Month: January 2017

It has been exactly one year since I wrote this post about launching the Just Truett t-shirts, and as I sit and reflect on what has probably been the craziest and busiest year of my life, I cannot help but praise God. I am not where I thought I would be at this time, but the journey has been a blessing and the future is bright.

As most of you know, I was turned down this past May to own and operate a Chick-fil-A in Montana. It was a long shot from the get-go, and corporate had told me they had chosen someone over a year ago, but I still gave it my all and went for it. I’m so happy for the operator they chose for that particulate location. He’s a great guy and a super fit for the Flathead Valley of Montana.

After much prayer, I decided to leave Chick-fil-A in September and go into real estate (though I still enjoy consulting and helping others in their own journeys). I obtained my NC Real Estate license and have almost completed my training to become a Sales and Marketing Rep for the Ryan Homes brand of NVR, Inc. Real estate class was no joke, but I love learning, growing, and expanding my horizons, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Along with changing careers, we lived 3 different places in 2016. We had been renting, thinking I was going to become a CFA operator in some part of the country, and therefore did not want to be tied down owning a house. After signing on with Ryan Homes, we settled back into Fort Mill, SC. I am pretty sure my wife was pumped to finally “settle” somewhere. 🙂

Since so much happened this year, I did not have much time to focus on promoting Just Truett shirts…. yet I was inundated with stories from operators and staff around the country telling me how they were able to use them to tell the story of Truett Cathy and his heart to serve others! Love getting feedback like that.

It has been exactly one year since I began to really promote the t-shirt and teach others the meaning behind the shirt. As I promised Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A and Truett’s son, I did not make a profit selling t-shirts. I had a few people in the chain who were skeptical about the shirts, and/or the motive behind the shirts. Was I making money off of someone who is deceased, am I trying to gain attention, or maybe I was simply using Truett’s name to launch some larger venture later. None of these can be further from the truth.

This year, 210 shirts were purchased/donated across the country…. actually, one went to England as well for the pop-up event Chick-fil-A does for a day. They were used for conferences, events, in-store service, and other venues. With some of the funds, we were able to give $500 to a Chick-fil-A team member who had lost her brother in an accident and needed a vehicle. People have used the t-shirt in so many incredible and creative ways…. I am overwhelmed reading them all. I recently started an Instagram page to try to document those who have sent photos wearing the shirt. You will see operators, corporate staff and even Mike Tolbert of the Carolina Panthers!

I just finished running the numbers, and to those who doubted I was doing it for the right reasons and simply trying to make a profit…. I ended up negative $225 at the end of the year. And that is OK! Why? Because my goal from the very beginning was to create a simple shirt that reminded us all daily to serve as Truett served, to care as Truett cared, and to love as Truett loved. It’s a model of service that continues to this day in Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country, and hopefully this shirt helps in a small way to carry on his legacy.

A special thank you for everyone who purchased a shirt or multiple shirts this year. Because of you, so many lives were impacted this year. May God bless you!