EP 184 | Jesus + Sneakers w/ Bre Wheeler

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I'm your host Che Will. This is Inspire Guys, people where we found the space and business to guide you to your purpose. Welcome to Episode 184, Jesus and Sneakers. We're a re-welder.

I had a conversation with a few days ago, a livestream, so you can also check that out on YouTube, the link is in the description of this show. But we are going to have a good time, like she's going, yeah she's doing some cool stuff. I think she has a likable personality. She's definitely building a great brand.

She's going to tell you all about how she had a dynamic sale, made thousands of dollars in a couple of days, how she has had to take money from a little bit everywhere. It's not always easy as an entrepreneur, but by all means she's going after her purpose in Christ, and this is going to inspire you. So without further ado, let me be quiet and play this interview. Please do share it, subscribe, like, do all that stuff.

Check us out on Instagram at Inspire Guys, people also on YouTube at Inspire Guys, people. I'm sharing more content every day. I told y'all I made a deal with myself. I got to create a thousand YouTube videos before I can quit.

And I think we only have one team or something like that. So I got a long way to go. All right. I don't know why I did that last name, but it was unnecessary.

So let's get to that. Let me interview you. It's what we going to do. You go talk to me.

And I'm going to talk to you. Maybe on the phone book. Possibly in person. Either way, it goes.

Me. Go be talking party. Yo, yo, yo. What's up, guys?

People. Man, we about to welcome our guests. Brie Willer. Let's do it.

What's up, Brie? How you feeling? Let's stop. What's up?

What's up? How's your day going? My day is going well. I'm a little tired, but I am good to say the least.

I know the feeling. I know the feeling. It's definitely, especially rough, coming back from holidays, or whatever. But you know what I'm saying?

We don't wake each other up with this interview. You got to let me see. We don't wake each other up. All right, Brie, you are from the Metro Detroit area like myself, I grew up on the East side of Detroit.

I believe you grew up in Ipselania if I'm not mistaken. Yes. Tell me about that. How was it growing up in Ipselania?

Ipselania is definitely not Detroit. And so I have to stand up. I feel like I'm from Detroit. I want to be from Detroit.

So I say that I'm from Detroit, Solanti and people literally hate it. Because I have no interest of Detroit in me. I'm literally from the city of Ibsalanti. So not too much happens out here.

I went to school out here, high school out here, I graduated at Eastern Michigan in 2017 with my bachelor's of science and non-profit administration. So this, I'm not even, well, if we get to that point, it's all from the sense, but you're probably like, what, my profit doesn't make sense, but I have a story about that. So Ibsalanti is cool. This chill is laid back, you know, not allowed to happen out here, but a lot of my life doesn't happen here.

So that's like what the, that's the difference, you know, right now. So I'm just chilling right now until I move. So that's dope. Like actually my first year and a half of college, I went to EMU.

So I've also gone to Eastern Michigan University and lived on campus out there. So, you know, I know a little bit about Ibsalanti and Puffer is that's where we used to go get our days from. So we got a little history already right there with I. But Ibsalanti, so Brie, I'm wondering, you know, like you said, Ibsalanti is definitely different than Detroit and for people who haven't been to Michigan or don't know like the landscape or structure of Detroit, you pretty much have Detroit as a central city and a bunch of these smaller cities around it, but Pontiac, Southfield, like people got their own personalities.

It's weird how you could really be so close, 20, 30 minutes from each other, but be so different. So I wonder like, what was your personality? Like what was your reputation growing up? Like what do people know Brie for?

Oh, so funny that you say I was a loner in high school. I had friends, but I kind of kept to myself. I played basketball, I went to church. So you probably know me as the basketball player that was always falling and the church girl.

So, you know, I really didn't have a poor reputation, which is what I'm glad about. You know, I was raised in a solid household and by solid individuals, and those individuals, including my mom, my father, there were several households, but my grandparents, they all practically raised me. And so I was raised upon respect and honor and dignity, like all these type of things. So I never had a poor reputation, but I did leave high school in the 10th grade to go to school at Eastern.

So they had a program called Early College Alliance, which is where I took college classes in high school. So I've had a wave of different, and I was also homeschooled too. So I didn't get into the public school system until second grade. So I've had interesting education history.

And so I was able to like, you know, track that. And then also just, trying to just go with the flow, like play basketball in high school, then I stopped playing basketball because I got a job at Ice Cream Shop called Coastown. And so I was really upset about that because I really wanted to play. And then I eventually wanted to go to college, but I'm like, I'm not really feeling college ball.

Let's see what happens. And so going to Eastern in high school, that's like a huge, people don't talk about that. Like that's big. And so, you know, being a 10th grader on a college campus with like 18, 19, 20 year olds and all that stuff, it's a huge transition, but it's something that you get used to.

