Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My son, Isaiah, the co-founder of Victor Wear, is my inspiration. Isaiah is an autistic teen, an entrepreneur, and a talented coder with a college scholarship in game design. But unfortunately, up to 85% of autistic individuals like Isaiah face unemployment or underemployment due to stigma and discrimination. I want to change that for Isaiah and others like him. Through our brand, we aim to change the narrative around disability and employ neurodiverse individuals to help run our company.

How do you stay motivated?

My son keeps me motivated in my journey as an entrepreneur. It’s incredibly rewarding yet often demoralizing, filled with rejection and frustration that make you question your path. But I always return to my why: Isaiah, and countless others like him. They deserve to be seen, heard, understood, accepted, respected, and employed just as they are. If Victor Wear can play even a small role in inspiring this change, it’s worth the effort.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Victor Wear seeks $25K to scale. $6K will lower inventory costs to attract wholesalers and corporate gifting markets, $5.5K will hire a part-time sales lead and build a B2B strategy, and $7.5K will fund our Victor Wear Expo (victorwearexpo.com) to drive sales and partnerships while advancing our mission. $4.5K will create powerful storytelling through videos, PR, and influencer campaigns. This plan builds diversified revenue, amplifies our mission, and set us up for long-term growth.