Today we’d like to introduce you to Donovan Mitchell.
Hi Donovan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Everyone goes through life looking for a sense of purpose or a sense of intention to go off of. All my life I’ve felt like my place in this world has been bounced around from door to door or activity to activity. I went from doing band to doing art, to doing sports and I never really felt at home or had a sense of purpose. I was looking on Pinterest one day and saw a bunch of custom clothes, hats, bags, and shoes and immediately I got a rush of inspiration. I started looking on YouTube for tutorials on how to start a brand or how to make a brand and honestly, nothing ever came up that I liked. I started digging more and I realized I could make hoodies and shirts at home, so I went out a brought a cricut and a cricut heat press. I designed my first piece of design called “Mindful” (a brief summary of mindful or what I think of it to be being open and never close-minded). I started with mindful to help inspire people to take a chance on starting a clothing brand or starting a business, to being open. Some people think when starting a business, you have to have a certain amount of money or a certain of skill when in reality you only need determination, discipline and resources. I started this clothing brand with $100 and with the help of my friend. We are steadily growing and learning as we go and I can’t wait to see what the future had planned for us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the struggles weren’t really external but more internally. Constantly overthinking if this product was gonna sell or being scared to drop a design thinking people weren’t gonna like it. Most of these problems were in the mind and it’s really common for people starting a business or trying to promote their upcoming business. Another one of our struggles was marketing at a point because we were still new to building a business and a brand.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I do in the business is I’m the graphic designer and marketing agent, so I’m coming up with designs on what we should drop and helping promote our business on social media sites. I specialize in streetwear fashion, I’m still learning myself but that is what I’m most comfortable in. I’m most proud of our recent drop of mindful shirts. It’s mindful on the front and a butterfly on the back explaining how they came to be in this world. I’m known for being a graphic designer and having a creative mindset. What I see that sets me apart is I’m more determined to take risks instead of staying back and guessing, they will always be an educated risk but most people are scared to take them because they are afraid of making mistakes when in reality mistakes are how you learn.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice is don’t let no one tell you that you can’t do anything. You are going to make mistakes, and you are going to make pieces that you thought were going to sell but wasn’t. Just because those designs don’t sell doesn’t mean they are bad, they are just the wrong audience. A piece of advice is what I wish I knew when first starting is don’t overthink it, don’t think just do. When starting a business or a brand do your research before. Never be afraid to make mistakes because we grow from those it’s okay to make them. Never fear to fail, because failure is what helps us grow as people and as entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
- Website: dreamschangeminds.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ceo_donovan?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@donoM03
Image Credits
Reanna Harvey
Milkaa Nicole
Ravin Harvey
