Scout Connection landed on our radar and we were really impressed with the idea behind this shop. They want to promote Scouting values with their products and support LaToileScoute (a Scouting organisation). And, get this, they have a potential customer base of 60 million scouts worldwide. That’s a nice niche to have. And as a former Scout myself, I was happy to see this well-designed site and great designs. We were impressed enough to ask for an interview, and they obliged:
What is the inspiration or motivation behind your shop, and how long have you been running it?
In the beginning, we had a bit of a crazy dream in which it was possible to promote, in everyday life, our affiliation to the scouting movement. We then decided to turn this dream into an ambitious project. This is how the brand Scout Connection was born. Launched in October 2009, the shop then joined the association LaToileScoute.net. Today, the profits made from the shop sales are fully donated to this association, whose goal is to promote scouting through the Internet. At the moment, we are four volunteers that manage the shop: Ben, Mitch, Delphine and Jean.
Where and how did you hear about Spreadshirt?
Do you know many places where it is possible to create your shop and its products without having to take care of stock, online payment and delivery?
How much time have you invested in the shop and do you create your own designs?
We invest a lot of time in the shop We have to manage the orders from lost scouts, offer new products, create new designs… Luckily, we are not alone and the scout community of LaToileScoute.net is here to provide us with designs via contests organized through their website.
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Where and how do you promote your shop to make it known?
Scouting is above all a big family (there are more than 60 million scouts and guides worldwide). Word of mouth is our best ally. However, we also use social networks like Facebook. At the moment, our Facebook page has more than 6500 fans that regularly leave comments. The portal LaToileScoute.net is also a good means of communication.
Do you have any idea who your clients are?
Most of our clients are scouts and guides aged 15 to 30 years old. We also have a few orders from ex-scouts who want to support our initiative. Girls are particularly present and even buy a little bit more than guys! We sell mainly in France, but Scout Connection is meant to be international and our friends from Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Lithuania and even Australia have already ordered in our shop.
If you take a look back: from the opening of the shop until this day, what are the most valuable lessons you could share with newcomers to Spreadshirt?
You must learn to be patient and be ready to devote a lot of time to the shop to see things go forward: word of mouth is good but never immediate. You shouldn’t be afraid to launch a first but not final version of the shop either. Our layout has evolved a lot until it became the one we have today. Finally, you have to try and create a community between the shop and its visitors: our fans are our best ambassadors.
What was your biggest success until now (with or without Spreadshirt)?
Our biggest success was to be able to integrate LaToileScoute.net. Through this cooperation, our shop has gained in meaning and our motivation was reinforced. This collaboration has enabled us to generate more visitors, more interest and thus more sales to finance the association’s projects.
Have you ever met a stranger who was wearing your t-shirt?
On the street or in an unexpected place, not yet! However, our sweatshirts are very popular during big scout rallies and our fans regularly send us pictures of them wearing their Scout Connection product.
What do you do for a living, professionally speaking, when you’re not busy with the shop?
Heaps of things Most of the team volunteers are students or freshly employed. The internships, the classes & the scout activities are perfectly filling our lives.
If you were a t-shirt, what would you look like?
We probably would be our t-shirt “Educated by Scouts”: we have been immersed in scouting for 10 years. Scouting is generally a revelation for anyone who gets carried away with adventure. It offers young girls and boys the possibility to live according to values. At the moment, as young adults, we are very proud to foster the personal development of the scouts that we supervise. We also have a soft spot for the sweatshirt “Before After“, which is from the farthest our biggest commercial success.
Which question have you ever dreamed of answering but has never been asked to you, and what would be the answer?
Do you think that you have changed the world with your t-shirts?
Not yet 😉 We have decided to embark on a particularly intense and rewarding adventure. Our goal is to promote the values of scouting through our brand. To wear a Scout Connection t-shirt is to assert your commitment to scouting values. We are convinced that if there were more scouts and guides, the world would be a little better. So maybe our shirts will arouse curiosity, exchanges and impassioned debates.
I left at Webelos but my brother stuck with it and earned his Eagle. He’s got an excellent work ethic and still studies very hard. I’m really proud of him. He’s now about to graduate from the Navy’s Nuclear Power School.
This is awesome! I became an eagle scout at 18 and am so happy I did. Scouting values are amazing and the program is even better. This is a great shop with great ideas.