Cece Lively, Lively Designs

 

“Your hard work is a direct reflection on your products.”

-Cece Lively


We’ve all seen the funny tees imprinted with something like my grandma went to Luckenbach and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. Not that there is anything wrong with going to Luckenbach, but there is something terribly wrong with gifting a lousy t-shirt.

But what are you supposed to do if you want a tee that’s fun and maybe even a little funky? Something a little different that isn’t mass produced. Something that captures your absolute essence in a sassy and comfy tee. You contact Cece Lively, that’s what you do.

Cece is the founder, the creator, the designer, the mastermind, the genius behind Lively Designs, something she likes to refer to as a little business started from people loving my tees locally!

And seriously, what’s not to love! Lively Designs has simply-stated tees imprinted with but first coffee, farm fresh or choose joy, but also the fun, got-it-goin’-on tees imprinted with wake-pray-slay or mama needs wine. The best part is custom tee orders are accepted. They are actually encouraged.

There’s so much love for Cece’s tees that she was invited to participate as a vendor in the 2017 Spring at the Silos event at the Waco Magnolia Market, hosted by Joanna Gaines. Yes, you read that right, the Joanna Gaines.

But to grasp the full magnitude of this home-grown success story, we have to back up a little bit. Long story short… Cece grew up in Orlando, but she likes to tell people that she came to Texas just as soon as she could. She received her masters in education administration from Baylor University and is currently teaching a lucky group of fifth graders the joy of math at Robinson Intermediate School.

In October 2016 Cece made a fun tee at the request of her daughter. She posted a picture of the tee on Facebook thinking maybe she could bring in a little extra money making custom tees.

A friend from Houston saw the picture and asked to share it via Instagram. The friend wanted to do a tee giveaway via Instagram, but in order to do that Cece had to create an Etsy page. Cece was resistant, but ultimately she created a Lively Designs Etsy page.

Initially, it was hard for Cece to give away her tees. But that Instagram giveaway was the catalyst for something bigger. Much bigger.

After the Instagram giveaway, Lively Designs had 15 tee orders on Etsy. Just like that, people were going crazy for the comfy, made-with-a-personal-touch tees. And Cece was carving a definite niche for Lively Designs. While there are a ton of really awesome tee makers on Etsy, most have minimum order requirements of 12-15 tees. Cece decided Lively Designs would forgo the sometimes complicated minimum order requirement. She says, “I’m not afraid to do a custom order with just one or two tees!”

Cece was well aware that just because one item did well on Etsy, success was not a guarantee. But she figured that if a shirt did well locally, then there was a good chance that folks would like it online as well.

Her marketing plan was simple, yet ingenious — post pictures of the newest tee creations on social media and direct folks to the Etsy page. That strategy worked well. From October – December, Lively Designs sold about 1,000 tees.

Holy guacamole! Cece wasn’t prepared for that kind of growth pace. She had to take a few steps back and create a business plan and set some goals for a healthy balance for family, teaching and Etsy.

Cece wrapped up 2016 on such a high note, she set a 2017 sales goal of 10,000 tees. It was an ambitious goal, but she was determined to jump in feet-first and go for it. She continued her marketing strategy utilizing social media, but word-of-mouth soon became one of Lively Designs’ biggest assets. So much so, that Cece was personally invited by Joanna Gaines to participate in the March 2017 Magnolia Market Spring at the Silos event. This three-day event, featured 65 amazing artisan vendors from across the country. And Lively Designs had a booth right in the middle of it all.

This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime, mind-blowing kind of opportunities for this small-town businesswoman. Cece sold more than 700 tees in those three days at the Silos. And she came home to another 100 Etsy orders. 

This spring, Cece also tested the waters with a hands-on buying experience for her customers. Lively Designs now has a rental space at the local, downtown Waco hot-spot Sironia. Sironia is a fabulous boutique-type lunch destination with to-die-for desserts and fun, artisan shopping.

It’s looking like Lively Designs is getting closer and closer to that ambitious 2017 sales goal. Cece credits her success to her entrepreneurial parents, supportive friends, loads of hard work and fun. She says, “The hard work is paying off, but most importantly I’m having fun too!”

Sayonara to lousy, boring tees! And hello to Lively Designs.


For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/

2017 Baylor Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

-Walt Disney


What comes to mind when you hear the term good ol’ days? For a lot of folks, the good ol’ days  are the years spent in high school. Football games, homecoming dances, proms and first glances from a high school sweetheart – a lot of good memories, albeit some very awkward memories, but nonetheless good memories indeed.

Adulting can be hard and it can be stressful. And let’s face it, with grown-up jobs, bills and decision making the fun and lackadaisical good ol’ days feeling can be somewhat elusive at times. But there is an elite group of students who brilliantly combined the good ol’ days of high school with the responsibility of adulting with such amazing finesse that Baylor just had to honor them with 2017 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Yes, you read that right. Youth and entrepreneurship in harmony, sort of communal like two peas in a pod. But really, those two words go together like fine mess, jumbo shrimp, clearly confused, old news and awfully good. Youth aren’t supposed to be entrepreneurs. That’s adulting stuff. Youth should be living it up in the good ol’ days.

