June 12, 2025 ⢠42 mins
On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, sits down with Archie Clay III to talk about what it takes to start over after success. Archie shares how a season of loss, anxiety, and self-doubt became the foundation for something new: Brain Love. Built from therapy, reflection, and purpose, the brand represents a shift toward vulnerability, mental wellness, and honest storytelling. This conversation is about identity, evolution, and building a business that feels like you.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Give yourself grace, Like, you gotta give yourself grace, man Like,
because even if you if you decided to start that
business and open up that check account and create your.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
LLC, that is the wind. Yeah, that's the win right there,
loud that to.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Be the momentum that helps you push for those moments
are light up with me, you know what I mean?
So I think we gotta stump putting out like failure
is a part of that. Yeah, And the world trying
to paint this picture of like failure is bad. It's
like no, like you have to fail error or to
move forward.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
He everybody, Welcome to another episode of butteron Nomics. I'm
your host, Brandon Butler found the CEO of Butter atl
And today got somebody special in the building.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Fresh off the plane. Now you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now he ain't fresh off the play. He's been back
for a minute. Man, he's been traveling the world. He's
been doing a lot of amazing stuff. The one, the
Only mister Archie Clay, the third Archie.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
How you doing, Bro, I'm amazing, man. Thank you for
having me. Bro. It's a pleasure as always.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Bro, it's good to see you. Man, it's good to
have you in studio, skin looking glowing, you know what, doctor,
and together we got to stick together, man, we gotta
stick together. Look, Archie will look man. Normally I have
people like introduce themselves and you know, say who you
are for those that don't know. But like, I've been
doing something a little bit different lately. I asked chat
GPT who Archie Clay the Third was, So, I'm gonna
(01:17):
read to you a.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Chat GPT Sir crazy, I'm curious.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Yeah, it has has stuff in here on you bro. Lord.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
OK So, well, I'm gonna read this and I want
you to let me know how how on point this is? Okay,
so this is your bio according to chat GBT Wow.
Archie Clator Third is an Atlanta based entrepreneur and the
founder and CEO of brain Love, a luxury fashion brand
dedicated to promoting mental health, awareness and self love. Launch
in September twenty twenty three, brain Love aims to merge
(01:45):
style with substance, encouraging individuals to embrace their uniqueness and
prioritize mental well being. Before establishing brain Love, Clay co
founded the successful hat company where Brims. In twenty sixteen,
at the partying ways with his business partner. He experienced
a period of personal struggle which inspired him to create
a brand that not only offers high quality fashion, but
(02:05):
also serves as a platform for mental health advocacy. Brain
Love's mission extends beyond fashion. The brand donates five percent
of its annual sales to Silence the Shame and Atlanta
based mental health organization, and Clay's commitment to mental health
is deeply personal, influenced by his father's life blone struggles
of mental illness, and his own journey towards healing. A
graduate of Tuskey University, Clay as a background in retail
(02:25):
and operations, having worked at companies like Target and Burlington.
He also practices martial arts, including movie tie and boxing
as part of his mental health regimen. Brain Loves products
are available online that have been featured in retails like
Bloomingdale's and Saxith Avenue. The brand's design draws inspiration from
the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, aiming to resonate with
cultural moments that emphasize self expression and resilience.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Wow, that is like probably likes.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Amen, careful what you putting on?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
What's the five percent? Though? Five percent is missing.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
What actur because we didn't do anything with sex okay,
and we're still building with sounds of shame and kind
of figured out we want to make impact in that space.
I love her.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
No, that's saying that's like really really on on.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Pointmen man guys coming, man coming man too quickly, So
tell me man again, you start this brand, this brand
brain love.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Like, what what was the mindset you were in when
you kind of first decided to come up with this idea?
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Hurt Honestly, it was one of the things where I
was afraid. I was afraid what was next after you know,
displayed me and my business partner with my first company.
It was it kind of really hurt me and and
put me in a position in space of like depression
and not really know what's next for me. A lot
(03:57):
of crime moments, a lot of days where it's just
like man, and like what am I going to do?
Like I don't want to go back to corporate, but
like I want to get I want to get married soon.
So like it's that man side of you to with ego,
it's like, hey, how do I make this this work?
But honestly, man, it's really kind of like when we
talk about how do we be the best version of ourselves,
(04:17):
it's really owning ourselves, you know what I mean. And
I had to really take a step back to kind
of honestly fix my own trauma, like it staying in
the in there. My dad had a mental breakdown when
when I was around three, and I've never really like
opened that up, you know what I mean, And I
wanted to kind of really dive in that in the
space of like me feeling like this while also diving
(04:38):
into the whole thought process my feelings around the ending
of my company at the pinnacle of the brand, like
there was nothing wrong with the product. We were making
a lot of money, so that hurt too, Like at
the pinnacle of the business and things are just just
go just downward, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So as me.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Myself to kill myself, it made me realize that people
every day are struggling just with regular life and sometimes
social media and our community doesn't really understand what mental
health is and what that align is to. And I
think that fashion is a space of It's always been
(05:20):
a space of confidence, like where you put it on
because you want it's supposed to be. You put it
on for yourself and make yourself feel confident, not to
put it on for someone else. But I think that's
kind of got misiscuted over time, you know what I'm saying,
or what true fashion is, and like, hey, like you
can be who you are, you can have your own style,
you know what I mean. So for me, it's like
I want to create a brand that focused on both.
(05:41):
You can be who you are, you can be confident
who you are, You can be whoever you want to be.
You can accomplish truly what you want to accomplish. But
in order to do that, it starts with yourself, you
know what I mean. But also letting fashion be the vehicle.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
To make it cool.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Like how now cool it's cool to be because back
in the day when I was I was on the
East Side, it wasn't really cool to be smart. It
was cool to gang man and do all that extra stuff,
you know, So now I think it's layers to it now,
Like it's cool to me mentally wellness meant to be well,
have a mental perspective of life, like being a good person,
like doing all these things to help yourself be better.
(06:19):
You know what I mean, and we wanted to marge
those two things together and make it cool.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
No.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Man, look, I'll tell you right now, I've you know,
one of the best things I've one of the best
investments I've made in myself in the last probably three years,
is getting into therapy.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And I tell all my friends, especially all my guy
friends that are high performing, that are here doing stuff,
that's the number one thing I tell them a long
do like, bro, take your ass therapy, go talk to
somebody like because you know, I always kind of joke
and say a lot of times we end up talking
to our friends about our problems. And I mean, it's
cool to talk to your friends about your problems, right.
(06:52):
But what I've what I've come to realize is more
often than not, the basically the advice you get is, man,
you know, folks be hating, right you just sit here
and poured out your soul and telling people what's going
on and just again to have you know, oh, you know,
somebody can listen, give you like frameworks and ways to
think about things, and like just kind of support you
as super helpful. And I think, yeah, especially now with
(07:13):
everything being always on or everybody is, especially in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
I say, it's like very entrepreneurial based.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Like people talk about building your own thing and what
it takes, you know, and and like the success and
building it, like they don't talk about like just the
toll it takes all you.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Oh, it's like really build something, right.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's very very hard.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't think people realize, Like I think to your
point is like this shit hard. Yeah, like it's not
always up. My majority of time is down right, you
know what I'm saying. I think that's the perspective is like, oh,
you're entrepreneurs, so you always get money. No, you're not, like,
you're not like and I think that's what like Brind's
my ears is just like it's this shit is hard,
(07:52):
and it's mentally draining, and if you don't have the
right people around you, you will hurt yourself, yeah, mentally
and the top possibly physically.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
No, you'll break.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I mean, look, I had I had a business one
time and it's the same thing. It was doing really well,
but the infrastructure was all jacked up, you know, for
lots of different reasons. You know, I was hiring, I
could have probably hired, but there's a lot of things
I could have done differently, But to your point, I remember,
I was like holding so much stuff inside that I
literally started having anxiety attacks. Like anytime my phone would ring,
(08:23):
I would have an anxiety attack. And like think about
how many times your phone goes off over the course
of a day, like emails, text messages, just notifications, And
I just had this every time. I would just get
this feeling like, oh God, what is it now? And
I remember like the breaking point for me was I
went on vacation and I like literally had to put
my phone in the safe in the hotel for like
(08:44):
two days and just like yeah, I was like, don't
even tell me what the code is, Like just turn
it off, put in there. I don't even know what
the code is, and just just separate myself. But that
was before again, I wasn't, you know, taking care of myself, right,
And so you know, like what did with all the
stuff you've been going on You're talking about, you know,
taking this kind of like mental and break and everything,
Like what did you learn in that space that like
(09:06):
this hustle culture doesn't teach you that is okay?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Like I would say this, man, I think failure is okay.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of times is that you know,
we make especially in our generation, in our space and
our communities, that failures like I can't fail. It's like no,
like failure allows you to get better, you know what
I mean, and understanding that that's a part of life.
Like most of the people that we look up to
have had multiple failures before they hit the pinnacle of
(09:33):
their success. And I didn't understand it, Like I really
was like man, like God, like why are you taking
why are you taking this away from me? Like I
did everything that you told me to do, and you're
taking taking this away from me at the pinnacle.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Of the business. So now you want me to start over.
