In October of 2015, SweetCarolinaK launched into the e-commerce world selling fashionable jewelry created to replace simple nylon lanyards professional women often wear on the job. Only 45 days prior, these fashionable lanyards were just a product that Christina Snider dreamed of creating. Christina had wanted to replace the customary nylon lanyard that often clashed with her professional attire as a public-school employee. Snider shared that a “nylon lanyard matches little to nothing…and I wanted to create a solution that would encourage women to dress professionally and fashionable.”

The quick launch of SweetCarolinaK can be attributed to the teamwork of husband and wife team, Byron and Christina Snider. The two met in Fargo while Byron attended North Dakota State University and Christina was home and finishing a degree from the University of St. Louis. Christina shared that their entrepreneurial journey began as Byron researched “smart, passive income through e-commerce platforms.” From his research, Byron learned that effective e-commerce businesses needed a focused product to offer the online market. As Christina listened to Byron’s need for a simple product, she presented the idea she had been wanting to create, a fashionable lanyard. Christina told Byron, “It would be a fashionable lanyard for professional women, who are required to wear an ID badge, to use instead of a company issued nylon lanyard.” At first, Byron was skeptical as he questioned the market demand for this alternative jewelry-based lanyard. However, within a couple of weeks, the Sniders embraced creating trendy fashionable lanyards as their e-commerce product and made steps towards the creation of SweetCarolinaK.

Together, Christina and Byron bring key insights to their e-commerce company from their work-related experience in Fargo. Christina explains that Byron “is the engine behind the operation that can take an idea to fruition and profitability… and I am the creative designer that thrives on creating jewelry that reflects current fashion trends.” Byron currently serves as an executive at a large Fargo-based retailer and Christina was employed with Fargo Public Schools for over 5 years. Since the beginning of SweetCarolinaK, Christina has functioned as the Chief Creative Officer and Byron as the Chief Executive Officer.

SweetCarolinaK’s journey is a testament that anyone can pursue the entrepreneurial dream. For the Sniders, the e-commerce platform offered a launching point for a product to meet a simple need in the fashion industry. Christina and Byron could have focused on teacher conferences and trade shows, but she explained that the e-commerce platform “gave a foundation upon which the future of the business could build.” Throughout the journey of product development, Christina has also utilized her network of friends in Fargo to explore new lanyard styles, field test functionality in various work environments and explore their incorporation into different wardrobes. Recently, because of the growth of their e-commerce business and the excitement of where the company is headed, Christina is now dedicating more time to growing the brand, marketing, and products of SweetCarolinaK.

Learn more about SweetCarolinaK from Christina and Byron Snider as they speak at 1 Million Cups Fargo on Wednesday, February 1st, 2017at 9:15 a.m. at The Stage at Island Park.