Mothers Find Success In Breast Cancer Shirt Business
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - A couple North Texas moms put their own spin on some T-shirts last year. The next thing they knew they were in business, making tens of thousands of dollars.
"It definitely has been a wild ride. One that I've been thrilled to be on," Kim Clearey said.
This year, their company "Love All Apparel" will bring in $200,000 in net sales from having expanded their T-shirt line and sales to 70 tennis clubs in five states and online.
And, it all started as a labor of love a year-and-a-half ago.
"We were just wearing our shirts and people would say 'Hey where did you get that?' So, we started carrying them in our trunk," Clearey said.
Clearey, a breast cancer survivor, was wearing a T-shirt with pink letters and a ribbon logo that says "Fight Like A Girl."
"The designer material, the clever design, the fashion statement that the ladies crave; we knew we were on to something," Shelia Bishop said.
Shelia Bishop was wearing a T-shirt with beat-up tennis balls that formed into a peace symbol.
On the court, they're doubles partners. Off the court, Clearey is the accountant and Bishop the marketer. They juggle home and family and still squeeze in time for tennis.
"We've laughed and whenever we think, 'How are we doing this? Where's the cliff? Come on Thelma and Louise. Let's go off the cliff,'" Clearey joked.
But the mom entrepreneurs do encourage other stay-at-home moms too.
"I would say don't hesitate. Go with your gut. You know, follow a dream," Bishop said.
The two mothers also want to deliver a message: They have not lost their competitive edge.
"Believe it or not we are women in our 40's and we want to win," Bishop said.
The duo is already planning a T-shirt line for men.