I just got engaged.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
You want me to be the leader financially and mentally,
But now I have to start over again, Like what
do you want.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Me to do? You know what I'm saying. So I
think to understand that we can't.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm not sure that all the views are you spiritual,
But for me, it's like I became more spiritual, Like I.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Can't do it. I got I really can't, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I think putting him first in every avenue and every
opportunity is a part of that journey. Of being successful,
Like it's community, it's family, it's your ability to pivot,
it's your ability to grow. But you're also your ability
to say, hey, I'm giving you this first, God like
tell me what to do. And I think sometimes we
forget that it's us. It's just me at the entrepreneur. No,
(10:34):
I can't. I've never done it by myself, never, even
when we're Browns, Like, didn't do it by myself. I
had my business partner at that time, I have my family,
I have my girlfriend at that time, our wife. I've
had all pieces to the puzzle. And you always you
always have to have gratitude in that space.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, now you talked about it again, like splitting from
your business partner again, I think people, Yeah, like that's
that's tough. I mean, you know, business is definitely a mayor,
especially if you have a partner with it. I mean
it's it's tough to kind of go through that. But
like once you had that split, especially at that level
of success, kind of at the peak, like you mentioned,
like how did you actually, you know, rebuild your confidence
not just as like a creative but also just as
(11:13):
a business person in general.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
My family because I doubted myself. I remember shout out
to a min ramina and my wife. I remember having
no conversation with her, and she was like, you can
do this shit again, like let it go because I
was trying to hold it. They want to give it up.
I didn't want to give it up. I was like, no,
I'm not giving it up. Now, We're gonna figure to
figure it out. And she was like, my wife's same thing,
(11:36):
like let it go. It's hurting you right now, I
can tell your hurt to let it go and just
start over. It's gonna be tough, it's gonna be hard.
And at the time I didn't. It was no brain
level idea. It was just nothing. It was just nothing,
you know what I'm saying. So I'm like I'm letting go,
but not having nothing to go to, like what what
am I?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
What am I gonna do? So I think for me,
it's like it was my.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Community, man, Like I can't I can't express enough on
the impact that your community and people that truly want
you to win that can have on your confidence. I've
always been a very confident, but I feel like that
wasn't pier where I lacked confidence because of some things
that was told in me, and that I kind of
started the question like is that correct?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Can I do this again? Can I build another seven
figure business? Yeah? You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
So, like community, family played a major role in me
keeping my confidence and but also me owning myself too.
Like ARTI go to therapy, Archie pray more, Archie get
closer to God, Archie special feelings, Archie cry across to
your wife. It's okay to have those emotional feelings because
(12:44):
you gotta let it out. Yeah, because you hold it.
Like you said, if you hold it in, it's only
going to do more damage to you.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Now where did the name brain love specifically come from?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
So it's crazy as a curty stories. I was in
the car, so me and my wife were just think
about ideas, what's next, kind of opportunity, what we want
to do my future goes. So my wife was like, man,
like I want to open up a cocktail bar, and
she's like, man, brain child be super dope to call it.
I was like, that's a dupe name actually, So like
I was in a car and thought I was listening
to one Buffett and Waurn. Buffett was talking about the
(13:17):
importance of really pushing yourself to the next level and
evolving every single day to reach your pinnacle of success financially.
And I said, man, like that really kind of lies
to what what you're doing as a child. Like, as
a child, you're evolving, your brain is evolving, you're involving.
As a person, You're evolved from a toddlers to a kid,
to a teenager to a young adult, so on and
(13:40):
so forth. So I was like, man, that's a dope name.
So originally the name of the brand was called Brainchild, okay.
But what happened was as me kind of pulling on
my relationships I call complex. It's like, yo, complex, I mean,
I really want y'all to kind of partner with me
some ideas, some marketing ideas, some collaborations. And it's like, man,
we love the idea, love the brand, but right now
there's certain other brand called brain Child okay.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
And I was like, and that was like, bro, what right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
First of all, what God, you gave it the idea again?
Now you want me to pivot again? I had I
created a whole collection based on this concept of Brainchild.
But I realized also it was like, man, okay, take
a second back relax, let's figure out another name. So
I knew I wanted to keep brain, but I was like, man,
how can they still have the same effect and the
(14:27):
same mission and values? So I was like, man, I
said brain love. I was like, you didn't stick for
for y'all. So I called my boy, my best friend, Phil,
and he was like, man, don't put too much pressure
on it, just say it.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I said, brain love. I was like, that's it. It's
gonna stick with it. Then from there and then I
kind of lined like the whole thought process.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Of loving your mind, loving your brain, loving who you
are because at the end of the day, your mind
it's the foundation of how your body works and how
you react to different things and how you were how
you react to life.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And I was like, it's kind of perfect.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But also in this moment, I realized that these are
moments you listening to God because just because it's not
right doesn't mean it's not right, you know what I'm saying.
So it's one of them situations where like he gave
me another idea, but he also said how bad you
want it? Are you willing to pivot again? In this
moment of a pere where you are uncertain of your
(15:18):
next steps in life, you know what I mean. So
for me, it's like people ask me, like, where did
this ideal come from? It's I can't even god honestly,
because it came at a time where I was uncertain.
But also I created brain Love in two months. We
started the process in July of twenty twenty three. We
launched in September twenty twenty three. A lot of fashion week,
(15:43):
oh man, Angela and I literally just called her a
couple days ago, and I'll tell you, as we kind
of go through the thing, we just got some good news.
So I called her to say thank you, because this
community and family plays a major role in how you
how you evolved, and how you push forward in this
journey of entrepreneurship, and you can't do it without them.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Yeah, man, I always I always love hearing how people
come up with the names for things. I know, for
me personally, like I have a hard time seeing the
thing un so I can kind of name it right,
And so what I'll do is I'll literally just kind
of just sit still, you know. I just like it
might take a couple of days, you know what I mean.
It's just like, all right, I'm just gonna wait. Like
that's how Like I had this podcast, like I knew,
I was like, I don't know what to call it,
(16:23):
and I'm just there thinking. One day it just hit me,
just like butt nomics, It's like, yeah, that's it, that's it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Everything else. Yeah, I'm saying I forgot the name.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Like it was pretty easy to kind of connect the
doctor because I I'm very passionate about this man because
I understand, like it's harder. Like I said, life is hard,
But I truly believe that we have this thing that
we say humans are our stakeholders because I believe in
the human being. I believe in the individual, like we
truly can accomplish anything we want to accomplish. We are
(16:58):
the individuals that get in our way, like we get
in our way of success, our mindset and not willing
to sacrifice certain things because we just like it.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh, I like we just talking about fried chicken.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
I like fried chicken, but knowing fried chicken is keeping
you from being healthy, right, do you know what I'm saying,
Like that's a sacrifice I want to tell you versus
getting cancer or having health issues or having diabetes in
the future. Now, that's I'm saying that you can't eat it.
You have to eat it, not every single weekend moderation.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
So it's it's like willing to like what are you
willing to do to put yourself in position to win?
And not just I'm not thinking about myself anymore. I
have a family now it's bigger than me now, it's
the Clays now, So it's like, it's not about what
I want to do, It's about.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
What my family wants to do. So I'm thinking about
that from that perspective.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Now, how do you feel like and even like something
being so you know, kind of mission driven, right, Like
that takes the level of just honesty and kind of
humility with yourself because a lot of people don't really
(18:12):
stand out there on that on that you know, step
and be like, yo, not only is this about you know,
the product, but it's also about the mission. Like how
did you get comfortable being able to talk about you know,
just the mission like around mental health so open.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
I mean, honestly, i think I've always been away, even
with the first even with war brands, like where brand
was built on the foundation my grandmother, my Brandma passed away,
and I want to credit brand based on her. So
like the brands I've always may have always had impact
and thought process behind them, you know what I'm saying.
So like it was kind of easy second nature because
I'm going I'm going through this in real time. I'm
evolving in real time, and like we want our customers
(18:45):
in our community to know we're evolving in real time.
And it's okay for you to involve a real time
and sometimes you're going to take a step back. But
it's always just putting one one foot in front of
each other every single time, every single day. You know
what I'm saying, How can we just want how can
we get one percent better? Zero point one percent better
every single day?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You know what I mean? Because at the end of
the day, we're not perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
We can't be great every single and someone tells you
that you can be great every single day, that's a lie.
It's a lie because at the end of the day,
we're gonna fail. Even when you meet the pedacle, you're
still gonna fail. You can still have deals that may
not go through, You're still gonna have failures. So telling
people and give this perspective of this perspective that running
a business or having entrepreneurship or just life is just easy.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
No, it's not easy. It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
And I want and we're passionate in that perspective, in
that storytelling it because I think that, like I said,
at the end of the day, we can't evolve and
we can't reach our goals like my mom is, my
mom wants to stay at home mom for thirty years.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Mom, she's about to go to get our doctors.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Oh wow, Like me seeing that is like I really
this was just talking to mams Like that is a
true definition of like not giving up, like you don't.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
There's no time limit, man.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Look, no, that's the thing again. You got to constantly
kind of reinvent yourself. And you know, social media and
everything makes it seem like all this stuff is simple.
And look, while yes there's a lot of upside if
you do start and build your own brand, I fully
believe that everybody's not supposed to be an entrepreneurs Oh
for sure, I think I think there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
You know again, like for whatever reason, you know, social
media and that'll tell you like it go starts. There's
a lot of people out here that are stressed out
because they out here trying to build something when they
probably should be at number three or number seventeen or
number twenty at some company and just be happy and
cool with it. Right, But like they kind of here
and they kind of push you through this stuff. Man.
But like, look y'all have been you know, you launched
your brand. You know y'all been going up now y'all
(20:35):
in Bloomingdale's now too, right.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
So that's what it's telling you.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
So for the last year and a half, since we
launched it twenty twenty three or September, we've been working
with Angela and a lot of fashioned where we launched
a lot of fashweed and with that came the opportunity
to do a pop up at Bloomingdale's.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Right, So after that we did pretty well.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
We went from there to doing another pop up doing
Holiday season, which did another did well again, and then
in twenty twenty four we did by Kiss Your Money.
