The Timeline

 I had been reading a book lately called 'Quitter' by Jon Acuff.  I'll have to be honest, I don't really love his writing style but he does have some great points.  The book is about Jon's story as a frustrated successful blogger who wants to be a paid author.  The book outlines his journey from his job to pursuing his dream.  Hence, the name.  I picked it up because, although I had already left my career to chase my vision, I wanted to see what I might have done right in how I went about it. 

If there was one chapter that hit me squarely it was 'Wait on the Main Stage'.  I think he did a great job of right-sizing expectations on when you can and should be able to see if what you want to do is really going to be a success.  Spoiler alert.  It takes  a lot longer than you think it's going to. 

That's my review.  I haven't finished the book yet. I am on 'There Will Be Hustle'.  Like I said, I'm having a tough time warming up to him.  I think what is sticking in my craw more than his sentence structure is the fact that he appears to bill himself as a Christian author and yet he makes not mention thus far about God having anything to do with his success.  Pity.

God put that chapter in my face for the coming weeks.  I have a vendor to make the t-shirts and I have a way to use one for all of the printing needs I have. They are also a christian company and I really like the founder.  He is a great guy to work with so far.  The slow down came just as we were making plans to look at online interfaces and get things loaded for everyone to see and most importantly for all involved, including God, purchase.  There's been some personal upheaval in the Ichthus family.  It can't be helped and we all understand.  Thankfully with business partners who are friends, broaching those conversations and asking for mercy in time lines is an easy one to have.  As the story has unfolded, I've been praying for the best possible outcome.  Meanwhile, the production end of the t-shirts is on hold.  We all knew this would be the case, but being human, I've had my moments of anxiousness about when things will be in place.  Add to the slow down that I am waiting on documentation from our vendor and everything to be seemed to be grinding to a halt.  My dream almost seemed to be suspended in mid-air and I was frustrated by the waiting to see when it would take flight again. 

An apologetic email came from one side and then another from the person I am awaiting the documents on.  Both very sorry that circumstances have infiltrated our efforts and with promises that things will be remedied as soon as possible.  Much as I would like to have everything up and running I know one thing.  God is not on my time clock. I am operating on His.  He is never in a hurry, nor does he procrastinate.  These stalls are for a definite reason and God doesn't always tells us why He has to do what He has to do to make things work out according to His perfect plan.  It's just how He is but I have many times marveled at how He seems to be able to make outcomes much better than my expectations and it goes buttery smooth if I just stop fighting Him. 

I sit here with laptop humming to tell you that being a entrepreneur sounds fancy to someone who isn't and being a founder and CEO sure was a glamorous title to me when I was just dreaming about it but in reality, it will test your integrity and highlight your shortcomings with great fervor. 

If you are starting your own venture, I can tell you one thing. Have patience, especially with those in business with you.  Also, read a lot of leadership books. My favorite is John Maxwell.  He is not only one of the best-in-class but he was also a pastor.  While his books are written for anyone in business, his principles are all biblically based.  If you are thinking of leaving your job to live off of your bank account until you succeed, I'd pick up Jon Acuff's book before you give your notice. 

Accidentally On Purpose

It’s funny how things work. Someone sends you a link and you click on it. Next thing you know you are setting up conference calls with the owner of the company. Wouldn’t it be great if things were that A-to-B in our lives? They usually aren’t and neither is this instance.

Back track to last year. I hadn’t even thought of taking on this venture. I had an idea for the T-Shirts, I thought it might be a good idea but I was in the middle of writing my first book, like on Chapter 5 of 14. I was nowhere near the stage of starting anything major with my idea.

I was watching TV at my mom’s house some months later. I had just moved my stuff in a U-Haul from Key West to Boston so I was crashing at her house while I looked for the perfect place to move my daughter and me into.

I never watch TV but my mother loves to have it on. It was the Today Show. Featured on that morning’s show was a peppy little blonde and pink haired woman named, Annie. She was the head of a ministry named Hookers for Jesus. I am very drawn to people who have endured severe mercies so I leaned in on what she had to say and fixed my full attention to what she was being interviewed for. I was smitten by her cause. A former prostitute, saved by the grace of God, she rescues women caught in sex trafficking and teaches them about Jesus and helps them make a new life for themselves.

