TIL DEATH
Graphic and apparel designers Clark Orr & Brittany Reagan "married" their talents in Hellcats Inc.
ORLANDO, FL
Though most of the world knows Orlando for Disney and Universal, it’s a burgeoning and healthy ecosystem for creators.
I’d just rolled into downtown Orlando for the Art in Odd Places festival. I’d driven 3,000 miles from Boston in just 48 hours and after the first day in the Mobile Incubator I had to take a nap in the back of the ambulance. I must have been out for a few hours because when I woke up there was a EDM festival happening around me, and I was now barricaded on the main street through downtown Orlando on a Friday night.
But I managed to make the most of it when I met local artists Britt Reagan and Clark Orr.
Britt Reagan and Clark Orr run Hellcats Inc, a high design product company that blends “just the right amount of Tough with a pinch of Sparkle”.
They popped on by the Mobile Incubator in the Mills 50 District for an interview. The reason I love to interview co-founders together is because it shows the depth chart that’s needed to make something spin fast. When you start up a business the saying is something like, “If you wanna have control, go it alone. But if you wanna go fast, get a partner”.
So founder’s fit is crucial. Yet Brittany and Clark already had their own things going. Brittany in apparel and Clark in graphic design. And now they’re literally married in a joint venture, which is Hellcats Inc.
“As owners of individual businesses, we wanted to find a way to put our talents together and work on something new. Hellcats Inc. is a cross-section of our own styles, ideas, and tastes put into product form. It's a little dark, but not negative, and a little bit fun, but not overly cutesy.”
That quote is exactly what it’s like to have two creatives as co-founders. Both Brittany and Clark clearly think about their audience a lot but now they can brainstorm about it together, as an intersection of their talents and the people they are passionate about. Sounds hard right? I think it’s a lot of letting go and staying loose.
They’ve also got some great advice on customer service, client terms, shipping policies, pricing structure. So if you’re in design or merchandise, this ep is for you. And get ready for client war stories and tips on building brand.
- Lucas Spivey
INTERVIEW
KICKSTARTER VID
PODCAST
DISCUSSION
Britt made her hustle selling vintage and handmade on the marketplace of Etsy. She was able to sell directly to customers for a small fee, but there were trade offs. Selling direct to customers meant she had to handle packaging, shipping, returns, damaged goods, updating inventory, and all the frustrations that a retailer has to deal with.
Q: Would you rather have a distributor or do all the work yourself?
Britt and Clark picked Instagram as their platform for Hellcats. The decision to use a visual platform made perfect sense for a visual artist and apparel designer. By focusing on just one social media platform they quickly figured out their best strategy for Hellcats and began scaling their followers, and selling directly through the app.
Q: What is the best social media platform for you? How will you use it?