We’re thrilled to present the latest addition to Afluencer’s content lineup – our podcast series featuring insightful conversations with influential brand owners. In this inaugural article, we have the privilege of introducing Don Smith, the visionary founder of Inspire Wear, as our esteemed guest.
Meet Don Smith: The Mind Behind Inspire Wear
Don Smith, the innovative mind driving Inspire Wear, takes center stage in the Afluencer podcast series. With a wealth of experience in the world of influencer marketing, Don shares captivating insights, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped his brand’s journey.
Podcast Premiere: Delving into the Inspire Wear Universe
Join us in exploring the enchanting world of Inspire Wear through the eyes of Don Smith himself. We’ve embedded the riveting YouTube podcast video below, offering an exclusive glimpse into the transformative power of influencer marketing.
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Key Takeaways
00:00 🎵 Introduction to the podcast
– Introduction to the podcast discussing influencer marketing and new collaborations in the industry.
00:29 👕 Don Smith’s background and Inspire Wear
– Don Smith introduces himself and shares his background, discussing the inspiration behind Inspire Wear and its mission.
02:30 🚀 Starting his own business and the learning experience
– Don talks about the experience of starting Inspire Wear, the challenges he faced, and his plans for the future.
04:36 ✝️ Faith-based concept and transferring positivity through clothing
– Don explains the faith-based nature of Inspire Wear and how it aims to transfer positivity to customers through its clothing.
06:37 💼 Ideal influencer partnerships and their characteristics
– Don discusses the qualities he looks for in ideal influencer partners, including belief in the product and openness to new ideas.
09:20 🧥 Specific products for influencer promotion
– Details on the specific products Don is looking for influencers to promote, including hoodies, sweatshirts, and active wear.
11:54 📩 How to reach out to Don for collaboration
– Don provides contact information for influencers interested in collaborating with Inspire Wear.
13:00 🌐 Social media presence
– Information about Inspire Wear’s presence on Facebook and Instagram for further engagement.
Transcription Insight: A Peek into the Conversation
Gain an insider’s perspective as we burrow into the transcription of our engaging conversation with Don Smith. Discover the strategies, anecdotes, and wisdom that have fueled Inspire Wear’ success, all captured in this in-depth transcription.
In Conversation with Don Smith, Founder of Inspire Wear:
Brett:
Welcome to our Influence, your podcast, where brands, influencers and creators come together. We talk to influencer marketing. We also talk about the latest new collabs in the industry that are available to influencers and creators. So we’re excited to welcome Dom Smith today, founder and CEO of a new clothing and apparel company called Inspire Wear. That’s going to tell us about his story and specifically what he’s looking for in terms of influencer.
So Don, welcome to swag and representative representing there. Can you introduce yourself, Don, and tell us a little bit about your background?
Don Smith:
Well, first off, I want to just thank you for inviting me on to the podcast. It’s a great honor and a privilege.
Brett:
Yeah. Excited to have you. Excited to hear more about Inspire, where you and I spoke. Was it last week that we spoke kind of went through the dynamics of your collab and you’ve got a great story.
So excited to share that with everyone.
Don Smith:
Oh yeah, absolutely. Just a little byline. Me, Don Smith, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a recent graduate of Columbus State, where I got my degree and digital design and graphics. The story behind Inspire was kind of it was inspired by my experiences in college and up to adulthood. I was always one to be one for causes, whether it’s highway cleanup or working security for homecoming parade.
Just being involved in a community. What’s one of the things that one is one of my passions. So I kind of took it from there and kind of had to conspire, one, to reflect the things that I wanted to do most, like helping the community any way possible that I can and just do things for different causes. So that’s what the basis, the basis of inspired, where is just bringing out inspirational clothing to not only inspire but to motivate people, just to take them to that next level, just to have them have a sense of identity, of who they are and where they can go.
Brett:
Very cool. How did it feel to start your own business? I assume that probably is a boost of energy yourself. I know from doing it a few times myself, you get that adrenaline rush. So how are you feeling right now from that launch? I mean, it’s the 2023 launch. How are you feeling now and what are the plans looking ahead to next year?
