In 2013, Teajai Kimsey started Cheerdocious—a business that designs and handmakes one-of-a-kind teddy bears and T-shirts and curates other charming handmade items—to fund her daughter’s competitive all-star cheerleading. “It’s not a cheap sport,” she says. “Many moms have side gigs to pay for the $400 uniform, registration fees, travel expenses, hotels, and more.”
Colorful fabrics are a necessary fuel for Kimsey’s creativity. Photo courtesy of Cheerdocious
From Cheer Mom to Business Owner
Since Kimsey had been sewing since childhood, she began making replica uniforms for American Girl-sized dolls. Then, she decided to try making cheer shoe covers—a protective accessory designed to fit over cheerleading shoes, enhancing their appearance and preventing dirt or damage during performances and competitions.
“These covers are specifically tailored for cheer shoes, as their soles aren’t designed to withstand the wear and tear of the streets,” says Kimsey, founder/maker and curator. “I reverse-engineered the process and crafted them myself, leading to an in-demand product entire teams will order for the season.”
Cheerdocious originally was a place for all-star cheerleaders and their families to find custom accessories like shoe covers, mini uniforms, and unique bears dressed in team colors. “As a former cheer mom, I know how meaningful those special touches can be,” Kimsey says.
Kimsey came up with the name Cheerdocious by blending “cheerleading” with “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” a word she describes as “fantastic for expressing how extremely wonderful, fun and special something can be.” She adds, “I even got compliments on my name from the IRS agent while setting up my EIN.”
Since Kimsey’s daughter cheered competitively for 11 years, including at college, she became fully immersed in the cheerleading world and has kept this niche as part of her business. “When you’re that embedded in a sport, you learn a lot about the parents, kids, and the passion,” she says. “I just cater to what I know about being part of that organization.”
Expanding Into Apparel
Once Kimsey’s daughter headed off to college, she continued offering her cheer-related products while expanding into whimsical T-shirts and handmade teddy bears for all ages. “I love bringing a smile to my customers’ faces with my unique customizable designs,” she says.
Recently, Kimsey has added products such as soaps, candles, and kitchen items from other independent, woman-owned small businesses. “It’s important to support small makers and companies since handcrafted items often get overlooked by the sea of Amazon and Walmart shoppers,” she says. “If I can elevate another woman striving to grow her business, that’s wonderful. As far as what I carry, I’m often swayed by what I like personally, but I also look at profit margin.”
The inspiration behind Cheerdocios is that “life’s too short for boring gifts,” so Kimsey aims to curate unique, personalized, and smile-inducing items that celebrate each person’s quirks, passions, and joys. “From snarky sayings to heartfelt inspirations, we design our products to spread laughter, love, and positivity, one gift at a time,” she says on her website. “Whether you’re looking to treat yourself or find the perfect present for someone special, Cheerdocious has you covered.”
In addition to sewing, Kimsey has picked up crochet for additional handmade items. “My goal is to spread joy through my charming handmade creations that families can treasure for years,” she notes on her site.
Kimsey’s designs allow cheer parents to embrace their pride and sense of humor. Photo courtesy of Cheerdocious
Cheer Shirt of the Month Club
Kimsey spent over a decade collecting cheer shirts as a dedicated cheer mom. “Every competition has shirts, so I started a very niche T-shirt of the month club called Cheer Delights for all-star cheerleaders and their fans,” she explains.
She personalizes her niche cheer shirts by customizing them to reflect the team’s colors, names, and even the athletes’ birth months. Kimsey tailors her designs based on the cheer season’s calendar. For tryouts, she creates designs inspired by choreography camps or tryouts. During competition season, the shirts fit event themes.
Part of the appeal of a T-shirt of the month club is getting a surprise package in the mail. “It’s always fun to see a package has arrived,” says Kimsey, who likens a subscription box to receiving a Christmas gift once a month.