A few months later, someone was making fun of her ministry on Facebook. You have to admit, the name Hookers for Jesus does get some attention. I am pretty sure it is cleverly named that on purpose. I posted back that I praise God for what she does, who would dare to do what she does happily. She combs the spiritual dumpsters of Las Vegas looking for what society calls trash and helps women see that to God they are a treasure. In the midst of that post, I got the idea to post a video of Brian “Head” Welch’s video from I Am Second. If you don’t know anything about Brian, he was the Grammy award-winning guitarist from the internationally acclaimed band, Korn. Brian was as famous as he was addicted to Methamphetamines. He was known the world over, having everything he ever dreamed of and his life was a sewer. He became radically saved, quit Korn and went on the road to tell people about Jesus, writing 3 books to date and forming a new band, equally loud, Head. In my post coment I wrote “Would you look at this man and think he was a Christian? Yet, he has a much bigger ministry than most. Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

What does Hookers for Jesus have to do with Brian ‘Head’ Welch and Ichthus Versewear? I heard about I Am Second from a woman who I attended church with in Key West. I loved the concept and she emailed me Brian’s video. It was the first one I ever saw. What I didn’t realize was that Annie Lobert and Brian Welch are friends. They tour in a ministry together from time to time, The Whosoevers. I now follow both Annie and Brian on Twitter. I love to hear from people who have had a radical God experience like me.

One morning, Annie posted that T-Shirts would be coming for sale with the Hookers for Jesus logo on them. I was all for it! I was excited for the opportunity to share with people what Annie does. Trouble was, when I went to the vendor’s site, Veil Arms, I couldn’t find any link to take me to Hookers for Jesus’ T-Shirts. I started clicking on every avenue I could find but nothing. Then I noticed a link that I had yet to read. This link advertised Veil Arms’ coming online storefront. Did they have an online fulfillment service? I was looking for one of those. I had found one already but you have to practically pay them to sell your shirts, never mind make anything. I mean, we are a ministry but no money means no progress. We do need to take something in to grow. I have now chatted with Shawn Ullmer, founder of Veil Arms over email. I am excited to see what they can do for us. They are also a Christian company so they ‘get’ why we do what we do. Isn’t it amazing how God weaves seemingly simple, unrelated things into a beautiful tapestry of blessings?

The Waiting Game

Two things that a company needs to really start forming a personality is a logo and a tagline. I had a rough idea that I passed on to Cam and he got to work a few of weeks ago. I honestly wasn't expecting him to get back to me with anything workable for a while. We had some t-shirt designs we were still not happy with so I assumed that we'd be discussing those when we met a week ago.

After discussing some of the designs and a high-five or two over some really great ones, he pulled up another file. It was the logo ideas that he had. There were about four in total. We scanned through them together, huddled over the prized MacBook Pro that houses all of Cam's priceless artwork. Some were similiar, one I joked that we might look like we sold surfboards, we giggled and came back to one that I had seen earlier.

"I really like that one", I said as I pointed to the screen.

"That's funny, it's the first one I worked on", he said almost in disbelief.

We stared at the design for a minute and I looked over at the face of my partner looking as if there was something he wanted to say. I wanted to know what he was thinking. He just reiterated that he was pleasantly surprised that this one was the original piece.

"Change the fish to red" I said.

Voila! The logo is done. We love it. In fact, whenever we see it, we say so. Our tagline is also complete. It came to me from something that Cam said during his 'interview' with me.

It is great to be excited but my job at Ichthus is to do all the boring stuff, like protecting our assets. It would be my great joy to post the new designs, logo and tagline with lightning speed. Problem is, we need to be sure that we follow the proper process to copyright and trademark what is ours. Time and diligence are what is needed to do everything we can to be successful. As soon as they are ready, I will be posting them all. We went over our business cards the other day too. I was so overjoyed to see my name and our logo on a card that I almost cried right there at Panera Bread.

Lastly, our company has its first interested client. We are pleased to be in talks with a motivational speaker who may offer some of our designs as part of his marketing packages, as well as, hiring us to do some design work for him. All this, of course, hinges on getting the designs up so people can see samples of our work! Ah yes, discipline is a key factor even when it is hard.

More to come and thanks for sharing this journey with us!

Cam's Story

If you spend any time at all with Cameron MacKenzie, Chief Branding Officer for Ichthus Versewear, you'll see a whirling ball of positive energy. Quick with a smile, Cam always leans in and looks intently at the person speaking in his direction. His sense of the presence and concerns of others wraps you up when he is around you. His charisma for life makes you want to jump on board with whatever he has in mind.

When I asked him why he wanted to start Ichthus Versewear this is what he had to say, "I hate to sound like a 'Cheese Ball' but but I hope it makes the world a better place by putting the Good Word out there".

