Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Thomas.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
God gave me this vision of a logo (it was an S conjoined with a P), and I drew it out on a piece of paper, and a year later, I decided to put the design on some t-shirts and try and build a t-shirt brand. I went to my friends and collected a total of $800 and started my journey on what was then called Simple & Plain Clothing. I never had an actual plan; I was doing what I loved: creating, designing, and selling. I am a true sneakerhead, so I just wanted t-shirts to match my shoes that others couldn’t get! I sold products out of the back of my car for four years before getting picked up by a retail store. I had to revamp my business name and logo due to an issue registering a trademark. I kept the same theme and quality with the new name of LAYOP (Live At Your Own Pace) Clothing and the Turtle logo. My team and I just focused on gorilla marketing since there was little social media then. We all had boxes of t-shirts every weekend, and we went through my hometown of Saginaw, Mi., and other cities such as Detroit, Mi. and Ann Arbor, Mi. and Ypsilanti, Mi. After gaining the attention of a few local stores in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit, the brand began to pick up a lot of steam. It was seen on celebrities on tv shows and in rap videos, from the trunk to over 20+ stores, including an overseas account in Germany. After a big offer to buy the brand around 2007 was presented, and I declined the offer, we realized we were putting a ceiling on the brand and where we believed we could go. We made the big bet on the brand and moved from Michigan to Las Vegas on December 31st, 2007. We had to start over since the market was different out West, but we eventually landed a retail account on the strip inside a popular Hotel. A few years later, we landed another retail account inside another popular strip Hotel. After about 7.5 years of selling to those retail stores, we made another big bet and decided to open our retail store in 2016. We successfully operated that store for 6.5 years, and we just recently closed those doors at that location to pursue another location. Consistency, tenacity, perseverance, faith, and, most importantly, God have allowed me to live my dream.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
It has not been a smooth road at all! Entrepreneurship is a challenge all the way around. I have dealt with depression, no money, and constantly being told no on everything I tried. Borrowing money and more money only to still have things not work out. I have had self-doubt and wondered if my idea was as good as I believed it was because doors kept getting closed in my face. The motivation to keep going is not easy when things constantly happen, whether personally or professionally. I have dealt with wrong orders and lost all the money put into that orders. A manufacturer shows one product and sends the sample, and once it is approved for production only, it turns around and sends something different. Now, we are stuck with the merchandise we can’t sell, and they will not accept accountability for the mistakes, and they are too far away to deal with it face to face. I have had to deal with stores not wanting to pay on time although they have sold all of the products, so it is a hassle to get the funds owed to us, and then when they do write a check, it was a bad check so now, I’m operating as a collection agent trying to get the funds owed. I’ve dealt with terrible seasonal releases where you feel the collection could be better. Still, then it doesn’t sell, so now you are trying to find creative ways to recoup the funds so that you can have funds for another season’s release while also needing to keep your employees paid and keep the doors open and on the flip side of everything said above is when you do make it then you have to deal with keeping it and maintaining everything you built as well as everyone looking at you like everything is good in your world. Nothing can go wrong because they assume, “You Got It!”
Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
I am a graphic designer. I specialize in simple yet creative and timeless designs that promote self-confidence through the brand slogan Live At Your Own Pace. I am known for my quality t-shirts and the turtle logo, and I am one of the first people from my city of Saginaw, MI, to make it big, selling primarily only t-shirts. Despite all the hard times, I am most proud of myself for seeing my dream through. I am also proud of myself for leaving my comfort zone and betting on myself to ensure this dream became a reality. Going from the trunk of my car to selling on the Las Vegas strip to my storefront is a major accomplishment. Things that set me apart from others is that I live by my company slogan Live At Your Own Pace. I truly embrace that in my personal life as well as in my business. What sets LAYOP apart is that we have had longevity and outlasted many more popular brands because we have an actual mission that people can resonate with. Our customer base has also grown with us instead of leaving us, which happens with most brands, so we have deep insight into what our clientele is looking for as they mature. We may not be the most known, but we have a true following of people who understand our message, and that following continues to grow and expand worldwide because our message is meaningful to people. We are touching lives and helping people through a t-shirt with a turtle logo and a positive meaning. I try not to follow trends; I focus on setting our trends. In summary, we have a lifespan brand that caters from young to old, and the message applies across the board. We have fans that are 12 years old, and we have fans that are 72 years old!
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is defined to me as identifying a goal you want to achieve and then working for it relentlessly and being able to identify the success from where you started and where you currently are. Success is everything in between where you started and where you currently are. Growth, maturity, and becoming a better human is the success. Starting is a success, and getting over the fear of failure is a success because, in my 20+ years, that’s where most people stall out. They have great ideas, but they never start. Their lack of confidence and fear of failure prevents them from ever implementing their idea.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.layop.com
- Instagram: @layopclothing
- Facebook: Live At Your Own Pace Clothing (LAYOP)
- Other: @iamdre_t
Image Credits
Max Fox
