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

Trecia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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 Didn’t!
When I woke up around 3 am in June of 2020, the thought of creating a shirt came over me. Of course, a conversation with myself immediately began, (lol). I don’t know how to make a shirt, but I proceeded to walk over to the computer and began or should I say attempted to create one.

As I sat in front of the computer, in what I guess was my creative moment, the thought of “a band-aid has to be on this shirt” popped into my head. Various designs were created at that moment, but nothing made sense. I continued for a while ( I wished I saved some of them for moments like this) but still nothing stood out.

Then it happened. “Covering The Wound (Band-Aid) Doesn’t Stop The Hurt”®. Immediately something said stop. The very first thing I did was look at the phrase like WOW, the thought of what does this mean, came to my mind. I called my parents and told them I created a shirt and shared the phrase with them, the response from both parents who are very spiritual was ” That is a message”!

Knowing not what to do with this, I spent the next 30 days thinking, praying, mailing a few shirts out to some friends without telling them it was coming. The confirmation for me that I should share this was when I realized that this phrase was about me, I have covered wounds, I have smiled through many situations because of the role I felt I held in this thing called life. Individuals who I have verbally shared the phrase with, and their response was also confirmation that this was much bigger than me.

Truth be told I didn’t know if this was a worthwhile endeavor, but I’ve always believed these two things. Nothing beats a failure, but a try and I would rather try something and fail, than never to have tried it at all! I live by this, and I make sure I share it with others if they have doubts about pursuing an idea. One thing I knew was that this is something a lot of people can relate to, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Age may vary, but if we teach a child at an early age about covering wounds in a relating way, we may be able to break that part of the cycle (if that makes sense).

“Covering The Wound Doesn’t Stop The Hurt”! ® is a phrase that raises awareness. This phrase isn’t tagged to any situation, but it is an individual phrase. I believe it is designed to allow individuals to think about stuff they have been suppressing and when the time is right work on healing. I have seen individuals standing at my Pop-up table, not only purchasing for themselves but, for a friend or family they know is going through a situation. When it comes to a phrase like this the thought of mental health comes to play. This is a ongoing topic and although this phrase will not solve the problem directly, the hope is that it raises awareness by allowing them to work on healing and seeking the help that is required.

My excitement about the brand “ReVealed LLC” and the phrase associated with it, is the reaction I receive from customers when telling them about the brand and what it means to me. The connections that have been created over the last four years would have never been had it not been for this business opportunity. Testimonies about how the phrase helped them, a friend or family member is where my excitement for the brand continues to come into play. Also getting tagged in a post especially on those doubtful days. There have been instances where people have cried and at least two customers made me cry, because they saw the passion and the struggle in me as well. Having experienced this and it is so easy to put a band-aid on situations instead of dealing with it. For me to say, “I am my brand” please believe me “I AM”. Me being the individual they think have everything under control, the person who solves everyone’s problems, I’ve made it my job to check on folks, making people I don’t even know smile. So, if this is the role I’ve assumed and doing all these things, at times I’ve felt I could never show hurt or even express what I am going through because then I wouldn’t be able to be there for everyone. So, in addition to uplifting, inspiring, motivating, counseling individuals I’ve also learned that I too need continue to heal.

Trecia, 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?

Trecia Humphries, U.S. Navy Retired, served 24 years. Mother of three and Nana of 6. Born in Jamaica, raised in NY, joined the Navy in 1991. Five years after retiring, I woke up from a dream with the thought of creating a shirt. I do not feel it was coincident. I feel I was chosen for this, always been a people person but most importantly I needed that message for myself. I have dealt with things I’ve known and unknown (if it makes sense).

Our retail brand offers T-shirts, hoodies, hats, jogger-sets, cups and socks. What sets us apart from the others is the meaning behind the brand. Our phrase is not connected to any situation but, it is an individual phrase. Whatever it needs to mean to the individual walking by or making a purchase is what it is designed to do. I have had instances where people would walk up and the words ” Covering The Wounds Doesn’t Stop The Hurt”® speaks to them. Others will come by and inquire what does ” ReVealed” stands for. In summary, if you uncover something you reveal it.

I am proud of how the brand and the phrase are shared and how regardless culture, ethnicity and gender the meaning is one we can all relate to. The testimonies from customers are confirmation to me the power of the phrase and how impactful and helpful it is to others, and I am grateful for that. I would like to share that this brand or its phrase will not heal you. This phrase is not a solution, but our objective is that it inspires you to acknowledge the wounds you’ve been covering for too long, unlocking your inner strength to initiate the process of self-healing!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The meaning behind the name of the brand. People like things that tell a story, what is your meaning, what is your why? These are the questions I am asked. Customer service: this will make or break any business, and I strive for that. I know the type of service I require so therefore that is the kind I provide. Last but not lease, consistency. If you are up this month then two months go by with no post or anything, to me it is like starting over every time.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Since I had no plans to start a business, there was no plan to apply for any loan or grant. I dreamt about the idea and a little over 30 days later I started selling. I have always funded the business, mainly because I didn’t understand how to go about that financial piece. I started off small and purchased in increments, started with shirts then added hoodies and hats. The key thing was, the brand wasn’t making enough for me to get a loan because I would have to make those payments from my own funds, and I did not want to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ReVealed-LLC.com
• Instagram: ReVealed_LLC
• Facebook: ReVealed LLC

Image Credits

Profile picture by: E.L. Bishop Photography