Maybe so, but these students have blazed an entrepreneurial trail like none other. And we’re not talking cookie-cutter entrepreneurial endeavors either. These youth entrepreneurs were successful with pizazzy socks and chic personalized gifts. Definitely not run-of-the-mill side gigs.

Roxie Collier, Brennan, Mary Abrahams

The first place recipient of the 2017 Youth Entrepreneur Award was high school junior, Brennan Agranoff. Brennan is the founder of HoopSwagg, an apparel customization business that specializes in socks. These aren’t ordinary, boring socks though. These are pizazzy socks.

Be warned. If you’re looking for plain-jane, blend-in-with-the-crowd kind of socks, steer clear of HoopSwagg. But if you’re looking for socks with an edge, sock that make a statement with design names like Psycho Rainbow, Goat Farm, Detonation and Eyeballz then you must check out HoopSwagg.com…now.

But how in the world did this happen?

It all started in seventh grade. In midst of typical adolescent self discovery, Brennan became obsessed with socks. The only problem with that was everyone was wearing plain colored socks. And plain colored socks didn’t satisfy this budding sock aficionado. Brennan mowed the lawn all summer and saved his money to buy the very coolest pair of wildly-colored socks online for $50. He wore the perfectly hued socks to school in the fall and all of his friends were duly impressed.

As with any entrepreneur, Brennan wondered how he could make a razzle-dazzle sock on his own. For six months he researched processes, equipment and production. He then had a few samples made and tried his luck on eBay. Not knowing exactly what to expect with his first try at eCommerce, Brennan was thrilled when the socks instantly sold out.

Brennan knew he was onto something with his flashy feet accessories. He prepared a business plan and asked his parents for a $3,000 loan. The parentals loved the idea and complied with the loan request. By August 2013, armed with funding, equipment and a live website, HoopSwagg, LLC was the real deal.

There have been a few bumps in the road for Brennan. One of the biggest hurdles has simply been his age. Paperwork, financials and trademark submissions all required a parent’s signature. And then there’s the unknown. The not knowing what can go wrong is a struggle. But Brennan looks at each new problem as an opportunity to find a solution.

A lot has changed since that initial 2013 launch. HoopSwagg now has its own brand of sock and Brennan is looking to expand his high school basketball program to more than 500 teams. Eventually, he would like to introduce the retail market to his less expensive, high quality socks.

Brennan says, “When you have something that people want, they will come.”

Roxie Collier, Addison, Mary Abrahams

The third place recipient of the 2017 Youth Entrepreneur Award was high school sophomore, Addison Bain. Addison is the founder of Addigrams, a business that takes everyday items like travel mugs and backpacks and personalizes them with monograms and names. A morning cup of joe in a chic, personalized mug…yes, please.

But how in the world did this happen?

The Addigrams journey began during a summer trip to Michigan when Addison’s Aunt Kristen introduced the most amazing, the most intriguing, the most fabulous thing ever…a Cricut®. The Cricut is a nifty machine that is every crafty DIYer’s dream come true. It’s a die-cutting machine,  and according to the website, it can be used for “everything from cards and gifts to party and home decor, fashion and accessories and more!”

The budding entrepreneur took the “and more” and ran with it. Immediately she imagined all of the ways she could use a Cricut, and like any innovative teenager would do…she asked mom and dad if they would buy her a Cricut. The conversation didn’t go quite as Addison had hoped, but that didn’t stop this precocious teen.

Addison started saving her babysitting earnings. By September, she had $190. Even though she was still $60 short, Addison’s parents chipped in the remainder and bought the Cricut. After a few weeks of experimenting with the Cricut, Addison’s wheels were turning. She started thinking of all the different customized items she could create with the Cricut. All of the things she could create…and sell. Addison wanted to start her own business.

With backing from mom and dad, Addison created an Etsy shop. Initially, customers were family and friends. However, that soon changed with the magical powers of social media and word-of-mouth praise. And like any successful entrepreneur would do, Addison wondered how she could make her business better. Embroidery was the next plan of action.

Addigrams’ custom-chic, monogrammed and embroidered items have been shipped to 22 states. Addison does close the Etsy store during school months, but during that time she takes every opportunity to participate in community events and markets. Her next plan is to broaden the product line to include leather jewelry.

Addison says, “Never think you are too young to start your own business.”

Luther Vandross once said, “The best part is still ahead of me – I haven’t experienced my ‘good old days’ yet.”

Maybe Brennan and Addison are onto something. Something big. Something extraordinary. Something that dreams are made of. Maybe any day and every day can be a good ol’ day.

2017 Youth Entrepreneur Award Finalists and Winners
First Place Winner, Brennan Agranoff, HoopSwagg, LLC
Second Place Winner, Ehan Kamat, 321 Innovations, LLC
Third Place Winner, Addison Bain, Addigrams
Finalist, Sam Fleet, QuickShare Cloud Services
Finalist, Cade Hudson, Hudson Pressure Washing
Finalist, Evan Hara, Evan Hara Films
Finalist, Matthew Hoenig, Matthew Hoenig Productions
Finalist, Luke Stetler, Durango Tire Storage
Finalist, Kyle Tananbaum, Sector 214
Finalist, JB Williams, JB’s Firewood


For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/