Meet Dionne Sandiford | Thread Master

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dionne Sandiford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dionne, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor is that I did not give up. There were times when the business hit hard times such as: low cash flow, not enough staff, decrease in orders, COVID and these area few examples, I still did not give up. These were the times when I had to hang in there and figure it out. I prayed to God and would talk to Him and say “You did not give me this dream of having my own business for me to fail, so what are we going to do to get through this tough time?”

I do not want to be cliche and make it seem that saying your prayers is all that is needed. It does make you stay focus, lets you know who is in charge and forces you to think about how to make things work. If you have faith and know that what you are doing is in line with your purpose and not just your passion and you are obedient – Then you know things will work out. You just do not know how (this is the faith part) you do know that it will work out, so you stay the course.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My Company is Corporate Stitch an embroidery, screen-printing and sewing company. There is also another division – A Celebration of Us! that makes T-shirt and memory quilts, memory teddy bears and quillows. There was the introduction of a product – Cozy Covers that is a mat cover that is used in day cares.

I am most product that I had a dream of having my own business and I am here today living my dream. I started the business more than 10 years ago as a side hustle and as things got difficult for me in the Corporate sector, I decided that I needed to do this full time.

How did you get to where you are today business-wise. – I knew I wanted to grow it into a full business and no longer only a side hustle and was not sure how to do it. I started to attend different workshops, participated in different programs to learn how to start and grow a business. I took advantage or anything and anyone who was willing to talk to me.

No it was not easy. There were times when I doubted if I had made the right decision. Cash flow or the lack thereof was a major factor. Not having the proper marketing slowed my growth because people and companies did not know who I was, what I did or how to find me or that I held the solution to their problem or pain point.

I overcame those challenges but going to workshops, events and meeting with people who knew the answers. Once they saw my willingness to put in the work and I was open and authentic – they were more than willing to help.

lessons you’ve learned along the way:
1. Never give up. Do the work. It will be hard at times
2, Stay in faith. There will be times when that is all you have
3. Be open to constructive criticism
4. Be careful with whom you share your dreams
5. Surround yourself with people who represent what you want to be and where you want to go. Seek help
6. Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but the numbers don’t lie
7. Know that you will have to deal with some difficult and ugly situations as you grow your business
8. Stay healthy and take care of yourself physically and mentally
9. Always continue to learn about your craft/industry
10. If you are the smartest one in your group then it is time for a new group

What I want the world to know about me is that I am a women of color who had a dream and with my faith and determination did not give up and will always give my all and my best.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When friends come to visit, the first place we go is Falls Park on the Reedy. It is a beautiful park located in downtown Greenville with a waterfall. . It was recently voted as one of the Top 10 Best Downtowns in the country, and The New York Times called Greenville “a national model for a pedestrian-friendly city center.”

We would also visit many of the fantastic restaurants. Since working out has become more important to me – we would go to Unity Park and the Swamp Rabbit Trail

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people and organizations to thank:

Mentors:
Rachel Luna – Certified Master Neuroscience Coach, International Speaker, Best Selling Author

Patrice Washington – award-winning personal finance author, international speaker, media personality and your BFF in your head,

Pastor Courage Molina -Coach

Jonathan Rowland – Business Coach

Organizations:
GVL STARTS
Greenville Chamber of Commerce Minority Business Accelerator Program
The Platform at Greer
Community Works
Bright – Co – Marketing Company

Website: https://www.corporatestitch.com/ https://a-celebration-of-us.myshopify.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acelebrationofus/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acelebrationofus/

Image Credits
Stacey Gardin of Smit’N Photography – for the head shot