And I'm glad I went through it because I prepared me for the transition into college, you know, to the point where I was well prepared for the times to come. So I'm grateful I graduated. I think I graduated on time. I really wanted to graduate early.

So I can be like, I graduated early from your little people's, I'd like to say different words. But I just, you know, like I said, I have an interesting education history, but I don't regret it at all. I definitely, sometimes when I share the story, I'm just like, wow, I was actually home school. And sometimes I forget about that, but that's an important part of who I am today.

So how was, so when you went to college in the 10th grade, you stayed on the campus like overnight, stay on the campus like live there? So no, wasn't even, didn't even leave that live there. I stayed not too far from campus. And so I just took classes there.

And so what they had was prep courses, right? So you would take these preparatory college courses to prepare you for the actual college course. And so you would basically have the same school schedule as you would in high school. And then after a while, when you pass that portion of the courses, they're like, all right, you're ready for the college classes?

Let's get your member into those. That's dope. So you got this young lady that is a basketball player, church girl, home school, go to college early, a bunch of unique experiences. I would imagine that in some way that has given you at least a diverse view of different situations in life.

Like because a lot of us, we grow up one way, like, oh, I grew up in a city where you grow up in public school, whatever it may be. I speak for myself from this regard. I grew up home-charged and organizationally-charged. So at my mom's house, we were home-charged.

Go to my dad's house. We go to a church in the city. And so just having that perspective for me gave me these diverse views. And I can always look at things a little different from people on both sides.

So I'm wondering for you, as you've kind of grown through your life, do you pull back on those experiences? Or do you notice now as an adult? How those experiences shaped you? And if so, like, in what way did they kind of shape you?

Absolutely. I totally believe that nothing is wasted. And so from the time I've been home school to the time of me taking college classes in high school, it has definitely given me a different sense of life. I don't have, when I say this, I say this with, I don't want to offend anybody when I say this, but I don't have a sad story growing up.

And so I've been very fortunate with the way, with my childhood. And so I take those experiences. They're not similar to the sad story experiences, but they're still relevant to who I am today. And so just pulling on those homeschool experiences, like being at home and being taught, like I don't have a teacher.

My grandma wasn't a certified teacher. So I don't know how she did it, but she did it. Because obviously I made it quite all right today. So it definitely has shaped a lot.

And I really pull on a college experience. I feel like it wasn't as great as it should have been. I wasn't a partier. I just went to class and went home.

Sometimes I slept overnight in the libraries. And that was different for me. And I'm like, what in the world? I wasn't expecting this.

But I've always been a hard worker. Successful in school got the A's and the B's and stuff like that. College didn't really transform. It didn't really happen that way.

I was getting a C's and D's and college. What? It happened. It happened for me.

It worked for me. But yeah, I just, I've experienced new things. And it developed, like I've learned different stuff about myself. And so I'm like, OK, so you really don't know about this, but we're going to learn about it.

Or you know a lot about this. Let's continue to feed what you know. I love it. That's dope.

And so you're pointing like, even you're saying you don't have a sad story to me, I'm wondering. And I don't know you really that well. But I'm just wondering if you are like an optimist and some of like even how you view things or is your perspective. Because, and I think this is a good thing.

Because like you, it's not like you mentioned that maybe you're from a broken home. You mentioned different homes. I don't know if that means a broken home or not. But like some people could use that and spend that and make that a sad story.

So I just kind of come in the fact of like, like it might be even a blessing to have the perspective of like, not viewing your life through a sad story. And I'm sure that has something to do with being able to overcome and have success. So let's talk a little bit about Jesus and sneaker. So like first things first, let me just say Jesus and sneakers is dope.

To me, I love simple things that catch your attention. And for whatever reason, like it's just, it's just easy. It's like easy on the eye. And you can look at it and be like, oh, that simple.

Almost like Detroit versus everybody, right? Like you could look at a brand like that, but it's genius. To me, when someone finds a very simple way to communicate a strong message, like I view it as like, I'm impressed by that. Like wow, that's dope.

And people copy that type of stuff. I've actually seen people do some stuff that I'm kind of like, oh, they kind of copying what you do. But I don't want to, you know, not even being negative. I'm just saying like, I've seen things.

I'm like, oh, that kind of seemed like I put in a twist on it. But I want to know where did the Jesus and sneakers idea, the name, like how did you come up with this brand name? Yeah, so people ask me this quite often. And so I literally give them the same response.

My response has not changed since I've been asked this question. So I was working for a cosmetics company last year. Oh, wait, no, two years ago around this time. And so I was surrounded by different women who were pursuing different things.

