Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Somsith.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I previously worked for big-name corporations like Citibank, Dell, and Paypal before I got the corporate burnout. I’ve always known that one day, I’d like to own my own company, I just didn’t know what that looked like or when that would be. But it was when I attended a Painting with a Purpose at one of the local Painting With a Twist locations in the DFW area that the bulb turned on. Fast forward a few years later, I purchased an existing location in McKinney in 2013 and then built one from scratch in Plano in 2014. I sold the McKinney location in 2016 and still own and operate one location in Plano.
A month after, we opened our doors in Plano, my husband passed away in his sleep on Thanksgiving morning. My marriage had been confusing and often toxic, and his death left me with many questions and not a lot of answers. They were mostly introspective questions: Who am I? Who have I become during my 7-year relationship? Who do I want to be? I started to travel as a way of coping, and as an escape mechanism. I guess you can say I was on a soul searching journey around the world. I had just purchased a travel shirt for my next trip but decided to wash it first… sadly, it shrunk to half its original size. I was so disappointed and remember I thought to myself “I should print my own shirts so they can say what I want and they won’t shrink after the first wash.” This was just a fleeting thought until a few months later, by chance I found out that one of my good friends was starting a small printing business. It wasn’t until after a long 3-day trek through remote villages in Myanmar that I had a self-discovery moment. After I returned, I knew I needed to start pursuing this.
Wander Wear was then born from the awareness of needing to find passion in my new life. Through my self-discovery, I realized that my happiness was not what I can gain for myself, but how I can give more of myself to others. I didn’t want to open up “just another t-shirt company”, my intention was to give each collection a voice… to be a risk-taker, to be inspired and to inspire others, to not take life too seriously, have fun and give back to the universe. So, from that, my three initial design collections were created.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m a planner. I always try to anticipate issues that might arise and get out ahead of problems. But of course, no matter how good you think you are, or how prepared you are, life will find ways to throw curveballs at you. I moved to the west coast a few years ago, believing that I would be able to successfully run my businesses virtually from there. One lesson that I had to learn along the way is that no matter how good, loyal or committed your employees are, no one is going to love and nurture your business or brand the way you can. There were many times I had to sacrifice “great” for “good” in order to keep things moving. But recently, I’ve realized that my “baby” is still so young, and if I want it to grow up into something, I strongly believe it’s capable of becoming, that I need to love it and nurture for a little longer before I release it out into the world. For a young company, quality is everything… whether it be customer service, brand awareness or operations, it is important to set a high standard in all directions. For now, that means being more hands-on, and bringing my baby home with me!
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about it? What sets you apart from the competition?
Both of my businesses were founded by women. Painting With a Twist was founded by two women from Louisiana who wanted to bring their communities together during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
I founded Wander Wear as a part of my own journey of self-discovery, but also out of a desire to give back and serve others. Both of these companies have a give-back platform. We have once a month Painting with a Purpose parties where money is donated to local charities. Wander Wear gives 10% of the Inspire Collection to foundations such as Attitudes & Attire and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Just as important as donating money to charitable causes, I also donate my time volunteering with Attitudes & Attire. This allows me to share the lessons and skills I’ve gained through experience, with some amazing women, who have had some of the most challenging histories of struggle in our community. By offering some practical lessons including money management, resume building, interviewing skills, etc., I can help empower others to find their own success, and offer hope.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
At this moment in my journey, being successful means living a balanced life. That I am able to give my time, energy and love to my businesses, relationships and equally importantly, to myself. For Wander Wear, success will be achieved when I’m able to employ some of these women that I’ve met, who deserve a second chance in life. On the personal front, success will be achieved when I’m able to scale my own impact on the lives of others. Specifically, I want to combine my love of travel with philanthropic efforts around the world.
Pricing:
- Cost to Paint at Painting with a Twist ranges from $25-$65 per person
- Cost of Wander Wear Apparel ranges from $16.99-$39.99
Contact Info:
- Address: 4001 Preston Rd, Suite 510
Plano, TX 75093 - Website: www.shopwanderwear.com
- Phone: 512/577-9096
- Email: info@shopwanderwear.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopwanderwear
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopwanderwear
- Other: www.pinterest.com/shopwanderwear
Image Credit:
Maribel Morales Photo and Pear Tree Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
