You may have noticed that, recently, I put a pretty, pretty new banner ad up in my sidebar for something called Sweat EquiTees. While I typically wouldn’t advertise for apparel on Freelancedom (despite the fact that “shopping for pretty things” is totally at the top of my my top 5 list of favorite hobbies), Sweat EquiTees is different. Their mission is directly aligned with that of Freelancedom, and with everything I’ve been trying to do with my career lately.
I first learned of Sweat EquiTees when familiarizing myself with the other members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). Benjamin Leis, the owner and founder of Sweat EquiTees — a clothing company for entrepreneurs — was among them. When I clicked through to his company’s website, I immediately wanted to snatch up one of his tees (again: shopping problem). With fun graphics and lines like “Kiss Me, I’m an Entrepreneur” and “Run LLC,” they were right up my alley.
But Sweat EquiTees is more than just a fun apparel shop for biz owners. One dollar from every tee sold is donated to an organization that teaches and encourages entrepreneurship… organizations like The Launch Pad, Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour and, yes, the YEC. In addition, it is Leis’s hope that his T-shirts both promote the entrepreneurs that wear them and inspire would-be entrepreneurs. “The best is when customers tell us that someone came up and asked them about their business because of reading their shirt,” says Leis. “If our shirts can bring people business or create valuable connections, then I think we are doing something really special.”
So why is entrepreneurship so important to Leis? Aside from being a serial entrepreneur himself (he founded his first organization at the age of 18 and now, at the age of 29, has founded six organizations in all), he believes that entrepreneurs are integral to the future of our economy. “They are the ones who will be creating jobs and introducing innovation, filling voids in the marketplace and delivering meaning and value into our lives,” he says.
So yes. Sweat EquiTees isn’t like the products I usually promote here on Freelancedom (pretty notebooks, handy gadgets, and nifty apps), but the company is supporting something I believe in… and something I think you believe in, too.
So order one of these T-shirts, yo. Then we can have a really dorky meetup at which we all wear our T-shirts together. (I know. It’s all you ever wanted.)
Also, if you’d like to contribute to Sweat EquiTees in some other way, check out the contest they’re currently running on their Facebook page. Burgeoning designers can submit their T-shirt ideas for the chance at seeing them become a reality.
Now if only someone could design me a cool-looking “I like big books and I cannot lie” tank top.
Related: Are Professional Organizations Worth the Cost?, Product Placement: The Lapsac, Product Placement: Slippers, Product Placement: Angry Journalists Wear Their Hearts on Their Sleeves
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