And so at the time I have Fashion Me Humble, which is the overarching business for those who don't know, I have Fashion Me Humble and then I have Jesus Plus sneakers, Jesus Plus heels and Jesus is everywhere. And soon I'm going to announce me here. This is the first, y'all should be, y'all should be blessed. We are going to, I am going to release Jesus Plus Crocs.

That's dope. This year or maybe sometime next year, I don't, next year for sure. I love it. I'm gonna release it this year.

So y'all got y'all the first to know. Y'all got first to get it. So congratulations. So I have these four things, right?

And so I was in this space with these women and I'm like, Tane, like I have Fashion Me Humble, but I wasn't, I wasn't doing nothing with it. Like I was one of those things where I started it. It was a pandemic business. I started it, quit my job.

And I'm pretty sure we're gonna go into that a little bit later. For sure. I wanted to do, I wanted to do Fashion Me Humble full time, but I kind of pulled away because it was just like too much. I'm like, I don't know what to do.

I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do. So I abandoned it honestly for a year. And so being in that space, like I said, just kind of inspired me and then pursued me to revisit Fashion Me Humble, but I did not know how to do it.

I didn't know how to do it. So I was walking with a friend, as Summer said, if y'all know about Summer said, Summer said, there's a rich side and then you got the regular, regular, regular side. So we was walking on a rich side or whatever. And so I promise you, I promise you, Jay, like I wasn't thinking about nothing.

Like Jesus is always on my mind. But I wasn't thinking about nothing. No sneakers. I wasn't thinking about merchandise.

I wasn't thinking about nothing. And then just like that, I literally heard and saw Jesus was sneakers. And I was just like, what? Like saw the design, saw the name and everything.

It was just kind of like a ranger, just like Phil. And so the person I was with at the time, I said, hey, you know, what do you think about these two combinations together? They were like, think that's fire. I think that's lit.

I think that's dope. I said that. So I think that following day or that same day, I went home and I went on to a design website. And I started playing with different colors and different designs.

And so the first design that I did was the yellow crew neck. So the yellow crew neck with the white box and the black letters. And so the way and I'm getting further into it. So I'm probably good.

You good. I was off of social media for about a week. And so I made my reappearance, my grandparents back on social on my stories with me in this yellow crew neck, right? Not knowing nothing.

OK, remember, like I didn't know nothing from the beginning. OK, still not knowing nothing. Right. Maybe I want to Instagram post it this picture and this yellow crew neck on my story, the DMs went crazy.

Love it. And I get this. Oh my gosh, I love this. I need this.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And at that moment, I was just like, OK, this is it. And this is it. Like this is it.

But this is also this is it. I'm not doing nothing else after this. So I'm like, OK, this is how I'm going to reintroduce fashion with humble. This is how I'm going to rebrand with Jesus for sneakers.

And so I did just that. And so I released the yellow crew neck in August of last year. And ever since then, it's just been my mind has been blown away. OK.

I never I love fashion. I love styling. I love all that. I think even at some point in my life, I wanted to design clothes.

I never thought that I would be doing it in this way. And so I like to say that this wasn't a part of my vision or my goals that I had for my life. It was honestly one of those things that just fell on my lap. And I just ran with it.

And so ever since then, it's just been history. And then I tell a lot of people all the time, they ask me, well, they ask me the question, really, like, how long have you been in business? And I'm like, it's only been a year and some change. I started this last year in August.

And from August to August 2021 to November 2022, it has been absolutely crazy. That's dope. So a couple of things about that. Like you said, anybody who knows anything about Summer said.

Now, first of all, like you said, to set up a mall, it's kind of the premier mall here, I guess. And it's kind of bougie. So it's where the rich people go and the people who ain't rich act like they rich. I love that mall.

That mall cracks me up. But it's like you don't see something. It's so real though. Yeah, it's legit.

But like you said, you got the rich side where if you want to go get you, I can't afford nothing over there. So I don't even walk on that side. I go to the Lulu Lemon every night to look at stuff. But even the regular side is a pretty dope mall.

So my point with that is I think even with you having that raindrop effect that at the end of the day, it doesn't surprise me because being in the right environment, it's important because you're in an inspirational environment as it relates to fashion. Even if it's in direct and not even thinking about it, just being in that element and walking and kind of being around it. I'm that kind of person where my environment matters. That's why I can't be in negative environments too long because it started affecting me.

So I love the whole idea how you came up with it. Also love the fact that it was just so organic. And you almost kind of had this naivety of like, yo, I'm just posting me in this crew neck on social and seeing the response of it. Again, when I first saw it, I was just like, it's one of those things.

I was just like, that's just actually dope. Like you don't even almost know how to explain it, but it's like, this is dope. So shout out to you for that. And I'm wondering, now I've seen artists in it.