So I'm from we started, we got from we got
picked up to do trunk shows. So trunk show. What
trunk show means is that now they bring you in,
they put your your SKUs in the system. So now
anytime this event happens, like Black History Mode or anything happens,
(21:12):
you can bring your product and let it sit without
you being there, right. So we've been doing that oft
and knowing for like the last year and a half,
and last week last Friday, we got brought on full time.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Congratulations, like y'all are officially in blooming So.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
We will be launching it around June or summer of
June this year. Links will be our first door and
then we'll be working with them to scale too through
the four story.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
About the ind of the year, How does that feel?
Speaker 1 (21:42):
I cried, bro, because I don't think people understand how
this has been a very It's been a rough last
two years, two and a half years honestly mentally for me,
you know what I'm saying, just trying to make sure
that I can still have this dream of really creating
a brand that can make impact, you know what I'm saying.
It will also be fly at the same time, Like
I love fashion, I love putting it on, you know
(22:03):
what I'm saying. And we've been working hard at this
for the last year and a half. Man, and yes
it's we're not even two years old. So it's also
gratitude in this like most brands don't get a deal
like that in the first yeah two years.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So we're very grateful, so much gratitude and that process.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
But also it's like we've been grinding and like we
were literally like a bloom doesn't go to us for
like three months, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
But it's also just understanding that God has us.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
He was timing.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
It was timing because you don't know those three months
you just love but it happened when it was supposed
to happen.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
I was telling my wife. I was like, man, like,
sometimes you just can't sometimes you can't let yourself get away.
Could have easy even like hey, well as clear as
you guys have going on, so we're just gonna step
back and not do anything, versus just saying hey, like loop,
I'm just gonna move my hands and then whatever it
is for me, it's for me, and if God wants
this to be for me, that it's gonna be for me.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
But it worked out the right way, man, So I
was I was super I was super happy.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I always say like, you can't rush yourself to your blessing,
you know, because for whatever, for whatever reason, at least
that's been my experience. Right, It's like when it happens,
it happens when it's supposed to happen, And so you
got to kind of ask yourself, Man, if this would
have happened three months earlier, like what I've been ready,
what would have been different?
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Like so, like, for whatever reason, even though that it's tough, sometimes,
you know, for for whatever reason, it just seems like,
you know, when things happen, you're like, you know what,
I'm glad this happened at this moment because even though
I might have wanted it to happen earlier, like what
I have been ready for, what I've been prepared for now.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I remember my wife asking me because we were talking
about this networking and connecting with people and following up,
and she asked me, like, no, what's the what's the
formula for falling up? And I used to say the
normal stance, Oh, you send three emails in that after
that you let them ride. That's like the corporate thought process.
But the last year I had this shifting perspective is
(24:00):
no number yeah, it's how you feel until they tell
you no, yeah, And that's there is no number, Like
you shouldn't put a number on it until they tell
you no. Because at the end of the day, it's
a business. You're trying to make something shake and you're
not the only person reaching out to these people. So
(24:22):
either you're going to be the be like everybody else,
probably ninety five percent of the people probably stop after
that third email? Are you going to keep emailing them?
Because you just never know what the perspective is on
the other side. You don't know what's you don't know
what's going on, you know what I mean. I remember
having a comeding with them last week and it's like, man,
we appreciate you so much for being patient. We know
(24:43):
it's you know, a lot for you, but we want
to bring you in. So we had to find a way.
So it took us a little longer to figure out
how to do it, and we made it. And I
was like, I am grateful, grateful because this gives us
a space to continue to build it, the team to grow.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, I mean what you really said, I really agree
with Like, like, at the end of the day, with business,
there are no real rules, right, there's recommendations, there's like
best practices, But to your point, man, like, you gotta
do what you gotta do. And if that means I
got to email somebody, you know, I mean, don't don't
get me started now with AI.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah, crazy quick.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I can send you emails every week for the next
twelve months if that's what it takes, you know, So
ted second right right again, but again until they say
you know no, and again sometimes that's I even know,
like you don't even hear knows that much. You might
hear like not right now or maybe, but you got
to like really kind of you know, lean into that,
you know, I'm saying it going, Like, what's been some
of the feedback and just energy in general around the
(25:42):
brand since you've launched it, Like you again, you've had
the pop ups which were going I remember seeing those.
I've been out of some of them. Now you get
the trunk shows like, but just what's like been the
general just energy and reception, especially again as you talk
about like fashion and mental health.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Man, I think it's been beautiful.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
It's like one of them things where people are first
of all, I think it's really very interesting because like
we were talking to the team in Bloomdal's one day
and I was kind of just understanding, like, you know,
where's people's reaction when they come. It's not the story, honestly,
it's a product and we made some amazing, dope product
and everybody hits me up. Anytime a customer buys, the
first thing they say, like, this product is amazing, the
(26:19):
quality is amazing, and which is dope because it's just
like I think, at the end of the day, even
though we were missing driven brand and we're focused on that,
it's still product based and the first time you see
the product, it's the product. You're not looking at you
mnd even looking at the back first, you're making at
the quality of the structure of the shirt, you know
what I mean, quality of the hood, equality, the hat.
(26:40):
And that's the one thing we've always gotten since were releases,
that the quality is amazing. And that's one thing that
we thrive ourselves on is making good quality pieces for
our customers. But also too, it's one of the things
where it's like we're in a space now where luxury
and fashion is a thing, but I also believe that
you can have good quality pieces and I have to
pay thousands of dollars, you know what I'm saying, And
(27:01):
for us like, that's kind of the niche we want
to stick in where we're giving you the best crafted,
honestly better than low Ave and Gucci and all these things,
probably the best, better quality product at a better price
point for you.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That lines to the money the begging are a millionaire
or the six figure guy or the entrepreneur, Like, we
want you to understand that you can have quality product.
And I remember one guy was walking in He's like, man,
he did tall the shirt. He's like, man, that's a
great structure shirt.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I'm just I'm just gonna tell you, for sitting over here, bro,
that is a see the quality as a black T shirt,
which I truly am.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I can tell you right now. I can see the quality.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And the thing about it.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Man, we want to get better, Like I'm literally going
to Columbia in July to start sourcing more textiles and
more materials because for us, as we evolve, we want
to become fully clean, meaning that getting cottons like no synsthetic, synthetics,
no polyester, none of that stuff. Because the end of
the day, it's like, if we want to true be
the pinnacle of wellness and mental thought processing, your body
(28:03):
and put your body first. It's some material to put
your body as well. Yeah, you know what I'm saying,
but also not saying that we're gonna be charging you
one hundred dollars for a T shirt, you know what
I mean. No, Like, we're gonna give you quality stuff,
quality pieces like a regular white T shirt, you know,
a pack of T shirts for good quality. Got your
of course you got high quality stuff like this that
may be one hundred and so on, but we want
to keep our price pumps between probably a pair of
(28:25):
wise between one hundred and five hundred dollars, but the
best material that you that you will ever see.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And I love you talking about like getting sourced materials.
Just just real quick, like what is that process like?
Because you know I love you, just kind of like
share what that process looks like, because again, I think
people think about starting I don't want I don't want
to relegate what you're doing to just T shirts. You
started apparel, but you started a company, right, but like, yeah,
you do have to go out here and actually find
(28:51):
the right kind of partners and for stufacturers and stuff.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Like what was that experience?
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Like?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
No, it was dope, man, And I love the production
and the production development side of the product, because you
have to really sit and like really take your time
to figure out what type of item that you want.
But for some reason, I do very well in this space.
The first shirt I picked was it. This was the
first one I didn't I didn't take it's crazy. I
(29:16):
crry you to sit like. I didn't have to go
through multiple samples. The first sample, I just paid it to.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I know what I knew in my head. I knew
what I wanted.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I knew the thes gs M, I knew this quality
and the heaviness of the shirt, the heaviness of the hoodie.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
We did update the hoodie twice, but the.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Shirt we did it once, you know, and I knew
I wanted to kind of have that minimum lissit perspective
on the front, but also a storytelling went back and
the first collection was called love You because for me
at the time period, I was in the process of
like trying to love myself more. And I realized that
this can be pushed to people as well, because people
are probably just regular people trying to love themselves more
(29:55):
and having a product that they can speak to. You
know what I'm saying and like in the back of
the shirt, it starts off as this shirt represents these things,
this energy and this perspective. You know what I'm saying.
So you're wearing this shirt. You see somebody wearing a shirt,
they probably have the same perspective that you have. You
know what I'm saying, that's the energy, that's the community
right there. And by that, it's fostering evolution, evolving in
(30:18):
like how people really react to clothing because clothing, it's
hip hop, clothing is culture, you know what I'm saying,
Like that's what it is. So like why can't it
not be a line to something dope and something impactfuls
to your everyday life? Man, So for us man in
the beginning, like I think now we're about to like
now it's like cool, we want Jeane jackets, we want
(30:38):
long coats, we want we got to have this whole perspective.
And when you read the check chat talks about the
seventies and the sixties, Like that's a whole perspective, Like
really taking that perspective and modernizing it now giving you
dope pieces that aligned to that culture and that perspective.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Yeah, you know, I know you just recently got back
on the trip from Japan, y'all in Thailand, Like just
when you do these trips, especially with the kind of
work you do, Like how does that change the way
(31:15):
you think about just like culture and product and life
in general.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Man, Because I think, Man, one thing I did realize
when I went over there is just like the level
of the level of cleanness is different than the United States,
for example.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
The USA kind of ghetto. Ain't gonna lie the more
you go overseas.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Like listen, I'm gonna tell you that.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
I'm gonna tell you this, man, Like even just from water,
like you know, Japan has a good clean water system,
like you probably got the tap, like they have futual system.
