We recently connected with Kourtnie Robin and have shared our conversation below.

Kourtnie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Life. It certainly has a way of lifting you up, and it undoubtedly knows how to knock you back down. In 2007, this perspective resonated with me as I began to intentionally navigate my career path, romantic relationships, family dynamics, and friendships. Along the way, I found that although I’d created a lifetime of heartfelt memories that could forever etch a smile on my face, failure and disappointment just lingered in the worst way. Confident that I wasn’t the only person trying to navigate this convoluted journey called life, the idea to launch an apparel brand came to mind. At the time, I was pumped at the brand name, Theory, which would capture various philosophies of life from ordinary people. I wanted to bring forth something genuine that others could connect with on a deeper level, but my ideas refused to flourish into a concept. A roadblock stood firm, and regrettably, I let it stop me from tapping into all that was possible.

Yet, the thought continued to haunt me. Throughout countless tf and you can’t be serious moments amongst friends, family, and colleagues, I would scream, “That needs to go on a shirt!” After sounding like a broken record for several years, it was time to change the song. While reminiscing and catching up with a group of friends in 2020, we discovered that we had so many shirt-worthy stories. It was then that the concept to integrate the t-shirt with a story card was founded, as cards would truly seize the impact of the text on the shirt. And honestly, the stories behind each line—we just can’t make this shit up.

In 2021, the vision was clear. I wanted to design a brand that was so much more than text on a shirt. I wanted it to capture authentic personal accounts that stretched from moments of curl under a rock embarrassment all the way to ignore the haters empowerment. I wanted a brand that was unapologetic for the lessons learned from failure, unrefined in how stories were shared or received, and literal—no interpretations needed. Finally, I wanted a brand that would connect with all walks of life, everyday people of everyday living. But one thing was missing: the name.

On a Sunday evening, sitting on the bathroom floor with a notepad and pen, brainstorming with my husband while he shaved, we rambled off more potential brand names than one could count, but none of them stuck. Hours later, after epic fails and a nearly endless list of mediocre names, we made traction with lines. Then, after a few moments of staring into space and begging the questions, “What exactly do these lines mean to us? How do they make us feel?” It hit us. The lines from each personal account were authentic and unexaggerated, and bam, literal lines. had emerged.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I must say, even after 15 months of fully immersing myself in the day-to-day grind of building a successful apparel brand, I still feel like a complete foreigner in this industry. Hell, stepping into the role of an entrepreneur, regardless of industry, warrants far more respect than I feel it’s been given. Simply put – it’s hard. Especially, for those, like me, who had absolutely no experience in launching a business or in the decorating space. Before literal lines., my entire world was rooted in all thing’s academic – serving as an educator or administrator in K–12, alternative instruction, adult education, and the higher education arena. So, I was feeling way out of my element when trying to form an LLC, navigating countless graphic design tools and the creation of artworks, selecting vendors, combing through endless blanks, comparing e-commerce platforms, and sifting through the infinite funnels of marketing. And I was only scratching the surface.
Ok, ok, I know what you’re thinking: Why in the world would I venture into uncharted territory when so much of my knowledge is embedded in the educational realm? Well, the truth is, I was completely burned out from the education space. I was looking for a place to redirect my energy – something that truly felt worthwhile. So I decided to explore the apparel industry, primarily custom tees. I needed something that would not only challenge me, but was also exciting and totally worth the risks. So, an idea that took root in 2017 finally flourished in 2021: to bring about a brand that represents authentic experiences of everyday people. The brand speaks to life’s highlights and hard lessons through stories of how specific lines came to be. With this unique approach to custom apparel, each print is more than just text on a shirt.

But honestly, even with the momentum I’ve gained, this business is not for the faint of heart. One must be willing to accept that money will roll out much faster than it will rush in, projects won’t always go according to plan, and not everyone will vibe with the brand. So, considering I’m the risk-averse type who strives for perfection and is deathly afraid of being vulnerable, I’m super proud of myself for adapting and pushing through some severe letdowns. And I could not have gotten this far without the support of my other half, my business partner, Joseph. Yeah, of course, family and friends have been extremely supportive, but they have no idea of the struggle. Which is the epitome of what I hope those exploring my brand will feel – a sense of empowerment even when it feels like life is going to hell in handbasket; to know that we’ve been there too, and – together – we got this!

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Oh, wow! Where do I begin. A huge advantage I had going into this was that I knew I wanted to build a brand around custom tees, but the disadvantage was that, even in the saturated apparel market, there’s no real playbook on how to execute from start to finish – it all just seemed so piecemeal. After countless hours of surfing the web, clicking link after link and reading various articles that led me from one scam to another, I finally stumbled across Sarah Chrisp’s Ecomm Clubhouse. Man, this was a game changer. Here, I was introduced to the print-on-demand (POD) model, which, as a new entrepreneur, seemed too good to be true. The ability to connect with a supplier that would print my designs on multiple variants, fulfill orders, ship once complete, and allow me, for the most part, to not pay a dime upfront, was simply unreal. For a reasonable monthly fee, Sarah broke down each step for how to launch my website and connect with a POD drop shipper. And just like that, we were in business.

But by April 2022, after eight months of using the POD model, I began to feel like I’d outgrown that space for several reasons. For starters, once I got into the thick of things, I noticed the true cost of convenience. Then I began to compare the cost of convenience to quality, and it was not measuring up. After a few personal orders to ensure efficiency, I began to receive prints that were dull or crooked, and shirts that were faded or just dingy. So, my greatest fear had just became a reality. If I am receiving shirts like this, then what the hell are my customers receiving? This was unacceptable. And to top it all off, there was little to no customization. For someone new to the game, bland and boring was not the bar I was trying to set.

So, we did the unthinkable – we did it ourselves. And good lord, if you could have been a fly on the wall to witness those learning curves. Without embarrassing ourselves too much, for our first attempt, we purchased a very inexpensive heat press that couldn’t press worth a damn. I think we pressed a single print 15 times trying to get it to adhere, and damn near scorched the shirt in the process. It only took that one moment of epic failure to conclude that we needed to invest in quality if we wanted to deliver quality.

Fast-forward six months. Today, we are going through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, but on our own terms. Although the print-on-demand model didn’t solidify our business, it certainly gave us the skills and knowledge to take a leap. We are incredibly grateful for the journey and harbor not one single regret.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Some days I feel like “beg, borrow, and steal” should be the national entrepreneur’s motto for raising capital. When the primary goal is to be successful, by whatever benchmark that may be, you have a whole lot more skin in the game and half-assing anything is out of the question. So, while we didn’t launch with much all at once, we poured everything we could spare from our 9–5 gig into the business. Each month we strategically focused on an area that would elevate various aspects of the brand – equipment, transfers, blanks, packaging, shipping, marketing, etc. We had to. Trying to polish all angles at once was way too overwhelming and discouraging. So, while I understand and can relate to the aspiration of my fellow entrepreneurs seeking the quick sprint to the finish line to growing a profitable business, I have learned that a brisk walk will get you there just the same — and with a far better perspective.

Contact Info:

• Website: literallines.com
• Instagram: literal.lines
• Facebook: literal lines.

Image Credits
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