I saw the Maverick City. I believe had it on when they came for their concert. I've seen all type of people, like really literally all across the country, I've seen people posting. I actually have friends that don't know.

I know you were familiar. Like I've ran into friends and they had it on one homeboy, Kevin Young. I saw him about a month ago. And he said he wore his to his homecoming at Clark in Atlanta.

And he was like, people were going crazy. He wore it with some Jordan ones. He's like, man, people's going crazy over this crew neck. And so I just want to like ask you real quick on that.

Like, just how's the real visit when you start seeing other people or hearing people that you don't know or just kind of seeing the effect of something that just hits you out of nowhere, you know, the rain drop effect. And my brother, Daria, saying I'm here. Right. I saw that.

What up, Daria? I mean, everybody that's doing it. And thank you guys for watching. It actually, it brings me to tears, honestly.

And as I say this right now, I kind of feel my eyes watering because I let it out. Listen, people, I want you to crown this cry on this podcast. We can use the ratings. I'm joking.

I'm just going to go. I don't want to buy a screen recording of me crying. But honestly, Jay, like it's really like, I laugh a lot. I laugh at God about because he's just like so funny, because he's just like, what are you doing, my baby?

It's really, really surreal. Just for me to even just, you know, look out into crowds or turn my head and see the product just in the room. I, you know, I don't have no words. It's really humbling.

I'm extremely, extremely, extremely grateful that I, that guy has given me a piece that is so relevant to our culture, to our era. Everybody is wearing sneakers. People wear, people are wearing sneakers and they sleep. OK.

People are wearing it at their weddings, you know, with suits. They wear it and they workplace. They're allowing sneakers in the workplace now. That the culture is shifting.

Even with the sneakers alone, like we have seen the creativity level in sneakers go crazy. Like the sneakers that they have now, these weren't the same sneakers 10, 15 years ago, like even five years ago. And so I just really count in an honor for me to have a piece that represents who people are, that identifies with people, and that is just, it carries longevity. You know what I'm saying?

Jesus ain't going nowhere in sneakers for as long as we live, as long as Nike is in existence, as long as Adidas and all these names and brands are in existence, there will always, always, always, always be a Jesus plus sneakers. I love that. So that, that right there is just so like, Jesus, baby, what is you doing? Like literally, so I, I'm really grateful.

And it's just like, I'm representing in rooms that I'm not even in. So people, I get messages all the time, Jake, like, Bri, I just saw Jesus and sneakers at the orchard meal or Bri, I just saw Jesus and sneakers at the movies. Like I get messages all the time. And it's just how your homeboy Kevin Young said that people was going crazy.

My cousin literally just texted me the other day. Her husband just went on vacation and she sent me the picture and everything and she said, we wore our crewnecks in the airport and they wore it to their destination that they went to, which was out of the country. She texted me, she said, I breathed the ship out of the country. I said, of course, what type of question is that?

And she was like, breathe, the people went crazy. Like everybody was asking, how can we get this? Where can we find this? And so the beautiful thing about this, and I don't know if you guys are familiar with marketing, I know you are, Jay.

I don't have to do a lot of marketing. You know what I'm saying? The piece of markets for itself. So especially with the yellow piece, like it's a bright color, it's eccentric.

If somebody walk in with a yellow, anything, you're going to turn your head and look to see what it is. And so it's a hand turner. And I just, I'm looking for you. Darius on here, he said he got a fire.

He said he still have a pick to posting his crewnecks and his fire, but he's saving away on an endorsement. So that's an artist for you right there. Jesus and sneakers for anybody out there. We both actually, I'm rocking a crewneck.

And I do want to just say, this is a quick commercial break. FashionelDhumbel.com. If you want to go grab you a Jesus and sneakers crewneck and multiple colors, like she said, the yellow one is cold. I went with the gray because I'm just more like, I like simple stuff, like chill.

I like gray and I like black a lot, but I'm going to actually get some more colors. But please check out FashionelDhumbel.com. If you're listening on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and you can't see it on the screen, first of all, shame on you just kidding. I appreciate it.

Listen to it, listen to it. Listen to it as well. But just check out FashionelDhumbel.com and look at the link in the description of the show. You'll be able to find the links to find Breet on Instagram as well as find FashionelDhumbel.com.

So anybody who's interested, I'm rocking the gray with the black print and she is rocking. And tell us what you have on. I have a Brianna Hoodion. This is a sample.

This has not been released yet. But let me know if y'all like this. It's a little bit, it's given Nike a little bit, simplistic, clean, basic, in a sense. Y'all let me know.

I'm a fan. I'm telling you, this dope. I like it. I think it's clean.

You talked about it like so from a marketing perspective. And like, my degree is in marketing, I work in sales and marketing in corporate America. So I have a huge love for marketing. And that's one of the things I really like about.

