Thursday, March 01, 2012 By Margaret Faller
Article from My High School Journalism
Co-founder of I Believe Me, Notre Dame Academy senior Leo Gallagher, created a business whose t-shirts are based on the lives of famous people who have overcome failure to succeed.
Joined by his siblings, Callie and Molly Gallagher, the inspiration for the business idea was taken from the lives of individuals who have faced adversity only to achieve great success.
Some of these individuals include Walt Disney who was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas,” and Lucille Ball who was told to “try another profession” while studying to be an actress, and Oprah Winfrey who was once fired as a television reporter because she was “unfit for TV.”
Each of the co-founders knows what it feels like to be told you cannot achieve something important to you.
“One weekend at a soccer tournament, I didn’t get as much playing time as I had hoped for and I came home in a terrible mood,” Gallagher said. “My sisters and dad came to my room, where I was sitting in my depressed mood. They gave me a t-shirt with a light bulb on it and the statement, 'If he would have believed them, we would all be in the dark.'”
The shirt referenced Thomas Edison, who was told by his grade school teachers that he was “too stupid to learn,” but it did not stop him and he patented over 1800 inventions.
Gallagher did not allow his frustrations with the soccer tournament to drive him away from his love for soccer but rather motivated him to make a name for himself. Gallagher, a senior captain, went on to earn all-state recognition as a senior defender on the Notre Dame Academy soccer team.
The I Believe Me organization uses these stories to teach kids how to believe in themselves, and the Gallagher siblings are interested in targeting elementary and middle-school grade levels.
“We understand that it is often hard to be a kid,” said Gallagher. “Kids have to deal with bullies, parents expecting good grades and criticizing teachers. We want these kids to know that it doesn’t matter if someone tells them that they couldn’t do something. The only thing that matters is if the child believes in himself,” Gallagher added.
The company is working on building relationships with charities and 50 percent of all net profits are given to children’s charities. The goal is to select charities that reflect the mission of the organization in promoting positive attitudes and instilling inspiration in children.
When the company gets a t-shirt order, they will often send the customer the t-shirt along with a second t-shirt in a different size and a message to give it to someone they know that needs a self-esteem boost.
“We especially hope that some of those extra shirts get to kids,” Gallagher said, “because we really hope to reach out to kids who are struggling with bullies and critics and need that boost of self-esteem.”
“I am inspired just by the design of the t-shirts I viewed on-line,” said Notre Dame Academy senior Anne Marie McKenzie. “The inspired apparel is eye-catching and would be fun to wear by all ages.”
Regardless of the fact that the business is for profit, the Gallaghers measure their success by the lives they touch with their message. “If we change the life of just one child by building their self-esteem and helping them believe in themselves,” said Gallagher, “we will have accomplished all that we ever wanted from this company.”
I Believe Me makes inspired apparel with a message: “If you believe in yourself, you can do anything,” he added.
Article from My High School Journalism