But when you get a bottle water there in the
in the the hotel, you get about four of them.
It's in a glass bottle, right, and every time you leave,
they recycled. They recycled it. You finish them, you leave
(31:58):
them there, they come get them. You know what I'm saying.
Cleanness is more it's more accessible. It's not here being
rich and having money, you get more access to organic things,
organic food, organic clothing, organic.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Furnish or whatever.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Like over there, that's a lifestyle, like it's not that's
not a status thing, like of course nice hotels things
that nature, but like even the steak, you get a
steak everywhere. Now, I'm sure there's levels to it. Yeah,
but like wago is their main promotion, wygle here. It's
like where are.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
We gonna get waggle here?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Wagous, Like we spend there nothing out there, but it
also maybe realized like that's why I want my brain
to be bro Like I want to give people high quality,
but I wanted to be accessible like I don't. It's
of course, if you got money, you can buy it too,
but if you're trying to get a check, you can
still get it too, you know what I'm saying. Like
that's what I got over there, Like everything is. Every
(33:00):
brand has its own aesthetic and how they push their
storytelling into the world.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
But it's all quality. Yeah, but even they have like
a main brand out there that everybody shops.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
I forgot, but it's quality, like sustainable quality, very high
quality pieces, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And it's cheaper, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Like I was looking at some shoes I bought so Knakis,
Tigers and a Knaki Tigers. I spent like one ten
they cost two hundred over here.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
See telling you man, you get out there, you start,
you start noticing stuff. Man, I'm telling you now a
lot of people want to grow, but they don't know
where to start. They don't know how to start. And
like one thing you've I've heard you say a couple
of times is like your evolution starts with you. Like
what do you think is the first step that multiple
miss when it comes to just getting started?
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Confidence?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Like you, especially if you want to go in the
entrepreneurship world, Like you have to find your own way
of keeping yourself confident. Yeah, because they're gonna be perious
where you're going, dott your confidence, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So, Like, honestly, I don't know. I don't know how
you build confidence. I think you have.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
It has to be one of them things where you
gotta just own it, you know what I'm saying, and
allow yourself to fail and be okay with that, you
know what I'm saying. And I think that's one thing
where I realize for myself is that I'm okay with felling,
but I know I'm gonna win, you know, what I'm saying.
But also it's one of them things too, is like
you have to be honest with yourself. I think a
(34:27):
lot of arrepreneurs got all these ideas, but not honestly
if it's a good idea, you know what I'm saying.
So that's one thing I realize this too, is like
we talked about this, it's like, if if your product sucks,
it sucks, don't try to like defend it. If it sucks,
if it ain't selling, that means that you need to
fix some things. If the service is not selling, it
(34:49):
means you got to adjust some things, you know what
I'm saying. So I think it's having confidence to believe
in your ability to fix it.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
I think I think what confidence confidence comes from. To
your point, just it's trying and it's you know, and
it's trying and it's failing. I mean, you win too,
but you know a lot of people are so scared
of failure, right that they don't try. And what I've
learned is that you know, that's where the experience and
the confidence comes from. Because even again, like you know,
(35:17):
I was I was talking to somebody around here, and
like I was telling them, I was like look like, yo,
you're young, Go go do the thing. Like worst case scenario,
it doesn't work out, you just come back here and
do something else. What I can tell you is that
even though I have tried many things and not everything
is worked, nobody has ever laughed at me. Right, nobody,
(35:38):
nobody's ever like put something up on. But like, ah, Brandon,
you tried and you sucked at this, you know what
I'm saying. And so again we we kind of have
this idea of like we're gonna get laughed at and
talked about if we take a step and get out there.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Like I hate to tell y'all, man, people don't care
that much, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Like not that they don't care, but they don't unless
you just got enemies and people that just hate you.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
If you try it doesn't work, there's nobody there to
sit here and hold up a failing in your face.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Also, it's like you're not popping here. Yeah, the other part,
it's like you're not popping. So you're putting too much
pressure in yourself to be something that no one's looking for.
And I'm looking for you to be No one's looking
for me to be the best brand in the world
right now. They just wants forbud whoever shopping with us
right now, it wants to best customer service and a
good product right now.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
That would change if we start as we start to scale,
where the pressures become more and then people are looking
for more as you get higher up the chain. When
you're first starting up, no one's looking for you to
be perfect, you know what I'm saying. Like, no one's
looking for that, you know what I mean. So you
have space to fail, and you have space to give
yourself give yourself grace, Like you got to give yourself grace, man, Like,
(36:47):
give yourself grace because even if you if you decide
to sign that to start that business and open up
that check account and create your LLC, that is the wind.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Yeah, that's the win right there.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Allowed that to be momentum, that allowed that to be
the momentum that helps you push forward. I'm reading this
book called The artor Impossible, and it talks about those
moments are like dopamine where it continues to put a
rush on your body. So every time you feel that
it gets more, you know what I'm saying. And it
talks about like and to be a high performer. It's everything.
It's great, it's mindfulness, it's being able to pivot. It's
(37:24):
not one of the other. You have to have all
these things if you want to be successful. I ain't
talking about repreneurship. IM talking about this successful in general,
you know what I mean. So I think we got
to stop putting out like failure is a part of
that and the world trying to paint this picture of
like failure is bad.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
It's like no, like you have to failure or to
move forward.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
And like even this failure, like failure just means like
you didn't potentially accomplish what you want to. It doesn't
mean that you like crashed and turned and lost everything, right,
Like you know, if you're trying to go somewhere you
didn't get like okay, I failed to get where I
was going, right, But that doesn't mean that like you died,
you know what I mean. And again I think that
like for whatever reason, we just have we think in
(38:04):
these extremes, right, And that's something I just really want
people to just understand, right, Like, yes, even if you
quote unquote failed, that just means that you whatever mark
you might have hit or tried to hit, you didn't
hit But that means it's not the worst possible version
of how you did not hit that mark.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
You didn't go bankrupt, You're not you know, you're not homeless.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
You know.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
You know what I'm saying, Like you didn't lose everything,
You just you didn't get the thing you want to
get done. And guess what, because you didn't have all
those now you can still get up and try again.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Right Bill's characters too. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
That builds your ability to become a leader, because you
can't lead people without understanding and experiencing what they're going
to when real tim as well, Yeah, you know what
I mean, because we all go through the struggle, we
all go through peers of doubt, we all go through
peers are not reaching our goals, you know what I'm saying.
And that's a part of life, and that's a part
of being a leader, but also being a leaders allowing
yourself to be able to pick people up.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
But you can't pick people up if you can't pick yourself.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Yeah, I mean, I'm seeing, like, you know, one of
the reasons why I I could I do a lot.
I've done a lot of stuff over my life and
people you know, and it's just funny man. People like
and that's why when it comes to things I don't,
I'm like, oh, yeah, you just do this early. Yeah,
that's that's what it takes you.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Like, how do you know?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
It's I've done so much and guess what, I'm still here,
Like so I just have all these random experiences and
knowledge from like trying and I've tried lots of different
things that either worked, they didn't work, they kind of
sort of worked. But like I said, it just what
it allows me to do is just it's like, no, y'all,
it's all we got to do.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Is this right?
Speaker 4 (39:27):
And I have to do it.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
I have to do a better job some times of
unpacking the why because it's all up here. But I'm like, no,
it's not that. It's not that crazy.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Man.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
But like look, man, like looking back, what would the
the you from you know, the where Brims era, you know,
say about where you are right now.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I'm proud of you. I know you didn't see this coming.
I know you didn't see this coming. I know you didn't.
I know you thought that Where Brands is going to
be your legacy company.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
You know what I mean? I'm proud of you. I'm
proud of you for sticking in. I'm proud of you
for pivoting. I'm proud of you for allowing your community
to motivate inspire you. I'm proud of you for showing
up for your grandmother. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Hey man, look man, this has been dope. This has
been an amazing conversation. Chars before you out of here, Man,
tell folks man, how can they support you? How can
they support brain Love? Like, give them all the thing man.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
You can of course shop brain Love at www dot
brain Love dot store. You can churs falls on Instagram
Undersquare Official. We will be having an a Dope launch
party very soon, so we're giving the details out to
the community and the family.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
So please show up.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Like, in order for us to continue to win and grow,
we need you how to buy, so you gotta support,
so you know, please come out show love. But also too,
I would say this man, like, never give up. Possibilities
are endless, you.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Know what I mean. Like, I'm a product of that,
Brandon is a product of that. And just keep pushing
for it. Man.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
We have the ability to really reach our goals. Whenever
that go that name that looks like for yourself, you
know what I mean. Never give up and never allow
yourself to have doubt yourself. And if you do have
doubt yourself, just talk to yourself, talk yourself out of
that perspective and keep pushing for it. Because if whatever
guy has for you, he has it for you for
a reason, and then you can accomplish and you can't
touch it.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
Yeah, and if you can't talk yourself, talk to Jack
ChiPT that's real man, Archie Man, I appreciate you. Pull
it up.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Man, it's been the amazing conversation. Congratulations on everything that
you are continuing to build. Wish you nothing with good success.
Brothers to bro you know what I'm saying. And with
that said, man, we out.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
That's the pod pe.
