Press & Media

Wise Owl & Co. is a veteran owned company trying to simplify and innovate the everyday wallet and deliver it in eco friendly packaging.

Why?

The Wise Band Wallet was created to simplify your wallet. The founder, TJ Schaffer, was sick of the clutter and bulk of his wallet so he threw out all of the old receipts and gift cards he didn’t need and switched to a hair tie. Over the course of a year the hair tie broke down and he decided to finally make the wallet he’d always wanted. This was in December of 2019. After months of designs and prototypes, 300 wallets were delivered to him. The wallet packaging was then made to be as eco-friendly as possible. It included a hard plastic card to give the wallet structure, the box it came in was sturdy as to allow customers to reuse it, a thank you card was printed on seed paper that was meant to be planted, and the package filling was coco-fiber that could be planted with the seed paper. Starting in July 2021, the packaging was updated to cut down on the materials and waste. All of our wallets are now sold secured to a card stock backer.

About Wise Owl & Co.

Wise Owl & Co. has mainly used free social media marketing to spread the word. Wise Band Wallet’s posts have garnered more than 1 mil. views since September 2020 resulting in 800+ wallets sold with only 5-star reviews.
For the initial launch in September 2020, the Wise Band Wallet was only offered in the color navy. Within a week of launch, almost all 300 wallets were sold. After this initial success, a trademark was filed, a patent was initiated, a website was created, and more wallets were ordered. Two short months after launching, it was offered in five different colors: coral, seafoam, burgundy, heather, and navy. With seafoam being the vegan-friendly option. Beginning in the summer of 2021, three more colors were added: hickory, maize, and forest. Additionally, all wallets now come with a more durable stainless steel key ring insert, so the wallet can be attached to a lanyard or keys.

The Owner

TJ receives a great deal of support and help from his Wife, Kara. He served in the military from 2011 until the end of 2020. When he initially thought of the Wise Band Wallet at the end of 2019 he was stationed overseas in Japan. During a deployment in March of 2020, his wife Kara took over the product development. He continued the development of the product through the Covid-19 crisis and through a move from Japan back to Michigan in June of 2020. He and his wife learned each step of the process along the way; product design, sustainable manufacturing, developing packaging, importing goods, patenting and trademarking, and many more skills. They moved to New York in December of 2020 so he could further his education. He plans to continue to grow and develop Wise Owl & Co. while attending school.