Josh Veach on Go Shout Love

The Problem 

When Josh Veach and his wife, Rashele, took the helm of Go Shout Love in 2018, it was a for-profit business helping families of children with rare medical disabilities. The company would feature a child’s story online and sell individualized apparel, with partial profits going back to the child’s family. However, using this for a for-profit business model was not ideal due to donation limitations. 

The Big Idea 

Veach and his wife decided to split the one business into two. The newly established for-profit company, called Wear Good Co, would be a clothing and accessories company while Go Shout Love would run as a nonprofit. Wear Good Co would provide the apparel sold by the nonprofit. Those who donate to the families could either purchase individual items or get a regular subscription to make a monthly donation. The transition was completed in January. 

The Learning Curve 

The transition from one company to two and making one into a nonprofit was not easy. There needed to be bylaws and conflict of interest policies put in place. Veach says while working on the transition, he learned that it wasn’t always about the money donated to the families.“While raising funds is important, it’s really about maximizing the impact for these families,” he says. “It allows a family a voice and amplification and allows them to be heard in a way they haven’t been heard before.”

The Takeaway 

Veach says it is important to consult the experts to make sure everything is by the book. “You want to do things the right way, especially when it comes to nonprofits,” he says. Picking the right people to help lead any company or nonprofit is important, too. In the case of Go Shout Love, that included having a board of directors. Veach says Go Shout Love’s subscriptions have grown year-over-year 15–20%. “It’s so much more than a T-Shirt,” he says. “When people believe in a cause, they will rally behind that and it will maintain importance for people.”