GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to Dallas, Texas to meet up with Jacob Clayton, the founder of J.C. Scott, a custom clothing company offering high-end suits, shirts, vests and shoes.

All of this and more is next on Start Up.

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RICHARD: I've had a sneaker problem all my life, right?

It's really surreal to be doing something that I'm really passionate about.

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♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country faces uncertainty, small business owners continue to persevere, pushing the economy forward with their unrelenting drive and determination.

We've set out for our 12th consecutive season, talking with a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they've learned to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves.

♪ This is Start Up.

♪ The custom clothing industry in the US is a diverse and growing market that caters to individuals seeking personalized garments for a variety of reasons.

Custom clothing allows customers to have a say in nearly every aspect of their garment, from the fabric and style to the fit and finishing details.

Often seen as a luxury item, custom clothing has become more accessible to a wider range of customers with the rise of online customization platforms and technology.

Today I'm heading to Dallas, Texas to meet up with Jacob Clayton, the founder of J.C. Scott, a custom clothing company offering high-end suits, shirts, vests and shoes.

I'm excited to meet up with Jacob and learn more about how he started this business.

♪ ♪ ♪ I've only been fitted for a suit like proper, fitted one time in my life and I barely remember it.

So you're gonna have to walk me through this, JACOB: Okay, absolutely.

GARY: So what do we do?

JACOB: Let's turn forward.

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: In the mirror.

I'm always gonna have you look in the mirror because I wanna find out what your fit preferences are.

GARY: Got you.

JACOB: Okay?

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: This is a game of inches and it is being custom made from scratch.

So we're gonna take a lot of measurements, right?

GARY: Gotcha.

JACOB: It will be fit specifically for you.

GARY: Perfect.

JACOB: This is the fun part, shoulders.

GARY: Yeah.

Every time I buy something off the shelf, the shoulders are always like poking out and boxy.

I look like I'm on Star Trek or something.

JACOB: Correct, correct.

GARY: Man, that's not right.

JACOB: So when you buy a suit off the rack, GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: Those suits are just made for the general population.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: You know?

They're not made for you so your job is to just buy what's close... GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: And then tailor it to fit.

And I'm actually gonna have you try on a coat for us.

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: Just as an example so that we can really lock these in.

Do me a favor, get that arm back.

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: All right, get this arm straight back.

Perfect, perfect.

All right, and we're gonna slip that right on.

Okay.

GARY: Dang man.

Look at that.

JACOB: So now what we're gonna do, we've already taken your skin measurements, is we're gonna take this jacket and start to make the adjustments, right?

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: After we get all of the measurements, GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: That's when we cut the fabric and cut the pattern and we start the sewing process.

And like I said, they take about four weeks to be sewn... GARY: Sure.

JACOB: But then you will have a unique piece that fits perfectly just for you.

GARY: I like this, man.

I kinda like the way I look a lot better than without.

JACOB: You got some confidence now, right?

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: Let's go back to the beginning.

I wanna learn about you and kind of your origin story.

JACOB: I graduated from North Illinois University.

I got my degree in kinesiology.

When I was in college, I met my mentor and my mentor is kind of how this entire story starts.

I've always had a passion for fashion, but I didn't know you could make an actual career out of it.

GARY: Sure.

JACOB: Because I had never been exposed to it.

You know, one thing my mentor told me is that exposure expands expectations.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: And if you can see it, then you know you can do it.

I had never seen it.

My senior year in college, I went to a conference and I'm looking at the agenda and there's like a dress for success program.

And this guy walks in the room and he said, "My name is Dr. Alex Ellis.

"I live in New Jersey and I'm a celebrity stylist and a custom clothier."

And I was like... GARY: What's that?

JACOB: "Oh my God."

Like I didn't even know that was a thing.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: That was the first time I ever looked at somebody in my life and said, "That's what I wanna do."

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: And I sent them an email when I got back to school.

So I said, "Hey, my name is Jacob Clayton.

I loved your presentation and I love what you do."

And you know, I wanted him to mentor me.

But you know, when you're looking for a mentor, it's all about service first.

So I said, "How can I be of service to you?"

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: And he gave me a call, you know, a few weeks later and we talked on the phone for like an hour.

GARY: You approached from a place of service to him.

JACOB: Correct, correct.