Speaker 3 (41:41):
You've been listening to button Nomics and I'm your host,
Brandon Butler. Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show,
Send us an email today at hello at butternomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is produced in Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia by
Casey Pegram, with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
If you haven't already hit that subscribe button and never
miss an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot at L. Listen
to Better Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Give yourself grace, Like, you gotta give yourself grace, man Like,
because even if you if you decided to start that
business and open up that check account and create your.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
LLC, that is the wind. Yeah, that's the win right there,
loud that to.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Be the momentum that helps you push for those moments
are light up with me, you know what I mean?
So I think we gotta stump putting out like failure
is a part of that. Yeah, And the world trying
to paint this picture of like failure is bad. It's
like no, like you have to fail error or to
move forward.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
He everybody, Welcome to another episode of butteron Nomics. I'm
your host, Brandon Butler found the CEO of Butter atl
And today got somebody special in the building.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Fresh off the plane. Now you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now he ain't fresh off the play. He's been back
for a minute. Man, he's been traveling the world. He's
been doing a lot of amazing stuff. The one, the
Only mister Archie Clay, the third Archie.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
How you doing, Bro, I'm amazing, man. Thank you for
having me. Bro. It's a pleasure as always.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Bro, it's good to see you. Man, it's good to
have you in studio, skin looking glowing, you know what, doctor,
and together we got to stick together, man, we gotta
stick together. Look, Archie will look man. Normally I have
people like introduce themselves and you know, say who you
are for those that don't know. But like, I've been
doing something a little bit different lately. I asked chat
GPT who Archie Clay the Third was, So, I'm gonna
(01:17):
read to you a.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Chat GPT Sir crazy, I'm curious.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Yeah, it has has stuff in here on you bro. Lord.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
OK So, well, I'm gonna read this and I want
you to let me know how how on point this is? Okay,
so this is your bio according to chat GBT Wow.
Archie Clator Third is an Atlanta based entrepreneur and the
founder and CEO of brain Love, a luxury fashion brand
dedicated to promoting mental health, awareness and self love. Launch
in September twenty twenty three, brain Love aims to merge
(01:45):
style with substance, encouraging individuals to embrace their uniqueness and
prioritize mental well being. Before establishing brain Love, Clay co
founded the successful hat company where Brims. In twenty sixteen,
at the partying ways with his business partner. He experienced
a period of personal struggle which inspired him to create
a brand that not only offers high quality fashion, but
(02:05):
also serves as a platform for mental health advocacy. Brain
Love's mission extends beyond fashion. The brand donates five percent
of its annual sales to Silence the Shame and Atlanta
based mental health organization, and Clay's commitment to mental health
is deeply personal, influenced by his father's life blone struggles
of mental illness, and his own journey towards healing. A
graduate of Tuskey University, Clay as a background in retail
(02:25):
and operations, having worked at companies like Target and Burlington.
He also practices martial arts, including movie tie and boxing
as part of his mental health regimen. Brain Loves products
are available online that have been featured in retails like
Bloomingdale's and Saxith Avenue. The brand's design draws inspiration from
the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, aiming to resonate with
cultural moments that emphasize self expression and resilience.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Wow, that is like probably likes.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Amen, careful what you putting on?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (03:01):
What's the five percent? Though? Five percent is missing.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
What actur because we didn't do anything with sex okay,
and we're still building with sounds of shame and kind
of figured out we want to make impact in that space.
I love her.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
No, that's saying that's like really really on on.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Pointmen man guys coming, man coming man too quickly, So
tell me man again, you start this brand, this brand
brain love.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Like, what what was the mindset you were in when
you kind of first decided to come up with this idea?
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Hurt Honestly, it was one of the things where I
was afraid. I was afraid what was next after you know,
displayed me and my business partner with my first company.
It was it kind of really hurt me and and
put me in a position in space of like depression
and not really know what's next for me. A lot
(03:57):
of crime moments, a lot of days where it's just
like man, and like what am I going to do?
Like I don't want to go back to corporate, but
like I want to get I want to get married soon.
So like it's that man side of you to with ego,
it's like, hey, how do I make this this work?
But honestly, man, it's really kind of like when we
talk about how do we be the best version of ourselves,
(04:17):
it's really owning ourselves, you know what I mean. And
I had to really take a step back to kind
of honestly fix my own trauma, like it staying in
the in there. My dad had a mental breakdown when
when I was around three, and I've never really like
opened that up, you know what I mean, And I
wanted to kind of really dive in that in the
space of like me feeling like this while also diving
(04:38):
into the whole thought process my feelings around the ending
of my company at the pinnacle of the brand, like
there was nothing wrong with the product. We were making
a lot of money, so that hurt too, Like at
the pinnacle of the business and things are just just
go just downward, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So as me.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Myself to kill myself, it made me realize that people
every day are struggling just with regular life and sometimes
social media and our community doesn't really understand what mental
health is and what that align is to. And I
think that fashion is a space of It's always been
(05:20):
a space of confidence, like where you put it on
because you want it's supposed to be. You put it
on for yourself and make yourself feel confident, not to
put it on for someone else. But I think that's
kind of got misiscuted over time, you know what I'm saying,
or what true fashion is, and like, hey, like you
can be who you are, you can have your own style,
you know what I mean. So for me, it's like
I want to create a brand that focused on both.
(05:41):
You can be who you are, you can be confident
who you are, You can be whoever you want to be.
You can accomplish truly what you want to accomplish. But
in order to do that, it starts with yourself, you
know what I mean. But also letting fashion be the vehicle.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
To make it cool.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Like how now cool it's cool to be because back
in the day when I was I was on the
East Side, it wasn't really cool to be smart. It
was cool to gang man and do all that extra stuff,
you know, So now I think it's layers to it now,
Like it's cool to me mentally wellness meant to be well,
have a mental perspective of life, like being a good person,
like doing all these things to help yourself be better.
(06:19):
You know what I mean, and we wanted to marge
those two things together and make it cool.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
No.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Man, look, I'll tell you right now, I've you know,
one of the best things I've one of the best
investments I've made in myself in the last probably three years,
is getting into therapy.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And I tell all my friends, especially all my guy
friends that are high performing, that are here doing stuff,
that's the number one thing I tell them a long
do like, bro, take your ass therapy, go talk to
somebody like because you know, I always kind of joke
and say a lot of times we end up talking
to our friends about our problems. And I mean, it's
cool to talk to your friends about your problems, right.
(06:52):
But what I've what I've come to realize is more
often than not, the basically the advice you get is, man,
you know, folks be hating, right you just sit here
and poured out your soul and telling people what's going
on and just again to have you know, oh, you know,
somebody can listen, give you like frameworks and ways to
think about things, and like just kind of support you
as super helpful. And I think, yeah, especially now with
(07:13):
everything being always on or everybody is, especially in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
I say, it's like very entrepreneurial based.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Like people talk about building your own thing and what
it takes, you know, and and like the success and
building it, like they don't talk about like just the
toll it takes all you.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Oh, it's like really build something, right.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's very very hard.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I don't think people realize, Like I think to your
point is like this shit hard. Yeah, like it's not
always up. My majority of time is down right, you
know what I'm saying. I think that's the perspective is like, oh,
you're entrepreneurs, so you always get money. No, you're not, like,
you're not like and I think that's what like Brind's
my ears is just like it's this shit is hard,
(07:52):
and it's mentally draining, and if you don't have the
right people around you, you will hurt yourself, yeah, mentally
and the top possibly physically.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
No, you'll break.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I mean, look, I had I had a business one
time and it's the same thing. It was doing really well,
but the infrastructure was all jacked up, you know, for
lots of different reasons. You know, I was hiring, I
could have probably hired, but there's a lot of things
I could have done differently, But to your point, I remember,
I was like holding so much stuff inside that I
literally started having anxiety attacks. Like anytime my phone would ring,
(08:23):
I would have an anxiety attack. And like think about
how many times your phone goes off over the course
of a day, like emails, text messages, just notifications, And
I just had this every time. I would just get
this feeling like, oh God, what is it now? And
I remember like the breaking point for me was I
went on vacation and I like literally had to put
my phone in the safe in the hotel for like
(08:44):
two days and just like yeah, I was like, don't
even tell me what the code is, Like just turn
it off, put in there. I don't even know what
the code is, and just just separate myself. But that
was before again, I wasn't, you know, taking care of myself, right,
And so you know, like what did with all the
stuff you've been going on You're talking about, you know,
taking this kind of like mental and break and everything,
Like what did you learn in that space that like
(09:06):
this hustle culture doesn't teach you that is okay?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Like I would say this, man, I think failure is okay.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of times is that you know,
we make especially in our generation, in our space and
our communities, that failures like I can't fail. It's like no,
like failure allows you to get better, you know what
I mean, and understanding that that's a part of life.
Like most of the people that we look up to
have had multiple failures before they hit the pinnacle of
(09:33):
their success. And I didn't understand it, Like I really
was like man, like God, like why are you taking
why are you taking this away from me? Like I
did everything that you told me to do, and you're
taking taking this away from me at the pinnacle.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Of the business. So now you want me to start over.
