Oklahoma FFA member PiperRilee Sawatzky models a design from her SAE-based clothing business, Officially Get Drippy.

Most seniors are focused on college application deadlines, graduation plans and finishing the last year of high school. Oklahoma FFA member PiperRilee Sawatzky is doing all of that– and simultaneously running a successful online clothing store, which doubles as her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project.  She ships products nationwide, with a total of over 14,000 sales. 

Sawatzky is an 18-year-old senior from the Arapaho-Butler FFA Chapter in rural Oklahoma. Having been a member of the FFA organization since eighth grade, she’s seen the impact of agriculture and leadership develop her not only as a person, but also as an entrepreneur. After launching her own clothing brand, Officially Get Drippy, when she was just 15 years old, Sawatzky has grown the online store, creating bold, vibrant clothing directed toward a Gen Z audience. Sawatzky’s business serves not only as a creative outlet, but also as a connection to her local FFA chapter, as she helps to provide them with custom, affordable chapter apparel. 

In December 2023 while she was on Christmas break, Sawatzky’s parents encouraged her to pursue entrepreneurship through creating an online clothing brand. The idea was one Sawatzky had seen on  social media, but never explored on her own. After a few months of developing the concept, Sawatzky decided to open Officially Get Drippy in May 2024. She committed fully by designing a website on Shopify, which she’s now invested over 100 hours in perfecting.  

Sawatzky assists her chapter, Arapaho-Butler FFA, by creating custom, cost-effective apparel for members.

Officially Get Drippy had small beginnings, but has grown into a full-scale business that Sawatzky juggles between school, FFA and extracurricular activities. Now, it reaches even more customers. “As my business has grown, I have connected with even more organizations,” Sawatzky says. “Along with my work with sports teams, I now create apparel for FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).”

Sawatzky’s designs include team apparel, shirts and personalized goods for surrounding FFA chapters — the latter a real favorite of hers. “[My business] has allowed me to support other members and help chapters represent agriculture with pride,” she says.

When a customer orders a product from Officially Get Drippy, the merchandise goes through a concept to customer journey, all of which is established by Sawatzky and her supplier. Before products are listed on her website, Sawatzky uses innovation to create unique designs. Next, the items are advertised on Officially Get Drippy’s Facebook and Instagram pages to gain customer interest and a strong following. 

After a product is purchased, the process gets more complicated. “My business operates as a print-on-demand agribusiness,” Sawatzky says. “When I receive an order, I work with several printing companies that each specialize in a different process.” A few of those companies have specialties, such as sublimation, DTF printing and large quantity or bulk apparel production. Sawatzky contracts with the provider that best aligns with each product’s specific needs.

“This system allows me to meet my customer needs quickly, manage inventory wisely and run my business efficiently,” Sawatzky says. And with 749 products and over 10,000 variants currently on Officially Get Drippy’s website, Sawatzky has learned to manage that process quickly. 

As an Arapaho-Butler FFA officer, PiperRilee Sawatzky remains actively involved in the organization while managing a nationwide business.

With any business comes difficulties, especially when appealing to such a wide range of customers. Sawatzky says the biggest challenge, however, has been learning to keep her store fully functional online. When first developing the Officially Get Drippy website, Sawatzky avoided the added costs of hiring website developers, challenging herself to create her website.

“The hours of time that I’ve put into my own website are something that I’m really proud of,” Sawatzky says. “There were instances when I didn’t think I was going to be able to get it to work. It’s kind of become a hobby, how much time I put into it.”

However, she’s managed to persevere through every challenge. Her advice to younger FFA members when pursuing entrepreneurship is simple: “There’s nothing you can do besides fail, and that’s not a big issue. Just get up and try again.”  

As Sawatzky aspires to attend Oklahoma City University next year and seeks a career in law, Officially Get Drippy will grow alongside her. With plans to expand her brand and possibly hire an employee in the future, she remains committed to her values of making creativity, care and innovation shine in each and every product, one design at a time.