To your point, you know, a lot of people will approach a situation with their hand out.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Right?

GARY: I need, I need.

JACOB: Yeah.

I need, I need, I need, and not what can I give.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: Right?

So it's not, what can you do for me.

It's, what can I do for you.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Right.

And eventually the relationships will develop, right?

At the end of our conversation, he said, "I don't know what it is about you, but I see myself in you."

GARY: Amazing.

JACOB: "And God is telling me that I need to help you."

And he said, "If you stick with me, I'll change your life forever."

And we have talked every day since.

GARY: What was that first experience with him like?

JACOB: I started to travel with him almost like his assistant.

GARY: Wow.

JACOB: So whatever he needed, I was always available.

But after I graduated, I knew I wanted to start my own custom clothing business.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: But where do you get started?

Where do you start?

Nobody knows, right?

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: So I immediately wanted to go into retail, right?

And so when I went into retail, it wasn't for income.

It was for experience.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: I knew exactly why I was there, because I wanted to learn.

GARY: Training.

JACOB: I wanted to learn how to take measurements.

I wanted to learn backend management.

I wanted to learn about fabrics.

I wanted to learn fit.

You know, all of these different things so that I can, you know, take those and expand on my knowledge of the industry.

GARY: It's like being paid to get trained.

JACOB: Literally being paid to get trained.

And my first job was at Brooks Brothers.

GARY: Awesome.

JACOB: Amazing company.

You know, world renowned.

So I was at Brooks Brothers for a while, and then I bounced around luxury retail and eventually ended up going full-time in 2018.

GARY: Talk about the transition, 'cause it's scary.

That's a big step.

JACOB: I was still in Chicago at the time.

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: So I wasn't even in Dallas yet.

How I ended up relocating here is my brother ended up passing away in a car accident.

GARY: Sorry.

JACOB: Thank you.

So he was in a tragic car accident.

And so he was in another state at the time, on his way to come see me.

GARY: Wow.

JACOB: But the conversation was about me moving to Dallas.

I didn't wanna move here.

And he said, you know, "I think it would be a good move for you, "you know, "to help you accomplish some of your goals, but you need to get out of Chicago."

He wanted more opportunity for me.

And you know, he said that he was gonna, you know, come see me so we can talk about it in person and that's when the accident happened.

GARY: Oh man.

JACOB: So didn't take that well, honestly, but I knew this is what he wanted from me.

And so I didn't even tell anybody.

I quit my job at Brooks Brothers.

I packed all of my things and eight days later, I was in Dallas.

Had never been here before, didn't have a job, didn't know anybody.

And I said, "Hey, I'm gonna give it a year or two years.

"If I like it, I'll stay.

If not, I can always move back to Chicago."

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: But here we are, six years later.

GARY: You literally roll up into Dallas without knowing anybody, knowing anything.

JACOB: Nothing.

GARY: What do you do first?

JACOB: Find a place to stay, right?

GARY: Find a place to stay, okay.

So I have a place to stay.

But unfortunately, after being here for some time, I lost that place to stay.

But when I first started the business, I was actually sleeping outta my car.

So... GARY: So you were essentially homeless.

JACOB: I didn't even have a place to stay.

Yeah.

GARY: How long were you unhoused for, living in your car?

JACOB: I was unhoused for like five months, maybe, five or six months.

GARY: Five months!

What kind of resilience and strength does that experience build?

JACOB: It was crazy.

But again, I was grateful through the entire thing because although I was unhoused, I still had some money.

I had a car, which is shelter, right?

Some people are on the street, you know, they don't have any food.

Like, I could still buy food.

I end up getting a gym membership at Planet Fitness.

GARY: Showers.

JACOB: Yeah.

There's showers, you know?

It's like $10, right?

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: So I used to wake up in the morning, go to Planet Fitness, shower, get dressed, and then I would go about my day.

And literally was unhoused that entire time.

Nobody knew.

GARY: When did things start to really, you know, take off?

JACOB: Me and my mentor, again, we went to a conference out in Atlanta and you were able to connect with people from all throughout the industry.

And I was able to actually connect with manufacturers.

GARY: Manufacturers.

Awesome.

JACOB: Because that's the hardest part.

You know, where do you get your manufacturing from?

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: Like, who's gonna be the one, producing the actual garments?

