Today we’d like to introduce you to Carter Wray.
Hi Carter, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Pinnery was conceived from a previous independent hustle of “bootleg” band merchandise. This paid for hotels, gas, and any extra-curriculars that were needed to drive on to the next show. After juggling a few desk jobs to keep my musical habit going, I decided it was better to venture out on my own for the flexibility and uncapped earnings potential. I knew that I didn’t want to work for other people forever and that I wanted to do something remote that would allow me the freedoms that I desired. I’ve since shifted from the retail side of things and now focus more on wholesale items that help business increase their brand recognition and marketing capabilities.
Within the last three years, I have added a second company. Drink Stainless focuses on eliminating the use of plastic straws in the hospitality and service industry. This concept stemmed from a trip to the Keys that I took with my father. While there, I noticed that plastic straws made up the majority of ocean pollution near restaurants on the water. By starting in one of the smallest sectors of the industry, we are focused on raising awareness and sustainability from the ground up.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has definitely been rocky at times. I started The Pinnery with $1500 in the bank and no backup plan while full-time parenting an almost two years old daughter. I guess I like gambling because looking back that was a huge risk. Having always had an entrepreneurial mindset, this took things to a whole new level of ambition and drive to succeed. Fast forward to 2020 being nearly a complete wash for both companies. With no in person events happening, businesses no longer needed marketing items like they had in previous years. The cancellation of SXSW was a major blow locally, and it killed some very large deals for Drink Stainless as hotels and restaurants were sent scrambling to comply with all the crazy new mandates and regulations. On the flip side, orders from independent artists were on the rise as they had converted their income to online offerings, and Cannabis companies continued ordering merch as their industry boomed during that time.
The silver lining in this is that it reignited a drive I hadn’t used in a couple of years. I had gotten used to coasting on repeat business, referrals, and the occasional new client inquiry. The lack of incoming business sent me back into that sink or swim mentality of going out and hunting for it. It’s hard to push sales when people may be faced with closing their business, but new accounts were acquired and have continued to grow since then. One of the cool selling points with Drink Stainless is that I was able to save businesses money with a very small upfront investment. Eliminating the recurring costs of single use straws from their books by switching to reusable can add up to thousands of dollars saved each year within one concept.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
With The Pinnery, the key takeaway is that we work with everyone. I’m a firm believer in treating all people and organizations equally and take pride in our level of customer service. Before I started this company, I ordered promo items and merch from other companies and there just wasn’t that personal feel. These places didn’t care if my items arrived correctly, to them I was nothing more than an order or client number. I enjoy getting to know my clients and coming up with solution to best meet their individual needs. Every person and every brand is different, and I work with them to help guide and promote the best ways to use our items to get the maximum exposure and reach they are after. No client is too large or too small either. We produce anywhere from 50 piece minimums to orders in the tens of thousands for our customers. Our pricing is highly competitive as I want return business and relationships to be built. I’ve never believed in overcharging someone or giving a one time discount on the front end, only to increase the price with their next order. That combined with over ten years experience in this industry, helps to assure that our customer service and quality control is exceptional.
Drink Stainless is more of a passion project that I am eager to grow. Being a parent, I often wonder about the world that we are leaving behind for future generations. The waste we are accumulating and just piling up in areas, the destruction of our waterways and diminishing of clean drinking water. Most everyone has seen the video of the turtle with the plastic straw stuck in its nose. When I was growing up, it was images of plastic six pack rings with dead animals caught in them. Plastic is a part of our daily lives on so many levels, but it doesn’t belong in our waterways. The goal with Drink Stainless is to start making these changes in some of the world’s most frequented settings. I believe that if we start small with the straws, it will pave the way for future sustainable changes within these sectors. Implementing changes such as these also meet some requirements for local green initiatives and can provide businesses tax breaks. In addition to that, they will save upwards of thousands of dollars each year by eliminating the recurring costs of single use alternatives.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t really believe in luck. I think we get one shot at life, and it becomes what we choose to make of it.
Pricing:
- 100 pins will run you under $300
- 100 reusable metal straws come in under $200
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thepinnery.com www.drinkstainless.com
- Instagram: @the_pinnery @drinkstainless
