Trib Article on two current students starting up a Shirt Company

[Drewski]

I'm always impressed by people who take on the risk of starting their own business..especially while still in school...

http://northeast2.tbo.com/content/2007/aug/15/ne-a-naimbran-product/?news

By JOYCE McKENZIE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 15, 2007

Additional Photos

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - They're not in the market to push pricey, brand-name products such as Fendi or Prada.

University of South Florida students and 24-year-old sweethearts Eddie Zaragoza and Connie Ramos fancy themselves as trendsetters for a different audience.

They're in the business of creating and marketing apparel that appeals more to the lifestyles and pocketbooks of college students and fundraising organizations hoping to increase their cash flow.

Armed with a can-do attitude and the support of family and friends, they've launched NaimBran Apparel, a home-based business in which they custom-design waterproof ink images and through a screen-printing process transfer the graphics onto T-shirts. All their work is done in what was once a bedroom at the home of Ramos' parents, Cesar and Nora Ramos.

The designs range from wordplay to risque messages; some prominently feature the NaimBran logo.

'We wanted meaning behind our name,' said Zaragoza, noting the 'aim' in NaimBran - highlighted in red as the company's logo with a matching colored circle in the background - is meant to be seen as the target one strives to attain. It's used on all their marketing materials.

'We need to aim for our goals, and who says we can't have it all?' said Zaragoza, who chose the latter phrase of that question as the company's tagline.

The couple, who met in early 2005 and began dating that year, describe themselves as opposites.

'Connie is really good with the creative side, and my strength is attention to detail,' said Zaragoza, a marketing major.

He was the one who used his good credit rating to charge the $6,000-plus screen-printing machine, as well as the cost of their trip to Seattle this year for training.

In late March, the couple hosted a NaimBran Apparel kickoff party attended by many of their college friends and acquaintances.

'Everybody loved our shirts,' said Ramos, a psychology major who recently quit her full-time job as program coordinator for a nonprofit organization. It allows her more time to devote to the growing business, which consumes the majority of her daily schedule.

'I love designing and love the idea of watching this company grow nationwide,' said Ramos, whose on-campus association with several student organizations has helped her market the business. 'We believe word of mouth is the best way to advertise.'

Their NaimBran shirts sell for $14.99 each. They have sold about 300 shirts, Zaragoza said.

After their graduation next year, Zaragoza and Ramos hope to take their business on the road.

'We want to do tours of Florida colleges and eventually spread out throughout the United States,' she said.

The couple also screen-prints T-shirts in bulk quantities for churches and other organizations under the name Brisk Prints. They average about two orders per month.

For Zaragoza, these businesses were born as the result of ideas he's stored in his brain since he was a child.

'Even when I was very young, I was always thinking of ways to make money and invent things,' he said. 'I've been writing my ideas down, and I'd like to develop them so we can kind of live the lifestyle we want.'

Zaragoza's mother, Yvonne Zaragoza-Garcia - who bought a computer for the couple to use in their new endeavor - knew early on her son was goal-oriented.

'When Eddie was 4 years old, he took his little red wagon, filled it with ice and sold soft drinks to construction workers in our neighborhood,' she said. 'They are both very determined, and I believe they will achieve whatever they set their minds to.'

Ramos' Guatemala-born mother, Nora, is delighted her daughter is involved in the business and thrilled she will be the first of her two daughters to graduate from college.

'She's like the American dream, and we feel very proud of her and believe they are going to do very well in life,' Ramos' mother said. 'Eddie is a good person, even though he doesn't like my cooking.'

Zaragoza's longtime friend Dwayne Isaac likes the idea that NaimBran is not a mainstream business.

'I think what makes them different is their attention to detail and that they ask for opinions and feedback before they sell their shirts,' he said. 'They're like a mom-and-pop shop. I think the sky's the limit for them.'

So does Brittany Link, a fellow USF student who has known Zaragoza since their freshman year.

'They come up with some great ideas, and their shirts are cute,' she said. 'Everywhere I go, I wear them and people love them.'

USF student Alishia Harrison, who also works with Zaragoza at Saddlebrook Resort, especially likes the implication of the NaimBran name and logo.

'It's telling you to go for what your dreams are and think outside the box, just as they have and as they point out on one of their shirts,' she said.

For details about the businesses, visit www.naimbran .com or www.briskprints.com or call (813) 333-2087.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.