Don Smith:
Well, it’s it’s like any experience where you dip your feet into the pool and then you kind of start to go out into the deeper water and then it’s either sink or swim from that point. So for me, it’s been like a really, really great learning experience. You know, just from the business aspect of the business to the not just the art aspect of the business.
So whether or not, you know, the business should be a limited liability company is sole proprietorship all the way up to how do you market this thing? How do you bring it into the community? How do you send it up to the forefront and that’s the space that I’m in right now is how can I take inspired where to that next level?
Brett:
Yep, I hear you. It’s something you don’t quite experience.
Until you do it. As you said. Where we’re used to, everyone kind of starts out with a regular job and you have that focus and your job is defined or well defined to a degree, and you don’t really do stuff outside of that scope. And then here you are done with Inspire where and there’s no end to, like you said, your your own setting up the end of the day from a legal standpoint.
But oh, by the way, you’ve got to do the marketing and figure that out. And we’ve talked to that a little bit. Oh, by the way, you’ve also had to create the products and the artwork that go into this. So you’re head of.
Everything, right? You’re CEO founder, but really you’re doing a sea level of marketing design, product development, you name it. So there’s there’s.
Nothing that nothing they can’t do. Let’s talk about the specifics on the product creation there. From the product development standpoint, a cool concept insight, I guess I should say that you have in terms of transferring positivity to customers through the clothing. Give me walk us through that a bit in terms of, hey, I’m putting this on and let’s go.
We’re starting our own company. I’m going to wear ten hats today, but I’m going to get through it.
And this is this is how I’m setting the tone for my day and my week here.
Don Smith:
Okay. Well, as I had mentioned to you earlier, this is a faith based business, So it is always going to be inspired by the word of the Lord, which is the basis of all of the graphics, all the basis of the tools that I have also, the artwork is influenced by it as well. So it all combines itself and it meshes together well because whatever you kind of stray and deviate from the plan, then things have a way of becoming too chaotic and hectic.
If you just kind of follow that single plan, then it makes things a lot easier for you to move forward with designing product because, you know, these aren’t the actual words that from your own mouth that they’re divinely inspired, but they’re already written. So you can just take that piece of knowledge and if you can just make it into something that’s positive and then market it, then you have something that you can bring to people, not just your own opinion or not just, you know, just this is how I feel about things.
There is the backing behind the words that are on the apparel.
Brett:
And as we get into the marketing. Then as you and I were talking last week and this is something that kind of goes beyond the software, right? From our standpoint as a platform, the influencer app, we don’t necessarily have, you know. A segment, so to speak.
On faith based. So that’s why we want to do this podcast. So you and I could talk and we could reach out to faith based influencers and let them know about this opportunity, about Inspire, where.
So on the influencer front, in terms of ideal partners for you, can you talk about the work that you’ve done so far? And I know we’re kind of getting the ball rolling here. On the influencer side in terms of looking for faith based influencers.
What have you done so far and then where. Are we heading into the New Year and beyond in terms of influencer partnerships for Inspire, where.
Don Smith:
So far as influencer marketing is concerned, I’m looking for a person that actually believes in a product. That’s the first thing you know, Influencers are known to also create content, but also just Mase majorly, just hype up the product to their followers so that it may in turn turn into revenue in the short term. But the fingers as at first you have to believe in the product, you have to believe and what you’re selling to or to your constituency or people that you that follow.
So in order to be believable, that’s the first thing that I would ask for, is that you would actually believe in the product, believe in what you’re selling, because it seems more authentic and genuine. So that’s one thing that I’m looking for. And secondly is an idea to be more open to new things, new areas, to new new fronts, so to speak.
So that will probably be the second thing that I’m looking for. And the final thing that I’m looking for is just to have fun. I mean, because products that sell the most are the ones that give you positive feelings, you know? So if you open up a can of Coke, you’re not going to be angry. It’s because it inspires those joyous feelings.
