We recently connected with Stephen Carpenter and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

In the fourth or fifth grade I noticed I would stutter or couldn’t get words out when I tried to speak or read in class. The fear of stuttering in front of anyone eventually turned me into a partial mute. I would only feel comfortable or safe stuttering at home. I would begin to take speech classes in grade school to improve my speaking, but nothing worked. My anxiety would be so high that I would forget what I learned in speech class to over help overcome my stuttering.

So, as you can imagine the more, I felt myself about to stutter the less I would want to talk. The fear of stuttering or talking in front of people followed me through my high school years and beyond. I remember one time I pretended I couldn’t read, or I needed glasses so I wouldn’t have to read in front of my classmates.

My issue with stuttering would dictate the types of jobs I would apply for. If I had to talk, I would turn down the job, I would seek out warehouse jobs or jobs that kept me out the public eye. Mind you, I’ve always been intelligent, smart, it was just the fear of stuttering that kept me comfortable with not trying or pushing myself to do more with my gifts and talents.

It wasn’t until I start attending my current Church, Changing Your Mind Ministries which is located in Greenville S.C and is under the leadership of Pastor Wendell Jones where I was challenged. I couldn’t hide anymore. I was around people who were doing great things, creating businesses for themselves and striving in their gifts. I also met and became friends with a guy who I could tell that either stuttered or currently stutters. People who stutter talk in a slow cadence it’s like a slow drumbeat. This guy would never allow his stutter to get in the way of gifts and helping others with his words he’s such a great speaker still. Watching him standing in front of hundreds weekly gave me the courage to come out of my Comfort Zone.

I would begin to start enrolling in classes in the church where I would be tasked with giving speeches, reading and talking in front of everyone. When I would stutter, no one would laugh at me or look at me strange they would just wait for me to finish and hang on my every word because I was doing such a great job.

A few years after joining my church I created my current brand, Comfort Can’t Progress. What I realized is nothing can grow inside of your current zone if you allow fear and doubt to get in the way of your purpose and calling. I’ve become more vocal with telling people that I stutter or even stuttering in front of others. I will not lie and say I still don’t have anxiety when I have to do any public speaking. I work in education now, so I have to talk in front of people every day for 8 hours a day. I just remind myself Comfort Can’t Progress; you’ve been quite for so long don’t allow this to get in the way of what you’re called to do, and you have the opportunity to help others who are just like you.

Stephen, 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?

My name is Stephen Carpenter, by the time you read this I’ll be 43 years old. I’ve been married for 18 years to my wife Katrice, and we have 3 children Miles 15, Maxwell 13 and Mia 6. I started my apparel company by one day sitting in my vendors office and watching him make my shirts. I had no experience in the apparel making business, so I outsourced all of my orders. One day I visited my vendors office to pick up an order. I was early so I just sat and watched him while he worked on my shirts. A few times watching him I told myself I can do this, and I immediately purchased everything he had and started making my own shirts.

Fast forwards 8 years later and I’ve made thousands of shirts and different pieces of apparel for myself and others.

The problems that I solve for others is I take their ideas and bring them to life. I look at the rough draft designs turn it into a masterpiece on pieces of apparel. I also offer graphic designing and helping customers build their own clothing company.

What sets me apart for others is I take fashion seriously. I study fabrics, I offer my clients the best materials, I wouldn’t sell anyone anything that I wouldn’t wear and they know that.

They’re two moments i’m extremley proud of. One is a guy who barely graduated high school who people called stupid and dumb attended and graduated college with a 3.7 gpa made the deans list mulitple times created and still has a successful business.

Second moment is when one of my shirts was worn by syndicated radio host and S.C native Charlamagne Tha God.

What I want anyone that reads my story to know is whatever you want to do, do it. Do it scared don’t allow Doubt or Comfort to get the way of what you’re called to do. If you don’t use your gifts God will give them to someone else to make sure what he wants done, will happen. Believe in yourself, learn and study all you can in things that pique your interest. Learn how to ask the right the questions, the right questions will open so many doors and put you in rooms with people who are willing to help you.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon, changed my life. the book has about 30 plus chapters in the book. There is one line in the book that I still live by.

The Bus Driver on the energy bus told one of her riders to ” Focus on what you want, and not and what you don’t want”.

So many times, we focus on the negative of what could go wrong or what if no one likes what we’re producing that we don’t think about what if things go right. Positive energy is a thing, Positive thinking is a thing, and we need to focus on what would want in life which should be positive.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that it is ok, to ask for help. We live in a society where we have to pretend that we know everything. Coming for a person who hated to talk, asking for help was something I never wanted to do but I knew to be successful

Being new to business there was a lot I had to learn. My Pastor began to mentor me and teach me everything I needed to know about growing and sustaining a business. Fastforward to now, anything I want to know or learn I ask. I seek out information and knowledge via YouTube, google and fellow business owners and I share knowledge that will help any other business owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ccpapparel.com
• Instagram: @ccpcarpenter
• Facebook: ccpcarpenter