And I mean, from there... GARY: Incredible.

JACOB: I got started.

So I didn't have any money.

So I would take all of my checks and buy supplies.

GARY: Got it.

JACOB: So I took this check and I got my LLC, I took this check and I got my rolling racks.

I took this check, I got my mannequins.

I took this check, I got my fabrics, right?

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: And I just slowly started to buy supplies.

I didn't have any clients.

I wasn't making any money, but I had the idea.

Nobody knew about the business, nobody knew who I was.

And so I had to get out there.

And, you know, you can't build a business from the couch.

GARY: No.

JACOB: Right?

Unless you're out there connecting with people, networking with people, going to events, passing out cards, shaking people's hands, right?

Having meetings, you're not building your brand or your business.

GARY: Yeah.

♪ Talk about one of your most memorable early fits, like one that you were really, really happy with, really proud of.

JACOB: Direct message, right, used to be the most effective way to sell a product on social media.

I knew I wanted to work with NFL clients, right?

I don't know anybody in the NFL.

So I went online and I printed out the entire Dallas Cowboy roster.

GARY: Okay.

Yes.

JACOB: And I developed a pitch.

"Hello, my name is Jacob Clayton, "owner of J.C. Scott.

"I have my own custom clothing business.

I know you need clothes for your games and events."

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: Right?

"I want you to look good on the field "and off the field.

"Here's my product, here's my process, here's my price."

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: "If you would be interested, let me know."

GARY: Transparency.

JACOB: I copy and paste that to the entire team.

I don't know, what is it, 53 people, 55 people, you name it.

Only two people responded, Keith Smith and Kavon Frazier, who played for Dallas Cowboys at the time.

GARY: There you go.

JACOB: And they were like, "Oh my God, we need some new suits, you know, come by."

GARY: Two is all you need!

JACOB: I was like, "Oh my God."

GARY: Because those guys walk into the locker room before a game, wearing your suit, looking this way?

JACOB: Right, right.

GARY: That two just went up.

JACOB: And I was so excited that I even made the suits for free.

Right?

I didn't ask them for anything.

GARY: That's a marketing expense, is what that is.

JACOB: It's just an expense, right?

It's the cost of doing business.

I was so excited.

I said, "My only ask is that if you like the clothes, you just buy more."

And I think Keith end up buying like 10, Kavon ended up buying like 12, right?

And so that was a pivotal moment for the business, and it all came off of a direct message that cost me zero dollars and zero cents.

All it cost was time, right?

And they introduced me to like five other players.

And now I work with over 30 or 40 NBA and NFL players.

GARY: Wow.

JACOB: Right.

GARY: You are their guy.

JACOB: Yeah, I'm their guy.

GARY: So you worked at Brooks Brothers until 2018.

Correct?

JACOB: Mm-hmm.

GARY: What were some of the main things that you were able to learn from a company with that sort of lineage in history?

JACOB: Number one, the ability to simply sell, right?

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: It's all about authenticity and it's all about connecting with people.

It's not just selling a product or selling a service.

People can go anywhere and purchase a suit or a shirt or a tie or a pocket square.

They're coming to you for the service and the experience.

And so I think that's what it taught me.

And again, it helped me kind of get out of my own way.

GARY: Mm-hmm.

JACOB: Because, you know, going back to the self-doubt piece, right, nobody's gonna wanna buy this from me or nobody's gonna wanna spend this amount of money, but I'm thinking from my own perspective and not theirs.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Right?

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: Tell me about your first impression of him as an individual.

JACOB C.: Very well put together, very sharp, very well spoken.

I loved his look and his cut and everything that he had going.

So I mean, everything about Jacob just, you know, confidence and just, you know, a very well put together individual.

GARY: Talk about his approach to making you look and feel your best in a suit.

JACOB C.: When you come to him, he makes you feel very comfortable.

You know, buying off the rack, especially for some of us bigger guys, you can't find stuff that actually looks and feels good.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB C.: Coming into him for a consultation, he just makes you feel like, "All right, I'm in the right place."

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB C.: "It's gonna fit me right."

And from start to finish, you know, when you get your product, you put it on, it's like nothing else.

It's game changing.

GARY: Building the business up, you have amazing clientele that's growing.

Where do we sit today with the business?

