Baltimore resident and avid runner Susan Clayton based WhitePaws RunMitts, an out of doors gear and attire firm finest recognized for its patented, convertible, thumbless mittens with inside pockets for hand heaters.

Susan initially conceived the thought for her glove design whereas serving as a coach with Again on My Ft, which organizes early morning runs with individuals experiencing homelessness throughout town of Baltimore. Throughout harsh winters, Susan’s fingers obtained extraordinarily chilly on runs. In the future, she noticed a pal operating with socks on their fingers and thought, “I might make one thing higher than that!”

And that’s precisely what Susan did when she created WhitePaws RunMitts.

In 2020, Susan noticed a serious uptick in her enterprise. George Floyd’s homicide and the Black Lives Matter motion created a rallying cry for customers to help Black-owned small companies. As one in all solely two Black-owned gear firm house owners within the U.S. on the time, she garnered extra consideration from media and potential prospects.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t till main outside retailer REI expressed a need to promote Susan’s product at choose shops that the necessity to scale her enterprise operations grew to become obvious.

In February 2022, Susan turned to the Empower by GoDaddy program and Affect Hub Baltimore for assist. She quickly discovered to leverage GoDaddy merchandise to determine her firm’s digital presence and on-line retailer. Launched in 2017, Empower by GoDaddy equips entrepreneurs in underserved communities with coaching, instruments and peer networks to speed up their enterprise journeys.

As Susan continued to develop and spend money on her enterprise, 2022 introduced an thrilling alternative to satisfy an order placing RunMitts on the cabinets in 80 REI shops. However provide chain points and the dearth of capital to buy all the material she wanted to fulfill demand posed main challenges.

The occasions of this 12 months had been pivotal for the expansion of my enterprise,” stated Susan. With a mammoth order from REI, I wanted funding badly and so I competed in Baltimore Homecoming’s Crab Tank pitch competitors for $25,000. There was a lot using on this competitors; it could change my life. I might acquire financing for manufacturing and scale my enterprise to new heights.”

It was additionally throughout this time that GoDaddy began filming Susan’s journey for the fourth season of its award-winning docuseries Made in America. As a part of GoDaddy’s dedication to creating alternative extra inclusive for all, Made in America’s goal is to showcase tales of on a regular basis entrepreneurs, notably those that have overcome a scarcity of entry to assets and different limitations to enterprise success. The fourth season advised the inspiring tales of Baltimore entrepreneurs, together with Susan.

“The abilities I discovered by means of Empower Baltimore gave me the arrogance to advocate for my enterprise,” stated Susan. “My funding in myself paid off, and I efficiently received the pitch competitors and acquired the funding I wanted to succeed.”

Reflecting on Girls’s Entrepreneurship Day earlier this month, Susan needed to remind small enterprise house owners like herself that you simply don’t want a giant, world-changing concept to begin an organization. It may possibly merely be about constructing a greater future for your self and people round you.

“All through my time operating with Again on My Ft and now executing by myself enterprise endeavors, I actually imagine that no one runs alone,” stated Susan. “Considering of a enterprise concept will solely get you thus far. You want a neighborhood of individuals to carry you up and help your journey.”

Watch Susan Clayton’s story and all episodes of Made in America, streaming now on YouTube.

Empower by GoDaddy Highlight Collection: By partnering with various native nonprofits around the globe, Empower by GoDaddy goals to achieve those that haven’t in any other case had entry by providing expertise coaching, assets, and mentoring to assist speed up their enterprise journeys. This text is a part of the Empower by GoDaddy highlight sequence that shines a light-weight on the people who make this distinctive initiative attainable.