We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carlos Partee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carlos below.
Alright, Carlos thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
I quit my job the night Bun B from UGK wore my hat at his show in Nashville,TN. I just started working at the Post office plant, and it was crazy work something I wasn’t expecting to do at the time. It was holiday season so I was looking for a come up with a job for the winter. I was working hard and I got a message from a friend Rasheed Walker (A.K.A Mr. Been Had Polo) like “Yo Bun B wearing yo hat at this concert I’m at”. Man I was like no way, he sent the video of it and I was in disbelief. It was like the turning point for me and my brand, I was like I can’t give this job my full attention and be building my brand. I was already struggling making that decision. I quit that night lol, I was in the break room hype as hell. I posted it and the comments went crazy! I later found out that he got the hat from Phatkaps which is a fashion retail store in Antioch, TN shoutout to T!
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?
I’ve started a few brands like Connoisseur Culture, The Nashville Black Market, Partee food and beverage Company and more. In high school, I started creating t-shirt designs for people and the rest was history. I always been around music, so I picked up djaying and producing along the way which made it easier to maneuver in different rooms and mediums.
In 2016, I started Cashvilleetc which focuses on telling Nashville’s forgotten history and culture through merchandising, media and curated events. The goal was to create something people could be proud of and have some type of connection to when in the city. I wanted to create products you could wear out of town or in town and be recognized and respected. I feel like people think were only hot chicken and cowboy boots here and that’s not the case.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I’ve been bootstrapping this whole way. I’ve caught certain grants and loans for measure but mostly this journey has been funded out my pockets.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I’ve found that doing pop ups and markets help you grow your revenue and following. People start to build report with you and start looking for you every time. I think it grows your business extremely well and at your own pace. You can use different tactics to get information and knowledge from customers in real time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cashvilleetc.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/casvhilleetc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cashvilleetc
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cashville_etc
- Youtube: youtube.com/cashvilleetc
Image Credits
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