Sunday, November 04, 2007
Making a Difference: A Chat with T-Shirt Maven; Andreea Ayers
A few months ago I was contacted by a very sweet woman who has committed her time to making a difference; a difference that you can wear. When you have a chance, hop on over to Tees For Change.
Pam: Please tell us a bit about the woman behind Tees For Change. What makes Andreea tick?
Andreea: After living in NYC for the last 20 years, my husband and I moved to Boulder, CO so we could slow down and breathe. I’ve always considered myself an entrepreneur, so starting Tees For Change was inevitable.
Tees For Change was an idea that came to me unexpectedly. When I was pregnant with my son earlier this year I encountered a lot of negative reactions from friends and family who didn’t understand why my husband and I wanted to have a home birth. I felt like I was constantly having to defend myself and I was mentally exhausted each time I would have a conversation about giving birth at home. I took a few prenatal yoga classes and I felt different when I practiced yoga. I felt empowered and positive. Then I imagined the words “be courageous” on a t-shirt. Just thinking about those two words made me feel strong. I came home from yoga class that day and I told my husband “I am going to do this. And he said “Go for it.”
What makes me tick? My wonderful family, good conversation, uplifting people, home cooked food, taking walks in the brisk Colorado air, seeing people thrive and become who they are, visiting new places, mindful living, reading magazines, doing yoga, curling up on the couch with my husband and son, seeing inspiration in unexpected places, Sunday mornings…
Pam: How has Tees For Change made a difference for you?
Andreea: Tees For Change has changed my life. It’s allowed me to express my creative side and to do what I love. It lets me combine my love for eco-friendly products with my experience in marketing and my passion for positive thinking. It’s a constant source of inspiration and empowerment for me. Because I am so closely involved with the daily operations of the company, I often get to personally talk to my customers and learn from them.
It constantly reminds me that we ultimately all want the same thing: to be happy. That’s why ‘choose happiness’ has been our best selling tee since the beginning. People crave happiness and I’m happy to provide a product that reminds them that happiness is a choice we all make (even though it might not always be the easiest or most obvious choice).
Pam: Since launching Tees For Change, what has been one of your most inspiring moments?
Andreea: One of my most inspiring moments was sharing our tees with participants at the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park, CO in September 2007 (we had a booth there and sold our tees). It was the first time we had face to face interaction with our customers and it was amazing to see how excited they were about the tees. Someone would walk by and take a look at the shirts and I could see the moment when the tees were speaking to him/her. I felt like they could relate to a phrase on the tees. Whether it was someone who was shy looking at the “be courageous” tee, or someone afraid of something looking at the “be fearless” tees, I know they felt touched and affected just by glancing at the shirts.
The conference lasted a whole week and it was very inspiring to see people the second day wearing my tees and the third day there were even more people wearing them. The last day one woman brought a few friends over and she said to them “these are the shirts that I was telling you about!” They spent half an hour at our booth trying on tees and buying them for themselves and their families.
Another inspiring moment was when I first saw someone on the street wearing my tees. She was riding her bike and was wearing the “be courageous” shirt and I was in absolute shock! I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to run over to her and introduce myself and thank her for buying the shirt. But I just stood there and watched with a big smile on my face. I will never forget that moment. It felt so fulfilling, rewarding and inspiring at the same time.
Pam: What is the impact you are hoping to have on your consumers?
Andreea: I am hoping that my tees will impact the person wearing them and also the many people he/she comes in contact with. Words are so powerful, as are thoughts, and a slight shift in your thoughts can make a difference in your day.
Our tees really make you think. What does “live mindfully’ or “today matters” mean to you? It’s probably different than what it means to your friend, sister or co-worker. My goal is to get people to at least stop for a moment and think “hmmm…” I want people to have conversations (with each other or even within themselves) about what the words on our tees mean to them.
Pam: The messages on your t-shirts are so uplifting; what would you tell someone who is not wholly convinced that positive thinking really makes a difference?
Andreea: I say that they should at least try to think positively and see what happens. It can’t hurt to try, right? When you’re in a bad mood, just take a moment to smile. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, just try it. A big wide smile across your whole face! You will see how it will change your mood instantly. It’s my belief that thinking positively only attracts more positive things, people and situations to your life. I say “just try it and see what happens. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Pam:What's on the horizon for Tees For Change
Andreea:We just added men’s, plus size and long sleeve tees this week and I’m in the planning stages for the baby and toddler tees. They will be available in late winter/early spring 2008. One of our manufacturers also just announced that they are going ‘carbon neutral’, so I’m in the process of switching all our production over to them.
I’m also gearing up for the Sundance Film Festival – Tees For Change has been invited to insert our tees in the celebrity gift bags, so I’m super excited. We can’t pass up an opportunity like this. And I’m doing a lot more press outreach and trying to partner with like-minded organizations. I love to donate our tees to worthy causes, so I’m always on the lookout for the next event.
And hopefully one day in the horizon there will be a Tees For Change boutique/physical store. It will have our complete tee line, as well as inspirational/motivational products from other designers.
Pam: Andreea, thank you so much for sharing with us and for making such a difference with your creative endeavor. All the very best to you!
Posted by Pam at 7:05:04 PM in Making a Difference (5) | Permalink | Comments (0)
