While most college graduates spend their first post-college summer looking for or settling in at a new job, University of Alabama alumna Caroline Gladney went a little further and founded her own retail business, Dotted Tusk.
Gladney, who will host a trunk show at the Chi Omega sorority house today, founded Dotted Tusk in an extra bedroom in her parents’ Baton Rouge home.
After graduating with a finance degree in May 2011, Gladney returned home and visited a childhood friend recently returned from mission work in India.
“When I went to see her, her room was filled with the most beautiful scarves and jewelry I’d ever seen,” she said. “My two biggest passions since I can remember have been fashion and traveling. A light bulb instantly went off in my head on what I needed to do. I wanted to sell all the beautiful things my friend had brought back.”
Gladney said she was aware of the big risk she was taking, but felt it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity she had to take.
Two months later, she was shopping in the markets of India.
Gladney’s drive to begin her own company was no surprise to those who know her best.
“Caroline is very strong hearted and strong willed,” said Carly Wilton, a hometown friend. “I can’t imagine her sitting in an office; I think she likes that she is her own boss.”
“I myself have never experienced building a business on my own, but I imagine most would agree that it is very time-consuming and difficult, especially when you’re a recent college grad,” said Mary Robin Foster, a UA alumna and Caroline’s sorority sister. “I think it speaks highly of Caroline that she didn’t let anything of these factors scare her, or at least stop her. Since launching her new business venture, I have never seen her so busy and dedicated to making sure she is doing everything she possibly can to guarantee success.”
In India, Caroline not only dealt with native markets and factories to find merchandise she liked but also spent her time volunteering.
“My original co-founder and I both agreed that while in India we wanted to give our time to help this culture that we admired so much,” she said. “Missionaries of Charity is an organization founded by Mother Teresa in India, and it is now all over the world. We spent time in one of their orphanages helping take care of the children.”
Gladney and her then-partner traveled home with nine suitcases full of merchandise and held their first trunk show in August 2011. She launched an online store, dottedtusk.com, in addition to selling in local Baton Rouge stores.
While she faces many challenges dealing with a foreign country, Gladney said she was forever changed by her visit.
“I fell in love with the people and their incredible artistry,” she said.
Dotted Tusk sells a variety of items, though its website displays mostly accessories such as scarves and jewelry – a reflection of Caroline’s personal style, friends said.
“Caroline has always had a unique fashion style,” Foster said. “She enjoys tribal prints and patterns, mixing and layering of bright colors and appreciates having a wardrobe that is truly one-of-a-kind and unique.”
Gladney is currently working out plans to return to India to visit manufacturers and spend more time at the orphanage, but for now, she continues to pursue success as a young entrepreneur.
“I know that some days are very challenging, and some days she may have doubts,” Foster said. “But her strong willed and positive attitude, accompanied with her business background and market knowledge, have created a great foundation for the evolvement of a simple idea into the actual growing business that Dotted Tusk has and is becoming.”