For T-shirt shops that want to start a monthly club shirt club for athletics, Kimsey says the key is that the sport must be something that has longevity. “If kids are just in the sport for a year or two, there isn’t a foundation for wanting something fresh monthly,” she says. “Once a family gets involved in all-star cheerleading, they’re generally part of the organization for many years. Even if they change gyms, the enthusiasm is the same, so the shirts carry over. And here’s another thing: Once the cheerleader is no longer part of the sport, those T-shirts can turn into keepsake blankets.”
Kimsey utilizes every inch of space in her home-based workshop. Photo courtesy of Cheerdocious
An Intimate Workspace
In her vibrant home-based workshop, Kimsey immerses herself in the art of T-shirt and handmade gifts design, surrounded by colorful fabrics that spark her creativity. She expertly crafts full-color designs using direct-to-film (DTF) techniques, which she creates in Adobe Photoshop and sends to her T-shirt vendor.
For heat-transfer vinyl designs, Kimsey enjoys the hands-on process of cutting and preparing each piece herself. She often looks for inspiration online and embraces her customers’ unique requests. “Every design is a collaboration between my vision and my customers’ creativity, making each piece truly special,” she says.
Kimsey works out of about 100 square feet, with customer service help from her daughter. “I’m extremely organized in the space I have,” she says, with the help of her mother’s custom sewing cabinet packed with lots of drawers and storage cubbies. “The piece folds out fully to offer more than 8 feet of space,” she says.
She has a professional-level heat press, an industrial sewing machine, and a Silhouette machine. This digital cutting tool uses a small blade to create custom designs from materials like vinyl, paper, and fabric for crafting and other projects.
On an average month, Kimsey ships out more than 100 shirts. During cheerleading season, she fulfills a variety of orders: 100 shoe covers, 10 custom keepsake bears, T-shirts, and other items from inventory. “When it’s hectic, I’m careful to communicate ship dates to my clients,” she says.
Competing Against Amazon
Going up against Amazon and other online marketplaces is a big challenge for creators like Kimsey. “A lot of people head right to Amazon to see if they can find what they want,” says Kimsey, who offers free shipping on her listed items in the Amazon Handmade section. “It’s one way to get people to take a second look.”
The other challenge is a bigger advertising budget for larger competitors. “I’ve tracked the outlet sources that produce the most income and put my resources in those places,” Kimsey says.
Customization is also a big part of Cheerdocious. Kimsey wants buyers to experience the delight of giving and receiving items that “truly capture the essence of what makes you, you.” She keeps things fresh and relevant by watching trends and what’s featured in other retail shops.
Kimsey’s creativity shines through in every project she takes on. Recently, she designed a T-shirt for a mom whose teenager runs on the high school cross-country team. She’s always on the lookout for trends and noticed the popularity of Trader Joe’s bags, which inspired her to start making her personalized versions as unique gifts. “People love them because they’re practical but also special,” she says.
Her talents don’t stop there — she also crafts keepsake bears, each telling its emotional story. One of her most recent creations was a bear made from a father’s pullover, which will serve as the ring-bearer at the son’s wedding. “Those kinds of projects are really meaningful,” Kimsey adds.
Kimsey offers customization on multiple products like her take on the iconic Trader Joe’s Mini Tote. Photo courtesy of Cheerdocious
Looking Ahead
Kimsey wants to continue pivoting toward selling more inventory from other vendors. “That will allow me to better balance the time I spend sewing custom items,” she says. These items include bowl cozies, wristlets, pouches, and organizational items to list on Amazon. “The site has tight expectations on shipping, so I prefer only to list items I can ship immediately,” she says.
Kimsey would also like to explore upcycling clothing into new items, whether she does it herself or finds a local partner. “So many things end up in landfills instead of being repurposed, and there are so many things you can do with fabric,” she says.
Since the maker and niche product business is crowded, Kimsey suggests that makers research different markets before unquestioningly jumping in. “For example, the handmade candle and bath bomb space is saturated,” she says, “but new, sustainable items are becoming more popular as people become more aware of climate concerns and responsible use of resources.”
Nicole Rollender is an award-winning writer and heads up copywriting and content-creation firm STRANDWritingServices.com. For more information or to comment on this article, email Nicole at [email protected].
