When Casey White and Jason Klein founded their San Diego, CA-based sports-centric branding and marketing company 25 years ago, they had high hopes and confidence in their work. They didn’t quite envision, though, that today, as Brandiose, their business would be the creative force behind roughly 80 minor-league baseball teams and arenas.
And they definitely didn’t imagine that five years ago, they’d launch a sister business, The Clink Room – a specialty baseball-cap design company created in response to the pandemic. With The Clink Room, designers around the world participate in a community-centric enterprise and, potentially, see their work come to life on New Era 59Fifty caps, the holy grail of collectible caps.
But here they are – and here’s how an SBA 7(a) loan from Grow America is helping them scale to meet today’s needs and fulfill future potential.
Two friends and business partners, one vision for success
Brandiose built its reputation as a premier sports-branding agency, working extensively within Minor League Baseball. However, when the pandemic hit, the company faced a dramatic decline in revenue as sporting events were canceled.
As Casey explains, “The sports world essentially shut down overnight, and we needed a way to keep our business alive, so we had to come up with a new idea pretty quickly.” Their solution was The Clink Room, and soon, what started as a survival strategy took on a life of its own with unlimited global growth potential.
“We were shocked by how fast The Clink Room grew,” Casey admits. “Last year, we shipped more than 32,000 caps, and The Clink Room became our primary revenue generator.”
Growing pains lead to Grow America and new opportunities
Along with The Clink Room’s growth came some growing pains. They worked with a business consultant who helped them identify strategies to build efficiencies, strengthen operations, and support profitability and growth, leading to their search for financing.
That’s when Casey and Jason connected with Grow America to work on securing an SBA 7(a) loan.
“Even with a successful track record and a lot of obvious potential, financing can be difficult for small businesses like ours. Grow America is so important in that respect,” Casey explains. “They provide funding when banks and others can’t.”
Casey also says that the loan process with Grow America helped them understand their business better, saying, “Working with Brian [Salva, my lender] was incredibly valuable. He took the time to understand both of our businesses and our vision for the future, and he’s got such great insight. He asks all the right questions and really helped us get things on track.”
The loan enabled them to consolidate operations into a new space that includes a warehouse, office, and retail store – all while maintaining full ownership of their business. New opportunities have resulted from their ability to scale operations and build efficiencies, too, including a direct relationship with New Era – something that had previously been out of reach.
“We considered equity investors, but we really didn’t want to go that route at this stage,” Casey admits. “The loan from Grow America gave us the capital we needed without giving up control of what we’ve built. In fact, the loan process increased our confidence in future growth. Now, we understand our business better and feel prepared to take things to the next level.”
Looking ahead
With funding secured, Casey and Jason recently completed a new warehouse and hired a warehouse manager, with plans to add more staff. And they’re adding a new retail space that overlooks the warehouse, creating a museum-like experience for their cap collection, too.
“We want to create something truly special,” Casey says. “Not just a store, but a destination.”
The entrepreneurs are also exploring an expansion of their product line through comic book and sports partnerships, leveraging their design expertise to create one-of-a-kind licensed products.
What began as a creative venture in sports branding has evolved into two thriving businesses, and with financing from Grow America, they’re positioned for continued success.
Achieve your full potential with financing from Grow America
“We’ve built something special over 25 years,” Casey says, “and now we’re ready to scale, thanks to Grow America’s support.”
If you want to learn about how Grow America can help you achieve your vision and thrive, contact us today to discuss your dreams with Grow America.