We were lucky to catch up with Christa Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christa, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were to start Jones Inck over again, I would keep in mind the motto ” Work smarter not harder.” When we first started, we did everything ourselves. That means all the printing, weeding, pressing and more. Now that we have almost two years under our belt, we’ve discovered the secret. OUTSOURCE!

We once had a family reunion order with over 100 shirts. The design was front, back and both sleeves. Had we known better, we would have sent this out to be outsourced but we instead did it all ourselves. Lesson learned.

For large orders, we highly recommend passing the work along to a larger company. That’s what they are there for after all. You also have more material variations to choose from than what you may currently have.

Don’t be afraid to ask other businesses for tips and tricks. Whenever people come to us with questions, we are quick to assist because we know what it’s like to be a newbie. Choose to lighten your load if you have the option by outsourcing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Jones Inck is a black-owned/women-owned custom apparel company that my sister-in-law (Michaela Jones) and I started out of her garage November 2020. One day we decided to turn our hobby into our business, and we’ve been growing ever since. Michaela and I started off making holiday/birthday shirts here and there, but that quickly turned into making merchandise for small businesses in the area. We have since created bundles for companies that are just getting started and need professional attire. Our goal is to not only provide custom apparel for small business, but school districts, churches, and corporations as well.

We are coming up on our 2 year anniversary, and the process has not been easy. With no guidance, and lots of research, we have managed to move into an office suite (located in Duncanville, Tx), secure business filings, trademark, and also upgrade our customization methods to ensure the quality of our products.

A few things that has helped us succeed is keeping open/honest communication with our customers, handling each customer with care and concern, as well as constant prayer over our business. Our customer’s satisfaction is our #1 priority.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Customer service is key. A customer will always remember if you took the extra step to make sure they were pleased. As a business owner, there will be many times where you have to bite the bullet and yield to your customer’s request. We have almost always seen it pay off. They will keep coming back to you because they remembered how you went the extra mile to meet their needs. Also, ask for reviews. Many of our new customers are coming based off of reviews that other customers have provided.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Our business really picked up when we listed ourselves on google. Aside from word of mouth, this has brought us a nice amount of clientele. Instagram reels also seem to do really well getting your business recognition.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jonesinck.com
• Instagram: @JonesInck
• Facebook: @Jones Inck LLC

Image Credits
Image Credits Photographer: Brandon Lester Models: Kenneth Horne, Fabian Xiv, Mikaela Green, Nicole Cavazos