Fashionista Friday: Meet Courtney of Courtney Bock Designs!

I'm so excited today to tell you about Courtney Schultz of Courtney Bock Designs. CBD is my new favorite obsession, and I'm constantly perusing the website to see all the awesome items Courtney offers. From monogrammed clothing to personalized housewares to the cutest baby items you'll ever see, Courtney's products are completely unique, super high quality, and totally fabulous. She's a Saint Mary's grad, and I'm always a fan of Belles doing awesome things! Plus, she's a real-live person who sometimes struggles to balance work and home and kiddos, and I love that she's not afraid to own it!

Read on to find out more about Courtney and Courtney Bock Designs!

Angela: Tell me a little bit about you and your family. 
Courtney: My name is actually Courtney Schultz (not Courtney Bock!), and I have two sweet sons named Navy and Knox and a very awesome husband, Stockton, who is a huge supporter of Courtney Bock Designs. Stockton and I were married in 2010, Navy was born at the end of 2011, and Knox joined the party in 2013. We live in Northern Indiana and love our community, the people, and the spirit of our city. 

A: Where did the idea for CBD first come from? And when?
C: When I was in college, my mom owned a local boutique called Orange Tree. I worked for her as her manager and loved the energy and pace of the boutique retail industry. I started sewing during that time and began making baby gifts (bibs, burp cloths, blankets, etc.) to sell in my mom's shop. It evolved over time until I needed a website of my own for my handmade creations. With the volume of sales going up and my interest in the personalization sector of the industry growing, I began to carry other lines specializing in monograms and personalization and now CBD is a complete boutique of personalized gifts for all walks of life! 

A: What did you originally want to accomplish when you started CBD? 
C: I had no idea! I just diligently made blankets, burp cloths, and aprons until it led me to another idea. One idea turned into another and the business had changed completely! I suppose in hindsight I envisioned always sewing my own goods - I think my dreams were too small at that time! 

A: How has the company changed over the years? 
C: I no longer sew anything from scratch due to time constraints, but I sell some of the top lines in the personalization industry and I'm so proud to be a retailer of such fine goods. I formerly didn't have the capacity to personalize ANYTHING and now we can personalize nearly EVERYTHING! We do all of our embroidery and vinyl application in-house, which is a good way for us to keep our creative juices flowing, and we are continuing to expand a wholesale collection for other retailers interested in the CBD brand.

A: Why do you think customers are drawn to your products? 
C: I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand more times... people love anything with their name on it. It immediately makes a gift more special. If you can give someone a gift that was specifically personalized for them, they feel emotionally connected to the gift AND the giver. It keeps people coming back for more! 

A: What are some of your best selling items? 
C: This season, the Tiny Monogram Necklace has been our biggest seller by far! The Scallop Monogram Shorts have been a great item for bridal parties, and our new baby bedding collection has been very well received! People continue to give great feedback on the quality and outcome of their custom orders, which keeps us inspired to continue!

A: What does this business mean to you? 
C: Aside from my faith and my family, this business is next in line. I love it! I love my customers, I love the products, I love the challenge (and oh, believe me, there are some challenges!), and I love the satisfaction I get out of doing what I love for a living. It is fulfilling in ways I cannot explain. 

A: Moving forward, what are your dreams and goals for CBD? 
C: We are actively working on expanding our wholesale presence and providing a complete collection of CBD original pieces that can be sold in other stores. Among the items that we will offer will be an exclusive collection of our "SaturdayTees" with custom-designed phrases and sayings (we haven't even formally announced this yet, so you're the first people to know!!). I think the tees will be a huge hit. Additionally, we just aim to increase our web presence and continue to grow our national presence. Maybe someday when my children are grown, I'll finally be able to have a brick and mortar, but until then, we want to do the very best we can with the fabulous online community we get to call our customers. 

A: What is best part about your job? And what's the worst?
C: The best part is meeting new people and seeing them share the CBD love! Whenever I see a stranger in a CBD gift, I think my heart bursts inside my chest! Or better yet, when I glance at our new customers online and see people from all over the country who have no local connection whatsoever, it absolutely thrills me to know that this tiny seed of a dream has grown enough that it possesses a national presence. The worst part? Figuring out how to manage home/work balance with my kiddos! It's too easy to reply to an email or fulfill an order while I should be engaging with my kids, and sometimes it seems overwhelming to find that place of balance. Deep breathing and lots of grace can be found in and around our working/living quarters. :) 

Do you not just love this lady? She's adorable! 

Here's what you need to do. Head over to the Courtney Bock Designs Facebook page and Like it! Courtney often shows new products that are going to be featured on the website soon AND she does frequent giveaways that you'll definitely want to be a part of! Then, click on over to Courtney Bock Design's website and spend some time checking out all the awesomeness there! 

And lastly, sign up to follow my blog by email, because I'll be having periodic giveaways of fabulous CBD products! Free personalized awesome products?! Everybody wins!