Meet JJ Aubrey | Owner of Go Big U – a gameday apparel boutique

We had the good fortune of connecting with JJ Aubrey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JJ, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson this business has taught me is you absolutely cannot care about what other people think! When you have a business that heavily relies on social media for marketing, you’re putting yourself in a very vulnerable position. People love to tear you down, give you their unsolicited advice about what you could be doing or should be doing , or laugh AT you for putting yourself out there. It’s tough and it’s certainly something I am still working on! Also, do not compare yourself to others! I had to learn that one REAL quick. Keep your head down and keep pushing forward!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
By day I am a sonographer. By night and any other free hour I have, I’m focused on Go Big U – my gameday apparel boutique. Go Big U was just an idea for a long time because fear was holding me back. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. One day I decided to stop thinking so much about it and just go for it! Two years later I’m still truckin’ along!

The idea behind my boutique came about because I was always trying to find cute clothes to wear to Oklahoma football games. Boomer! To my knowledge, there was not a one stop shop for all your non logo gameday color needs. Go Big U makes it easy for female fans, teachers, etc to shop for cute gameday apparel in their team color!

Nothing is easy about starting your own business. If it was, everyone would do it, right? I feel like I face challenges weekly: not enough hours in the day to get things done; running out of creative ideas for social media; not enough inventory; too much inventory; anxiety!! I overcome my challenges by taking a step back from the situation to reassess, give myself daily pep talks, and try to take care of myself and my mental health. I have learned that things will always work out, nothing is ever as bad as it seems, and be patient!

I just want the world to know that Go Big U exists. Haha I say that because growing your social media is extremely hard!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man…. Dallas has so many things to offer! We would have to go to a sporting event! I would absolutely take her to Javiers for some fabulous food and drinks. If it were a nice day, I would take her day drinking at Katy Trail Ice House in uptown. We would absolutely go see a concert or live music somewhere. If we aren’t eating and drinking, I would take her to some of the cultural/historical sites such as the George W. Bush Presidential Center or the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights museum. We would also go do some shopping and more eating at Bishops Arts.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to all of my friends and family. Without their support, encouragement, and advice I probably would have already quit. I am my own worst enemy, so I’m very thankful I have them to keep me on track!

Website: gobigu.com

Instagram: @go.big.u

Facebook: @go.big.u

Other: Pinterest.com/shopgobigu