Profitable?

You know, doing well?

JACOB: So we were profitable early out because the beautiful thing about this business is, we don't have any overhead.

We have very low overhead.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: So, you know, all of our clothing is made from scratch.

So we don't sell anything off the rack.

GARY: Wow.

JACOB: There is not a single piece or product that you can just simply walk in and walk out with.

Everything has to be made.

We do suits, we do shirts, we do vests, overcoats.

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: We do accessories like ties, pocket squares, cuff links.

We also do custom shoes.

So we do handmade shoes, boots, heels, sneakers.

We do bags, jeans, chinos.

Our goal is to make this a one stop shop.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: And all of it is made from scratch.

And so our clients, they come in and they pick the fabric.

Right?

And after they pick the fabric, we do the designing and the styling, and then we end with measurements.

GARY: Gotcha.

JACOB: And our garments take, you know, about four to six weeks to make.

And so we were pretty profitable early on because of the overhead, the low overhead.

My goal was to just get my foot in the door.

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: Right?

You know, that first year, you know, maybe we did $60,000 in revenue, I think, you know, year two we did 90, but then year three we did 120 and then we did 250.

And after six years, I think we're close to almost a million dollars in revenue.

GARY: That's incredible, man.

Wow.

JACOB: Yeah.

GARY: Talk about manufacturing.

How did you choose where to get your garments?

Where do you get the actual fabric and, I don't know the terminology, garments, fabrics, whatever?

JACOB: That's the most important part, right?

Manufacturing is the entire key to the business because you're only as good as your manufacturing.

GARY: Sure.

JACOB: You're only as good as who you use, right?

Because they all have different fabric.

GARY: Of course.

JACOB: They all have different prices, they all have different speeds.

Everything about them is different.

Which is also why you wanna also have multiple.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Right?

You don't ever wanna rely on just one.

So we actually have five that we use.

GARY: Excellent.

JACOB: And so depending on what we need, what the client is willing to pay and how quickly we need it, it determines who we use.

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: What is your business relationship right now?

TAMRA: He kind of serves as like my manufacturer.

So I am now an independent stylist, so I don't work for another company.

So he's the person that really is, his company acts as the manufacturer to produce the custom garments for my clients.

GARY: Excellent.

TAMRA: And he's kind of like a- We just are- we work off each other, you know, 'cause we're both entrepreneurs doing this, full-time.

So we're kind of like accountability partners in a way.

GARY: What are the most important characteristics when it comes to being a really good custom clothier, so that people can watch out for the snake oil salesman out there?

TAMRA: Right, right, right.

GARY: I get a lot of ads on Facebook for custom clothing and I don't know what to pick.

TAMRA: And you know, honestly, like a lot of the ads that you see, like a lot of programs that are saying that they're custom clothing, they're not really custom clothing.

GARY: Right.

TAMRA: They're more of the made to measure program.

GARY: Right, they want you to put all your own measurements and it's like you're just gonna find one close.

TAMRA: Right and if you don't know how to measure, like you're going to mess that up, right?

Like, our process is a complete custom clothing process.

We take 26 or 28 measurements of your body.

So the pattern is being set specifically for you, as opposed when you go to some of these other companies that are larger names you might hear, they're more made to measure.

So they're going to make that a pattern.

They have a general pattern and they make adjustments for that.

GARY: What's the case for custom clothing versus off the shelf?

Why should a professional person care about this extra step of getting custom-made clothing?

TAMRA: Most people have fit issues, men and women.

GARY: Yeah.

TAMRA: Right?

And so that's where like tailoring comes into purpose when it comes to off-the-rack items.

And it's the same process when it comes to custom clothing, especially with clients that we deal with.

You know, like a lot of men are not necessarily taught how to dress for their body types.

GARY: Yep.

TAMRA: That's something that I teach a lot within my agency, right?

So it's something that's going to last.

You're gonna get really good use out of it.

And it's made specifically for you.

♪ GARY: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

What do you do?

ROBERT: Sure.

My name is Robert Wong.

I am a retina uveitis specialist here in Dallas, Texas.

So I operate on the back of the eye and do medical treatment on the back of the eye.

GARY: And for some of us that, myself, I don't have much of a fashion sense.

ROBERT: Yeah.

GARY: I need the help of professionals.

