How a natural dye maker branched out from her kitchen table

Kathy Hattori, owner of natural dye studio Botanical Colors, wants to spend time thinking about plants, fabrics, and her maker community — not worrying about accepting payments. With PayPal, Kathy has access to the funding and features she needs to grow her business and simplify payments and operations.

When Kathy left the corporate world, she turned to what she loved: creating and selling plant-based dyes from her Seattle home. But as Botanical Colors expanded and demand grew, she needed to make the leap from her kitchen table to a commercial studio.

“Once we found a space to rent, the necessary improvements and construction costs were more than we could afford,” Kathy says. “We got a loan through PayPal Working Capital so we could move into the studio, buy equipment, and hit the ground running. Without PayPal, we wouldn’t be as far along as we are now.”

But she also found answers from fellow small-business owners — and from trusted vendors like PayPal — explaining how to accept payments and access business loans. Below, Kathy shares her advice for maintaining business momentum.

Kathy’s tips

Tip 1: Choose a payment processor that simplifies payments

Kathy loves that PayPal makes all aspects of the payments process simple. It lets her send invoices from her PayPal account, get paid through PayPal, and capture customer shipping info. “All of PayPal’s features have helped us grow,” Kathy says. “It’s fundamental for a small business to have a multifaceted payment processor.”

Kathy also gets updates from PayPal as new payment methods become available. “Every time we’ve needed more payment features, it just so happened that PayPal offered them,” she says.

Tip 2: Find funding options that work for your business

PayPal Working Capital loans didn’t just help Kathy expand her business into a commercial space; they also give her the security of knowing she can turn to PayPal when she encounters the unexpected. “PayPal Working Capital loans give us a bit of breathing room when we need it, and quickly,” she says. “I get that added feeling of confidence that we have access to funds. We can navigate unexpected things that could ultimately end up having a positive impact on our business.”

Tip 3: Ensure your payment processor integrates easily with other solutions

Kathy’s happy to let PayPal seamlessly handle all her payments for Botanical Colors. PayPal transactions and processes are integrated with the Botanical Colors accounting system. Easy-to-understand snapshot revenue reports save Kathy time and help her respond to business trends. “It’s very easy to see how much we make over a given time period,” she says. “If we had to gather this data by hand, we’d be months behind in understanding if our business was healthy or not.”