Chatting with Small Business Owners in the Disney Niche - PREP 334

In this episode Shannon talks with small business owners in the Disney niche. These products and services are personal recommendations. Enjoy learning more about these three businesses and the products and services they provide.

In this article

Britney with CurlCap

CurlCap is a satin-lined, backless cap made by Britney. This is a hate made for hair! Britney loves seeing the different hair expression she sees with the caps.

Britney started in 2017 on eEtsy. She was a big Etsy fan and knew she wanted to start there because she already liked the platform. Very quickly her business took off and she went over to Amazon. Her business is a top 100 product in her category on Amazon with thousands of five star reviews!

Britney started CurlCap because was suffering from psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis on her scalp for a while. She wanted to hid it so she began wearing hats, however, because of her hair she couldn’t always wear her hair in a tight ponytail.

In order to protect her hair, she cut up one of her dad’s hats and wore it over a satin scarf. The satin lining helped relieve discomfort on her scalp. Cutting the hat allowed her hair to breathe.

Britney’s fiancé (husband now!) helped her with his business and marketing experience. Britney’s mom is a hair stylist and that gave her the experience she needed to launch her business.

In order to celebrate her business, Britney’s husband suggested they go to Disney! The very first picture that Britney posted in her hat is in front of the castle. Disney was supposed to be part of the journey.

When CurlCap first started, it was on Etsy and Britney also had an instagram account. She was utilizing hashtags and one of them was picked up by a large instagram account. Within a week, Britney was sold out!

The first round of hats did not include the satin lining. Britney wasn’t sure that her customers would see the value. The reviews indicated that the hat should have satin lining. The second round of hats included the lining.

Britney is so proud of her customer service and listening to what her customers want. Originally the hats did not have an adjustable back strap. She makes changes based on feedback to make the hat even better!

Britney sells a lot of hats without anything on them – 30+ colors, but black and denim are the most popular. Britney’s husband’s goal was always to have Disney licensed products.

Britney wanted to be sure that it was done correctly, so she pursued an agreement. She wanted to be sure everything was a good fit. She utilized YouTube to learn everything she could!

Now her Princess Tiana hats are incredibly popular and were on the top of the list as soon as they were released. Britney was the first black woman-owned business to be have official Disney merchandise. What an incredible accomplishment!

What makes the CurlCap unique is that they are patented. There are hundreds of thousands of hats on Amazon. But Britney’s are unique and she feels really passionately about protecting her creativity. No one else can duplicate her magic.

UpWork is a great resource for Britney as well. Her husband also used it and had a wonderful experience. She uses UpWork for all of her patenting and copywriting. This has saved her so much money.

CurlCap is a unisex product and is incredibly versatile. Britney created it to help encourage and support others. Her CurlCap gives breathability for your hair. You can wear your hair the way you want and still have the comfort of a hat.

Britney has new Disney products! She has Mickey and Minnie hats that have ears on top of the hat. There is something so nostalgic about wearing your Disney favorites.

The very favorite CurlCap is the newest Tiana cap with her signature on the side. It looks like you got her autograph on your hat.

Britney has a few patents and they are all in the fashion and haircare categories. She’s excited about a scrunchie and bringing back a hoodie that she’s sold previously. She’s also interested in collaborations with other creators.

Britney loves being involved in the Disney community. She’s found a kind, compassionate, and lovely home in the Disney niche.

Debbie with Designer Park Company

Debbie makes bags specifically designed for going to the parks! She’s been an Annual Passholder and after a trip to Walt Disney World she jumped in and created a bag she’d love to have!

She created a really cute bag that is very functional and useful! You can take the pins and ears off to create a wonderful bag to use outside of the parks as well.

Debbie designed the first bag and created features that are so helpful. You can hook your ears to your bag in a secure way to keep them out of the way and decorate the bag. There is also an outside pocket with holes for buttons and pins. There are locking backs to ensure that your pins stay on!

For rainy days or water rides, there is a mesh bag section of the bag for wet items. This keeps your wet items away from your dry things.

