Tie-dyeing his way to entrepreneurial recognition… Ronald Jacobs aims to dominate

May 02, 2021 News

“Young person rarely get any sort of guidance when it comes to starting any sort of business, so to see persons like myself, it’s very refreshing and in my eyes it gives the ‘big’ guys a run for their money as young entrepreneurs are more in touch with the time and with people in general.”

By Sueann Wickham

Trendy tie-dye t-shirts

Kaieteur News – As we continue our quest of highlighting young, vibrant and creative entrepreneurs, today, we at Kaieteur News welcome into the spotlight a young man who is aiming to dominate the custom clothing business with his signature tie-dye designs. While many persons have been known to kick-start a business venture based on aspirations they would have had for years, Ronaldo Jacobs, the 22-year-old owner of ‘Tsunami Designs Inc.’

The young entrepreneur: Ronaldo Jacobs.

had an interesting and heart-warming push to start his business. In an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, he recalled that he and a close female friend were walking around the department stores at the Giftland Mall before their movie date started when they stumbled upon the stationery section where there were tie-dye kits for sale. His friend had found great interest in the kits but he reacted by saying “Oh tie-dye, I never actually did that before.” Hearing that, she bought him the kit and urged him to give it a try. That, indeed, was when his entrepreneurship journey was initiated. “The very next day I woke up and I read the instructions and I did a red and blue bullseye design which my mom was impressed with and I sent the picture to my friend and she said that it came out great and I could actually make some money doing shirts,” he related. Eager to delve into the proposed venture, Jacobs decided to heavily research tie-dye shirts and realised they were pretty popular among the adult population abroad. With the knowledge he gained, he became convinced that a tie-dye business was one that he could pull off with hard work and practise. In early 2016 he officially started selling tie-dyed t-shirts, although, at the time, he was not very confident about the venture. But his support base, he admitted, was great since he began advertising his designs. “I didn’t actually expect people to be excited about tie-dye, especially in Guyana since most people are into high-end fashion and designer brands…so at first I was shocked that people really liked my designs.” Jacobs is no stranger to the challenges that come with owning a business. One of the main difficulties he encountered was finding a good source for materials to produce his designs, especially the dyes in specific colours. “I only use two brands of my dye and one of those are extremely hard to find in Guyana. People also forget that dye is very expensive to purchase, especially when you have to get two of each colour for your inventory.” Another challenge the young entrepreneur has had to face was balancing his personal and work life (since he is otherwise employed) with his own business. In fact, he stated that there were times when the constant clashing hampered his creativity to the point of being unable to come up with fresh designs. Jacobs disclosed that he even closed his business whenever he felt like he needed to rebrand and balance his personal life but not before notifying his customers. The on-going COVID-19 pandemic also presented another hurdle in the young man’s journey. He said, “When the pandemic first hit, it was pretty difficult because most of my sales would usually come from young adults who love parties. At the first phase where certain bars and clubs were closed people couldn’t party, so that meant nobody really needed tie-dye shirts and that did affect me mentally and I was a bit upset for a few months.” But with determination and faith, Jacobs has proven to be an over-comer and this, he believes, has paved the way for business to boom again. His long term goal is to eventually have his own store to sell his custom tie-dye t-shirts, hats, backpacks and other items. When asked what sets him apart from others doing a similar business, he said, “For me, I think it’s the passion and the standards I put into my business I mean, it’s not as popular as I want it to be so I take it very serious. Also, what mainly sets me apart is my customer service and the way I actually try to please the customers. I know persons value their money and I value my time that I take to make my craft, so if something isn’t right with one of my designs I would scrap it, start all over again and I would update my customer because I’m generally a caring person at the end of the day.” But he believes that more can be done to boost local small businesses like his, as young entrepreneurs need a wider reach to truly make a mark. He also affirmed that young entrepreneurs are important to society, pointing out that, “young persons rarely get any sort of guidance when it comes to starting any sort of business, so to see persons like myself, it’s very refreshing and in my eyes it gives the ‘big’ guys a run for their money as young entrepreneurs are more in touch with the time and with people in general.” Those who which to purchase Jacob’s unique tie-dye designs can do so by contacting him on Instagram: @tie_dyedesigns or Facebook: Tsunami Designs Inc.