And you see people dancing around and enjoying people’s company while sharing a Coca-Cola, because that’s what the marketing was to, is that this product creates positive feelings. And that’s one thing that I wanted to inspire, was to create positive feelings. So the influencer that I connect with has to be able to create that positive feeling to motivate you to want to be able to, in turn seek out the product.
And in the short term, purchase it.
Brett:
That’s great. That’s on a next level. Marketing insight there that we’re not just selling product per say. It’s an experience, right? It’s positivity. It’s an experience like you said.
That said, done. Do we have specific products that we.
Are looking for the influencers to help promote in terms of the apparel, the product line today?
Don Smith:
Okay. Well, since winter is coming upon us, I do have a line of hoodies and sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts that yeah, there we go. That’s been will be something that I would want the influencer to promote. Also, I do have a line of activewear as well because, you know, in during these winter months you’re not going to stay dormant.
You want to stay focused, you want to stay active. So people are going to go to the gym more in the winter months because, you know, they kind of want to keep the activity going. So I do have activewear and that’s definitely something that I’m looking to market as well.
Brett:
Oh, that’s great. Yeah. The that’s I. Think one lasting positive from the pandemic was that it made activewear wearing activewear all day being okay, right. Because you had people.
Working from home work and life blended like you said, maybe you’re going to the. Gym. That’s that’s my excuse these days. I’m going to physical therapy, to rehab an injury. And, you know, it’s in a gym. So I wear the activewear, right? And then I can have my zoom collar shirt in the office. But the activewear pants and it’s it’s now in 2023, perfectly acceptable. That’s kind of like the going rate, right?
You might be coming or going from the gym at any time. And that’s kind of the way things are now. So that’s great to have that line of activewear. That’s what I kind of live on in the winter myself here is that that stuff because y you know, you work for yourself. Well, I get all dressed up and be uncomfortable right this day.
You might sneak out, go to the gym halfway through. So it’s good to have that line of clothing. So that’s Great. So maybe a fitness based, faith based fitness faith based. Influencer, I should say, could work for the Activewear.
Don Smith:
Oh, absolutely. That’s definitely something that would be of great interest to my company and to my business as well. Excellent.
Brett:
Yeah, go ahead.
Don Smith:
Just to have that opportunity to be able to stretch forward and stretch out word and reach further.
Brett:
Love that stretch far stretch our that’s my ears are my kind of activewear pants talking.
Don Smith:
Oh yeah.
Brett:
That’s great. That is perfect. So that’s what we will get a link to your collab here so that people can apply to it. So let’s go through that ways that influencers can reach out to. Work with you. We’ve got your collab right, it’s active and influencer, so.
We’ll get that up. How would you like to. Hear from people in terms of, Hey, I’m a I’m a faith based influencer creator. I want to help promote the Activewear line, the hoodies for Inspire wear. How can I reach how can I reach down to connect?
Don Smith:
Well, you can reach me on the affluence or website. I do have a link there where you can contact me. That’s the way to do it is by email because I check my emails daily or I also do have my personal email inspire where in 2023 at gmail dot com you can also reach me there. So those are the two that you can reach me that will get the fastest response.
Brett:
Perfect. That’s great. Get all of the founder. CEO and any socials that we should share for inspire wear as well.
Don Smith:
Yes I inspire where is actually on Facebook as well as Instagram. The Instagram account is under the parent company Majestic Multimedia. So that would be done as well as well as our Facebook is just it’s inspire aware so you can find us on Facebook that as well.
Brett:
Excellent. Excellent. Well, thank you, Don. I appreciate you coming on talking about the the winter line for Inspire, where it sounds really timely. So we’ll send some influencers your way here and influencers of your listen and we’ll get the links below. And Don give you all that.
Great resources in terms of being able to reach them personally, which is awesome when you’re working with a company. Can’t do better than talking with the CEO founder himself.
Don, thanks so much for joining us.
Don Smith:
Thank you. It’s a great pleasure.
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Reflecting on a Journey of Innovation and Influence
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