I like the way you present the brand. The aesthetic is nice and clean. The aesthetic that you share on social media really matches the brand. And I think that's something that people kind of forget about as it relates to marketing.

Can you, this is kind of a sidebar from what we were talking about, but just maybe to help somebody out there, because a lot of people are trying to start brands. And I feel like they end up going all over the place. How do you stay consistent with Jesus and sneakers, what it looks like, what you get when you come to my website? How do you keep that consistency in the branding?

Is that something you struggle with? Or does it come easy to you? Are there any tips or anything you can share with people? Because I feel like people sometimes jump all over the place and lose track of their brand.

Sure. So I live by minimalism and simplicity. So the less, the better. And I'm all about details too.

So from a marketing standpoint, I'm all about pulling on the hard strings rather. I want to tell a story with whatever I post. So whether it be serious, whether it be funny, whether it be, I don't know. So actually, I'll give an example.

One of the reels that I posted for $20 sale that I had in October. I literally, and I share that sometimes stupid stuff works. Like, sometimes it works. So I literally just held up a crew neck and I walked past the camera with a crew neck, hiding my face.

And I did that a couple times. I popped in and out with a crew neck and stuff like that. It was silly. It was honestly silly to say the least, but it worked.

And so it was simple. It was clean. I had on my crew neck. I held up a crew neck and I just said, hey, we're having a sale.

You don't want to miss it. And that was it. And so I think in that telling the story, a picture is worth 1,000 words and videos are worth way more. Where's the net?

And so I think being able to deliver a message, you have to know what you're trying to deliver. If you don't understand the message that you're trying to deliver, that is going to convey to your customers and the people that are looking at what you post. And so I think, one, understanding what you're trying to say first and foremost. What is your message?

What is your mission? What is your vision? And then two, creating that message to be simple for the most complicated person ever. So how can I get an 80-year-old to understand my message?

And how can I get a 12-year-old to understand my message? And then three, just being consistent with your message. And so people grab on to not only what you post, but they grab a hold and track to the person that's posting it as well. So putting yourself out there, I don't know what you like putting myself out there if I could.

I would really cancel all social media and just chill. And live a good life. But we live in a social media heavy world. And unfortunately, that is not the case.

And so sometimes you just have to be the forefront in the face of the brand. And so how do you want to deliver your message through your personality? People say that I have a cool personality. I can give you serious, and I can also give you playing at the same time.

I know how to balance, and I know when to cut it off. So feeding into that personality, feeding into who you really are, be yourself, right? So as a small business owner, my goal is to be myself. And so people can relate to that when you're yourself.

Hopefully I answered the question to the listeners. If not, feel free to shoot me an email or a DM. Be like, hey, I don't think you asked my question. Let's dig this a little deeper.

That's dope. No. And I actually do think you have a dope personality. Like you have a real engaging, welcoming personality.

And I think authenticity, like you talked about maybe the silliness of kind of holding up the crew neck and walking by. But one of the most important aspects of branding that I think people overlook is tapping into the authenticity of who you are. So maybe if I do that same post, it's not that successful. Because it's like, Jay, that's not really you.

And sometimes people are looking at other people and simply copying. But when we share stuff like this, for the listeners out there, it's really for you to be like, who am I authentically? And it sounds like, Brie based on what you consistently saying about your personality, people say those things about you. And it comes forth in your marketing and branding.

So your marketing and branding is true to who you are. Versus you trying to like brand something as false. So I do have a question though. So how successful or impactful was the post for the sale?

Like you walked past with the crew neck. And what was the response to that? It was crazy. So that video, I don't even know how.

So I did an email for the sale. I did a post. I did a graphic. I posted a graphic first.

And then I did a video. Reels is top notch. So you might don't throw away the pictures, but I'm just letting you know you've got to do some video content. And I think I did another reel.

I don't know how in the world. Like I think majority of the customers were new. But I like to share as an inspiration, not as a post. That with that sale, and I think I promoted for like maybe two days with that sale, I was able to generate $10,000 in two and a half days.

And on a Friday that I did the sale, on the Saturday that I did the sale, the phone was going crazy. And I couldn't believe it. I'm like, where are all these people coming from? I don't honestly, I don't even have that many views on the reel that I posted of me walking past with the crew neck.

I don't know how. Like it was literally God. And I've never done a $20 sale. That would probably be my first.

Damn, I'm not mad at it. That's what makes an impactful. Darius on here said he got two. Crystal Francis said, get you one, two, or three.

I'm not mad at that. And then we got William George, Harold Brooks, said good insight on the marketing piece. I actually bought my crew neck on that sale too. And I'm glad you shared that, right?