"I'm not out there with messages. It's kind of more personal to me but I am proud to be though. Ichthus works for me because I am the message without having to walk up to someone and start a conversation out of no where".

Cameron has been making and writing music since he was a kid. His father, an accomplished pianist in his own right, starting him playing the piano at a young age. "I played piano as a kid and when I got older, I tried the drums. My favorite instrument to play though is the guitar". As he grew up to be a teenager, singing called to him and he developed his voice in his early 20's with his 10-year tenure as the front man for the Boston-based band, 'Plank'. When he was brought the marketing idea of taking Ichthus on the road to sell t-shirts at Christian music festivals around the country, Cameron was sealed in his commitment to kick off the endeavor. "Connecting the message of the t-shirts to music, it's like connecting my two passions. It makes it extra cool".

Cameron brings 16 years of graphic design and marketing experience to Ichthus Versewear. He has worked with some of the best companies and agencies in the Boston area. Cameron's clean, simple and yet powerful designs make Ichthus come alive. From the mind of one becomes an image on MacBook of another. There is no more thrilling high than seeing your dreams and ideas become something tangible.

"If everyone could be more public with their faith, the world would be a much happier place".

It is my great pleasure to not only introduce you to my business partner and friend but the man behind the image, look and feel of what is Ichthus Versewear. We will have a website up soon and hope to show off our shiny new logo and some beta designs. Stay tuned!

When God Hits The Accelerator

Ichthus is in it's infancy. The business plan is being executed and we are in the middle of producing our product offering. It's exhilarating to see your ideas become something tangible.

Seeing Cam's designs on the computer screen gave me the tingling sensation that this was a real thing that was actually going to happen. The giddiness was almost impossible to contain as we huddled around his MacBook at a Panera Bread table in the middle of a busy lunch hour.

I've been working on the business end of the deal while Cam continues to fine tune the creative piece, and most importantly, finalize our logo. Reaching out to contacts at all the venues we plan to be at has been a very pleasant and encouraging experience. It is so refreshing to work with fellow Christians and help build momentum for a mutual interest, making Christ famous.

Doing the arduous things in building a business can be discouraging at times even when you have the best people around you. There will be days where we will wonder if this will turn out the way we want, we'll wonder if we have enough money to move on what we need to, we'll disagree on something, there are all these things that will come our way. Add to the fact that we are also serving the Lord in what we do and you can bet the other camp is going to bring trouble. Hinderance is their specialty. In times like these, we'll need to remember what it is that we are doing and remind ourselves and each other about what the big picture is. Where is God in this and do we have the right motives. If we do, then press on.

My first idea is now a final design and I can't wait to wear it. It is my hope to have it in my hands and ready to wear for Soulfest, where I will be volunteering in August. If you see a little blonde woman with a very cool t-shirt on there, that's me! Since we've been reviewing designs, my mind won't stop coming up with new ones. Seems like every day I come up with two more and I want to put them in front of the Design Guru but I don't to overload him either. At times, I am like "Whoa, Lord, slow down!" but that is just how He is. When He finds people who are receptive, He wants to show you what He is all about with great passion. I am just trying to stay in the flow and not get overwhelmed by what is coming at me.

Next post will be about the logo and where to get the beta designs so stay tuned!!!

Every Great Idea Has A First Day

I tried to give this idea away, if you can believe it. I wanted to see it become something but I was too busy writing a book. The problem is, nothing ever happened to my idea. I tried to shut it out, I was too busy to take this on. It kept haunting me. Months later, after being tired of wrestling with whether or not to put this idea into action I asked to see a great friend in order to solicit his help. Something was growing.

I sat down with my friend over a smile, a notebook and a sandwich and began to speak. As I started to unveil my idea, he listened intently but with an odd look on his face. "Ah" , I think as I speak, "he's not interested". I finished speaking. A long pause followed by a hard blink came from across the table. "I have wanted to do something like this for a long time". I almost fell over. "Let's do it". The fish was beginning to take form.

Today, designs have been discussed and business plans agreed upon. On this day, May 20th, 2011, Ichthus Versewear becomes a reality. The fish has hatched.

"I want to talk to people about God but I don't know how to start the conversation" or "I wish I was as comfortable talking about the bible as you" are common things I have heard from people over the years. I had been in business for a while. I am also a voracious researcher of things biblical. The conversations are not an effort for me. I don't want them to be an effort for you either.

Ichthus Versewear is a way for you, the participant, to wear your ice breaker. Our unique T-Shirt designs bring the conversation to you and create your opening line. All you have to do is speak and share.

Look for coming articles as you take a journey with us in hatching our company and making it swim!