascinating merch.

XOXO, Sierra creates sassy, cute, and relatable stationery and gifts for the reader and writer in you (or your life). We utilize other small business as partners as often as possible, and donate 10% of all profits to We Need Diverse Books, a literacy non-profit. Our brand is for bold, book-obsessed creatives who want to feel like they own the room while developing or devouring the world's next big story.

OUR MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE:

• Doubled or tripled revenues from June (opening month) to August 2021.
• Collaborated with award-winning and NYT-bestselling authors and influencers Ryan Douglass, Xiran Jay Zhao, Victoria Lee, Mason Deaver, Becky Albertalli, Alice Oseman, and more.
• Sold or slated to sell at Artists & Fleas - Chelsea Market, Canal Street Market, Grand Bazaar NYC, FAD Market, and Sip Shop Eat.
• Stocked in four bookstores from California to the Midwest.
• Owned by Sierra Elmore, who started three successful businesses before she turned 17. Sierra sharpened her business acumen by working in HR and business services at Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Brunswick Group before exiting to pursue XOXO, Sierra full time. Sierra's also a writer and book influencer, inspiring her 9K+ followers to follow their writing dreams with realistic advice and a whole lot of humor.

Only...we're bootstrapping this biz. And that's not healthy.

Over 77% of businesses self-fund, and Black founders are more likely than most to bootstrap due to a lack of access to traditional capital and grants. And as hard as we're working, we're being denied for loans and grants because the company is so new (we started in June 2021).

Why do we need funding?

Running a business requires a lot of upfront costs. We're talking inventory to deliver our products to customers, upfront payments to trade and local shows to sell to wholesalers and customers, legal and financial payments, and more.

I'm coming to you to invest in my Black-owned business that has the potential to be the next big thing in the stationery world.

When you invest in us, you invest in our ability to...

• Attend important shows to increase our visibility in the NYC market
• Deliver on time shipments to our customers and increase customer satisfaction
• Expand our product range so our stockists and retail customers have a larger variety to choose from 
• Purchase advance inventory to deliver early and always keep our bestsellers in stock
• Hire and retain local talent to help with the above goals
• Create a stationery empire!

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

• $4,000 - Inventory (hats, candles, stationery, etc.)
• $1,500 - Show entrance fees + expenses
• $4,500 - Working capital (legal, financial, hiring, etc.)

So, my only question now is...are you in?