Because what I want people really to take from that, and what I really like about you and what you're building Brie is that you can be authentic. You can be a believer. And you can do something dope that's creative and still have success. And I think so many people feel like they have to compromise who they are in order to have success.

But God will continue to open doors. Absolutely. Just because, like you said earlier, we've seen a lot of imitators. God bless them.

But I like to say that I'm honestly the trouble is, right? So, and again, I say this one way, like I've been seeing a lot of plus something lately. You haven't really been seeing that a lot until you saw that Jesus was speaking. Trust me, trust me.

I pay attention to that type of stuff. And I'm talking like all over the country, people been adding. And they've been kind of flipping it. And the one thing I'm definitely not going to, I don't want you to answer this, but I want to speak on this real quick if you don't mind.

Just because I've had a brand and I know how it is to be a creator. And this is more just to our listeners. I believe, especially as Christians, we serve the creator. The Bible says the first five words in the Bible always turn people to that.

It says, in the beginning, God created. And so ultimately, we should not be stealing from each other. We shouldn't have to take ideas. Like we should be able to support each other.

Like if I come up, if I, if y'all see me in the next couple of months come out when it's inspired guys, people plus sandals, like come on, bro, like you got a chill. And so please chill. I just want to say like sometimes, even though like you keep moving forward and you trust God, I'm just being real. Sometimes it hurts when believers do that to you because of how hard you work.

So that's it. I just want y'all to know that. So let's support, breathe, let's support, fast, we humble Jesus and sneakers. But I don't want you to put Jesus plus nothing.

Like let's just leave it up to her. Like you come up with something else so that we can see somebody winning and we can support what they're doing and be authentic and that just, that just, you know, again, I don't want you to have to speak on something because that might feel negative to someone. But it really is just intended to encourage us and inspire us to be original. And I have something to say.

You can't. You can't. Thank you for sharing that. And then also, there's too much creativity in this world.

Right? And I think social media or not, I think I believe and know that social media has proven that TikTok has shown how much creativity is in this world. And so I don't want you to feel like just because, and I'm not staying from a Jesus and Snickers standpoint, this is just in general, that you have to, sometimes people think that if I did it like this, it would have the same effect. And that's not the case.

Right. Everybody, God is very strategic. And so he has given me something. And so the way that he gives it to me is the way that I'm going to release it.

And he's not going to give that same idea to you, if that makes any sense. One of the things. I just want to, I would like to encourage you just to realize that and know that creativity is all around us. It's everywhere.

People are speaking it. People are drawing it. People are doing all types of stuff with different creativity. So don't let, just don't let what you see make you feel as if you have to copy that and drive success from that, because that's not going to be the case.

Your feelings are going to be hurt. Right. If you're quite honest, because you're not going to have the same effect that the originator or the founder had on it. And here's the other part.

The reason it's really going to hurt is because we don't always see the work that people putting in behind the scenes. And I'm telling you from having a brand for four, four and a half years, I didn't have a Saturday. I got that. I wrote that line in one of my songs.

There was no Saturday. There was no, for four and a half years, I sacrificed everything. Me and my wife was tagging hats and T-shirts and selling stuff all across the country and packaging things. And I know the work that goes into that.

And a lot of times when we copy and stuff is really like a get rich, quick scheme. It's just us trying to get success faster. But we slow ourselves down because we're not committed to the work. And so ultimately, the reason you need to have an original idea is so that you can have something that you're passionate about.

Because I'm telling you as an entrepreneur, you are going to have low times. You're going to doubt. You're going to hit walls. And you need something to drive you.

And I want to actually just leave it to my next question, Brie. Because I saw a post that you made maybe about two months ago. I think you were out of town. I don't know if it was North Carolina.

You were somewhere. It was a group of women. And you were sharing a testimony about how I don't know if you were just going through a moment of feeling like giving up or whatever. And then the crew neck served as this crazy witness into where some people actually about it.

Can you talk about that experience a little bit? And just in general, how has God used this brand and simply wearing this crew neck as an opportunity to tell people about Jesus? Yeah. So I'll answer the second question first.

It is honestly a ministry tool and an evangelism tool. People, I get testimonies and stories all the time, but people getting stopped and asked about this. Strangers, right? People that don't know God.

Asking, what is Jesus with sneakers? What does that equal? What does that mean? And so we have this generic response of what it means.

But people also give their testimony behind it. I shared before that you can't see Jesus without seeing sneakers and vice versa. And so when you see the product, you're going to see both names, right? And it has literally served as a way for me to speak without speaking.

And so I walk into a room. I come in with this gray crew neck or this hoodie. The first thing that they see is that Jesus plus sneakers. And so you can kind of tell if you can read rooms or read people and emotions and stuff like that to classes, so that's how I know.

You could feel like the response and the questions that they have of this. And so it honestly works. And so I think this is a strong way to convey Christ to the world. Bully, right?

