We were lucky to catch up with Alexis & Robert Liddell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alexis & Robert, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
What a perfect question to ask. Honestly, my husband helped me to build a brand from the ground up. For two years the idea of Tap In had been in my spirit. My husband said the perfect acronym “Try Applying Pressure It’s Necessary.” It was right on point for both of us during the time in our lives of figuring out the different obstacles we were facing.
Everything fell right into place because I wanted to be a fashion designer and learn how to make clothing but, did not know where to start. As I stated before, it had been a few years before this name and brand had come to life, and with having enough confidence to build on it. We didn’t realize it would become a motivational brand because I wanted it to be more fashionable than anything. My thoughts, in the beginning, were to learn how to sew clothes from scratch. I was into making vintage and unique items, of course, Tap In went in a different direction but is still on track. We didn’t want to go the manufacturing route, so we figured out a way to do everything in-house. We know we are on the road to building a lifetime brand. I knew if we wanted to wow the world and those around us, we needed a name that would live on forever for any age group. This brand is for everyone no matter where you are in life you will always apply pressure to your situations to come out on top.
“TRY ” is making that attempt or putting in the effort to do something.
“APPLYING” is to be relevant.
“PRESSURE” of course our immediate connotation is often negative when we hear it. With our brand, it means that if the correct amount of pressure is applied to any situation can help you achieve your goals in a healthy manner that doesn’t detract from your overall well-being.
“IT’S
NECESSARY” means it’s essential to or must be done. It’s necessary to move forward in life and continue the journey and succeed in those accomplishments set along the way.
Anytime anyone has questioned the brand and what it means to me I say “Every situation I applied pressure to it was a win for me. Everything I wanted I pushed for no matter what I have always wanted more in life.”
“Some testimonies we have heard from the meaning of Tap In are dealing with anxiety and they Tap themselves to calm down.”
“Others have expressed they needed a brand like this to stay motivated in the gym and read the shirt daily to keep pushing forward. ”
“Some even stated that they were in a state of depression, and this brand name is just the type of energy they need to come out of it. Especially after hearing our story and how it relates to us. ”
So, we would like to say to you. That if you want a promotion “Tap In” to those conversations that need to be brought up with your managers. If you want that degree “Tap In” to those classes that need to be taken. If you want to start that business “Tap In” to what it takes to start it. Tap In will always be meant for everyone, and we know we have a great brand and name that last forever.
Alexis & Robert, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Primarily, thank you for the opportunity. I Alexis Liddell the CEO and Co-Owner Robert Liddell are the masterminds behind Tap In Clothing Company and Alex And Friends which is a children’s activity/coloring book. We both come from hospitality backgrounds. Alexis was a front office manager at several major hotels and my husband Robert has been a chef for over 20 years. Starting our two businesses was second nature to us. We love what we are doing now and have the freedom to do it how we want to. What I loved most about the hospitality industry is meeting people from all over the world, who strictly depend on you to make their stay as enjoyable as possible. Alex and Friends is a spin off from Roberts culinary background and the passing of his mother and wanting to bring families together. The actives in the book consistent of a kid friendly recipe for families to come together to cook. Chef Rob’s 10 commandments of a healthy lifestyle and so much more.
Just knowing what people may want or need before even asking would always be the highlight of the day when we would sit down and talk about how our day was. During our time in the hotel and restaurant industry, we were able to serve in a way that you will always remember our service and the experience you had during your stay. We enjoy problem-solving and helping others when they are in need. Not only does it fulfill the customer, but how joyful it is seeing people smile, less stressed, and walk away more confident than we found them.
From the time my husband and I met, we knew we would do something creative and inspiring together, just because of the conversations that had taken place beforehand, our creative spirits, and our work ethics. We also had a feature in a business space in Nashville, Tennessee located in Germantown, and during our time there we treated it like it was our own. Every day we would talk about taking out the opportunity to practice the things we wanted to become better at and learn how to work together as a team at home and work, without burning each other out. We have always been an asset to a company so finding our way as entrepreneurs has been exciting. We make all the clothing ourselves. We also take part in 70 to 80% of the photography and modeling. We run 5 social media platforms and marketing strategies on top of building our website from scratch.
Yes, we are Tapped In!!! We have been blessed to be able to run two fully functional businesses on our own and we love any and everything that comes with it. Our goal is to provide great service and be relatable to our customers. We have invested everything in these two businesses, so we are expecting everything out of it. So, when you run into us it will always be an experience to remember. Whether from the product, conversation, or our overall vibe you will understand our brand in your way after interacting with us.
We are a married couple starting a business together and it was not easy, but it fulfills us both to know that we are doing it together and leaving great impressions on those who we meet. We are most proud of starting two companies together and never giving up on each other’s dreams. We will continue our journey no matter what. Our brand will be worldwide as long as we stay consistent. God has so much in store for us and we know it that is his promise.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What helped build our reputation within our market is being consistent and carefully choosing fashionable and excellent quality products. Such as varsity jackets, hats, good quality traveling bags, thick collar neck tees and oversized tees and so much more.
We have been lucky to connect with the right market host. We did several pop-up shops in Nashville, TN. Including Nashville Black Market, Create the Culture Events, The KICKBAQ, Bringing the Sea to Powder Springs. We were a part of the BIGGEST festival held in Chattanooga, TN “Bringing the Sea to Chattanooga”. Nearly reaching 77,000 people (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) in attendance, we are most proud of this event and its outcome.
It was surprising yet fulling to know that we are being talked about in such a positive way. We met some that didn’t understand the Tap In brand but understood what we stood for after one conversation. The market of the Tap In brand has now reached so many diverse backgrounds. So, we can’t say it’s just one set audience, it’s for the world to see and relate to.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Definitely! However, it wasn’t an easy feat. With unwavering faith and mutual encouragement, my husband and I decided to leave our 9 to 5 jobs and focus on building our own brands. I was able to take the leap before my husband did. We had grown too comfortable with our regular income and convinced ourselves that we couldn’t survive without it. However, bills never stopped coming in, even when we had no income. Nevertheless, we persisted and turned our seemingly nothing into something. We hustled relentlessly for six months, which eventually turned into a successful year for both of us by July 2023. For three years now, Tap In Clothing and Alex and Friends have been thriving, and we take pride in the fact that we put all our energy into something we can call our own for the rest of our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tapinclothing.com
- Instagram: shoptapin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tapin2020
Image Credits
Bruce Jones David Sanford Isiah Christ