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Tiffany Hamilton is the CEO of Victor Wear, an apparel brand she co-founded last October with her autistic teenage son, Isaiah, who is at the heart of the company. Given the realities that people with disabilities face in America—and all the systemic inequities that come with it—Victor Wear designs t-shirts that raise awareness about autism. It also donates 10% of each purchase to Special Olympics Virginia.
This is Hamilton’s first step into entrepreneurship. Her career has been mostly in content marketing; in fact, she does double duty right now and is a senior content marketing manager at Salesforce.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in your field? Being a startup CEO is crazy, exciting, and also crazy overwhelming, especially as a working mother of a busy teenager. I feel like most of my spare time is spent thinking about, planning, or marketing my business.
What’s one thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’d say that many folks aren’t clear on what it means to be a “mompreneur” of an autistic teenager who also helps you run a business. There are so many dynamics in running a business with your child that go deeper than what you see in a title or a media clip. Isaiah is an innate marketer and loves thinking of new ideas for slogans and selling shirts at events. But as a mother, I am teaching him how to be a good, dedicated, and disciplined worker; what it means to be responsible for a business; and what it means to never give up on your dreams—no matter how hard it gets. I am a mother first—and sometimes that makes the business side complicated. My instinct is always to empower and protect him.
One emerging trend that you’re excited about: I think the metaverse is going to open up a whole new world for retailers by helping customers interact with brands in new and creative ways. It’s an opportunity for retailers to really differentiate their brands.
What was the most memorable job you had in high school or college, and why? My first job was most memorable. At 15, I started working at McDonald’s, and that job really taught me about hard work and the expectations of being an employee. It also helped me appreciate what clerks at fast-food restaurants go through. I developed a lot of empathy for restaurant workers. It is really hard work!
What’s the most embarrassing product in your order history from Amazon that you’re actually willing to admit? I once bought Life Savers from Amazon.