The bag has outside pockets for items you’d like to be able to reach easily. There is also a grommet hole for hydration or an external battery cord. The hydration is an important element. You can add a hydration pack and feed the straw through the hole.

This bag is beautifully lined. Shannon’s is lined with hot pink. It also has lots of pockets on the inside. There is also a hammock-like spot underneath to put a sweatshirt or umbrella. It’s flexible storage and is hidden so it’s great for passports as well.

Debbie started a business making leather moccasins when her daughter was young. She knew about finding manufacturers and creating a business. So when she was ready to create her backpack, she knew what she was looking for to get started.

She’d been planning this with her husband for a long time – people would always ask about her bags. They were hiking bags they covered in patches. One year she hooked her ears to her bag and everyone loved it.

She remembered those experiences and thought about what she would want in a bag for the parks. She wanted something leather but that also included a place for her pins that wouldn’t make holes.

The hardest part of the business was choosing a name! They started with pre-sales so that the bags could fund themselves in early 2022. Her business officially started for pre-sales on January 31, Debbie’s birthday.

Designer Park Company has spread because of incredible affiliate that are spreading the word.

The Black Rope Drop bag is the most popular of her bags. Many will start with a black or camel and then start a more vibrant color. She likes the simplicity of the bag in beautiful colors without a wild print.

The bags are the perfect size. They are slightly bigger than the small backpacks you can purchase in the parks. You can fit a whole water bottle upright in the bag.

A crossbody that turns into a backpack is coming in 2023! Debbie has made a sample but is changing things as well. She also has a fanny pack that can open on top that turns into a backpack as well.

Sue from Small World Vacations, Inc.

Sue was originally on the podcast episode 265.

When the Pandemic first happened, Sue had about 60 agents on her team. She opted to not add any new agents during that time. Her agents are like family and are stronger than ever.

Sue is finding that more people are traveling now in multi-generational groups. It’s a wonderful way to connect as a whole family – with different family units traveling together.

Sue is a grandma now and knows how special these trips can be. It’s even more special to go with your children and grandchildren.

Sue took her granddaughter, Aurora, on the Disney Wish and they stayed at the Aurora suite! They had a private hot tub on the balcony. There are two levels with a spiral staircase, kitchen, living room, and it was so luxurious. Sue had a half-off deal and decided to use it for a once in a lifetime experience!

As traveling to Disney World has gotten more complicated, people are getting more interested in cruising! Sue has found that regular Disney travelers want to go on a cruise to get a vacation experience.

Booking through Small World Vacations, Inc. you will get a discount offered as an onboard credit. Sue suspects there will be more discounts before the end of the year!

Sue’s agents are full-time professional travel advisors. They have collectively been on 500+ Disney cruises, sailing around the world! The Small World Vacations, Inc. agents are also a tight-knit group that can access the experiences of others to give their guests the best experience.

In 2023, Sue expects Adventures by Disney to become more popular. Sue just did the Southwestern experience for the second time. She will be doing the Wyoming experience in January and in May she is going to Sicily!

Going with Disney for these experiences, you have the opportunity to have unique opportunities. The others on the trip are like-minded people that become friends. Adventures by Disney are also great experiences for multi-generational groups.

Adventures by Disney gives you a personal guide and access to things you wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s nice to have a guide who is the expert showing you where to go next.

Quick Tip

This quick tip was submitted on the Patreon facebook group by Angela. If you are staying at Art of Animation, you can go to the front desk and ask to upgrade from a Little Mermaid room on arrival. Angela asked at the desk and asked to upgrade. She was given the option to upgrade to a Cars suite for $90 more per night or a Nemo suite for $110 more per night.

Links for this episode

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WDWPREPSCHOOL and get on your way to being your best self.
Curl Cap on Amazon
Follow Britney on IG
Follow Curl Cap on IG
Designer Park Co – Use code “WDWPrep” to save 10%
Follow Designer Park Co on IG
Small World Vacations, Inc. – Scroll to the bottom to select your destination of choice.
Follow Small World Vacations on IG
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