That box, that right there? That's huge. That's a huge statement. And Jesus is such a conflicting word.

And so for me to be able to put Bully, Jesus, on a piece of clothing for everybody to see, it's a big deal. Honestly, it's a big deal. And so I think it's a powerful tool to just reel people in. And then also a way to bring in the practical son, right?

So those who have left the church, those who are just like, I don't want to do church anymore. This is a way. I feel like this is a way to kind of bring them back in. The church is changing.

A lot of people are not dressing up as much for church anymore. And so I feel like this is a way for them to have a level of comfortability to know that, OK, cool. I can represent Christ and be dope at the same time and look dope at the same time doing it. I could put on my best.

Jays, I could put on my best Air Force once, whatever the shoe may be, and still honor God in the way that is pleasing to him. So that's my answer to that question. Secondly, I love this story because it was set up so perfectly. So for those who don't know, I was in North Carolina in, I don't know.

I told her, I think, to speak, I had a speaking engagement for this event called Mix and Marriage in North Carolina. And so Jesus and sneakers was the purpose of me going to speak at that event. So after the event, I had on an orange crew neck, which you guys should get, it's really dope, orange crew neck. And we were in the heart of downtown Greensboro.

And so we decided to just kind of walk the streets, see what's happening and stuff like that. And we all had on our Jesus and the sneakers, when we came back from our tour of the area, walk past this group of women outside a bakery shop. And so when I walk past them, I didn't think of anything of it. I just walked past them, let's go take some more pictures, post them for the ground, and then boom, go by my way.

So when I came back, it was like a whole bunch of them. And I was like, what is going on over here? And so I go back to that statement of, you can feel people looking at you and staring at you. That's literally how it felt as we were walking.

So it was like women on both sides. So it was kind of like a soul train setup. So we just kind of walking in the middle of the sidewalk. And I got women over here staring at me and women over here staring at me.

This is a little awkward, but okay. So one of the ladies was just like, spoke up and said, Jesus and sneakers. I love that, I like that. And so I kept walking.

Jay, I was tired here, okay. And I'm grateful for the people that were with me. Cause they were just like, oh yeah, we got some merch and a truck, I just kept walking. And one of the ladies was like, well somebody asked you about your stuff, you stop and let them know.

I said, you know what, I usually do, but the way my brain is fried right now, I was just ready to go. So shout out to Mariska for helping me in that moment. And so we went to the car. We have merchandise in the suitcase.

I felt like I was in the streets of New York. We pulled out that suitcase. We propped it on the car and was literally selling merch from the suitcase. It was like a auction.

Let me get this, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, man. I'm just like, bro, what is happening? Like in that moment, like in my mind, I was like, what is happening? But in that moment, I'm like, okay, cool, we got to do this, we got to do this, we got to do that.

And it was crazy how God just set up that whole thing. They were actually there for a food tour. So they were getting ready to go. And so I'm like, dang, well, if we were to walk a little faster or walk a little slower downtown, we probably would have missed them.

And so I am grateful to God that he set it up. The timing was just so perfect and all that, because we could have just missed all those women. And so majority of them purchased merchandise. And so I had the opportunity to pray for them, for safe travels going back to where they were going.

But after that moment, it was kind of like a snap out. Like I was just like, whoa, what just happened? And I kind of, I testified about it on my Instagram page and just kind of share like what happened in that moment. And it was just like, this encounter that I had is the reason why I cannot stop.

And I get those all the time. I get those frequently like the times that I'm just like, Lord, if I could just say, oh, Jesus, the sneakers, I'll just be all right. Or if I could just stop, like, I don't want to do this anymore. Shut down the website.

Don't purchase anymore. Thank you so much for your support. But we're coming to an end. It's those moments that make me like, OK, this is purposeful.

It's not about me. It's never about me. This is about the women that I've encountered here in North Carolina. That's in here to North Carolina, not just for that event, but for all of those women that I've encountered.

And so that's also another audience, right? So I expose Jesus, the sneakers, not only to them, but to their audiences, because they're going to wear the merchandise and people are going to ask, see, that's how marketing works, right? And so it was a moment for sure. And I feel like God always gives me these reminders of the why.

Like, Brianna, shut up. Shut the noise. Yes, you can feel. Yes, you can be emotional.

Yes, you can have all these feelings about. I want to put all those stuff. But let me remind you real quick of the reason why I gave you this range drop effect vision, this idea that is affecting lives today. Man, like, when you, the reason that's important too, and I would like you just to touch a little bit on, you talked about those moments when you want to give up.

