Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Hey there. My name is Jax and I am a middle school basketball player who lives in Upstate, NY. With my dad’s help, I have started this business and will be selling clothes, accessories and other cool stuff on Etsy and a few other online sales spots. Links are at the bottom of the main page.
The reason I am excited about this business is that I can not only work out my ideas and learn from my dad but it also combines a few things in my life that are important to me. Since Covid pretty much shut down the planet for awhile, I have had a Tik Tok account and put together Edits and Reels of my favorite football and basketball players with music. My friends and family have always commented that they liked this hobby of mine and thought I was pretty good at it.
Also, since Covid, I started my own EBay store selling my dad’s old hoop shoes and my mom’s purses and whatnot. I really liked taking pictures of the products, writing the descriptions and communicating with customers. I have learned a lot about marketing, profit margins and customer service through this project. In fact, my Ebay profits were roughly half of the money that I used to start 11JRuns. The money I plan to make from this business is going towards my “car fund” for when I turn 17.
After awhile, my dad and I were talking and he is a marketing guy who has always encouraged me to be an entrepreneur like him. We decided to put our heads together and come up with a cool business.
Like my dad, I am a sneaker head and also a football and hoops junky…college and pros. I also love graphic design
t-shirts and artistic graffiti on clothes, so I came up with an idea to create a few designs that were cool and also had a positive message to motivate people.
Every time I hear a cool saying on the tv or in a rap song or in school, actually :-), I write it down. I have a ton of sayings that I think are great and can help motivate people to stay on track to achieve their goals in sports….and life.
My basketball coach always says that sports mimic life and what he teaches on the court will help me not only be a good team mate and player but a responsible human being as well.
BTW, the Zulu Squad tshirt is the logo my dad and I came up with for my 2023 AAU City of Lights basketball team. My coach (last name Zulu) thought the logo was great, so we tweaked it a bit and put the tshirts up online to sell.
Lastly, when Covid hit, like many kids out there, I got absorbed into my phone and computer to keep from going crazy. Although, at the time, it helped me communicate with my friends through video games, it got to be too much and I had a hard time breaking away from the comfort of the computer screen. What helped me to get off the screen? At this point, I am sure you can guess what helped…..sports!!
I currently run Cross Country in the Fall and play on a few basketball teams year round. Hoops is a very big part of my life. Computer screens?….not so much anymore.
I thought this business could not only make some cool gear but could also promote a positive message towards using sports to reduce kids’ dependence on computers, video games and phones. Don’t get me wrong, I still love video games when I have time to play them with a few friends, but, in general, I am happiest on a basketball court. I don’t see that changing any time soon.
What’s up with the name 11JRuns? Well….number 11 was Jamal Crawford’s number, and like my dad, I think he is one of the best players of all time. Anyone who knows hoops would agree that he was one of the most exciting players to watch. That guy danced with the ball and could single handedly take over a game. I want to be a point guard or shooting guard like him. He played both positions. J is for my first name, which is Jaxon. Runs……because that is what we call pick up basketball games on the playground or at the gym. Put it all together and I came up with 11JRuns.
Lastly, I wanted to say that my dad suggested donating some of my profits to an organization that I support. After doing some research I decided to donate 10% of my profits to The Boys and Girls Club of America to help promote youth sports.
Thanks for checking out my business. Stay tuned for more things to come…….
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