The following is the 19th in the series "Live Your Brand" in which branding expert Melanie Spring takes us along on her three-week road trip across the country to meet innovative entrepreneurs whose experiences offer lessons learned to businesses big and small.
With the tagline "Everything New Orleans," Fleurty Girl is the place to visit for those checking out The Big Easy. From T-shirts to gifts and full-on Mardi Gras outfits, this store has the New Orleans brand all over it. With five locations and 30 employees, many would view founder Lauren Thom's concept as a huge success. But what most fans don’t know is it all started with a job loss, $2,000 tax return and an almost lawsuit.
A single mom with three kids, Thom had a great job with a company car and phone plan, along with full benefits for her and her family. Although it seemed like she had it all, she knew she wanted to do something more with her life. With her 2009 tax-return money, she designed fun T-shirts for women, built a simple website and sold out almost immediately. She reinvested her earnings into more T-shirts, expanding designs and eventually opened a Fleurty Girl storefront.
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Later that year the Saints got into the Super Bowl, so Thom created black and gold t-shirts with “Who Dat” on the front. The store had a line around the corner waiting to purchase these shirts. Then Thom received a cease-and-desist letter from the NFL saying she wasn't allowed to use the Saints phrase. When the New Orleans Times and Good Morning America showed up at her storefront, Thom lost her job and her benefits. The story of the NFL scaring a single mom's T-shirt store got so much press that an apology letter from the NFL came shortly after. FleurtyGirl was on the map.
Six months after the first store had opened, she opened a second and then another every six months until she had five stores scattered across New Orleans. FleurtyGirl was branded NOLA and is now the place New Orleans goes to dress up for All Saints festivals, Mardi Gras, football and for custom-branded NOLA T-shirts.
Here is how Thom went from a one-woman shop to a big brand.
1. When you hit big, give back big. The Fleurty Girl brand celebrates New Orleans and because they make money through embracing the culture, they give back to the city to keep its own brand growing.
"Jazz in the park is part of the culture of New Orleans and the city just couldn't afford to keep it going. Fleurty Girl donated $10,000 to help pay the 10 bands for their opening concerts so the tradition didn't die," explains Thom.