I just got engaged.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
You want me to be the leader financially and mentally,
But now I have to start over again, Like what
do you want.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Me to do? You know what I'm saying. So I
think to understand that we can't.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm not sure that all the views are you spiritual,
But for me, it's like I became more spiritual, Like I.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Can't do it. I got I really can't, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I think putting him first in every avenue and every
opportunity is a part of that journey. Of being successful,
Like it's community, it's family, it's your ability to pivot,
it's your ability to grow. But you're also your ability
to say, hey, I'm giving you this first, God like
tell me what to do. And I think sometimes we
forget that it's us. It's just me at the entrepreneur. No,
(10:34):
I can't. I've never done it by myself, never, even
when we're Browns, Like, didn't do it by myself. I
had my business partner at that time, I have my family,
I have my girlfriend at that time, our wife. I've
had all pieces to the puzzle. And you always you
always have to have gratitude in that space.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, now you talked about it again, like splitting from
your business partner again, I think people, Yeah, like that's
that's tough. I mean, you know, business is definitely a mayor,
especially if you have a partner with it. I mean
it's it's tough to kind of go through that. But
like once you had that split, especially at that level
of success, kind of at the peak, like you mentioned,
like how did you actually, you know, rebuild your confidence
not just as like a creative but also just as
(11:13):
a business person in general.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
My family because I doubted myself. I remember shout out
to a min ramina and my wife. I remember having
no conversation with her, and she was like, you can
do this shit again, like let it go because I
was trying to hold it. They want to give it up.
I didn't want to give it up. I was like, no,
I'm not giving it up. Now, We're gonna figure to
figure it out. And she was like, my wife's same thing,
(11:36):
like let it go. It's hurting you right now, I
can tell your hurt to let it go and just
start over. It's gonna be tough, it's gonna be hard.
And at the time I didn't. It was no brain
level idea. It was just nothing. It was just nothing,
you know what I'm saying. So I'm like I'm letting go,
but not having nothing to go to, like what what
am I?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
What am I gonna do? So I think for me,
it's like it was my.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Community, man, Like I can't I can't express enough on
the impact that your community and people that truly want
you to win that can have on your confidence. I've
always been a very confident, but I feel like that
wasn't pier where I lacked confidence because of some things
that was told in me, and that I kind of
started the question like is that correct?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Can I do this again? Can I build another seven
figure business? Yeah? You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
So, like community, family played a major role in me
keeping my confidence and but also me owning myself too.
Like ARTI go to therapy, Archie pray more, Archie get
closer to God, Archie special feelings, Archie cry across to
your wife. It's okay to have those emotional feelings because
(12:44):
you gotta let it out. Yeah, because you hold it.
Like you said, if you hold it in, it's only
going to do more damage to you.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Now where did the name brain love specifically come from?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
So it's crazy as a curty stories. I was in
the car, so me and my wife were just think
about ideas, what's next, kind of opportunity, what we want
to do my future goes. So my wife was like, man,
like I want to open up a cocktail bar, and
she's like, man, brain child be super dope to call it.
I was like, that's a dupe name actually, So like
I was in a car and thought I was listening
to one Buffett and Waurn. Buffett was talking about the
(13:17):
importance of really pushing yourself to the next level and
evolving every single day to reach your pinnacle of success financially.
And I said, man, like that really kind of lies
to what what you're doing as a child. Like, as
a child, you're evolving, your brain is evolving, you're involving.
As a person, You're evolved from a toddlers to a kid,
to a teenager to a young adult, so on and
(13:40):
so forth. So I was like, man, that's a dope name.
So originally the name of the brand was called Brainchild, okay.
But what happened was as me kind of pulling on
my relationships I call complex. It's like, yo, complex, I mean,
I really want y'all to kind of partner with me
some ideas, some marketing ideas, some collaborations. And it's like, man,
we love the idea, love the brand, but right now
there's certain other brand called brain Child okay.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
And I was like, and that was like, bro, what right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
First of all, what God, you gave it the idea again?
Now you want me to pivot again? I had I
created a whole collection based on this concept of Brainchild.
But I realized also it was like, man, okay, take
a second back relax, let's figure out another name. So
I knew I wanted to keep brain, but I was like, man,
how can they still have the same effect and the
(14:27):
same mission and values? So I was like, man, I
said brain love. I was like, you didn't stick for
for y'all. So I called my boy, my best friend, Phil,
and he was like, man, don't put too much pressure
on it, just say it.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I said, brain love. I was like, that's it. It's
gonna stick with it. Then from there and then I
kind of lined like the whole thought process.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Of loving your mind, loving your brain, loving who you
are because at the end of the day, your mind
it's the foundation of how your body works and how
you react to different things and how you were how
you react to life.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And I was like, it's kind of perfect.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But also in this moment, I realized that these are
moments you listening to God because just because it's not
right doesn't mean it's not right, you know what I'm saying.
So it's one of them situations where like he gave
me another idea, but he also said how bad you
want it? Are you willing to pivot again? In this
moment of a pere where you are uncertain of your
(15:18):
next steps in life, you know what I mean. So
for me, it's like people ask me, like, where did
this ideal come from? It's I can't even god honestly,
because it came at a time where I was uncertain.
But also I created brain Love in two months. We
started the process in July of twenty twenty three. We
launched in September twenty twenty three. A lot of fashion week,
(15:43):
oh man, Angela and I literally just called her a
couple days ago, and I'll tell you, as we kind
of go through the thing, we just got some good news.
So I called her to say thank you, because this
community and family plays a major role in how you
how you evolved, and how you push forward in this
journey of entrepreneurship, and you can't do it without them.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Yeah, man, I always I always love hearing how people
come up with the names for things. I know, for
me personally, like I have a hard time seeing the
thing un so I can kind of name it right,
And so what I'll do is I'll literally just kind
of just sit still, you know. I just like it
might take a couple of days, you know what I mean.
It's just like, all right, I'm just gonna wait. Like
that's how Like I had this podcast, like I knew,
I was like, I don't know what to call it,
(16:23):
and I'm just there thinking. One day it just hit me,
just like butt nomics, It's like, yeah, that's it, that's it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Everything else. Yeah, I'm saying I forgot the name.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Like it was pretty easy to kind of connect the
doctor because I I'm very passionate about this man because
I understand, like it's harder. Like I said, life is hard,
But I truly believe that we have this thing that
we say humans are our stakeholders because I believe in
the human being. I believe in the individual, like we
truly can accomplish anything we want to accomplish. We are
(16:58):
the individuals that get in our way, like we get
in our way of success, our mindset and not willing
to sacrifice certain things because we just like it.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh, I like we just talking about fried chicken.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
I like fried chicken, but knowing fried chicken is keeping
you from being healthy, right, do you know what I'm saying,
Like that's a sacrifice I want to tell you versus
getting cancer or having health issues or having diabetes in
the future. Now, that's I'm saying that you can't eat it.
You have to eat it, not every single weekend moderation.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
So it's it's like willing to like what are you
willing to do to put yourself in position to win?
And not just I'm not thinking about myself anymore. I
have a family now it's bigger than me now, it's
the Clays now, So it's like, it's not about what
I want to do, It's about.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
What my family wants to do. So I'm thinking about
that from that perspective.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Now, how do you feel like and even like something
being so you know, kind of mission driven, right, Like
that takes the level of just honesty and kind of
humility with yourself because a lot of people don't really
(18:12):
stand out there on that on that you know, step
and be like, yo, not only is this about you know,
the product, but it's also about the mission. Like how
did you get comfortable being able to talk about you know,
just the mission like around mental health so open.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
I mean, honestly, i think I've always been away, even
with the first even with war brands, like where brand
was built on the foundation my grandmother, my Brandma passed away,
and I want to credit brand based on her. So
like the brands I've always may have always had impact
and thought process behind them, you know what I'm saying.
So like it was kind of easy second nature because
I'm going I'm going through this in real time. I'm
evolving in real time, and like we want our customers
(18:45):
in our community to know we're evolving in real time.
And it's okay for you to involve a real time
and sometimes you're going to take a step back. But
it's always just putting one one foot in front of
each other every single time, every single day. You know
what I'm saying, How can we just want how can
we get one percent better? Zero point one percent better
every single day?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You know what I mean? Because at the end of
the day, we're not perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
We can't be great every single and someone tells you
that you can be great every single day, that's a lie.
It's a lie because at the end of the day,
we're gonna fail. Even when you meet the pedacle, you're
still gonna fail. You can still have deals that may
not go through, You're still gonna have failures. So telling
people and give this perspective of this perspective that running
a business or having entrepreneurship or just life is just easy.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
No, it's not easy. It's not easy.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
And I want and we're passionate in that perspective, in
that storytelling it because I think that, like I said,
at the end of the day, we can't evolve and
we can't reach our goals like my mom is, my
mom wants to stay at home mom for thirty years.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Mom, she's about to go to get our doctors.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Oh wow, Like me seeing that is like I really
this was just talking to mams Like that is a
true definition of like not giving up, like you don't.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
There's no time limit, man.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
Look, no, that's the thing again. You got to constantly
kind of reinvent yourself. And you know, social media and
everything makes it seem like all this stuff is simple.
And look, while yes there's a lot of upside if
you do start and build your own brand, I fully
believe that everybody's not supposed to be an entrepreneurs Oh
for sure, I think I think there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
You know again, like for whatever reason, you know, social
media and that'll tell you like it go starts. There's
a lot of people out here that are stressed out
because they out here trying to build something when they
probably should be at number three or number seventeen or
number twenty at some company and just be happy and
cool with it. Right, But like they kind of here
and they kind of push you through this stuff. Man.
But like, look y'all have been you know, you launched
your brand. You know y'all been going up now y'all
(20:35):
in Bloomingdale's now too, right.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
So that's what it's telling you.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
So for the last year and a half, since we
launched it twenty twenty three or September, we've been working
with Angela and a lot of fashioned where we launched
a lot of fashweed and with that came the opportunity
to do a pop up at Bloomingdale's.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Right, So after that we did pretty well.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
We went from there to doing another pop up doing
Holiday season, which did another did well again, and then
in twenty twenty four we did by Kiss Your Money.
