Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Will Britton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Will with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I got my work ethic from my family. Mostly my dad. He always had something going on. He worked full time as an insurance agent and always had side gigs going on. On top of having side gigs, he did lots of volunteer things for the community as well. My dad didn’t sit down when he was tired, only when he was exhausted. He turned what he really liked into opportunities to make money. One of those things was he would buy and sell old cars. My friends would laugh at me as a kid because they’d see the cars my dad would drag home. They’d have no engine, no floor, no paint. My friends didn’t see the picture. My dad would get off of work and go out to the garage after supper and breath new life into those cars. Months later or sometimes even years later, he’d sell those cars for way more than he purchased them. If he was able, he was working, then maybe a couple of hours of ebay and tv at the end of the day. Even then, eBay he was flipping things to make money, or searching for things he could buy cheap to then in turn flip for more money. My mother also had great work ethic too. She ran the household for years while only my dad worked. I have 4 siblings and she made sure all of us got up, got ready, and made it where we were suppose to go. She even woke up my dad and made his breakfast as well. She then got a job when I was in middle school, but us kids never even noticed she got a job. She still kept the household in order and everything running smoothly. So growing up, all I was exposed to were people who didn’t sit and wait for things to happen, they got up and made it happen. All I know is family and work, but both of those things make me happy…usually!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Well where do we begin with me and my brand. Well I’m a midwest dude (currently living in. metro ATL for 20 years) who grew up in a small town in Iowa! What up LeMars, I see you! Hot summers and cold winters. I started working in 5th grade when I got a paper route delivering newspapers after school 5 days a week. I started it because I wanted cooler bikes and sneakers. So I’d save my money up to get those things. I had that paper route for 4 years. Then I got into high school and got hired at a clothing store, Micks for Guys. Micks carried everything from street/skate wear to business attire. We even rented out tuxedos there. Thats where I decided that one day I wanted to have my own streetwear brand. Took me years to figure it out, lets be honest here, it took 20 years! I feel like my brand is special and different from all the others because it mostly all comes from my dome. I create all the ideas and designs except when I do collaboration designs with my guy hh5art. (check him out on Instagram @unauthorizedh) Sometimes I will draw them as far as I can and have someone who is more artistic bring it to life, but they’re all mostly my ideas. I print all of the the shirts and hats in my garage. And let me tell you, just because we’re in Georgia, doesn’t mean a 40º garage is fun to be working in at night. I only use quality blanks. I hate asking people for money and then deliver a subpar product. When customers like my designs but want them in different colors or designs in different locations on the shirt, I will do my best to make those adjustments. The customer gets my design but in a custom way. I want to make things people will actually wear. I’m not trying to just pump out garbage, I want people to get it in their hands and be like ” WOW this is dope!” So maybe my designs aren’t special to some, but the heart and passion put into making it is special. New products and collaborations dropping every month! Tune in or be square!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Wow! I don’t think I’m qualified or experienced enough to answer this question. I’ll keep it simple and direct…Research, passion, and hard work. Do as much research as possible. Research every possible way that what you’re creating can be done and don’t go with the easiest every time. But KISS (Keep It Simple Stoopid) is a great thing to always have, sometimes starting with simplicity and building to more complicated areas will get you way further than you think. Don’t forget to research the business and logistics side of things too. Those can make or break a business! Don’t get discouraged if something you spent so much time on gets no respect, generally speaking, people have no idea how long or how much brain power it took to bring what you’re doing to life! It takes real passion to bring a project to life because of all the naysayers and roadblocks in your way. Put in the work, even if you mess up. Repetition removes the hard work where it becomes natural! I’ll leave you with this, if sales do not meet your passion and hard work, don’t give up, keep going, everything takes time. Its rare something takes off just by you making an attempt, it may takes weeks, months, or even 20 years before you get 1 sale. Just don’t give up if you have real passion, eventually the sales will match the effort, I hope!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for other brands or artists to collaborate with. I am looking for brands or artists who think outside the box. Who want to have fun and not take life so seriously. I would love to work with anyone in other industries to help us both expose are brands to different clientele. I’d love to work with an artist who can bring some of my crazy random ideas to life! Artists and brands that know that we all can be successful and we do not have to enemies or rivals! Besides, friendly competition always good in the long run and may bring out some of the best products. Products that you may never thought you could create!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.weirdcitizen.com
- Instagram: @weirdcitizenco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/weirdcitizenco
- Twitter: @weirdcitizenco
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@weirdcitizenco
- Other: Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@weirdcitizencompany
Image Credits
@brokenfingerzzz
