We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexa Stone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alexa, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
As a kid I always loved a good graphic tee and sneakers. I remember all the girls would wear skirts and nice button ups but not me – give me a graphic tee and cool sneakers! Rue 21 was my best friend growing up. In 2017 I started to sketch out t-shirt designs and logos but I was too afraid to push forward with it. I also was in the midst of applying to graduate school and as a first generation high school graduate – applying to get my master’s degree was even scarier! Closer to when my grad school program was concluding in my last semester I had created a vision board with a photoshopped picture of my favorite celebs in my soon to be clothing brand. I wanted to create the idea that my brand was already a hot commodity amongst celebrities; which would push me to bring this idea to life! It’s super hard to put yourself out there but creating the vision board pushed me to realize that anything was possible. I decided to drop my brand on my birthday, which was 2 months after I created the vision board, in February 2020. I had spent time researching different types of vendors, how I wanted the official launch to go, who would make the shirts for me, and so much more! This wasn’t easy, especially during my last semester of graduate school, but when you want something – you put your mind to it and go after it! Put your all into it!
Alexa, 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?
My name is Alexa and my biggest passions are – fashion, music, and sports! I was born and raised in Kansas City, MO and yes I am a super Chiefs fan. I am a first generation high school graduate, first gen college graduate, and first in my family to get my master’s degree as well. I am also the first in my family to start my own business! What inspired me to start a business was not only my passion for fashion but watching my mother ALWAYS be a woman with a plan! I started sketching T-shirt designs back in 2017 and wanted to make streetwear more inclusive for everyone! As a girl who always loved graphic tees and sneakers – that wasn’t always embraced for a girl to dress like that. I wanted other women to feel good in clothes that weren’t necessarily what society’s idea of what is and is not okay for a woman to wear! As a first generation college graduate and business owner, it was not easy to push out my ideas. I had to have a delusional belief that one day this thing might work and guess what? It did. I’m not where I want to be but I am confident I will see my clothing brand globally one day! My brand NMFG (No More Free Game) offers T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, accessories, hats (coming soon), and more – built from the ground up! I am also very proud of launching a business 2 weeks before covid hit and my last semester of grad school! It has not been easy but it is so worth it to follow your dreams!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was so eager to launch my brand on my birthday (February 2020)! I had put a lot of work into planning the launch, finding a vendor, and much more with being a first generation business owner. About 2 weeks after a successful launch…Covid hit. At that point of time this was also my last semester of graduate school. I was a graduate assistant, had an internship to complete, 2 part time jobs, classes, and also had to complete a final graduation project. On top of all that – I wanted to launch a business?! What was I thinking! THEN covid hits. My whole life had to pivot because no one knew what was going to happen from there. My whole last few months of my graduate program had to change completely to virtual, that had never been done before, and I had to move back home. I had already found a local vendor where I was living (12 hours away from home) but how was I supposed to find another vendor back home AND in the middle of Covid? It was scary but I made it through. I also graduated with my master’s degree during that time also! When you want something bad enough, you’ll do anything to get it done! I”m so happy I stuck with it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As mentioned before, I am a first generation high school graduate who was crazy enough to pursue a master’s degree too! As a first generation high school graduate, first gen college graduate, and first in my family to get my master’s degree – everything came from prayer and hard work! I had to figure out a lot of things along my journey because it hadn’t been done before by someone around me! Of course I had successful women around me but I wanted to define my own success to make them proud. Heading off to a big school like Mizzou as a first generation grad was so scary. College is already scary enough but truly not having a blueprint or someone who already did it before me – made it 10x scarier. “Will I really succeed? I’ve never seen this done before” ran through my mind constantly. I just had this delusional belief that one day I would get my degree – despite what ever happened! Guess what I did? I graduated from Mizzou with a great GPA and then later went on to get my master’s degree! In the midst of all of this I launched a dope clothing brand as well!
Contact Info:
- Website: nmfgofficial.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lexmadee