Trading and circulating stickers has become a sport unto its own in grassroots soccer. Any soccer club aspiring to promote itself at a fairly inexpensive rate will go get 50 or 100 three-inch stickers printed and swap them with fellow clubs or even potential new fans. Chief among the companies working with these lower league soccer teams has been Stickermule. In keeping with our latest goal to research and promote businesses on the periphery of what we love, and basically to find out more about a company even we use regularly, we reached out to Stickermule to get stuck-into their penchant for producing promotional products.

When were you founded and what was the original vision of the company? Has that mission changed since then?

Sticker Mule was founded in 2010. Our founders created Sticker Mule to be the best place to work and shop. That means making ordering fast, simple and fun while creating a stable, low stress and enjoyable place for talented people to work.

The name is Stickermule... not Polybagmule, Charmsmule, or Coastersmule - when did Stickermule start adding new products? What's the thinking behind the diversity?

Great question! Sticker Mule was born out of frustration. No one treated customers or employees as good as we felt was possible. We wanted to do better and set out to build the best way to shop and work. Mules are known for their work ethic which was the inspiration behind the name.

Originally, we planned on launching a different site for each product line, but thanks to our customers the Sticker Mule brand got so strong that we decided to introduce all of the products through Sticker Mule. The diversity of products is based on customer feedback. I don't recall the exact date, but introducing products like magnets, buttons, labels, and packaging options were excellent compliments to our existing lines.

Stickermule CEO Anthony Constantino in the sprawling warehouse (photo: The Daily Gazette News)

I recently added some mule sauce to my omelet and it kicks! However, unlike all the other products, this doesn't fall in the same category - what's the story behind it?

Truth be told, we never set out to be in the hot sauce business. Our CEO, Anthony Constantino does a lot of creative community events in his hometown of Amsterdam, NY. A few years ago, he decided to host "Free Burger Day" for the city and gave away 10,000 free burgers! The team was experimenting with creating different sauces, most of which were mayonnaise-based when someone suggested creating a hot sauce. From there, Mule Sauce was born!

You regularly offer amazing deals and have quickly become a major part of startup businesses' marketing and promotion plans; at what point did you realize how many grassroots soccer clubs make stickers through you and that Stickermule has become an integral part of them telling their business story?

One of our favorite things to do is to walk through the factory and see what's printing. It's a unique experience and made us realize how diverse our customer base is. It was probably 3 or 4 years ago that I noticed more soccer-related orders coming through .

Stickermule offers an incredibly diverse range of stickers, labels, coasters, buttons and more

Now you're doing even more, can you explain how Stickermule is helping during these uncertain times? What services are you offering to help fight the coronavirus?

We retooled our business to focus on essential services support during the COVID-19 crisis. We have removed all non-essential products from our site for the time being and focus on labels and packaging for food, beverage, medical, pharmacy, cleaning, and sanitizing industries. We're also working on more products (masks/hand sanitizer) we can make to help.

What's next for Stickermule? Any new products you want to allude to? If people have ideas for new products, how do they let you know?

We have a roadmap full of promising products. We recently launched Redraw which allows users to upgrade any image to a high resolution, vector graphic for $29! We're always open to new ideas and suggestions! You can recommend and vote for improvements here.

All in the family – the warehouse which homes Stickermule was converted from Noteworthy Industries, the family business founded in 1954. (Photo: The Daily Gazette News)

- Joshua Duder

With no soccer happening at any level right now, we wanted to shift some of our focus to the companies who help to make soccer happen during the regular times. Skadi soccer is fairly new to the grassroots scene here in the US and Canada too – this francophone entreprise de foot is looking to break into the market with original designs at respectable price points. We reached out to hear more about what their plans were before the Covid-19 shutdown and where they’re going once we’re all back online. Entrepreneur Antony de Varennes was kind enough to walk me through his plans.

When was your company founded and what gave you the impetus to get started? Is there are story behind your brand name - what does it mean?

To talk a little about my history around soccer, for the past few years I have been one of the chief editors for Culture Soccer, a French-speaking website, and I am more specifically in charge of the lower division category of the site. I officially founded Skadi Soccer a month ago. I started this project to unite my two biggest passions: Design and Soccer. Before launching my project, I was looking for a name and a logo that would make my brand unique. I also wanted a name that referred to the North, since I'm Canadian. So, I did some research in Nordic mythology and the name Skadi came up. I immediately liked the name and it referred to a mountain goddess. The logo came later.

Who is your target clientele? We've seen your work with NorthPen FC, what other soccer/football clubs have you worked with?

First of all, my target clientele is the lower division clubs whether amateur or semi-pro. My main goal is that each club have the opportunity to have a unique uniform without spending huge amounts of money. Every club has the right and should wear uniforms that represent them perfectly. For now, I have collaborated with a Quebec senior team, Bandjos FC, a few clubs from the Dairy Cup in Utah, Saratoga Springs or MOAB Nomads, and some others. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has put a little pause in the project, but my subscribers will still have content.

Skadi honing their skills by laying out an entire leagues worth of shirts!

We caught a rumor that you landed an entire league? How many sides are involved? Are you designing the kits as well as manufacturing?

First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is not a real league, but a project that I am launching in order to remain active despite the events that are taking place at the moment. So, I have started a "league" that will be based in Eastern Canada. Starting the week of March 30th, every three days, I will be announcing a club with its jersey. If the demand is strong enough, some may eventually be produced.

Do you help produce or design any other products? If not, do you have it on your radar to add a few things to your catalog?

At the moment I'm only making uniforms, but I'm open to anything depending on club demand. It will be possible in the future to produce everything a club needs in terms of sportswear like joggings, jackets, hoodies and more.

Complete kits recently designed for new Washingtonian side NorthPen FC.

Where do you see Skadi in a few years? What will be the sign that you've "made it?"

In a few years, I see Skadi Soccer helping several amateur or semi-pro clubs. Whether in Canada or in the USA, I want my brand to be more and more present. However, I would also like to break into the professional world if the opportunities allow me to do so. So, I think the sign that I've "made it" will be if an American or Canadian club of 2nd or 3rd division approaches me or agrees to work with me. Even though I'm mainly targeting amateurs and semi-professionals, collaborating with a big club would be a great accomplishment.

How can interested clubs or owners contact you? Do you have an online catalog to look through?

The best way to contact me is by email at skadisoccer@gmail.com . Otherwise I am available at any time on my social networks, i.e. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@SkadiSoccer). Also, it will be soon possible to contact me and see my catalog via my website, but it is currently being developed.

Business Spotlight: Sticker Mule

Business Spotlight: Skadi Soccer