Two and half year ago I am studying in a university on a scholarship which is provide by a local NGO and when flood hit different areas of Pakistan my scholarship get canceled because NGO wants to use that funds to help flood victims. So I came up with a idea of Virgin Teez base on a very simple model I started a T-shirt company not a charity actually a for-profit company that sale T-Shirts and give 43% to a charity on every sale. the reason I want to do that way starting a charity is I really want to attack this idea of predictability and sensibility if I started a charity its great if I get money from my friends and family and help people in need. May be 1 year or few years my friends family or people give me money what happens if Flood hit again now my friends donating rightly so to helping people suffering from flood then what I am going to tell to kids after they become custom to donation.
But if I started a business and create a brand that people get behind and buy T-Shirts so I keep giving to them that was the idea two and half year ago it was a very small project when I started it our goal is to help 10 child for their education and T-Shirts start selling first day of launch we sell 500 T-Shirts on our website and I have only 175 T-Shirts in my house. Customers have to wait for 1 month to get their T-Shirts that was when I realize its more bigger than a simple project since then we sold over 5000 T-shirts and help over 1000 child in their education and growing in a very rapid pace we predict that this year we can sell 10000 T-Shirts and help 3000 people in need the model is working and its incredible experience of my life.
I have learn lot of things I like to mention two thing here which apply to anyone who thinking about this kind of intersection of charity and commerce at same time the first thing is when I start giving I have desire to help people in need and it felt really good what I learn is giving is actually a very good business strategy its really great with customer its incredible with is employees and also great in attracting media partners on customer side I use a example one of my favorite example something to happens after couple months of started a Virgin Teez so I wear Virgin Teez almost every day because it’s fun to wear and people ask about it so I tell the story hopefully encourage someone to try out and help us to raise more funds for people in need this day I am not wearing Virgin Teez I am going for shopping in mall of Lahore I have not seen this point running a business for 2 to 3 months anyone in public wearing Virgin Teez T-Shirts yes I see my family and friends but not seen any random stranger.
You can imagine how excited I was when I looked at girl wearing colorful boy T-Shirt of Virgin Teez I thought I have to ask her about the T-Shirt and tried to hold my excitement I say excuse me I really like this T-Shirts where you get this and she looks at me and her eyes are wide open says Virgin Teez but you don’t understand amazing company if you buy one shirt you are giving one child a one month of education and she keeps going literally as she is the CEO of company and its unbeliever and this is moment when I realize if you do something good you don’t need advertisement your customer do it for you and we have incredible growth we never spend any money on traditional advertisement because every time we sell a t shirt we list a person to spared our story o doing good it’s a good business its connect you with a customer and help you succeed if you watch the football last Sunday there was a McDonald commercial and they did not mention burger instead they used their multi-million spot to celebrate success of charity they support.
There is something really happening in our culture and I am not smart enough to understand but I do know that giving is become more and more important in business so if you agree with that and you have a business and you want to incorporated giving in to it my second advice is to absolute do it in simple and transparent way there is company which is giving percentage of this and that forever but they never have the same royal customer or partner virgin teez have in a short time.
By Moeez Javed Founder of Virgin Teez
Ayesha
Nice Brand and nice story 🙂
Hammad
I am starting a business great advice for me thank u moeez javed