Inspired by her son’s need for organizational tools, and the pandemic that completely uprooted said organization, Sara Minkus set out to solve a problem. What started as a fun project to keep her son’s school supplies in order, quickly evolved into a thriving business specializing in customizable labels for camp and school supplies, bumper stickers and car magnets, business cards and branded stickers for packaging with her company, Love It Labels. Sara’s dedication to helping families stay organized, as well as her connection and commitment to her community, has propelled Love It Labels forward. Get to know this former math school teacher and overall wonderful human. Welcome, Sara!
Hi Sara! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi! I’m Sara Minkus and I grew up in Libertyville, IL. I currently live in Deerfield with my husband Aaron and my 10 year old son. When Aaron and I first got married we lived in Lakeview close to Wrigley Field and the Southport Corridor. Once our friends started having kids, everyone shuffled out of the city to the suburbs. So when our son was two years old we were happy to find our home in Deerfield and join many of our friends in the same community.
You’re a mama! Tell us about your awesome child.
I have one amazing, sports loving, and goofy 10 year old son. He likes playing flag football and basketball, but his true passion is baseball. He plays travel for DYBA and I’m so proud of the time and dedication he’s put into the sport to continue to improve his game. In April we traveled to Arizona to see the Chicago Cubs during spring training and he loved every second especially when he could get up close to the players and try and get signatures! Other stuff he likes – water parks, Fortnite, dancing at parties, and superman flavored ice cream. He’ll be facing some major changes next year as he will be transitioning from elementary school to middle school, but we know he will adjust well and take on whatever challenges come his way!
What are a few interesting facts to know about you?
Favorite place I visited has to be Italy with my husband – Rome, Venice, Florence, and Cinque Terre.
Scariest thing I’ve done is repelling off a mountain in Israel on my 19th birthday!
I take popcorn making very seriously – I even made a post about how to make the best popcorn!
I was on my high school varsity poms team for 4 years!
Your mantra?
Life related – Do not let your fear of failure become a regret. (This is a recent one I’ve been echoing to my son).
Business related – Don’t lose your stuff! Put a label on it!
What are your favorite North Shore places, spaces and eats to frequent?
Some of my favorite restaurants are:
House 406 in Northbrook
Inovasi in Lake Bluff
Little Honeycomb in Winnetka
Blufish in Glenview
Egg Harbor Cafe in Deerfield
Coopers Hawk in Wheeling
For a quick carry out – Sweet Green or Aloha Poke in Deerfield
What gets you through a tough day?
I love taking a walk with a girlfriend in the morning to start off my day – fills my bucket and free therapy at the same time!
Definitely a vanilla latte first thing at my computer in the morning! It helps me ease into my work day. I make my own at home with a Nespresso machine and a frother!
If I’m having a tough day, I try to give myself a few minutes to lay down and close my eyes and just breathe. Slowing down and stepping away from my computer and phone can help me reset and refocus.
Let’s get down to business. Please introduce your business, Love It Labels!
I started Love It Labels in October of 2020, about 7 months into Covid. My son was getting ready to head back to school and each student had a supply bin. Being the label lover I am and wanting him to stay organized, I printed a large sports-themed label with my son’s name, grade, and teacher to go on the bin so he could easily identify which one was his. I asked my friends, “could I sell these labels?” That same day, I posted on Facebook and EVERYONE WANTED ONE! I sold them for $2, which was a total steal. I had no clue what I was doing and was just having fun! I suddenly had a website and an Instagram account and Love It Labels was born.
I design all different types of custom labels, but I knew that if my business was called Love It Labels, I had to figure out how to make machine washable name labels for kids for when they go to camp.
Customers started asking for them so I started to research how to make them and I kept coming up with nothing! Seriously! It was like a complete mystery on the internet.
This was no easy ride in the park. It took a lot of research, calling different manufacturing companies, trial and error, and testing. Countless hours went into figuring out how to make this a successful product. Now I’m proud to say I get the best feedback from other moms who use the machine washable name labels and most people who buy once, come back and buy more because they actually work! They stick on and stay on! This one product has taken my business to the next level and continues to be the most popular item we sell.
Items that help families stay organized and include some type of label fits right into the Love It Labels umbrella of growing products. Over the years we’ve grown to work with local business owners, non profit organizations, and event planners to help with their print needs. Check us out at www.loveitlabels.com or on Instagram @loveitlabelsbysara.
What is your favorite label project?
I love the camp clipboard storage case – I personalize one big label with the campers name that goes on top of the clipboard with things they love and inside I include letter writing prompts, a pocket for stamps, and a pen! Goes great with the camp notes! Kids can use it for road trips too or anytime of year!
What product do you sell that is most surprising to your customers? For me it would be the fact that you can customize just about anything. I love the personalized caddy for college students.
Car magnets!
What is your deadline for ordering camp supplies?
What did you do before starting this business?
Before I started Love It Labels, I was a middle school math teacher. I loved working with kids and math was always my favorite subject! To me, math was logical and orderly – something I could count on. No pun intended! 😉 Once I had my son, I stopped teaching and worked as a professional organizer part time. Are we catching onto a theme here? ORGANIZATION!
What has been the hardest part of being a small business owner?
Definitely trying to balance work and home life. I love my job so much that sometimes the home life stuff gets put on the back burner. Like when 6 o’clock rolls around, and I still have no idea what we are making for dinner so we end up ordering in more often than I would like!
What has been the most rewarding aspect of owning your own business?
Great question! Forming relationships with other local business women has definitely been the highlight! It’s amazing how supportive we can be for each other.
What’s next for Love It Labels?
Our machine washable clothing labels are just starting to be sold at Ross’s in Highland Park! When you are there doing all your camp shopping, don’t forget to fill out an order form at checkout!
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or Love It Labels?
The work I do allows my creative juices to flow and gives me a sense of personal accomplishment. It fills my bucket! Whether you are using labels for your own business, to help with organization, or simply want a gift, it brings me joy to help you!
Where can we find you?
You can see examples of my products by visiting my website https://loveitlabels.com/. Follow Love It Labels on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe for my newsletter for exclusive discounts and product announcements.