So I'm from we started, we got from we got
picked up to do trunk shows. So trunk show. What
trunk show means is that now they bring you in,
they put your your SKUs in the system. So now
anytime this event happens, like Black History Mode or anything happens,
(21:12):
you can bring your product and let it sit without
you being there, right. So we've been doing that oft
and knowing for like the last year and a half,
and last week last Friday, we got brought on full time.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Congratulations, like y'all are officially in blooming So.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
We will be launching it around June or summer of
June this year. Links will be our first door and
then we'll be working with them to scale too through
the four story.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
About the ind of the year, How does that feel?
Speaker 1 (21:42):
I cried, bro, because I don't think people understand how
this has been a very It's been a rough last
two years, two and a half years honestly mentally for me,
you know what I'm saying, just trying to make sure
that I can still have this dream of really creating
a brand that can make impact, you know what I'm saying.
It will also be fly at the same time, Like
I love fashion, I love putting it on, you know
(22:03):
what I'm saying. And we've been working hard at this
for the last year and a half. Man, and yes
it's we're not even two years old. So it's also
gratitude in this like most brands don't get a deal
like that in the first yeah two years.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So we're very grateful, so much gratitude and that process.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
But also it's like we've been grinding and like we
were literally like a bloom doesn't go to us for
like three months, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
But it's also just understanding that God has us.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
He was timing.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
It was timing because you don't know those three months
you just love but it happened when it was supposed
to happen.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
I was telling my wife. I was like, man, like,
sometimes you just can't sometimes you can't let yourself get away.
Could have easy even like hey, well as clear as
you guys have going on, so we're just gonna step
back and not do anything, versus just saying hey, like loop,
I'm just gonna move my hands and then whatever it
is for me, it's for me, and if God wants
this to be for me, that it's gonna be for me.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
But it worked out the right way, man, So I
was I was super I was super happy.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I always say like, you can't rush yourself to your blessing,
you know, because for whatever, for whatever reason, at least
that's been my experience. Right, It's like when it happens,
it happens when it's supposed to happen, And so you
got to kind of ask yourself, Man, if this would
have happened three months earlier, like what I've been ready,
what would have been different?
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Like so, like, for whatever reason, even though that it's tough, sometimes,
you know, for for whatever reason, it just seems like,
you know, when things happen, you're like, you know what,
I'm glad this happened at this moment because even though
I might have wanted it to happen earlier, like what
I have been ready for, what I've been prepared for now.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I remember my wife asking me because we were talking
about this networking and connecting with people and following up,
and she asked me, like, no, what's the what's the
formula for falling up? And I used to say the
normal stance, Oh, you send three emails in that after
that you let them ride. That's like the corporate thought process.
But the last year I had this shifting perspective is
(24:00):
no number yeah, it's how you feel until they tell
you no, yeah, And that's there is no number, Like
you shouldn't put a number on it until they tell
you no. Because at the end of the day, it's
a business. You're trying to make something shake and you're
not the only person reaching out to these people. So
(24:22):
either you're going to be the be like everybody else,
probably ninety five percent of the people probably stop after
that third email? Are you going to keep emailing them?
Because you just never know what the perspective is on
the other side. You don't know what's you don't know
what's going on, you know what I mean. I remember
having a comeding with them last week and it's like, man,
we appreciate you so much for being patient. We know
(24:43):
it's you know, a lot for you, but we want
to bring you in. So we had to find a way.
So it took us a little longer to figure out
how to do it, and we made it. And I
was like, I am grateful, grateful because this gives us
a space to continue to build it, the team to grow.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, I mean what you really said, I really agree
with Like, like, at the end of the day, with business,
there are no real rules, right, there's recommendations, there's like
best practices, But to your point, man, like, you gotta
do what you gotta do. And if that means I
got to email somebody, you know, I mean, don't don't
get me started now with AI.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah, crazy quick.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I can send you emails every week for the next
twelve months if that's what it takes, you know, So
ted second right right again, but again until they say
you know no, and again sometimes that's I even know,
like you don't even hear knows that much. You might
hear like not right now or maybe, but you got
to like really kind of you know, lean into that,
you know, I'm saying it going, Like, what's been some
of the feedback and just energy in general around the
(25:42):
brand since you've launched it, Like you again, you've had
the pop ups which were going I remember seeing those.
I've been out of some of them. Now you get
the trunk shows like, but just what's like been the
general just energy and reception, especially again as you talk
about like fashion and mental health.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Man, I think it's been beautiful.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
It's like one of them things where people are first
of all, I think it's really very interesting because like
we were talking to the team in Bloomdal's one day
and I was kind of just understanding, like, you know,
where's people's reaction when they come. It's not the story, honestly,
it's a product and we made some amazing, dope product
and everybody hits me up. Anytime a customer buys, the
first thing they say, like, this product is amazing, the
(26:19):
quality is amazing, and which is dope because it's just
like I think, at the end of the day, even
though we were missing driven brand and we're focused on that,
it's still product based and the first time you see
the product, it's the product. You're not looking at you
mnd even looking at the back first, you're making at
the quality of the structure of the shirt, you know
what I mean, quality of the hood, equality, the hat.
(26:40):
And that's the one thing we've always gotten since were releases,
that the quality is amazing. And that's one thing that
we thrive ourselves on is making good quality pieces for
our customers. But also too, it's one of the things
where it's like we're in a space now where luxury
and fashion is a thing, but I also believe that
you can have good quality pieces and I have to
pay thousands of dollars, you know what I'm saying, And
(27:01):
for us like, that's kind of the niche we want
to stick in where we're giving you the best crafted,
honestly better than low Ave and Gucci and all these things,
probably the best, better quality product at a better price
point for you.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That lines to the money the begging are a millionaire
or the six figure guy or the entrepreneur, Like, we
want you to understand that you can have quality product.
And I remember one guy was walking in He's like, man,
he did tall the shirt. He's like, man, that's a
great structure shirt.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I'm just I'm just gonna tell you, for sitting over here, bro,
that is a see the quality as a black T shirt,
which I truly am.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I can tell you right now. I can see the quality.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And the thing about it.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Man, we want to get better, Like I'm literally going
to Columbia in July to start sourcing more textiles and
more materials because for us, as we evolve, we want
to become fully clean, meaning that getting cottons like no synsthetic, synthetics,
no polyester, none of that stuff. Because the end of
the day, it's like, if we want to true be
the pinnacle of wellness and mental thought processing, your body
(28:03):
and put your body first. It's some material to put
your body as well. Yeah, you know what I'm saying,
but also not saying that we're gonna be charging you
one hundred dollars for a T shirt, you know what
I mean. No, Like, we're gonna give you quality stuff,
quality pieces like a regular white T shirt, you know,
a pack of T shirts for good quality. Got your
of course you got high quality stuff like this that
may be one hundred and so on, but we want
to keep our price pumps between probably a pair of
(28:25):
wise between one hundred and five hundred dollars, but the
best material that you that you will ever see.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And I love you talking about like getting sourced materials.
Just just real quick, like what is that process like?
Because you know I love you, just kind of like
share what that process looks like, because again, I think
people think about starting I don't want I don't want
to relegate what you're doing to just T shirts. You
started apparel, but you started a company, right, but like, yeah,
you do have to go out here and actually find
(28:51):
the right kind of partners and for stufacturers and stuff.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Like what was that experience?
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Like?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
No, it was dope, man, And I love the production
and the production development side of the product, because you
have to really sit and like really take your time
to figure out what type of item that you want.
But for some reason, I do very well in this space.
The first shirt I picked was it. This was the
first one I didn't I didn't take it's crazy. I
(29:16):
crry you to sit like. I didn't have to go
through multiple samples. The first sample, I just paid it to.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I know what I knew in my head. I knew
what I wanted.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I knew the thes gs M, I knew this quality
and the heaviness of the shirt, the heaviness of the hoodie.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
We did update the hoodie twice, but the.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Shirt we did it once, you know, and I knew
I wanted to kind of have that minimum lissit perspective
on the front, but also a storytelling went back and
the first collection was called love You because for me
at the time period, I was in the process of
like trying to love myself more. And I realized that
this can be pushed to people as well, because people
are probably just regular people trying to love themselves more
(29:55):
and having a product that they can speak to. You
know what I'm saying and like in the back of
the shirt, it starts off as this shirt represents these things,
this energy and this perspective. You know what I'm saying.
So you're wearing this shirt. You see somebody wearing a shirt,
they probably have the same perspective that you have. You
know what I'm saying, that's the energy, that's the community
right there. And by that, it's fostering evolution, evolving in
(30:18):
like how people really react to clothing because clothing, it's
hip hop, clothing is culture, you know what I'm saying,
Like that's what it is. So like why can't it
not be a line to something dope and something impactfuls
to your everyday life? Man, So for us man in
the beginning, like I think now we're about to like
now it's like cool, we want Jeane jackets, we want
(30:38):
long coats, we want we got to have this whole perspective.
And when you read the check chat talks about the
seventies and the sixties, Like that's a whole perspective, Like
really taking that perspective and modernizing it now giving you
dope pieces that aligned to that culture and that perspective.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Yeah, you know, I know you just recently got back
on the trip from Japan, y'all in Thailand, Like just
when you do these trips, especially with the kind of
work you do, Like how does that change the way
(31:15):
you think about just like culture and product and life
in general.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Man, Because I think, Man, one thing I did realize
when I went over there is just like the level
of the level of cleanness is different than the United States,
for example.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
The USA kind of ghetto. Ain't gonna lie the more
you go overseas.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Like listen, I'm gonna tell you that.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
I'm gonna tell you this, man, Like even just from water,
like you know, Japan has a good clean water system,
like you probably got the tap, like they have futual system.
