No Limbits

Super stoked to say "Thank you for coming to my TED talk," un-ironically for the first time! This event will be held at the Capitol Theater in Davenport, IA on Thursday, October 10th at 5:30pm. If you're near Davenport, you can attend live by grabbing tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eFQ3zHJ8

I've been quiet this Disability Pride Month - not because I'm not proud, but because I'm so excited for what's to come that I was afraid I couldn't keep my mouth shut ?? Without teasing too much, there are some mind-blowing things coming soon ?? I can't think of any better way to celebrate the 34th Anniversary of the ADA than to visit the incredible folks at Walmart's DC office to celebrate with their Associate Resource Group, the Disability Action Network. Every time I get in a room of people like this, my impact vision gets a little bigger, yet gains more clarity. Thank you Victor Calise, PLY, Zoya Rukh Awan, MBA, Gayatri Agnew, and Lindsey Fowler for the invitation! A special shoutout for Tampa Bay Wave for sponsoring my flights - nothing beats in-person meetings and I can only hint at the cool things that are coming thanks to this opportunity. #CreateSparks #entrepreneurship #accessibility #ADA

Adaptive clothing is very much on the cusp of becoming a mainstream category. We're still early, and we still have a long way to go, but there are whispers of a much larger movement that is gaining momentum. I often get asked about the number of brands entering the space. Am I threatened? Here's the thing: in the four categories No Limbits currently serves (people with lower limb difference, wheelchair users, sensory friendly, and folks with limited dexterity,) the market has been estimated at $2.6 billion in the US alone. We need more brands to enter the space. The challenge we face is not that the market is niche, it's that people with disabilities have felt ignored for so long that they don't know that adaptive options are out there, and unless they're newer in their disability journey, they've given up searching for it. Every brand in the adaptive clothing space benefits from more activity in it. And there are so many problems to solve that it's easy to be collaborative instead of competitive. It's for this reason that events like Denver Fashion Week are so instrumental. Showing adaptive fashion as a part of mainstream fashion is pivotal to its inclusion as a category. https://lnkd.in/ePTYCYRA #entrepreneurship #adaptiveclothing #accessibility #disability #fashion

Two weeks ago I walked across this stage and became a Cartier Women's Initiative Fellow, and I haven't posted anything about it because I don't know what to say. There's nothing I can type here that can express the joy, the overwhelm, and the bond I share with the other 32 Cartier Women's Initiative fellows across the globe. 11 million people watched this event live, watched us walk across the stage and be recognized for our social impact ventures. But very very few saw the week of classes and workshops leading up to this. Where we shared our experiences in social entrepreneurship and created lifelong friendships. We came from around the world, but the similarities in our stories, journeys, and challenges were astounding. It's always felt strange to me that the moments of my career that seem most monumental on the outside aren't the ones that I'm proudest of. I know it seems cheesy, but in this case, I'm most proud to be in the same company as these incredible women and call them my friends. I'll be forever changed by this experience. And entrepreneurship won't ever feel as lonely as it had the past few years. #entrepreneurship #socialimpactventures #femalefounder

Exactly two years ago today, our Shark Tank episode aired. If I knew then what we would accomplish in the next two years, I'd be over the moon. It's hard to be in the day-to-day of entrepreneurship and recognize how far you've come. Nothing feels like enough, and it's not entirely a bad trait. I think entrepreneurs need and thrive on that mindset. If you were easily satisfied, you probably wouldn't have started a business. But this is just a friendly reminder to put yourself in your old shoes and let yourself be proud once in a while. I'm forever grateful for the partnership of Mark Cuban and Emma Grede. https://lnkd.in/ew3Z8DRr

New site, who dis? When we first got our logos and colors, I thought we we could cross branding off the list of things to do. Turns out, there's a lot more to it than that. Molding the identity of No Limbits has been a really cool iterative process and I feel like every time we do an overhaul like this, we get closer to who we are as a team, company, and community. I'm so stoked about this new feel for us. If it's been a while, check out our new digs. And if you find a broken link, send me a screenshot and I'll send you one of our sensory friendly tees for free ?? https://no-limbits.com/

It probably doesn't come as a surprise that I constantly feel Imposter Syndrome. I'm a young woman who doesn't have a background in the apparel industry I'm working in, let alone business or management experience. I feel guilty every time I take a break because I'm paranoid that someone smarter and more capable than me will figure out I'm not where I'm supposed to be. A couple years ago, I built a list of things that "real" founders do and I started working towards those things. Being on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list was near the top. In fact, I crossed off three other things from my list this year (more on that later). I set goals to intentionally collect evidence that I was not an imposter. I tried proving myself wrong and hoped that along the way, I'd start to feel like this "real" founder I aspired to be, but I didn't. It led to "Just one more thing, just one more thing," an obsession that perhaps makes me a real founder more than any of my other qualities. (Maybe it was a good goal setting exercise, but I'm pretty sure doing the same thing without the self-resentment might be more productive, just a hunch.) So today I'm trying something different. I'm Erica, and I'm a real founder who made the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the Retail and eCommerce category. I've worked hard to get here and I earned this spot. https://lnkd.in/gmxVhBPf #forbes30under30