We were lucky to catch up with Joshua Freeman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joshua, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Having been into fashion throughout high school & college, it was always a little dream of mine to create a street-wear brand and share it with as many people as I possibly could. I was just never quite certain how to go about it. I never met anyone that had done such, so I started with a blank canvas.

In 2013 I started building “tuner” modified vehicles and gained a reach on social media as I toured the nation and attended automotive social events. Flash forward to 2015, it came to me to create an automotive lifestyle brand. It just made sense at that point. I am super into cars, modifying them, creating art and style with them, as well as expressing myself through the vehicles. So, I figure what better way to dust off an old dream of mine than combining my love for fashion with the love I have for the automotive industry?

At that point, I spit-balled the idea to a few close friends, while presenting them my “Vaded Mob” business plan which showed how I would execute this idea. This was my second buisness at the time and my first written plan, so it was very rough. I merely used it to gather my ideas into one place with a goal to execute some goals. After breaking it all down to the homies with a dry erase board & a Microsoft word document, we all looked at each other, smiled and agreed that this idea could work as a business and passion project.

I quickly learned that this wasn’t just a business idea, but something that I could pour my heart and passion into.

In 2016, I pretty much hit the ground running. I was hungry, so I immediately started working with designers to help create my vision, while also networking with like-minded individuals across the world to create custom cuts for my first release. All while juggling designs and logos, I was producing windshield banners for my vehicles as well as my friend’s vehicles. This not only was building a family I will forever love, but also a pretty rad way to market a brand. I had the name down at this point, so we put “vaded mob” loud and clear on matte black banners and began showing people what Vaded means.

This took a lot at times, and the hardest part was pushing myself to do it. I knew I wanted it to be perfect so after countless hours, days, weeks and months. I finally felt like I was ready to confidently share what I had created with people & my reach. This date and time would be almost exactly six years ago, September 2016. I had a completed website, fresh designs, two styles & custom fits with limited production numbers, and some accessories.

While this 2016 release now seems small, I’ve humbly learned that the ripple effects of small things are extraordinary.

That Fall/Winter (FF’16) release quickly turned into regular seasonal releases throughout spring and summer as well as fall and winter. These limited releases would include designs that proudly showcase positive energy, new creations, and what my new found company stands for within not only a brand, but individuals too.

Flash forward to 2022, Vaded has become something I would have never imagined. I’ve hired my friends, whom which have helped me collaborate with Event Hosts and individuals who I once could only dream of meeting and working with. My team has pushed me to complete my goals, set bigger ones and event host our own events. All while continuing to push meaningful products.

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’m super proud of the movement and brand going international with sales. Knowing that someone across the world is wanting to wear or utilize something my team and I have created is really humbling. I’m also super proud to say that I’ve assembled things like custom jewelry & pendants to wallets & embroidered bags. Lastly but defiantly not least, a major milestone of mine has been being able to make donations and sending proceeds to charities along the way.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I believe reaching audience is harder than ever these days, you need to be extremely creative with your photos, videos, and captions.

I’m no expert but to me, engagement is a key worth discussion. I just try to answer questions when I can with hopes to help someone out with their projects and maybe even make a friend along the way.

Lastly, I’ll say that I’ve been seeing some of my most engaged posts often have a story behind them. A story someone can relate to, even if it’s up and downs. People will always relate to you being real and keeping it 100.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

Yes, I have. I sold my first business which I created in 2012. It was a lighting production company which was super fun at the time. I was 22 and DJing at nightclubs of which I could bring renown lighting production to the table for some extra founds.

At the time the company wasn’t worth much to me and I was ready for the next venture. I’m no financial advisor but if you’re looking to sell your company, definitely consider your investment, revenue, and profit margins.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vadedmob.com
• Instagram: @theraflu / @vadedmob
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.freeman.35
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodySenpai
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyLcy4TN62GYuc3g8m0Hdg
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@switchwork

Image Credits
Headshot by Jack Eissler (@iceymedia), pop up shop photos by Taylor Galster (@tgalster.photo), driveway project car photos by Josh Freeman