Meet Courtney Brockmeyer: The Heart and Hustle behind Sydney Paige.
When Courtney Brockmeyer founded Sydney Paige Inc. in 2013, she had a clear vision in mind: to create a socially responsible brand that provided quality backpacks and school supplies to children in need. With a background in corporate finance, and a passion for giving back, Brockmeyer combined her expertise with her desire to make a positive impact in the world.
The result was Sydney Paige, a company that designs and sells backpacks and school supplies, while donating a matching product to a child in need for every item sold.
And through their sister organization, Sydney Paige Foundation, they’ve been able to partner with larger corporations and nonprofits to donate thousands of backpacks and school supplies to students in underserved communities across the U.S.
Brockmeyer's dedication to creating a socially responsible brand has earned Sydney Paige recognition and awards from various organizations, including the National Parenting Product Awards and the Women's Choice Awards. Her innovative business model has also garnered attention from media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, and Good Morning America.
In an interview with Brockmeyer, she shared insights on her journey as an entrepreneur, the challenges she faced bootstrapping a socially conscious brand, and what’s happening now on their ambitious mission to drive positive change in the world.
Heather Anderson: Hi, Courtney! So excited to get to talk to you and dig into all the magic you’ve created. How ‘bout we kick it off with a favorite quote that motivates and inspires you?
Courtney Brockmeyer: I love this quote by Helen Keller, and it really encompasses how Sydney Paige has accomplished all that we have: "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much."
Heather Anderson: Awesome sentiment - and I see how that suits your organization perfectly, since you facilitate ways for corporations and the larger community to give back.
Courtney Brockmeyer: Exactly. When I started this company, I knew that what I would be able to do by myself would be really small compared to what I could accomplish if I focused on building community awareness about the issues facing students. Because together we could suddenly help tens of thousands of kids instead of just hundreds. So our company slogan is: “Giving back together,” because there’s such strength in that.
Heather Anderson: Beautiful - and incredible, that you’ve already pulled it off at such a scale! About your business model, I know you have a direct-to-consumer sales side with a similar buy-one give-one model to TOMS shoes. And then you have a nonprofit Sydney Paige organization. Does the sales side fund the organization or how does that work? And did you launch the ‘for profit’ consumer sales side first?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Coming from a corporate job in finance, I became passionate about the power of business to do social good. I looked at other business models and was inspired by the buy-one-give-one model, as demonstrated by TOMS Shoes, and therefore launched Sydney Paige Inc. as a Benefit Corporation. It functions similarly to a regular corporation with two legal responsibilities: the health of the business and the return to shareholders. However, a Benefit Corporation has a third component of impact, whether it be social or environmental. At Sydney Paige, our main focus is on making a social impact.
Heather Anderson: Yeah, I love that. So when did you found the original Sydney Paige, Inc?
Courtney Brockmeyer: June of 2013. So we just celebrated 10 years!
Heather Anderson: Oh, wow. Congratulations! Can you tell me when and why you launched the Sydney Paige Foundation as well?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Thank you! I later launched the Sydney Paige Foundation in 2018 as a way to scale our fundraising efforts. Initially, we used Sydney Paige Inc.’s buy-one give-one model to source backpacks for donation, but it was taking too long to raise the 200 backpacks needed for each live event. Our first event was with foster and homeless youth, and it was a moving experience. Parents and caregivers were hugging me and crying in gratitude, because they couldn't provide high-quality items for their children to learn and thrive in school. This experience made me realize the obvious need for our mission - and the need to supersize our efforts. The foundation's goal is to provide high-quality backpacks and school supplies to children who need them without the kids feeling embarrassed or degraded. We also wanted to ease the burden on caregivers, parents, and teachers to try and fill this need on their own - which I saw personally through my mom’s experience as a 3rd grade teacher.
Heather Anderson: What alerted you to this need in the first place? How did it all come about?
