We recently connected with Charissa Lawrence and have shared our conversation below.

Charissa, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The process of turning my God-given idea into a reality was not an easy task. Initially, I spent a lot of time questioning myself and almost talked myself out of pursuing it. However, I strongly believed that this idea was from God, and I would not have been bold enough to do it without his guidance. Once I overcame my doubts, I continued to pray for direction. I started researching what I needed to do to start an apparel brand, but I quickly became overwhelmed with the amount of information available. So, I spent the next year taking small steps to make progress, such as purchasing the necessary materials, setting up an LLC, a virtual address, a business phone number, a business email, and obtaining a reseller license. It was challenging to balance all of this while working a full-time job .”There were still many things I needed to figure out, such as setting up a Shopify store and using social media to market, promote, and build a community of supporters. I realized I needed help and came across an amazing business coach who was a Christian Coach. She gave us both a whole lot of Jesus and business help. She not only explained the business but also made sure we kept God involved.” “I became a part of a business community where we supported each other. It truly helps to be surrounded by like-minded people, especially on those days when you want to give up. Once everything was in place, I launched my business, and it’s been almost two years now.”

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 Charissa Lawrence, and I am originally from Shreveport, Louisiana. Currently, I reside in Texas with my three grown daughters and three grandkids. I am grateful to still have my mom living in my hometown. In 2019, I graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a bachelor’s degree. My original plan was to become a special education teacher, but God had other plans for me. In 2022, I took a leap of faith and left my job to become a full-time business owner.

I love God, attending church, and doing my part to help build His Kingdom. I have an online Christian apparel store called “God Is Foundation.” My store sells t-shirts, sweaters, and hoodies for adults, youth, and toddlers, as well as onesies for infants. I started my brand to help bridge the gap in families and remind them that God should be at the center of their lives. What sets my brand apart is that it doesn’t just focus on one person, but the entire family as a whole. I am most proud of the fact that I have learned to think beyond myself and focus on helping others.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

“I have built my social media audience by consistently posting content that is relevant to my brand. I promote my brand, but I am careful not to oversell it. To market my online store, I created a video of myself wearing one of the brand’s shirts with a spiritual message tied to it.” “I provide information about my store in some of my videos, but not in every video. This is how I have built my audience on social media. My advice to others would be to not focus on the number of views or likes, but instead to focus on consistently posting quality content. By doing so, the numbers will naturally increase.”

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

“When it comes to manufacturing, I don’t do it myself. Actually, I wasn’t sure where to start with it. However, my business coach helped me by providing some vendors who she had worked with before. This made it easier for me to find reliable vendors. When looking for vendors, it’s important to conduct thorough research to ensure that the products being sold are of good quality.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.godisfoundation.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/god_is_foundation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godisfoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charissa-lawrence-baa454263/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@godisfoundation9339
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@godisfoundation

Image Credits
Charissa Lawrence