Client Success: Sarah Lorenzen of the Chirping Squirrel

Sarah was a laser-cutter hobbyist, making ornaments to sell at a friend’s shop, in McCloud, CA. The ornaments sold out and the friend challenged Sarah to come up with more products. In 2022, with production exceeding the capacity of her kitchen table, Sarah signed up as a client with the WBC at JEDI. She has consulted with our Business Development and Loan Manager who has helped her with a business plan and to get loan ready. Sarah will be investing in putting a small shed by her house and purchasing an industrial laser cutter so she can go from making one at a time to creating big batches a third of the time. Her business, The Chirping Squirrel (named after the vocal squirrels in the forest around her), has grown to include international wholesale accounts in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. She says that she is spending 40% less by selling direct. To describe her business, Sarah wrote, “I deliver Handmade products from a true outdoors-lover that customers can relate to. My products celebrate small town and rural living while encouraging off-screen family play. I offer customizations for retailers in Tourist towns.”

"WBC at JEDI is my rock, my foundation of knowledge and best practices to build and grow my business from... They are helping me complete a realistic business plan full of cash flow and sales projections. Because of great prep, I've been told by the lenders my application was very thorough and well thought out! I feel there's nothing I can't handle or do with WBC at JEDI on my side. They are superheroes in my book!" - Sarah Lorenzen