We recently connected with Cara Johnson-Graves and have shared our conversation below.

Cara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

EPIC Everyday, the brand name and logo icon, are synonymous with positive self-reflection and assertion driven by purpose & pride. From the beginning, we wanted to create a visual and verbal affirmation brand that exceeded expectations when it comes to empowering under-represented children with creativity. When my sister Jenae and I started the company, we wanted to select a memorable company name that served as both a conversation starter and daily affirmation. It needed to appeal to children and adults as a motivational cue for diverse children to believe and build confidence. We brainstormed for over a year, searching for a powerful and inspirational way to declare “I am unique, awesome, and naturally beYOUtiful!” We believe in the power of affirmations and speaking life or positivity towards yourself as an impactful way to amplify self-love, self-care, and self-acceptance. More than a trend, we decided to lay the foundation for a brand ecosystem that was evergreen. Meaning every detail from the mission and vision to core values were created to remain relevant, valuable, and rewarding throughout time. The EPIC in our brand name is an acronym for Empowered, Positive, Innovative, and Creative. These are characteristics and qualities that embody self-worth in children and adults. When they look in the mirror, we want them to feel seen and celebrated, where inspiration is fueled by representation. EPIC Everyday is a creatively distinct designation that prompts you to embrace your power and intentionally make every single day EPIC by owning your own ambitions.

Cara, 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?

