Teens turn a T-shirt business into a charitable venture!
Teens Daniel Kauffman and William Wright have known each other since they met in the fifth grade at Trinity School in Buckhead. Though high school separated them, with Wright heading to Westminster and Kauffman going to Lovett, the two remained close friends. Along with becoming graduates in May, they’ve now added another line to their resumes: They’re philanthropic business partners as well.
As sophomores two years ago, the pals began brainstorming ideas that would double as jobs as well as community support. Their company, Impact Threads, officially launched in November to do just that.
“We had the idea to do something with fashion or clothing,” Wright says. “We hit on doing T-shirts with QR codes linked to charities so everyone wearing the shirt could connect to a larger audience just by wearing it.”
Kauffman was all in. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit,” he says. “And I’ve always had a philanthropic mindset. In the sixth grade at Trinity, we went to a homeless shelter, and that was very influential for me.”
When the two began batting around ideas, that experience, coupled with their interest in clothes and design, inspired Impact.
“We really wanted to add another level of meaning to the work, so we decided to combine the two,” Kauffman says.
The two funded the venture with their own savings “and a tiny loan agreement with my dad,” Kauffman says.
While tinkering with designs and styles, they also researched which nonprofits could benefit the most from the exposure and the 51% of funds raised from sales.
“It was difficult trying to sell the idea to big organizations,” Wright says. “Ultimately, we found the easiest way to get them to work with us was to make everything cost free. And now that we have some traction, we have charities starting to come to us to do free designs.”
Working with organizations such as Children’s Healthcare, the Kyle Pease Foundation and Atlanta Youth Rugby, the teens let the charity pick the shirt color that carries the Impact Brand logo and a scannable company code on the front. On the back, they add info about the charities. For the Atlanta Humane Society, for example, the shirt features the word “love” inside a paw print. They keep costs at $29.50 per shirt by ordering in bulk and heat-pressing the graphics on themselves.
Initially, marketing was also a challenge, Kauffman says. “We started with word-of-mouth to friends and family, and reached out to a ton of markets. We finally got to partner with the Vinings Farmers Market; they took a chance on us, and we started building a community from there.”
They’ve since paid back the loan from Kauffman’s dad and are self-sustaining. And they’re looking at hiring a manufacturer to take over the production since both are heading to college in Texas.
“We weren’t planning on going to school together, but it worked out,” Kauffman says. “And we’ll probably wind up doing something business related. We’re also in the process of designing other clothing, but we know the T-shirt will always be part of the brand.”
IMPACT THREADS
impactthreads.org
@impactthreadsapparel