But when you get a bottle water there in the
in the the hotel, you get about four of them.
It's in a glass bottle, right, and every time you leave,
they recycled. They recycled it. You finish them, you leave
(31:58):
them there, they come get them. You know what I'm saying.
Cleanness is more it's more accessible. It's not here being
rich and having money, you get more access to organic things,
organic food, organic clothing, organic.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Furnish or whatever.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Like over there, that's a lifestyle, like it's not that's
not a status thing, like of course nice hotels things
that nature, but like even the steak, you get a
steak everywhere. Now, I'm sure there's levels to it. Yeah,
but like wago is their main promotion, wygle here. It's
like where are.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
We gonna get waggle here?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Wagous, Like we spend there nothing out there, but it
also maybe realized like that's why I want my brain
to be bro Like I want to give people high quality,
but I wanted to be accessible like I don't. It's
of course, if you got money, you can buy it too,
but if you're trying to get a check, you can
still get it too, you know what I'm saying. Like
that's what I got over there, Like everything is. Every
(33:00):
brand has its own aesthetic and how they push their
storytelling into the world.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
But it's all quality. Yeah, but even they have like
a main brand out there that everybody shops.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
I forgot, but it's quality, like sustainable quality, very high
quality pieces, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And it's cheaper, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Like I was looking at some shoes I bought so Knakis,
Tigers and a Knaki Tigers. I spent like one ten
they cost two hundred over here.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
See telling you man, you get out there, you start,
you start noticing stuff. Man, I'm telling you now a
lot of people want to grow, but they don't know
where to start. They don't know how to start. And
like one thing you've I've heard you say a couple
of times is like your evolution starts with you. Like
what do you think is the first step that multiple
miss when it comes to just getting started?
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Confidence?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Like you, especially if you want to go in the
entrepreneurship world, Like you have to find your own way
of keeping yourself confident. Yeah, because they're gonna be perious
where you're going, dott your confidence, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So, Like, honestly, I don't know. I don't know how
you build confidence. I think you have.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
It has to be one of them things where you
gotta just own it, you know what I'm saying, and
allow yourself to fail and be okay with that, you
know what I'm saying. And I think that's one thing
where I realize for myself is that I'm okay with felling,
but I know I'm gonna win, you know, what I'm saying.
But also it's one of them things too, is like
you have to be honest with yourself. I think a
(34:27):
lot of arrepreneurs got all these ideas, but not honestly
if it's a good idea, you know what I'm saying.
So that's one thing I realize this too, is like
we talked about this, it's like, if if your product sucks,
it sucks, don't try to like defend it. If it sucks,
if it ain't selling, that means that you need to
fix some things. If the service is not selling, it
(34:49):
means you got to adjust some things, you know what
I'm saying. So I think it's having confidence to believe
in your ability to fix it.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
I think I think what confidence confidence comes from. To
your point, just it's trying and it's you know, and
it's trying and it's failing. I mean, you win too,
but you know a lot of people are so scared
of failure, right that they don't try. And what I've
learned is that you know, that's where the experience and
the confidence comes from. Because even again, like you know,
(35:17):
I was I was talking to somebody around here, and
like I was telling them, I was like look like, yo,
you're young, Go go do the thing. Like worst case scenario,
it doesn't work out, you just come back here and
do something else. What I can tell you is that
even though I have tried many things and not everything
is worked, nobody has ever laughed at me. Right, nobody,
(35:38):
nobody's ever like put something up on. But like, ah, Brandon,
you tried and you sucked at this, you know what
I'm saying. And so again we we kind of have
this idea of like we're gonna get laughed at and
talked about if we take a step and get out there.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Like I hate to tell y'all, man, people don't care
that much, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Like not that they don't care, but they don't unless
you just got enemies and people that just hate you.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
If you try it doesn't work, there's nobody there to
sit here and hold up a failing in your face.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Also, it's like you're not popping here. Yeah, the other part,
it's like you're not popping. So you're putting too much
pressure in yourself to be something that no one's looking for.
And I'm looking for you to be No one's looking
for me to be the best brand in the world
right now. They just wants forbud whoever shopping with us
right now, it wants to best customer service and a
good product right now.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
That would change if we start as we start to scale,
where the pressures become more and then people are looking
for more as you get higher up the chain. When
you're first starting up, no one's looking for you to
be perfect, you know what I'm saying. Like, no one's
looking for that, you know what I mean. So you
have space to fail, and you have space to give
yourself give yourself grace, Like you got to give yourself grace, man, Like,
(36:47):
give yourself grace because even if you if you decide
to sign that to start that business and open up
that check account and create your LLC, that is the wind.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Yeah, that's the win right there.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Allowed that to be momentum, that allowed that to be
the momentum that helps you push forward. I'm reading this
book called The artor Impossible, and it talks about those
moments are like dopamine where it continues to put a
rush on your body. So every time you feel that
it gets more, you know what I'm saying. And it
talks about like and to be a high performer. It's everything.
It's great, it's mindfulness, it's being able to pivot. It's
(37:24):
not one of the other. You have to have all
these things if you want to be successful. I ain't
talking about repreneurship. IM talking about this successful in general,
you know what I mean. So I think we got
to stop putting out like failure is a part of
that and the world trying to paint this picture of
like failure is bad.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
It's like no, like you have to failure or to
move forward.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
And like even this failure, like failure just means like
you didn't potentially accomplish what you want to. It doesn't
mean that you like crashed and turned and lost everything, right,
Like you know, if you're trying to go somewhere you
didn't get like okay, I failed to get where I
was going, right, But that doesn't mean that like you died,
you know what I mean. And again I think that
like for whatever reason, we just have we think in
(38:04):
these extremes, right, And that's something I just really want
people to just understand, right, Like, yes, even if you
quote unquote failed, that just means that you whatever mark
you might have hit or tried to hit, you didn't
hit But that means it's not the worst possible version
of how you did not hit that mark.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
You didn't go bankrupt, You're not you know, you're not homeless.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
You know.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
You know what I'm saying, Like you didn't lose everything,
You just you didn't get the thing you want to
get done. And guess what, because you didn't have all
those now you can still get up and try again.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Right Bill's characters too. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
That builds your ability to become a leader, because you
can't lead people without understanding and experiencing what they're going
to when real tim as well, Yeah, you know what
I mean, because we all go through the struggle, we
all go through peers of doubt, we all go through
peers are not reaching our goals, you know what I'm saying.
And that's a part of life, and that's a part
of being a leader, but also being a leaders allowing
yourself to be able to pick people up.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
But you can't pick people up if you can't pick yourself.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Yeah, I mean, I'm seeing, like, you know, one of
the reasons why I I could I do a lot.
I've done a lot of stuff over my life and
people you know, and it's just funny man. People like
and that's why when it comes to things I don't,
I'm like, oh, yeah, you just do this early. Yeah,
that's that's what it takes you.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Like, how do you know?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
It's I've done so much and guess what, I'm still here,
Like so I just have all these random experiences and
knowledge from like trying and I've tried lots of different
things that either worked, they didn't work, they kind of
sort of worked. But like I said, it just what
it allows me to do is just it's like, no, y'all,
it's all we got to do.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Is this right?
Speaker 4 (39:27):
And I have to do it.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
I have to do a better job some times of
unpacking the why because it's all up here. But I'm like, no,
it's not that. It's not that crazy.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Man.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
But like look, man, like looking back, what would the
the you from you know, the where Brims era, you know,
say about where you are right now.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I'm proud of you. I know you didn't see this coming.
I know you didn't see this coming. I know you didn't.
I know you thought that Where Brands is going to
be your legacy company.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
You know what I mean? I'm proud of you. I'm
proud of you for sticking in. I'm proud of you
for pivoting. I'm proud of you for allowing your community
to motivate inspire you. I'm proud of you for showing
up for your grandmother. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Hey man, look man, this has been dope. This has
been an amazing conversation. Chars before you out of here, Man,
tell folks man, how can they support you? How can
they support brain Love? Like, give them all the thing man.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
You can of course shop brain Love at www dot
brain Love dot store. You can churs falls on Instagram
Undersquare Official. We will be having an a Dope launch
party very soon, so we're giving the details out to
the community and the family.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
So please show up.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Like, in order for us to continue to win and grow,
we need you how to buy, so you gotta support,
so you know, please come out show love. But also too,
I would say this man, like, never give up. Possibilities
are endless, you.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Know what I mean. Like, I'm a product of that,
Brandon is a product of that. And just keep pushing
for it. Man.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
We have the ability to really reach our goals. Whenever
that go that name that looks like for yourself, you
know what I mean. Never give up and never allow
yourself to have doubt yourself. And if you do have
doubt yourself, just talk to yourself, talk yourself out of
that perspective and keep pushing for it. Because if whatever
guy has for you, he has it for you for
a reason, and then you can accomplish and you can't
touch it.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
Yeah, and if you can't talk yourself, talk to Jack
ChiPT that's real man, Archie Man, I appreciate you. Pull
it up.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Man, it's been the amazing conversation. Congratulations on everything that
you are continuing to build. Wish you nothing with good success.
Brothers to bro you know what I'm saying. And with
that said, man, we out.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
That's the pod pe.
Speaker 3 (41:41):
You've been listening to button Nomics and I'm your host,
Brandon Butler. Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show,
Send us an email today at hello at butternomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is produced in Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia by
Casey Pegram, with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
If you haven't already hit that subscribe button and never
miss an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot at L. Listen
to Better Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Brandon Butler
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