My name is Sasha, I’m 23, and I’m here to document the raw process of building own clothing brand called Etkis (been wanting to do this for longer than I care to admit).

This is me:

I love many things. Fashion, art, animals, being active, hiking, traveling, journaling, philosophy + psychology, atmospheric restaurants, trying and learning new things. We could get super specific here but I’m trying to be get to the main point (why I’m starting this Substack in the first place).

I’m a strong believer in neuroplasticity…you can 100% rewire your brain with positive affirmation + some discipline, and quickly unstick yourself from your current reality in the process. This I could say SO much about and best believe I will going forward.

Last year I moved back to the DC area (where I grew up) after living in LA for four years as I was getting my bachelors in marketing and business law. I learned a lot both in school & out, but I’m also very happy to be back on the east coast.

what i did before

All of my work experience is in marketing, design & social media. On the marketing side, I’ve done basically everything digital from email and newsletters to social media, SEO, influencers, ads, etc. Mostly across ecom and the entertainment industry.

On the design side, I’m a bit more all over the place, having dipped my toes in website design, UI + UX design, graphic design, brand design, and fashion design.

I was alright at both mkting & design, but I wasn’t fulfilled. I’d also get consumed by existential dread whenever I’d think about having to follow someone else’s ideas and the subsequent the lack of creative freedom in doing so.

And prior to that (in my later teens) I did social media for a bit. I grew two accounts on Instagram to 60K+ and 30K+ (at one point) within the figure skating community, then grew my personal account on TikTok to 20K+ making relatable meme content.

Then around 18-19 I stopped making content entirely because social media started giving me bad anxiety. I would post and then immediately want to take it down.

At the time I was also heavily getting into journaling/self-reflection, which basically led me to realizing I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I then decided that if I was to ever come back to content creation, I’d have to be 1) super intentional with it, and 2) it would have to be for a reason bigger than just myself.

why entrepreneurship now

I don’t like being told what to do. That’s one of the main reasons I really liked social media initially, even though I never made any $ from it.

So, entrepreneurship started making the most sense, but my challenge for quite a while (over a year tbh) was figuring out what exactly I’d be doing and why.

Eventually I figured out what direction I wanted to take my business when I did my first and only fashion design freelance job about a year and a half ago, with no formal education or prior experience lol.

TLDR: A couple of guys from my college started a mens clothing brand, which I thought was cool, and they let me design collection for them.

Even though at the time I had little idea what I was doing, I quickly realized out of all the design formats I’ve tried up until that point, fashion design was the most satisfying for several reasons:

1. I get to start my creative process on paper. I’ve always loved to draw, it’s one of my absolute favorite creative mediums.

2. Unlike digital design, I’m designing a physical product. Something you can touch and hold, something that lasts. I love that. If the internet shuts down and everything is wiped for some reason, my clothes are (most likely) unaffected.

3. I also love the fact that I get to create silhouettes I’d wear myself, use the shades of colors I want, in the quality fabrics and materials I want, in the styles I want. Basically I get to fill my own perceived gap in the market, which is sick.

4. More swag

[ anti ] preneurship

The name is semi-ironic of course lol

Entrepreneurship offers the rare combo of high financial reward, creative freedom and ability to build something on your own terms, which I love. At the same time I do want tochallenge the “traditional entrepreneurial approach” a bit, so to speak.

Specifically I’m trying to prove that it is possible to create and run a business that is both deeply meaningful (in terms of personal fulfillment/passion) and ethical while still surviving in a hellishly competitive business landscape.

In other words…it shouldn’t all be about the bottom line, and in time where overproduction is of huge of a problem as it is, I do believe businesses should be significantly more intentional about not only what they create, but the quality of it, too.

what to expect here

I plan to keep this space simple and real. Every week, I’ll check in and talk about what I did the week prior for my clothing brand and what I learned, if anything. Progress, wins, challenges, setbacks, pretty much all of it.

So basically you get to see the behind-the-scenes of growing my business, with minimal performativism (I’ll fight my perfectionist leo tendencies here, ok..).

I also would love for this to become a groupchat-like space for founders (aspiring or current) and creatives to come together and discuss ideas, share tools, tips, etc. If that’s something you’re down for…welcome welcome :)

where else to find me

The only other platforms I’m on are Instagram and TikTok, where I’ll be sharing carousel-style business insights + talking videos. Here are the links:

Instagram: @antipreneurship

TikTok: @antipreneurship

If you’re still here, thank you!!! Appreciate you very much.

Now let’s learn a thing or two on this journey together…or maybe I’ll even inspire you to start yours if you haven’t already...

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