Interview with Mingo Ink creator and Kansas City native, Tiffiney Schuler-Baumgarden
Tiffiney Schuler-Baumgarden believes in karma. She believes in possibilities, pushing the limits, and happily ever after. For many of us, everyday experiences in our lives help us shape our thoughts, our beliefs and our dreams.
For Kansas City, MO native, Schuler-Baumgarden, the decision to start her own business was easy. She decided to channel her inner entrepreneur and set big goals to give back. She combined her love of graphic design and fashion and incorporated a charitable cause as an element of her new company. In the summer of 2012, she created Mingo Ink and shortly after, the first style of the “Believes in” t-shirt collection was born.
The current collection of inspiration tees ranges from 7+ “inspirations” with quotes stemming from personal experience and journeys. A portion of the total sales for select tees go to local charities. Mingo Ink is currently working with two charities in Kansas City, the Go Project (Global Orphan Project-worldwide) and Generosity USA (local KC). All tees are available online, and available in select retail stores in the Kansas City metro area.
Schuler-Baumgarden is looking forward to 2013. She plans to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters and to experiment with more color schemes and styles. The most recent style is the cropped tee, available online in most “Believes in” options. Read on to find out more about the inspirations and Schuler-Baumgarden’s future plans for Mingo Ink.
HG&C: How did you come up with the name Mingo?
TSB: Coming up with the name was the hardest thing in the beginning. I seriously walked around for days playing with half of the words in the English language- I even tried a name generator online! Then one day I was driving to my mom’s and this house on the side of the road had at least 50 pink plastic flamingos in the front yard! It hit me, Flamingos are whimsical, they are kind of odd but embrace who they are- it was perfect! I ran into mom’s house yelling MINGO – I added the INK and I started working on logos that night.
A week later my boss came back from a trip and had brought me a little pink flamingo magnet (without hearing my story) and I took it as a sign, that’s the day that I made it official by starting the website and ordering business cards.
HG&C: Tell me about the charities that you are working with. How often do they change? And how do you select the charities you work with?
TSB: Right now we have two charities that we have made donations to. The first is Generosity USA (Believes in Generosity tee) and the Global Orphan Project (Believes in Angels tee). Both of the charities are based in Kansas City. However, the Global Orphan Project has ties worldwide.
As we’re set right now roughly $1 from every shirt goes towards the connected charity. One of my goals is to create a foundation that helps small businesses. This is what the money goes towards if it does not have a specific charity. The purpose of Mingo is to encourage people to embrace who they are instead of trying to fit inside of a box. I also 100% believe in possibilities and I want Mingo to be associated with charities that believe in encouraging people to do so as well.
We launched in August and are working on building up our network. I have so many charities that I want to work with that it’s hard to know where to start. However, one of my first goals for this year is to team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I think by mentoring kids, showing that you believe in them and helping them discover that anything is possible you are truly making a difference in their lives and our society.
HG&C: Tell me about the current collection of the “believes in” tees. Are all of these still available for sale?
TSB: All of our shirts are available for sale, If they’re not on there it is because they are being reworked. If you want the original that isn’t available on our online store you can contact us directly on Facebook, Twitter or our Contact Us page on MingoInk.co. I have reasons for each shirt and I’m working on gathering some of the stories that current customers have shared with me which I will then post them on our Facebook, website and my blog, Inside Mingo. For the quotes people are my biggest inspiration. I love hearing the stories of what they believe in and why. I combine this with my personal experiences to come up with what will work and what won’t. As far as the designs I wanted to create a brand that was simple and instantly recognizable. I also wanted to make sure that it had a purpose, which is where the believes in came from.
Believes in Possibilities was one of the very first shirts I added to the collection. I know it sounds really cheesy, but possibilities are my favorite thing to talk about. My perfect night is sitting at a rooftop restaurant with a glass of wine and amazing company talking about different businesses or charities we could start. I also like to think about how I can take something as big as it can go- I think that’s the key to achieving anything. (Available in silver ink on Black V-Neck)
Believes in Karma is one of our top sellers. I love the idea of Karma, it’s like a more adult version of the Golden Rule we’re all taught in Kindergarten. It’s also one of my favorite designs because I get the funniest stories from the people who have bought it! Most of them revolve around the idea that Karma is a b$#@! (Available in silver ink in all three styles)
Believes in Love is perfect because there are so many types of love, and I’ve been blessed enough to have a variety of them in my life with an amazing husband, family and support network… this shirt is for them. (Available in gold ink in all three styles)
Believes in Angels was created for the Global Orphan Project because to so many of the kids affected by this organization, the people who get involved are Angels. It provides them so many opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. (www.goproject.org) However, what I love about the believes in concept is that each quote means something different to everyone. I have unbelievable stories from people who have Angels in memory of loved ones as well as people who believe their life has been positively affected by an Angel- either from someone who has touched their life or an unexplained event. (Available in gold ink in all three styles)
Believes in Pushing the Limits is a personal motivator for me because I’m working on my health and feeling comfortable in my own skin as well as my goal to build Mingo to a nationally recognized brand. When I first started I had so many people tell me stories about those connected to them who had failed- both in their personal health goals and professional ambitions. So Pushing the Limits is for those who won’t let other people’s opinions hold them back. (Will be reintroduced in emerald green ink in all three styles)
Believes in Generosity was created before Generosity USA’s (www.GenerosityUSA.org) annual Golf Tournament fundraiser. The organization was founded by Kansas City residents who believe in being generous with their Time, Talent and Resources to work for the benefit of their community. Their goals are to feed hungry mouths, support fine arts programs in Kansas City and provide scholarships for higher education. (Available in silver ink on Black V-Neck)
Believes in Miracles was suggested to me by a few different people- one who has struggled with infertility and another who survived a life threatening illness. My goal is to build a local connection with the Kansas City Infertility Awareness Foundation as well as a connection to a national medical network to be announced at a later date. Every time I make a Miracles shirt it is a constant reminder to me to slow down and recognize the small things-because they are what matter. (Will be reintroduced in light teal ink in all three styles)
Believes in Happily Ever is a nod to childhood and was created when I was working well watching a marathon of Disney movies when our cable and internet was out. It’s become a favorite for brides to be and can be special ordered in certain colors, you can request a quote by contacting us through our website. (Will be reintroduced in neon pink ink in all three styles)
HG&C: What is in store for Jan 2013? Are there plans for Mingo Ink to expand beyond t-shirts?
TSB: I am so excited about 2013, I just turned 30 and it feels like this year anything can happen and as a result I am making huge plans! We’re introducing a cropped tee this month, and I’ve been working on finding the perfect racer back tank. One of my dreams for Mingo is to introduce a branch of the line called Mingo Couture. Right now it is in my daydreams and sketches, but the theory is that we’ll create great fitting dresses and tunics that can be dressed up or down. Instead of having the “believes in” visible on the front it’ll be printed over the heart on the inside. We are also working with new colors and quotes! I’m playing off a lot of the 2013 color trends. One thing I love this year is that anything goes, as long as it reflects “you”. So we have some neon pink, pale teal and emerald green coming out between February and March.
HG&C: Looking forward to seeing great things from Tiffiney and her line, Mingo Ink. For more information on the Global Orphan Project, visit: www.goproject.org and for Generosity USA check out: www.generosityusa.org.
To purchase a “believes in” t-shirt, visit Mingo Ink’s Facebook, Twitter, and shop online here: www.mingoink.com.