We give voice and vision to dreams realized in real time, because sometimes you have to BE what you don’t SEE. Ethnic minorities make up 30% of the U.S. population however, less than 2% of products online, or in store, represent Black, brown, or multicultural children. As sisters, wives, and moms we felt disheartened when we discovered this and had to take action with a launch in 2019. Bootstrapped with $10K, grit, and grace, we created EPIC Everyday because we did not see relatable, relevant, and positive representation for our children to draw inspiration. Today, we fill the void for children to feel valued, visible, and empowered with representation that serves as a catalyst for building confidence! As a female-founded and family-owned business we are bridging the gap and ensuring historically excluded children are seen & celebrated. Our brand ethos is centered around the EPIC Everyday motto: “Never Ordinary, Always EPIC!” Our products, practices, and partnerships differentiate us. EPIC Everyday is a visually affirming lifestyle brand that offers a functional and fashionable line of apparel, accessories, & home goods. Our signature collection of products are uniquely created for children from newborns to 10-year-olds. Vibrant designs connect communities with multicultural characters that elevate self-esteem. Versatile products feature multicultural characters with a variety of skin shades, hair textures, and hairstyles intentionally designed to promote positive self-image. We refer to our joyful melanin rainbow of character designs as “mocha-hued.” Inclusive light to rich dark brown skin shades, with wispy curls to thick coily textured hair. EPIC Everyday features a wide variety of quality accessories (totes, belt bags, chest bags, lunch bags, backpacks), apparel (t-shirts, hoodies), and home goods (wearable blankets, pillowcases, duvet covers, plush blankets, hooded towels, shower curtains, bathmats) that are kid-tested and mom-approved. Our unwavering commitment to sustainability incorporates eco-friendly practices through small-batch production to reduce our carbon footprint and utilizing 100% recycled packaging for all apparel found online & Amazon.
Our goal is to bridge creativity and culture with familiar spaces & faces in the community! Our dedication to impactful corporate social responsibility initiatives is evident in our actions, as we support charities and causes that benefit communities in need. We have donated to over 5,000 youth during numerous Back-to-School, holiday gifting, STEM programs, and corporate give back initiatives. Contributing nearly $150K in gifts to well-deserving community organizations, schools, and social impact recipients. Cultivating partnerships with non-profits and corporate partners including Disney, Hulu, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Mother LA, The Wade Family Foundation, Jack and Jill of America, NFL Washington Commanders, Giving Foundation for Women and Children, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Granting opportunities in select programs like Beyonce Black Parade Route, Amazon Black Business Accelerator (BBA) CONNECT, Nasdaq Milestone Circles, and nationally syndicated TV features including The Kelly Clarkson Show and America’s Black Forum. We value the connection between sharing our experiences, education and entrepreneurship. Accordingly, we provide college students our time, tools, and resources to achieve success via experiential learning initiatives. Offering entrepreneurial insight and real-world project-based learning with Bowie State University and Baylor University students. EPIC Everyday is proof that small businesses can make a big impact. In every product, practice, & partnership we are igniting hope so that the next generation sees just how EPIC they truly are!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There is progress in the pivot & possibilities in the pause. When we started EPIC Everyday our focus was on children and mainly items, they would need for school such as backpacks and lunch bags because we felt that was the larger ask based on what we were looking for when shopping for our own children. The pandemic forced a pivot that pushed us outside of our standard offering of products. We learned through research that the need for visually affirming multicultural products was far greater than just for children and more than just for school. We have recently expanded our offerings to include options not only for adults but also for varied industries such as healthcare with colorful scrubs showcasing our characters, and haircare and beauty with kids’ salon capes coming soon. Merging health and beauty wellness collections with diverse people, patients, and professionals. There are also matching family hoodies to ensure we are looking out for everyone, the young to the young at heart. As you know, school is not year-round so we introduced hooded towels that kiddos could take to the beach as well as plush throws and wearable blankets to keep them cozy on cool autumn and winter evenings, ensuring we covered all seasons. The pivot was initially initiated because of the pandemic but this allowed us to do data gathering to figure out what our customers wanted to see and to bring those products to life. We successfully pivoted to add a family apparel line, wellness collection, kids bedding & bath products to bridge the family-community connection. This unexpected expansion allowed us to become a family lifestyle brand with something for men, women, and children of all ages. We are proof that roadblocks and detours along the entrepreneurial journey can enable ingenuity to flourish!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Acting Up: Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom, by Janice Bryant Howroyd (JBH) is always within my reach and travels with me everywhere that I travel. It is a business leadership primer filled with wit and wisdom, centered around service & self-empowerment. Her stories are intertwined with revelations about the influence of family, which is relatable as EPIC Everyday is a family-owned and operated entity. Each chapter includes key insights, affirmations, and life lessons referred to as “Janicisms”. Central messaging advises, “One cannot effectively lead without passionately serving” and “Never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally.” I draw inspiration from Janice Bryant Howroyd as the first black woman to own and build a billion-dollar and now multibillion-dollar global business, The ActOne Group. She is a powerhouse skilled in the art of resilience, taking risks, adaptability and innovation. Exploring entrepreneurship via themes of integrity, empowerment, personal branding, preparation, and readiness. Lessons within the pages of Acting Up address the power of growth mindset, focused thoughts to generate the personal and professional life you want. Fundamentally & fearlessly staying true to yourself and your values. This means focusing on a desired outcome with an unwavering passion for your purpose. Operating with grace and gratitude even when it gets difficult. To achieve growth in business you must experience personal growth fueled by imagination and creativity. A growth mindset that emphasizes value creation and examines what we can do even better aligns with the pursuit of an optimal customer journey. This has shaped our core values of community, connections, and creativity. We value the voices of our community, our customers express what they like and desire, and we use their feedback to become strategic partners. A key business philosophy of JBH affirms, “Wherever diversity and individual freedoms are embraced and cared for, growth and prosperity thrive.” This is the foundation of EPIC Everyday as a supportive and goal driven culture. A collaborative network built on respect and integrity. Surrounded not just by like-minded thought leaders, but also the inclusion of team members with diverse experiences and insight. Success comes from innovation and the ability to maximize diverse gifts and talent to pursue each day with gratitude!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopepiceveryday.com
• Instagram: @epiceverydayofficial or https://www.instagram.com/epiceverydayofficial/
• Facebook: @epiceverydayofficial or https://www.facebook.com/epiceverydayofficial/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epiceveryday

Image Credits
EYEImagery