The Inspiration behind Time to Shift Clothing

I never knew Shopify existed! What led me to this platform? What led me to start a clothing brand? My father passed away in 2011 from cancer and I always wanted to find someway to honor him.  He drove 18 wheelers for over 30 years.  I thought about starting a trucking company once I retire from the Navy. My mind was all over the place!

Fast forward to 31Mar19 when an artist,  entrepreneur, philanthropist, and father by the name of Ermias Ashgedom know by his stage name Nipsey Hussle was senselessly murdered outside of his Marathon Clothing store on W Slauson Ave. It felt like I lost a brother!  Like Nip, I also do music.  I wanted to start a clothing line, but didn't know where to start and honestly the inspiration wasn't there, or at least I thought it wasn't. 

After months of watching interviews on Nip and still thinking of a way to honor my pops,  I came up with the name Time to Shift Clothing.  Honoring my father and his career and impact that he had on me and a young brother that went against the grain,  stayed focused and committed and eventually purchased the lot that he was attached to since his younger days to turn it into the Marathon Clothing Store and several other stores that he owned as well. 

Shift comes from the trips I took with my dad in his 18 wheeler . I was obsessed with the way he shifted through those gears, hitting the splitter, going high and low!  Shift stands for Sacrifice, Hard Work, Inspire, Fearless, and Teach. Those are my five gears. That's where Never Miss A Gear came from.  You can't go from 1st gear to 3rd gear and expect to succeed because you're skipping 2nd gear which is one of the most important gears, Hard Work!

I'm still learning, growing, and evolving as a business owner, but it feels great to have a brand that inspires people.  I look at my friends on social media and some are truly Shifting everyday and it makes me feel like I have a purpose here in this industry. Thank you to all who have supported us thus far.  We're grateful and truly appreciate the support! Always remember,  WHATEVER it is that you want, it's Time to Shift. Set that goal and never give up! It's not going to be easy,  it's going to be an emotional roller coaster, friends and family won't support you the way you thought,  but you have to keep going! God has a purpose for you!