We recently connected with Marcus Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Marcus , appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I first had the thought of creating my own clothing brand around December of 2011. I went and did a lot of research on how to get started such as where to find the materials, who can print my clothing and also how to get properly set up as a business. Next I went and told everyone I knew that I was about to launch my own clothing company many were excited and believed me and some didn’t. Then after all my research I finally found a local print shop called Anderson Screenprint. I went in with my idea and printed maybe 12 shirts and by the time I headed home and made one post on Facebook about them they were sold and the rest is history and now we are 11 years in the business and has officially launched my son clothing brand called Gifted Apparel llc!

Marcus , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well my name is Marcus “DevineSouls” Johnson I’m the owner of a faith based clothing company called Devine Souls Clothing and a Co- owner of a family catering company called A Devine Taste Catering. With our clothing we spread the word of God and positive messages thru fashion. We have been blessed to work with a few celebrities wearing our clothing, such as Big Sam from the Eastside boyz, Sean P of The Youngblood’s and Babs from making the band just to name a few. What sets us apart is that it’s more than clothing it’s a lifestyle we live as well.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped me build my reputation within my market is that I really networked and connected with like minded individuals and really became knowledgeable about the market I’m tapping into as well as learning how to print and press my own clothing.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One of my favorite marketing or sale is when we did a release of a design named T. R. A. P. (Take Risk And Pray) This particular design connected with all walks of life which lead us to be able to connect with celebrities and on of my favorite celebrity Big Sam from Lil Jon and the Eastside boyz. We was able to connect with him and meet him also do a Trap photoshoot. We were also blessed to have that particular design featured on a Netflix show. This design is still one of our biggest sellers!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.devinesoulsclothingllc.com
• Instagram: Devine Souls Clothing llc
• Facebook: Devine Souls Clothing llc
• Linkedin: Devine Souls Clothing