We had the good fortune of connecting with Desmond Alford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desmond, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
As an entrepreneur I would say the one piece of conventional advice I disagree with is ‘Putting all your eggs in one basket.’ I realized that although it is great to master your craft, you should always have something in place to fall back on. I am a heavy believer in residual and multiple streams of income. Society is evolving rapidly and I feel it is a necessity to be able to adjust at any time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Unlike most clothing brands, I handle every aspect of my business. I handle all of the sales, webpage design, pressing, stitching, marketing and branding. I also created both of my logos and majority of the art featured in my “Culture Tee’ collection. Growing up art was my passion so to feature my own work on my brand has been amazing. With that being said I still went through many growing pains of expanding my business and being the sole employee. I started out just making graphic tees for my friends then in a few quick months my side hustle turned into a business. I quickly learned how important every aspect of your business matters. From the packaging to getting my products shipped in a timely manner matters. I realized it was time to Bauce up and take my brand to the next level.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a homebody by nature but if I am trying to catch a day vibe I like to go to the Battery, the Beltline or a nice brunch spot. I am huge sports fan so you can always catch me at a Hawks or Falcons game. As a former promoter I don’t go out as much as I use to but if I do I like to go to Edgewood bars, Opium or Encore. You can always capture the energy of the city in those spots.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to the IAO Academy for believing in my vision and helping my idea manifest. I would also like to give a shoutout to my amazing woman, Briana McCray who also has her own brand, The Lit Label.

Website: shopbauce.com

Instagram: bauce.ig

Image Credits
instagram: @nio.cal @lennoxave

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