And you're like, all right, thank you all for shopping with me, closing the website, whatever. Can you just talk just briefly about, like, what actually drives you to those moments? And the reason I'm asking you this is because, again, there are a lot of entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, business professionals who listen to this podcast. And I know for a fact, just from the messages, I get a lot of my listeners message me, and we have conversations and things like that.

And I know that people go through those moments where they want to give up. And when outside looking in, you know, we could talk about all the good stuff, and we could see all the good behind it. But can you just share a little insight behind, like, what drives you? Because if I'm looking, I'm like, why will, Bree, you got some dope?

No, I'm really ain't ever thinking about giving up. So can you just share a little bit so that somebody out there can understand, like, this is normal. You're going to go through those ups and downs about maybe a time where just generally speaks to, like, what drives you to even think like that sometimes? What drives me is the pictures of people in the merch.

I screenshot people send me pictures. And that, honestly, is my motivation. Like, I mean, even from like, Maverick City, you know, it being on a tour, Coco from SWV, like, I oftentimes look at the track record, right? So I look at from August 2021 to now the platforms and the open doors, the podcast interviews, the sponsorships, the pop-up shops, the vendors, I reflect.

And I really think it is key to reflect. Because a lot of times we can feel like we're not doing anything or doing enough. And that is not the case. And so I do a lot of reflection.

I'm like, dang, like, God, you really, you actually really blew my mind in the month of November. And what I actually do now is I make a record of everything that God has done in each month and also overall in the year. And so that gives me an opportunity to just be like, OK, yes, I want to quit quite often. But if I look at how God has opened so many doors that, honestly, probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Jesus' What's Niegoos or any business at that rate, I don't like, there's no way that I could quit.

Like, there's no way that I could quit. I actually shared with a friend more recently. I said, if what God did for me this year is magnified, and intensified for 2023, I have a lot to look forward to. Like, there is no way that I could push this aside.

Like, I put too much money. Let's talk about money. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about the investments, the financials.

I have, I've received seeds. People have sewn into Jesus' plus sneakers. People have sponsored. People want to invest.

I had personally invested my own paychecks from my job to make sure that customers can have crewnecks. Do you know how painful that is? Like, I want to pocket this money, but I got to shell out $1,500 for customers to be satisfied. That right there can make somebody want a customer.

Seriously, like, I need my hard-earned, like, I have to give a business to make this stuff, my hard-earned money, and I don't customize it, let me just throw that in there. But I was just being super dramatic. But I have to give my hard-earned money to this business to make sure that customers are satisfied with a product that is literally like changing lives. Dang, I don't want to do this no more.

So now I got to figure out, well, how can I make revenue from these sales? So I wouldn't have to use my own personal money anymore. And so sometimes, y'all, just be real, you're going to have to, it takes money to make money. I understand that more now than I ever understood it before.

Like, sometimes you have to fool from them. If you still work your job, I still actually work a part-time gig. So if you still work your job, sometimes you have to pull a lump sum of change from that check to make sure that the business can still be sustained. And if you can't, it's okay, do something crazy to make sure that you can get sales, have a sale, you know, to generate sales.

And so you just got to kind of do different things that work for you, but money is an issue. I think self-taught sabotage, excuse me, isn't an issue, you can see what somebody else is doing. And you may feel like what you're doing is not enough. You can be overwhelmed, you can be stressed out, you could honestly comparison as a thief or joy, you can compare yourself to somebody that has been in this game longer, or has been in this game not as long as you, but is doing way better than you.

It's a whole thing, like, it's a whole thing, but you have to understand that what you have been given is special and nobody can take that away from you. But it's your job to make sure that you convey this message as strong as you can, and deliver it as strong as you can to the best of your ability, being your authentic self. And so, I know I kind of was like all over the place with that, but it kind of all circles together. Like, yes, I have all these issues, but you have to reflect and remember why, and understand that you're making an investment into something that's going to grow bigger than what you can imagine, right?

And so, yes, I got to pull, sometimes I got to ask people for money, like, hey, I'm not going to tell you what I needed for, but can I just borrow $50 just so I can get a couple of crewnecks or a couple of t-shirts or a couple hoodies? I haven't had this experience, but this is just real stuff, right? Everybody is moving into the entrepreneurial world. You know, a lot of people are business owners now, small business owners, and so, people think it's just like a piece of cake and it's not like, I'm going to just start T-shirt lining, it's about to be successful, no.

If you're famous and you got a good track record or a huge following, that's possibly the case, but for someone like me, a lot of people don't know me and some people still don't know me. Starting from scratch, right, and by myself too. That's another thing, starting from scratch by myself, trying to push a message out that I felt like at the time would do well. Yeah, and like, no, that's good stuff, and that's real, I appreciate you for the vulnerability and being transparent because so many people do think it's just easy to do this stuff, but it's like a lot of sacrifice, like you're saying sacrifice and money.