Editor’s Note: Great Bend Economic Development plans to announce its 2026 IGNITE winner Oct. 8 at the historic Crest Theater. Five finalists were recently named and include Great Bend Play Place; Little Window Restaurant Group; Sugar Co.; The Book Cellar; and The Zarah Coffee Shop. This is part three in a series showcasing the finalists. Since the first publication, Little Window Restaurant Group has withdrawn from competition. This is the final stories in the series.
Sammy McBride started Sugar Co. from her love of retail and belief that shopping should feel personal. The women-owned boutique is built around one simple idea: getting dressed should be fun, easy and a reflection of who you are.
“I wanted to create the kind of shopping experience where women could walk in, find something they love, feel confident in it and leave feeling a little better than when they came in,” she said. “We offer thoughtfully-curated women’s clothing, accessories, beauty and lifestyle products, both in-store and online.”
The name Sugar Co. is a tribute to McBride’s Grandma Sug, who she said was a huge influence on her.
“I wanted to build something that carried a little bit of her spirit with it, welcoming, personal, fun and full of heart,” she said.
McBride’s dream has grown into two brick-and-mortar locations in Great Bend and Hays, a growing online business and a team of 18 employees. Sugar Co. is now serving customers both locally and across the country.
Women want to shop locally, but they also want the selection, experience and convenience they find when shopping online,” she said. “We’re trying to bridge those two experiences. Our stores give customers a place to shop, connect and get styled in person, while our online store allows us to bring that same experience to customers wherever they live.”
McBride said she also hosts events, new product launches and community-focused experiences as a place for women to gather.
“Sugar Co. is more than a place to buy clothes,” she said. “We want it to be a destination and a business that contributes energy, jobs and activity to the community.”
Sugar Co. is unique, according to McBride, because she offers the most recent trends and styles that customers might see in larger cities, without having to leave town.
“We also keep our product constantly evolving. We have new product drops every week and our styles turn over quickly, creating something new and different for our customers to discover each time they shop with us. That keeps the experience exciting and gives customers a reason to keep coming back.”
McBride said they offer the personal experience of a local boutique and the reach and convenience of an online retailer.
“Our goal is to make current, trend-forward style accessible to our local customers while also sharing our products with customers across the country,” she said. “We want customers to know the people behind the business, feel comfortable walking through our doors and feel like they are part of something.”
One of the biggest challenges she’s faced is learning how to grow without losing the personal touch that made Sugar Co. unique in the first place.
“Growth changes everything,” she said. “Going from one location to two, building a larger team and growing our online business has meant learning how to delegate, build systems and make decisions based on the future of the business rather than just what needs to happen today.”
McBride said she’s had to learn that being a good business owner isn't about doing everything herself; but about building the right team and creating systems that allow the business to grow.
“The most rewarding part has been seeing something that started as an idea become a real business that supports other people,” she said. “Opening our Great Bend location was especially meaningful because it allowed me to bring Sugar Co. into a community that means a lot to me. Watching customers walk through the door, seeing our employees grow in confidence and knowing that our business creates jobs makes all of the long days worth it.”
McBride applied for IGNITE because she sees a much bigger opportunity for Sugar Co., particularly in their online business.
“We've already proven that customers want what we are selling. We've grown our online sales, shipped hundreds of orders across the country and built an audience that continues to grow,” she said. “I don't want to simply maintain that momentum. I want to see what happens when we intentionally invest in it.
She said IGNITE felt like an opportunity to take a business that already has traction and give it the resources, mentorship and accountability to reach its next level.
“It’s given me the opportunity to step outside of the day-to-day of running of my business and really think about where I want Sugar Co. to go next,” McBride said. “It’s easy to get caught up in today's sales, today's staffing issue or today's to-do list. The coaching has challenged me to think more strategically about our financials, our growth opportunities, our marketing and how all of the pieces of the business work together.”
She said it’s also given her more confidence that she doesn’t have to figure everything out alone.
“Having people who can challenge my ideas, ask the hard questions and help me look at the business from a different perspective has been incredibly valuable,” she said.
One of the biggest takeaways for McBride in the IGNITE process is the importance of working on the business instead of constantly working in the business.
“That sounds simple, but as a small-business owner, it is easy to become the person who does everything,” she said. “IGNITE challenged me to think like the CEO of a growing company, looking at the numbers, building systems, developing my team and making intentional decisions about where we want to go next.
It has helped me realize that growth doesn't happen by simply working harder. It happens by working smarter and creating a business that can grow beyond me.”
IGNITE has forced McBride to step back and really look at what they’ve accomplished, what is working and where the biggest opportunities are.
“It has also been encouraging to be surrounded by other entrepreneurs who are taking risks, building something from the ground up and figuring it out along the way,” she said. “There is something powerful about realizing you're not the only person who has questioned whether you're doing it right.”
If awarded the $50,000 grand prize, McBride said she would use the funding to accelerate the online growth of Sugar Co. and turn a proven sales channel into an even stronger part of her business.
“The goal is to use the prize as a growth investment, not simply to cover normal expenses,” she said. “We have already proven that our online business has potential. IGNITE would give us the opportunity to invest in that momentum, reach more customers, increase sales and build the infrastructure needed to sustain that growth long after the prize funds have been used.”
She wants Sugar Co. to contributes to the growth and energy of Barton County.
“I also hope we can inspire other entrepreneurs to take a chance on their ideas,” she said. “I know how intimidating it can be to start something of your own. If our growth can show someone else that it is possible to build a successful business in a community like Great Bend, that would be incredibly meaningful to me.”
McBride is married and has spent more than 15 years in retail. Originally from Topeka, she attended Barton Community College, where she played volleyball. She earned her marketing degree at Fort Hays State University. Her husband coaches baseball at Barton.
“While I may not have grown up in Great Bend, this community has been part of my life for a long time, and it feels incredibly special to now have a business here and be able to give back to the community that has given so much to me,” she said. “There will always be challenges, but there is something incredibly rewarding about building a life and a business that you are proud of.”
Her advice to others wishing to start a business is start before you feel completely ready.
“If you wait until you have every answer, every dollar and every detail figured out, you may never start,” she said. “You will learn things by doing that you could never learn from a business plan alone.
But also, be willing to change. Your original idea may evolve and that's okay. Listen to your customers. Know your numbers. Surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth. And don't confuse being busy with actually growing your business.
Most importantly, don't be afraid to dream bigger than what feels comfortable. Sugar Co. has grown far beyond what I originally imagined, and I'm still learning what it can become.”
