We were lucky to catch up with Trenice Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Trenice, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Ok…so…I’m not much of a risk taker, to be honest. Taking risks means that you have to exit a very comfortable zone and place yourself in a situation or position that is not so comfortable. There’s uncertainties and unfamiliar territories when you take risks.

With that being said – I just took a big risk and left a well established business to start my own business.

So here’s a very sped up, sugarcoated version of the backstory (LOL).

I was in business with a partner for seventeen years. The business started off slow, as it should, but blossomed into something really awesome. I learned the bulk of everything I know now from the person I was in business with. I wouldn’t be in this field if it wasn’t for him introducing me to it, so that is very much appreciated.

I began the thought process of starting my own business a little over a year ago due to some issues arising, but didn’t really have the guts to just JUMP. Constantly going over the plan and all the ways it can possible go WRONG will always stop you from moving forward. That’s exactly what I was doing. I had dozens of reasons to just stay put. The foundation was already laid for the business I was with. The customer base was already there. All the leg work was done, etc, etc. Out of the dozens of reasons I had to stay, there was just one reason I had to make the move and that was because I knew I could do it. I knew I could pull it off. So I jumped.

My anxiety was at an all time high making the decision, but I’m excited about all the adventures to come. I am currently still in the beginning stages of this risk. It’s not a rough start, but it is proving to be trickier than I expected (LOL). I’m pretty awesome at staying organized so that helps. I also have lots of people in my corner cheering me on and keeping me motivated.

Trenice, 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?

Well folks!
For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Trenice Martin. I’m a mother of five little people and I’ve been doing graphics for seventeen years in New Orleans. Designing t-shirts is my field of specialty. I create shirts for birthdays, baby showers and business endeavors, but most of the designs are for funerals and memorials. In addition to the shirts, there’s other items like cutouts, labels, handkerchiefs and buttons. It’s all a celebration of life and I’m excited to be apart of those momentous events.

To help a customer decide on how they want to present themselves as a business or how they want to display the next chapter of their life with birthdays is awesome. Baby showers…more so gender reveals, are my favorite. I’m on the edge of my seat, stalking your social media page trying to find out if it’s a girl or a boy after I’ve created them shirts! (LOL) Funerals are hard – especially when you know the person. Helping the family with that final representation of their loved one’s life can be really emotional.

There are lots of great t-shirt shops in New Orleans – lots of them. Everyone has their own style and their own personality to go along with it. I believe what sets me apart, though, is how incredibly organized I am. There’s labels and binders and forms for everything – and I mean everything! (LOL) It keeps down confusion and makes the process smoother not only for the customer, but for me also. My website is also a convenience for both me and the customer. When my physical shop is closed, the website is still up and running to accept new orders, as well as adding on to a pre-existing order.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source of new clients is one hundred percent word of mouth. If you can bring satisfaction to one customer, they are guaranteed to tell someone about you. If your work is clean and stands out, someone is bound to notice it and say, “Hey! Where’d you get that from?”

I’m grateful for all my customers and I appreciate them referring people to my small business. No matter where I am, they come and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that about them. It’s shows that I’m doing a great job.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My reputation came from knowing the right person and that person put my name in the ears of many people. Sadiki Navarre – “Diki” to many of us – was that person. He was known by just about everyone. I did a lot of work for him all the way up to his passing in March of 2013.

It goes right back to word of mouth. Most of the customers that I’ve been knowing for over a decade, I know them because of him and all of those people pass my name around as a good person to work with. I’m grateful to have had “Diki” in my life for the time that I did. He’s brought me so much business and ideas and he’s truly missed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.datshirtlady.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/da.tshirt.lady
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreniceDaTshirtLady
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trenicedatshirtlady
• Twitter: https://x.com/datshirtlady
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/its-trenice-da-t-shirt-lady-harvey
• Other: PINTEREST
  www.pinterest.com/itstrenicedatshirtlady

  TIKTOK
  www.tiktok.com/@itstrenicedatshirtlady