Meet Craig & Kenya Linton | Owners of Hustling Spirit & Forever Branded

We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig & Kenya Linton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig & Kenya, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Hustling Spirit is an inspirational lifestyle brand that has transformed into a Movement. The mission behind the brand is what our audience and community are drawn to the most, even beyond our unique products and services. The mission behind the brand is to inspire individuals to Hustle (go after something with an energetic tenacity) after their purpose, passion, and dreams. We empower others to not settle for anything less than God’s best for their lives. When our audience sees our consistency and how after over 14 years in business; we’ve continued to grow, evolve, and chase our dreams no matter what leaves them inspired to do the same. Our community has supported and watched our brand develop into something beyond our wildest dreams. The brand has evolved in so many ways since its inception; from selling wristbands and T-shirts to now offering customized monthly merchandise subscriptions to small business owners via our second business, Forever Branded. We believe that we provide vision to our community and the world that you can do anything you put your mind to if you just don’t stop. They’ve seen us bob and weave, but they’ve never seen us quit.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Kenya is also a Registered nurse of over 20 years. It wasn’t easy becoming a Registered Nurse, but it was a dream that I was determined to accomplish. I was a young mother so I went to college and worked part-time. It took me six years, just to receive my Diploma in Nursing and RN. I later went back and achieved my BSN as an adult learner. It was challenging being a young mother, going to college, and working. I remember keeping my focus on my child and creating a good life for him. I was determined, focused, and disciplined because I knew it wasn’t about me; it was about my child and his future. This experience taught me something about myself; it showed me how tenacious and resilient I am and it showed me I can do anything I put my mind to. It also taught me to never give up on my dreams, no matter how difficult the path may be. I truly believe that this experience has given me the drive needed to stay the course within our business and my experience as a nurse has given me an innate ability to serve and care for our customers/clients. I know what hard work, dedication, and discipline produce even when the odds are against you. I had no idea that defeating the odds would become the back story of our business.

Craig, who majored in Hotel Management & Hospitality with a Minor in Business also has the gift of customer service. Over my years of experience in various business, hotel, and banking industries; I’ve developed a communication style that is found to be soothing and reassuring. Through my experience, I also developed a keen eye for detail and research. It is those skills that have kept our brand evolving with the everchanging times because success leaves clues. The biggest challenge we had to overcome in our business was getting started. Our business was birthed during a time when we were at our lowest financially. At that time I was in the real estate investment business; one moment everything was thriving and the next moment, the housing market crashed and I found myself stuck with houses that I couldn’t sell. I had to make a hard choice and let go of those houses which left us in a deep financial hole. I had to decide on how to now provide for my growing family as my wife was pregnant with our second child. One night I had two dreams, one dream was about a job back in the hotel/management field and another was a dream that birthed Hustling Spirit. I dreamt I was in a big beautiful house and on the walls were what I thought were pictures, but later realized they were encased T-shirts with beautiful artistry on them telling stories of the bible but only in art form. I awoke to realize what I was destined to do next and that was to create an inspirational clothing brand that was comparable to mainstream but also uniquely shared God’s word. I immediately went to my computer, there I found the exact job position opening that I had dreamt about. I applied amongst over 100 applicants for a position that I honestly wasn’t qualified for and after several rounds of interviews; I got the job! I now had provision for the vision. I then began saving money from each paycheck to save towards creating our first line of T-shirts; called the Genesis Collection. Fast forward 14 years later, we are still standing and evolving after having experienced many uphill battles, highs, and lows. One thing we would love for you to take away from our story is that there is nothing impossible with God. There is nothing you can’t do or achieve if you put your mind to it. It doesn’t matter how big of a challenge you face; there is nothing your faith and belief can’t overcome.

Our startup process was difficult because we had no start-up funding from a bank. We saved money from our personal funds which took us a while to do but we eventually got there. Through our experience, we’ve developed a huge heart for small business owners who are just getting started. We understand all of the challenges when starting a business. We also understand the importance of proper branding and marketing of a business as well.

We launched what was initially only supposed to be a project of assisting only 100 small businesses but now is our newest business venture and biggest passion. Forever Branded is a merchandise subscription program for business owners. We supply them with monthly customized merchandise that sets their brand apart from their competitors in the areas of brand visibility, brand awareness, and most importantly brand vitality. We’ve learned the importance of creating a deep emotional connection with our customers/clients and how it converts into life-long customers because they begin to know, like, and trust you.

Forever Branded was birthed out of our love of entrepreneurs and finding a permanent way to assist the business owners who sought help with their branding and merchandising. Forever Branded is all about assisting business owners from all different sectors to successfully integrate branded merchandise into their marketing plans.

In a nutshell, our journey has been amazing from selling wristbands, and T-shirts to fashion shows, and photoshoots to now servicing small business owners across the globe. Needless to say, we are just getting started!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live in the Southern NJ area; 20-30 minutes outside of Philadelphia and are Philly natives. Although the Jersey Shore is a favorite among the locals; we would travel across the bridge to indulge in some of Philly’s culture and cuisine. Our First stop would be one of the best brunch spots in the city; Green Eggs Cafe in the heart of South Philadelphia. The red velvet pancakes are a must-have. After brunch and depending on the weather, we would take a trip to Old City Philadelphia where we could walk along Penn’s Landing which offers an up-close scenic view of the Delaware River. It’s a whole multicultural vibe with a plethora of outdoor eateries, historical sights, and outdoor concerts and events. Later that evening we could take a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Philadelphia which is a tourist attraction. A night of dining, and dancing under the stars as we cruise the Delaware River. After all of the fun of cruising and dancing under the stars; we must stop by Lorenzo’s Pizza for the biggest and most delicious slice of pizza you can find in Philadelphia. All Philly natives know about Lorenzo’s. It is the go-to spot after a night on South Street. Of course, we would have to stop and grab the world’s famous Philly cheesesteak to go before we head back across the bridge home. We couldn’t disappoint our guests and our South Jersey roots, we would visit Ocean City, NJ. It’s a nice family beach with a large boardwalk filled with one’s favorite boardwalk favorites. After a day at the beach and boardwalk, we will end the night at one of the local restaurants that serve up the best seafood or the best Barria tacos in town. None of our friends can’t visit without us hitting the Atlantic City casinos for dining and maybe a show. There is so much to do and see in AC; we would need an overnight stay at one of their awesome casinos. Two of our favorites are Ocean and Hard Rock. They have an amazing spa that will leave us relaxed and revived. Between Philly, Jersey Shore, and AC our besties will have had a time to remember with all of the amazing food, culture, people, and pure brotherly love vibes.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We attribute all of our success to God. We would not be anything without our Faith and relationship with our Lord and Savior. He is the real CEO of our business. We would also love to shout out our pastors, Bishop John and Pastor Isha of Victory in Christ Christian Center in Westville, NJ. The entire mission of their church is to raise up Godly leaders for their purpose and calling. Their mission, love, and support have been a driving force that keeps us going. Having leaders who develop and cultivate leaders is priceless. They understand and support small business owners to the fullest. They are the example we follow when it comes to creating lifetime relationships as opposed to transactional relationships with our customers and clients. Like our Pastors; our customers and clients become like family. We are grateful for their example of nothing less but Excellence.

Website: www.hustlingspirit.com

Instagram: @hustlingspiritclothing

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HustlingSpiritClothing

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@hustlingspirit4790

Image Credits
Michael Abanyie Abanyie Film Studio Bobby Sax Images by Bobby Sax