MOTIVATION-al Speaker

Paid and Popular linked up with the illest boutique in Ann Arbor, Motivation, for a Q & A for some insight on how a boutique is developed and run. Shoutouts to Mike, the co-owner, for taking time out for the interview!

Motivation Boutique // Premium Streetwear & Fashion
1203 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 769-2260
www.mtvtn.com




1) Why the location of Ann Arbor for the store?

Well, even though I'm originally from Pittsburgh, I've been here in Ann Arbor, Michigan since 1999 going to college and then grad school at the University of Michigan. When I was in college, there were never any stores in the area - and especially on campus - that I would like to shop at; I'd always end up getting my clothes online or back home in Pittsburgh. I knew there were others like me that didn’t dress in Abercrombie and U of M apparel everyday, so when we were thinking of the concept for the store, Ann Arbor just made sense. There's nothing like it here. From a business standpoint it's an almost perfect location --- we are right on campus and there's 40,000 college students living within a half mile radius of the store. It would be perfect if the students were here year-round!


2) How is Michigan's economy affecting your bottom line, if at all?

It's hard to say, only because we've only been open for 2 and a half months now, and those two and a half months fell during the holiday season. We've fortunately been doing better than we expected so far, but ask me that in a year and Ill have a better answer for you.


3) What was the process in making the Motivation mixtape & did you have any say in it?

I actually had no say in it, haha! DJ Benzi, who's from Michigan and loves the store, was the one who came up with the idea, and he hit Mick (Boogie) up and they got Fatman Scoop on board and made it all happen. And it turned out dope and everything I expected it would be! I've been working with Mick for 4 years or so now and learned to let the professionals do what they do best. I trust his musical/marketing expertise 100%, so I usually don’t give him too much input. My extent of working on this project was simply sending the graphic designer our logo for the back cover!


4) What's your inspiration behind the design of the boutique? We know its important to keep a fresh vibe by being creative with the blueprint.

Well the design was based on my personal style and ideas I guess. I designed all of it and just wanted real clean simple straight lines and a high-end modern look throughout. Everything is black and white for contrast with silver accents, and the wood floor and clothes pop against these colors. I also love hip-hop (I sold and promoted it in my previous business) and wanted to incorporate that into the atmosphere, so all we play as background music is dope-ass classic instrumentals. We also have some paintings being commissioned for the store that once they get done will add to that atmosphere. One thing that was also important was to have a layout that made sense and not have a crowded store, I really hate that when Im shopping! We didn’t have the huge budget as some of these stores in NYC or California but it still came out nice and like no other store in the area, that’s for sure.



5) What MOTIVATED you to want and do a joint venture with Mick in the form of a boutique? Why not something like, I don't know, real estate?

Haha, I don't know shit about real estate so that was out of the question! No, I'm a big supporter of doing something that you're passionate about and that you will be happy waking up and doing everyday. When I got my Master's degree, I got offered a job at Ernst & Young in accounting right out of school. But I didn’t accept it because I had this internet-based business popping off that sold rare hip-hop CDs, DVDs, and mixtapes. It really wasn't making much at the time but I thought if I had time to dedicate to it (most of my time was spent hitting the books), it could turn into something big. Plus, I'm not a very corporate person and couldn’t see myself crunching numbers in a suit and sucking up to my boss on the daily. My parents thought I was crazy. But I ended up putting my all into the business and it blew up. I sold it this past summer because CDs will be dead in a year or two and flipped some of the proceeds into Motivation.

But umm back to the question as to why a boutique, well me and Mick met through my old business and actually had another business together (and still do) where we partnered up to promote him as a Dj. We would always bounce business ideas back and forth and we both had a love for the clothing and culture in general (especially sneakers) so one day we got to talking about opening a boutique, came up with the concept, and when I sold my other business it was the right time to make it happen. Me and my girl Indra handle all of the day-to-day operations and management while Mick focuses on the marketing (he has a Masters in Marketing) and promoting it on a national level, because we aren’t trying to have Motivation known just locally!

6) How did you get so many accounts with such dope clothing companies & why'd you pick these specifically? Any chance of you guys getting an Obey or 12 grain account?

