Meet Jay Williams, owner of Hoodrich, an urban clothing brand based in Birmingham
Hoodrich is a clothing company that was founded by Birmingham-based Jay Williams in 2014 as a way of utilising Jay's strong musical influences and passion for underground streetwear.
Using his own £200, Jay made the first 30 tees, starting what would go on to be a hugely successful brand nation-wide. The brand has been connected with so many big names such as Birmingham-based Jaykae and Mist, to London-based Dizzee Rascal and Giggs and even 50 Cent!
Yes, you read that right, 50 Cent. After Jay had a conversation with his PR, he managed to get an address to send some clothes to 50 Cent's stylist, not knowing whether the US rapper would wear it or not. 50 Cent then went on to be seen wearing Hoodrich clothing not once, but twice!
Despite this monumental milestone, Jay stays humble about the situation:
"It doesn't mean just because 50 Cent wore it, that you're going to see a mad spike in sales, it just gives the brand a bit of clout and credibility"
After 4 years of grinding, in 2018, Hoodrich was picked up by large retail store FootAsylum, which stocks major brands such as Nike and Adidas.
Jay admits that he had stumbled on the personal development side of business at a later stage in his career, finding motivational Podcasts and books that have since helped him to focus on empowering his mindset.
"I just started to work on my mindset and just build it up from there"
"Once you start applying things, you start to see results and then you get more experience, which builds confidence - then you want to do it again."
In 2019, Hoodrich hit another milestone as they collaborated with JD Sports, allowing the brand to reach an even wider audience in both the UK and Europe.
"Going into JD, you've got to give it 12 months before anything really happens, the customers need to get used to seeing the brand. We're early in JD, but it's going well"
Speaking on the Dreamers Club Podcast, the young entrepreneur shares some great advice for other young business minds looking to get involved in business.
"You've got to ask yourself, are you really passionate about this? It's not going to be easy, so you need something that's going to get you through and keep you going"
Looking forward, Jay aims to take the brand to a place that is bigger than it is now, creating something that allows the brand to help the youth of today. But for now, the exact form of this development is a secret, but all will be revealed soon.
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