Noun, tre·ppie [treh-pee] a young female entrepreneur leveraging the power of Treppie’s online storefront marketplace to transform her handmade artisanal work into a thriving business. Taken from the middle part of the word En-trep-reneur.
Treppie is a Denver-based online marketplace that has gone national, which sells products from art pieces, clothing, and jewelry, to customized pet accessories and party supplies. All of these products are made by female entrepreneurs who range in age from 9 to 25. Jennifer Andrews is the founder of Treppie, and her vision for the company is to teach, support, and provide a safe platform for young women to sell products.
Andrews, who is a speech pathologist by training, will never forget the day she conducted a speech test on a 10-year-old girl who gifted her with a handmade makeup pouch.
“It was so cute and truly fantastic, like something that I would have bought at Pink’s or Wish Gifts,” Andrews says.
After suggesting that her young student pursue selling the bags as a business, Andrews began finding other talented girls looking for a place to sell their creations. Shortly after, Treppie was born.
By selling through Treppie, young girls will learn basic life skills like how to be proficient with time management and how to fill out a W-9. These young entrepreneurs will also learn important business elements like understanding SEO and profit margin, as well as learning how to sell goods through product descriptions and picture quality.
“Education is everything to me,” Andrews says. “These basic skills can be learned at any age, and the more you learn, the better you’ll be at anything you do. This educational piece is really what separates us from all these other platforms.”
With young females selling products in a virtual market, safety is at the forefront of Treppie. The company guides the sellers through the mailing process and product pictures (not showing their faces). Especially for sellers that are under 18, Treppie encourages the girls not to name their storefronts after themselves.
Many young entrepreneurs begin selling their products on social media like Instagram, and they would receive direct messages and take some form of virtual payment. Seeing how other people were selling products online, Andrews wanted to take safety a step further. Treppie’s financial team is communicating with the potential buyer. Before passing on the order, they make sure it’s a legitimate buyer, so the girls aren’t spending all the time and money on a fake order.
“I certainly want to do everything I can to make this a positive and safe experience for them,” Andrews says. “We do a lot of PR work, like we market their products on social media.”
Next time you’re looking for a gift or want to find a handmade bath bomb or custom portrait of your favorite four-legged friend, check online at treppie.com. This is a great way to find unique and customized products, while supporting the dreams of young female entrepreneurs.
