Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Albert Kelly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Albert, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I started a clothing line So Rocky Clothing in 2020. I was finding and utilizing vendor events /pop up shops to network and earn money for my brand. What I noticed is a lot of the events were poorly organized and didn’t have a lot of traffic. As a well known Dj & event promoter in my area that prompted me to solve that problem by hosting my own vendor events. So in 2020 I launched Retail Therapy The Small Business Network. I have a good following via social media plus I specialize in marketing and promotions. So the first event was a great success. What touched me was a lot of the vendors were thanking me at the end of event . They stated how they enjoyed it , complimented how organized it was and stated how they really made some real money. That was the moment I knew I had been called to do what I was doing. I’m here to serve my people and use my platform to build my local economy. We welcome all brands but we especially focus on black owned businesses because they need the support & direction the most. We also offer workshops, courses and a more to educate and network. I’m thankful God placed me on this mission and we have a lot more work to do. Retail Therapy has since upgraded to a exchange market. We really have built a community of strong brands that participate in all our events. We are a Sumter, SC based organization but we will be expanding to Florence, Columbia, Charleston, Greenville , and Myrtle Beach.

Albert, 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?

I’m a 36 year old entrepreneur father of two amazing sons . I got my start I’m entrepreneurship selling clothing then Djing & hosting social events. As I got older and mature I started to seek ways to impact my community in a positive way. So Rocky Promotions LLC is my brand where I offer various products for small businesses. Some products we offer is digital flyer design, business card design and printing , social media promotions. The Retail Therapy The Smal Business Network is under SRP as well.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One of our greatest accomplishments of Retail Therapy was selling out the Sumter County Civic Center. It’s the largest venue in Sumter, SC. We booked over 75 vendors & had over 1000 people come out to shop. It was a very emotional day for me because I couldn’t believe it. I was thanking God the whole day because without the guidance I couldn’t have pulled it off.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Up until 2020 Djing was my main income producing business. I provided music for weddings, birthday parties, schools, and night clubs. When the pandemic came everything shut down. It was a very depressing time. I prayed for a way to pivot into something else . I started my clothing brand So Rocky Clothing which took off right away. I also started doing graphic design, Retail Therapy The Small Business Network. I also invested in a hotdog business with a family City Dogs. So I’m thankful for the pandemic it really forced me to be innovative.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Retail Therapy The Small Business Network
• Facebook: Beazo Kelly

Image Credits
Jerrica Eyewonder Jamecia Sanders