We were lucky to catch up with Carl Lutts recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carl, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

I was an X-Ray technologist for 10 years at a local hospital in my city. Last year in 2021, unfortunately, I hurt my back and, therefore, suffered a loss to my quality of life. I was very active beforehand so this was tough on me that I could not enjoy the things I used to enjoy. I was a hardworker in this position and was working crazy shifts and even picking up extra time when necessary. With that being said, while I was out, the job was not very supportive. The time away opened my eyes and made me realize that I was killing myself and was choosing an employer over my well-being. In 2020 is when I started my business Crossing Lines Apparel. I would work on my business on my days off or sometimes before/after a day of work. I enjoyed being able to control my hours and time. I learned from this lesson to go for what you enjoy and do not caught up in the monetary value that a profession might offer you. This experience has helped me as a business owner, and, when the day comes, to value my employers and show them they are appreciated in every way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Carl Lutts and I am the owner of Crossing Lines Apparel. I live in Philadelphia, PA, where I was born and raised. I started Crossing Lines Apparel in 2020 during the peak of Covid. I was very active in the gym, social activities and enjoyed doing outdoor activities with friends and family. At that time, which I am sure everyone is well aware of, Covid affected these things. My partner is a pet clothing designer and is amazing at his craft. I was always creative, enjoyed design shows and binge watching creative/creator videos on youtube and other social platforms. Sitting at home all the time, well, doesn’t leave you many options to keep your time fulfilled. I remember ordering some products from a local small business and the qualitywas poor. I kinda thought to myself, well I can make this shit my self. So, I decided to try out the cricut and started out making coffee mugs, keychains and other odds and ends in our dining room. I would post the products on Facebook and would have support from family and friends. I then looked into trying out T-Shirts and other apparel products. I started out with the cricut heat press but that machine can be faulty at times due to different pressures. I upgraded to a heat press and the rest is history. The people closest to me know I have no filter and tend to “cross the line” in social settings. I wouldn’t say I’m brutal. It’s more of being brutally honest when others will shy away from uncomfortable situations. As I started making more and having constant orders, I decided I need to create a business name and design a business platform. I confided in my close group about my thought process and different options. I wanted to create a brand that breaks the mold of conforming to society. A brand that makes you stand out, not fit in. With my “crossing lines” attitude, I decided to call my brand Crossing Lines Apparel. We sell mostly T-Shirts, Tank Tops and other odds and ends. My customers always know I provide satisfaction guaranteed and if any issues, I resolve them myself. I think what sets me apart from others is what I descrided above. When you walk into mostly all clothing stores, you kinda see the same thing over and over. Crossing Lines Apparel wants you be able to express yourself in the way you see fit and not the way society wants to see you. I would say the thing I am most proud of is that I started out crafting and then turned the crafting into a business. Seeing the growth I achieved in such a short period of time. I now moved out of our dining room and into my own studio space with other printing options besides the cricut vinyl cutting machine. Even though I have grown to an online business with creative freedom, I still provide custom goods to the people who have supported me from the beginning. I feel no matter how big your company gets or how much success you receive, you should never forget how you started and the people who pushed to get you into that spot.

How did you build your audience on social media?

So when it comes to social media I only had facebook before I started up my business. I found it exhausting thinking of using any other social media platforms since facebook was quite enough. But as I started to grow my business, I realized I had to find customers/followers if I wanted to grow or see myself growing into a success. I first signed up for instagram (which in the end I find I like more then Facebook) and started with following people I knew. As I learned how to navigate, I found there were promotions/reels/stories I could use. I began promoting my products little by little just to see how they would do. I was surprised by how many sales and followers I began to create. I then starting making videos and even experimenting with reels both on facebook and instagram. I just started using Tik-Tok and notice the more consistent you are, the more likes/followers/customers you will acquire. So, my advice to any one starting to build your business is: stay consistent, do your research and don’t fear putting yourself out there with trying new things. With hardwork comes a bigger pay-off

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I mentioned in an earlier question about how I got started but I can give some more insight of where I have come. Everything started in July -August of 2020 during the peak of Covid. I used to be a weekend warrior (meaning I was out partying every weekend). My partner is a pet clothing designer and I was always inspired. Everything was shut down so there was only so much TV/things around the house you could do. I would order shirts/cups/signs for people I was closest to. I was not happy with the products so I said to myself, “I could make this shit myself”. I bought I cricut and started making small things for friends/co-workers/people on facebook. I consider my hobby a side-hustle when I wasn’t working my FT X-Ray job. After some time, I was getting more and more orders and customers and actually thought I could turn my side-hustle into my main full time career. I mentioned in an earlier question I was injured on ther job and went through a horrible experience with my former employer. It gave me the drive and motivation to launch and push myself to focus on making the side-hustle my main focus. I worked hard to get my name out there thru many social media platforms, friends, word of mouth. I now have my own studio space with high tech printing equipment, my own website and my freedom to be creative and work for myself. Key milestones were scaling my website, purchasing my own studio/creative space and having my brand go international last month.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crossinglinesapparel.com
• Instagram: @clutts1982
• Facebook: Crossing Lines Apparel, Carl Lutts

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