We recently connected with Damon Oliver and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Damon, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

PulseCheck Corazón, was created organically. It’s a combination of who I am as a person, my circumstances, my life, and being an essential worker. I wear my heart on my sleeve. My upbringing is thanks to my mom, dad, and granny for the fact that my heart is in the right spot. Being an STNA, on a daily, I display empathy, and sympathy. Losing my big brother at the age of 15 had the biggest influence. The late great Jeshawn K R Johnson, a boxer from Cincinnati Ohio who is known for the pedigree of historical boxers. Soon to be professional he tragically lost his life to gun violence, a year before he could show the world his talents in the 2004 Olympics. This scared me pretty good. I developed PTSD from my brother dying unexpectedly, anxiety from him dying at a social gathering, and depression from the totality of my brother’s death in general. Paranoia about how he was killed. I was never the same after that, I didn’t take the normal cultural route that most males my age and in my position may have taken. It was the complete opposite I was more in tune with my feelings and emotions life and death. I made calculated decisions on what and what not to do. 71% of black adults are someone they know or care about have experienced gun violence in their lifetimes. It was easy to go down troubles lane,
with trouble in arms reach, with me losing my brother. I didn’t take that route. A few years before my brother’s death. I had a dream of creating a clothing brand. Fast forward, I have a scrub line, an athletic line, and also an urban wear line. PulseCheck makes scrubs for essential & non-central workers. They wear their heart on their sleeve and do their job to the best of their abilities. PulseCheck is also responsible for athletic wear. Keeping yourself healthy. Staying
in shape for athletics/sports purposes or just personal longevity and excellent health. Keeping the strongest muscle in your body strong and active, which is our logo anatomical heart. We also make urban wear. It’s worth it to me because I helped birth this dream, and speaks to who I am, where I came from, and what I stand for. Last, but not least it’s worth it because I get a chance to build something from scratch, give myself a platform to let the world know who and how great my big brother was because he didn’t have the opportunity to show the world, like he works so hard to do. As his little brother, I promise to do that, I named my kids after him. I promised him I wouldn’t let the world forget about him. I’m doing just that. I feel like this will work because PulseCheck Corazón can be incorporated into almost everything, from the name to the logo. Your pulse is how you can feel your heart rate. We’re raising awareness to go see and call family members in long-term nursing facilities hospitals etc. wearing your heart on your sleeve, staying in contact with your family members reminding people to be great, exercise, and eat healthy. I’m excited to see my dream manifesting.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello, my name is Damon Oliver Jr. I’m a father of three kids, two boys and one girl. I’ve been an STNA for 14 years, it’s three reasons why I wear my heart on my sleeve, my upbringing thanks to my mom, dad, and granny. I have an apparel company. That makes scrubs athletic wear Urban and casual wear. I’m solving the problem by spreading a message through my clothing brand. It’s not just an ordinary clothing brand. Our material sets us apart, the message sets us apart, our logo sets us apart or customer service sets us apart. I’m most proud that PPC will give back to the American Heart Association (AHA), Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) with every purchase. PulseCheck Corazon also came from a dream and being able to leave something for my kids, and hopefully put us in the situation to have generational financial wealth. I just want my clients’ followers to know our brand cares about them. We also encourage them to follow and fulfill their dreams with all their heart.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I learned everyone is not your friend and everyone can’t go with you on your journey. No matter how long you have known them, where you know them from if they’re related. You have to be good at reading people and have a good judgment of character. In life and business. You can’t let your heart get you into a position where someone takes advantage of you. It happened to me, I witnessed the closest people change, I witnessed the closest try to take advantage, and they removed themselves from my life, I thought certain people were going to be around for a lifetime and not just for a season or a reason. Through my life journey, I learned that everyone won’t believe in you, but you have to believe when no one else does, Business-wise and life-wise they relate and I can say I experience both.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’m currently displaying resiliency, I’m at this stage, in my business everything is in order, LLC, trademark, and copyright, except for me having the capital to produce mass production. I haven’t gotten any grants or loans, so I’ve been working extra hours and trying to understand the grant process. It’s very frustrating and overwhelming, but I’m staying resilient. Even in the beginning stages, I had to do two trade mark applications, $275 apiece. The first application the government denied it. I didn’t hire a lawyer. I did it on my own.

Contact Info:

• Website: pulsecheckcorazon.com
• Instagram: pulsecheck_corazon
• Facebook: pulse check Corazón
• Linkedin: pulsecheck corazon
• Twitter: pulsecheck_corazon