We were lucky to catch up with Kim Hernandez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

My story of entrepreneurship is quite different from most because after I dropped out of college, (due to health reasons) I walked into entrepreneurship and never had a regular 9-5 job in my life. Many might hear that and think, “that’s the dream” but being a business owner is very challenging and is definitely not for everyone.

I started my journey with fashion reselling on sites such as eBay and Poshmark. I transitioned into creating my own products such as positive affirmation t-shirts on Etsy. Lastly and more recently I launched a Christian clothing brand “About God Shop.” In the beginning of my journey I didn’t think much about having a regular job because my health didn’t allow for it. I was being treated for hyperthyroidism that then turned into hypothyroidism after radiation treatment. Fashion reselling was part time work that I would do while I was navigating my sickness and recovering.

Fast forward to 2020 and I finally launched About God Shop- a Christian clothing brand that I was proud of and working on full time. This was the first time in my business journey that I actually invested lots of time, energy and money towards something and it was also the first time I had contemplated the idea of getting a regular job for various reasons. One reason being that I needed something to help me fund my passion, another reason being that I wanted consistent income, and some months were just very unpredictable and lastly, I was burnt out and wanted something to come easy instead of working so hard for my business to have sales.

As I contemplated getting a regular job, I was torn because I truly believed in my business, but I was afraid I just didn’t have it in me to continue to figure this out. I felt that I was unequipped with running a real business and that I didn’t know what else to do to get more sales. I was frustrated and burnt out, but I knew if I got a regular job my passion for my business would die down and that made me really sad. I came up with a solution that I believe really helped my situation which was to add side hustles to get some consistent income when needed but not commit fully to another job because I wanted to be fully committed to my business.

All in all, I am so happy as a business owner and enjoy it even more when I have side hustles that help fund my business. Door dash, Instacart and gig work on Upwork were the perfect solution for me. I was able to have the flexibility to work on my business when I needed to while also having income coming in to take care of my business expenses and personal expenses. Again, entrepreneurship is not for everyone but one thing I’ve learned is if you set your mind on doing it, you will definitely figure it out.

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’m a Latina entrepreneur, born and raised in North Philadelphia. I am the youngest of 5 children who were raised by a Peruvian mother and Puerto Rican father. I was also raised in the church, although it took me years to find my faith for myself in my young adult life. I always knew of God and believed that He was real, but it wasn’t until I encountered Him for myself that my faith in Him grew immensely.

My journey into business started after making the tough decision of leaving college due to being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. During that time, I discovered my passion for being my own boss since I couldn’t physically work a regular job due to my sickness. I began with fashion reselling on platforms like eBay and Poshmark. What started as a side hustle turned into a desire of creating my own products, and that’s when I founded About God Shop in 2020.

About God is a Christian clothing brand that’s deeply rooted in my faith. I wanted to create a business that wasn’t just about making products, but one that reflected what I wholeheartedly believe in and where my love lies- in God. Since launching, I’ve been dedicated in growing the brand and hoping to encourage and inspire others in their own faith journey.

The problem I believe we are solving is that not enough people know about God. The gospel of Jesus is transformative and powerful, and my solution is sharing the good news, the Gospel of Jesus through clothing. I believe we are set apart from others because I am able to create meaningful products that open up the conversation or thought of what about God? This intriguing question will bring people to openly speak about their experiences with Him and that makes me proud of creating products that are a conversation starter.

As I continue growing this business, I hope our customers always feel connected to the message behind the brand- everything we do is to honor God, for His name to be known and to be the messengers of the greatest love we can share, the love of Jesus.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I would say that personally for my business the best way of acquiring new customers is through word of mouth or customer recommendations. I have seen my business grow the most through this method. I believe it’s the most genuine way for customers to trust in your brand because it’s based on real experiences. It’s a huge compliment when a customer has such a positive experience with the brand and/or the product that they are excited to share with others.

I believe that social media is our second best way to acquire new customers. It allows our brand to reach people that we may not have personally reached through word of mouth recommendations. Social media marketing, when done correctly, can reach your target audience and bring new eyes to your business but contrary to recommendations, this method takes planning and execution to get results. I think this method is very good for creating brand awareness, building trust and sharing your brand the way you want to creatively express it to your future customers

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

Most of the items sold on About God Shop I manufacture myself. The baseball caps are the only products that were manufactured from an outside source because those designs are embroidered while the rest of the products have designs that are made with vinyl material and heat pressed. Before About God launched, I had to learn how to make the shirt designs and practiced many times to get it right and now I pride myself on how well the products are made because although I make them myself, they are made to last a long time.

When finding my baseball cap manufacturer, I have to admit that I was lucky to have gotten the right one on the first try. Most businesses pay for samples and go back and forth until the product is made exactly how they want it but for me I actually didn’t have to pay for samples and just went ahead and ordered the bulk of the products and thankfully they came out good. When it comes to manufacturing a product, my advice would be to practice the skill until you feel confident in selling it, do things in excellence and if you don’t believe you have the skill, you can always outsource the products.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aboutgodshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aboutgodshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboutgodshop/
• Other: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itskimslife_/