We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maddie Lauro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maddie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with the idea of my brand when I first heard the quote, ‘have the time of your life’ and it stuck with me. I am obsessed with fashion and community, so I thought, why not combine the two into a brand that promotes having a good time and enjoying life? I want people to feel excited and inspired about life and have a positive outlook. I was inspired by the people around me, specifically my boyfriend, who runs his own business, to go after my dream of making things that other people can enjoy. This brand has allowed me to branch out into my creative side, as I have been a student-athlete all my life, and I have been able to create items for other people to wear and promote and be authentically themselves. There still has not been a for sure feeling that this business will work out, as any entrepreneur will say, but that is the risk we take as business owners and I have enjoyed every second. I still to this day keep pushing and creating and wanting to make things for people to enjoy and have the time of their lives while wearing. I want everyone to feel the love and positivity that comes with purchasing my brand, because you are not just buying something but becoming a part of a much bigger community of people who have a love for life.

Maddie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

If you know nothing about ‘have the time of your life’, I am here to share more about my brand with you. I was introduced to the fashion industry through my love for the brand Lonely Ghost by Indy Blu. She has been my inspiration for this brand, but I chose to differ in emotion. Her brand is formed through loneliness and sadness; mine is the opposite. I want people who love life and love to have a good time coming together to embrace this feeling of positivity and love.

I did lots of research to be able to start my business, and in August of 2023, I purchased a sewing machine that doubled with embroidery, and I was able to start creating my first t-shirts and baby tees through embroidering them. It took me many months to get the hang of everything and being able to create these clothes without error, and that is what business is, lots of trial and error. By March of 2024, I launched my first collection that included t-shirts and baby tees, and now I have expanded through accessories such as tote bags, hoodies, beach towels, and embroidered hats. But moving into the end of 2024 and into 2025, I really want to focus on streetwear and build that side of my brand.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I am very positive and very into spreading the emotion of inclusivity and happiness, being able to share my love for life, and having a good time. I have also incorporated my love for dance music, and I am specifically proud of targeting this audience. I really think this audience can be my target in building a foundation and expanding my business even more to all the people of the electronic dance community. I think the most important thing that I want people to know from my brand is to enjoy & be grateful & live your life to the fullest.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My journey has not been a straight incline; it has taken many twists and turns, and that is the risk we take as business owners. I think one story that highlights my resilience is that when things do not go the right way, I stick by what I know is true, which is that sticking to the course will pay off. Some of the ideas that I come up with, I research and find wholesalers, I find things that I want to purchase, but then I have to pivot because it is on backorder or the samples do not feel or look as I want. I feel like I am near an expansion phase in my business where I need to find the right wholesalers and I need to find the right people who are going to be able to produce things exactly how I want them. I have been my main producer, and I hand-embroidered every single one of the shirts that I have sold. I have 60 more shirts coming live to my collection that is launching on October 26th, but that is hours of hard work that I have to put in to make sure this collection launches and is complete on time. My resilience is not defined by one story but my motivation to keep going even if the numbers are not producing, because business is not a straight incline and I have to keep pushing and remember that.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My customers are mainly my friends and other people that I have met, but they are so loyal. Every time I am producing or marketing my products, they interact with the posts by reposting and commenting. The love I give out and express through my brand is the love I receive back. It is so important to give back to those who support me and I have given out many free products to keep my clients loyal. To foster this brand loyalty I engage on social media and I keep everyone intrigued by announcements of next launches and I also always want to keep those who purchase from me engaged through discount codes and special deals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hvethetimeofyourlife.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvethetimeofyourlife?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hvethetimeofyourlife?_t=8qPLhZgQMsI&_r=1