06/05/2026
“I care because if you succeed, I succeed.”
I said this a little less than 15 years ago to my boss. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a sweet conversation. I felt like he didn’t value our customers the way they deserved and I was frustrated. I had watched him treat people so poorly and customers just came to accept “that’s just the way it is” because some days he could be so generous. Fast forward a few months, and I’m standing in the bathroom making a phone call that would eventually change the trajectory of my life, but not just yet. Because of that phone call, I found a place that saw I had something to offer, that I could help, and they took a chance. It wasn’t easy and a lot of sacrifices were made by all of us, but I was given purpose, friendship, and found family there. That place was Flashover. After nearly a year, my phone rang and it was a job opportunity…It wasn’t ideal, but it eased the financial burden for all of us and it was a good opportunity. So I took it. It was a little sad from time to time, while I had friends and I was making good money, I lost the ability to be creative in my job every day. I succeeded there, not because I was the best at my job there, but because I built trust with my co-workers. I learned so much, but I wasn’t happy. Six months after leaving that job, I made some big changes personally, and finally starting to feel like part of me was coming back and I bought Flashover! It was a crazy turn of events and something I never thought was in my future, but I was able to finally say “thank you for supporting me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for including me in your family. Thank you for trusting me with Flashover, I promise to take care of her” Although I didn’t say “I care because if you succeed, I succeed” to anyone at Flashover, I was a part of that success and now it is mine to carry on.
Today, I say that you. I have watched new business owners walk through these doors for years now, with the same excitement and apprehension as they place their first order for polo shirts so they look professional as they go out to sell their service or product to the Kingman area. And I am hoping for their success! I see them months or a year later as they are buying shirts for their first employees and how excited, and budget conscious they are, and as the years go by the less they worry about those things. I find it exciting when customers show up and say “Carhartt” (not because I make more off Carhartt - I don’t I promise lol) because that means they are growing, they are succeeding and they are working hard and celebrating their employees. I have unfortunately, reached out to hear “yeah, I had to shut down” and my heart breaks for them, because every business owner knows it could happen to them too, and whether we want to admit it or not, it scares us a little bit. Today, my role is a little different than it was as an employee and conversations in the store have shifted to mentorship, guidance, camaraderie, therapy, encouragement and coaching. I get to watch old co-workers and friends run into each other, catch up for a few minutes and I love that I get to witness these things. I love that customers feel safe with us and trust us to be a part of their journey.
Do I love being creative every day? Yes! Could I do that without commercial quality equipment at home? Yes! But I would miss out on so much if I did. I would miss out on you, watching you succeed, watching you grow, celebrating your victories, sitting with you in the hard moments and offering a word of encouragement or just listening. “I care because if you succeed, I succeed” but now my success is measured first in the connections we make, the friendships, the support and the excitement we all have knowing we can make a difference for someone else. One day, I will lock the door at Flashover and it will be the last time, and I can tell you this: I will miss you the most. That is the reason I keep coming back day after day no matter what. Your success matters to me because behind every shirt and every logo, I know there is someone who is chasing their dream.
