Meet Coach Smiley | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Coach Smiley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Coach, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting the Stay True To Yourself Brand was initially to bring awareness to people as a whole to be their genuine selves despite what everyone else wants them to be. A few years ago I seen the shift and direction where social media was going was going and I seen people getting caught up on likes/comments and was basing their success on that. When this happened I wasn’t feeling it and I said people as a whole need to just Stay True To Yourself. This led to the building block of the brand which started off as a regular conversation with the bros then speaking to the youth then taking it to the next level as a mental health lifestyle brand.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art consists of plenty of things. I look at myself as a jack of all trades, which sets me apart from others. I’m involved with the not just the fashion business world but also basketball and music entertainment. I coach basketball to the youth and part of the process of teaching them what it takes to make them not just dope athletes but also good men and women when the basketball stops. I’m heavily involved with music as well, that’s my space to just let go meditate and just let my thoughts resonate on top of a beat. It wasn’t easy, I went through many struggles like everyone else to be at the place I’m at today. I got to where I am at by just staying true to myself, my goals and what I believe in. I want people to know that the Stay True To Yourself Brand is a daily reminder to be who you are, so when you put on any piece of garment that we have, it’s your daily uniform that will make life that much easier.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m currently in Harlem, so a few spots I would take them too are:

– the 24 Hour seafood spot
– the Butta spot
– Madison Garden/Barclays
– the Deli to get a chop cheese lol

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to my family and friends. They keep me going day in and day out to keep pushing the brand. They are very instrumental in my success thus far

Website: www.sttybrand.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachsmiley_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StayTrueToYourselfLLC/

Image Credits
@RoyalRebel @whotookthis_