We recently connected with Acy Brown and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Acy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The cornerstones of the Acy Brown Company are comprised of 3 main components: The Man~The Model~The Mission. I am an Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Professional Model, Actor, Fitness Influencer, and Brand Ambassador. The Model of the Acy Brown Company is centered around my close relationship with my family. The personality of my brand is athletic and wholesome! The Mission of the Acy Brown Company is to Inform, Inspire, and Motivate others to reach their full potential with the goals and dreams they aspire to achieve in life!
As an entrepreneur, my goal was not only to simply be another business owner, but I wanted to be impactful and a positive influence in people’s lives on a daily basis. I have always had a love of fitness and wellness with a vision of combining those key components with high quality fitness clothing people could wear that would be colorful, inspirational, and timeless. I wanted to create a piece that not only represented a part of my brand from a material standpoint but also symbolized my brand from a spiritual standpoint that encompasses the mind, body, and soul.
This is where my latest design, the inspirational “PEACE IS PRICELESS” for my Pyramid Collection Athleisure-wear line was fashioned.
The logic behind the messaging and design of “PEACE IS PRICELESS” is that no matter how great our social status may be in the community, no matter how many professional accomplishments and accolades we receive, or what titles we may have in front of or behind our names to simply name a few, there is nothing more important than living in a state of Peace. When you have inner peace, it means you are in a place where you do not worry and have truly accepted the fact you will have personal setbacks and disappointments in life and it is ok to not have all the answers! Having Peace amidst the struggles and confusion in life and living in Peace and Harmony among each other is truly what is meant by “PEACE IS PRICELESS”.
I felt by creating this design and getting this messaging out through the area of fitness in which society is extremely familiar with ranging from childhood to adulthood, I could begin to change the climate from so much negativity to that of positivity. I also believed from a Wellness perspective, if I could get people to wear a stylish and colorful piece with a truthful personal powerful message, it would get people to become more conscious of and improve their overall physical and mental health. The Mental health problem in our society seems to be at an all time high and I wanted to have a hand in helping get as many people as possible back to feeling good about themselves and back to a peaceful state of mind on a consistent basis which leads to a more peaceful society worldwide!
This has been a worthwhile endeavor for me in that through various messages I have received from persons that have not only purchased the “PEACE IS PRICELESS” shirts, but just by reading the message in itself has made a positive difference in their mindset and causing them to calm down in situations whereas before they would have become disturbed or extremely frustrated. My thought process was if I only made a positive difference in one person’s life, I would deem this creation a success.
What excites me the most about the “PEACE IS PRICELESS” movement is that I have really been able to get the shirts out to many people without any type of Major Distribution network (everything has been self-funded by myself and I have done every mailout personally), so I look forward to some point in the near future being able to secure a Great Distribution deal that will enable me to be able to get this messaging out all over the world. I truly believe and trust in God that someday the Acy Brown “PEACE IS PRICELESS” design and messaging will not only become a household name/staple but a Worldwide example of how good society can be when all individuals can live with personal peace because “PEACE truly IS PRICELESS!”
Acy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Prior to getting involved in the entertainment industry, I worked as an accountant for major corporations such as IBM, Mobil Oil, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and as an auditor for the Federal Government’s Department of Health and Human Services. Even though I had success working in Corporate America, I have envisioned since the age of 8 about being on the front cover of GQ Magazine wearing a suit and tie. I attended a talent agency open call where I gave various agents my headshot. I was contacted for an interview 2 months later and was offered representation in which I was absolutely excited to accept!
I have been modeling professionally for 18 years. I have been featured in National advertising campaigns for Industry giants Wal Mart, Comcast, AT&T, Lockheed Martin, FedEX/Kinkos, Brinks Inc, Motorola, Six Flags Over Texas, BlueCross Shell, and the U.S. Federal Government to name a few. I have also done promotional modeling for NASCAR, Nationwide Insurance, and the PGA so my experience in dealing with the public is extensive.
In 2018, I founded Acy Brown, LLC, an athleisure brand company that helps promote health and wellness to persons of all ages and backgrounds. My goal is to help people live healthier lifestyles from both a mental and physical perspective. What I am most proud of is despite being a full-time caretaker for my parents the past 11 years, I have also been able to maintain my business and have continued to grow as a business owner. It has been challenging at times because I get pulled and taken in many different directions simultaneously, so my time management skills have definitely been on display since becoming an entrepreneur.
What sets me apart from many others and am most proud of is the fact I love to see people succeed. Instead of wanting to be independent and separate from other businesses, I believe in collaborating and sharing ideas/concepts and making deals with other businesses in order to become more successful! There is more than enough for everyone and their dreams so therefore I really see no one as my competition. I am seeking collaboration opportunities and allies, not enemies!
As a Professional Model/Brand Ambassador, I am always seeking ways to connect the positivity and overall wellness of my brand with others. No matter how negative a situation may be, the mission of my brand is to Inspire, Inform, and Motivate others to become the best version of themselves.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I have always been known as a risk taker when it comes to business and going after what I believe. I do not adopt nor believe in the concept of failure. Just because you decide to take on a particular venture and things do not work out the way you desire or envision does not mean you failed…it simply means that is not what God intended for you to do at that time or you need to go back to the drawing board and find another way to achieve your goal. This can range from rebranding, doing more research, becoming more versatile, getting in better physical condition, or sharpening your skills. Simply put…sometimes you have to get better! It is all about being honest and transparent with yourself.