Right from the start, I singled out brands that a) I like and wear myself and b) I feel are at the top of the industry or creatively can be there. I'm a big believer of doing things the right way from the start, so I went after the big names - the Alifes, the Crooks & Castles, the Hellz Bellz', etc. - right from the beginning. There's a million and one streetwear brands out there and instead of picking up a lot of emerging brands that will readily give anyone an account, I went right after the big boys that are choosy with who they let sell their clothes. These brands only want to be in the top boutiques across the world so that they can keep their product exclusive. I set up meetings and presented our business plan and concept to all of the brands and they loved it; we ended up getting most of them on board before we had even started constructing our buildout for the store!

As far as Obey, I actually had them down in our business plan as a brand we wanted to pick up, but then I saw their booth at one of the trade shows and it was HUGE - they had the biggest selection of clothes out of all the streetwear brands at the show I'd say, so I decided to hit them up once we were more established and had a bigger budget haha. 12 Grain I'm not too familiar with, you have to put me up on them…

7) What's up with Mick's Thelonius brand?

I'm not even sure, you'll have to ask him about that, haha. It was supposed to be a collaboration between him and a dope designer we both know. It would be a good time to put it in motion though, now that we have the means to get it out there through Motivation.



8) Do you have a Nike (or any other sneaker) account in the works? Shoot for that tier 0!

We will have Alife footwear starting this Spring and also have a few other things in the works. No Nike yet though, we are really trying to focus on being known for having one of the best selections of clothing around and then we will move into other avenues like footwear!

9) Any plans on expanding the brand? Will we see something like Motivation car parts?

Haha, yeah we have the car parts coming out this Spring and then Motivation tires dropping this Fall! No umm…we have some things in the works but I really don’t want to say because there are a lot of copycats out there. I will say that you can expect more Motivation mixtapes. Also lookout for a crazy exclusive project between Mick & Lil Wayne, like on the level of the Dedication mixtapes…as long as Weezy can stay out of jail!

10) Predictions for 2008's fashion?

I think in general you can expect a continuation of what was started in 2007. A lot of streetwear companies are going towards more cleaner and subtle looks with a focus on the details. Crewneck sweatshirts will make an even bigger comeback as hoodies are being phased out. Also look for a lot more streetwear brands aimed at women to come to light. Hopefully we will see more creative brands coming out for the guys, it seems a lot of the new brands starting up keep using played out ideas that have been done 10 times over. Also hopefully in 2008 people will keep up the trend of wearing more fitted clothes…wearing your shirts two sizes too big is not what’s up…

11) How important for you was it to attain your Masters degree so quickly after finishing undergrad? I know it's hard for most to continue through 16 years of school only to tack 2 more on.

You know, when I was in my senior year of college I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. There’s not so much that you can do with just an undergraduate degree in Economics now-a-days, so I was like what the hell, let’s go another two more years! It was important in the sense that the Master’s program really gave me a direction as to what I could do career wise (even though I didn’t end up being an accountant) and it gave me a really specific and detailed education in Accounting. Whereas when I got my undergraduate degree in Economics, I felt it was a lot more open ended and basic education; I felt it really didn’t prepare me for one specific job and I wasn’t really an expert in Economics. Or it could be that I partied too much as an undergrad, haha…



12) Do you feel it is necessary to attain a formal upper level education to become Paid and Popular...well, at least with regards to the paid part?

I wouldn’t say its necessary but I definitely think it’s helpful. If you go the normal route and get a job working for someone else, just by having a Master’s you’re going to get paid better starting off, that’s a given. You’ll also have a much better chance at finding a good job quickly because employers know you have that much more experience and education. If you go the other route and are going to be working for yourself, I don’t think it’s as helpful, but there’s definitely benefits. Yeah I might only use my accounting knowledge around tax season now, but what I picked up from my higher level Marketing and Entrepreneurship classes I use all the time. With my old business that translated into dollar signs and hopefully it will with Motivation.


13) What other business ventures do you have in the works?

Man, I have my hands full with Motivation and promoting Mick right now! I’m just really trying to focus on Motivation and putting my all into it to develop it into a successful business and brand. Maybe in a few years Ill have something else popping off, I definitely have some ideas I’d like to put into motion, but I’m taking things one step at a time …

14) Lastly, whats up with a discount??? Size L & 32 please!

Haha, I got you, I appreciate the love on the interview! For anyone looking to get some of our stuff, we do ship across the world, just hit up the blog on our website at www.mtvtn.com and you can see what we have new in stock and info on how to make an order with us. Also be sure to check out www.mickboogie.com, Peace!



Mick Boogie & DJ Benzi's "Motivation" Mixtape