SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Despite hard times, Ramello Williams is finding hope in entrepreneurship at 18-years-old. He created a clothing brand called "Mister Wellness."
Williams is using motivational quotes printed on clothing items, like hoodies and t-shirts, to give others strength, too.
"I live in Sacramento right now, currently homeless," said Williams. "If I can become happy, anybody can become happy. I want to be able to provide that happiness to people."
Williams is one of 30 other people who participated in a program about entrepreneurship.
The Greater Sacramento Urban League (GSUL) hosted the five-day program at the center in Del Paso Heights. The free program, called "Money Motivated Spring Break," began April 7 and was geared toward people between the ages of 14 and 24.
"We're here to help young people get their feet wet in entrepreneurship," said Laura Murrell with the Greater Sacramento Urban League. "We're focused on educating, empowering and employing people throughout the Greater Sacramento region. This program is important because one of the pillars of the Greater Sacramento Urban League is economic empowerment. That means focusing on wealth building and financial freedom."
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GSUL partnered with My1of1 to help provide the educational workshops, too.
My1of1 is a Black-owned, Los Angeles based company founded in 2018 with the goal to "empower individuality in all by creating a custom apparel eco-system, utilizing modern mediums to engage and inspire."
During the workshop, My1of1 taught students how to use screen printing and press machines.
Students, like Williams, also had the chance to design and create their own shirts and get set up with their own e-commerce site to sell their own apparel. Outside of mentoring and business tips, participants also earned a $200 stipend.
"This program is really important because we do a lot of work with underserved youth," said Michael Wilson, co-founder of My1of1. "The students are able to design their own brand and turn it into a collection. That collection is made into an online store, where people can support their brands by shopping and buying their stuff. The students recieve a portion of all the profits, too."
So far, M1of1 has helped more than 30,000 people through student programming. The organization's overall goal is to reach 1 million students by 2030.
"For me, every day just consist of trying to take out the negatives in my life and turn it into positives," said Williams.
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