Would you say the same?

ROBERT: That's one of the things that I humbly admit.

It's one of the reasons that I kind of decided I needed to reach out 'cause I was wearing the same white shirt, black pants to work all the time, and I just realized I wasn't good at picking colors, fashion, matching things together.

GARY: How do you feel about the actual clothing, the quality of the clothing, the manufacturer?

ROBERT: The clothing I've been getting now from both Jacob and Tamra has just been remarkable.

I was at a meeting in Phoenix and I was walking around.

A lot of the vendors were just walking and the first thing wasn't like, "Look at my product."

They were like, "That's a really nice suit," is what they say, just randomly.

I really never used to think about fabric, the feel, the texture, how it's made.

And really kind of working with Tamra and Jacob, like some of the things that they notice or they pick out, I've really never appreciated it until that suit just goes over your shoulders.

♪ GARY: What keeps you up at night, man?

What do you worry about?

JACOB: The future.

Yeah.

I don't sleep well at night.

Just worrying about legacy.

GARY: Yeah.

JACOB: You know, I've come a long way to be clear, you know, super grateful for where I am, but that's what keeps me up at night, like my goals, you know, my own ambition.

And, you know, just thinking about, you know, tomorrow.

GARY: Do you have any advice for folks out there that have a dream and a vision and may not see any path forward?

What do you say to them?

JACOB: Bet on yourself.

GARY: Okay.

JACOB: And I know that sounds crazy and cliché, but bet on yourself.

It may not work out, but you're not gonna know unless you try.

When I quit my job, I gave myself 90 days and I said, if after 90 days, this does not work, I will go back to work.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Like, there's nothing wrong with taking a step back so that you can take two steps forward.

And there's no such thing as a loss.

Only lessons.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: So, you know, I love making mistakes because I'm the type of person where I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice, right?

The reason I know so much about this business is because I've done all of the wrong things.

I've done everything wrong that you can possibly imagine.

GARY: Yes.

JACOB: Right?

And I don't know it all, but I know what not to do.

GARY: I love it.

JACOB: Right?

Which is why I'm great at what I do.

GARY: Yep.

JACOB: And so, take a shot.

If it doesn't work, okay.

At least you tried.

You can always pivot, right?

You can always pivot at any time.

GARY: If you've watched the show over the past several years, you'd know that I'm pretty much the definition of a black T-shirt and jeans guy.

Maybe it's a bit of Bourdain rubbing off on me.

Maybe it's the fact that black is a little more slimming on camera.

Maybe it's just easier and takes the thought out of the whole wardrobe process.

Either way, Jacob went and screwed all that up for me today when he put me in a beautiful custom suit in front of a full length mirror.

How am I supposed to put on a black T-shirt or a plain, short sleeve button-up after that?

Jacob single handedly made me realize that I desperately needed to step up my fashion game.

And maybe this is the key to his success with J.C. Scott.

Show people how good they can look and feel with a beautiful piece of clothing that actually fits the way that it should.

Jacob is really good at what he does, and hearing his story today was beyond inspiring.

He overcame a mountain of hardship to get to where he is.

And even living out of his car couldn't stop him from realizing his dream.

Now that's dedication.

Some may say that Jacob's in the custom clothing business.

But in my opinion, Jacob's in the "feel good about yourself" business.

The "stop being lazy" business.

And the "you deserve to look and feel better than you ever have" business.

And that's definitely the kind of business that I can get behind.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to share Jacob's story and finally put the dreaded black T-shirt to rest.

For more information, visit our website and search episodes for J.C. Scott.

Next time on Start Up, we head to Fort Worth, Texas to meet up with Zach Freeman, the founder of Veterans Moving America, a mission-based business that only employs US military veterans.

Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.

Would you like to learn more about the show?

or maybe nominate a business?

Visit our website at startup-usa.com, and connect with us on social media.

♪ ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ Before we pay our dues ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road MAN: That's good, there you go.

GARY: Oh!

That was not easy!

I'm sit... ANNOUNCER: The future is not just going to happen, you have to make it and GoDaddy Airo can help you get your business online with an AI-generated name, logo and website.

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NATI: The founders of Reed always put the employees first.

That's what the company is about.

We take care of our people and they take care us.

ANNOUNCER: More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Nati at Reed Wholesale.

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