By Lakisha Meade, CPCDC Grants and Finance Coordinator

Hannah Muller is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the thoughtful owner of Kind Collections. She is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and does most of her work online. Kind Collections is a unique business that offers custom embroidery services such as bags, jackets and more. She describes her target market as women ranging from 16 to 40.

“My style is minimalistic with floral elements. Customers who buy my products typically prefer that style as well,” Muller said.

She has made great success embroidering logos, quotes and various designs on garments for her clients. In addition, she donates a portion of everything she makes to random acts of kindness — hence the name. She contributes to local charities as a benefit that she believes her customers appreciate.

As with any business, there were struggles along the way. Muller had originally done hand embroidery, but she knew to grow her business, she would need to expand her operation and make some investments. These required investments would not come without a heavy price. The embroidery machine that she needed was quite expensive. Making an investment such as this came with a struggle of confidence in starting something on her own. Yet, that did not stop Muller. She used various resources to meet her goals. She listened to many podcasts, read articles and asked a lot of questions.

Muller noted that she attended Native Artist Professional Development training through the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation, and it truly helped her succeed. The more she learned about the topic of business and how to run one, the more confident she became. When asked how she heard about the NAPD training, she explained that her sister worked for CPN at the time and forwarded her an email with the information.

“I needed help, and the CPCDC was able to assist. They were kind, thoughtful, understanding and truly helped me step into the next stages of my business,” she said.

The guidance Muller received helped her begin a true business plan and gave a sense of confidence that this was something she could pursue and find success.

“The CPCDC helped me in purchasing a piece of equipment and made my business possible,” she said.

Time was of the essence for this business expansion, and Muller was happy that the assistance she received was very quick. After completing the class, she was ready to dive headfirst into her small business.

“I received my piece of equipment within a couple weeks, and then I began. CPCDC has made my business possible. Without the equipment they helped me purchase and the business training, my business would not be where it is today,” Muller said.

The staff at CPCDC is proud to serve Tribal members like Hannah Muller and hear their stories. They look forward to following her story and watching her business flourish and continue to grow.

“My small business has become a steady income for my husband and I. We are able to put more money towards savings and investments, and it even helped us purchase our new house. It all started with the assistance of CPCDC,” she said.

Visit the Kind Collections website at kindcollections.com. Follow Kind Collections on Social media @kind.collections.