I founded the Acy Brown Company roughly at the age of 50. I have never been afraid to invest in myself financially, spiritually, physically, or emotionally. We only have one life to live and a certain amount of time in life to pursue and do certain things at an efficient and high level so I do not place restrictions on dreams and aspirations simply due to one’s age. The main issue I have had to deal with in general for my athleisure line has been locating and maintaining a vendor/manufacturer and printing company that could produce the quality/style of clothing I wanted associated with my brand at a good market price. I have and will never sacrifice the quality of my product just to have it done at a cheaper/least expensive price. I will not put a product out that is not of high quality because my name and reputation are attached to each piece. I have had to change vendors/manufacturers multiple times for various reasons ranging from companies filing bankruptcy and shutting down to others no longer carrying the quality products/materials I needed to others simply producing shoddy unprofessional work which I do not want associated with my brand!
After finally getting some sort of consistency with production for my clothing line in the latter part of 2019, Covid-19 and March of 2020 happened when the United States Government officially began the shutdown of most business activity due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. This disrupted and shutdown the production and distribution of my athleisure wear so there were literally no sales to be made for all of 2020. I knew being a relatively new company/brand and by still being in the process of establishing the Acy Brown Company/Brand, I had to do something to remain in the eyes and ears of people while everyone was relegated to being stuck at home glued to their computers and listening devices due to Covid-19.
Thus I created, wrote, produced, executive produced, and co-hosted along with my business manager “The Acy Brown Show” podcast which aired for 2 years each Sunday at 7pm est on WSME-DB SM Enlightenment Radio. My thought process in regards to the concept of the show was instead of doing “The Acy Brown Show” like most other podcast formats where the host would pick the hot topic of the day and simply go back and forth with opinions about what they thought, I wanted to do mine from the angle of talking about subject matter that dealt with evaluating and improving one’s mental and physical health on a weekly basis. I felt like if I could get people to look at themselves in a more truthful manner and improve their overall mental health with relevant information, that would in turn inspire, motivate, and enlighten them to become a better version of themselves. I talked about various topics such as Self Awareness, Budgeting, Business, Being a Caretaker, Preparation, Nutrition, Marriage, Communication, Relationships, Reputation, and Discovering Your Purpose to name a few.
Also during this time period, I was able to birth the “PEACE IS PRICELESS” design. I spent many hours working on the color scheme to ensure the colors displayed the meaning of peace and would work year round from a fashion standpoint. Part of the motivation for me during this time came from the fact of listening to and watching so many people from a mental perspective become disturbed, frightened, and sometimes paranoid not knowing how Covid-19 would affect them and their loved ones. Even though there was no manufacturing or orders that could get filled due to the shutdown, my mindset during this period was doctors would find a remedy to help combat the coronavirus and we would eventually return to some degree of normalcy and resume business as usual. I was not going to allow the inability to operate my business as usual prohibit me from creating another design for my athleisure wear line.
In order to be successful in life on a consistent basis, one has to be resilient. You have to be able to pivot and adapt on the fly to changes and situations that may occur without losing control or giving up. One of my greatest attributes is being able to think ahead and being prepared for what may happen next whether it be positive or negative. Being resilient is simply being able to deal with setbacks and disappointments and quickly recover from conditions and situations that arise on this journey called life.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The basic principles of having a good reputation are keeping your word, being a person of good character, will, and conscience. As an Entrepreneur, the main aspects I wanted to establish and maintain for my brand and as CEO of the Acy Brown Company was the reputation of (1) being true to my word about what my goals and objectives were via verbal and written communication; (2) Establishing a reputation of consistency in the areas of messaging in regards to health, wellness, and fitness; and (3) To develop a reputation of treating all my customers equally whether they spend $5 or $500 with me.
What has really helped me build my reputation within my market as a businessman overall is my Professionalism and Attention to Details. I am very hands on with all aspects of my business. As an example in regards to my “PEACE IS PRICELESS” shirts, anyone who has placed an order from my collection has had their item(s) selected, inspected, hand delivered, or shipped directly by me. I have “touched” every piece! I know as my business grows and expands I will have to relinquish many responsibilities to others in order to operate and function more efficiently, but during the building phase of my business it’s my responsibility to lay the foundation and reputation of the Acy Brown Company/Brand. Also something else that has helped me establish a good reputation within my market is I do not pretend to be flawless or perfect in execution 100 percent of the time. There are times when I miss something or do not get something exactly right but I am perfect in my “effort” to fix, correct, or make it better for my customers/clientele.
In order to establish and maintain a good reputation, at times you will have to do the right thing even when it is difficult, unpopular, or may cost you financial gain. . You have to remain true to who you are ethically and morally, maintain discipline, and continue moving forward because your reputation will follow you everywhere you go and can be the determining factor in whether people gravitate towards you or move away from you.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.acybrown.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/acybrown
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/acybrown
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
1. Robert Wright 2. Urban McConnell