Earning over a million dollars with only $500 investment, is this something a college graduate can do?

These clothes, which at first glance look no different from the letter-printed clothes on the market, have enabled a recent college graduate to earn over a million dollars to date. Doesn’t it sound amazing?

Sophie is a recent college graduate and founder of See The Way I See, a mental health clothing brand. She discovered her talent for art at the age of ten, but has been using art to help her mental health since she started high school, when she suffered from severe anxiety and chronic migraines.

More than six years ago, Sophie opened the Instagram account See The Way I See, where she shared the art of sticker design from her own unique perspective. Over time, Sophie's art gained a lot of followers, which also gave her the inspiration to create a clothing company.

In 2020, Sophie spent $500 to start See The Way I See. The original intention of starting a business was simple. Sophie tried to normalize mental health and raise people's awareness of this issue, so that anyone struggling with mental health can be inspired. It is a very inspiring brand story. Perhaps because Sophie herself is an artist, the brand logo of See The Way I See is also very artistic, as if it wants to see through your eyes.

The most distinctive feature of her clothing is that there are positive and inspirational copy printed on the front of the clothes and on the sleeves. Sophie is committed to helping people cope with any mental health challenges they face through these slogans.

For example, there is a sweatshirt with "Anxiety" written on the front and "Everything will pass" written on the sleeves. There are also words of support and encouragement such as "I'm cool, but I cry often", "Listen to your heart and take a break".

Initially, the company Sophie was born in her parents' basement. As the company flourished, she converted her parents' two-car garage into a mini warehouse. Within just 8 months of its establishment, she completed 30,000 orders. At one point, sales reached $260,000 in just 24 hours. Due to the huge demand, she expanded her inventory and moved to a larger warehouse.

In less than a year, the brand had sales of nearly $1 million and is now headquartered in Trumbull, Connecticut, with a staff of 2-5, including her parents and brother who help pack orders.

Sophie also recorded her entrepreneurial journey on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Many followers witnessed her growth along the way. Sophie knows how to take advantage of social media. By posting content on social media, See The Way I See continuously attracts free traffic and realizes sales conversions from it.

On YouTube, Sophie mainly produces content in the form of real-life appearances to share entrepreneurial stories. Each video can receive tens to hundreds of thousands of views, and there are also many positive comments from netizens under the videos. The account has currently attracted 64,400 followers.

Currently, See The Way I See has 509,000 followers on TikTok and 7.9 million likes.

The account mainly focuses on sharing entrepreneurial stories, product launches, product packaging and other content, with the number of views ranging from tens of thousands to millions.

On this platform, See The Way I See has accumulated a large number of loyal fans, and the brand tag #seethewayisee has also been viewed 46.3 million times.

In addition, spontaneous recommendations from influencers have earned See The Way I See a lot of traffic and eyeballs.

@charlidamelio, an American social media star with over 100 million followers on TikTok, wore clothes from See The Way I See, which made Sophie very excited.

"I hardly put out any ads, and I rely entirely on the influence of content to attract users." Sophie said. Connecting with users through content also makes See The Way I See's user base extremely sticky.

Here, what people buy is no longer a simple commodity, but a positive attitude towards life. You know, the topic of mental health is extremely easy to resonate with, that is, consumers are paying for emotional value. This is why seemingly simple products can be recognized by so many people.

Currently, the See The Way I See official website provides global delivery and mainly sells hoodies, T-shirts, shorts, etc., with prices ranging from US$30 to US$85, and free shipping for orders over US$200. A considerable number of clothes have been sold out.

It must be mentioned that See The Way I See takes into account that people of all shapes and sizes are affected by mental illness. Therefore, the clothing sizes launched are also very inclusive, ranging from XXS to 6XL. Later, children's sizes were also launched, which broadened the scope of the brand.

On the website, you can see users' high praise for their clothing.

In addition, there are various rings, bracelets, necklaces, key chains, and various stickers priced at $4. The navigation bar is clearly divided, and consumers can quickly find the products they want.

See The Way I See even collaborated with Casetify, a well-known lifestyle brand specializing in phone cases and other tech accessories, to launch a phone case, further increasing brand awareness and influence.

In addition, the brand is committed to giving back to multiple organizations, including NAMI, AMF Migraine Foundation, etc. This move is consistent with the brand concept that See The Way I See has always conveyed and the personality of its founder, and has also won a lot of goodwill for the brand.

The inspirational story of Sophie's own growth, which she tells on her official website, is also an important factor that resonates with users. Products are important, but a good brand story is also crucial to brand building. Through brand stories, a brand can not only be more deeply rooted in the hearts of consumers, but also give its products a soul. Therefore, whether See The Way I See, which is labeled with emotions, sells clothes, stickers or mobile phone cases, there are a group of people rushing to pay for it.

It is true that competition in the clothing industry is quite fierce, and running a clothing brand is a difficult task, but smart marketing methods can establish a trusting relationship between the brand and users, and this trust can also lay the foundation for the formation of brand reputation.

According to data from similarweb, the traffic of See The Way I See website is basically derived from direct visits, social media and organic search traffic. Obviously, See The Way I See has become well-known among consumers. Among them, social media traffic accounts for the highest proportion, which also indirectly shows that See The Way I See's social media marketing strategy is very successful.

Through social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, as well as relevant communities of people with similar experiences, See The Way I See has established a truly unique emotional connection with its users. Unlike other brands that need to spend a lot of money to build brand awareness, See The Way I See has successfully connected users with content simply through the power of social media. Therefore, never ignore the value that content itself can bring.

This year, Sophie was invited to participate in a TV show "Shark Tank" to seek a $2.5 million investment. On the show, Sophie said that the brand's sales reached 900,000 in the first year of its establishment, and sales in 2021 were 640,000 US dollars. As of before the show, the company's total sales had exceeded 2.3 million US dollars. A little girl who just stepped out of the campus has already crushed a large number of her peers.

Although investors ultimately thought See The Way I See had done well enough and did not receive investment, the show undoubtedly attracted a wave of fans for the brand. Whether it was website traffic, product sales or brand reputation, See The Way I See achieved new breakthroughs.

In fact, this kind of simple yet design-conscious letter-printed clothing has been popular for a long time. In the minds of consumers, letter printing on clothing is no longer just a decoration, but more to convey a certain spirit and attitude. Therefore, consumers on the market have a great demand for this kind of clothing with simple letter printing elements.

In addition, people in modern society are becoming more aware of mental health issues. Various stressors in life may have a negative impact on people's mental health, causing anxiety, depression and other problems. Therefore, the topic of mental health has also received widespread attention around the world. This is also an important reason why the psychological motivational words on See The Way I See clothing are so popular among consumers.

A good brand story is also very important. You should know that the emotional resonance generated by the deep combination of product and story is very helpful to increase product sales. After all, most consumers are willing to pay for stories. In addition, the inspirational personality of the founder himself and the full use of social traffic are also the secrets of See The Way I See's low-cost popularity in the fiercely competitive clothing market.