Name: Benjamin Hills
Year: Freshman (2016)
Major: Finance
What is your business?
My business, The Shirt Guys, is a custom apparel and promotional products company. We specialize in screen-printing apparel such as shirts and other apparel for sports teams, clubs, schools, fraternities and sororities.
How did you get involved?
I started the business my sophomore year of high school with a few friends who I knew from Jewish youth group.
What was your inspiration?
When the business started, I was the screen printer and my co-founder, Mike, was the business guy. I knew nothing about business and had no interest in learning about how to run a business. Since then, that has changed completely. I now have a deep passion for entrepreneurship, and hope to continue to be own my boss for as long as possible. I’ve only ever worked for myself, and that’s a great feeling. The most gratifying thing to do for me is employ people. In our peak, I had seven other high schoolers/people I was paying regularly. Knowing that I was the reason why they had money, and that I was teaching them a new skill that could help them find jobs in the future, has continued to inspire me to this day to keep my business growing.
What are you duties within the company?
I’m currently president of the company, but the business is still small enough that the title doesn’t really mean much. I oversee all aspects of every order, from getting the customer to getting the order delivered. This includes custom acquisition, design work, getting the apparel printed, getting it shipped to the customer on time and billing the customer.
What’s the hardest part about balancing your business with your other obligations?
The hardest part about balancing my business with other obligations is just the time commitment both require. I’m constantly responding to emails, on the phone with clients, working on orders, etc…and at the same time making sure my grades stay up, I’m making friends and staying healthy. It’s important to me that I don’t let any of these priorities take precedence over the others. For instance, if a client calls and I’m doing work in the library, I don’t let the call go to voicemail, and I don’t tell the client that I’m busy doing work, because frankly they won’t care. I treat every client like they are my only client and like they are my only priority when talking to them.
Talk about what it’s like to be a young businessman. Do you always make sure to dress business casual, even when you’re just around campus?
I thought you’d ask this… A lot of people say to me “Ben, why do you always wear the same thing for a week straight?” My theory on fashion has always been the same: Consistency is key. If I didn’t cycle through the same three outfits constantly, people might not recognize me. For instance, the past few days I’ve worn a hat (which I never do). Now I have people not recognizing me who normally do, and quite frankly that’s not a good thing.