Courtney Brockmeyer: While working with Nestle on a worldwide initiative to help low-income families with food and beverage solutions, I was doing in-home visits and on-the-ground research. And I discovered first-hand that kids often lacked basic school supplies like backpacks, pencils, and erasers. I then interviewed educators and social workers and found that low-quality backpack donations were a real problem. So, I took a leap and left my day job to bootstrap the beginning of Sydney Paige. A year later, I went back to Nestle's finance department and asked for $10,000 to buy backpacks and supplies for a school in need. We had an employee engagement event where we packed the backpacks and wrote notes of encouragement for the kids. This initial experience of partnering with a corporation on our efforts really confirmed that people were willing to step up and solve the issue if given the chance.
Heather Anderson: I know there are a lot of programs donating backpacks to schools - but you discovered that the quality was severely lacking and backpacks weren’t actually functional. Can you tell me more about that?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Yes, when I first began researching existing solutions to the problem, I found that many backpacks were getting donated - but when talking to teachers, they weren’t solving the actual problem. The quality was so poor that kids couldn’t actually use them to carry books or supplies. I found that many teachers weren’t even giving them out because of the quality issues - ripping straps, pockets, broken zippers. I asked educators and social workers if they gave feedback on poor quality donations, but most said they didn't want to seem rude or were afraid to speak up.
Heather Anderson: Yeah, they’re scared to speak up because they don’t want to seem ungrateful.
Courtney Brockmeyer: Exactly. But then you can see the hilarity in that, right? It's just a terrible cycle of giving. They then give 2000 of these terrible backpacks that nobody's using the next year, and the company's still spending a lot of money on that. That's still $10,000 if it's five bucks a bag and they're providing 2000. Sometimes the pushback we’ll hear is, “Something is better than nothing.”
Heather Anderson: Yeah, it’s just misguided wasted effort. $10,000 for $2,000 $5 dollar backpacks that no one’s using.
Courtney Brockmeyer: Yeah, exactly.
Heather Anderson: So 2018 was when the nonprofit side of Sydney Paige started to really take off and surpass the consumer sales?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Yes, on the consumer side, we had some bursts of initial success and managed to get wholesale accounts with Whole Foods, Toys R Us, and a few other places. We got into Nordstroms, but they wanted 60% mark-up, and it was just not feasible for us. So I really started getting out of retail and focusing on working with corporate sponsors instead. And becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit really opened us up to more opportunities with donations through grants and individuals.
Heather Anderson: Since launching the Sydney Paige Foundation (SFP), what achievement are you most proud of?
Courtney Brockmeyer: One thing that stands out is when we collaborated with Google to donate and ship 10,000 backpacks across six states. It was quite a feat because we didn't know how to use freight and had to rely on FedEx to help us out. With just the two of us, we packed everything out and shipped it. It was challenging, and we were sweating in 110-degree heat. But we proved it could be done. That success helped us gain more volunteers, and we were able to get warehouse space. We started in my basement in California, moved to storage units, then hired someone for fulfillment and moved to Moraga offices. But when it became too costly to use a third-party for fulfillment, we moved to a larger warehouse in Walnut Creek. We eventually outgrew that and moved to our current location, which is 10,000 square feet!
Heather Anderson: Amazing growth! So what is the day in the life of your business like right now?
Courtney Brockmeyer: It varies, but usually, after getting my kids to their schools, I come in, grab coffee, and dive into my emails, focusing on the most pressing ones. I split my time between accounting, working with QuickBooks, invoicing, payables, receivables, and making sure the books are in order. I also thank donors for the previous day's donations and document our SOPs. It's important to me that all processes are well-documented so that anyone can take over if needed. We have a team that handles inventory management, quality control, and shipping. We also coordinate with our partners and volunteers to plan our next campaigns and outreach programs. We're a growing organization, so there's always something new happening. But it's fun because there are so many different facets to it. There are only four of us working in the office, and we also wear all the hats when it comes to the warehouse. I spend at least an hour or two in the warehouse, preparing for orders and pack-outs. It's great exercise, and I love it. And I get sick of sitting on my butt all day in front of a computer. I still do all the nitty-gritty work like sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, breaking down boxes, and handling backpacks. It's not glamorous, but I'm passionate about ‘servant leadership’ and believe that doing things alongside my staff is important for engagement.
