Tina Caye - Babe Crafted Founder Feature
Our Founder and CEO was interviewed by Babe Crafted to tell the story of her journey starting Clover and how the pandemic helped shape the way she approaches her business. Here’s a snippet.
Tell us about yourself and what you do!
I am the Founder + CEO of Clover Collective - a branding and creative agency for small businesses. I am a person who values authenticity above all else. I crave adventure and novelty. I have an awesome husband who is in the Army (Brian) and we have a 2.5 year old daughter (Quinlin). I love to crack jokes and make a fool of myself. I believe in being a leader that fosters inclusion, wholeness, and lifting up the team to reach their potential and goals both professionally and personally.
How did your business begin?
While I was working for in-house creative teams, in healthcare IT, Government consulting, and Capital One’s Small Business brand team, I worked with countless creative agencies that would just throw creative work “over the fence” with less collaboration and transparency than was needed for real success.
So, Clover was born with community, collaboration and authenticity at the core. We are here to see empathy and emotion brought to life. In an industry full of tired clichés and rhetoric, they strive to get to the authenticity that drives human experience and build brands that resonate.
What's 1 challenge you've faced and how has it effected your business? What did you do to overcome it?
Well, Clover opened about 6 months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and business was slow and rocky for that first year much like it was for everyone, but we had a bit of an advantage in that I started Clover with the idea of being fully remote from "go". So, while everyone else was scrambling to figure out how to work from home, I realized this was an edge for us. We had been doing branding workshops remotely with great success and used that as a key selling point for some of our clients - "hey, we can help bring your team together in a remote way that feels connected, genuine, and engaging".
Those first 2 years were rough, but making any money during the height of the pandemic as a new business feels like success to me.
What's 1 success you've had since you’ve created your business? How do you feel when you look back on it?
I still get really teary-eyed when I think about the signing of our first 6-figure contract with a client. It was a big, emotional moment for me that felt like reassurance that we were doing something right and all the hard work was paying off.
When are you at your happiest?
When I'm traveling to a new place for the next big adventure and set to immerse myself in a new culture and people. My business means a lot to me but it's a bit of a means to an end for me to be able to travel, meet new people, experience the world, and have a real impact.
What do you tell yourself when things get difficult?
Most things in life are temporary. Remember that this day will end and there will be a new one to try it all over again.
Also, growing up in poverty, it's always helpful to pause and have some perspective and gratitude for where I've been and where I am.
