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

Hi Jarrett, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Back in 2019, when people we actually working in offices, I was at my desk at my then job, with a coworker/friend of mine discussing her success in her business, which is a thriving t-shirt brand geared towards Christian women. I told her that I’ve considered doing a t-shirt brand before, but couldn’t pinpoint where I wanted to market. Simultaneously, I was having an argument with another friend in the office. I can’t remember the argument, but I upset my friend during the discussion and he exited saying “BE A BETTER BLACK MAN, JARRETT” as he stormed out the door. Then, like lightning, it hit me, and I asked myself and my coworker friend, “what does it take to be a better black man?” From there, I’ve been curating and researching and working on creatively making my brand, The Better Black Man Company.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Better Black Man Company is an apparel brand that chooses to be different from other apparel brands, in that it dedicates itself to finding ways to better our communities and ourselves. Only a portion of the company includes selling apparel, such as t-shirts, but the part that gets me excited is the opportunities of growth for the company through partnerships with community organizations, and spreading positive inspiration through its social media platforms. I am constantly figuring out how this company will mature in the future, so I don’t think I have some business formula that makes me more savvy than the next person. Instead, I am trying to figure out this Mid-Pandemic World just like everyone else, and how I can make this company BETTER than it was the day before. In the midst of this business, there is a lesson to be learned: go after your dreams, because no one else will!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a born and bred Atlantan, I’ve learned many cool spots in our fair city. First of all, I love to eat, so I would take my best friend to as many of my favorite restaurants as possible. The Varsity is at the top of my list because it’s iconic, but there are also so many other cool restaurants, from The Optimist to Home Grown, that will be visited throughout the week. Since we are still in the midst of a pandemic, I’d try to keep them outside as much as possible, so we would of course hit up Piedmont Park, Old Fourth Ward Park, and of course we have to walk The Beltline, which is everyone’s favorite thing to do nowadays. I personally don’t visit Stone Mountain Park, but there are a plethora of natural parks around the city to explore that I’m familiar with, so we would definitely be going to those. I’ve even found it fun to search for cool movie shoots…one time, I was a few blocks away from a huge Marvel Studios film being made and got to see Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and many other stars.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I consider myself the Co-founder of my company because there are so many people that deserve credit for helping this company start. First off, I’d like to shoutout my parents and brother and sister-in-law for continually supporting whatever crazy idea that I conceptualize, because they push me to bring those ideas to fruition. I’d also like to shoutout my friend, Phillip Marquez, for helping me visualize the initial graphic and web design for the start of the company. There are so many friends that have helped me up until this point. I have a wonderful support system and I’m truly grateful.

Website: www.thebetterblackman.com

Instagram: betterblackman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrett-milton-44975068/

Facebook: @thebetterblackman

Image Credits
Photo credit- @blogzworth

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