Danny Desilus said he never expected that a flyer he designed nearly two years ago would lead to a business venture.
Desilus, a 22-year-old senior integrated business major, is making a name for himself in UCF’s African-American community.
After making a flyer for "Blu Getaway Weekend" — a summer event hosted by his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma — Desilus received positive feedback from his fraternity brothers. With the support of his fraternity brothers and family, Desilus said he decided to start his graphic design and apparel company, Desilus Designs, in March 2017.
"I consulted with a lot of brothers in my fraternity who have businesses in apparel," Desilus said. "I Googled a lot of things I wasn't sure on."
Outside of Google, Desilus said he also gained entrepreneurial skills in the classroom.
"With integrated business, if you break the classes down, it essentially teaches you how to start a small business and maintain it," Desilus said.
The program includes courses such as Principles of Financial Accounting, Business Finance, Marketing and Managing Small Business Finances.
Desilus said his business offers a wide variety of products, such as custom T-shirts, jerseys, flyers, designs, printing, logosandSnapchat filters. He said he creates Snapchat filters— or overlay designs a user can add to a photo or video taken in Snapchat, which are set for a predetermined date, time and geographic location —for Greek events, parties or general celebrations.
He said he works with clients' needs and engages in a step-by-step process to ensure each client is satisfied before moving on to the printing process.
"I keep close relations with my printers and make sure that I'm in close communication with them during production to ensure top quality but to also learn along the way," Desilus said.
Desilus said he left his on-campus job in June to solely focus on Desilus Designs. He said it wasn't long before he secured his first UCF contract, which wasto print nearly 20 T-shirts for a Multicultural Academic and Student ServicesStudent Success Conference in August.
Desilus said he was able to solidify the partnership through connections he has cultivated over the years with Multicultural Academic and Student Services staff members.
"So when I opened up officially, I was constantly giving them business cards every chance I had,"he said.
Desilus said it was only a matter of time before he was contacted.
"Eventually, the need [for designs and products] came about and I was fortunate enough to be in a position to fill it," Desilus said.
Desilus also designs custom items for other small business and some of UCF's Greek community, including the Zeta Phi Beta and Delta Sigma Theta sororities. He said he also creates signature designs for the Haitian community and specific Florida counties such as Broward, DadeandDuval.
Desilus said he gained his entrepreneurial prowess from his father.
“My dad owns an insurance company, and growing up I always saw him get up and get ready for work,” Desilus said. “His dedication led to my inspiration to always want to own my own business.”
Desilus— who works from his College Station apartment on Alafaya Trail— has a small team around him, including his god sister who helps him with social media and promoting the business online.
He said he spends at least 85 hours a week on his business. Despite the long hours, Desilus said he has been able to find a balance between his studies and his business demands.
"I plan out my schedule for school and my business on a biweekly basis," Desilus said. "So knowing what's on my plate ahead of time helps me balance everything."
Even as the owner of a growing business, Desilus said his studies come first.
"During midterms and finals, I just pull back hard from the business to make sure I'm on point forschool," Desilus said.
When Desilus is focused on the business aspect of his life, he said he makes sure to pay it forward and financially support other black businesses.
A report from theEmpowerment Experiment, a yearlong study designed to see what happens when people buy from only black-owned companies, showed that just 2 cents of every dollar an African-American spends go to a black business.
Desilus said that supporting black businesses means everything to him. He said he has assisted several local companies — such as the natural beard pomade line Gold Drip Inc., and local barbering business Cozy Cutz — owned by UCF student Carl Hughes. Desilus said he prints both logos and T-shirts for the companies.
Hughes, senior healthsciencesmajor, is the parliamentarian for the Xi Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and is a member of Progressive Black Men, a student organization dedicated to promoting positive images of black men in the African-American community. He works for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and volunteers at the Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center.
"With the help of Desilus Designs, I was able to market my companies more than before," Hughes said.
Before the start of their businesses, Hughes and Desilus were acquaintances through their membership in the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
"I go to Desilus Designs for all my branding apparel," Hughes said. "It's important that black businesses support one another."
But Desilus' support for small minority businesses doesn't stop there.
"I even go as far as donating anytime I see any black UCF organization hosting some kind of fundraiser in the free speech zone or by the [Student Union]," Desilus said. “I just think that we as black people have the power to really take ourselves and our people into a different financial standing.”
Desilus said his company’s growth can be attributed to building trust with customers.
“The strength of referrals has usually secured me an additional two to three customers right after that," Desilus said.
UCF senior biology major Valique Freeman — and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority— is one of those customers.
"Working with Danny [Desilus] is great," Freeman said. "He has always cooperated with me and I have had some very difficult requests sometimes because most of my orders have been for my sorority and need to be customized."
Freeman has placed group T-shirt orders for her and her class of 32 sorority sisters to wear during their events.
"The overall experience is pleasant especially because it comes at the right price and I'm able to have an open line of communication," Freeman said. "If he has new ideas, he'll present them, and if it's something that I don't like he'll change it without pushback."
Desilus said he recently designed T-shirts for Freeman's sorority for UCF's Homecoming. Freeman said she's already thinking of what's next for their partnership and said she would "absolutely" work withDesilus again.
Desilus said he persistently works to avoid stagnation when searching for new clientele.
“There’s a struggle in gaining new customers,”Desilus said.
Desilus is able to promote his business throughout his fraternity and the Greek community as a whole. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity has more than 700 chapters, with 37 chapters in Florida. Word-of-mouth communication and social media are large sources of advertisem*nt for his business, Desilus said.
"It was my fraternity brothers [who] encouraged me to begin my business," Desilus said. "Then you have brothers from other chapters who see a design on social media and want to know where to get it."
Gaining customers is only one part of the entrepreneurial business, Desilus said. Advertising and funding also play a part in a company's success.
In September, researchfirmCB Insightsreported that less than1 percent of venture capital-backed startup founders are black.
“I know some people who have started businesses without any funds, I know people who started with funds,” Desilus said. “You just have to really want to start.”
Desilus said the hardest part of starting a business is remaining driven.
“I think keeping yourself motivated through the rough times and unexpected bumps is important in starting a new business,” Desilus said. “Not everything is going to go right.”
He said Desilus Designs has progressed significantly after its inception nearly two years ago, adding that he'sbecome more organized and professional and has seen an increase in clientele.
For those who are hesitant to start their own business, Desilus said planning everything out is critical.
"Start with your end goal in mind and operate as such from the start," he said. "Think about what you want to do, and then think about what'll happen when you do it, and then finally think about how you can recreate or magnify that effect."
Desilus said it's imperative to curb excuses when first opening up shop.
"When you start a business, people expect you to operate like you've had your doors open for 20-plus years," Desilus said. "You can't get away with being lax about certain areas of business because that's one of the quickest ways to lose customers."
As for the future of his company, Desilus said he hopes for both expansion and longevity.
“I see my business empowering other people and even having a staff, I don’t want it to be just me," Desilus said. “I've also had thoughts on expanding my services. I definitely see Desilus Designs being around for a while."
