We recently connected with Derrick Thomas and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Derrick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I was working a factory job for six years and wasn’t appreciated I became stressed out and I came up with ideas to be self employed and not working a 9 to 5. I didn’t know what I was going to do but I knew it was going to be in the cannabis field. Coming up with the name I knew I had to be creative and different then competitors. Thinking of a name I knew it had to be unique so I came up with Douber which is “doubie” plus “er” which gives it a double dose. Douber means double dose of outstanding greenery. The logic around Douber is not just a name it’s a brand I have many ideas for this business. I have always been a leader not a follower. The vision makes me excited I have many ideas and I can’t wait to bring them to life and share them with the world.
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
I was born in Chicago IL ,i have 3 brothers and 4 sisters. Growing up was rough we didn’t have the best of things but mom did her best being a single mother.. As a child my dream was to be an actor/comedian and own my own business. as of today i am a single father of 2 beautiful kids. i have faced a lot of difficult challenges which led me to being a victim of police brutality The story was shared across the world. After winning my case i decided to move to Michigan with my son to start a new life. As i said before i always wanted to own a business so i tried to learn my cousin dealership i thought maybe i get into that business but things didn’t go as of plan so i ended of having to work at a factory which i became a forklift driver. Working in the factory taught me a lot but after working there for six years I tried to get promoted as a Foreman but all the training and effort to getting the position was denied. I really felt unappreciated and stressed out. This is when I came up with a business idea. This is when Douber was created! Douber means “Double Dose of outstanding i wanted to catch people’s attention That’s in the cannabis industry i’m excited to see Douber grow and think it is going to be something everyone talks about. Douber now has its own bear which his name is Douber tha bear he is the cannabis super hero i have many future ideas for him. My business which is a brand is not just a smoke shop it has a clothing line and stimulates your mind accessories such as grinders, smoke trays, bongs etc. What i think sets me apart from others is the movement rather than just a regular shop/ apparel i want to expand beyond that while giving people that double dose of outstanding Greenery. What i am proud the most of is the progress it start with an idea now its a business and i’m excited for the business future and what i want my followers to know is no matter what if you have a dream chase it. I am one of the coolest respectful goofy individuals who care about what i do for people so when you are shopping with me you will have the best products and customer care. some of the problems i solved for helping customers are by not just treating people as a customer, rather a friend.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
I decided to do an online smoke shop due to Covid this was the best route because people shop more online than in stores.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I have learned the cost of advertising your business can be very expensive so I had to learn budgeting tactics.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.doubersmoke.com www.douberbrandapparel.com
- Instagram: Douberbrand
- Facebook: Douber
- Twitter: @DouberLLC