Meet our Featured Business Owner, Luana Fukumoto, of Covenant Clothing Company based out of Hawaii…….
How did you get into T-Shirt Printing?
We got into the t-shirt printing business with the help and guidance of our friends who have built up a successful t-shirt printing business of their own.
What motivated you to start your own business?
Making Christian t-shirts was something my husband and I had always wanted to do. We prayed on it and left it in God's hands.
November of 2008, 3 weeks after I had given birth to my youngest child, I was laid off from my job. Being a stay-at-home mom was what I really wanted to do, but being laid off unexpectedly was a tough blow. I knew I wanted to do child care, but at the time we lived in a one bedroom apartment.
Again we prayed and asked God for open doors. A few months went by and a rental opened up, it was a 3 bedroom house with a fenced yard. I began my child care business within 3 weeks of moving into the new house.
One day I got a call from a mom looking for child care and she said that they have a t-shirt printing warehouse nearby and my location was perfect for her. When she said that, I immediately thought about our prayer request that was sitting on the back burner!
After a few months of getting to know the family, I worked up the courage to ask her how they got started in t-shirt printing. They have a very successful t-shirt printing business that they started 5 years ago.
She said that she would talk to her husband to ask him if he would sell us a printing machine that they were no longer using. Wade & I prayed that it would be a price we could afford.
A few days later she gave us the price and it was right within our budget! We were so overjoyed!! Not only did they sell us the machine at an affordable price, but they have mentored us every step of the way!
We've learned so much from them and they have saved us years of headaches. We've been in business for almost 2 years now and they continue to guide us through the business. We're so incredibly thankful for them!
November of 2008, 3 weeks after I had given birth to my youngest child, I was laid off from my job. Being a stay-at-home mom was what I really wanted to do, but being laid off unexpectedly was a tough blow. I knew I wanted to do child care, but at the time we lived in a one bedroom apartment.
Again we prayed and asked God for open doors. A few months went by and a rental opened up, it was a 3 bedroom house with a fenced yard. I began my child care business within 3 weeks of moving into the new house.
One day I got a call from a mom looking for child care and she said that they have a t-shirt printing warehouse nearby and my location was perfect for her. When she said that, I immediately thought about our prayer request that was sitting on the back burner!
After a few months of getting to know the family, I worked up the courage to ask her how they got started in t-shirt printing. They have a very successful t-shirt printing business that they started 5 years ago.
She said that she would talk to her husband to ask him if he would sell us a printing machine that they were no longer using. Wade & I prayed that it would be a price we could afford.
A few days later she gave us the price and it was right within our budget! We were so overjoyed!! Not only did they sell us the machine at an affordable price, but they have mentored us every step of the way!
We've learned so much from them and they have saved us years of headaches. We've been in business for almost 2 years now and they continue to guide us through the business. We're so incredibly thankful for them!
Now that we had started our business, we needed a name. Naming a business is so tough. Wade & I were going back and forth on different name ideas; some were funny, some were ridiculous!
Our son Austin, who was 11 at the time asked if he could help. He picked up his Bible and started reading through Genesis. After 10 minutes or so he came back with this: "Mom, God made a covenant with Abraham and that covenant is for us too right? Because we're descendants of Abraham right?" I replied, "Yes, that's right." He said, "What if we name our business Covenant Clothing, because that covenant belongs to us too!"
Days and hours of pounding my brain trying to think of a name and my child does it in 10 minutes. Who does that?! On that day we officially became, "Covenant Clothing Company".
Our son Austin, who was 11 at the time asked if he could help. He picked up his Bible and started reading through Genesis. After 10 minutes or so he came back with this: "Mom, God made a covenant with Abraham and that covenant is for us too right? Because we're descendants of Abraham right?" I replied, "Yes, that's right." He said, "What if we name our business Covenant Clothing, because that covenant belongs to us too!"
Days and hours of pounding my brain trying to think of a name and my child does it in 10 minutes. Who does that?! On that day we officially became, "Covenant Clothing Company".
What is your favorite item you are currently selling?
My favorite is the "Mommy's Answered Prayer". When I was a single mother I would think about whether I would ever remarry or have more children. I prayed that I would have another child by the time I was 35. The year that I turned 35 I was married and by the end of the year we were pregnant. My youngest son's middle name is Keomailani, which means "the answer from Heaven".
Do you have a favorite design, website, or other handmade seller you get inspiration from?
I get inspiration from everything around me, bible verses, television, Facebook, different shirts I see people wearing or different font styles and designs. A lot of inspiration comes from my children and the life experiences that we go through. I'm constantly surfing the net to see what new trends are and I use my Facebook page to ask my followers what they like or what they would like to see, or just go to Covenant Clothing Company to see more!
Thank you, Luana, for sharing!
6 comments:
and its such a good name too.
It's a great story behind it, huh!
Thank you so much!!You guys are the BEST!
Sending you love & blessings from Maui =)
What a great story! I love how it was named!
Oh this sounds fabulous. I swear that everything good is based in Hawaii :0)
I've been attending the Lakewood Church in Houston for over 4 years now since I read Joel Osteen's book way back in college. Focusing your t-shirt printing business on Christian niche is a great idea. I love the GAP design. Truly, God answers prayers.
t-shirt printing
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