Heather Anderson: SOPs, baby! So important.
Courtney Brockmeyer: And then, we're always reaching out to build new business relationships and support so we can help even more kids. Sharon [Girdlestone] is busy talking to corporate sponsors, so we can give more to those who need it. We're also talking to our nonprofit partners to see what their updated needs are, especially with the back-to-school season coming up. It's a constant cycle of figuring out where we can give and how we can make the biggest impact. We've got a strategy in place, but new ideas come up all the time. We have to decide which ones to prioritize and which ones to put on the backburner. It's all about staying on track while also being flexible when things change.
Heather Anderson: And on top of all that, you’ve got two teenagers, right?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Yep, my kids are ages 16 and 17 and enrolled in the Acalanes School District at different schools.
Heather Anderson: Awesome. They must be so proud of you - in their teenage way! Can you tell me a bit about what makes the Sydney Paige backpacks special?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Our backpacks are high-quality and come with lining, padding, reinforced zippers, and unique designs - I design them myself. They're made in Cambodia. Most donated backpacks are cheaply made and don't last long. But our backpacks are designed to be durable and long-lasting. The straps don't come apart at the seams when kids carry heavy books, and the zippers don't break easily. We also include a personalized note in each backpack to give the child a sense of pride and ownership.
When it comes to low-income kids, lack of tools and lack of confidence are the top two reasons for dropping out of school. Providing them with just supplies is not enough. They need confidence too. That's why our focus is on addressing both of these issues, and also why we launched the Literacy Initiative program.
Heather Anderson: Can you tell us about the Literacy Initiative?
Courtney Brockmeyer: In addition to providing backpacks, our second focus is getting books in the hands of kids who need them. In low-income neighborhoods, there's typically only one book per 300 kids, and schools can't afford librarians, leaving many without access to books. By giving kids brand new books, it creates excitement and helps them feel valued. We give three books per child, or help stock libraries through book borrowing. We buy books from First Book, which discounts Scholastic books, and receive donations from Good360, a nonprofit that repurposes products and keeps them out of landfills. We also partner with transitional housing communities and give books to classroom libraries. Recently, we received a donation of 30,000 books from Toys for Tots through Good360.
Heather Anderson: Oh wow, that’s a lot of books! For which ages are the books you’ve sourced and are distributing?
Courtney Brockmeyer: There's a large variety and we break them out, just like our backpacks: Kindergarten through 2nd grade, 3rd through 5th grade, and then instead of six through twelfth, we do six through eighth, and ninth through twelfth grade.
Heather Anderson: And how did you decide to have them made in Cambodia?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Manufacturing backpacks in the US was too expensive, so we chose to produce them overseas to ensure affordability without sacrificing quality. We were extremely fortunate to find and partner with a family-owned factory in Cambodia. The factory is clean and provides excellent amenities for its workers. They prioritize the well-being of their employees and have created a beautiful work environment. Although I haven't visited in person, we have a third-party liaison who has communicated with me through FaceTime, and I was able to tour the facilities remotely.
Heather Anderson: Can you tell us about Sydney Paige's current focus?
Courtney Brockmeyer: Corporate sponsors are how we keep Sydney Paige running. Right now, we’re gearing up for Sydney Paige’s Annual Fundraiser Event and we have various levels of sponsorship options available ranging from $1k - 50k.
While we have the resources to make this event happen and the enthusiasm to make it memorable, it will be the combined contribution of our sponsors that will allow us to level up the experience and in turn, have an exponential impact on local students in need.
Ways to support Sydney Paige Foundation:
Sponsor:
To get involved as a sponsor, please email [email protected] or [email protected]
Attend:
Buy tickets to the event here: https://e.givesmart.com/events/x3U/
Volunteer:
We also have a volunteer program for those who would like to help but cannot donate funds
https://www.sydneypaige.org/help
Learn More: Www.Sydneypaige.org
Follow along with Sydney Paige on Instagram at @SydneyPaigeFoundation and Facebook at @SydneyPaigeInc