Making His Mark - Maryville University
Making His Mark - Maryville University
Making His Mark - Maryville University
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Yomi Martin: Entrepreneur Extraordinaire<br />
Yomi Martin believes in the power of marketing, and he’s not<br />
afraid of new challenges. As any good marketing student knows,<br />
one must seize an opportunity when it becomes available. While<br />
attending the John E. Simon School of Business in 1997, Martin<br />
and two friends (one of whom just happened to be then barely<br />
known rapper, Nelly) contributed $100 to produce 30 T-shirts<br />
featuring the St. Lunatics. To his surprise, fans of the music group<br />
paid $20 each for the shirts at a concert.<br />
<strong>His</strong> ingenuity paid off. Today Martin is the chief executive of<br />
Vokal Clothing, a company declaring a “vision of a brand that<br />
sells itself, not a brand that is sold to you” and featuring jeans,<br />
jerseys, jackets, sweatpants, hats and headbands. In August 2003,<br />
Nelly launched the Apple Bottoms clothing line for women, again<br />
with Martin as CEO. Nelly’s search for the Apple Bottoms<br />
spokesmodel was featured on VH-1 and the clothing line enjoyed<br />
numerous positive reviews. According to Martin, Vokal and its<br />
related clothing lines are projected to generate $100 million in<br />
sales for 2007. Not to shabby for a small clothing upstart from<br />
St. Louis that got its start by selling t-shirts from the trunk of a<br />
car.<br />
“vision of a brand that sells itself, not<br />
a brand that is sold to you”<br />
Having proven himself as a successful hip-hop clothing entrepreneur,<br />
Martin, now 30-years-old, recently set his sights on the<br />
restaurant sector. In September, Martin teamed with the owners of<br />
Canyon Cafe and a few professional football players to launch<br />
Jerseyville Classic in Plano, Texas. The restaurant, formerly called<br />
Doug & Bruski’s, is located in the Shops at Willow Bend shopping<br />
center and is marketed as a family-friendly restaurant with a<br />
sports focus and a diverse clientele. The partners are careful not<br />
to call the venture a sports bar, because they pride themselves on<br />
offering a higher caliber of food than your typical bar fare.<br />
Martin, who was a point guard for <strong>Maryville</strong>’s basketball team,<br />
has always been drawn to sports, and believes that a strong work<br />
ethic combined with a certain amount of charisma can open<br />
almost any door. <strong>His</strong> theory seems to be correct. Jerseyville’s owners<br />
report that business is up 33 percent since the restaurant space<br />
changed names.<br />
FALL/WINTER 2007 ■ 15