For many, wealth building starts with entrepreneurship, and that path often begins with a dream and a vision for the future. Rolling out had the opportunity to speak with a young North Texas couple who recently celebrated the grand opening of Modern Fit Menswear. This retail brand caters to men who enjoy comfort but are looking to add polish and flair to their styles. Modern Fit Menswear is also the only retail brand that carries Spingle Move shoes in the area. With backgrounds in law enforcement and health care respectively, James and Ursula Hawthorne took her love for fashion and his head for business to realize a dream. The Hawthornes share their entrepreneurial journeyhere.
Why did you open a men’s clothing store?
Ursula Hawthorne: I love fashion and unique things like shoes and other clothing items. He likes unique things, too. Wanting to start a business is something that came to us, and we decided to go for it.
James Hawthorne: Entrepreneurship is about finding something we can do to make money and afford the standard of living that we want and spend more time with our family. In addition, we were looking for something to pass on to our children and create a legacy for them to have.
Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
UH: I am a first-generation entrepreneur and wanted to have my own business one day because you are your own boss.
JH: My family doesn’t have a background in business, so for me, striking out like this is a bit scary. You want to do something that the community will embrace and support, and there are so many levels of connectivity that you must have to convince the community you are here to serve a purpose. For example, you can’t just open a men’s clothing store anywhere. Through our journey, we heard a lot of nos. We had a lot of people that weren’t interested in what we had, partly because we were first-timers and didn’t have any experience or a track record that demonstrated success.
How do you maintain balance?
UH: We have a good home life and relationship and communication. Working with him is awesome. He’s still working but covers me on Sundays so that I can stay home with the girls. During the week, I don’t get off until seven, and he picks the girls up from daycare until I get home and step in.
What goals do you have for the future?
JH: Our goals are simple for me. We want to be in a place where we are financially comfortable and have more family time, and for me, whatever the steps are necessary to get there, then that’s what we will do.
UH: Short term, we have to market and let people know that we’re here to achieve our goals. So we are focused on bringing more people in to experience our business.
