WHY YOU SHOULD START LIKE THEBAKERS [SHIRTBAKERS]

We are always excited to see what we can learn from other entrepreneurs and owner-led businesses. Where did their inspiration come from? What makes them special?

We would like to share with you some of our favorite examples we’ve gathered over the years in a dedicated series of posts.

In addition, we would also love to have you share with us brands you see as great companies and why. Our hope is that each of us can take away valuable “nuggets” that we can then apply in our own way.

We couldn’t think of a better example to start this series than TheBakers [ShirtBakers].

So, what do you think they sell? Sounds obvious, duh. Surprise! TheBakers does not sell any bake item or any food for that matter! Rather, it is a retailer that sells t-shirts and other clothing accessories in a super creative way.

A little history on ShirtBakers:

ShirtBakers founder is Arowolo Daniel O (popularly known as Mr Dan); a born entrepreneur, who got the idea for his business when he realized how much time his parents spent in traffic commuting to work. “As a little boy, I’ll see my parents spend so much time in traffic commuting to and from work. This inspired me to be an entrepreneur with the hope that someday I could work and still be able to spend time with the people I love. When I discovered something I realized I had a passion over, I obsessed over it. That particular passion was being an entrepreneur!”

As ShirtBakers has grown, Mr Dan has kept his brand vibrant and evolving. He took trade show marketing to another level by creating a tour where he talks about his story to colleges and students. His inspirational story generates lots of buzz and more fans. He has created numerous partnerships too while retaining a portion of his product selection exclusively to his stores. These partnerships range from non-governmental foundations to celebrities which include DJ Kaywise, Terry Apala, Jaywon, Hardvantage of Lagos and many others.

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM ShirtBakers COLLECTIONS BELOW;

His marketing lessons are timeless and we believe are applicable to whatever product or business you are developing and nurturing.

I could go on and on about ShirtBakers and its founder MR Dan. There are many lessons to be learned by studying up a bit on his story and his marketing strategy. I encourage you to do it. Looking through the website alone (www.Shirtbakers.com) will give you a great perspective on his thinking and what he is doing to foster his business. What is most inspiring to me is that Mr Dan. took a simple product–t-shirts–into a highly competitive market, and made it into a successful business.

Here are our key takeaways and why my friends and I love ShirtBakers:

>> Focus on the customer experience from the beginning to the end of the purchase cycle.

>> Bake the customers imagination to reality.

>> Good customer relations.

>> Use a creative presentation and merchandising layout to help your product stand out.

>> Take your story directly to your audience using techniques such as events marketing, pop-up experiences, or live demos.

>> Leverage your branding in whatever you do.

We look forward to hearing about your favorite brands and companies and stay tuned as we bring you more “Why We Love” stories in the coming months.

FOLLOW SHIRTBAKERS ON INSTAGRAM >> @shirtbakers_ng

FOLLOW SHIRTBAKERS ON TWITTER >> @ShirtBakersNG to catch on more of their success stories.

MORE OF PICTURES COLLECTIONS BELOW